In preparation for this year’s Hometown Heroes Presents: The Third Annual Dead Of Winter concert (this Saturday, January 24th), we thought it would be nice to introduce our blog readers to some of the musicians we have scheduled to perform. We asked each of them 7 basic questions, and over the next 3 days we’ll be posting them here. Let’s start with Aly Spaltro of Lady Lamb The Beekeeper.
How long have you lived in Maine?
I’ve lived in Maine (Brunswick) for 5 years.
When did you start playing music?
I started playing music about a year and a half ago. I got a recorder before playing anything, because at the time, I was interested in holding off playing guitar until I had the means to layer instruments one by one.
Who do you usually perform with?
I perform with my best friend TJ Metcalfe. We’re the duo called Lady Lamb The Beekeeper.
Other than SPACE, what is one of your favorite venues in Portland?
We just had really great experiences playing at the NorthStar Music Cafe and One Longfellow Square…Anna Maria over at NorthStar and Tom and Christian at One Longfellow were very friendly and accommodating, and the sound in each venue was delicious.
Who is your favorite Portland musician or group, other than yourself or those you perform with?
Matt, Chris, Mike, and Wesley: DEAD END ARMORY. I feel prepared to take time off from work to make it to every last one of their shows. Wesley’s glasses go flying, guitar strings snap..it’s beautiful. I’m such a fan.
How are you tackling the challenge of performing this material alone, when you usually perform it with others?
I started out as a solo artist, so I will just be performing songs I put out before meeting TJ (and maybe one I wrote for TJ after we became friends). I must say, it may just be a bit difficult to be on stage for the first time in months without my best friend! I’m not used to standing up there alone anymore… I’ll just make funny faces at him in the audience.
What are your musical plans for 2009?
After Dead Of Winter, we only have one more show booked in early February for the rest of the season. We’re going to be taking a break from playing shows in order to buckle down and record our new album. By May or June we hope to venture downwards for our first US tour. I also hope to snag an autoharp at some point in 2009, and teach myself to play the musical saw.