2026 Block Party Performances Announced

Join us in Merchants Square to kick off the Festival weekend with a free public concert featuring Pressing Strings.

Based in Annapolis, Maryland, Pressing Strings combine indie folk, soul, and rock into an emotionally rich live experience, earning national attention for powerful vocals, thoughtful songwriting, and genre-blurring style.

Gather with friends, family, artists, and Festival supporters to enjoy live music, food and beverage in the Block Party zone of the Festival.

The evening is presented in partnership with Merchants Square Association, Colonial Williamsburg, and the Virginia Arts Festival.

Singer Songwriter

Published Poet/Author – “Sonder”

Bill was born in Newport News and raised in Hayes, Virginia where he resides today. He got his first guitar when he was 6 years old.
During a musical career that has spanned over 60 years, he has played from New York to Georgia at concerts, festivals, colleges, and clubs. He has appeared at the National Press Club in Washington, DC twice over a 50-year span.
Over the years he has played in the same shows as some of the great names in folk and Bluegrass music, including Mac Wiseman, The Stanley Brothers, Don Reno, Red Smiley, and many more.
In 2014, Bill was inducted into the Virginia Music Hall of Fame and in 2015 was honored by the Legislature of the Commonwealth of Virginia for his lifelong efforts at preserving traditional Virginia music.

William and Mary TedX speaker in 2024

Rooted in blues tradition, Sammy Lee has a soul that wails. Cadence-driven, acoustically inclined, Motown folk is showcased in his pristine and energetic performances, with stylistic nods towards the cities that have provided him with his unique sound. Many vocalists of closely related genres seem tepid and soft spoken by comparison. Sammy offers a shock to the system with a skilled and polished delivery that provides a glimpse into the expertise developed over the many evolutions his career has endured.

Lovecats is made up of husband and wife duo, Zach and Megan Moats. Combining genres from pop and reggae to classic rock and motown, from radio hits to originals, too! You’re sure to hear something you love. And if not, they take requests!

The William & Mary Middle Eastern Music Ensemble, established in 1994 by Anne Rasmussen, Professor of Ethnomusicology and Bickers Professor of Middle Eastern Studies, is one of the premier ensembles of its kind and a forum for the study and performance of traditional music from the Middle East Region, broadly defined, and its Diaspora. The group has hosted scores of scholars and guest artists from a variety of traditions, and we perform within the William & Mary community, in the mid-Atlantic region, and beyond including overseas tours to Morocco and Oman. Our Fall concert features guest vocalist from New York City and Iraq, Zahra Zubeidi. Join us November 15 at 4 p.m. in the W&M Concert Hall. For info: [email protected].

Featured artist on the Grammy Winning album Words For Days Vol. 1. 2023 Southern Friend Poetry Slam Team Finalist. Teaching Artist with Arts 4 Learning – A Young Audiences of Virginia Affiliate. Hosted numerous poetry slams and open mics.

JOE’S DAY OFF – BIO

JOE’S DAY OFF (aka JDO) is a 6-piece Williamsburg, Virginia-based which has been playing in the greater Williamsburg area – and farther on occasion – for over 17 years (as of 2026).

They offer a unique blend of extraordinary three-part vocal harmony through a wide-ranging eclectic song list. There is truly something for everybody; genres include 20’s-30’s-40’s standards, oldies rock-n-roll, country, bluegrass, folk, Irish, blues, ballads, do-wop, and reggae, done with a variety of instrumentation, plus soft rock, instrumental and acapella favorites. The only genres not included are Rap, Heavy Metal and opera.

There have been some personnel changes over the years, and the current roster includes founder Joe Duggan on guitar, banjo (sometimes) and vocals, Amy Beckhusen on most lead vocals and guitar, Kathy Parisi on violin/ fiddle and vocals, Jim Kopenhafer on bass, Todd Johnson on cajon, and Bob Lambert on harmonica.

With a maximum of 6 players at any one time, the group can provide solos, duets, trios, quartets and quintets as well, tailored to the venue and occasion. JDO has played almost every venue in Williamsburg
Founder Jor Duggan publishes an e-mail newsletter monthly called the MPoW (Music Patrons of Williamsburg) which has JDO’s schedule plus other musical notes of interest from around the greater Williamsburg area. If you are interested in receiving it, send Joe an email: [email protected]

What the Heck?! Big Band is a youth jazz orchestra based out of Williamsburg, Virginia.
WTH has some of the finest young musicians in the state, boasting numerous attendees of All Virginia Band & Orchestra, and All Virginia Jazz. Founded by Isaac Guinn(trumpet) in late 2025, WTH plays both modern and classic big band arrangements, and since then has expanded and regularly performs in and around the 757.

Poisoned Dwarf is a Celtic music group that plays virtuosic, innovative and passionate renditions of traditional Irish and Scottish music on acoustic instruments. Five talented musicians create a driving sonic energy that has been captivating audiences for over a decade with whistles, flutes, violin, guitar, percussion, and Uilleann pipes together with exciting and lyrical vocals. Poisoned Dwarf performs at a wide variety of musical venues from highland festivals to theaters, from churches to sophisticated listening venues throughout the East Coast, to the occasional pub just for fun.

The Rhythm Project is a world percussion ensemble of talented young artists who have earned international acclaim for their traditional authenticity and high-energy performances. Serving as the primary community engagement program of the Virginia Arts Festival, the Rhythm Project bridges the gap between musicians and audience through creative and educational performances that display the vivacious nature of Caribbean culture. With three CD recordings and a live DVD completed, the group constantly moves forward into new artistic territory.

Clan MacCool is a highly interactive band that specializes in Irish/Scottish traditional music, occasional piracy and constant fun! We offer an array of Celtic traditional (and not so traditional) songs, tunes and reels, and during Pirate season, we’ll don our best piratic finery and treat adults and kids alike to a rollicking good time with sea chanties, sword demos and other interactive fun! Pulling from old Celtic music, sea chanties and our own music over the course of nearly two decades, Clan MacCool continues to entertain, educate and enthrall! Whether Celtic or Maritime music is your fancy, look to Clan MacCool for music, merriment and a bit of mayhem!

Rob Oliver is a Virginia-based singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist who performs as a solo artist, with his electric trio Rob Oliver & The Attractors, and as a touring sideman. He released his solo debut album, Highs & Lows & Blues, and the award-winning The Oliver Gable Project EP with collaborator Brent Gable, and continues to release original singles including “Bound to Thee,” “Tennessee,” and others.

A recipient of the Veer Music Award for Best Blues, Rob has toured nationally with Evil Woman – The American ELO, Broadway and recording artist Katie Deal, and The Brian Grilli Band. He is proudly endorsed by S.I.T. Strings and Shubb Capos, and regularly performs using Kongsheng Harmonicas and Pig Hog Cables.

In addition to performing and recording, Rob creates educational harmonica content and shares life as a working musician through weekly harmonica lessons, live performances, behind-the-scenes videos, and touring stories on his YouTube channel.

Whether on stage, in the studio, or on the road, Rob’s focus remains the same: musicality, groove, serving the song, and creating memorable live performance.