Lynda Adams gets into the music during a Sibling Rivalry practice session last week in Westbrook. Her brother and co-vocalist Tom Morton is at left, with drummer Charlie Collins in the rear. Chance Viles / American Journal
Local rock band Sibling Rivalry makes its debut appearance next weekend at Westbrook Together Days, just weeks after fearing they might not get the chance to take the stage together.
Sibling Rivalry features vocalists Lynda Adams of Westbrook and Tom Morton of Lebanon; lead guitarist Jeff White, rhythm guitarist Jeff Eaton and bassist James Livengood, all of Windham; and drummer Charlie Collins of South Portland. Adams and Morton are the siblings in the group.
Tom Morton takes his turn at the mic during a cover of “Fight For Your Right” by the Beastie Boys. He and his sister, Lynda Adams, trade off on each verse. Chance Viles / American Journal
Their June 4 performance at Together Days, the annual festival in Westbrook that pulls in thousands of people, was supposed to be their second show ever. But they were forced to cancel their first booking and were in danger of never performing together at all after Adams was misdiagnosed this spring with lesions on her vocal cords.
A burning throat and throat pain left her voiceless, she said.
“It was devastating. I felt bad mostly for the band, here we were coming together to perform our first show and we had to cancel because of me,” said Adams, a former Westbrook city clerk and city councilor who had her own band at one time.
She sought a second medical opinion and was told that rather than lesions, which would effectively end her singing career, she was suffering from silent reflux, a kind of acid reflux that affects vocal cords.
“I was so happy to find this out. I can work towards healing, helping it out, and we are back on track,” Adams said. ” I am going to speech therapy now, I have an ENT, so I am doing what I can to deal with that so I can sing.”
Sibling Rivalry has been practicing as often as they can in Adam’s basement, including last Thursday when Adams was belting out a song with Morton. The band’s rock repertoire ranges from Beastie Boys to Joan Jett.
“It’s been great to be in a band with my sister,” Morton said. “Who wouldn’t want that?”
Morton, whose musical background includes choral and more classical work, had never been in a rock band before, so his stage presence differs from his sister’s.
“Having them both trade songs brings a fun energy to the show,” said White, the lead guitarist. “There is some personality and things going on between songs. It’s entertaining.”
Adams and Morton provide snappy banter between songs, but say their “rivalry” is all in fun.
“You can see the sibling rivalry between them, but it’s never serious,” drummer Collins said.
“We were like that our whole lives,” Adams added, and she and Morton still bicker over song choices.
Collins said the band will be kicking it into high gear at their Westbrook Together Days concert at 4 p.m. June 4.
“I am really looking forward to it. I didn’t know as many people went as they did, but we will rock,” he said.
The two-day festival that draws an estimated 10,000 to 15,000 visitors to the city was cancelled in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic and a pandemic-downsized event in 2021 was rained out, so anticipation is running high, organizers said.
Together Days will kick off at 4:30 p.m. June 3 with a performance by the award-winning Westbrook High School Jazz Ensemble, followed on stage by other local musical favorites, including Motor Booty Affair and Recycled Percussion. Other music groups also have been lined up for Friday evening and Saturday.
For information on Sibling Rivalry’s upcoming shows, check out the Sibling Rivalry Band page on Facebook.
Tom Morton, left, and his sister Lynda Adams, right, share singing duties in the band. In the back, James Livengood plays bass. Chance Viles / American Journal
From left, Charlie Collins on drums, James Livengood on bass, and lead guitarist Jeff White. Not shown is rhythm guitarist Jeff Eaton. Chance Viles / American Journal
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