The Bollard Bulletin for May 2-4, 2025
Another wet weekend full of fun things to do!
FRIDAY
TAKAAT is the rhythm section of the Nigerian rock band Mdou Moctar, whose own sound, described as Tuareg post-punk, is even more wild and thrilling for its improvisational freedom and edge. Portland’s “new freakout” band Crazy Déjà Vu opens at The Apohadion Theater (107 Hanover St., Portland) at 8 p.m. Tix: $25 (all ages).
In her multimedia one-act show, “How to Have Fun in a Civil War,” Somali playwright Ifrah Mansour recreates her experiences as a child in the midst of Somalia’s 1991 war through puppetry, poetry, videos and stories that mix humor with pathos and emerge triumphant. It’s at the Chocolate Church Arts Center (804 Washington St., Bath) at 7:30 p.m. Donations encouraged.
Cuatrista (woman who plays the cuatro, a type of guitar) Fabiola Méndez brings the musical and storytelling traditions of Puerto Rico to life with her genre-hopping trio at Mechanics’ Hall (519 Congress St., Portland) at 7:30 p.m. Tix: $25 (all ages).
One of Maine’s best rock singer/songwriters, Dominic Lavoie, who recently dropped another excellent album, Round Trip, plays a free solo show this evening at Orange Bike Brewing (31 Diamond St., Portland) at 5:30 p.m. (all ages).
Be aware of the catchy “GuitaR&B” of Sunburned Sharks, who make you wiggle for tips at Elements (265 Main St., Biddeford) at 6:30 p.m. (all ages).
Solid night of New England alt-rock and indie folk at Oxbow Blending & Bottling (49 Washington Ave., Portland) with New Hampshire’s Small Pond, Somerville’s Otis Shanty and Vermont mandolinist Jeff Wilson and his band at 8 p.m. Tix: $17 (21+).
And Oystagutt, the unholy yet funky collaboration between rapper Oystaguy and Dave Gutter, is back at The Thirsty Pig (37 Exchange St., Portland) for a free 7 p.m. gig (all ages).
SATURDAY
“Somehow she seems to come from somewhere else,” an Austrian reviewer wrote of New England indie-folk phenomenon Allysen Callery. “Travelled through the clouds or gone through the stones. Her music is neither spooky nor eerie, but rather surrounded by a kind of positive mysticism and a familiar strangeness…” Experience this magic yourself here, then catch Callery at The Apohadion Theater (107 Hanover St., Portland) with openers Andrew Victor, Josh Burkett and Clay Camero at 8 p.m. Tix: $10-$20 (pay-what-you-can; all ages).
Pairing Friday’s TAKAAT show at the Apohadion with tonight’s gig by Club d’Elf — the group that mixes traditional Moroccan music with modern funk, hip hop, prog rock, dub and jazz — at The Dance Hall (7 Walker St., Kittery) would be the perfect mini-tour of African psych-rock. It starts at 7:30 p.m. Tix: $20-$25 ($15 students).
Portland R&B star Lyle Divinsky, who broke big singing with funk band The Motet, performs with his own groovy group at One Longfellow Square (181 State St., Portland) at 8 p.m. Tix: $25-$30 (all ages).
“A tuba lights the way, beds make music, paintings come to life, and a radio delivers a message from the past in a whimsical production that combines illusion, music, and theater.” Thus describes Phina Pipia’s one-woman show, Ha Ha Da Vinci, a time-traveling musical mystery performed at Mayo Street Arts (10 Mayo St., Portland) at 7 p.m. tonight and Sunday. Tix: $20-$23.
In celebration of the May 4th geek holiday, the Portland Symphony Orchestra performs the soundtrack to the fourth Star Wars film, A New Hope, as it’s projected at Merrill Auditorium (20 Myrtle St., Portland) at 7 p.m. Tix: $74-$101. Additional performances Sunday at 1 p.m. and 7 p.m.
SUNDAY
Vinegar Hill Music Theatre (53 Old Post Rd., Arundel) is open for another season, and this weekend they host the nine-piece Zappa tribute band The Furious Bongos at 8 p.m. Tix: $25-$35 (all ages).
Video-game-soundtrack cover band Bit Brigade plays rock versions of the music in Super Mario World and F-Zero as their player runs through them live at Portland House of Music (25 Temple St.) at 8 p.m. Tix: $20 (21+, or w/ parent or guardian).
Looks like another wet weekend, which can only mean one thing: movies! The Portland Museum of Art is screening the 40-minute documentary Outsider, about the astounding art of the late Maury Ornest, whose struggle with mental illness coincided with a prolific creativity. It shows at 3 p.m., followed by a panel discussion with his sister, Laura, and local mental health professionals. Free.
Nathaniel Dorsky’s 137-minute experimental film The Arboretum Cycle, which screened last week at the Strand in Rockland, shows at SPACE (538 Congress St., Portland) in 16mm format at 5:30 p.m. Tix: $10.
And the Jedis at Eveningstar Cinema in Brunswick’s Tontine Mall (149 Maine St.) are showing Star Wars films The Phantom Menace and The Empire Strikes Back with special related events for the holiday weekend. Click their link for showtimes.