The Adam Ezra Group returns to Lincoln Theater on Sunday, May 25. (Courtesy photo)
The Adam Ezra Group will perform at Lincoln Theater on Sunday, May 25 as a memorial to the late Bobby Whear and to raise funds for the Damariscotta Mills Fish Ladder. Show time is 4 p.m. The concert will also feature Miss Emily, the award-winning vocalist.
An avid supporter of the fish ladder restoration project, founder and lead singer Adam Ezra was introduced to the fish ladder by Whear, owner of the Mill Pond Inn, when he stayed there during a visit to the area several years ago. Whear died earlier this year, but his spirit lives on in the music and fish ladder that he loved.
Ezra, whose mother was a folk musician, was initially inspired by artists like Bob Dylan, Pete Seeger, and Joni Mitchell, who fostered a social mission through their music. His interest sparked even more when he discovered classic rock and recognized the inherent power when individual musicianship began to give way to bands. Many of those characteristics are incorporated into the Adam Ezra Group’s live shows. Every concert they perform is different, according to Ezra.
The group has played hundreds of small shows in the living rooms and backyards of its supporters, including four intimate sessions at the Mill Pond Inn. For 15 consecutive years they have spearheaded the Ramble, an annual fan-supported festival in Ashburnham, Mass., that raises funds to provide housing for homeless veterans. During the height of COVID-19, Ezra and his bandmates livestreamed a series of online performances called The Gatherings for 500 days in a row to combat the shared fear and isolation of the pandemic.
Tickets are $50 and are available for purchase at the door beginning 30 minutes before the show or in advance through the online box office at lincolntheater.net.
Proceeds directly support the Damariscotta Mills Fish Ladder. Maine weather is hard on all structures, and keeping the ladder’s pools watertight and “alewife friendly” is an ongoing challenge. The fish ladder, a series of 69 gradually ascending pools, has been rebuilt over the past 18 years to become a shining example of how people can provide aid to and coexist with the natural environment.
Damariscotta Mills Fish Ladder Restoration is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that works in collaboration with the towns of Nobleboro and Newcastle to maintain, preserve, and improve the historic fish ladder and working waterfront.
