Portland, Maine-based “holler folk” rockers The Ghost of Paul Revere returned to the road last weekend for a brief run of New England dates through Connecticut, Rhode Island, Albany, and Stratton, Vermont. Now the hard-working band has unveiled their plans for the remainder of the year, announcing they’ll be ringing in 2022 with a hometown throwdown at the State Theatre in Portland. They’ll be joined by LOVE BY NUMB3RS, the critically acclaimed roots rock trio featuring Jon Roods of Rustic Overtones.

The last time we checked in with the Ghost of Paul Revere was February 2020. Mirth Films sat down with the band for an in-depth “Getting to Know the Ghost” interview just as they were about to set off on an extended tour through Europe. Needless to say, less than a month later life as we all knew it would drastically change. Due to the global pandemic, that tour never happened and the concert industry was effectively shut down, but for the guys in TGOPR, rest assured the music never stopped.

Adapting to the new norm by turning their basements into streamble makeshift concert halls, fans were able to stay in touch with the band through their freshly launched official Patreon site. Aside from a few socially distant pod-style drive-in shows and hosting their own festival (Ghostland) over Labor Day weekend, actual in-person Ghost performances have become something of a rarity and worth traveling for.

With that being said, Mirth Films decided to “send it” and make the last minute trek from Albany, NY to Fairfield, Connecticut for the opening night of the weekend run. The intimate sit-down setting of StageOne FTC was the perfect way to calm the fears of those still worried about going to an in-door show. The venue limited capacity and required proof of a Covid-19 vaccination or negative test AND they actually checked.

Sibling fronted brother/sister folk group GoldenOak opened the night with a beautiful set of songs taken mostly from their recently released album “Room to Grow.” After a brief intermission, the guys from Ghost of Paul Revere took the stage a little after 9pm. Originally made up of childhood friends guitarist Griffin Sherry, bassist Sean McCarthy, and banjo player Max Davis, in recent years the band has also welcomed former Mallet Brothers drummer chuck Gagne into the fold. Kicking off their performance in Fairfield with the song “Love at Your Convenience,” the band worked their way through a string of songs off their latest studio album, “Good at Losing Everything,” including the songs “226 Days,” ”Travel On,” “Loneliness,” along with the aforementioned title track.

(Photo: Zak Radick)

On display from the get-go was GOPR’s marvelous 3-part vocal harmonies, thought provoking lyrics and hilarious between-song banter, all trademarks of a band that has the uncanny ability to draw in an audience and connect on a personal level, a relatable realness that can’t be forced or taught.

Constructing a setlist that allowed for each member to shine individually, like the Max ‘Rattlesnake Arm” Davis sung “Two Weeks” or McCarthy’s “As We Know,” it was Ghost staples like “San Antone” and “Frontier” that showcased the bands sublime harmonies and vocal arrangements best.

After a particularly potent version of “Montreal,” the foot stomping, hand clapping, good time vibe continued as the band uncorked a rousing upbeat rendition of “Little Bird” and then arguably their biggest song to date, “the Ballad of the 20th Maine,” which has now been recognized as the state’s official ballad.

Other highlights of the set included the up-tempo sing-along “Hey Girl,” “Annabelle” and “This is the End.” After charismatic drummer Chuck Gagne worked the crowd into a tizzy simply by making eyes at them, the rest of the band returned to the stage for a brilliant acapella version of “After Many Miles.” Finally the show came to an end by satisfying a request from the crowd earlier in the evening, letting it all out and sending fans home happy to the tune of “Wild Child.”

With the rare combination of intelligent songwriting, superb vocal harmonies, fan friendly charisma and a tireless work ethic go along with it, you get the sense it won’t belong before The Ghost of Paul Revere catch their big break. With constant comparisons to other hugely successful Americana folk acts like The Avett Brothers, Dawes, Old Crowe Medicine Show and Greensky Bluegrass, something tells me years from now, we’ll be looking back at this inmate night in Fairfield and say “I remember when.” After more than a year of no live music or in-door concerts, this entire performance just felt special, radiating with sheer joy and exuberance, a reminder of what we’ve so dearly missed, all that’s been lost and just how fortunate we are to finally be able to have these shared experiences with friends, fans, and other human beings again.

Setlist:

Love at Your Convenience, 226 Days, Good at Losing Everything, Annabelle, As We Know, Montreal, Little Bird, San Antone, Travel On, Two Weeks, Ballad of the 20th Maine, Loneliness, Frontier, This Is the End, Hey Girl, After Many Miles, Wild Child