Tag Archives: blues music

Frank Hamilton Folk School Concert Series Announcements!

22 Jan

frank-hamilton-folk-school-concert-series-kick-off-party-the-georgia-crackers-rev-jeff-mosier-at-red-light-cafe-atlanta-ga-feb-18-2016-squareThe Frank Hamilton Folk School Concert Series at the Red Light Cafe is heating up, and we’ve got some great shows coming your way – it would be incredible to see you at any & all of the shows!  Stay tuned for more announcements coming soon to the FHFS Concert Series ~ we are moving forward y’all, and the ride is going to be a fun one, full of music opportunities along the way, so stay tuned.  If you would like to learn more about the classes at the Frank Hamilton Folk School, please visit the website for complete information.

On February 18, we are thrilled to have to bring you two Georgia originals in The Georgia Crackers and Rev. Jeff Mosier for the Kick-off celebration!   Come early, get your seat, do some pickin’ and then sit back for an incredible journey through American music!  Expect a bit of history behind the music, as the Georgia Crackers’ Mick Kinney (fiddle) is a scholar on old-time country music.

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March 3 ~ To keep the momentum building for the series, FHFS is excited to present one of the longest-standing bands in Atlanta, Cajun band Hair of the Dog!  These folks bring a Hair of the Dog_FHFShigh energy mix of Cajun, blues, and honky tonk to get folks into a fine boogie groove.  With fiery fiddling (Barbara Panter-Connah), soulful blues harp and accordion (Whit Connah), driving guitar (John Ferguson), bass (Chris Tinsley) and drums (Doug Landsburg), pedal steel (Bill Fleming), and traditional Cajun triangle – or ‘tit fer – and rubboard (Audrey Ferguson).  They have played at festivals and venues around the southeast and beyond, including tours of Europe and the British Isles.

Hair of the Dog are strong supporters of the local music scene and bringing music to the community, and I hope y’all can make it out to this one – it’s gonna be high energy! More info to come…

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April 7 ~ The Frank Hamilton Folk School Concert Series is excited to welcome the dynamic trio and national touring act Dangermuffin to the Frank Hamilton Folk School Concert Series! Their Friday night showcase performance at last April’s TDawg’s

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April 7 @ Red Light Cafe, 8PM

Back Porch Hootenanny was off the charts musically, a defining two-set gem that displayed true respect to the traditional roots music while creating a progressive acoustic folk-rock sound all their own. They have developed quite a nice grass-roots following in the Atlanta area, so you can expect a very enthusiastic crowd that appreciates fine musicianship. This incredibly dynamic trio brings out a sound that captures you in their groove almost instantly, and we couldn’t be happier to bring them to you via the FHFS! From Folly Beach, SC just outside of Charleston, their melodic sound represents three musicians bringing you something unique. Expect an acoustic set and an electric set and perhaps some special sit-ins.

Dangermuffin is: Dan Lotti (vocals, electric guitar, acoustic guitar), Mike Sivilli (electric guitar, acoustic guitar, vocals), Steven Sandifer (percussion, drums, upright bass, vocals)

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May 12 ~ The Frank Hamilton Folk School Concert Series brings jazz guitarist Grant Green Jr. to the Red Light Cafe stage!  Grant Green Jr. is a member of the legendary group Masters

Grant Green_Holiday Hoot

May 12 @ Red Light Cafe, 8PM

of Groove, along with drummer Bernard Purdie and B3 Organ player Reuben Wilson.  Son of the great jazz guitarist Grant Green, Green Jr. has continued the family tradition just fine.  Growing up in Detroit, his neighbors included Stevie Wonder’s parents, Marvin Gaye lived a few blocks away, and many more Motown artists were in the area.  Needless to say, Grant certainly had the influences growing up, most notably his father and Stevie Wonder. 

