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TDawg’s Back Porch Hootenanny is 3 weeks out!

21 Aug

Hoot_Late afternoon shot

Howdy y’all!  We’re just over three weeks away from an absolutely incredible weekend of music at the serene property in the NW Georgia mountains known as Cherokee Farms on the weekend of September 13-14, and I thought I’d get you all fired up with some observations from enthusiastic musicians and patrons from the April Hoot.  Dave Jordan (Neighborhood Improvement Association) summed up nicely just yesterday the feeling one gets about coming to a camping TDawg event:

“Looking forward to playing another one of Thomas Helland‘s festivals. I was on his first one, 15 years ago and it’ll be nice to catch up with some old friends. Rumor has it, Duane Trucks will be joining Gregory Hodges and Will Repholz and I to rock Cherokee Farms. Yeah u rite!”

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Caroline Aiken – “A weekend full of family and friends, and the HOOTNENANNY was SO wonderful, the line up was so great with the Ragbirds, Strung LIke A Horse, and so many others…. my band made me so proud: John Pagano , Eddie Glikin and Bob Glick and with the “musicians at large”: (indeed LARGE!!) Donna Hopkins and Ralph Roddenbery, floating and soaking everyone with musical love….it was an honor to be included in the weekend, Thanks Thomas Helland!!!”

Lefty Williams – “Thanks for an awesome time! I had a blast sitting in with everybody.”
Wildman Steve – “A GREAT Hoot, thanks to TDawg, Tree Leaf Sound, all the great musicians and all the beautiful people who came! We had us a TIME!! Love y’all!”
Jake Pelham – “Even though I couldn’t make it, I just wanted to thank T-Dawg and his entire crew for a most excellent HOOT! Because they always are……”
Dan Davidson – “A weekend at the hootenanny makes a return to the “real world” a little easier to handle.”
Mitta Chestnutt – “Happy Hootenanny ! My kids and I had an amazing time. Sending love and blessings and see ya in September:)”
Conner Allred – “Wow what a weekend in Lafayette GA mtns, celebrating Missy’s birthday weekend camping out with friends and enjoying some of the best bluegrass music we ever heard. Thanks Thomas Helland for putting all that together!”
Shawndell Natter – “Since the days at the old Back Porch venue, to the here and now at beautiful Cherokee Farms… My goodness!! the music, the love, the gathering of all the beautiful people with such amazing energy is spectacular! You did it again!! 🙂 We had a blast! THANK YOU ~ THANK YOU ~ THANK YOU!!! We are very grateful! Keep em’ coming!!! HOOT HOOT!!”
Debbie Yancey – “Thank you so much T-Dawg. It was more fun than ever!!”
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Alright now – make your plans now to attend the HOOT in mid-September!  It’s going to be quite the throwdown of music, folks are fired up!  Expect the unexpected and embrace it all.  You WILL hear something new and explosive; you WILL be blown away by the jams created onstage and off; you WILL feel the raw energy of the Grateful Fred Tent and feel his presence even if you didn’t know him; you WILL leave Cherokee Farms with the feeling of anticipation for the spring Hootenanny next April 4-5!  HOOOOOOOOOOOOTENANNY!!!
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ADVANCE TICKETS for FRI-SAT and SAT ONLY are available now at the links below.

***All advance purchases will receive a copy of a compilation from TDawg Presents’ 2nd Annual Atlanta’s Holiday Hootenanny that occurred in December of 2012, featuring Papa Mali, Larry Keel, Oteil Burbridge, Jimmy Hall, Rev. Jeff Mosier, Col. Bruce Hampton, Ike Stubblefied, Grant Green Jr., Deep Blue Sun and more!

FRI-SAT $50 ADV/$60 gate (includes camping)

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SAT ONLY $40 ADV/$50 gate (includes camping)

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SAT DAY passes are available at the gate for $40.  Kids 13-16 are $20, Kids 12 & under are admitted FREE.  NO DOGS PLEASE!!

Lodging

Key West Inn, 2221 N Main St  LaFayette, GA 30728
PH: (706) 638-8200

Days Inn, 2209 N Main St  LaFayette, GA 30728
PH: (706) 639-9362

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Almost Hootenanny Time!!!

14 Aug

Hoot_Sept 13-14

A Hootenanny is defined as “an informal performance by folk singers, typically with participation by the audience.”

