Portland Music Foundation

The Portland Music Foundation is an ever-evolving effort to serve as an information clearinghouse for Portland's music playing, loving, & supporting community. We hope to foster efforts on many fronts to make our members archive their goals whether that be making a living playing coffeehouses, booking a national tour, getting press on a CD release, or simply discovering new music, and supporting it as a fan.

With a board of directors representing many facets of the Portland music scene - musicians, promoters, agents, producers, engineers, print & radio media , label owners - the PMF hopes to offer what expertise for the benefit members who can use it.

Fall 2008 Open Session

Wednesday, October 8, 2008
One Longfellow Square
181 State Street
Portland, ME 04101 *MAP*
(207) 761-1757

Doors - 6:00 PM//Start - 6:30PM

Topic: "The Best Decsion I Ever Made"

The public is invited to a discussion called, “The Best Decision I Ever Made,” which will feature veteran music industry members recalling some of the best decisions they made as they built their careers. It follows the “Mistakes Were Made” session that began the last round of PMF educational programming. The hope is that some of these lessons learned can inspire the current crop of aspiring industry members to kick their careers into a higher gear. The panelists are as follows and will be available for a Q&A session following the on-stage discussion.

Lance Vardis – Producer and owner of CSP Mobile, a mobile recording studio used for capturing live events. Vardis has worked with all kinds of big-time musicians, from Robert Randolph and the Family Band to Slayer to the Black Crowes, recording live events for record and film.

Gene McDaniels - Grammy-winning songwriter and performer - Maybe best known for writing "Feel Like Making Love" for Roberta Flack, McDaniels had his first Top 10 hit in 1961 as a performer and released 11 albums through 1971. He then turned to songwriting, producing, and studio work, teaming with the likes of Burt Bacharach, Nancy Wilson, and even lending a sample to the Beastie Boys' seminal "Sabotage."

Taylor Mesple – Owner of the Maple Room, a performance venue in Lewiston; songwriter and president, Maine Songwriters Association. Mesple is an accomplished studio musician and producer, with credits beside names like James Taylor, Bruce Hornsby, the Indigo Girls, and Keb Mo. He’s played on more than 120 albums and has four to his own name.

Chris Brown – VP Marketing, Bull Moose Music. Brown has been crucial to Bull Moose’s long-time support of local album sales, advocating for local albums’ place beside nationally recognized acts and with Brett Wickard developing Uncle Stinky, the software that helps locals actually get paid.

Darren Elder – Musician, the Wrecking, national recording artists; owner, the Halo, recording studio. Elder’s band, the Wrecking, just released their national debut, A New Abolition, on the Chosen/Universal label. As owner of the Halo, he and Jon Wyman are responsible for the production and creation of dozens of local albums.

Fall 2008 In-Depth Sessions

Wednesday, November 5, 2008
One Longfellow Square
181 State Street
Portland, ME 04101 *MAP*
(207) 761-1757

Doors - 6:00 PM//Start - 6:30PM

Topic 1: Radio Promotion 101

....will be hosted by Herb Ivy, and will feature local musicians who have lately put together radio promotion campaigns to expose themselves both to the college and commercial radio circuit.

Topic 2: Internet Marketing 101

...will be run by Patrick May, PMF president and will feature the ABC's of creating a web presence and strategies to take advantage of the plethora of social networking sites and music blogs.

These sessions are for PMF members only seats are first come, first serve. Members must have membership card or photo id - Join here.

For more information, email info@portlandmusicfoundation.org.

HOME