The inaugural Back Cove Music Festival is set to go off this weekend, on Saturday, Aug. 2 and Sunday, Aug. 3, and the lineup offers a strong slate of headliners, including Jack White, Lord Huron, The Roots, and Thee Sacred Souls, as well as a deep bench of local acts, including the Oshima Brothers, Weakened Friends, and students from the Maine Academy of Modern Music.
A handful of tickets are still available.
For local artists, the chance to share a bill with major national acts right in their own backyard is both surreal and energizing.
Sonia Sturino, of Portland-based indie rock trio Weakened Friends, has played all over the world, but playing in her hometown is something special: “I can literally walk to the festival. It’s wonderful to see huge names and big artists coming to the state, and the fact that we get to be a part of it is awesome.”
Sturino, who sings and plays guitar in the band, said Weakened Friends are also planning a few surprises, possibly a special guest appearance, and debuting a few new songs at the festival.
“We’re obviously excited to be here,” she said. “We want to try to be the loudest band on that stage.”
Sean Oshima, of the Oshima Brothers, is also excited at the chance to play a major gig on his home turf. Raised in rural Whitefield and now living in Portland, the smooth indie-pop duo have built a national following while staying rooted in Maine.
(photo: Amos Perrine, West Virginia Public Broadcasting)
“We make music in Maine; it’s part of who we are,” Oshima said. “There’s so much music in Portland, and this is just icing on the cake. People seem stoked.”
Oshima noted the unusual thrill of being present during the lead-up to a show of this scale. “I’m never around for a show’s promotion, and it’s really cool to be able to experience that,” he said. “I go to the bagel shop, or Forage, or Tandem, or the hardware store, and people are telling me how cool it is that we’re playing this show. It feels local.”
He’s particularly excited to perform alongside friends like Weakened Friends and artists he admires, like Madi Diaz and St. Paul & The Broken Bones. “We saw [St. Paul] in Michigan,” Oshima said. “Their frontman lit the crowd up. It was amazing!”
Beyond the music, Oshima sees the festival as a celebration of Maine’s identity. “Music is such a beautiful and intangible part of our culture,” he said. “We’re proud to make music all around the country but still call Maine home — and that’s an intentional choice, not one we take lightly.”
The festival also arrives at a time when public gatherings feel especially meaningful. “After COVID, a lot of those important pieces of community faded away,” festival co-producer Tyler Grill said. “It’s great that people are getting back out and bringing these events into the world.”
Grill said he wants the event to be, “very comfortable and family friendly,” with something for everyone. “Even if you don’t know the bands, you’re going to have a fantastic time,” he said.
With a stacked lineup, a picturesque park setting, and an intentional focus on local food, art, and community, Grill and his partner, Jordan Wolowitz, hope the inaugural Back Cove Music & Arts Festival is the beginning of Portland’s next great tradition.
“Our goal is really to create a Portland-focused festival where all the people who are curating and creating amazing things in Portland get to be a part of it,” Grill said. “We’re hoping to become a long-term fixture in the community. We’re building a festival for Portland, and for Maine, and we hope the people of Maine welcome us for years to come … this is something we want to happen for the next twenty-something years. That’s the goal.”
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