Lucky for all of us, the music scene along the Midcoast keeps growing and evolving. This winter, we check in with a longstanding band comprising local teachers and assistant principals.

Just Teachers, what are you all about?
Just Teachers' name was born in the early days of the band. We were rehearsing in the industrial technology room at Camden-Rockport Middle School one day after school and were overheard by some students who were curious about the sound resonating in the halls. One entered the room asking, "Where is that music coming from?" We answered, "oh, it's just teachers."

Just Teachers was founded in May 2008 with staff members at CRMS. Since then, there have been many different musicians who have played with the group, most notably John Dow and Nick Blais. Three of the founding members are still with the band: Adam Bullard, vocals and the occasional guitar; Matt Smith, vocals, electric, and acoustic guitar; and Ian McKenzie, keyboards. In 2012, Piet Lammert, drums and vocals, joined the group. Lucas Benner became the full-time bassist for the band in 2013.

We are, in fact, all educators. Adam teaches math at the elementary/middle school. Ian is a technology Integrator/Instructor. Lucas teaches high school science, and Matt and Piet are assistant principals.

Favorite song(s)?
We don't really have a favorite song, more a favorite style. We love to play around with music. Although we are a cover band, we rarely play songs as originally performed. As examples, we play "Faith" with a Zydeco beat, "Sweet Dreams Are Made of This" as a Bossa Nova, and "Take on Me" with a Ska/Punk feel.

Our most significant distinguishing feature, however, is our epic mash-ups. Ian and Matt have advanced music theory chops and are forever hearing connections between keys, chord structures, tempos, and genres. They often stop us in the middle of rehearsal and say, "This sounds like..." and we end up stitching together two or more songs that work together. We have a lot of fun playing live and seeing the dawning recognition on the faces of those on the dance floor as they realize that we've moved into another song they know and love. It keeps things interesting for us and keeps people on the dance floor; it's hard to sit down in the middle of a ten song mash up.

Where do you practice?
We primarily meet for rehearsals at Camden-Rockport Middle School.

What's the craziest gig you ever played?
We haven't played a lot of crazy gigs, but we have a rather diversified portfolio of venues and occasions. We've played at many weddings and a funeral, on a flatbed truck in the woods at Tanglewood, on Hurricane Island, at an eighth grade dance, at the end of a 5K race, in the Camden Harbor Park Amphitheatre, at the Snow Bowl, the Strand, the Wyeth Center, the Camden Yacht Club, and just about every bar in the Midcoast.

Do you do house concerts?
Only if the neighbors are cool with it. We've had a couple of noise complaints along the way...