Grant’s performances are extremely soulful and uplifting, his skills on the guitar are second to none.  Expect an incredible evening of music by a music gem we are fortunate chose to make Atlanta his home (by way of New York).
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Coming soon: Lineup announcements for the FINAL EDITION (#19) of TDawg’s Back Porch Hootenanny, April 1-2 at beautiful Cherokee Farms!  Tickets on sale next week for what promises to be quite a celebration.    

 

Awesome Holiday Hootenanny!

30 Dec
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Col. Bruce Hampton, johnny Knapp & Joe Gransden with the Anywhere But Here Horns!

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Jim Lauderdale, Tim Carbone, Rev. Jeff Mosier with one of the finest bands around!

What an AMAZING experience we all had at the 5th Annual Atlanta’s Holiday  Hootenanny!  Terminal West is the PERFECT venue for a large stage with an intimate vibe flowing through the entire place!  And to top it all off, I delivered a $2,000 check to Atlanta Habitat for Humanity yesterday!  Treating people with kindness and love and a sense of community should be a priority in our lives, and it sure felt good to do my part.  My part wouldn’t have been possible without  y’all, Atlanta Habitat, THE INSANELY TALENTED MUSICIANS, my wife Stephanie for her patience and support, Linda, Ben & Jessie helping with the merch and silent auction, Terminal West, and the Big House Museum, represented by John Griffin & Brenda Stepp.  I also want to take this moment to thank our sponsors – Delta Airlines, Sweetwater Brewing Co., Tito’s Handmade Vodka, Tree Leaf Music & Tree Sound Studios, and Wildman Steve Radio!  THANK YOU!

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Ralph Roddenbery, Samantha Jones, Jim Lauderdale, Tim Carbone with Donna Hopkins, Kevin Thomas, Richie Jones, Kevin Scott

We have a very special gathering that has become a premier event in the month of December here in Atlanta, and it’s only going to become more prominent for all the right reasons!  I could tell during the sound check that this was going to be a phenomenal night of music – it certainly set the tone for the rest of the night – and Ralph Roddenbery & Donna Hopkins did nothing to disprove that thought!  The opening set was on fire from the get go, and both Jim Lauderdale and Tim Carbone jumped up on stage to help set the tone for the evening.

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Michael Tolcher with Brian Ashley Jones & Critter on guitar, Brad Bauman on harmonica.

Michael Tolcher was next, and he was absolutely captivating, starting acoustic and bringing out “the band” as his set progressed.  We had some friends pop in for this set, namely Nashville multi-instrumentalist singer/songwriter Brian Ashley Jones and Critter, guitarist for Copious Jones, to add their own little spice to the music.  I’m still singing “What’s Going On” in my head!   Tolcher had everyone joining in the chorus numerous times throughout his set, and it was great to have him as part of this musical journey.  He is a true gem of a songwriter (as are so many of our friends who participated this year!) and I’m thankful he could bring his mojo to the Holiday Hootenanny stage.

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Jim Lauderdale, Rev. Jeff Mosier, Kevin Scott, Michael Smith, Tim Carbone

The night rounded out with two of the hottest sets, as if we could get any hotter, I’ve seen in a long, long time.  Grammy winner Jim Lauderdale showed why he is in such high demand, leading a no-rehearsal set of some of his new material along with some full band staples to a frenetic climax that had me shaking!  Last year, Papa Mali did that to me, this year Jim Lauderdale 😉 It was certainly one for the books, and I can’t wait to hear the set through again.  Featuring Railroad Earth’s Tim Carbone on fiddle, Rev. Jeff Mosier on banjo, Mark van Allen on pedal steel, Matt Williams on electric guitar, Kevin Thomas on the Hammond, The Whiskey Gentry’s Michael Smith on mandolin, and the rhythm section of Mark Raudabaugh (drums), Richie Jones (percussion) & Kevin Scott (bass), that set was so on fire from the get go!  The finale brought out Donna Hopkins & Brad Bauman, and well, the rest is history!

