NAHANT — The Nahant Public Library kicked off its Summer Concert Series with an appearance from local musician Don Hammontree on Saturday afternoon.
Beginning at 1 p.m., the library had seating arranged on the grass outside across from Hammontree’s set up of equipment and a mic stand. Library Director Nori Morganstein called it “a great way to get more people to come to the library.”
Currently a solo artist residing in Massachusetts, Hammontree has toured all along the East Coast and the United States, and has also performed in Poland and Ukraine. He has released three solo CDs: “Mount Hope Days” in 2003, “The Mumbai EP” in 2005, and “Brutalist School” in 2010.
“I started looking into whether or not some of the libraries in the area had a music series,” Hammontree said. “I know that Peabody does, and I thought I’d call around. … It’s a great opportunity for people to get outside and have some fun.”
Hammontree continued, saying events like these help expose more people to the fun libraries have to offer. “Libraries are great. … I’ve really learned to appreciate libraries in the last ten or fifteen years, and I’m also an artist, and I have my paintings at some local libraries like the Woburn Library.”
During his performance, Hammontree played a blend of classic songs like “Stoned Me” by Van Morrison, “Wonderwall” by Oasis, and even some of his original works. One song titled “Scratch Tickets” was about his recollection of trying to get coffee and gas at a gas station and being held up by people continuously, almost impulsively, buying scratch tickets.
“It ended up being a really nice day, and we’re really happy to have our first outdoor concert at the Nahant Public Library this summer,” Morganstein said.
Hammontree’s performance also marked the start of something bigger for the library. Two other performers are set to appear in Nahant. Francesco Barone, an award-winning guitarist, will appear at the library on July 26. Later, on Aug. 2, the library will host Lisa Haley, a musician who has been featured on Nickelodeon, YouTube, Fox News, and ESPN.
