Waterville Rocks

Waterville Rocks is a FREE, family-friendly concert series that will be held in Downtown Waterville in the summer of 2021. All concerts will take place at Head of Falls in Waterville, but in the case of rain, indoor venues are available for each of the dates (see below).

Beer Garden opens at 5:30pm.
Music begins at 6:00pm.

July 23 – Spencer Albee
July 30 – The Wolff Sisters
August 6 – Casey Abrams
August 13 – The Big Takeover

July 23: Spencer Albee

Spencer Albee is a Portland based and nationally acclaimed singer, songwriter and producer. Since 1995, he has toured internationally, signed multiple major recording and publishing deals, and has worked with artists ranging from David Bowie to De La Soul. Rolling Stone Magazine called Spencer a “21st Century master in the lost art of Beatlesque hooks.” He most recently produced The Ghost Of Paul Revere’s “Good At Losing Everything” which was met with wide acclaim, and is presently working on his 22nd studio album, tentatively titled “Worried Men Sing Worried
Songs”.

Rain Venue: Waterville Opera House (1 Common St)

July 30: The Wolff Sisters

The Wolff Sisters is fronted by three sisters – Rebecca on acoustic guitar, Kat on the keys, Rachael on electric guitar, and all three on lead vocals and harmonies. Raised on the songs of The Band and Little Feat, the sisters crafted their sound around a honky tonk piano in the living room of their childhood home. Boston Music Award winner for Americana Artist of the Year 2020 and Folk Artist of the Year nominee both 2018 and 2019, the band’s electrifying live performance continues to gain momentum and recognition from their hometown of Boston and beyond. Their latest album Queendom of Nothing landed a spot on The Boston Globe’s top 15 albums for Fall following its release in October 2019, while their previous album Cahoon Hollow was nominated for New England Music Award’s Album of The Year 2018. With a fresh new single ‘Boston Town’ released in May 2021, The Wolff Sisters continue to work tirelessly at honing their sound and touring the US while paying homage to their roots in New England.

Rain Venue: Waterville Opera House (1 Common St)

August 6: Casey Abrams

Singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and American Idol season 10 finalist Casey Abrams, has built a strong following through the years with two album releases (Casey Abrams and Tales From the Gingerbread House). Casey spent the last year touring internationally as part of the renowned collective Scott Bradlee’s Postmodern Jukebox. Casey Abrams was born in Austin, Texas and spent his early years in Chicago, then later moved to California to attend Idyllwild Arts Academy. An extraordinary musician, Abrams studied classical bass, piano, improvisation, music history and participated in numerous jazz ensembles. After graduating, he then studied music at the University of Colorado at Boulder. Since American Idol, Abrams has toured with his fellow season 10 American Idol cast mates, collaborated with Haley Reinhart on the holiday classic, “Baby, It’s Cold Outside” (A Top 10 iTunes video and Holiday chart debut) and recorded his debut album.

Rain Venue: Waterville Opera House (1 Common St)

August 13: The Big Takeover

Traditionalists or progressives? Fronted by the charismatic Jamaican-born singer and songwriter Nee Nee Rushie, the seven-piece New York band The Big Takeover plays original music that is rooted in and reverent toward the genres and rhythms of Jamaican pop: reggae, rocksteady, ska. They are devotees of Desmond Dekker and the way the old school did it.  At the same time, The Big Takeover crosses lines and blends traditions like global pop fusionists. Their deceptively complex arrangements and big hooks connect with the spirit of Motown and the uptown sophistication of the 21st century retro soul and R&B revival scene.

That rich sound, along with their rigorous performing schedule and studio work, has been paying off. In 2018, the Big Takeover completed a successful 12-state tour. They were enthusiastically received by 10,000 at Omaha’s Jazz on the Green festival. They delivered an outrageously infectious and nuanced acoustic performance on the popular reggae-centric Sugarshack Sessions. Meanwhile, their current standalone single “Rainboots” has scored big with the discerning tastes at National Public Radio. The Big Takeover has appeared live in studio on several NPR stations, while “Rainboots” is in rotation on all of them.

Rain Venue: The Elm (21 College Ave)