In the years since the Seacoast Congress of Sound began, the local music scene has become noticeably more collaborative, according to musician Stu Dias. There is more overlap of genres, more bands adding horns and organs and a variety of strings to their ensembles. Local recordings have gotten more nuanced, Dias said, with musicians branching out and recruiting new players.
Collaboration is part of what the Seacoast Congress of Sound is all about. Dias, one of the event’s founders, said the Congress of Sound brings people of different artistic backgrounds together for a day of music and art.
“I definitely think (the music scene has) grown more collaborative, and a lot of interesting collaborations have happened at these festivals because so many people are there, so many artist who don’t normally meet each other,” he said.
The seventh annual Seacoast Congress of Sound takes place on Saturday, July 16, beginning at noon. While the last several festivals have been held at Great Works Farm in North Berwick, Maine, this year’s event was moved at the last minute to Rock Maple Woods in Strafford.
Dias and the other event organizers learned about a week ago that they would have to change venues due to “unforeseen circumstances.” But Rock Maple Woods has hosted other concerts — the Harmonium Music Festival took place there in 2014 and 2015 before moving to Gauthier Farm in Rochester last month.
Dias said it was fortunate that Rock Maple Woods was able to step in at the last minute and serve as this year’s venue. He said the atmosphere there is similar to Great Works Farm, with a stage in a large field for the outdoor concert. But the Strafford site has at least one advantage.
“There’s sort of a natural amphitheater where the actual stage is, so there’s a little bit of tree cover, which is nice so that everybody doesn’t get burnt to a crisp,” Dias said.
The first Congress was a small gathering in Dias’ backyard in 2010. It bounced around between venues before landing at Great Works Farm for three straight years, beginning in 2013. Dias said the event would return to North Berwick next year, circumstances permitting.
Scenes from past Seacoast Congress of Sound events at Great Works Farm in North Berwick.
For each of the past three years, proceeds from the Congress have gone to a different organization. Past beneficiaries have included 3S Artspace, the Cocheco Arts and Technology Academy, and the Children’s Museum of New Hampshire. This year, all proceeds will go to the Portsmouth Halloween Parade.
Dias said supporting the Halloween parade was a “no-brainer.” One of his bands, the Soggy Po’ Boys, participates in the parade every year, playing music as they march. He said the parade is similar in spirit to the Congress of Sound.
“We really love that the parade doesn’t really do anything but the parade,” he said. “It’s focused on this one thing. There’s nothing to it besides the community value that it offers. Whoever you are, you’re welcome. There’s no constraints, there’s no application process. You just sort of show up and be a part of it.”
Driving home the summer Halloween theme, Dr. Gasp and the Eeks will headline this year’s Congress. Gasp, the alter-ego of regional singer-songwriter Dan Blakeslee, normally only performs during a whirlwind tour in October.
Other first-time performers at this year’s festival include Max Grazier, an indie musician and current student at Berklee College of Music, and the Max Logue Quartet, a jazz group led by pianist and composer Max Logue.
The rest of the music lineup spans numerous genres, featuring Jim Dozet, Gretchen and the Pickpockets, Sojoy, Sam Hill, Martin England and the Reconstructed, the New England Bluegrass Band, Equal Time, Kid Coyote, Elissa Margolin, The Freestones, and Comma.
Gretchen and the Pickpockets will perform at this year’s Congress.
In addition to the music, Dover-based arts collective Wrong Brain will host an “Artist Alley” with an interactive art project.
“(Wrong Brain founder) Sam Paolini has been helping us out for years getting artists organized for the festival, but this year they really stepped up their game,” Dias said. “We’re doing this really cool community art project where artists from Wrong Brain are making this really large, beautiful banner, and we’re inviting anyone who shows up at the festival to contribute to the banner.” Festival organizers will carry the finished banner during the Portsmouth Halloween Parade.
The Congress of Sound will also offer food from Dover’s 7th Settlement Brewery and Strafford’s Mr. Sippy’s BBQ.
For a taste of the music that will be performed at the concert, there is a playlist at the event website featuring one song by each of the featured acts. To read more thoughts from Dias and other Congress organizers, click here.
The Seacoast Congress of Sound takes place Saturday, July 16, beginning at noon, at Rock Maple Woods, 664 First Crown Point, Strafford. Tickets are $12 per person or $30 per car, available at seacoastcongressofsound.com.