PORTLAND, Maine — Congress Street’s 600 block was cold, dark and nearly deserted by 7 p.m. on Monday. The daytime shops were closed and, as with a lot of city watering holes these days, nearby restaurants were shuttered for the first two days of the work week.
But inside Blue, a venue known for its dim lights, small plates and non-stop live music, things were different.
It was packed.
Every seat was taken, and the standing room in the back glowed with chatter and clinking glasses. It was filled mostly with off-duty bartenders, servers, baristas and sous-chefs who work Friday and Saturday nights, finally getting a chance to celebrate their weekend.
They’d come to cheer on and support their co-workers in the fourth installment of a quarterly service workers music showcase. Every performer who took the stage Monday night was both a worker at a restaurant or bar and a top notch musician.
The showcase was an opportunity for the workers, who make Portland’s famous food and drink scene hum, to show what else they’re very good at doing.
“Oh my God, there’s so many talented people,” said event organizer, bartender and musician Jessie Banhazl. “It seems like one out of five people who work in a bar seems to also play an instrument.”
Which makes sense, Banhazl said, since the service industry’s flexible scheduling can allow musicians the freedom they need to pursue their art.
The boisterous room went silent when the first performer of the night, Cilla Bonnie, stepped up to the microphone. Accompanying herself on five-string bass, Bonnie mesmerized the crowd with original songs she described as sounding like a mix between rhythm and blues and Radiohead.
Besides playing her own music and making soups and sauces at a Portland restaurant, Bonnie is also an in-demand side woman. She’d just flown back to town after playing a short string of midwest dates with Boston-based singer-songwriter Alisa Amador.
“It’s a lot of juggling, but it makes me feel like I’m getting the most out of my life right now,” Bonnie said. “But there are days when I wish I had one job.”
Next, Bri Dee, bartender at the nearby Jewel Box, stepped on stage with a seafoam green electric guitar and fellow bartender — and bassist — Koko Kelsey in tow.
The duo then ran through a handful of Dee’s original songs, her earthy, soulful voice dragging the willing crowd through an emotional wringer. Explosive applause followed each tune. One song told of baby birds needing to drop a few, perilous feet as they leave their nest and learn to fly for the first time.
Dee said bartending is not unlike performing on stage.
“You have to be able to engage people, either way,” she said. “Being on stage is both thrilling and terrifying.”
Other performers Monday night included piano-playing Gina Alibrio, a bartender at the Portland House of Music and frontwoman for the Red Eye Flight Crew band, and eclectic guitarist Estelle Poole.
Barista Rosie Borden was there as well, singing original, autotune-drenched pop confections. At one point, Borden’s computer-controlled backing tracks went all flooey, bringing one song to an early end.
“It’s a little intimidating being up here in front of you all,” Borden said, while rebooting the program.
But the awkward moment didn’t last long.
“We love you,” hooted someone in the back, prompting the crowd to applaud long enough for Borden to get going again.
Host and showcase founder Banhazl played a set with her garage band, Lean Meats, too. The set included a crowd-favorite song about smoking weed inside a car in a shopping mall parking lot while waiting for a supposed friend who ditched her to show up.
Blue co-owner and musician Andrew Roseman was all smiles while surveying the full house.
“Everyone’s so great,” Roseman said, nodding to the stage. “And because it’s mostly service workers in here tonight, they really know how to tip.”
The next service workers showcase at Blue is scheduled for March 18, the day after St. Patrick’s Day, when many of Portland’s food and drink workers will be ready for a night off.
