Strung Together: A Maine String Band Weekend
"Where the Ocean Meets the Strings"
Calling all string-players, music lovers, and dancers!
Tune up your instruments and put on your dancing shoes for a weekend celebration of Maine folk music!
Strung Together is a unique three-day experience that includes community jam sessions, contradances, story-telling, and workshops. Strung Together is focused on various forms of Maine folk music—music brought to Maine by seafarers, lumberjacks, travelers—and homesteaders that we continue to play and love here in Maine. Come prepared to jam and fall in love with the music of Maine!
Experienced Maine folk music players—including players of Old-Time, Irish, Bluegrass, Quebecois, and Cape Breton music—and contradancers gather at Strung Together, providing opportunities for new to advanced players to participate in Maine’s rich musical heritage. Players of all instruments and levels are welcome!
Strung Together is held at one of the most beautiful places on the planet—the award-winning Searsport Shores Campground in Searsport, Maine! There is no better place to celebrate and play Maine folk music than where the woods meet the sea at Searsport Shores Campground.
Proceeds will be used for musician scholarships and to help fund the instrument lending project at the Searsport Carver Memorial Library.
For more details, see the Strung Together schedule.
A Good Folkin' Time!
Music Workshops
Workshops offered throughout the weekend. Learn new skills from some of New England's top players and performers. Strung Together workshops included:
- Bluegrass Banjo
- Learn 144 chords in 45 minutes on your six string- Fred White
- D-A-D-G-A-D Tuning for TRAD Guitar & GDAD tunings for Tenor, Mando, and Octave
- Slow Bluegrass Fiddle
- Introduction to Old-Time Ukulele
- Mandolin, all levels & many styles
- Fun Songs
- Playing Backup Guitar
- Two finger banjo style with Jon Kerr
- Old Time American Cross- Tuned Fiddle Tunes with Skip Gorman
- Claw Hammer
- Coffee house practice, led by teacher-musicians and fixtures in the local contradance scene John Pranio and Toki Oshima
- Old Time Circle with the Montville Project
- Old Time Slow Jam with John Pranio and Friends
- Cross-tuned OT fiddle workshop
- Play a Waltz workshop
- Flatpicking Fiddle Tunes
- Fast and Faster Jam Circles
- old-time jam featuring Kentucky fiddle tunes
- Gritty, bluesy mandolin-Monroe Style
Jam Sessions
Players of various instruments have long been coming together to learn, share, and play tunes through community "jams." The jam circle is a welcoming, participatory environment that allows players to create music, build friendships, and simply have fun together. Bring your instrument and suggestions for tunes to share!
We will be jamming throughout the three days, starting in the morning and continuing well into the evening. Strung Together offers the opportunity to jam with some of New England's top traditional music players.
Experienced instructors will also be on hand to lead slow jams and support new jammers and players. The schedule includes separate jam sessions dedicated to old-time music, Irish music, bluegrass music, as well as "anything goes" open jams.
So, tune up your instrument, toughen up your fingers, and get ready to JAM!
2025 Headliners
Alden Robinson
Alden has played the fiddle most of his life. He plays mostly Irish tunes and traditional New England dance music. Alden plays for concerts, dances (contra and square dances), weddings and other events.
In 2017 he went to Lithuania with the band Riptide on a State Department cultural exchange.
He played with The Press Gang, an Irish trio/quartet (now inactive) that toured in the U.S. and Canada in the 2010s.
Currently Alden enjoys putting together groups for various performances around New England. "I am always grateful for my many musical friends and adventures."
Elsie Gawler
Elsie is a multi-instrumentalist and songster rooted in Maine's traditional folk music and culture. With her family, the Gawler Family Band, she has played throughout the state and beyond, sharing traditional fiddle tunes, songs, and original works since she was 6 years old.
From this foundation she has branched out and launched her debut solo album, Sweet As Honey. The album is a collection of 9 original songs inspired by sacred connection to earth and community.
While continuing to play regularly with The Gawler Family Band, her other projects include duo Elsie & Ethan, and trio The Gawler Sisters. She has also been a long-time member of the group Childsplay.
Skip Gorman
For over half a century, Skip Gorman has enjoyed singing, 
playing and performing an impressive and varied palette of traditional American and Celtic folk music. As an accomplished singer, guitarist, fiddler and mandolinist, Gorman has completed over 18 recordings of old-time cowboy songs, fiddle, mandolin, bluegrass; has been featured on many others; and established his own record label, Old West Recordings.
Discovering the beauties of old-timey and bluegrass music in his early teens, Skip then turned to the music of Bill Monroe, The New Lost City Ramblers, Carter Family, Stanley Brothers, Ledbelly, and a host of musical icons to drink from a deep musical well.
— Hal Cannon
The Montville Project (better known as the Old Geaser NE Dance Band)
The Montville Project will be kicking off the weekend with a friday afternoon welcome, Old Time Jam. It's members joining us this year are Art Bryan, George Fowler and Fred White who are well known for this repertory ensemble which has released two recordings of classic New England tunes, performed by four quintessential New England musicians.
The project grew out of a workshop which the musicians presented at the 2007 Maine Fiddle Camp in Montville, Maine, called The Essential Dance Tune Repertoire.
The Newell Family Band
The Newell family band or also known as the Twitchell Hill fiddleheads play for contra dances and specialize in down east style fiddling as well as old timey and gypsy music.
Carter Newell (grampa) has been fiddling in Maine for over 5 decades playing with the Old gray goose, the Oystermen, and the Maine country dance orchestra for contra and barn dances, concerts and festivals.
