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By CRAIG CROSBY
Staff Writer Monday, July 2, 2007

And to carry out that mission, McCaw is stepping back in time, to an era when entire families gathered in the local theaters to hear the stars and unknowns pour their hearts out on the stage.

"This isn't just for adults," McCaw said. "It's for kids, it's for seniors, it's for all people."

McCaw and friend Peter Witham recently launched the Sebasticook Valley Opry in an effort to provide live, American-roots music in a family-orientated theater environment.

"Live music is an art form that has nearly been lost," McCaw said. "Musicians often have to play the role of human jukebox at a local tavern, where original music is often not wanted and the clientele is limited to those 21 and older. The Sebasticook Valley Opry was created ... to bring back the lost tradition of bringing the family to the local theater to enjoy some live music."

The Opry's first show is scheduled for 6:30-8:30 p.m. July 25 at Pittsfield Community Theater. The first show will feature The Burnham Boys, which includes McCaw, Witham and Sam Higgins, and Sangerville's Doughty Hill Band. The evening will offer a mix of rockabilly, traditional country and western, blues and bluegrass.

"The songs, the energy, the spirit of the whole thing is going to be energetic," Witham said. "It's going to be a total experience."

McCaw stumbled across the idea when he and Witham went through the process of renting the Pittsfield theater for a show.

"As the date was set I got together with Peter and thought, 'Why just one show?

"Why don't we call it an Opry and think about booking shows every four to six weeks? Why not a Sebasticook Valley Opry?'" McCaw recalled.

McCaw and Witham instantly became show organizers, arranging for performers and beginning a publicity campaign.

"It's a lot of work," McCaw said. "It's been a big learning experience.

"We're putting ourselves out on a limb. We feel it's something the community will be into and they'll come out and support it."

Witham recalled a recent conversation with a mother who has been teased by a 6-year-old daughter to watch The Burnham Boys perform. The band's dates, however, have all been in bars.

"The idea is catching on," Witham said. "We're getting lots of people that are really interested."

Bands, too, are signing up for the opportunity to play their own music in front of an audience who is there to listen to the music, not down drinks while listening to reworked cover songs.

"I think a lot of musicians out there could be turned on by this," McCaw said.

"You want to put your art out there on the line for people to enjoy."

McCaw has even talked to local radio stations about broadcasting the Opry, just like the original Grand Ole' Opry has done for generations, but so far stations have been reticent.

McCaw will record the first Opry in hopes of convincing the stations to carry future shows.

"Everyone listened to the Opry," McCaw said. "There really isn't anything like that going on right now."

"As music has become more immediate through the Internet, it also has isolated us from the community," Witham said.

"Communities still enjoy gathering together to listen to good music for just the music's sake."

The Opry will provide one of the few opportunities that still exist.

"It's going to give us a sense of, 'This is who we are,', and 'This is what we offer as a community'," Witham said. "This is something that everyone can take pride in and it seems like everyone is."

Craig Crosby -- 861-9253

ccrosby@centralmaine.com

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