The Adam Ezra Group (Courtesy photo)
The Adam Ezra Group will be performing at the Lincoln Theater over Memorial Day weekend, Sunday, May 26, to raise funds for the Damariscotta Mills Fish Ladder.
An avid supporter of the ladder, founder and lead singer Adam Ezra was introduced to the fish ladder by Bobby Whear, owner of the Mill Pond Inn, when he stayed there during a visit to the area several years ago.
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.
“I listened to Led Zeppelin for the first time and my brain exploded. The way that they would create songs that could go in any direction they chose … what they did as a unit was so much bigger than just the sum of their parts,” he said.
He found himself drawn to the spontaneity of the Jimi Hendrix Experience, the harmonies of Crosby, Stills and Nash, the storytelling of Bruce Springsteen, the simplicity of Tom Petty, and how the members of The Band – “Robbie Robertson and Levon Helm and all those guys” – each had a role to play in the music they created.
Ezra incorporated many of those characteristics 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 14 consecutive years they 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 $40 and are available for purchase at the door beginning 30 minutes before the 4 p.m. 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 15 years to become a shining example of how people can provide aid to, and coexist with, the natural environment.
The Damariscotta Mills Fish Ladder Restoration is a joint collaboration between the towns of Nobleboro and Newcastle, spearheaded by the Fish Ladder Restoration Committee, which is part of the Nobleboro Historical Society.