Well, I believe that TDawg’s Back Porch Hootenanny certainly embodies that to the T in Dawg!  The musician is part of the audience as much as the audience is part of the musician.  Hootenannigans ensue, there is much joy and happiness in our world, and the music is out of this world!    All the musicians certainly bring their A++ game to the Hoot, and you can see that in the way they play off the energy truly unique to a Back Porch Hootenanny.  It’s a process that helps you move forward in your pursuit to feel just right about your place in this world.  The fact that we are fortunate to be able to go to the beautiful and serene setting that is Cherokee Farms for these Hootenannies blows my mind every time I think about it!

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At the 15th Edition of TDawg’s Back Porch Hootenanny coming up Sept. 13-14, you can expect a mass cross pollination of musicians throughout the weekend on stage and at the camp fires and a PARADE to the Shed Stage led by Vagabond Swing  following their performance on the Grateful Fred Stage.  We will be celebrating (among other things!) the Hootenanny movement, the birthday of  the “Father of Bluegrass” Bill Monroe, the lives of so many incredible musicians who have touched our lives personally through music & friendship, and especially the recent passing of folk legend Cowboy Jack Clement (seen below in a picture with Emmylou Harris & Kris Kristofferson) and the great J J Cale.

cowboy jack clement     JJ CALE 1938-2013

One guarantee I can give you is that you WILL ALWAYS hear something that is fresh to your ears and healthy for the mind, body & soul.  HOOT HOOT!!!

Remember, you can help the cause of this folk movement known as TDawg’s Back Porch Hootenanny by purchasing your tickets in advance.  By doing so, you will receive a compilation CD from the 2nd Annual Atlanta’s Holiday Hootenanny featuring Papa Mali, Oteil Burbridge, Col. Bruce Hampton, Rev. Jeff Mosier, Larry Keel, Jimmy Hall, Ike Stubblefield, Grant Green Jr., and so much more!  You will also receive a discount coupon for a Hootenanny TShirt should you decide to purchase one!

ADVANCE TICKETS for FRI-SAT and SAT ONLY are available now at the links below.

FRI-SAT $50 ADV/$60 gate (includes camping)

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SAT ONLY $40 ADV/$50 gate (includes camping)

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3rd Annual Atlanta’s Holiday Hootenanny Announcement!

9 Aug

holiday-hoot_crowd.jpg

TDawg Presents is proud to announce that the 3rd Annual Atlanta’s Holiday Hootenanny is happening on Sunday, December 22, at the Variety Playhouse in direct partnership with Atlanta Habitat for Humanity!  100% of the net proceeds will go directly to Atlanta Habitat and their mission to build affordable, energy-efficient homes for qualified, working families.

Currently celebrating its 30th anniversary, Atlanta Habitat for Humanity is one of the largest affiliates in the country and has built over 1,250 homes, housing more than 4,700 family members.

For more information about Atlanta Habitat for Humanity and how you can become involved, please visit the Atlanta Habitat website, www.atlantahabitat.org.

We hope you can make it out for what has fast become the premier holiday concert in Atlanta!  Help us AND Atlanta Habitat continue to grow, so you can feel good about another home going up as a result of your attendance!

Stay tuned for announcements regarding the 3rd Annual Atlanta’s Holiday Hootenanny, including lineup, advance ticket sales, and other relevant information.  Rest assured that this year’s edition will be the strongest one yet!

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Top 10 Reasons to join in the FUN that is the 15th edition of TDawg’s Back Porch Hootenanny, Sept 13-14!

5 Aug

Sometimes you just need a reminder of those life components you should be thankful for – your health, your family, real friendships, and a HOOOOOOOOOTENANNY!!!

Hoot_Sept 13-14 

10. Cherokee Farms is a reasonable distance from Nashville, Knoxville, Birmingham, Atlanta, and especially Chattanooga!  Asheville, you’re too far, either!  😉

9. You’ve had so much fun at previous Back Porch Hootenannies at Cherokee Farms that your friends want to come now, so you willingly and happily lead the way.

8.  Cherokee Farms is like your own state park.  We strive to keep it pristine!

Hoot_Late afternoon shot

7.  The bonfire jams late night are as fun as the ones on stage all evening FRI and all day SAT!

6.  You experience an incredible display of musicians in various collaborations that are created within the sets on two alternating stages so the music never stops!  See Schedule

5.  TDawg’s Back Porch Hootenanny is a great place to introduce your kids to family camping, enjoying the outdoors, and its association with music and great people!

4.  You will ALWAYS leave TDawg’s Back Porch Hootenanny having heard something new & fresh!

3.  If you’re lucky you get to try some of TDawg’s world famous freshly made jambalaya and boiled peanuts. 😉

2.  You get to scream the HOOOOOOOOOOOOTENANNY Battlecry in the midnight hour and mean it!

1.  You can feel GREAT about supporting the BEST LIL’ FESTIE in the Southeast!  The bands get to showcase and make new friendships along the way; the musicians become the audience once they’re done, prepping themselves for the late night jams to come; and YOU are rewarded by being there, witness to the magic of TDawg’s Back Porch Hootenanny at the beautiful and spiritual Cherokee Farms!