Maisie Newell and Eric Dayan and their kids play 4 fiddles and guitar and also include some great old timey tunes from North Carolina and gypsy tunes Maisie has learned in eastern Europe in her travels with her fiddle. Three generations of fiddle tunes and alot of fun is store when they show up!
Dan Simons
Dan makes his home in Vienna, Maine. A talented, “Super Picker”, Dan sings lead and harmony as well as playing Mandolin, Guitar, and Fiddle! Dan draws from a deep well of experience having played with several roots music and bluegrass ensembles performing original and cover tunes. The Katahdin Valley Boys welcomed Dan aboard n 2016.
Dan and Stan, Dan Simons Mandolin
Stan D’Aubin
Stan hails from Louisiana where the music scene is rich and diverse. He started playing banjo at 14 and then picked up mandolin at 16. Through his 50 years of playing he’s performed on stage with over a dozen bands.
Having started with bluegrass and traditional fiddle tunes, Stan began to learn a variety of music including Swing, New Orleans jazz, blues, and Dawg music. Stan attributes this to growing up in Louisiana around a variety of great musicians.
Milestones for him include playing a bluegrass warm up set before Bill Monroe and playing at the New Orleans Jazz festival (on separate occasions of course)
Stan enjoys performing and has always loved jamming and getting to meet and learn with other like minded musicians who appreciate the fellowship and joy of playing live music together.
With family and grandchildren recently moving to the Belfast area Stan is looking forward to joining in the local traditional acoustic music scene.
Dancing
Music provides the context for dancing, and so we will dance! No dance experience needed. No dance partner? No problem! Bring your two left feet!
Dancers learn a set of simple steps before the music starts and receive support from a "caller" during the dance, allowing all those involved to concentrate on just having fun. When the band sets a groove, the feet get tapping, and the dancers start to whirl, the smiles become contagious. It's no wonder why the community dance tradition has maintained its popularity in communities throughout Maine and New England.
Dance & Band leaders include: Pat Danscen, Joyce Bailey, The Newel Family Band & Elsie Gawler with Friends. Contra, Line and Square Dancing will be included.
*Supported by the locally renowned Belfast Flying Shoes!
Join the band or join the dancers. Both options are guaranteed fun!
Strung Together Tee Shirt Booth
Please join local artists Toki Oshima and Jen Appleby for a one of a kind make your own merch experience. As part of the Makers Guild of Maine's commitment to promoting quality creativity, we will be offering the opportunity for you to create your very own Strung Together event tee-shirt.
Not creative? Toki and Jen will have supplies, stencils, printing equipment and all the support you need. Blank tees will be available to purchase (supplies limited), BRING YOUR OWN TEE (or two) and join the fun!
Banjo Engineer
Tom Gocze has been trying to play the banjo for 59 years and has a large collection of different types of five string banjos. His company, Stockton Strings, will be at Strung Together to offer instruments for sale at a range of prices, some parts, as well as bluegrass and Old Time open back style banjos. He will be showing open back top tension Corian tone ring banjos, which are completely different from anything made before. Tom also has one which will do double duty as a charcuterie board for you cheese lovers.
Artist in Residence
Kathleen Farnsworth
September 8-15, 2025 Stitched Shibori Dyeing
Discover the power of the running stitch! Learn how this simple hand stitch can create beautiful and intricate designs. Kathleen will not only share her love of Shibori; an ancient Japanese technique of creating pattern on fabric and dyeing with indigo, but will take you step by step through the process. You will not only see how the hand stitched fabric can be compressed, knotted off and then dyed in an indigo vat to achieve these designs, but how a single fold in the fabric can change the entire design! This is a truly a magical experience that anyone can learn to achieve with confidence. If you can hand sew a running stitch on fabric, you can learn the art of Shibori.
Each day will begin at 10 am with a new technique and a project for you to create.
Thank you to the Strung Together Community
The success of Strung Together has been due to the generous contributions of so many wonderful humans (and some animals) who have donated their time, talents, jokes, stories, tunes, stage-pizza-making skills, and energies.
Sarah & Bill Smith, Erica Brown, Matt Shipman, Baron Collins-Hill, The Fowler Family- George, Annadeene, Tom and Chrissy, Mike Fleck, Nate Payne, Emily Jeffries, Emma Swartz, Skip Gorman, Emily Jeffries, Art Bryan, Steve Roy, Eli Gilbert, Toki Oshima, John Pranio, Ando Anderson, Max Wareham, Sara Grey, Benjamin Foss, The Sandy Boys, Alden Robinson, Owen Marshall, Linden Frederick, Bob Hammond, Fred White, Carter Logan, Dan Simons, The Pinwheel Brothers, Will Brown, Mike & Susie Fay, The Newell Family Band, Fred Coon, Pat Danscen, Resa Randolph, Jon Kerr, Edward Howe, Gus La Casse, Willy Clemetson, Grey Larsen, Cindy Kallet, Jim Burke, Kris Day, Miss Stella Mae & Miss China Pettway from Gees Bend, Emily Troll, Lincoln Meyers , Jacob Henning, Stan D’Aubin, Nadine Landry and Stephen "Sammy" Lind, John Gawler, Dan Sowder, Elizabeth Bridges, Amy Smith, Terri Lukacko, Scott Odell, Sonya Eldridge, Jeff Titon & The Bound to Have a Little Fun Band, Stuart Moore, Amy Deas and so many more. Thank you!
You! All Strung Together players are warmly invited to share their musical talents during an evening coffee house performance. Take over the stage and get the camp rockin'! Need a boost of confidence or some tips from pro performers? Join a special workshop to prepare for the coffee house. You won't find a friendly and more supportive audience than at Strung Together!
Thank you to our wonderful sponsors:
