MUSIC
The Waldo is an intimate musical performance venue, enabling local, regional and national artists to engage and enrich our community.
The Dani Tribesmen Reggae Band has been playing reggae music across Maine and beyond since 1985. They've performed throughout New England and have shared the stage with the likes of Burning Spear and The Band.
The modest beginnings of a reggae jam at The Wharf in Hallowell, Maine have lead David Gagne and his wife Chris, Tina and Mike Murphy, Paul D'Alessio, and various other musicians who pop in and out of the lineup to where they are today. Currently based in Boothbay Harbor, where for over 30 years they have been playing a spectacularly successful sunset cruise aboard the Harbor Princess, they've built a following that literally spans generations. Join us as we celebrate 4/20 together in rasta style!
General Admission tickets are available in advance online for $18/ $23 the day of the show. A limited amount of Front Row seats are available for $30. Tickets will also be available at the Box Office starting at 3:00pm. Doors open at 3:00pm, and concessions will be available for purchase.
Many thanks to our Event Sponsors: Finest Kind Medicinals and Cannabis Cured.
One night only and their only Maine performance!
10,000 Maniacs, one of America’s most beloved independent bands with hits These Are Days, Because The Night and Candy Everybody Wants, is bringing its revival tour to The Waldo!
Celebrating their 40th Anniversary, 10,000 Maniacs has a lot in common with Jamestown, New York, the city that spawned them back in 1981. Both are honest and hardworking, a step outside the mainstream, and both possess a bit of magic. “It’s a city of blue-collar poetry,” says keyboardist Dennis Drew. “And that’s what we’re about, real-life stories. We’re a family, we do real work and we keep moving forward.”
The band has covered plenty of ground in its 40 years, from cult-stardom to international stardom, to their current status as a cornerstone alternative band. But the sound and spirit of 10,000 Maniacs remains consistent. The live shows embrace their entire catalogue, and the lineup is still anchored by four of the six original members. Drew, guitarist John Lombardo, and bassist Steven Gustafson co-founded the band in 1981. Drummer Jerome Augustyniak joined in 1982, solidifying the rhythm section. And the two “new” members have long been part of the family: Mary Ramsey toured and recorded with the Maniacs as a viola player and backup singer beginning in 1991 before stepping into the front woman’s role 27 years ago.
A limited number of Front Row seats are available for $115, Second Row and Third Row Seats are available for $99 each. First Row seating in the Balcony is $89. General admission tickets are available for $75 in advance, $80 the day of the event. If this show has not sold out, a limited number of tickets may be available at the box office for starting at 7:00pm. Doors open at 7:00pm, and concessions will be available for purchase.
Tickets go on sale Jan 19th at 10AM!
Everything Is Alive, Darlingside’s fourth LP, marks a subtle but remarkable departure for the Boston-based quartet NPR once described as “exquisitely arranged, literary minded, baroque folk-pop.” While the album retains much of the lushness and sophistication of Extralife (2018) and Fish Pond Fish (2020), the band’s latest work decisively exposes and differentiates the individual voices of the four songwriters—a daring reinvention for a group known for ubiquitous vocal harmonies. Grappling with change both personal and universal, with quandaries domestic and existential, Everything Is Alive is an album about loss and the struggle for a semblance of redemption.
Comprised of Don Mitchell, Auyon Mukharji, Harris Paseltiner and David Senft, four likeminded multi-instrumentalists who first met at Williams College in 2009, Darlingside’s career has been defined by the elegance of their compositions and the unity of their four voices. Their talent for harmony and melodic world-building is part of what garnered praise from outlets like NPR, Rolling Stone and The New Yorker, and what has created demand worldwide for their extraordinary live performances. Becoming beautifully unindividualized has, in other words, worked very well for Darlingside in the past. With a vigor and discipline more common to graduate-level writing workshops than to indie rock, Darlingside has, over the years, experimented with all manners of idiosyncratic methods for elevating and upholding a truly democratic process of songwriting—processes that include multiple rounds of group writing and recording exercises—all with the aim of escaping the trap that bands with multiple songwriters often fall into: ego-driven infighting and artistic incoherence. To see Darlingside perform live is to confirm this special chemistry.
With the release of Everything Is Alive the band will, for the first time, take to the road without Dave Senft. Instead of filling his spot directly, the band has wisely chosen to honor the special chemistry of the foursome by letting those arrangements live on the recordings without obligation to faithfully recreate them onstage. While Dave remains a contributing member of the band, on tour Darlingside will perform in a completely different configuration altogether—a configuration that will, at times, include the album’s drummer Ben Burns, singer Molly Parden, and others—proving again how the group can adroitly rearrange themselves for the breaking of a new and different day.
Spencer Albee is a Maine-based singer, songwriter, performer and producer. Since 1995, he has toured internationally, signed multiple major recording and publishing contracts, and has worked with artists ranging from David Bowie to De La Soul. Rolling Stone Magazine called Spencer a "21st Century master in the lost art of Beatlesque hooks.” He recently produced The Ghost Of Paul Revere’s “Good At Losing Everything” which was met with wide acclaim, and is presently working on his 23rd studio album.
A limited number of Front Row seats are available for $45, General admission tickets are available for $30 in advance, $35 the day of the event. If this show has not sold out, a limited number of tickets may be available at the box office for starting at 6:30pm.
The award winning and highly acclaimed band Le Vent du Nord is a leading force in Quebec’s progressive francophone folk movement. The group’s vast repertoire draws from both traditional sources and original compositions, while enhancing it’s hard-driving soulful music (rooted in the Celtic diaspora) with a broad range of global influences.
Featuring button accordion, guitar and fiddle, the band’s sound is defined by the hurdy-gurdy, which adds an earthy, rough-hewn flavor to even the most buoyant dance tunes. — Boston Herald
Since its inception in August 2002, Le Vent du Nord has enjoyed meteoric success, performing well over 2,000 concerts over 4 continents and racking up several prestigious awards, including a Grand Prix du Disque Charles Cros, two Junos (Canada’s Grammys), a Félix at ADISQ, a Canadian Folk Music Award, and “Artist of the Year” at the North American Folk Alliance Annual Gala.
The group exhibits great finesse and flexibility, appearing regularly on Canadian, American, French, and UK television and radio, and participating in a wide variety of special musical projects. They’ve collaborated and performed with a diverse range of artists including: Harry Manx, Väsen, Dervish, The Chieftains, Breton musical pioneer Yann-Fañch Kemener, Québecois roots legend and master storyteller Michel Faubert, the Scottish folk band Breabach, singer Julie Fowlis, and the trans-Mediterranean ensemble Constantinople.
Not content with standard approaches to tradition, Le Vent du Nord has also created a symphonic concert that, according to Voir Montreal, “puts all traditional folk naysayers to shame.”
On stage these 5 musicians create intense, joyful and dynamic live performances that expand the bounds of tradition in striking global directions. This is the modern sound of tradition, a music of the here and now.
WALDOBORO! WALDOBORO! WALDOBORO! We can’t wait to come to The Waldo Theatre on May 18th!
That's right! We Teach, You Sing and together, We are the show! And this time...You better be ready for an EPIC 80s Sing-Along! You know why? Cuz nothing beats the 80s! NOTHING! From Prince, Madonna & George Michael…To Bon Jovi, Whitney & Journey…
The 80s had it covered when it came to EPIC pop hits. Come + belt out some of the greatest songs of the 80s by the greatest stars of the 80s! Get your tix NOW!
Choir! Choir! Choir! directors Daveed Goldman and Nobu Adilman (AKA DaBu) throw the biggest and best singing parties of all time! Since 2011, they have built a dedicated and passionate community of singers (and non-singers) by creating a safe, productive, and exceedingly fun space to express themselves. They have shared the stage with David Byrne, PattiSmith, Rick Astley, even Kermit The Frog - and performed on some of the world’s greatest stages, including Carnegie Hall, Radio City Music Hall, and Newport Folk Festival. Armed with just an acoustic guitar, the duo teach harmonic arrangements to the greatest pop songs of all time and get every room laughing and singing at the tops of their lungs!
A limited number of Front Row seats are available for $50, General admission tickets are available for $35 in advance, $40 the day of the event. If this show has not sold out, a limited number of tickets may be available at the box office for starting at 6:30pm. Doors open at 6:30pm, and concessions will be available for purchase.
An Evening with Andy Summers of The Police: "The Cracked Lens & A Missing String"
Saturday, June 8th at 8:00pm
Join us for a fantastic evening with Andy Summers, founding member of the iconic rock band, The Police and a brilliant practitioner of the guitar, camera and written word. This is a continuation of Andy’s solo multi-media project, "The Cracked Lens and A Missing String" where he projects sequences of photography with music.
Andy Summers rose to fame in the early 1980’s as the guitarist with the multi-million record selling rock band The Police. The Police were the number one band of the time and dominated the music scene and the media in the eighties with several number albums and singles including Every Breath You Take, Roxanne, Don’t Stand So Close to Me, Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic, Invisible Sun, and Message in a Bottle. The band was the recipient of several Grammys and awards too numerous to mention.
Andy Summers innovative guitar playing created a new paradigm for guitarists in this period and has been widely imitated ever since. Prior to the Police Andy Summers played with various bands in the London music scene including the Soft Machine, Kevin Coyne and also Kevin Ayers.
Post Police Andy has made fifteen solo records, collaborated with many other musicians and toured the world as a solo artist. He has published several books of photography including Throb, Can’t Stand Losing You, Desirer Walk the Streets, A Certain Strangeness and A Series of Glances published by teNeues Verlag 2023.
Recent photography exhibitions include A Certain Strangeness at the Pavillion Populaire in Montpelier France where it broke all attendance records, followed by a six month run at the Bonnafanten Museum, Maastricht in the Netherlands. The travelling exhibition was also seen at Leica galleries in London, Hamburg, Munich, Paris New York and Leica headquarters in Wetzlar, Germany.
Andy is in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the Guitar Player Hall of Fame, has the keys to New York City and has been awarded the Chevalier De L’Ordre Des Arts et Des Lettres by the Ministry of Culture in France.
A limited number of Front Row seats are available for $75. General admission tickets are available for $50 in advance, $55 the day of the event. If this show has not sold out, a limited number of tickets may be available at the box office for starting at 7:00pm.
For decades, Kathleen Edwards has been a cornerstone of North American roots music.
Since making her debut with 2002's Failer, she's spent the 21st century occupying the grey area between genres, swirling together her own mix of alt-country, folk, and heartland rock & roll. It's a sound that has earned its creator more a half-dozen Juno nominations, as well as Top 40 success on both sides of the Canadian/American border. Now in her third decade as an artist, Kathleen Edwards has done more than carry the torch of songwriting heroes like Tom Petty, Neil Young, and Lucinda Williams — she's opened the door for others, too, inspiring a new generation of artists who, like her, blur the boundaries between genre and generation.
A native of Ottawa, Ontario, Edwards was still in her early 20s when she released the critically-acclaimed Failer. The album's warm, woozy sound — crystallized on radio hits like "Six O'Clock News" — quickly turned her into one of the era's alt-country heroes. From the very start, though, Edwards' music seemed to exist somewhere out of time, resisting categorization even as Failer received a Juno nomination for "Roots & Traditional Album of the Year."
"No one knew what to call my type of music back then," she says of those early years. "The Americana genre didn't exist yet, so they couldn't categorize me. I just made the kind of music I wanted to make."
Edwards continued blazing her own trail with follow-up albums like Back to Me and Asking for Flowers. By the time Voyageur arrived in 2012, Americana very much did exist as a genre, and Edwards found herself riding a newfound commercial peak. The album reached Number 2 on the Canadian Albums Chart and Number 3 on Billboard's Folk Albums chart. Even so, a busy decade on the road had left her exhausted. After touring in support of Voyageur's release, Edwards left the music business altogether and moved to suburban Ontario, where she opened a coffee shop called — defiantly — "Quitters."
"Before I turned 30, I toured the world and put our nearly four records, performed on TV, and had an incredible run," she says of her first 10 years in the spotlight. "What's interesting is that I walked away from all of it, too — and when I came back, I felt better than the person who put out Failer."
By the late 2010s, Edwards felt recharged and revitalized. When a phone call arrived from Maren Morris, who was looking for songwriting partners for a new project, Edwards jumped at the chance to collaborate. The two musicians co-wrote "Good Woman," which appeared on Morris' Grammy-nominated album Girl in 2019. Back home in Canada, Edwards continued to write new material, eventually partnering with producer Ian Fitchuk for the album Total Freedom. Released in 2020, the album expanded her sound and her audience, boosted by two hit songs — "Options Open" and "Hard on Everyone" — that both reached the Top 30 on the Triple A chart in America. Total Freedom didn't just mark her return to the music industry. It was a rebirth, too.
What's next? New music, of course. Edwards remains a fan of "ripping guitar riffs and good songs," and she's combining both into a follow-up album that showcases her legacy as well as her evolution. She maintains a presence on the road, too, playing her own gigs one minute and sharing shows with her heroes — including Willie Nelson, John Fogerty, and Bob Dylan — the next.
A limited number of Front Row seats are available for $50, General admission tickets are available for $35 in advance, $40 the day of the event. If this show has not sold out, a limited number of tickets may be available at the box office for starting at 6:30pm.
Join us in welcoming Alisa back to The Waldo! Her first visit to The Waldo was her FIRST Maine performance when she opened for Hiss Golden Messenger in 2022. And now, she's headlining! We cannot wait.
