About

Since 1998, T-Dawg Presents has been presenting concerts and festivals on the local, regional, and national levels.  Founder Thomas “T-Dawg” Helland is a fixture on the roots music scene and often sought after as a consultant to assist with promotion, production, and lineup suggestions.  Throughout the journey, TDawg has maintained a vision that brings together some of the finest roots musicians from both the Southeast and nationwide in an environment that is always conducive to the experience of music, bonds and friendships that will last a lifetime. TDawg Presents continues to reinvent itself and create new opportunities for community involvement. Currently, Thomas is coordinator of the Cocktails in the Garden live music series at the Atlanta Botanical Garden. In 2021, he brought 102 (almost all local) acts to the Garden to perform in various locations from the beginning of May to the end of October, six days a week.

The company known as TDawg Presents (formerly TDawg’s Productions) is the creator and ultimately co-producer of a nationally known 3-Day music and camping festival called Blue Ridge HarvestFest (BRHF) that had a life span of 8 years (1998-2005).  During that time, BRHF took off from being a critically acclaimed regional roots music explosion to a national level of critical acclaim while maintaining the highest level of professionalism and intimacy simultaneously.  When the festival ended its run in 2005, folks were traveling from all corners of the country for the experience provided by BRHF.  In 2001, TDawg brought on High Sierra Music as partners, and HarvestFest had already attained a level of recognition such that it was named a Top Five Bluegrass Festival in the country in Fortune Magazine in their summer issue.

A list of musicians that TDawg has worked with over the years reads like a who’s who of American roots musicians covering bluegrass, country/ Americana, blues, funk, jamband, old-time, jazz, and everything in between. Peter Rowan, Leftover Salmon, Tony Rice, The Funky Meters, Bob Weir & Ratdog, Derek Trucks Band, Del McCoury Band, Donna the Buffalo, the late Vassar Clements, John Prine, Wet Willie, Gillian Welch & David Rawlings, David Bromberg, Keller Williams, the late John Hartford, The Waybacks, Railroad Earth, Steep Canyon Rangers, Nickel Creek’s Chris Thile & Sara Watkins, The Reeltime Travelers, The Radiators, Soulive, Medeski Martin & Wood, the late Johnny Knapp, Yonder Mountain String Band, Jim Lauderdale, Sam Bush Band, moe., Darrell Scott, Tim O’Brien, Fred Eaglesmith, Blueground Undergrass, Larry Keel, The Duhks, JJ Grey & Mofro, John Butler Trio, Papa Mali, Psychograss, Darol Anger & Mike Marshall, Guy Clark & Verlon Thompson, Acoustic Syndicate, The Overtakers, Snake Oil Medicine Show, the late Col. Bruce Hampton, David Grisman Quintet, Joe Craven, Caroline Aiken, Ralph Roddenbery. This is just a very partial list of artists with whom TDawg has worked over the years.

Although BRHF has not been active since 2005, TDawg has continued to produce events primarily in Atlanta venues of all sizes, including a backyard or two and some livingrooms in the cold weather, as well as camping events – called TDawg’s Back Porch Hootenanny – at Cherokee Farms in LaFayette, GA, in the NW corner of the state.  Over the years, these Hootenannies have drawn a strongly loyal audience from that region, Atlanta, and Alabama and Tennessee for a weekend of camping.  The 20th and final Hoot occurred in April of 2020. Between the camping Hootenannies and spin-off festivals, TDawg has produced over 30 outdoor and camping festivals. In addition to these outdoor events, TDawg has also started an annual holiday benefit concert now in its 11th year, appropriately called the Holiday Hootenanny, with proceeds benefiting Atlanta Habitat for Humanity. Thus far, the concert has donated over $31,000 since 2011.

TDawg has a long-standing relationship and friendship with the renowned Tree Sound Studios and Tree Leaf Music, a green recording studio and production company that encourages alternative energy use all the way down to CD production. We are extremely excited about what the future holds in store for us. TDawg Presents has also co-produced several live efforts from Tree Sound Studios. Each event is powered by wind & solar power.