The Oak and The Ax, the Biddeford arts & music venue opened in 2010, will host its 2 Annual Festival during the last weekend in September (Friday, September 27 – Sunday, September 29). The three-day festival will feature over 21 bands, plus burlesque performances, artist talks, workshops, film screenings, a record fair, and more.

The Festival begins on Friday, September 27 with a headlining set from the Low Anthem, the popular indie folk band from Providence, Rhode Island. Doors for Friday open at 8:00 p.m. and the bill also features the psychedelic pop rock outfit Phantom Buffalo from Portland, Maine and the off-grid garage rock collective Happy Jawbone Family Band from Brattleboro, Vermont. Tickets for Friday night are $15 and can be purchased online at theoakandtheax.com or at any Bull Moose record store.

Also on Friday, The Oak and The Ax will be presenting an artist talk titled “How do you do, Burly-Q?” from 6:00-8:00 p.m. as part of Biddeford’s Final Friday Art Walk. The panel will be moderated by burlesque performer Rosie Rimjob and will include a diverse array of performers, including some of those featured in Rosie Rimjob’s popular Oak + Ax burlesque series. The talk is free and will be held at Elements bookstore café & bar located at 265 Main Street in Biddeford.

The Festival continues on Saturday, September 28 with a full day of music. Tal National, a West African 7-piece band famous in their home country of Niger now making their first USA tour, will headline the second night of the Festival. They will be joined by eight other bands earlier in the day, including Brooklyn-based MC Tim Fite, and the Portland experimental dance-rock duo Video Nasties. Doors open at 1:00 p.m. and the venue remains open until 1:00 a.m. Saturday will also feature DJ sets by Brainshadows and burlesque performance from Ophelia Heiney. See below for complete line-up. Tickets for Saturday are $12 and are available online and at Bull Moose. A vinyl record fair will be held on Saturday from 11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. ($2 suggested donation or free with festival ticket).

The Festival concludes on Sunday, September 29 with a headlining performance from the indie rock band Lake from Olympia, Washington. Signed to legendary independent record label K Records, Lake has also gained recognition as a composer for the Cartoon Network show Adventure Time. Sunday will also feature nine other acts, both national and local, including Portland’s ShaShaSha, Burlington’s Hello Shark, and Bearkat, traveling from California. Doors open at 1:00 p.m. and the premiere of a 20-minute tour documentary about Lady Lamb the Beekeeper screens at 1:30 p.m. Tickets for Sunday are $10 and are available online and at Bull Moose.

The Oak and The Ax will also present a series of creative workshops at Engine, located at 265 Main Street. Workshops include two burlesque-themed creative classes on make-up (Performative Make-Up) and costuming (Repurpose & Assemble; What Makes a Costume?). More information about the workshops, including times and registration details are available online at theoakandtheax.com and The Oak and The Ax facebook events page. Festival ticketholders will receive a discount on workshop registration.

A 3-day pass ($30) for the entire festival weekend is available online at TheOakAndTheAx.com.

The Oak and The Ax is located at 140 Main Street, Suite 107, Biddeford, ME.

Festival Schedule

FRIDAY – Doors at 8:00 PM ($15)

10:30 p.m.     The Low Anthem

9:30 p.m.       The Happy Jawbone Family Band

8:30 p.m.        Phantom Buffalo

6:00–8:00 p.m.: “How do you do, Burly-Q?” artist talk at Elements bookstore bar and café.

SATURDAY – Doors at 1:00 PM ($12)

10:30 p.m.          Tal National

9:30 p.m.            Tim Fite

8:30 p.m.            Video Nasties

7:00 p.m.            Acid Smoker

6:00 p.m.            AFRAID

5:00 p.m.            Awaas

4:00 p.m.            Purse

3:00 p.m.            High Spirits

2:00 p.m.            Mouth Washington

Between Acts: DJ set by Brainshadows. Burlesque performance by Ophelia Heiney.

11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.: Vinyl record fair ($2 suggested donation or free with ticket).

SUNDAY – Doors at 1 PM ($10)

10:30 p.m           Lake

9:30 p.m.            ShaShaSha

8:30 p.m.            Butcher Boy

7:00 p.m.            Kevin Greenspon/Big Waves of Pretty

6:00 p.m.            Bearkat

5:00 p.m.            Hello Shark

4:00 p.m.            Arborea

3:00 p.m.            Lisa/Liza

2:00 p.m.            Methuin Muir

1:30 p.m.            FILM SCREENING: Lady Lamb the Beekeeper Tour Documentary

Burlesque workshops (Perfomative Make-up and Repurpose & Assemble; What Makes a Costume?) at Engine. Visit TheOakAndTheAx.com for details.

The Oak and The Ax

140 Main St, Suite 107, Biddeford, ME

TheOakandTheAx.com

contact: theoakandtheax@gmail.com