Many thanks to Falmouth Community Television for videotaping most of Arts Alive 2021! We have added the performance videos to this page. We were not able to videotape all the entertainers, but are appreciate everyone who performed.
Friday, September 10, Performance Tent
7 to 9 PM: Town Dance with the Groovalottos
The GroovaLottos are a multi-Grammy nominated, alternative soul-funk ensemble, created by veteran touring and studio session players and singers and led by keyboardist/vocalist/ producer and solo jazz recording artist, Mwalim DaPhunkee Professor . They played their first show in 2011 at a multicultural festival in the afternoon and a local dive that night. The band quickly rose as a New England regional favorite at bars, clubs, and events, with their mix of funky soul classics and catchy originals. The current line up consists of core members: Mwalim on keyboards, percussion, and vocals; Chuck V. on bass, guitar, and vocals; and The ZYG 808 on drums and vocals.
TThe GroovaLottos are a pioneering force in the ‘Southcoast Thump & Soul’ music movement and have been streaming around the world with their monthly releases of grooves for the masses on all platforms.
Saturday, September 11, Library Lawn Activities
10 AM to Noon: Painters on the Lawn
Watch painters from the Falmouth Art Center’ Monday Morning Painters and Friday Figure Painters groups create masterpieces on the Lawn, or bring your art supplies and join in on the fun.
All Day: Storywalk on the Lawn
The Falmouth Public Library’s Storywalk features the children’s book, The Dot, by Peter H. Reynolds. Children and adults can read the story and then take part in the Dot Art activity led by Tom Cook at 1 PM on Saturday.
All Day: Book Bike
The Falmouth Book Bike will be on the Lawn all day Saturday. Everyone is invited to stop by and sign up for a library card, pick up free books or DVDs for children and adults, and meet FPL staff.
Saturday, September 11, Performance Tent
10 AM: Smooch Paywell Blues Band
Smooch Paywell is a blues band playing music from the 50s and 60s. They are influenced by Little Walter, George Harmonica Smith, James Cotton, Snooky Pryor, Carey Bell, Junior Wells, Bill Branch and the Sons of Blues. Band members include Matt Palermo, Trevor Peterson, Rick Orlando, and Dave Trapasso playing harmonica, guitar, bass guitar, drums, and vocals.
11 AM : Dawna Hammers
Singer, songwriter, performer and recording artist Dawna Hammers will perform her inspiring original songs, inviting all to sing, drum, and dance along. Dawna sings a blend of folk, soft rock, blues, jazz, and world beat. She has performed Joni Mitchell tribute concerts and has released six CDs of original and cover songs.
12 Noon: Ganivelle, Traditional Music from France
Ganivelle plays lively traditional French dance music from Brittany, Haute Savoie and the Auvergne, on fiddle, mandolin, crumhorn, cornamuse, recorders, bagpipe, hurdy gurdy, accordion, and concertina. Their name, Ganivelle, is taken from one of their favorite tunes. A ganivelle is a traditional wooden fence, used to keep the sand of the coastal dunes from shifting. It is the same kind of fence seen on beaches all around Cape Cod.
Members of Ganivelle include Ron Geering (hurdy gurdy and accordion), David Leslie (fiddle), Hannah Mark (fiddle and mandolin), Jack Cook (mandolin), Barbara Blair (bagpipe, fiddle, recorder), Jan Elliott (concertina, recorder, crumhorn, cornamuse), Lisa Esperson (accordion, mandolin, percussion), David MacAdam (bagpipes, recorders).
1 PM: Notescape and Tradewinds: Decades of Male A Cappella Music
Notescape and Tradewinds, two men’s a cappella groups with most members in common, will both perform. Notescape’s repertoire includes favorites of the early jazz era, swing classics from the 1930s and 1940s, and close harmony settings of pop hits from the mid-century to the present.
Tradewinds sings selections from the Great American Songbook, plus traditional, jazz, and pop tunes. Tradewinds began its career as the School Committee quartet in the Falmouth Theater Guild’s production of “The Music Man” on the Cape in 2000, and has been together ever since.
2 PM: Puffy Elvis
Puffy Elvis is a big, old-time rock n’ roll band made up of teachers, retired teachers and friends of teachers. Young in spirit and high in energy, the band plays favorite classic rock hits, or, as they put it, “classic rock oldies from a band of oldies.”
3 PM: Grasshopper Green
Grasshopper Green offers a fun, American pop sound with catchy melodies, big fuzzy guitar sounds, and sing-along choruses. The band has been together for 20 years and plays local venues, including Grumpy’s Pub.
4 PM: Turning Pointe Dance Studio
Students from the Turning Pointe Dance Studio will perform a variety of classical and contemporary dances under the artistic direction of Laura Sciortino.
5 PM: Audio Fossils with Special Guest Katherine Joyce
Audio Fossil plays high-energy rock, both classic and current. The band includes Marty Joyce on guitar and vocals, Robert Trejo on bass and vocals, and Joe West on drums and vocals, with special guest Katherine Joyce on vocals. Lifelong friends Marty, who lives on the Cape, and Joe, who, like Bob, lives in Mansfield, have always kept in touch and managed to play together over the years. Katherine Joyce adds her very special, powerful voice for this event.