Col. Bruce Hampton brought the night to a close as only he can, one that we all hated to see the end in sight, but all good things come to an end, right?  It was a one-time only set featuring the Anywhere But Here Horns, Joe Gransden, Johnny Knapp, and Bruce’s regular band to anchor it down.  All in all, 18 people were on stage, I believe, for the finale “I’m So Glad”.  I think we all were so glad to have been a part of such a masterpiece.  I really am excited about the future of the Holiday Hootenanny, and stay tuned as we move through 2016 for details about the 6th annual edition next December!

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 Meanwhile, I am going to shift my focus to growing the Frank Hamilton Folk School, and the kick-off to the concert series will happen on Thursday, February 18, at the Red Light Cafe, featuring popular old-time group The Georgia Crackers and good friend Rev. Jeff Mosier.  Frank Hamilton will also perform a couple of songs.  I am excited about this new opportunity and a bit melancholy about the end of TDawg’s Back Porch Hootenanny.  The last camping Hoot, the end of an era, is going to be April 1-2  at beautiful Cherokee Farms in LaFayette, GA.  I will have more details about both FHFS and the final Back Porch Hoot coming soon!  Have a wonderful, safe & Happy New Year y’all!

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Last Day for Advance Tickets to Holiday Hootenanny!

26 Dec

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ADVANCE TICKETS ($25 Adv/$35 Door) – Remember you’ll receive a FREE DVD of the incredible reunion performance of one of the more enjoyable bands to come out of Atlanta in a long time, BLUEGROUND UNDERGRASS, from last year’s 4th Annual edition!

SCHEDULE

5:30PM > Doors open, Silent Auction begins

6:30PM – 7:30PM > Set 1 featuring Ralph Roddenbery & Donna Hopkins

8PM – 9PM > Set 2 featuring Michael Tolcher

9:30PM – 10:30PM > Set 3 featuring Jim Lauderdale & Tim Carbone

11PM – Midnight > Set 4 featuring Johnny Knapp, Joe Gransden & Col. Bruce Hampton

Come on out and enjoy some of the finest talent Atlanta has to offer, check out the silent auction, and feel good about supporting Atlanta Habitat for Humanity!

THANK YOU to our sponsors for this year: Delta Airlines, Sweetwater Brewing Co., Tito’s Handmade Vodka, Tree Leaf Music, and Wildman Steve Radio!  There will be some Tito’s drink specials and Sweetwater beer specials, too!

Holiday Hootenanny Silent Auction for Atlanta Habitat!

23 Dec

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We’ve got a GREAT silent auction coming your way at the 5th Annual Holiday Hootenanny!  A HUGE thanks goes out to all who have donated items for this year’s edition.

Among the items:

Warren Haynes_guitarA Warren Haynes autographed Takamine acoustic guitar, courtesy of the Big House Museum and Executive Director Rob Schneck.  Warren was thrilled to sign this guitar and added the peace sign.  I can only imagine that the lucky soul who takes this guitar home will be feeling the mojo!

floydfestBoth FloydFest 16 (July 27-31, 2016 Floyd, VA) & 20th Annual Suwannee SpringFest  (March 17-20,2016 Live Oak, FL) have donated a pair of their VIP passes for this year’s Holiday Hoot!  I have attended both many times – as both a promoter and a patron – and folks, you can’t go wrong!  Such beauty lies  in both locales, smothered in the Spanish moss off the Suwannee River in FL or glowing as a huge spark in the midst of the magnificent Blue Ridge SpringFestMountains in VA.  I cannot distinguish between the two but to tell you that each one is so incredible you never believe it can be topped.  Both festivals are so majestic and powerful – the music never stops!  That is, until the festival ends 😉  Like my Back Porch Hootenannies and HarvestFests, you take that energy with you beyond.

