Tales From The Music Hall Stage—From The Farthest Forests to Billy Bragg

In the weeks leading up to the show I was a wreck. Having played in bands for more than half my life, most of whose performances took place in bars, cafes, and basements, the significance of a show at The Music Hall felt profound. I knew it was an opportunity my band-mate Anne and I might never see again. Nevertheless, we knew we’d be heard for the first time by many folks in the audience and we wanted to make a good impression, so we practiced and practiced and practiced until we were blue in the face. Finally, when the 21st arrived we packed up our gear, crossed the river from Eliot, and headed to The Music Hall. What a thrill it was to forgo the lobby and enter through the stage door to the sound of The Felice Brothers’ sound check. We then got to set up our equipment, warm up, and relax a bit with the other musicians. Sorry to inform you, New England Felice Brothers fans, but I got some inside scoop: they’re Yankee fans.

When we were finally called to the stage my heart was beating through my chest, but as soon as we performed our first few notes I settled right down. It’s true what they say: with the lights shining on you, you can hardly see anything. Even so, I couldn’t believe how cool and calm Anne was – she hasn’t been performing for nearly as long as I have, but she seemed right at home under the bright lights! She even got the audience clapping along with our song “Blue Cornflower”, which felt great.

When the performance was over I was beaming – all the anxiety I’d been experiencing was gone, replaced instead by relief and pride at having had the opportunity to be part of such a special weekend. In the days that followed we were even stopped and congratulated by people in town who had seen the show – truly surreal!  I can’t thank The Music Hall’s curatorial team enough for including us among the weekend’s “up and comers” – it was an experience of a lifetime.

Later this month, on Saturday, June 30, I’ll be back on The Music Hall stage for another distinct honor – to welcome the audience and introduce one of my musical heroes, Billy Bragg. I’ve been a fan of his ever since the album Mermaid Avenue, a collaboration with the band Wilco on which they set original music to lyrics from the songbook of Woody Guthrie. I’m so excited to see Billy perform a set of Woody’s songs in honor of his 100th birthday (if he plays “Ingrid Bergman” I’ll try not to sing along too loudly), in addition to a set of his own amazing music (it’ll be funny to see him play “A New England” IN New England).

I feel so lucky to be involved with The Music Hall in a way that has allowed me to make such amazing memories —as a musician, as a music fan, and as a member of the Seacoast community.


Peter Squires
Peter Squires works in The Music Hall’s development office. He also writes occasionally for his own blog, Strongly Weekly. Check out more of his music at TheFarthestForests.com.