{"id":992,"date":"2018-02-19T10:22:15","date_gmt":"2018-02-19T15:22:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/umaine.edu\/mainestudies\/?p=992"},"modified":"2019-04-22T01:10:22","modified_gmt":"2019-04-22T05:10:22","slug":"david-mallett","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/umaine.edu\/mainestudies\/2018\/02\/19\/david-mallett\/","title":{"rendered":"Framing Maine 2: Singer and Songwriter David Mallett"},"content":{"rendered":"<figure id=\"997\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-997\" title=\"Courtesy of David Mallett\" src=\"https:\/\/umaine.edu\/mainestudies\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/174\/2018\/02\/David-Mallett-10.jpg\" alt=\"David Mallett in performance.\" width=\"529\" height=\"295\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Photo by Bret Gilliam, courtesy of David Mallett.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h3>David Mallett: An Evening of Song and Story<\/h3>\n<p>Maine balladeer David Mallett came to Orono on April 7th for a performance that combined some of his best-loved songs with an onstage Q&amp;A with Rob Caldwell of WCSH-TV. The event was the second in the series <em>Framing Maine: Conversations with Storytellers and Imagemakers from the Pine Tree State,<\/em> organized by the Maine Studies Program.<\/p>\n<p>Mallett performed a set of a dozen of his best-known songs, most of which were inspired by places and people here in Maine. This includes his classic &#8220;The Garden Song,&#8221; which he revealed was only the second or third song he ever wrote, inspired one summer day by his hardworking father in his home garden. Mallett was accompanied onstage by his quartet, featuring bassist Mike Burd, pianist Roy Clark, and violinist Susan Ramsey.<\/p>\n<p>David&#8217;s performance was followed by an onstage interview with Portland news anchor Rob Caldwell, who picked Mallett&#8217;s brain about his upbringing, inspirations, and the many songs he has written over the years. The 45-minute conversation shed light on how Mallett works (melody first, then lyrics), how growing up in Maine formed him as an artist, and\u00a0how his time at the University of Maine was spent (not much in class, apparently, but in local music venues like The Ram&#8217;s Horn). They also discussed David&#8217;s years in Nashville as a journeyman songwriter, his experiences with the recording industry, and what finally brought him back to Maine full time: to let his children grow up the way he did, with family, friends and farm close at hand.<\/p>\n<p>The event was attended by roughly 200 people, nearly filling the intimate Minsky Recital Hall. Sound was provided by Birdie Sawyer and a team of students from the School of Performing Arts, who made sure the acoustics met Mallett&#8217;s high standards\u2014he has performed thousands of concerts in his nearly five-decade recording and performing career. Welcoming comments were made by Provost Jeff Hecker, CLAS Dean Emily Haddad, and Maine Studies Program Director Kreg Ettenger, who organized the event.<\/p>\n<div class=\"responsive-video\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Framing Maine 2 with David Mallett Concert\" width=\"1268\" height=\"713\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/ilwTGZ_hops?wmode=transparent&amp;rel=0&amp;feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<h3>David Mallett Biography<\/h3>\n<p>Born and raised in rural Sebec, where he still lives, David Mallett has been writing and singing about his home state for 55 years. His professional music career began when he was just 11, playing in a country and folk duo with his older brother, Neil. Later, as an acting student at the University of Maine, Mallett discovered guitar-wielding bards like Gordon Lightfoot and Bob Dylan, which led him to his eventual career. \u201cI was a theater major. I felt short-changed that I had to speak someone else\u2019s words. If I became a singer-songwriter, I could sing my own words.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>A turning point in Mallett\u2019s career came in 1975 when he met Noel Paul Stookey of Peter, Paul and Mary. Stookey produced Mallett\u2019s first three albums in his Blue Hill recording studio. He also brought David&#8217;s tune \u201cThe Garden Song\u201d to the attention of Pete Seeger, who included it on his retrospective album,\u00a0<em>Circles And Seasons<\/em>. This humble song about a gardener&#8217;s faith (\u201cinch by inch, row by row, someone bless these seeds I sow\u201d) has since gone on to become a folk classic, recorded by everyone from John Denver to the Muppets. \u201cIt was never that big a hit,\u201d says Mallett. \u201cIt\u2019s gotten around, but in a very human way\u2014through the mouths of children, at campfires and wedding ceremonies. I\u2019m so proud to be associated with such a simple and beautiful thing.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure id=\"1060\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1060 \" src=\"https:\/\/umaine.edu\/mainestudies\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/174\/2018\/02\/Mallet-Hill-25@150dpi-240x300.jpg\" alt=\"David Mallett onstage.\" width=\"289\" height=\"362\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Photo by Denise Maccaferri, courtesy of David Mallett.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Mallett has recorded 17 albums and penned hundreds of songs, many recorded by major artists including Arlo Guthrie, Emmylou\u00a0Harris, Kathy Mattea, Marty Stuart, and Alison Krauss.