LONDON, ENGLAND – OCTOBER 09: Fans watch One Direction perform at the BBC Teen Awards at Wembley … [+] arena on October 9, 2011 in London, United Kingdom. (Photo by Dave Hogan/Getty Images)
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Today is a significant date for The Maine rock band. Not only did the group drop its ninth studio album, self-titled The Maine, but the date represents the numbers “8123” displayed in a Tempe, AZ parking garage that served as a meeting place for the band members, also childhood friends.
The date 8123 is also featured in the band’s song lyrics, and it serves as the title of their record label and 8123 Fest music festival held biennially in their hometown. Some of The Maine’s followers even sport tattoos of the date to showcase their loyalty to the band’s fanship, “The 8123 Family.”
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The Maine’s new self-titled album, created in partnership with 8123 and Photo Finish Records, follows their 2021 drop XOXO: From Love & Anxiety in Real Time. The new record’s first two singles, “how to exit a room” and “blame,” dropped in June to get fans excited for today’s full release. “Blame” made a debut on Alternative Radio on June 26.
For more than 15 years, fans of The Maine have enjoyed unique opportunities to interact with the artists. From a free “fan thank you” tour, to meeting every single fan at no cost after each show on tour, the artists consistently challenge themselves to connect authentically, organically and directly with fans.
“That return is something they will never forget, and I don’t think that most artists would put in that much effort. In return, our fans know us, and we know them, and that is what has allowed us to be on our ninth album when most bands only make four, maybe five records,” says Tim Kirch, owner and manager of The Maine’s Eighty One Twenty Three Management.
From social media’s early days of MySpace, to the latest launch of Threads, 8123 has grown into more than a date on the calendar, or even a parking garage or music festival. The Maine “lifestyle” is paving the road for artists to focus, not on the next big music trend, but on growing a loyal fanbase through grassroots efforts.
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CHARLOTTE, NC – MAY 07: Singer Adam Lazzara of Taking Back Sunday performs during Carolina … [+] Rebellion at Charlotte Motor Speedway on May 7, 2017 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Jeff Hahne/Getty Images)
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According to Kirch, the narrative that artists are closer to fans because of social media does not compare to connections forged primarily through free in-person interactions. Hosting meet-and-greets for fans after a show, Kirch says, goes further than an Instagram post. When fans are engaged authentically, he adds, they hold a longer attention span to experience the album as a whole.
Known as a leader in pop punk since 2007, The Maine named itself after the song “Coast of Maine” by the band Ivory. Since then, the band has toured and performed at festivals worldwide including the Reading and Leeds Festivals in the U.K. along with headlining two of their own sold-out festivals in their hometown.
The band’s unique fan efforts have led to continued success. Last summer, The Maine released “Loved You A Little” featuring bands Taking Back Sunday and Charlotte Sands. After making it to the fifth spot on Alternative Rock radio, the single became the band’s most Shazamed song in career history.
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Charlotte Sands collaborated with The Maine on the track “Loved You A Little” and says, “Working with The Maine has been one of the greatest experiences of my life and my career. They are the perfect example of how to build a sustainable career, a lifelong fan base, while somehow continuing to be humble, overwhelmingly kind, and make undeniably great music. They are the exception to the rule ‘never meet your heroes’.”
Singer Adam Lazzara, lead vocalist of Taking Back Sunday, also collaborated with The Maine. He says that typically the guest vocals he produces for a song are a deep cut on a record, so he was surprised when the work went to radio.
“We found kindred spirits between our bands,” Lazzara says. “I remember picking up a rental car after a series of bus issues on a tour last summer, and ‘Loved You A Little’ was playing when I turned on the car. In that moment, I was part of their gang, a little part of their story.”
This summer, The Maine took off on a national tour part of the Sad Summer Festival. They will be performing with Taking Back Sunday, PVRIS and others, setting the stage for future anticipated releases and growing fan interactions.
The BDN Opinion section operates independently and does not set news policies or contribute to reporting or editing articles elsewhere in the newspaper or on bangordailynews.com
Anna Kellar is the executive director of the League of Women Voters of Maine.
This past November, my 98-year-old grandmother was determined that she wasn’t going to miss out on voting for president. She was worried that her ballot wouldn’t arrive in the mail in time. Fortunately, her daughter — my aunt — was able to pick up a ballot for her, bring it to her to fill out, and then return it to the municipal office.
Thousands of Maine people, including elderly and disabled people like my grandmother, rely on third-party ballot delivery to be able to vote. What they don’t know is that a referendum heading to voters this year wants to take away that ability and install other barriers to our constitutional right to vote.
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The “Voter ID for Maine” citizen’s initiative campaign delivered their signatures to the Secretary of State this week, solidifying the prospect of a November referendum. The League of Women Voters of Maine (LWVME) opposes this ballot initiative. We know it is a form of voter suppression.
