It seemed like the 1980s. About a dozen people sitting in a lounge, talking quietly, drinking beer and smoking excellent cigars. The Calabash Cigar Cafe, 425 Western Ave., South Portland — in the same shopping plaza as Staples and Burlington Coat Factory — is the only public place in Maine where you can smoke a […]

Many bars claim to be a place “where everybody knows your name.” Sitting at the bar at Union House Pub and Pizza and listening to the owners greet practically every person who entered by name, I’m kind of convinced that’s actually true here. Jack and Vassie Fowler bought the Union House Cafe almost three years […]

Stellar documentaries, and comedians in starring roles

I’m not trying to panic anyone. But depending on when you’re reading this, it’s at least Dec. 16. Yikes. No matter what your faith, or lack thereof, America’s true religion is commerce, and that harsh god demands that you spend the last days of the year emptying your wallets for the sake of friends, loved […]

Artists that take risks are easy to love. If an artist has the core capability to compel his audience, to “move the room” with his songs, then he can afford to wiggle and shake his stories to a less linear place. Think of the path charted by local lovable oddballs such as the Lucid and […]

If you’re searching for cross-cultural inspiration in your local musician, look no further than resolute performer Britta Pejic. Whether it’s a triple identity as a mom/teacher/post-punk songstress or an affinity for love songs picked up on Parisian radio, the stage veteran has performed across the world, and added little pieces to her puzzle along the […]