Every Thursday night at Portland Pie in Westbrook, Portland and Scarborough is Acoustic Night. That means we will be featuring local live musical acts of the acoustic variety. This Thursday we chatted with Justin Labbe and Shea Ellis, 2/3 of Old Abode and formerly known as the Dual.

When you see two tall guys walk into the pub area of Portland Pie on Thursday night, get ready to be musically educated. 

“We want to be known as a band that doesn’t always play the same songs. We try and make you a smarter listener by playing songs that you are going to like but that you might not know the lyrics to,” says Justin Labbe, lead vocals of The Dual.  

Ellis and Labbe play music that falls into the Indie Folk Rock genre and take inspiration from such acts as AC/DC, Ryan Adams, Wilco, Phish and Strangefolk. Justin Labbe and Shea Ellis have been playing together for 2+ years. Friends introduced the duo and their musical union came about because, as curly-haired Shea Ellis chuckles, “He’s a good singer and I’m a good guitar player.”

Ellis and Labbe are currently working on Old Abode’s first album, which also features a third bandmate, Graham Duval, who plays drums and sings.  Their 4-song demo will drop July 14 and will be a precursor to the complete 11 song album due out this fall. Labbe sings with a decidedly country twang and is the group’s lyrical master, although he makes sure to point out that Ellis helps write as well. It is a collaborative effort and Labbe  thinks of the music as “our songs, not my songs.”

Old Abode is pretty busy this summer, playing 2-3 gigs a week. Check our entertainment calendar to find out the next time they will be playing at Portland Pie.