The day Alisa Amador decided to walk away from her career in music was, ironically enough, the day her career truly began. Alisa Amador's journey in music took an unexpected turn when, feeling burned out and disconnected, she made the decision to step away from her career. Little did she know, this pivotal moment marked the true beginning of her artistic path. Shortly after, winning the NPR Tiny Desk Contest catapulted her into a transformative phase. Now, two years later, with her debut album "Multitudes," co-produced by Tyler Chester and Daniel Radin, Amador presents herself boldly, embracing her bilingual heritage and weaving raw, vulnerable narratives into her music. Drawing from personal grief and trauma, her songs resonate with themes of resilience and self-discovery, showcasing her crystalline voice amidst lush arrangements and guest appearances by artists like Gaby Moreno and Madison Cunningham.
Raised in a family deeply rooted in Latin folk music, Amador's early exposure to the industry shaped her passion for storytelling through song. Despite initial success as a solo artist, she found herself losing touch with her authentic voice, navigating pressures that conflicted with her identity as a Latina woman. However, winning the Tiny Desk Contest became a catalyst for change, propelling her towards a journey of self-advocacy and boundary-setting. Through her music, Amador explores themes of belonging and acceptance, infusing her songs with compassion and honesty. With "Multitudes," she embraces the complexities of life, showcasing a depth of emotion that resonates with audiences on both personal and universal levels, solidifying her place as a powerful voice in contemporary music.
We are THRILLED to welcome Alisa back to The Waldo. JOIN US!
Online tickets are available for $25 in advance, $30 the day of the event. A Limited amount of Front Row tickets are available for $40. Doors open at 6:30pm, and concessions will be available for purchase.
Hiss Golden Messenger (solo)
Friday, July 19th at 7:30pm
Join us in welcoming back Hiss Golden Messenger (Solo) for the third annual Summer performance! We are so happy to be a regular stop on Hiss' summer tour in Maine. Always an incredibly special summer evening with Hiss in the house!
It’s spring in the North Carolina Piedmont, and songwriter and singer M.C. Taylor—leader of the band Hiss Golden Messenger—is feeling alive. Joyful. Eternal, he might say. For the Grammy-nominated musician, whose albums have traced an internal path through adulthood, fatherhood, spirituality, and depression for well over a decade, this is something new. With his latest album, "Jump for Joy," Taylor delves into a deeply personal exploration of his past, weaving together narratives of youthful dreams, fatherhood, and the relentless pursuit of artistic fulfillment. Recorded during moments of respite amidst a hectic touring schedule, the album serves as a poignant dialogue between Taylor and his younger self, Michael Crow, encapsulating the highs and lows of a life devoted to music.
Produced during a transformative period at the legendary Sonic Ranch studio in Texas, "Jump for Joy" exudes a spontaneous and joyful energy, propelled by Taylor's exceptional bandmates. Through tracks like "20 Years and Nickel" and "Nu-Grape," Taylor confronts themes of impermanence and the enduring quest for meaning, while maintaining a steadfast commitment to embracing life's uncertainties with grace and resilience. With its blend of introspection and outward-facing elation, "Jump for Joy" stands as a testament to Taylor's evolution as an artist and his enduring belief in the power of music to illuminate the human experience.
Join us in welcoming back HISS GOLDEN MESSENGER!
$1 from every ticket goes to support the Durham Public Schools Foundation whose mission is to foster community support for public schools and invest in our students, educators, and families to ensure success and equity for every student..
General admission tickets are available for $30 in advance, $35 the day of the event. A limited amount of Front Row tickets will be available for $50. If this show is not sold out, tickets are available at the box office starting at 6:30pm. Doors open at 6:30pm, and concessions will be available for purchase.
Heather Pierson Trio
Sunday, July 28th at 7:00 pm
Heather Pierson is a New Hampshire based singer/songwriter, pianist, song leader, and performer with a passion for cultivating joy, both onstage and off. With a toe in each of the realms of New Orleans jazz, blues, and folk, her multi-genre songwriting places her in a category all her own, one honed by decades of diligent practice and curious exploration. Her trio, with Shawn Nadeau on bass/vocals and Craig Bryan on percussion/vocals, performs a rich variety of Heather's originals, jazz and blues standards, and unique re-workings of familiar classics. Their live performances feature their brilliant musicianship, stirring three-part vocal harmonies, boundless joy, and a desire to share from the heart.
General Admission tickets are available in advance online for $20/ $25 the day of the show. A limited amount of Front Row seats are available for $40. Tickets will also be available at the Box Office starting at 6:00pm. Doors open at 6:00pm, and concessions will be available for purchase.
