Artist Information

Marcus Gale brings the gift of music and laughter to children and their families. One smiling man arrives with a guitar and his fuzzy dog pals and ... BOOM! Everyone is singing, laughing and totally engaged.

His warm humor, caring attention and personal charm make every performance a truly spontaneous and happy occasion. Just ask parents, teachers and librarians what they think and their usual remark is “Everyone loves Marcus!”

Acoustic music with a groove. Progressive folk. Heavy Wood. Mike Morris defies the stereotype of the solo acoustic musician. With bluesy vocals and bass-heavy guitar playing, performed on 6- and 12-string guitars, his sound moves effortlessly from folk and blues to rock and rap.

With a distinctive percussive style that sets him apart from other solo artists, Mike turns the guitar into a kick drum, using slaps, pops and harmonics in a way few solo performers do. “The acoustic guitar is an incredibly expressive instrument,” he says, “and yet there’s something so simple about it. The electric guitar may have changed the world, but the acoustic guitar keeps it turning.”

Dan Walker is quite simply one of the finest singer/songwriters on the Seacoast, according to Spotlight Magazine, “He's got a voice that belongs smack-dab in the middle of popular radio's programming.” The Dan Walker Band has performed live in New England for the past 15 years and has toured as far as the Rocky Mountains. A furious picker and relentless strummer with a knack of turning the body of his acoustic guitar into a glorified hand-drum, Dan Walker is the real deal. A slap-style guitar, a funky poetic bass and a beat catching drummer, he will get you up and dancing.

Livingston Taylor picked up his first guitar at the age of thirteen, beginning a forty-year career that has encompassed performance, songwriting and teaching. Born in Boston and raised in North Carolina, Livingston is the fourth child in a very musical family that includes Alex, James, Kate and Hugh. Livingston recorded his first record at 18 and has continued to create well-crafted, introspective and original songs that have earned him listeners worldwide.

With the velvet quality of five saxophones, the brilliance of six brass and one of the region's most experienced rhythm sections, the New Legacy Swing Band recreates the great swing classic sounds of the Big Band Era. Add to this the sultry voice of our own 'jazz singer' and you've got the most versatile swing sound on the seacoast.

With over 600 songs in their repetiore, they are sure to accommodate even the most discriminating ballroom dancer. We play swing, dance, latin, polka, waltzes as well as those room-filling big band tunes that get your blood pumping!

The Boston Horns is lead by Garret Savlik and Henley Douglas Jr, former front men of the Heavy Metal Horns. Over the course of 20 years, they’ve collaborated and toured with a wide range of artists including, Tower of Power, Extreme, Johnny A, Shawn Mullins and James Montgomery. Their compelling mix of funk, jazz and soul has kept audiences grooving across the country.

Born into Rock and Roll and heavily influenced by classical music, Amy Petty’s sound and songwriting is a compelling, complex and original soundscape that weaves a lush tapestry of folk, pop, rock and blues ballad.

Art, mystery, and spirituality influence and infuse her poignant songs. These sonic canvases showcase the heartfelt emotion behind her lyrics and provide a foundation over which her voice and choral harmonies soar. Often compared to Sarah McLachlan, Eva Cassidy, Alanis Morrisette and Jonatha Brooke, Amy Petty has a signature voice and style both familiar and oh-so-new.

Known for energetic, powerful live shows that crackle with the electricity of The Replacements, Old 97s, and The Rolling Stones, The Cassavettes have turned more than a few heads, locally and beyond -- scooping up "Best Local Band" in the Boston Phoenix reader's poll, nabbing a Boston Music Award nod for "Outstanding Americana Act" and "Best Roots Act" in the Boston Phoenix Best Music Poll 2009, and making a splash at South By Southwest 2007 and 2008 in Austin, Texas.

SneekyPete is a remedy for your rock n’ roll soul. They will shake your booty, move your groove and rock your socks off with their covers of the best rock of all time. They reach back into the sixties and jump all the way to today. They play songs you love, but don’t hear everyday.

Depending on who you talk to, this 12-piece band is either a Seacoast institution or should be confined in one. Debate aside, one thing is clear — the Jumbo Circus Peanut philosophy starts and ends with fun.

Today, after nearly 15 years of Seacoast performances, the Jumbo Circus Peanuts are the area's top-drawing musical group with an ever-expanding repertoire that sails around the musical worlds of pop, funk, swing and rock — with stops that include Hollywood, Broadway, Detroit, Latin America and Hawaii.

The Little Red Wagon has been entertaining children since 1971. The Wagon has performed throughout New England at more than 70 locations every summer. Join the Little Red Wagon as they present the classic fairytale, “Jack and the Beanstalk”.

Jack and his mother were very poor and had to sell their beloved cow. But Jack sold the cow for some ‘magic’ beans. When he took the beans home his mother was so mad that she threw them out the window…and so begins the tale of Jack, his mother, the giant beanstalk and the two-headed ogre who lives above the clouds.

This 45 minute play is for the pre-K to grade three audiences, but all ages will enjoy this enduring tale

Magician B. J. Hickman has entertained children of all ages throughout New England for more than 30 years. Hickman’s polished style is that of a traditional magician. Combine that with his friendly, comfortable rapport with the audience and the result is a performance that leaves the audience spellbound.

“The magic happens and people are left with a sense of wonder but in a lighthearted, entertaining way,” Hickman says. “I make sure everyone has fun and they know that I do too.”

Sammie Haynes is an award-winning children's musician whose performances have enchanted audiences in New England and nationally. Her latest CD, "Nature's ABCs" on the Gentle Wind label, received 4 awards, including a Parent's Choice.

