Last night was the 2020 Grammy Awards, and there was a band nominated for an award last night, with plenty of ties to the Bangor area. Which really shouldn't come as a surprise because Maine is such a tight-knit musical community.

There's kind of an old joke with Maine musicians... If you haven't been in band with someone, someone in your band has. And that's how you get two Maine boys in a band with that regularly travel the world, playing in front of thousands of people. And as luck would have it, I've known both these guys for a long time.

Nigel Hall, originally from Washington DC, honed his skills playing endless gigs in Bangor bars in the mid-2000's. I used to come play drums for him up here, we'd do gigs in Portland, and all over. Playing lots of Stevie Wonder covers and things like that, with horns, keys, the works.

Ryan Zoidis, originally the sax player for Maine's own Rustic Overtones, has lots of family in the Bangor area. In fact, his uncle, Bobby Zoidis, used to own a hair salon in town for years, over near-ish to the airport.

Together, they have band called Lettuce, based out on NYC. And this year, they were nominated for the Best Contemporary Instrumental Album award for their record Elevate. Sadly, they didn't get it. But honestly, the only thing better than winning a Grammy, is being nominated. You've proven your point, but don't have to constantly re-prove it.

If you wanna check out some of their tasty jams, here's them at legendary venue Red Rocks in Colorado.

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