Erik Thomas is a busy boy. Not only is he a printmaker with the Waterville-based Digital Image Works, he’s also a board member with Waterville Main Street, a civic organization. And to top it off, he’s booking shows with his promotions group, Sweet People Productions. Such is the life of a local promoter. Sleeping is low on the priority totem pole. Music, book shows, work, repeat.
“If I didn’t love my community and [didn’t] want to make cool things happen here, I wouldn’t do this,” said Thomas. “But I also love music. And I tend to book artists that I like too, so I can enjoy this thing that I’ve put lots of time and money into.”
One of Thomas’ biggest events of the year is the Hill in the ’Ville, the yearly outdoor music festival that takes over downtown Waterville each September. A joint venture of Waterville Main Street and Colby College, the festival this year, set for 12:30-8 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 12, brings Maine bands Sly-Chi and the Joint Chiefs, Massachusetts band Barefoot Truth, Pete Francis, formerly of Dispatch, and Chris Barron and the Time Bandits. For those not up on their ’90s trivia, Chris Barron was the singer for the Spin Doctors. For those not aware: it’s a pretty fun (and free) way to spend a Saturday afternoon.
“The Hill was originally an idea of a bunch of Colby students. They wanted an event at the beginning of the year, that would get students off campus and mixing in with the community,” said Thomas. “It’s crazy to think that some Colby students who are seniors don’t even know where to get their hair cut in Waterville. There are a dozen hair salons in town.”
The Hill tries to bridge the town-gown divide by offering a big outdoor festival. The Joint Chiefs, a band composed of Colby students, play straight up jam band rock, while Sly-Chi is a Portland-based institution, who have been playing solid funk and R&B in Maine and New England for years now. Barefoot Truth and Pete Francis regularly make tour stops in Maine, while Chris Barron, the headliner, is forging a name for himself in his post-Spin Doctors solo career.
Aside from this weekend’s festival, Thomas is working hard via Sweet People Productions to bring quality live music to eastern and central Maine. Last Wednesday’s John Brown’s Body show at Unity College was a success, as was Sweet People’s first big show featuring Grace Potter and the Nocturnals and the Brew at the Skowhegan Opera House — a show that was a sellout, spawned a live recording, and put that facility on the map as a viable live music venue in Maine.
On Oct. 8, Thomas will bring blues vocalist Susan Tedeschi to the Skowhegan stage.
“It’s such a great venue. There are so many underused facilities here in Maine,” said Thomas. “The Skowhegan Opera House holds 850 people. That’s bigger than almost any place like it in the state.”
Re-energizing downtowns is the biggest point of pride Thomas has — between Waterville and Skowhegan, he’s personally responsible for creating events in lesser-visited communities in Maine.
“The success of shows like Grace Potter proves to me that not only is there an audience for live music in Maine, but that it’s a lot bigger than anyone expected,” he said. “When we had the Brew at Unity last year there were so many people dancing that the floor was shaking. It was one of the craziest, best shows I’ve ever been to. And it was here in Maine.”
The Hill in the ‘Ville kicks off at 12:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 12, in downtown Waterville. The event is free. Susan Tedeschi will perform at 8 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 8, at the Skowhegan Opera House. For more information, visit www.sweetpeopleproductions.com.