"Sammie's a lively and engaging performer whose songwriting is tight and catchy, pitched perfectly to her audience..." (Portsmouth Herald)

Listeners will be inspired and enriched as Sammie performs clever and thought-provoking songs about everything from dogs and rivers to the library and messy cars!

Jody has been a professional vocalist entertaining through out New England and Canada for over 25 years. She became involved in the Early childhood music program Kindermusik over 13 years ago,and now teaches all levels of this wonderful program at the Works health and fitness center in Somersworth. Her love of music, children, endless energy and enthusiasm has touched thousands of families in the Seacoast area, as she has branched out to children’s concerts, library shows, childrens’s books and cd’s.

Jody is thrilled for the opportunity to perform at the Cocheco Arts Festival once again, and looks forward to seeing old friends and meeting new ones.

Todd Wellington - The King of Silly - has been entertaining children and family audiences across New England since 1988.

His credits include Red Sox games at Fenway Park in Boston, NASCAR races at New Hampshire International Speedway, The Balsams Grand Resort in Dixville Notch, N.H., Phillips Exeter Academy, Harpoon Brewery's Harpoon Fest and Boston Medical Center's 2008 HalloweenTown extravaganza at the Seaport World Trade Center in Boston.

He appeared on the first season of the NBC television show "America's Got Talent" and a 1990's Dial-A-Mattress commercial that could not be killed by conventional means.

Susie Burke is an exceptional children's performer, as her many fans both young and older will testify. Drawing on her unique background as both a professional musician and an early childhood teacher, she presents a program that is entertaining, educational, involving, inspiring, and of high musical caliber. Themes of friendship, the environment, and a child's sense of self are often a focus, along with lots of songs that are just plain fun.

Children are encouraged to participate, with singing, clapping, call-and-response, and movement games. They are also presented with songs that encourage a more thoughtful response, regarding their feelings, their relations with other children, and their day-to-day trials and triumphs. Susie's strong, beautiful voice and her warm, heartfelt stage manner help to create a memorable and valuable musical experience for children.

The Chamber Visitor Center at 550 Central Ave is the new home of the Dover Farmer's Market! The Market is held every Wednesday through October 13th and features over a dozen purveyors of local food, vegetables and flowers. Live acoustic performance by Bob Walker Jr. from 4:00pm to 6:00pm.

The Chamber Visitor Center at 550 Central Ave is the new home of the Dover Farmer's Market! The Market is held every Wednesday through October 13th and features over a dozen purveyors of local food, vegetables and flowers. Live acoustic performance by Cole Gove from 4:00pm to 6:00pm.

The Chamber Visitor Center at 550 Central Ave is the new home of the Dover Farmer's Market! The Market is held every Wednesday through October 13th and features over a dozen purveyors of local food, vegetables and flowers. Live acoustic performance by members of the Seacoast Acoustic Showcase from 4:00pm to 6:00pm.

The Chamber Visitor Center at 550 Central Ave is the new home of the Dover Farmer's Market! The Market is held every Wednesday through October 13th and features over a dozen purveyors of local food, vegetables and flowers. Live acoustic performance by members of the Seacoast Acoustic Showcase from 4:00pm to 6:00pm.

The Chamber Visitor Center at 550 Central Ave is the new home of the Dover Farmer's Market! The Market is held every Wednesday through October 13th and features over a dozen purveyors of local food, vegetables and flowers. Live acoustic performance by Cole Gove from 4:00pm to 6:00pm.

The Chamber Visitor Center at 550 Central Ave is the new home of the Dover Farmer's Market! The Market is held every Wednesday through October 13th and features over a dozen purveyors of local food, vegetables and flowers. Live acoustic performance by Marty England from 4:00pm to 6:00pm.

Big John and The Twins are a power trio who've been playing the seacoast and mountain regions in NH and Maine for 10+ years. Classic rock from Hendrix, Cream, Stones Skynard, etc. To rockin' blues from Stevie Ray Vaughan, Buddy Guy, Clapton, etc. plus originals. Released first CD in June 2003. Big John and The Twins performed at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland Ohio in 2002. Big John was awarded Best Guitarist in Corporate America by Fortune Magazine, Gibson Guitars and the RRHoF.

Rosie was born the brainchild of former Godz and current Bob Seger guitarist Mark Chatfield may have seemed strange for a sharp edged, (all male) rock band at the time, but quickly etched themselves into the minds and hearts of rock fans across this great land and over seas.

The Digbees are a five piece Adult Alternative/Roots Rock band that have been performing in the New Hampshire Seacoast region since Spring 2005. The band is comprised of seasoned rock veterans in their creative prime hailing from New England to Chicago. Where contemporary roots rock with a classic sensibility, high octane performances rife with top notch musicianship and songs that surprise the ears and spin the soul, the Digbees bring a sound that won’t soon be forgotten.

These natives of Dover have performed countless times. There sound resembles a range of bands including; Neil Young, Rolling Stones, Blue Rodeo, Coldplay, Tragically Hip, Radiohead, REM, Jack Johnson, Sam Roberts and Ben Harper. Get ready to rock out to the cool, hip vibes of MonkeyBar.

Truffle is a family, a tribe of vibes; musicians and fans united by the groove, wherever and whenever it can happen. From one guitar and a voice in the corner of a cozy pub, to a churning, five piece, electrified, rootsy funk machine on the big stage, and every expression in between, Truffle morphs and adapts to any room and every audience.

The Jen Thayer Band performs with passion and smooth beats. They cover music from blues, to funk, to rock, and more. If you love to dance, then you're going to love this band - but you'll need to bring your "dancin' shoes"! With five singers, great musicians, and a wide musical selection, your feet will be moving during this performance!