Leftover nothing! Sample, Stookey, Mallett the real Thanksgiving feast

From left, renowned singer/songwriters David Mallett and Noel "Paul" Stookey of Peter, Paul and Mary fame and Maine humorist Tim Sample will do a three-man show - 'Leftover Turkey' - at the Rochester Opera House next Friday, Nov. 28. (Sally Farr photo)

The biggest thing you have to remember about Maine humor, says Tim Sample, is (and you have to conjure Sample's thick Downeast accent and syncopation) "It has nothin' ta-do wi' comedy."

Sample, who has been plying the winsome, whimsical waters of his special brand of Maine humor for some 40 years, will be at the Rochester Opera House next Friday for a very special show, teaming up with folk music legend Noel Paul Stookey, formerly of iconic 1960s folk group Peter, Paul and Mary; and renowned singer/songwriter Maine's own David Mallett.

The show is called "Left Over Turkey," in recognition of being on Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, and promises to be a smorgasbord of spontaneity and improv, Sample said in a telephone interview with The Lebanon Voice earlier this week.

Sample's body of work includes albums and videos for the Bert and I Company, TV specials and over a dozen books; he is Maine's pre-eminent funnyman.

His first album of Down East Humor in 1980 was produced and recorded by friend Stookey, who also produced the first three albums of Mallett, who authored the folk song standard "The Garden Song."

Mallett's gravily, almost Johnny Cash-like gravitas is featured in his "10 Men," which you can view and listen to at his website http://davidmallet.com.

Meanwhile, "Garden Song" has been covered by hundreds of artists, even the Muppets. Other tunes he's written have been performed by artists such as Pete Seeger, John Denver and Arlo Guthrie.

All three are from Maine, with Mallett up in Central Maine; Sample, who grew up in Boothbay Harbor, now in Portland; and Stookey for the last 40 years, up in Blue Hill.

Sample said he and Stookey got together in the late 70s when he had a studio in Blue Hill. Stookey produced several works of both Sample and Mallett.

"Noel, David and I have performed with each other many times, beginning around 1976," Sample said. "We've done several shows for Maine PBS; also we sometimes play at The Grand in Ellsworth. The three have also played at many other venues around the state, including Kingfield and Bangor.

Sample said for the Rochester Opera House show there will be some interaction between the three, but that each will also get their chance to go solo, whether it be comedy or music. Stookey, by the way, was known as the cut-up of the group back in the Peter, Paul and Mary days; and Sample has been known to sing a tune now and again.

"I kind of act as the general host," said a self-effacing Sample, who describes his comedy as more about human nature than topical. "We'll do whatever everyone wants. I never make any predictions, but it should be fun."

For more on the three go to http://timsample.com, http://noelpaulstookey.com and http://donmallett.com.

For tickets click here.