Portsmouth Porchfest

04/04/2026

MARK YOUR CALENDARS! Saturday September 19th, 2026, noon-6pm, come hang out and get to know your neighbors and local musicians at our 3rd annual Porchfest in Portsmouth, NH! 

You know the drill… Local bands playing on local porches, yards and driveways in the residential areas between downtown Portsmouth and The West End.

Portsmouth Porchfest is an entirely FREE, grassroots, volunteer built & driven initiative to bring our community closer to one another through the power of music and shared experiences. 

We’d love for you to tell your friends, family and neighbors alike all about it! The more the merrier! 

If you are interested in hosting a performing artist and/or sharing your music by performing this year, or if you’d like to volunteer to help run the day-of the event please go to the link in our bio and submit an interest form! 

Give us a follow and share this post to spread the word and to stay in the know on updates! 

Love, The Portsmouth Porchfest Fam
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09/18/2025

Only 2 Days Away
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09/16/2025

ANNOUNCING📣 🎵 Myles Burr & The Last Straws, & Maddoc Johnson Band

Myles Burr & The Last Straws

Performing at: 779 State Street, at 3pm

Myles Burr & The Last Straws is an experimental band juxtaposing poetry and music through genre bending performance. Fronted by poet Myles Burr, their sound is often compared to acts like The Fall, Soul Coughing, Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, and Lou Reed. They are based out of Portsmouth, NH.
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Maddoc Johnson Band
Performing at: 779 State Street, at 4pm

Maddoc Johnson is a 20 year old portsmouth based musician whose music ranges from folk to free improvisation. Their music is largely informed by their experience growing up q***r, their relationship with temperate forests, and the relationship between the two.
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Want to join us and volunteer for the big day? We still are searching for volunteers! Did you know all volunteers get a free T-shirt?👀 (Check the last slide.)

Follow the link in our bio to sign up. We’d love to have you.🙌
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We are less than ONE WEEK AWAY from Portsmouth Porchfest!!! Are you ready?!

Portsmouth Porchfest🏡🎶
Saturday, September 20, 2025
11am-5pm

09/15/2025

ANNOUNCING📣 🎵 The Stairwells & TJ Wheeler!

The Stairwells
Performing at: 68 Cabot Street, 3pm

The Stairwells are a hard-working, fun-loving a capella group directed by Ben Baldwin. They have been harmonizing since 1993! Expect to hear a wide-ranging repertoire including the music of Curtis Mayfield, Carol King, The Four Freshmen, The Persuasions, and many more wonderful artists. They are thrilled to be part of Portsmouth Porchfest and bring their message of love to the good people of Cabot Street!
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TJ Wheeler
Performing at: 68 Cabot Street, 4pm

TJ Wheeler is an internationally recognized musician and original performer of blues, jazz, soul, and R&B tunes – the roots music he has played with a deep passion over his entire career.  

TJ has been featured as a performer as well as a master clinician at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, the Ottawa Blues Festival, the Mississippi Valley Blues Festival and more.   And he has worked, studied and performed with notable players including Pinetop Perkins, Mighty Sam McClain, Katie Webster, Nappy Brown, Albert Collins, Roswell Rudd, Odetta, Joe Houston and many others.
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Want to join us and volunteer for the big day? We are still searching for volunteers! Did you know all volunteers get a free T-shirt?👀 (Check the last slide.)

Follow the link in our bio to sign up. We’d love to have you.🙌
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We are less than ONE WEEK AWAY from Portsmouth Porchfest!!! Are you ready?!

Portsmouth Porchfest🏡🎶
Saturday, September 20, 2025
11am-5pm

09/14/2025

Here's a short clip from last year to get you in the mood :) This years forecast is shaping up to be considerably better. Come join us for the 2nd annual Portsmouth PorchFest.

09/13/2025

ANNOUNCING📣 🎵 Leftist Marching Band, Chris George, Pato Pato, & The Balsam Firs!

Leftist Marching Band
Performing at: 212 Broad Street, 1pm

The Leftist Marching Band supports political issues that some folks would call “liberal“ we prefer to call them “good causes.” We use the marching band genre to have fun, make music, and create a unified, progressive voice in the community. We are a multigenerational band filled with music – loving people who are here to have fun and make the world a better place for us all.
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Chris George
Performing at: 346 Richards Ave, 11am

Chris, a passionate musician from Portsmouth, NH, began his music career in high school, performing with bands like “Staving Chain” and “The Stutter Brothers.” Over the past fourteen years, he has immersed himself in music, playing guitar and singing at various venues including farmers’ markets, festivals, and coffee houses. His first CD, Down From the Mountains, was released in 2015, followed by Dreams of Freedom in 2018, with a third CD, The Wildest Ride, planned for the upcoming Spring. Chris’s repertoire includes original and cover songs featuring open tunings and multiple guitars.
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Pato Pato & The Balsam Firs
Performing at: 96 Brewery Lane, Greengard Center for Autism, 3-5pm

Pato Pato is Adelyn Nelson and Dan Lorenz playing songs they love from Brazil! With Accordion and Sete Cordas (nylon seven string guitar), pato pato plays Brazilian music spanning across genres from Choro to Samba, and composers from Pixinguinha to Guinga.

The Balsam Firs are a 5-piece alt rock / jam band originating from Dover, NH. Infusing extended improvisation with intriguing lyrical themes, the Firs exhibit a modern take on the nostalgic sound of classic rock. They are currently recording their first EP at Milk St Studios. 

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We still need Volunteers to help on the big day. Link to sign up in our bio. 🙌
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We are officially ONE WEEK AWAY from Portsmouth Porchfest!!!

