Mumbles headline Strawberry Moon festival June 20-21-22

NEW GLOUCESTER, Maine — Pocket Full of Mumbles, those increasingly percussive purveyors of smart twang and Scarborough Fair-caliber harmonies, will return to Pineland Farms June 20, 21 and 22 to play the annual Strawberry Moon Celebration here at the former Gillespie Farms.

Show times and picking hours are identical: 4-7 p.m. on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Parking is free here at the expansive and idyllic Pineland Farms, located at 752 Mayall Road in New Gloucester.

Come June, all sensible Mainers make time for at least one pick-your-own strawberry outing. Strawberry Moon takes the experience up a notch, or two, by providing a grassy commons area where visitors can sit back and soak up the sun, avail themselves of food-truck and craft beer/beverage vendors, and listen to the dulcet, alt-country tones of Pocket Full of Mumbles.

“Don’t forget the goats,” says Mumbles bassist and fiddler Mike Conant. “There are always animals to pet and tractors to climb. It’s a pretty great family event. The ultimate yard party, though I don’t know that I’ve ever attended a yard party with a strawberry shortcake station.”

Entry to Strawberry Moon, inclusive of parking, is just $6 per person. Folks have the option of putting their ticket price toward their respective pick-your-own strawberry purchases, at checkout. Or just spread out on a blanket, or at a picnic table, and enjoy a beverage, inventive comestibles and live music. Children under 2 are free. 

Pocket Full of Mumbles have headlined the Strawberry Moon festival each year since 2021. The band considers this event the unofficial kickoff to its busy summer season. The Mumbles will play Side by Each Brewing Co. in Auburn on Saturday night, July 20. It will return to the Topsham Fair on Aug. 7. For more gig and band information, visit www.PocketFullOfMumbles.com

PFOM to play Strawberry Moon forever (actually, just June 24-26)

NEW GLOUCESTER — Pocket Full of Mumbles will make their public 2021 debut June 24-26 as part of the Strawberry Moon Celebration here at idyllic Gillespie Farm, the Pineland Farm location on Mayall Road. South/Central Maine’s favorite alt-country interpreters of Simon & Garfunkel, Son Volt and Jackson Browne will preside Thursday, Friday and Saturday from 4-7 p.m.

Strawberry Moon has become a highlight of the pick-your-own strawberry season north of Portland. The three-day event, hosted at 752 Mayall Road in New Gloucester, features live music but also food trucks, cash bar, dessert tables, horse-drawn carriage rides and special moonlit picking hours. For more information, visit Gillespie’s Facebook page or call the Farm at (207) 657-2877.

But don’t overthink it: Just drop by, harvest a few quarts of delicious strawberries from the rich Maine soil, listen to the music, have a beverage and, if you need more strawberries, come back the next day and do it all again. Strawberry season in Maine is like life: All too short. So don’t miss out.

The members of Pocket Full of Mumbles (PFOM) are greatly looking forward to this engagement, as the last 15 months have been very tough on musical acts in Maine and around the world. The band looks forward to communing again with its massive, devoted fan base (known as “The Mumble Core”) and riding what feels like a significant wave of pent-up demand for live music.

Indeed, for PFOM, the Strawberry Moon event is only the first public event of 2021. The band has already played several private parties and looks forward to many more. Anyone interested in booking such an event should reach out at booking@pocketfullofmumbles.com.

“I don’t think it’s clear to anyone, at this stage of the pandemic, just how practical it is to play traditional shows inside,” said PFOM fiddler/guitarist Mike Conant. “It’s starting to happen, but unknowns remain: from the perspective of host venues, from the folks who might attend, and bands providing the music. We in Pocket Full of Mumbles are all vaccinated and ready to play anywhere. But we understand why clubs, fans and bands might feel differently.

“We’ve always played private parties because we love the casual vibe, the requests, the intimacy. And today, in 2021, they’re certainly an excellent way around all those concerns, especially when they’re held outside.”