It’s not every day I get invited to a private live recording session.

I hadn’t even heard of Jackson, Maine, before I was invited to attend the special live recording session of 40 Thieves. Travis Cyr, who hails from good ole’ Van Buren like I do, has been performing all over the state and beyond for at least 25 years. I vaguely recall seeing him perform years ago at The Yacht Club in Van Buren, a bar which now lives on in photos and old stories after it was demolished earlier this year.

Those memories live in a special part of my brain along with other long-vanished locations from my childhood/early-adulthood, such as Keith’s Video and Martin’s Pool Hall (I think that’s what it was called, been a while since I thought about it…)

Over the past year or so Travis has reached out to me about collaborating on some video projects featuring their music, most recently a live recording session they had planned at The Tattooed Dad Brewing Company in Jackson, Maine.

Travis and his partner Laura Bagley, together known as 40 Thieves, arranged for a small group of friends, supporters, and collaborators to meet for a relaxed recording session at the beautifully decorated bar nestled in the trees out in Jackson.

I was honored to be invited to shoot some photos and video of the gathering, where I met several people who have been in the couple’s orbit over their storied musical journey. Below are some photos I shot of the sound equipment setup and performance. I shot quite a bit of video of the duo performing original songs as well as some magnificent covers, however, I’m saving that for something special.

I’ve been hinting, suggesting, and nagging to Travis and Laura to participate in a sit-down interview with me to share some stories of their collective decades-long musical experience for almost a year now….and I think I might almost have them convinced 🙂

Stay tuned, as I hope to begin working with them to produce a short documentary about 40 Thieves.