The Rebels "A Tom Petty Tribute"
Sat, August 10th at 8:00 pm
Rebels, America’s premiere Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers tribute band, don’t rely on impersonations but rather focus their decades of experience on performing the songs and the authentic sounds of the legendary music of Tom Petty. Their energetic performances are played with the intensity and spirit in which they were intended. To their audiences delight their song selection spans the entire Tom Petty catalog. No gimmicks here, just rock and roll like its meant to be...
General admission tickets are available for $25 in advance, $30 the day of the event. A limited amount of Front Row tickets will be available for $40. If this show is not sold out, tickets are available at the box office starting at 6:30pm. Doors open at 6:30pm, and concessions will be available for purchase.
An Evening with Ekaterina Shelehova
Sat. August 31 at 7:30 pm
Ekaterina Shelehova is a singer, performer, and composer who started her career at age 4! Growing up in Canada, she frequently performed in operas and musical theater productions which she continues to do to this day. A Masters Graduate from Conservatory Giuseppe Verdi in Milano, Italy; she has performed worldwide with lyrical repertoire as well as her own compositions in countries such as China, Mexico, Russia, and Bulgaria, to name a few. Ekaterina increased her ever growing portfolio and stardom by performing on Italy's Got Talent in 2021 where she presented her own unique composition picking up over 500 million views and counting. She performed her own original tracks in Bulgaria's Got Talent to critical acclaim and has shared the stage with musical greats such as Ted Neely (the original Jesus from Jesus Christ Superstar) on a very popular show called Nessun Dorma in Italy as well as I Soliti Ignoti. Ekaterina is a lead vocalist for the world-renowned music group ERA set to return to the stage in 2025 and has made many appearances on TV and online over the years. Recently, she composed a soundtrack for The Tempest (an Italian movie based on Shakespeare), released an EP, and is currently working on a new album. Ekaterina is fluent in four languages (English, Italian, Spanish, and Russian), is a former gymnast, and avid fitness enthusiast. Her debut album, MOONLIGHT- Katya (2013), and all her music can be found on all online streaming platforms..
General Admission tickets are available in advance online for $25/ $30 the day of the show. A Limited amount of Front Row seats are available for $30 each. Doors open at 6:30pm, and concessions will be available for purchase.
An Evening with Alasdair Fraser and Natalie Haas
Saturday, October 12th at 7:30pm
Cutting-edge fiddle and cello explorations of Scottish and global music.
The musical partnership between consummate performer Alasdair Fraser, "the Michael Jordan of Scottish fiddling", and brilliant Californian cellist Natalie Haas spans the full spectrum between intimate chamber music and ecstatic dance energy. Over the last 20 years of creating a buzz at festivals and concert halls across the world, they have truly set the standard for fiddle and cello in traditional music. They continue to thrill audiences internationally with their virtuosic playing, their near-telepathic understanding and the joyful spontaneity and sheer physical presence of their music.
Fraser has a concert and recording career spanning over 30 years, with a long list of awards, accolades, radio and television credits, and feature performances on top movie soundtracks (Last of the Mohicans, Titanic, etc.). In 2011, he was inducted into the Scottish Traditional Music Hall of Fame. Haas, a graduate of the Juilliard School of Music, is one of the most sought after cellists in traditional music today. She has performed and recorded with a who's who of the fiddle world including Mark O'Connor, Natalie MacMaster, Irish supergroups Solas and Altan, Liz Carroll, Dirk Powell, Brittany Haas, Darol Anger, Jeremy Kittel, Hanneke Cassel, Laura Cortese, and many more.
This seemingly unlikely pairing of fiddle and cello is the fulfillment of a long-standing musical dream for Fraser. His search eventually led him to find a cellist who could help return the cello to its historical role at the rhythmic heart of Scottish dance music, where it stood for hundreds of years before being relegated to the orchestra. The duo's debut recording, Fire & Grace, won the coveted the Scots Trad Music "Album of the Year" award, the Scottish equivalent of a Grammy. Since its release, the two have gone on to record five more critically acclaimed albums that blend a profound understanding of the Scottish tradition with cutting-edge string explorations. In additional to performing, they both have motivated generations of string players through their teaching at fiddle camps across the globe.
A limited number of Front Row seats are available for $45, General admission tickets are available for $30 in advance, $35 the day of the event. If this show has not sold out, a limited number of tickets may be available at the box office for starting at 6:30pm.
*Get $10 off if you purchase a ticket to this performance AND register for their afternoon workshop!