The voter ID requirement proposed by this campaign would be one of the most restrictive anywhere in the county. It would require photo ID to vote and to vote absentee, and it would exclude a number of currently accepted IDs.
But that’s not all. The legislation behind the referendum is also an attack on absentee voting. It will repeal ongoing absentee voting, where a voter can sign up to have an absentee ballot mailed to them automatically for each election cycle, and it limits the use and number of absentee ballot dropboxes to the point where some towns may find it impractical to offer them. It makes it impossible for voters to request an absentee ballot over the phone. It prevents an authorized third party from delivering an absentee ballot, a service that many elderly and disabled Mainers rely on.
Absentee voting is safe and secure and a popular way to vote for many Mainers. We should be looking for ways to make it more convenient for Maine voters to cast their ballots, not putting obstacles in their way.
Make no mistake: This campaign is a broad attack on voting rights that, if implemented, would disenfranchise many Maine people. It’s disappointing to see Mainers try to impose these barriers on their fellow Mainers’ right to vote when this state is justly proud of its high voter participation rates. These restrictions can and will harm every type of voter, with senior and rural voters experiencing the worst of the disenfranchisement. It will be costly, too. Taxpayers will be on the hook to pay for a new system that is unnecessary, expensive, and harmful to Maine voters.
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All of the evidence suggests that voter IDs don’t prevent voter fraud. Maine has safeguards in place to prevent fraud, cyber attacks, and other kinds of foul play that would attempt to subvert our elections. This proposal is being imported to Maine from an out-of-state playbook (see the latest Ohio voter suppression law) that just doesn’t fit Maine. The “Voter ID for Maine” campaign will likely mislead Mainers into thinking that requiring an ID isn’t a big deal, but it will have immediate impacts on eligible voters. Unfortunately, that may be the whole point, and that’s what the proponents of this measure will likely refuse to admit.
This is not a well-intentioned nonpartisan effort. And we should call this campaign what it is: a broad attack on voting rights in order to suppress voters.
Maine has strong voting rights. We are a leader in the nation. Our small, rural, working-class state has one of the highest voter turnout rates in the country. That’s something to be proud of. We rank this high because of our secure elections, same-day voter registration, no-excuse absentee ballots, and no photo ID laws required to vote. Let’s keep it this way and oppose this voter suppression initiative.
The chair of the Maine Democratic Party announced Thursday she won’t seek reelection when members select leaders later this month.
Bev Uhlenhake, a former city councilor and mayor in Brewer and former chair of the Penobscot County Democrats, has served as chair of the state party since January 2023. She is also a previous vice chair of the party.
In a written statement, Uhlenhake noted some of the recent successes and challenges facing Democrats, including the reelection of Democratic majorities in both the Maine House and Senate last November, though by narrower margins, and winning three of Maine’s four electoral votes for Vice President Kamala Harris.
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“While we have laid a solid foundation from which Maine Democrats can build toward even greater success in 2026 and beyond, I have decided to step away from Maine Democratic Party leadership for personal and professional reasons, and will not seek reelection,” Uhlenhake said.
Party Vice Chair Julian Rogers, who was also elected to his post in 2023, announced he also won’t seek reelection to leadership, but will resume a previous role he held as vice chair of the party’s committee on Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging.
Democratic State Committee members will vote for the party’s next leaders in elections to be held on Sunday, Jan. 26.
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Special to Seacoastonline | news@seacoastonline.com
AUGUSTA, Maine — Secretary of State Shenna Bellows was sworn into office for her third term Wednesday. Governor Janet Mills conducted the formal swearing-in of all the constitutional officers, which includes Bellows, State Treasurer Joseph Perry, Attorney General Aaron Frey and State Auditor Matthew Dunlap. In her remarks following the swearing-in, Bellows shared a message of transparency and accessibility in continuing to serve the people of Maine. “It is incumbent upon us as elected officials to make government work for the people of Maine,” Bellows said. “We must reduce bureaucracy, improve efficiency, modernize our systems, and above all, bring people together in community to make life better for the people of Maine.”
The Department of the Secretary of State includes three bureaus: The Maine State Archives, the Bureau of Motor Vehicles and the Bureau of Corporations, Elections and Commissions.
Million-dollar homes: York, Kennebunkport lead York County’s top home sales of 2024
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Bellows emphasized her commitment to ensuring free, safe, and secure elections, modernizing government services, and preserving Maine’s history through the State Archives. She highlighted the importance of standing up for the rule of law and democracy, referring to the legacy of Civil War General Joshua Chamberlain and referencing the events at the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021. “This is our Chamberlain moment. We must stand up for the rule of law and do the right thing even when it is hard. As your Secretary of State, I pledge to always ensure that we have free, safe and secure elections and that we adhere to the Constitution and the rule of law in every aspect of everything that we do,” said Bellows. Bellows, Maine’s 50th Secretary of State, previously served two terms in the Maine Senate from 2016-2020 and was the executive director of the Holocaust and Human Rights Center of Maine before her election in 2021.