Please visit the Hootenanny blog page to purchase your advance tickets, and receive a FREE Holiday Hootenanny compilation CD from Dec 2012 as well as a $5 off coupon for a Hootenanny TShirt!

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Advance Tix for TDawg’s Back Porch Hootenanny #15!!!

31 Jul

Hoot_Sept 13-14

Well folks, we’re only about six weeks out now from the fall installment and 15th edition of TDawg’s Back Porch Hootenanny!!!  Get your advance tickets now and support an event that is totally worth your effort.  Please note that your advance ticket purchase comes with a FREE compilation CD from the TDawg Presents’ The 2nd Annual Atlanta’s Holiday Hootenanny that took place last December and featured Papa Mali, Larry Keel, Oteil Burbridge, Jimmy Hall, Rev. Jeff Mosier, Col. Bruce Hampton, Ike Stubblefied, Grant Green Jr., Count M’Butu, Mark Van Allen, Yonrico Scott, Deep Blue Sun and more!  In addition, you will receive a coupon that gives you $5 off a Hootenanny TShirt!

Since 2006, these Hootenannies have brought smiles to a large number of folks who appreciate the small, intimate events that produce music labeled commonly as AMAZING!  TDawg’s Back Porch Hootennany is an event that ALWAYS brings together just the right combination of artists in the roots music and Americana genres, showcasing some of the best in the Southeast and the country, for that matter.  I am blown away time and time again by the quality of the music and the chemistry that develops between not only the musicians themselves but also with the audience.  It’s been an amazing journey producing these Hootenannies – they are quite a switch from the large scale, multi-day festivals of my past yet have developed that identical sense of bonds, friendships, and family that HarvestFest did.

The upcoming HOOT is going to be off the charts AWESOME!  Anticipate some sit-ins all day on both stages and one helluva tribute to Bill Monroe on Friday, celebrating what would be his 92nd birthday.  I’m sure some JJ Cale will pop up throughout the weekend, paying homage to one of the finest songwriters of any generation.

Please help spread the word on this fine event, the best crowd comes to us via word of mouth.  Who wouldn’t want a weekend with friends, family, and possibly the first camping experience for your young-uns?  Bring a posse and set up your village.  We hope to see you there!!!

FRI-SAT $50 ADV/$60 gate (includes camping)

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SAT ONLY $40 ADV/$50 gate (includes camping)

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SAT DAY passes are available at the gate for $40.  Kids 13-16 are $20, Kids 12 & under are admitted FREE.  NO DOGS PLEASE!!

About Grateful Fred, the namesake for the tent stage

24 Jul

grateful fred

“Grateful Fred” Hill was a fun-loving, music-loving, electrician by trade but music enthusiast and archivist by heart and desire, whose body succumbed to cancer back in early November of 2012.  I camped with Grateful Fred many times at the Spirit of the Suwannee Music Park for MagFest and SpringFest, he attended each HarvestFest, and for many years he was ever present on the Atlanta music scene.  Always great to see him, laugh with him, have a beer or otherwise with him.  There is a large group of folks who knew Fred – I’m thankful I could call him my friend.  His energy certainly shines bright on the Hootenanny, and I couldn’t think of a better way to honor Grateful Fred and his pure love of life, music, and happiness than to name a tent stage after him that provides such amazing and spontaneous musical energy.

Cheers Grateful Fred!

TDawg’s Back Porch Hootenanny Schedule Released!!!

23 Jul

Hoot_Sept 13-14

Fasten your seat belts, y’all!!!  It’s gonna be one helluva high octane ride through this musical madness, mayhem & MAGIC!!

Schedule

Friday Shed Stage  (Bill Monroe’s Birthday)
9:00 – 10:15   Slim Pickins
10:45 – 12:30   Bibb City Ramblers

Saturday Shed Stage

12:30 – 2:00   Gibson Wilbanks
2:45 – 4:15   Lefty Williams Band
5:00 – 6:30   Dave Jordan & The Neighborhood Improvement Association
7:15 – 8:30   Curtis Burch & David Via
9:15 – 10:45   Larry Keel & Natural Bridge
11:15 – 1:15   Strung Like A Horse

Grateful Fred Stage
Noon – 12:25   Welcome Jam
2:00 – 2:45   Bibb City Ramblers w/ Bobby Miller, Richie Jones & Scott Warren
4:15 – 5:00   Vagabond Swing
6:30 – 7:15   Gibson Wilbanks & Friends
8:30 – 9:15   Ralph & Friends
1:15 – 2:15    HOOTENANNY JAM

tdawgpresents.com

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TDawg’s Back Porch Hootenanny Lineup Complete!

