BATH

“City of Ships,” a public access television show recorded in Bath and shown on BCTV, is nearing 100 episodes. The show features performances by regional musicians and has been airing intermittently since 2004.

“We’re working at just about our 100th show, like, this week we’ll be hitting 100,” said David Bullard, who started the program. “It’s kind of cool.”

Originally from Colorado, Bullard started playing music when he was young and hasn’t stopped. He currently has two bands: the David Bullard Band and Soundwavz, which plays mostly reggae and Latin music.

After performing around the country, Bullard finally arrived in Maine where he’s become a fixture in the music community.

“When I came to Maine (in the ’80s), I realized that it was somewhat of a closed music pool,” said Bullard. “I wanted to do something that becomes inclusive to musicians, so I get to know them better so that I have a network.”

Almost 20 years ago, Bullard started his first venture to create a more integrated music community — a public access show.

“The original one I started in Harpswell in 1999, and it was called ‘Coast to Coast,’” said Bullard. “We did 100 episodes with guests from around the region who had CDs out at the time and were up and coming performing songwriters.

“Then I went to Portland and started doing a show, at CTN down there, and I did about 100 shows with different guests, bands and all kinds of stuff,” said Bullard.

While engaged in producing those two shows, Bullard began the “City of Ships Music Show” on Bath Community Television channel 14 in 2004 with intermittent shows. The show follows a simple format — a live, one-take recording of a local or regional musician that ranges from 30 minutes to an hour.

For Bullard, the importance of a show like the one he does is that it helps get up and coming musicians’ names out there.

“A lot of folks who grew up in Maine are kind of more timid about their art form or their creativity, or they don’t want to jump out there too much and go try to talk to a place that is a resort or something like that,” said Bullard. “So when they take their art form into a studio like that, they’re able to perform what they do and that goes out to several thousand people in that community and those surrounding towns. And then the audience is people sitting at home on their couch, and they view this.

“If they’re the type of performer who wants to play in a nightclub or a bar or a resort or even for functions, the people who are event planners see (‘City of Ships’) sometimes and they approach me and say, ‘We’d like to have that band, do you know how I can reach them?’” said Bullard. “That’s what’s been so good about it.”

This informal network that’s developed through Bullard’s television programs and performances allows many Maine musicians to help connect each other to paid gigs. If one performer has to cancel, they can call up Bullard who can perform with his band or can contact another musician who can fill in. In this way, said Bullard, the Maine music scene is much more collaborative than when he first arrived, and it’s easier for some to find work.

“Without really having a defined blog or website, we created our own networking system in and around this TV show,” said Bullard.

The 100th episode will likely air in the next two weeks.

Bullard will be performing in Brunswick during the Art Walk on Sept. 8 at 5 p.m. in front of Cool as a Moose. He’ll also be performing on Sept. 16 at noon during the How To Festival in Brunswick, and Soundwavz will be playing The Maine Women’s Expo on Nov. 5 at Thompson’s Point.

nstrout@timesrecord.com