Several years ago, two friends, Paul Sidelinger and William Flynn, were working together on a job. They got talking about the sense of comfort and tranquility of returning to Maine after being away.
Sidelinger, of Damariscotta, always felt it as he went over the Piscataqua River Bridge from New Hampshire into Maine. Flynn, of Newcastle, felt it looking out the window of an airplane over Southern Maine.
Both men, without knowing it, learned that each of them had penned a song, about this feeling. Flynn thought it would make a good country song. Sidelinger’s version was more of a ballad.
Time had gone by and neither of the friends gave it much thought, but both had saved their work, buried in a desk for years. In the fall of 2024, Sidelinger asked Flynn for his version and if he would mind combining it with his version.
Sidelinger kept tweaking it, but didn’t really like it. He thought it was too sappy. He decided to share what he had with his band, The Paulbearers, to get their thoughts and suggestions. He thought they would totally trash it, however, they did not. They all concurred that it hits right to the heart of a real “Mainah” and he should continue working on it.
Fast forward to the fall of 2025. The Paulbearers – Sidelinger on acoustic guitar and lead vocals, lead guitarist Mark Barter, bass guitarist “Mel” Bob Ryan, and Captain Frank Bedell on drums – along with a few extra very talented ladies – Nancy Stein on electric fiddle, Kat Logan on acoustic guitar and vocals, and Kella River on vocals – recorded the song with the help of Bob Colewell, of Cellar Roots Recording Studio, in Sidelinger’s jam cave in Nobleboro.
It took 11 takes but they felt they had the perfect version. Lincoln County Television brought its staff over to video the recording.
After the audio was fine tuned, LCTV went to work putting the video together with pictures provided by the Damariscotta Historical Society and various other people. Several more months go by. A little more tweaking and credit to the people who helped and lo and behold, there was a music video about the Twin Villages.
Currently, less than 10 people have seen the “I Miss My Little Town” music video. The band hasn’t even seen it yet. That will change at 5 p.m. on Wednesday, June 24 at Cheney Insurance, at 277 Main St. in Damariscotta, during the Damariscotta Region Chamber of Commerce and Information Bureau’s Business After Hours event.
Sidelinger is donating the song, along with the video, to the chamber to use for promotional purposes on its website. A copy will be given to the Damariscotta and Newcastle historical societies, and then the video will be put on YouTube for all to see.
