Jason Spooner Band

About the band…

A Sunset Series favorite!

Portland, Maine based songwriter, guitarist and producer Jason Spooner has been a visible and respected presence on the northeastern and  national live music circuits for close to two decades. As the bandleader  of The Jason Spooner Band (Dan Boyden – Drums, Stu Mahan – Bass and Dawson Hill – Keyboards),  Spooner has expanded his musical horizons significantly over the course  of five studio releases. The quartet stands out with an interesting  signature American Roots Rock sound supported by audibly strong  musicianship, interesting arrangements and well-crafted, intelligent  writing.

The recipe has certainly served the band well; over the last decade  and a half this dynamic band has performed with acts as varied as B.B. King, John Mayer, Jackson Browne, Michael Franti & Spearhead, Ray LaMontagne, Susan Tedeschi, Brett Dennen, Allen Stone, Everlast, Jackie Greene, G. Love, Guster, Blues Traveler, Peter Rowan and Sara Bareilles. The band has performed at Targhee Fest in Jackson Hole, WY – The Gathering of the Vibes in Bridgeport, CT – FloydFest in Floyd, Va – The Festival at Sandpoint – Sandpoint, ID – The Naukabout Festival on Cape Cod, the River City Roots Festival in Missoula, MT – The Rocky Mountain Folks Festival in Lyons, CO and have been perennial favorites at The Sundance Film Festival in Park City, UT.

In addition to glowing recent press in Guitar World Magazine, No Depression, High Times Magazine, Wood & Steel Magazine and USA Today, the band was recently named one of Relix Magazine’s coveted “On The Verge – Bands you should know.” The band has won and received numerous nominations for the New England Music Awards including Live Act of the Year (winner) and Song of the Year (nominee).

The spring and summer of 2022 represent an exciting watermark in the band’s evolution as they release their first live record, “Live from Stone Mountain.” The eleven tracks selected for the album were recorded at Stone  Mountain Arts Center in Brownfield, Maine where Jason and the band have  delivered some of their most memorable live shows. The Spooner Band  decided to start documenting the consistently engaging performances a  few years back and spent the winter of 2022 combing through the archives  to select the tracks that best conveyed the magic of the legendary and  storied venue.

The venue is housed within a unique timber frame barn next to a 200 year old farm house where owners Carol Noonan and Jeff Flagg reside. The venue was a dream that they made into a special reality over two decades ago. Since opening, Stone Mountain Arts Center (or “SMAC” as it’s known to locals) has hosted a who’s who of roots, Americana, folk, jazz and soul artists ranging from Taj Mahal, Lyle Lovett, Brandi Carlile and Los Lobos to Mavis Staples, Aaron Neville, The Wood Brothers, Martin Sexton and Mary Chapin Carpenter.

“We had talked about a live record for years and every time the idea  surfaced again, we all agreed that Stone Mountain was the place. There  is such a palpable, warm energy to the venue and everything about it  makes musicians feel at ease… it always felt like coming home to us. The  room also just sounds incredible. I used to think it was due to the  wood but there’s something deeper going on – more of a spiritual thing  honestly. Everything we do up there sounds its best on that stage. We’ve  done robust band arrangements with full horn sections doing high energy  R&B or roots rock numbers that came out wonderfully and we’ve also  had pin drop silence moments playing hushed acoustic material.”

Spooner goes on to reflect on the venue’s unique location, “I love  the fact that it’s so tucked away in the foothills of the White  Mountains and that there’s really no cell service out there. I used to  get lost trying to find it when we started playing there. You  immediately unplug from the fray and mayhem of daily life. The green  room is like the ultimate musicians’ oasis complete with tons of vinyl  and a turntable, comfy couches everywhere, a pool table and tons of  memorabilia. The food is also out of this world… Carol and her staff  always deliver the most memorable meals to both the bands and the  audiences.”

About the event…

A limited number of tickets are available for this event, tickets must be purchased on our website, prior to the event. Ticket valid for entry only, additional snacks and beverages are sold separately.

Camp chairs will be provided to guests and the dance floor will open for an evening of boogying. Our outdoor bar will offer beer, wine, cider & other beverages. We will also offer some light snacks for purchase during the show. We have two indoor restrooms that will be available throughout the evening.

PLEASE NOTE: Tickets are non-refundable but may be transferred to another attendee. Outside food and beverage is prohibited. Smoking is prohibited on the property.

*This is an outdoor, rain or shine event.* Be mindful of weather, ponchos and umbrellas are encouraged if wet weather is forecasted. In the event of extreme weather circumstances, postponement or cancelation and ticket refunding may be considered. Guests will be notified via email provided during ticket purchase.

About our venue…

Sterlingtown Public House opened in springtime of 2019 just months before the whole world was turned on its head. The Beer Garden at Sterlingtown was created in 2020 at the height of the pandemic. We poured every penny we had into purchasing the overgrown, neighboring lot and transforming it, with our bare hands, into a beer garden as a way to continue serving our community, safely. At the time, it was truly our only chance at survival. Once the dust settled, we realized not only did we have a dreamy beer garden dining space but also the most magical outdoor music venue.

We eased into our live music events towards the tail end of summer 2020, with a lineup of just four concerts and extremely limited attendance capacity (max. 30 guests), each show sold out. Over the past couple years we have taken the bull by the horns. We constructed a beautiful sunset stage in spring of 2022 and hosted our first full blown, twelve-show, concert series. To preserve the consistency of our restaurant operations, these shows are scheduled outside of our normal operating hours. All concerts in our 2023 season will take place on a Monday evening, every Monday evening, that is.

We prioritize bringing some of the most well-known and talented Maine-born bands to Union. Bringing these bands to our small, Midcoast town is no easy task but the joy that comes of these evenings is so rewarding and motivating.

A note to our past and future attendees… This year, we are shifting things slightly to allow for even more guests to enjoy these evenings. Every concert will take place on a Monday evening. To ensure more seamless concert operations and concentrate focus on the music, our kitchen will not be operating during the show. FEAR NOT, we are excited to announce that we will be opening our dining room 3:00pm-6:00pm for a pre-show dinner with our full menu available. Dinner and a show?? No problem! Enjoy a proper dinner before the show begins. Quick snacks and plenty of beer,  wine, cider & mead will be available at our outdoor bar throughout the entire show as well.