\u00a0Many of David&#8217;s songs and albums are inspired by Maine places, people and history. He has made a career of writing and singing songs that connect the listener with a specific place, whether that&#8217;s a backyard garden, a town in decline, or \u201ca deep pool where the fish wait,\u201d as he describes in \u201cSummer of My Dreams.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Mallett\u2019s songs are filled with passion, evocative imagery, and a sense of the inevitable passage of time. His writing room in an old farmhouse in Sebec, where he grew up, reflects both his love of nature and his connection to the past: it has a view of a field and a tintype of his great-great grandfather on the wall. \u201cI like to keep reaching out to touch the past,\u201d he says, \u201cto connect it with what\u2019s going on now. To me, music is one of the few things that are timeless.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>For more information about David, including tour dates and music purchases, please go to\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/davidmallett.com\/\">david.mallett.com<\/a>. Here is a <a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/fXwYUHpjGx0\">link to a video<\/a> of David&#8217;s recent song &#8220;Celebration,&#8221; from his album of the same name.<\/p>\n<div class=\"responsive-video\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Framing Maine 2 with David Mallett Interview\" width=\"1268\" height=\"713\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/ygmLbIaY8DA?wmode=transparent&amp;rel=0&amp;feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<h3>Rob Caldwell Biography<\/h3>\n<figure id=\"1036\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1036\" src=\"https:\/\/umaine.edu\/mainestudies\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/174\/2018\/02\/Rob-Caldwell-1-300x169.jpg\" alt=\"Rob Caldwell in Portland.\" width=\"462\" height=\"260\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Photo courtesy of Rob Caldwell and WCSH.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Rob Caldwell is a news anchor and reporter for WCSH\/WLBZ&#8217;s NewsCenter Maine. He is also co-host of <em>207<\/em>, the news magazine program that airs weeknights on WCSH in Portland and WLBZ in Bangor. Since joining WCSH-TV in 1982, Rob has covered everything from papal visits to cats stuck on ice floes, and interviewed thousands of people ranging from Barack Obama to Larry the Cable Guy. A graduate of Williams College, Rob is a member of the Maine Association of Broadcasters Hall of Fame.\u00a0To see Rob Caldwell&#8217;s work on the show <em>207<\/em>, go to\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.newscentermaine.com\/207\">newscentermaine.com\/207<\/a>.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h3>Flickr Album<\/h3>\n<p>The Flickr album can be found\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/flic.kr\/s\/aHsmw3rUA1\">here.<\/a><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h3>Framing Maine Series: Credit and Thanks<\/h3>\n<p><em>Framing Maine<\/em>\u00a0is a new series that brings well-known Maine artists, writers, musicians and others to the University of Maine campus to talk about their careers telling Maine&#8217;s stories through various media. The series kicked off last November with a talk by television host and reporter Bill Green, including an interview by NPR Washington correspondent and UMaine graduate Brian Naylor.<\/p>\n<p>Support for the series comes from Bangor Savings Bank, and from the University of Maine Cultural Affairs and Distinguished Lecture Series, the Clement and Linda McGillicuddy Humanities Center, the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, the Maine Folklife Center, and the Stephen E. King Chair in Literature.<\/p>\n<p>Those wishing to support future Framing Maine events are invited to contact the Director of the Maine Studies program, Dr. Kreg Ettenger, at <a href=\"mailto:kreg.ettenger@maine.edu\">kreg.ettenger@maine.edu<\/a> or 207-581-1840. Gifts may also be made to the Maine Studies Program through the <a href=\"https:\/\/securelb.imodules.com\/s\/300\/13-ORONO\/foundation\/index-social.aspx?sid=300&amp;gid=13&amp;pgid=748&amp;cid=1912\">University of Maine Foundation websi<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/securelb.imodules.com\/s\/300\/13-ORONO\/foundation\/index-social.aspx?sid=300&amp;gid=13&amp;pgid=748&amp;cid=1912\">te<\/a>. Please note that many companies offer matching gifts to educational institutions such as the University of Maine; be sure to check with your HR representative or donor liaison.<\/p>\n<p><em>Biographical information and photos on this website are courtesy of David Mallett and Rob Caldwell.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>David Mallett: An Evening of Song and Story Maine balladeer David Mallett came to Orono on April 7th for a performance that combined some of his best-loved songs with an onstage Q&amp;A with Rob Caldwell of WCSH-TV. The event was the second in the series Framing Maine: Conversations with Storytellers and Imagemakers from the Pine [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":901,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"15","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"Maine folk singer and songwriter David Mallett is coming to Orono for a special performance that will combine music and storytelling about his life and career as a Maine songster. 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