March 29, 2024
BANGOR DAILY NEWS (BANGOR, MAINE

Good Time Band> Cana’ Joe makes sounds of the times

The University of Maine students in front of the Bumstock stage appear to have too many cups of coffee running through their veins as they dance and jump around with almost unrestrainable enthusiasm.

It is not caffeine that is driving this frenzy, but instead a dose of the unpredictable music of Cana’ Joe.

“I love seeing people having a good time,” says Brendan Reilly, bass guitarist for the band Cana’ Joe.

Cana’ Joe, which performed at the recent Bumstock music festival on the UM campus in Orono, is one of the area’s best-known college bands.

Although the band delivers a powerful, booming sound from the stage, it is composed of only four college students in their early 20s.

None of the UM students making up Cana’ Joe, however, can be described as Joe College.

Reilly, a music major from Hampden; Mike Billings, an aquaculture major from Eddington; Karl Larson, a psychology major from Winterport; and Mike Cahill, a forestry major from Danvers, Mass., all have music experience dating back to days spent jamming in high school bands.

It is the combination of Reilly’s steadfast fingers on the bass, Cahill’s Steely Dan-inspired performance on the keyboard, Larson’s Led Zeppelin-influenced drumbeats and Billings’ wild antics on lead guitar that lift Cana’ Joe to a talent level above that of many other college bands.

“That’s something that I picked up from Jimi Hendrix,” Billings says of his tendency to play guitar with his teeth or behind his back.

“I just love playing guitar and singing and putting my soul into it. I just have total opportunity to let whatever’s inside of me out,” Billings adds.

The group, which began playing together about a year-and-a-half ago, does, however, still have an unpolished sound and frequently relies on drawn-out jam sessions to entertain the audience.

Group members say the lengthy jam sessions included in the middle of many of their songs are a sign of the changing times in music.

“They’re getting away from the three-minute song,” Cahill says of up-and-coming rock bands.

Cana’ Joe’s music can be best described as a mix of rock ‘n’ roll and blues. Their play list ranges from covers of Jimi Hendrix and Stevie Wonder tunes to about 10 original songs written by members of the band.

Although the group has performed at several parties and a few area clubs and restaurants, the musicians say they are frustrated by the lack of local venues willing to give college bands a chance.

“We’re trying to push our way up a river because our style isn’t something that has been formed around here,” Billings says.

“We’ve had a hard time getting into the Portland scene because it’s so hard to do business way up here,” he adds.

Cana’ Joe, however, did get the opportunity to strut its stuff in front of a Portland crowd last summer when the band performed during an event sponsored by Ticketmaster.

The Portland event showcased unsigned bands and Cana’ Joe was one of only five bands from Maine and New Hampshire that qualified for the concert.

With UM classes keeping them busy, members of Cana’ Joe are not in any rush to jump into a full-blown music career.

“We’re just not pushing anything right now,” says Billings. However, Reilly, Cahill, Larson and Billings would like to see Cana’ Joe’s success heat up after graduation.

“We’ve been playing for so long that it should happen,” says Cahill.


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