BEST LOCAL ACT

PETE KILPATRICK

Portland has the biggest crush on Pete Kilpatrick. He’s irresistible — the voice, the smile, the guitar — oh, we just can’t get enough of this rockin’ sweetheart. Lucky for us, this boy is always out playing, solo or with his band. The Pete Kilpatrick Band (drummer Ethan Wright, bassist Bernie Nye, and guitarist Calvin Goodale) come on stronger and stronger, show after show. They hit all the places in Portland from the Big Easy to Portland High School, and tour at festivals, colleges, and clubs all over New England. Practice makes perfect it seems because these boys have hit the high notes and boosted themselves to the top of Portland’s music scene, taking home the prestigious title of Best Local Act. The high-energy, tight-knit, crowd-pleasin’ band also scored the title of Best Pop-Rock Act, which is a pretty big deal too for this five-year-old group of 20-somethings.

Pete is so excited about the Bimpies we’ve given him. “I’ve been sleeping with them in my bed since I took them home. I made little pajamas for them out of pillowcases. Hopefully they’ll have a romantic summer and have some babies next May. It was really unexpected and it was an honor just to be in the same categories as bands I admire so much,” he says. He won’t have much time for pillow talkin’ with the Bimpies though. He’ll be recording a new 10-track album at the end of this month with Jon Wyman at Big Sound, who’s worked with big names like Ray LaMontagne and As Fast As. The new CD will be out in August and has all sorts of great folks sitting in on it like As Fast As, Guster, Zox, and Averi. The band wooed us with their smooth melodies, pretty lyrics, and heartfelt vocals on last year’s release, Yesterday Love. We can’t wait to see what moves Pete’s going to try on us next.
_Lisa Craig