Portsmouth Porchfest🏡🎶
Saturday, September 20, 2025
11am-5pm

09/12/2025

ANNOUNCING📣 🎵 Linnet’s Wing
Performing at: 306 Austin Street, 3pm

LINNET’S WING - IRISH TRADITIONAL TUNES AND SONG 
For years, we’ve played Irish traditional music and sung songs from many genres - all around the Seacoast area, Boston, Cape Ann, the Merrimack Valley and Southern Maine. We love our music and look forward to sharing it with you. We are LINNET’S WING: Lisa Carey, flute and tin whistle; Sarah Reynolds, fiddle; Mike Prendergast, concertina; Chuck Carey, bouzouki, guitar and vocals; and John Carew, guitar & vocals.
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The Desperate Strings
Performing at: 306 Austin Street, 4pm

The Desperate Strings is a quartet composed of mandolin, cello, ukulele and percussion. They rearrange famous covers to make them sound amazing with a super original instruments selection. They enjoy harmonizing with three or four voices on their songs as well.Fun fact, EVERYONE in the band plays an instrument that has at least one string!
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Want to join us and volunteer for the big day? Follow the link in our bio to sign up! We’d love to have you.✨🍂✅
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More bands coming & to be announced! Less than a month away from this amazing event!

Portsmouth Porchfest🏡🎶
Saturday, September 20, 2025
11am-5pm

09/12/2025

Volunteers Needed!! Please sign up today 🎷🎺🎤🎹🪘🎻

We are locals organizing a free grassroots music festival in our neighborhoods.

09/11/2025

ANNOUNCING📣 🎵 Low Faultin, The Scraps, Easy Tiger, Kong Moon & Rooster Sauce!

Low Faultin
Performing at: 809 State Street, 3-5pm

Drawing from a rich mix of influences and a deep respect for their roots, lowfalutin’ brings something uniquely their own to every stage. Their music takes listeners on a journey, from funky jams to Americana ballads, always staying true to their bold, honest, and authentic spirit. With every note, Lowfalutin’ continues to honor Pete Peterson’s legacy while forging their own path in the New England music scene.
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The Scraps, Easy Tiger, Kong Moon
Performing at: 953 State Street, 3-5pm

The Scraps are 3 best friends that blend dirty blues and a heavy indie sound.

Easy Tiger
Cam Gunn (The Frosting) and Russ Graham (Lost Art) started writing songs three years ago with Tim Davio (Stagecoach Dick) in a tiny garage somewhere in Portsmouth. Intricate guitar work, simple melodies and clear, concise percussion, with vocal harmonies and rhythm guitar provided by Dustin Devlin, all combine to make rock music that is nostalgic without feeling dated, and catchy without being cloying.

Kong Moon
New Hampshire’s premiere psych-folk-prog-rock power trio which brings a blend of raw and polished original music unlike anything you’ve heard before.
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Rooster Sauce
Performing at: 760 State Street, 3-5pm

Rooster Sauce— one guitarist, two vocalists, and a spicy assortment of pop and rock hits that will bring back memories. Based in the Seacoast of New Hampshire, they have decades of professional live experience, and book shows across New England and beyond. They generally perform a mix of tracks from the 60s to the 90s, and can add in country and folk and their own original material.
 
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Want to join us and volunteer for the big day? Follow the link in our bio to sign up! We’d love to have you.🙌
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Stay tuned for more bands being announced! Just a couple weeks away from this amazing event!

Portsmouth Porchfest🏡🎶
Saturday, September 20, 2025
11am-5pm

09/10/2025

Oooooo, We're getting close . We could use another 15-20 people to help out. Please consider signing up today :)

Portsmouth Porchfest is a free community event that provides a showcase for local musicians in our neighborhoods. It is run by a grassroots group of organizers and volunteers, so your help is crucial. This year, we are expanding to three zones (Richards Ave., Wibird St., and Goodwin Park) and the fe...

09/09/2025

ANNOUNCING📣 🎵 Bird Friend
Performing at: 168 Wibird Street, 1-2pm

Bird Friend is a band from Portsmouth, New Hampshire & Somerville, Massachusetts.
Rooted in folk and DIY, Bird Friend’s sound also blends elements of punk, early psych and garage rock, slowcore and alt-country. Noted for its literate lyricism and unique guitar work, Bird Friend has been on the DIY scene for over ten years, performing in basements, bars, and clubs all over the United States.

Restless and experimental by nature, the band has collaborated with artists, musicians, and poets to create an identity that sounds like nothing else, yet is unmistakably theirs.

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Harrison Goodell
Performing at: 50 Willard Ave, 1-3pm

Harrison Goodell is a singer-songwriter from Seacoast New Hampshire, weaving indie-folk songs that feel like home—restless, familiar, and always shifting. Rooted in vivid storytelling, his music draws from the quiet hum of suburban streets, the vastness of the White Mountains, and the longing to hold onto something fleeting.

Harrison’s dedication to his craft has led to sold-out shows and opening slots for artists like JP Saxe and The Lone Bellow. In recognition of his rising profile, he was awarded a grant from The Music Hall in Portsmouth—which led to a performance opening for Sara Bareilles. With new material on the way and sessions in Nashville with some of the industry’s most exciting writers, 2025 is set to be a defining year.

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Jon Giegengak
Performing at: 23 Willard Ave, 1-3pm

Jon will play a mix of country, Americana and a few originals.  In addition to playing solo, he performs around New England as lead singer and rhythm guitar player for Whiskey Horse, NHs best outlaw country band.
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Want to join us and volunteer for the big day? Follow the link in our bio to sign up! We’d love to have you.🙌
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Stay tuned for more bands being announced! Can you believe it’s already SEPTEMBER!?🍂

Portsmouth Porchfest🏡🎶
Saturday, September 20, 2025
11am-5pm