There are a lot of things that would lead a rock star to visit Lubec. But what would entice a rock star to move to Lubec and then call the town home? That question was put to Deb Lindsay, the new owner of Northern Tides and wife of Mark Lindsay, original lead singer for Paul Revere and the Raiders.
     Deb is quick to observe that Mark was part of the band during its heyday in the late '60s and early '70s, fronting the group through a series of top hits, but has long since moved on. He remains active in the music industry but looks to Lubec as a place to unwind and simply be a member of the community, helping at the store and working to rehabilitate an old farmhouse.
     "Well, there are two Mark Lindsays," says Mark. "One is the one that goes on stage and entertains, and the other guy is very shy."
     As to why they decided to move to Lubec, Deb says, "It was the 'woodcock connection' that led us to visit." She explains that as a volunteer at a wildlife center in Florida she met a researcher who had worked at Washington County's Moosehorn National Wildlife Refuge. "We'd lived in a lot of places, but never looked at Maine. He made it sound intriguing."
     Mark says, "Deb and I are end‑of‑the‑roaders, and when after Deb learned about the Moosehorn we came up two years ago in February to look around. There was still snow piled up, but it was warm and we bought our property this March."
     "It was the electricity of the place that got us," says Deb. At first, she wanted to raise sheep, but decided being in a more social environment was more to her liking. "When I told Mark I'd decided against sheep, he breathed a sigh of relief. But when I brought up Northern Tides he said, 'All of a sudden sheep don't sound so bad.'" He has since come around, she says with a laugh, and now works to fulfill web orders when he is not off working in the music industry.
     "I own the business," says Deb, "and we are in the process of purchasing the property." She explains that surveys and other legal steps must be completed before the real estate transaction is complete. She plans on keeping the business open during the winter, with short‑term closures for personal reasons and inventory adjustments that reflect a year‑round clientele. "You can't sit still. You have to keep changing things," she says, promising that frequent visitors will "think it's a different place" each time.
      Of their time in Lubec, Mark observes, "People have been very good to us. They don't intrude on our privacy, and we are looking forward to spending the rest of our lives here."

A top rock group
     Among the hit songs of Paul Revere and the Raiders were "Him Or Me -- What's It Gonna Be?" and the platinum‑certified classic No. 1 single "Indian Reservation." In mid‑1967, with three gold albums to their credit, the Raiders were Columbia's top‑selling rock group.
     The band members began to dress in Revolutionary War‑style outfits, and Lindsay carried the theme a bit further by growing his hair out and pulling it back into a ponytail, which became his signature look. Lindsay and the group caught the attention of Dick Clark, who was developing Where the Action Is, an afternoon show for the teen market. Clark hired the group as regular performers, and the group soon became very successful.
(Reporter Susan Esposito contributed to this article.)