Nate Petersen & Em Baer
Mixed Media / Little Light Poetry Club
Bangor, ME
This dynamic duo currently inhabits Studio #3 at the Bangor Arts Exchange. Their work will be featured in the “All Small” show at the Rock & Art Shop in November, and has also been included in the Downtown Bangor Wheatepaste Mural Project.
More about Nate & Em –
Tell us a little about yourselves.
We moved to the area from southern Maine in 2015 when Nate took a teaching position at Hermon High School. We’d never spent much time in this part of the state but moved to Orono after we fell in love with a little purple house by the river.
How long have you been working together in an artistic way?
Some of our very first dates were spending time in Emily’s studio in the State Theater building in Portland. We’ve been working side-by-side ever ever since, sometimes collaboratively and sometimes individually.
It seems like you both have a wide range of creative interests. What is the focus of the work you’re doing at BAE studios?
We moved into the studio in November 2018 so we’ve been there almost two years exactly! It is awesome to have a place to work where we can spread out and work on multiple projects at once. Most of what we’ve been doing recently is mixed media collage, but one of us is always also working on writing, painting, music, or found-object sculptures. We try to experiment as much as we can with the focus on art-making as a creative outlet rather than as a rigid practice. It’s messy and random in all the best ways.
As a couple sharing a creative space, how do you feel this impacts each of your work?
Sharing a creative space adds a very interesting dynamic to our relationship but it hasn’t really impacted the process or aesthetics of what we create. The best part of being studio mates is having someone nearby that you trust to give you encouragement or advice while you’re working and we’re both inspired by each other’s ideas and energy. Some of our favorite nights in downtown Bangor have involved a work session, a picnic in the studio, a quick drink at OBC, and a show at BAE.
So, what else is going on, and where can we find your work?
As with everything else, COVID has thrown a little bit of a wrench in our plans this year. We haven’t been in the studio as much as we’d like but we do have some cool things in the works and look forward to hunkering down this winter to focus on long-term projects. You can still see our wheat paste mural alongside the Kenduskeag and we’ll both have pieces in the Rock & Art Shop’s “All Small” show in November. It is such an amazing thing to have access to space at BAE and be a part of the creative community in Bangor. We’re excited to see what’s next!
Zeth Lundy
Podcast Writer for Double Elvis Media
Bangor, ME
Zeth is the tenant in Studio #2B at the Bangor Arts Exchange and has been writing about music and entertainment since 2005. he currently writes for the podcast DISGRACELAND.
More about Zeth –
Zeth was born in Portland, and grew up in Orono. After I graduating from Orono High, he left the state for over a decade before returning in 2010 to start a family. Since 2005 he has written about music for places like the Boston Phoenix, the Boston Globe, Metro Boston, the Oxford American, and Vanyaland and also authored a book in the 33 1/3 series about Stevie Wonder’s SONGS IN THE KEY OF LIFE. He is currently the Editorial Director for Disgraceland Productions working on episodes for a slate of new podcasts which launch this fall and next year.
What is “Double Elvis Media”?
Double Elvis is a podcast production company that was co-founded by Jake Brennan, creator and host of the award-winning podcast DISGRACELAND. Double Elvis produced two podcasts that I was the lead writer on, 27 CLUB and BLOOD ON THE TRACKS, and produces other great shows, including DEAR YOUNG ROCKER and CITIZEN CRITIC. Most recently, Double Elvis co-produced DEAD AND GONE, a new podcast about missing and mysteriously murdered Grateful Dead fans created in collaboration between Jake and Payne Lindsey from Tenderfoot TV (UP AND VANISHED).
Podcasts have come a long way and there’s probably one for every topic. What made you want to create one of your own?
The company’s flagship show, DISGRACELAND, is a rock ‘n roll true crime podcast about musicians getting away with murder and behaving very badly. 27 CLUB is a show that tells the stories of musicians who died, often mysteriously, at the age of 27. And BLOOD ON THE TRACKS is part true crime, part historical fiction, and part spoken word lo-fi beat noir that tells the story of producer and convicted murderer Phil Spector through the voices of his so-called friends. The shows were all created by Jake Brennan, who also hosts most of them. He’s spent a lifetime in music and these shows give him a platform to incorporate music, history, and storytelling into something absolutely unique and compelling.
Where can we find your podcast?
You can currently listen to all of our shows wherever you get podcasts (Spotify, Apple, etc.) but starting in 2021, DISGRACELAND and the new slate of shows we are developing will be available exclusively through the Amazon Music app, which is free to download and use.
We had no idea something this badass was happening at BAE but I mean, of course it is (wink wink). Is there anything else you want to plug about your project?
We are working on a really exciting slate of new shows that will kick off this fall. 2021 will see a steady release of new DISGRACELAND content – can’t wait for you all to hear the new episodes and new shows! And for more information, you can visit www.disgracelandpod.com and www.doubleelvis.com.
For me personally, it’s fun to have an office at BAE, since I have great memories of the events I’ve been involved with over the years both here at the ballroom and way back at the Central Gallery.
Shelby Larlee
Fine Art BFA Student / Lesley University
Bangor, ME
Shelby is a native of Bangor and currently studying Fine Art remotely from Lesley University and is our resident at Studio 4 at BAE!
More about Shelby –
Shelby was born and raised in Bangor and is currently a freshman in the Fine Art BFA program at Lesley University. As classes are remote this year, she uses the studio space for class time and working on her art. She plans to go into curatorial studies, and likes to work with color in her art, especially watercolors and oil pastels.
It’s been a weird year to say the least. Has your drive to create increased this year or declined?
Decreased, but the great thing about being in college is you have to complete assignments and create art whether you feel like it or not.
Where do you pull influences for your art from?
I really enjoy the colors palettes of Impressionism and I also like incorporating aspects of Pre-Raphaelite aesthetics and French nouveau line work into my art.
What are you up to currently and where can we find your work?
I am currently taking a full load of art classes. You can find my art and my face at @shelbylarlee on Instagram
