The Mallet Brothers Band has been together for eight years now, evolving from an acoustic band to a jam-based rock one. A lot of that progression, says Luke Mallett, comes from playing live shows. “We like to rock and jam for extended periods of time, and we like to get a little psychedelic on stage,” says Mallett, who plays electric guitar and sings.

Mallet calls their success to date a grassroots movement, noting they’ve never had the support of a management agency or a record label. “[It’s about] hitting the pavement ourselves,” he says. “It’s got pros and cons, but it’s gotten us to this point.”

Mallett and the other members have considered living somewhere else, but they feel deeply rooted in New England. “It’s something that any Maine-er will be able to relate to,” he says of Maine’s influence on who they are and what they do. “It has a grip on all of us, and in certain places there’s just a really deep sense of where you came from. I think Northern Maine is a lot like that.”

The band’s most recent release, The Falling of the Pine, celebrates the culture and history of Maine by reimagining a group of 19th century Maine folk songs. Mallet’s mother was a librarian, and his brother, Will, found a 1927 book in her collection called Minstrelsy of Maine. One of the first pages was a song that mentioned their grandmother’s maiden name. Will Mallet was hooked. The band created a concept record based off that first song, and ran with it from there.

Mallet hopes to continue the journey the band is on without having to go get day jobs. They plan to keep traveling across the US, spreading their electric and experimental sound. “In this day and age, you can do it from wherever you want to,” says Mallet. “You don’t have to be in Nashville; you just have to show up on a regular basis.”

Luke Mallett–guitarist, singer
Mallet Brothers Band
Portland, Maine
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All photos by Ray MacGregor

The post Getting Psychedelic appeared first on Take Magazine.

Singer and songwriter Jenny Van West of Portland, Maine, has been singing her whole life. “I had the good fortune to go to schools with strong music programs,” she says. “We would sing everything from hymns to songs from South Pacific. We were expected to learn music theory starting in the 4th grade.”

Van West began playing guitar and writing songs during her teen years, but took a break from writing as she thought she lacked talent in that area. “Fast forward to six years ago when I realized that if I could become teachable, I could learn to write songs as well.”

Jenny Van West, photo by Jeff Van West

The realization liberated Van West, although she admits she wrote lot of bad songs in between the good ones. In 2015, she put out her first full-length CD, Something Real, went on the road for the first time, and won the Maine Songwriters Association songwriting contest. “I suppose that shows we aren’t always right about ourselves and can do a lot more than we think we can,” she says.

Growing up near the banks of the Potomac River in Maryland, Van West lived all over New England before settling in Maine in 2005. “We chose Portland. Portland is equal parts salt water, granite, old brick buildings, good food, art, and grit,” Van West says. “Portland has a lot of integrity as a city. There is also tremendous cultural diversity here. If you are lucky like me, you get to hang out with people from all over the world. If you asked for 100 Maine musicians who have positively impacted me,” she adds, “I could write you a book.”

Currently Van West is working on her second album, Happiness to Burn, which will feature ten original songs. It is set to release in October. “This album represents a major leap for me artistically, and I’m extremely proud of what it’s becoming.”

Jenny Van West, photo by Titi de Baccarat

She recently played a sold-out show at the Stoltz Listening Room at the Avalon Theater in Easton, Maryland, and sang for 9,000 people at the Women’s March in Augusta, Maine, last January. “Everyone should be singing and making music all the time,” she says. “It should be completely normalized.”

Right now Van West is loving Emmy Lou Harris’ Wrecking Ball album, Rose Cousin’s song “Chosen”, and Shane Alexander’s “Nobody’s Home.” Van West is also a huge fan of local artist Jaw Gems. You can hear these tunes and more on our Take a Listen Spotify channel that features staff listening picks and top tunes chosen by musicians we interview. Take a Listen.

Jenny Van West–Musician
Portland, Maine
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Top image by Elizabeth Harvey

The post Singing With Soul in Portland appeared first on Take Magazine.