Live Performances
FESTIVAL '22 PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE
Scroll down to see more information about these performers!
Willie Ziavino & C.O.T. Band
The C.O.T. Band is a Latin band based in the Atlanta area. They play a mix of salsa, merengue, funk, bachata, Caribbean rhythms, jazz, rumba, Trova Cubano and Brazilian beats with their own twist. In 2010 Willie Ziavino formed the C.O.T. Band along with Juan Bonini (Panamá) resulting in the fusion of trova, jazz, Caribbean / Brazilian rhythms and musical influences from each band member. This world music style blends perfectly with the melting pot that is Atlanta. The band quickly became very well known in Atlanta's Latin music scene, performing weekly for the last 12 years in the best Latin venues in the city. The C.O.T. Band was invited in 2014 to the Atlanta Dogwood Festival, Atlanta Jazz Festival and Chattanooga Riverbend Festival. They have also performed for Coca Cola, High Museum of Art, Georgia State, National Society of Hispanic MBAs, and the Hispanic National Bar Association among others. C.O.T. Band has also been invited to several Southeast music festivals.
Paul Joseph
Grammy award winner Paul Joseph has been performing for over 40 years. He has appeared on multiple albums, music videos, and live concerts across North America. With two Grammy nominations and one Grammy award to his credit, Paul is excited to kick off Festival for his fellow Dalton neighbors with some classic cover tunes.
Music Play with Anna Faith
Sing, dance, and play with Dalton native, Mercer University graduate, and art lover Anna Faith. One of her most cherished pastimes is singing and dancing with her six beautiful grandchildren. Anna helps children ages 2-5 discover the world of music through activities, songs, and playing instruments in her Music Play class on Tuesdays at the Guild. This weekend at Festival she hopes to show kids of all ages that music is a vital part of our world.
Not Without My Muse
Not Without My Muse was born from a desire by two friends (Hannah & Danny) to write songs with lyrics that allow others to know that they are not alone in their everyday battles. Their songs are based on their own lived experiences, as well as being inspired by the stories and trials of their close family and friends. Hannah and Danny have played together since 2016 in various church settings, and have bonded over their love for artists such as Johnnyswim, Taylor Swift, The 1975, Noah Gundersen, and many more. Through their shared passion for writing songs, they developed a writing structure that incorporates both of their styles and flavor that has now created the unique sound of Not Without My Muse.
African Drumming with Kofi Mawuko
Kofi Mawuko is a native of Ghana, West Africa, where he began learning traditional drum rhythms at the age of 10. He has an extensive background in both performance and education, and works tirelessly to promote the arts through organizations around the southeast. He has traveled expansively throughout the world performing both as a dancer and musician.
Jessie Smith
Jessie Smith is a “swampy” soul singer/songwriter from Warner Robins, GA, now living in Nashville, TN. She has developed a sound that combines her passion for old soul music and her natural, Georgia drawl. Jessie’s muddy river musicality courses through Al Green, Janis Joplin, Bonnie Raitt, the haunting tradition of field hollers, and the messy side of life for a dark, redemptive quality. “What I want in my own music is the sound of a soul set free.” Jessie is excited leave the pandemic behind and get back to doing what she loves - singing live.
Mexican Folk Dance
Please welcome Mexican folk-dancers, Marcos and Ariadna. They will present dances from Jalisco, which include “El Son de la Negra,” “El Gusto,” and “El Jarabe Tapatío.” The last one has converted into the national dance of Mexico. All of these dances are marked by Mariachi music. The word Mariachi comes from the Otomí language and means fiesta, or party, and Jalisco, which comes from the Nahuatl language, which means over the sand. This style shows the mixture of the indigenous culture with the culture that arrived with the Spanish conquistadors. Jalisco marks the cultural identity of the nation of Mexico.
Ariel Omarzu
Chattanooga vocalist Ariel Omarzu is a singer/songwriter who writes her own music for those interested in passionate, raw, feral, female vocalists. She has won open mic at Eddie’s Attic in Atlanta, appeared on the Singer/Songwriters stage in Chattanooga in 2019, and has played the acclaimed Bluebird Cafe in Nashville. Ariel lists some of her important influences as Amy Winehouse, Janis Joplin, and Karen Dalton. She plays frequently at the Chattanooga Choo Choo, Gate 11, 1885, Southern Belle River Boat, and Dalton Brewing Company.
Storytime with the Dalton-Whitfield Library
Our favorite books are really special aren’t they?! They light up our brains and our imaginations and teach us things that we may never have yet experienced. They can also connect us to our culture and traditions. In this multicultural story time, Miss Jillian the new Children's Coordinator for the Dalton-Whitfield County Public Library will be entertaining you with stories from around the world!
Ballet Dalton
Ballet Dalton was established in 1991 for pre-professional students of Dalton School of Ballet, now the Creative Arts Guild Dance Department. Our mission is to offer these students the same opportunities that they might have in a larger city as well as to educate our local audiences with a better understanding of quality dance. Ballet Dalton strives to place these students on a professional track so they may continue their career in dance, whether it is teaching or performance, beyond the high school experience. The company’s commitment to quality has produced a polished group of more advanced dancers who perform a varied repertoire of classical, modern, jazz and other contemporary works. Ballet Dalton has also had an impressive number of students accepted into the Georgia Governor’s Honors program over the years. The Company’s season includes an annual winter production of The Snow Queen, a spring concert and recital, and various community performances. This weekend we will be presenting excerpts from the 17th annual The Snow Queen, as well as Ballet, Contemporary, and Modern works from past and future concerts.
Molly Watts
Molly Watts is a North Georgia based singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, producer, and visual artist who has crafted more than two hundred songs.
