CAMDEN — To complete the high-energy, jam-packed summer the Midcoast has seen this summer, Necessary Music Productions is hosting a blow-out show at The Camden Opera House this week, featuring award-winning artists The Mallett Brothers Band, Waylon Speed, and a public debut of the next episode in the O'Chang Comics cartoon series Temp Tales, called Crittah Gittahz!

The Mallett Brothers Band, which frequently visits venues in the Midcoast, was named the Best Band in New England for 2014 by New England Music Awards. Their sound has been described as having “the natural feel and ease of old school alternative country songwriters such as Townes Van Zandt and Steve Earle with the driving spirit and rocking attitude of current Southern rockers such as Drive-By Truckers from Muscle Shoals, Ala.”

As one of Maine's most popular touring bands, they have worked hard to create audience buzz and have been very popular in the Midcoast for the last five years.

Will Niels, the organizer of this event said, “The Mallett family is arguably the living embodiment of one of the greatest songwriters that this state has ever known. I also wanted to present an opening act that I thought brought a commensurate level of artistry and intensity. What they’re going to bring to the show is a sweet and smooth vocal style of country with the urgency of speed metal in a genre called speedwestern. Imagine Waylon Jennings crossed with Slayer. Their way of making music is that they don’t stop at the boundaries where people usually stop.”

Like the Mallet Brothers Band, Waylon Speed was named New England Music Awards’ Best Band in Vermont for 2014. Their shows have earned them legitimate comparisons to Hank Williams III, the grandson of Hank Williams Sr., unarguably one of the fathers of country music.

“Our audience for this show is multi-generational, everyone from teens into their 70s. When I was just down at the Mallett show in Rockland during the Lobster Festival, there was a huge diversity in their audience of ages, genders and socio-economic backgrounds,” said Niels.

Lastly, if these two bands weren’t enough, Niels, who has voiced some characters in the O'Chang’s Temp Tales (which Penobscot Bay Pilot reported on exclusively in Maine’s animated series ‘Temp Tales’ develops cult following) is proud to host a public debut of the series’ next highly anticipated episode, in which cartoon versions of The Mallett Brothers Band appear. Atom and Hanji O'Chang are the creators of the Temp Tales series, which has now taken off on YouTube. Each new episode commands as many as 100,000 views within weeks of its release.

“One of the reasons we chose the Camden Opera House for the debut of this next episode is because it was so popular we had to turn away 100 people at The Speakeasy in February when the last episode launched,” said Niels. “The next Temp Tale episode is called Crittah Gittahz, which is about the hazards of the summer workplace situation. There are so many different types of people who are on these work crews in Maine and the O’Changs’ observational style is reflective of the diversity that we have in the Midcoast. You can expect a pretty humorous reflection of some of the circumstances that work crews find themselves in. But, keep in mind, these are adult cartoons, not appropriate for kids. Anyone not already acquainted with the salty language of Midcoast work crews, or doesn’t want to be, might consider taking a short walk during this part of the evening’s performance.”

There will be food and beverages available on the third floor of the Camden Opera House in the “Temp Tales Lounge,” with at least one local Temp Tales celebrity bartender.

The show is Thursday, Aug. 21, at the Camden Opera House. Doors open at 6 p.m. The show starts shortly after 7 p.m. Tickets are $25 and available at the Camden Town Office, Monday-Friday, 9 a.m.-3 p.m. or online at camdenoperahouse.com. Any remaining tickets will be available for purchase at the venue. For more information, contact Neils at 390-0987 or email: hilloperationsman@gmail.com

Kay Stephens can be reached at news@penbaypilot.com