CLICK HERE FOR TICKETS: General Admission $35 Adv/$45 Day of Show, Reserved $45 Adv/$55 Day of Show
When: Thursday, December 20, 2018
Where: The Variety Playhouse, 1099 Euclid Ave NE, Atlanta, GA 30307
Jeff Sipe at 2nd Annual Holiday Hoot
Folks, the lineup is now complete for the 8th Annual Holiday Hootenanny, benefitting Atlanta Habitat for the sixth consecutive year! TDawg Presents is thrilled to bring the one and only Jeff Sipe (Apt. Q258) back into the Holiday Hootenanny mix! His many accolades include being a founding member of Col. Bruce Hampton’s legendary band the Aquarium Rescue Unit that also featured Oteil Burbridge, Jimmy Herring, Jeff Mosier, Count M’Butu, and Matt Mundy. He spent three years on the road with another one of my favorite bands, Leftover Salmon, and he was also a co-creator (along with the late great Ricky Keller) of the Zambiland Orchestra, a holiday extravaganza from which the Holiday Hootenanny is heavily influenced. This is Sipe’s fourth appearance in the Holiday Hootenanny and his first since 2013. I have to say that the rhythm section featuring Jeff Sipe & Richie Jones on drums/percussion and Kevin Scott & Evan Sarver on bass is as strong as it gets!
TDawg Presents is honored to bring back intact the horn section from last year’s show 
that includes Joey “Papa J” Sommerville on trumpet, Bryan Lopes on saxophone, and Daniel Wytanis on trombone. A common link among these three incredible horn players is their love for and friendship with Col. Bruce, as all three participated in the Hampton 70 concert in May of 2017. I remember fondly in the mid-90’s heading to Smith’s Olde Bar on rainy & cold weeknights to see The Apartment Project perform. Lineup included Jeff Sipe, Bryan Lopes, Ricky Keller, Count M’Butu, and an amazing assortment of musicians.
Folks, we are going to have an incredible time on December 20 at the Variety Playhouse! If you know you are going, then go ahead and purchase your tickets! Remember, no service fee applied if you pop by the Variety Playhouse box office during normal business hours or on a show night. This one’s gonna blow the roof off the place!
If you’ve not seen Heather Gillis before, you are in for a treat! Check this video out from Pisgah Brewing in NC from September of 2017. Enjoy!
Final Lineup: Peter Rowan, Grammy-winner Jim Lauderdale, Larry Keel, Jeff Mosier, Heather Gillis, Jeff Sipe, Jason Carter (Del McCoury Band), Joey “Papa J” Sommerville, Bryan Lopes, Lyndsay Pruett (John Stickley Trio), Jared Womack (Grass is Dead), Kevin Scott, Evan Sarver, Richie Jones, Bobby Miller, Nick DiSebastian, Daniel Wytanis. Bill Fleming, Matt Williams, Kevin Thomas, Emcee Wildman Steve
The 8th Annual Atlanta Holiday Hootenanny is dedicated to the memory of the late great fiddler 
It was beyond cold with the strong wind blowing Saturday. Heavy rain Friday. Some sleet on Saturday mixed with sunshine. Finally clearing by Saturday evening. Wow! And through it all, the show went on! The musicians played their hearts out, the crowd, around 400 total, was dialed in and having a blast, plenty of kids running around with their faces painted, and the music stayed on schedule! All this despite some crazy weather conditions. THANK YOU to the staff and sound crews from 
Blackberry Possum got the ball rolling Friday night with some fantastic energy that had everyone moving and shaking under the extended cover in front of the stage. If you have a chance to catch them, don’t miss that opportunity. Saturday morning was when the high for the day occurred, and the temperature dropped from then on. That didn’t stop the music from keeping everyone warm and fuzzy inside on both stages all day and into the late night. Pickled Holler, featuring former members of Blueground Undergrass – Rev. Jeff Mosier, Matthew Williams & Edward Hunter – and beautiful vocals and bass playing of Jessica Williams, was the ideal way to ease into the day. How lucky are we to have such caliber of talent to start the day?! Our friends in Spackle provided a nice rock 
edge. Dead Affect provided just the right set of Grateful Dead music to boogie through the afternoon. Honeywood continued that boogie with some high energy jamgrass. Rev. Jeff Mosier & Biscuit Tragedy laid down an absolutely beautiful set that really left me missing my good friend Col. Bruce, who would have certainly been performing at this one. The GMOs provided us with one of the best sets of the day; if you have an opportunity to catch this fresh outfit, don’t miss out! The return of Snake Oil Medicine Show to the stage was extremely special, and they laid out some incredible gypsy and reggae rhythms mixed in with their signature hypnotic sound. One can never underestimate a set when it’s led by the amazing singer/songwriter Ralph Roddenbery, and the wow factor was in full effect after his memorable set. Deep Blue Sun followed that with 90 minutes of purely hypnotic jams that was easy listening from the bonfire, and Strung Like A Horse made sure everyone was strung by the end of the night. There were sit-ins abound all day and night Saturday and for the Friday night set, which made for a ultra-special experience. Enjoy the snippet from Friday night below featuring Bobby Miller sitting in with Blackberry Possum for some fine bluegrass jams!
As we get closer to THE weekend of The Harvest Family Hoot, I’ve been pondering what this event represents beyond a celebration of 20 years & going strong. We are gathering for what promises to be an absolutely amazing collaboration of musicians Friday night, all day Saturday and into the late night, yet I have come to the realization that this event is as much a segue way to another 20 years of reinvention and ways to bring music to the community, be it through the Frank Hamilton School or creating fresh community events that impact my immediate surroundings in the greater Atlanta area. I’m not sure what the future brings as far as camping events are concerned; I am certain that TDawg Presents will continue to provide a reason for folks with different ideals and beliefs – religious, political & otherwise – to enjoy the music together, as music is a strong common bond. It’s important to be reminded in such a polarizing world in which we live that there is more opportunity to unite than divide. I intend to do my part with the former rather than the latter.
I am also quite excited to be featuring the skills of songwriter extraordinaire Mikhail Peterson, former front man for Copious Jones, with his new band called 
That’s right y’all! Before you know it, the weekend of April 6-7 will be here, and you KNOW where you should be – HOOOOOOOOOOOOTENANNY!! I am grateful to still be able to bring quality live music to the community, and the Harvest Family Hoot is a celebration of that continuation. It’s been a long strange trip for the last 20 years, and I look forward to what the future brings on this level. (Blue Ridge) HarvestFest, the 19 editions of TDawg’s Back Porch Hootenanny that followed, the Annual Holiday Hootenanny, the free community events, and all the TDawg shows over the years in and around the Southeast have all had a strong common bond in the amazing talent that has always come together to produce memorable and transcending music experiences for just a few patrons or a few thousand and all points in between.
The Harvest Family Hoot welcomes singer/songwriter 
TDawg Presents 