Listeners are amazed to discover that Watts is just sixteen, as she is trailblazing a new genre of music, one which combines rock, pop, and folk vocals and instrumentation. Coupled with her sentimental yet haunting lyrics of loss, love, and coming of age, Watts is creating a genre all her own.
She began her musical journey at age eight. By ten, she was singing Dolly Parton’s “I Will Always Love You,” made famous by Whitney Houston. In addition to these two powerhouses, Watts draws inspiration from Stevie Nicks, Mazzy Star, Jesse Jo Stark, Dorris Day, John Lennon, Billie Eilish, Nirvana, and Johnny Cash, to name a few.
Watts has just released her debut album, “It’ll Be Alright,” a ten song culmination of her musicianship. “It’s like if Johnny Cash and Billie Eilish had a baby,” one fan said, excitedly.
This album comes after Watts’ two previously released singles, “Beautiful Things” and “Fade Again,” both of which are featured on the album. Her work has accumulated nearly 2,000 streams with no sign of stopping.
“I hope people listening to this album understand that your feelings are valid, but that you can make something positive out of them,” Watts said. “No matter what happens in life, in the end, it’ll be alright.”
DHS Theater Group
The Dalton High School IB Theatre students will first lead children in a Shakespearean Theatre Game, and will then head to the United Kingdom tent to make homemade ruffled collars. They may even get to visit with William Shakespeare himself!
Mariachi Aventurero de Dalton
Please welcome Mariachi Aventurero de Dalton. Mariachi music, along with the costumes, are very popular in the Mexican tradition. It started before the Spanish Colonization, and it has changed with the times. It mainly consists of various string instruments and trumpets. We hope you enjoy this fun and exciting performance. It certainly is a favorite of ours!
John Buckner Trio
The John Buckner Trio is composed of three members of the popular Buckner Brothers Band with John Buckner on lead guitar and vocals. John has had a lengthy music career traveling all over the US and playing with several major artists including T Graham Brown, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Tommy Talton, a founding member of the group Cowboy and touring musician with Greg Allman’s Band. John also has had a Billboard Top 100 Hit with the group White Water Junction.
On drums for the band is Scott West, considered one of the most sought-after drummers in the South; and, rounding out the trio is bassist Scott McAllister who plays with several other groups and is a music worship leader at Salem Baptist Church as are both Scott West and John himself.
Joe Vidalez
Joe Vidalez is a Dalton native, born and raised. He didn’t grow up in a musical family, but he discovered music at an early age and developed it into a lifelong love. Although classically trained in the art of the trumpet, Joe didn’t discover his love of singing and the guitar until high school friends needed a vocalist for their band. He went on to major in trumpet at Berry College while leaning on the guitar as an outlet for his more modern musical appetite. His influences are vast and include sounds like the auditory assaults from The Devil Wears Prada all the way to the pop sensibilities of our lord and savior Taylor Swift. When not hanging out with his cat Fluff, you can catch Joe brewing or slinging beers at Dalton Brewing Company.
William Alderman
Originally from Dalton, Georgia, William is a singer/songwriter currently based in Atlanta, Georgia. He began playing music at an early age and gained experience performing with the Dalton chorus program, ACT theater, and the Creative Arts Guild. He has since played and competed in songwriting contests at venues like Smith’s Old Bar and Eddie’s Attic.
His music is best described as alternative or indie, and takes influence from everything from The Eagles to Fall Out Boy. Some of his favorite artists include Bob Dylan, Lake Street Dive, Sam Cooke, Hippo Campus, and Tyler Childers.
Joseph Blake Evans & Russell Cook
Joseph Blake Evans & Russell Cook are Northwest Georgia natives who have made music together for more than 30 years. Joseph (vocals, guitar, banjo) and Russell (vocals, guitar, mandolin) play acoustic music informed by old-time, blues, jazz, country, and rock.
Juno: Dancing With Fire
We are pleased to present a demonstration of Flow Arts by way of performance and the ancient art of fire dancing with Juno. Juno is a teaching artist who uses flow arts as an early education arts integration tool. She also facilitates all ages flow arts workshops that explores object manipulation and creative movement intermingled with concepts from the natural world. The FLOW LIKE WATER workshop is a play session with materials that represent each of the 4 elements. Juno is currently an artist in residence through the Artists at Work program, and is partnered with the Creative Arts Guild. She hopes to bring these workshops into the Dalton community. For today’s performance, the presented element is Fire, and dance is used as the vehicle for presentation. Fire dancing is a well-known dance form found in countries across the world but originated from ancient Polynesian civilizations.
Spatial Effects
Spatial Effects is a northwest Georgia based band composed of Earl Brackin (mandolin and vocals), Tom Brown (banjo and harmonica), David Crawford (guitar and vocals), Phil Paris (bass and vocals), and Tim Witt (dobro and bass). Among its members the band has two and three-fourths degrees in music and three award winning song writers, along with an off-the-wall sense of humor that sets this band apart from the typical bluegrass band.
Over the years Spatial Effects has performed at numerous venues throughout the south, including Chattanooga’s Riverbend Festival, Nightfall, the Alabama Egg Festival, Dalton’s Off The Rails Series at Burr Park, county fairs, and too many churches to even begin to count. The band has also opened for several national touring bands including The Claire Lynch Band, The Becky Buller Band, and Goose Creek Symphony.
The Stratoblasters
The Stratoblasters will turn up the tempo with a combination of classic rock, R&B, and oldies. Originally formed in the mid-70s, The Stratoblasters have always approached their musical journey with a love of playing classic rock/R&B/Oldies…songs people recognize, spiced up with some classics you just don’t expect to hear. The Stratoblasters have played countless parties and events down through the years. They’ve been a fan favorite at the Chattanooga Market for a decade. They love playing live and seeing the audience connect—when the groove hits, the memories kick in, hips are moving, and everyone is singing along!