Events downtown

Oct 23

Jake Blount
Location: 181 State St., Portland, Maine 04101, US
8:00 pm - 10:00 pm
Event website

ADVANCE PURCHASE: $12
DAY-OF: $15
10% MEMBER DISCOUNT

A powerfully gifted musician and a scholar of Black American music, Jake Blount speaks ardently about the African roots of the banjo and the subtle, yet profound ways African Americans have shaped and defined the amorphous categories of roots music and Americana. His 2020 album Spider Tales (named one of the year’s best albums by NPR and The New Yorker, earned a perfect 5-star review from The Guardian) highlighted the Black and Indigenous histories of popular American folk tunes, as well as revived songs unjustly forgotten in the whitewashing of the canon. Jake Blount’s new album, The New Faith, is a towering achievement of dystopian Afrofuturism and his first album for Smithsonian Folkways (coming September 23, 2022). The New Faith is spiritual music, filled with hope for salvation and righteous anger in equal measure. The album manifests our worst fears on the shores of an island in Maine, where Blount enacts an imagined religious ceremony performed by Black refugees after the collapse of global civilization due to catastrophic climate change. Jake Blount’s music is rooted in care and confrontation. On stage, each song he and his band play is chosen for a reason – because it highlights important elements about the stories we tell ourselves of our shared history and our endlessly complicated present moment. The more we learn about where we’ve been, the better equipped we are to face the future.

IMPORTANT COVID-19 INFORMATION
Effective immediately, we will no longer require proof of vaccination or masks at our shows.

PLEASE NOTE: additional COVID-19 protocols beyond the venue policy MAY be required by a specific artist or band. PLEASE REFER TO THE SPECIFIC EVENT PAGE for the event you are attending for the most up to date information.

TICKETING TERMS & CONDITIONS
One Longfellow Square does not assume liability; the ticket holder will assume all risks involved. By purchasing a ticket to this event you agree to assume full liability for any risks incurred before, during, and after the event and agree to the current Terms of Use.