HUMANS OF HEARTS: The White Mountain Ramblers
“We came to Portland for different reasons. We stayed for the same one.”
Humans of Hearts is a series about members of the Hearts community shaping life in Maine. These voices offer a glimpse into the lives that inspire and connect us across this state we call home.
On Portland’s Eastern Promenade, the late summer sun glints off Casco Bay. Couples chat on picnic blankets, children chase kites across the grass, and a solitary reader loses themselves in the pages of a book. Amid the golden glow, four musicians—mandolin, bass, guitar, and fiddle in hand—play their songs on the open hillside. The White Mountain Ramblers’ bluegrass drifts like a breeze itself, catching the ears of passers by, inviting them to pause.
The band has become a feature of evenings on the prom and a regular act at East Bayside breweries, but their story begins far from Portland.
“I grew up all over,” said mandolin player Ben Rossetter. “I don’t really have one place to call home. My wife and I were living in Wyoming, just outside the Tetons, and wanted to be closer to family back east.” Of all places, Portland kept tugging at them. “Funny enough, we’d already been here a few times. We had friends from grad school, people we knew from Wyoming, even old bandmates. Everyone who moved to Maine couldn’t stop raving about it.”
Two things ultimately tipped the scale. “The music scene was a big reason for moving,” Ben said. “Maine Craft Distilling, now Blue Lobster Urban Winery, hosts weekly bluegrass night led by one of my mandolin heroes. It was more like a living-room session than a performance—just friends playing together. That kind of thing doesn’t happen everywhere.”
The other reason? Soccer.
Ben remembers the moment clearly. “I was nine when the 1994 World Cup came to the U.S. When I saw a professional team starting in Portland, I thought, this is it. I’m a lifelong soccer fan, but I’d never had a hometown club. So when I heard about Hearts of Pine starting up, I was thrilled. When I saw the name and the logo and heard the story, I felt kinship and joy. It was an instant connection. The club felt like a community already waiting for us.”
While Ben and the band’s bass player Nathaniel Haas are from away, fiddle player Luke Bartol and guitarist Robbie Neeb were returning home. “I grew up around Augusta and moved back after a stint in the White Mountains,” Luke said. “Coming back felt like stepping into a space I’d always belonged in. There’s this rhythm to the city, a mix of calm and energy.” Robbie added, “Maine was calling me home after time away. I couldn’t ignore it. It’s not just nostalgia—it’s knowing the community you’re part of, and feeling that your life here matters in a way it doesn’t elsewhere.”
The Ramblers came together organically. Many of their early sessions were informal: friends gathering to play in living rooms, teaching each other songs, sharing the music they loved.
“We started jamming, helping each other fill gaps in skills, exploring our different influences—bluegrass, old-time, folk,” Luke said. “It was never about performance. It was about connection.” Robbie recalls, “Every time we played, we realized music wasn’t just what we did—it was how we interacted with each other and with the city around us. That shared feeling of purpose is what keeps us together.”
Photograph: Lauryn Hottinger
Music and community run in tandem for the Ramblers. Ben and Robbie found their rhythm at 317 Main Community Music Center, teaching children and adults who might not otherwise have access to music. Robbie, a music therapist, explains: “Music therapy is about using music to achieve non-musical goals—social, emotional, or physical development. I work with kids with autism, adults with intellectual disabilities, and people with dementia. There’s an almost secret telepathy that happens when someone connects with music.”
That same telepathy, he says, appears on the soccer field. “When you watch Hearts play, for a moment, the noise of everything else disappears. Everyone belongs in the same place, for the same reason.” Ben has seen that magic in the hallways of 317 Main too. Kids talk soccer, wear Hearts merch, and share the joy with caregivers. “It’s not just long-time fans,” he said. “It’s new Mainers, families, everyone. A team like this gives people an excuse to be part of something.”
One family embodies that impact. The Gordons, who have followed soccer from afar, brought their youngest son, Ethan, to a Hearts match through the Community Ticketing Program. Ethan lives with a rare disease and receives palliative care, but at the game, the family shared moments of joy and laughter. “For Ethan and his brother, it was just a chance to be brothers,” Robbie said. “To exist fully together, wrapped in the warmth of a community united by love for Maine and the game.”
For the Ramblers, the feeling is mirrored in music. “Some days are tough—long days at work, difficult conversations—but when we have a gig at the end of the day, I know I’ll be supported by all my friends,” Ben said. Luke added, “Feeling our community, drawing people in, stepping away from the stress of everything else—making music, enjoying life—that’s the highlight of my day.”
Robbie connects the rhythm of soccer and bluegrass. “Billy Strings talks about playing basketball—passing the ball, being ready. That’s kind of like soccer. You can be creative, take risks, and roll with whatever comes at you. That’s how we play together. If a string breaks, you keep going, keep showing up for your team.”
Ben nods: “That’s exactly it. I know my role as a mandolin player, but these guys give me the freedom to explore. On the field, it’s the same with Hearts. Everyone plays their part, but there’s room to improvise, to be creative. That’s what makes Maine, and this team, magic.”
Nathaniel recalls a stream of fans passing through Deering Oaks Park one evening, clad in green and blue, moving toward Fitzpatrick Stadium. “I usually focus on music, but that moment reminded me why I moved here. Hearts bring people together, make the city feel alive. It’s a movement, a gathering, a community. That park, that walk, it’s like a pulse through the city.”
For Robbie, the game and the music always come back to the same thing. “We could talk about technicalities—the notes, the plays—but at the end of the day, it’s about love. Showing up, sharing joy, being part of something bigger than yourself. That’s what this is. That’s what Maine is. That’s what our team is. And for all of us, that’s more than enough.”
Photograph: Lauryn Hottinger
Back on the Eastern Prom, the Ramblers sing the last lines of their latest song, “Hearts of Pine, don’t you ever leave me/Hearts of Pine, won’t you believe me–you’ll always be my home.”
The impromptu audience members lounging on the grass clap and the passing cyclists who’d paused to take in the music whoop and holler. Robbie smiles, and nods a thank you.
“Maine has this way of making you feel at home, no matter where you come from.”
Photograph: Lauryn Hottinger
Do you know someone connected to soccer who’s making a difference in the Maine community?
We’d love to hear about them! With their permission, send us their name, contact information, and a few words about the impact they’re making. Drop us a note below.
Contact us here at info@heartsofpine.com attn: Christina Ferragamo, Humans of Hearts.