The FloydFest lineup features – among many others – Greg Allman, Bruce Hornsby & the Noisemakers, Railroad Earth, Leftover Salmon, The Wood Brothers, Nahko & Medicine for the People, Keller Williams w/ More Than a Little, Larry Keel Experience, and more!  You can visit the website for complete info.

Suwannee SpringFest brings you an equally amazing lineup, featuring John Prine, The Del McCoury Band, Donna the Buffalo, Keller Williams Grateful Grass, Jim Lauderdale, Larry Keel Experience, the Virginia Daredevils, and the list goes on!  Check out their website for complete information!

From photographer Ian Rawn, a close up of Mick Jagger from the Rolling Mick by IanStones appearance at Grant Field on the GT campus last summer!

Y’all we’re going to have some great items from restaurants and resorts, local artwork and jewelry, and even something hand-picked from Jim Lauderdale!

Click Here for the schedule and a link to purchase Advance Tickets – remember you get a DVD of the incredible Blueground Undergrass reunion performance from the 2014 edition of the Holiday Hootenanny!  You will receive your DVD when entering Terminal West.  Please share with your friends, co-workers, and others who need to be there!

HOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOTENANNY!!!

 

Holiday Hootenanny Schedule

22 Dec

2015 Holiday Hoot banner

ADVANCE TICKETS ($25 Adv/$35 Door) – Remember you’ll receive a FREE DVD of the incredible reunion performance of one of the more enjoyable bands to come out of Atlanta in a long time, BLUEGROUND UNDERGRASSfrom last year’s 4th Annual edition!

SCHEDULE

5:30PM > Doors open, Silent Auction begins

6:30PM – 7:30PM > Set 1 featuring Ralph Roddenbery & Donna Hopkins

8PM – 9PM > Set 2 featuring Michael Tolcher

9:30PM – 10:30PM > Set 3 featuring Jim Lauderdale & Tim Carbone

11PM – Midnight > Set 4 featuring Johnny Knapp, Joe Gransden & Col. Bruce Hampton

FREE DVD Performance by Blueground Undergrass with Holiday Hoot Advance Ticket Purchase!

19 Dec

2015 Holiday Hoot banner

That’s right, y’all!  Purchase ADVANCE TICKETS ($25 Adv/$35 Door) and receive a FREE DVD of the incredible reunion performance of one of the more enjoyable bands to come out of Atlanta in a long time, BLUEGROUND UNDERGRASSfrom IMG_7169last year’s 4th Annual edition!  The lineup featured members throughout their history plus a few special guests.  The energy was  fantastic.  I hope you enjoy this performance as much as I did.  To your right is the lineup from that performance.  It was wonderful to corral these friends in one place to make music one more time together, and I’m thankful we have it preserved.

Personally, I hope that you (and I mean YOU) can make it out on Sunday, December 27, to support such a great cause as Atlanta Habitat for Humanity, and witness a concert with a lineup you will not see again.   The assembled musicians represent a landscape across the greater Atlanta area with a few twists thrown in.  There are options for that night for certain, but rest assured you will see those options again, this edition of Atlanta’s Holiday Hootenanny you won’t.  Come on y’all!  Click Here if you FEEL THE HOOT!!
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Schedule for the 5th Annual Holiday Hootenanny!

14 Dec

Purchase your advance tickets for the upcoming Holiday Hoot!  Such a wonderful cause in Atlanta Habitat for Humanity and easily one of the finest shows all year long, a staple in the fine line of holiday season concerts.  You will be waiting anxiously for the entire 2016 calendar year for the 6th annual edition, in fact! 😉  Tickets to this concert will also make a PERFECT gift around the holiday season!

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Schedule for the 5th Annual Atlanta’s Holiday Hootenanny

5:30pm – Doors open, silent auction begins, Stationside Restaurant at Terminal West open.