6 PM: 12-Step Boogie
12-Step Boogie brings a varied mix of music to the table, with a strong influences in R&B, blues, and rock. They play tunes by Tom Petty, Mud Crutch, Steve Earle, Warren Zevon, Joe Walsh, J.J. Cale, Johnny Cash, Neil Young, Bruce Springsteen, David Bowie, and many many more. The band was formed in 2015 by Gregory Fones, Kevin St. Pierre, and Wayne Morea. Each bring years of experience, not just musically, but also as seasoned veterans of drugs and alcohol use during their early years as musicians. Addiction eventually took control and robbed them of their dreams and almost their lives. Now through sobriety and unity they’ve joined together to revive their dreams and their music. From 12 bars to 12 steps—12-Step Boogie!
7:30 PM: The Paradise Rock Band
The Paradise Rock Band plays classic rock from the Woodstock era and beyond.
Saturday, September 11, Music Tent
10 AM: Family Storytime
Laura Ford, Youth Services Librarian at the Falmouth Public Library, will entertain children of all ages with stories they’ll love.
11 AM: Morgaihne Huntress: Allsorts
Allsorts is a theatrical journey through chronic illness and overcoming adversity. Told in spoken word, dance and song, Allsorts was written by and will be performed by local performing artist, Morgaihne Huntress.
12 Noon: Jerry Doherty with guest vocalist Courtney Murphy
Jerry Doherty is songwriter and multi-instrumentalist who plays an amalgamation of American roots music, folk music, blues, old-school jazz, and country music. He aims to create a feel-good atmosphere. He will be joined by guest vocalist Courtney Murphy.
Doherty has opened for such acts as the Beach Boys, Charlie Daniels, Alan Jackson, Allison Krauss, Sawyer Brown, and many others.
1 PM: Tom Cook Presents Dot Art for Kids
Tom Cook will present an art activity based on the children’s book, The Dot, by Peter H. Reynolds. The book will be presented as a Storywalk on both days of the Arts Alive Festival. Art supplies will be provided. All ages are welcome to participate.
2 PM: Rich Latimer
Rich Latimer plays fingerstyle blues and gospel guitar in the vein Mississippi John Hurt or the Rev. Gary Davis.
3 PM: Cat’s Melodeon
Cat’s Melodeon, led by Bill Black on banjo, performs traditional Irish dance music—jigs and reels and more—on fiddle, flute, recorder, accordion, banjo, guitar, uilleann pipes, and bodhran. The group’s name comes from a local expression in Ireland’s County Mayo and refers (among other things) to an informal get-together for enjoyable purposes.
4 PM: Katherine Healy
Indie, folk singer/songwriter Kathleen Healy writes from the heart. For many of her songs, she draws from her experience of living and raising a family on the Cape. She finds the river and the beach to be “excellent metaphors for the changing nature of life.” She plays acoustic guitar and ukulele.
5 PM: Jeff Brown
Jeff Brown sings folk, country, and bluesy covers and originals and plays acoustic guitar.
Sunday, September 12, Lawn Activities
All Day: Story Walk
The Falmouth Public Library’s Storywalk features the children’s book, The Dot, by Peter H. Reynolds. Children and adults can read the story and then take part in the Dot Art activity led by Tom Cook at 1 PM on Saturday.
Sunday, September 12, Performance Tent
11 AM: Sonnay Fiddlers (this performance was canceled)
The Sonnay Fiddlers play traditional Celtic and international fiddle tunes. The group is made up of beginning to very accomplished students of Nikki Engstrom, an award-winning fiddler and a member of the Celtic duo Stanley and Grimm. The fiddlers range in age from young children to adults.
Noon: Falmouth Fiddlers
The Falmouth Fiddlers play and sing traditional music and fiddle tunes, including Old Time, Bluegrass and Celtic, on stringed and other acoustic instruments.
1 PM: Shining Sea Strummers
The Shining Sea Strummers play ukulele and sing an eclectic mix of tunes.
2 PM: Low Pressure
Low Pressure performs mostly original songs, with some cover songs as well. The band has a diverse sound with a rock orientation.
3 PM: Khadija and Troupe Mirage Egyptian Dance
Troupe Mirage is an Egyptian-style dance troupe of women aged 21 to 60, led by Khadija (Katrina Valenzuela), who teaches Egyptian Dance and Culture and Arabic language at Cape Cod Community College and Egyptian Dance at Ballet Works in South Yarmouth.
4 PM: Centertonix
Centertonix is a diverse ensemble of talented singers. They will present a wide array of a cappella music, including show tunes, pop, spirituals, and doo-wop numers.
Sunday, September 12, Music Tent
11 AM: 82nd Street Band
The 82nd Street Band plays folk rock and blues in the style of Bruce Springsteen.
Noon: The Familiars
Manny and Linda Dias are The Familiars of Cape Cod. They sing and play folk, fiddle, country, Irish, and popular music from the 1950s through the 1980s. Manny sings and plays guitar, and Linda plays fiddle, mandolin, harmonica, and Irish whistles.
1 PM: Bird at Sea
Bird at Sea is a guitar/piano/vocal duo who has played Arts Alive before as Sierra & Andrew and Unnamed Colors. Their music is all originals: indie pop with jazz and blues influences.
2 PM: Ladies’ Choice
Ladies’ Choice, led by Jen Kano, is a group of women who enjoy singing and playing folk, Celtic, fiddle, popular, and original music on fiddle, guitar, pennywhistle, flute, cello, and bodhran.
3 PM: Rose Martin
Singer/songwriter Rose Martin performs an eclectic mix of originals and cover songs in a rich bluesy style, accompanying herself on acoustic guitar.
4 PM: The Blue Lotus Band
The Blue Lotus Band features Steve Gregory on lead guitar, Chris Harris on bass, Shawn Malcomson on percussion, Neil Ganju on rhythm guitar, and Scott Damron on drums. They play classic funk and blues in a deep groove.