17 Jul

Vagabond Swing

We’ve rounded out the lineup with some amazingly diverse musicians!  All the way from Lafayette, LA to LaFayette, GA, please welcome to the Hootenanny family Vagabond Swing, and at-large artist Scott Warren from just down the road in Rome, GA.  Folks, you’re in for a real treat – the energy level from all the music is going to be off the charts and leave you speechless and breathless.  We’ve got music stretching from the Louisiana coast all the way to the mountains of VA at this one, something new and fresh for everyone involved!

As their bio reads, Vagabond Swing “creates the driving force behind their music with their uninhibited blending of styles and creativity. With their musical roots ranging from bluegrass to ska, the band produces a surprisingly smooth mixture of progressive Gypsy/Experimental/Circus-vibe/Swing tunes. Along with their melodic energy, the band members themselves bring on a show of vibrant, youthful spunk, which gives their performance a thrashing air of excitement.”

Vagabond Swing will be performing a showcase set under the tent at the cocktail hour, so look out!  We might have to have them lead a parade with drink in hand back to the main stage!

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The final lineup is as follows:

Larry Keel & Natural Bridge

Strung Like A Horse

David Via & Curtis Burch

Dave Jordan & The Neighborhood Improvement Association

Lefty Williams Band

Bibb City Ramblers

Vagabond Swing

Gibson Wilbanks

Slim Pickins

Bobby Miller (At-large)

Ralph Roddenbery (At-large)

Richie Jones (At-large)

Scott Warren (At-large)

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SCHEDULE TO BE POSTED SOON!!!

Lefty Williams Band to play Hootenanny!

20 Jun

TDawg Presents is excited to bring the renowned LEFTY WILLIAMS BAND to the September lineup for TDawg’s Back Porch Hootenanny at Cherokee Farms in LaFayette, GA!  Click on the picture below for a great interview on CNN from a few years back.  Y’all, Lefty is the real deal, quite a player.  You won’t be disappointed in the soulful groove that he and his band bring to the stage.

Lefty Williams2

You can catch Lefty Williams Band on Saturday night at Peachtree Tavern in Buckhead on Saturday night, his first full-band appearance in quite a while in the Atlanta area.  Come on out y’all!

 

Insight

13 Jun

Last night at The Red Light Cafe reaffirmed for me – and you can always use some reaffirmation of your life’s pursuits – the true essence of why I’ve made this journey into the world of presenting live music.

While the crowd wasn’t a large one, I knew it was going to be a night of reunions, of old friends coming together with new ones I have made through social media outlets and realizing that there are connections between just about everyone in attendance.  Many I have known virtually for a while and never met face to face.  I was not disappointed.

I was having a great talk with an old buddy from the very beginnings of HarvestFest and TDawg events, Woody, and we were marveling at the quality gathering that was forming right in front of us for this special evening of music.  While talking about Caroline’s pending move to Hawaii, he brought up a name I hadn’t thought of in years, John Wynn, who used to own a fine dining and music establishment called the Bank St. Cafe in Griffin, GA, just about 45 minutes south of Atlanta.  Some crazy and fun times happened in that space, and the food was outstanding.  Anyway, John has since moved to Hawaii and is doing well there.  As we continued to talk about good times at the Bank St. Cafe, who walks up to the bar and says HI but John.  A very ZAMBI moment indeed, as Col. Bruce and Rev. Jeff Mosier were sitting at the bar with us as well, and they both performed many times at the Bank St. Cafe.  Caroline Pond and Snake Oil Medicine Show had some amazing moments there as well.

It was just that kind of a crowd.  The bonds and friendships that have been created through the spirit of HarvestFest overwhelm me.  While it would be a beautiful thing if one day I can make an honest living focusing 100% on producing great lineups and amazing events, I also realize that the music transcends the money to mean so much more to the development of positive relationships not only in my life but in my friends’ lives, too.  In addition, the musicians are not only artists that get paid for their skill, but they are true friends first who enjoys not only making the music but soaking it in as much as the next person.  For that, I feel like we are a very fortunate group of people.

The Holiday Hootenanny Family 2011

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I hope that y’all can make it out on Friday night for the first TDawg Presents show at Steve’s Live Music in Sandy Springs, featuring Waller & The Lindsay Rakers Duo.  Showtime is 8pm, admission is $12.  Reserved tables available in this most intimate of venues by visiting the website.

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