Donut Festival Music Events
Undertow Brass Band - Friday 7pm
Undertown loves a parade!
They bring the party
Undertow Brass Band (FKA What Cheer? Brigade) is a brass band from Providence, RI, USA. We prove that great parties need no electricity.
Undertow Brass Band, formerly known as What Cheer? Brigade, is an energetic party band from Providence, RI, USA. We play dance music without microphones, so we can make noise almost anywhere. We are loud, tight, and love to dance with crowds, offering mobile moments of intense revelry.
Our music includes covers and originals, taking inspiration from genres ranging from Balkan, New Orleans, and other global brass traditions, as well as electronic dance music, classical, and pop. The band emerged from the Providence underground music scene in 2005, inspired by the unlikely overlap between the intensity of punk rock and brass. From these origins, the band developed its original sound, with one foot in Balkan tradition, the other in the American punk scene.
Undertow is as likely to appear at community benefits as at all-night parties, playing bars, clubs, streets, libraries, cemeteries, weddings, bus stops, and playgrounds. We’ve played with Blondie, Dan Deacon, Man Man, Japanther, Dengue Fever, Okkervil River, Lightning Bolt, Ninjasonik, Mika Miko, Wolf Parade, Matt and Kim, Slavic Soul Party, Javelin, Sage Francis, and Chain and the Gang. We’ve appeared at Lollapalooza, The Newport Folk Festival, Aarhus Festuge (Denmark), Sziget (Hungary), and Guca (Serbia), as well as multiple festivals in France, Spain, and Basque Country.
Breakers Jazz - Saturday 9-11am
A perfect compliment to the Coffee and Donut extravaganza after the 5K!
Breakers Jazz is comprised of many local talented musicians.
Uke’s Rock - Saturday 1pm
UkesRock is a community ukulele group in Midcoast Maine. We welcome ukulele players of all levels, as well as other instruments including percussion. If you would like to join us, please join our Facebook Group page, where we post practice and performance schedules and updates.
Check this out to see what Contra Dancing looks like in community!
Papa Tim and the Whiskey Throttle Band - Saturday 3-5pm
“New England style funk & soul meets Southern rock n roll led by a gospel-infused vocal powerhouse!”
Papa Tim - “The Minister of Joy” brings his signature blend of blues, funk, and gospel-tinged soul to the stage. Known for his gravelly, evocative vocals and infectious energy, Papa Tim is a master of connecting with an audience and delivering a performance that is as heartfelt as it is powerful.
Donut Dance Contra Dance - Saturday 7pm
with Belfast Flying Shoes!
In partnership with Belfast Flying Shoes , we are excited to bring an outdoor dance to the Donut Festival. Their mission is “Building community and cultivating well-being through the joy of traditional music and dance for people of all backgrounds & identities in Midcoast Maine.”
Warm-ups and Tuturials - 6:30pm
Dance Begins - 7pm
If you are new to contra dancing, check out this article about The Communal Charms of Contra Dancing! from New Hampshire Magazine.
An excerpt - Several people interviewed for this story described contra dancing as what you would see in a Jane Austen film. That might be more accurate if Jane Austen’s characters danced barefoot, wore Fitbits and moved so vigorously they had to stop to dry their face off with a towel or change their clothes. And if they cared less about class. While Jane Austen’s characters are typically nobility and spend much of their time concerned with status, this dance feels uniquely egalitarian.
“Every 30 seconds you’re holding someone else in your arms, swinging, interacting, and it’s safe,” says Millstone. “It’s an opportunity to be physically connected to someone, you’re smiling a lot, making eye contact with people, and every so often along the way you might meet someone interesting. And that might turn into a spark that turns into something more.”