Remote Maine Island Captures Soul Of Transgender Rocker
By Gary Stoller
Many American travelers are unaware Maine has 14 island communities with no bridges to the mainland that are accessible only by water or air. They may seem distant and isolated, but North Haven, 12 miles from the mainland in Penobscot Bay, always feels like home to singer-songwriter Cidny Bullens.
“North Haven is where I believe my soul lives,” Bullens says about the town with 355 year-round residents that is a 70-minute ferry ride from mainland Rockland. “The beauty of the land on the island, as well as its panoramic ocean and island views, are unparalleled in my opinion.”
Bullens, a solo artist who just released a new album Little Pieces and sang and recorded with Elton John and other musicians, has a compelling personal story besides his habitation on a remote island. Bullens recorded 10 albums and performed under the name Cindy Bullens before coming out as Cidny Bullens at age 61 in 2012. He is now married to Tanya Rubinstein and wrote a new memoir, TransElectric: My Life as a Cosmic Rock Star, with a foreword by Elton John.