6:30pm – 7:30pm – Ralph Roddenbery & Donna Hopkins

8:00pm – 9:00pm – Michael Tolcher

9:30pm – 10:30pm – Jim Lauderdale & Tim Carbone

11:00pm – Midnight – Johnny Knapp, Joe Gransden & Col. Bruce Hampton

As you well know, the talent surrounding these musicians is simply amazing – presenting Rev. Jeff Mosier (banjo), Mark van Allen (pedal Steel), Michael Smith (mandolin), Kevin Thomas (keyboards), and the rhythm section featuring Mark Raudabaugh (drums), Richie Jones (percussion), & Kevin Scott (bass).  This is a who’s who representation of the Atlanta music community, and I’m sure there will some surprises!

5th Annual Atlanta’s Holiday Holiday Hootenanny Lineup Announcement!

7 Oct

Col Bruce Holiday Hoot 2014

Spread the word far and wide for the 5th Annual Atlanta’s Holiday Hootenanny, happening on Sunday December 27, at Terminal West for the third consecutive year!  This one is gonna be one helluva jam, broken down into four sets beginning at 6:30PM and ending at Midnight!  It is exciting to be working again alongside Atlanta Habitat for Humanity and raising some money and awareness for this crucial organization.  A silent auction will begin at 5:30PM, once the doors are open.  Please note there is a great restaurant attached to the venue (Stationside) that has a full menu of locally sourced delicious bites.

Advance tickets are only $25 ($35 at the door) will be on sale by the end of this week at the Terminal West box office (no service charge) and online through the Terminal West website.  The lineup at this point is as follows, with just a few more spots to fill:

Grammy-winner Jim Lauderdale, Tim Carbone (Railroad Earth), jazz legend Johnny Knapp, Col. Bruce Hampton, Rev. Jeff Mosier, Ralph Roddenbery, Donna Hopkins, Mark Van Allen, Kevin Scott, Mark Raudabaugh, Richie Jones.  Stay tuned for the final additions PLUS a few surprises at showtime.

I know the holiday season is a busy time for many of us, but I can’t imagine a better way to spend an evening than with friends supporting a great cause AND jamming out to easily one of the most UNIQUE lineups you will see all year.  Mark down the date, get your advance tickets, and we can’t wait to see you then!  HOOT HOOT!!!

Atlanta’s Holiday Hootenanny date change!

26 Aug

That’s right folks, we’re moving the date for the 5th Annual Atlanta’s Holiday Hootenanny ~ A Benefit for Atlanta Habitat for Humanity, to Sunday, December 27 at Terminal West!  There will be more information coming soon regarding the lineup, tickets, and other relevant information.  Meanwhile, enjoy this gem from last year’s edition by Blueground Undergrass, who reunited especially for this night!

Usually at this time of year, we’re rounding the corner for a fall Hoot in mid-late September, but not this time.  While I will miss the fall celebration, and for the first time since 2002 there will be no TDawg festie at Cherokee Farms, it was the right move.  I don’t know if we’ll bring back the Fall Hoot, but I do know that the Holiday Hootenanny will benefit from the extra attention, and it WILL be very much worth your while to mark the date down now if you’re in town, as it’s going to be a doozy!

Stay tuned for a show or two to be added to the fall season but for the most part I’ll be focusing on the Holiday Hoot, and hopefully I’ll see you out at a show in the meanwhile!

On that note, here are a couple of gems happening this week:

THURSDAY, AUGUST 27 – GRAYSON CAPPS @ Eddie’s Attic, 8pm start time

SATURDAY, AUGUST 29 – GEOFF ACHISON & THE SOULDIGGERS @ Eddie’s Attic, 9:30pm

8th Annual Jerry Day ATL 8/2!

29 Jul

2015 JerryDay

We’re only FOUR DAYS out from what promises to be quite an enjoyable journey through some of your favorite Grateful Dead songs as well as some rarely heard gems!  Remember that no song is repeated, so come early and enjoy the air conditioned environment for the music and dining at Stationside Restaurant!  Click Here for Advance Tix! Advance tickets are $30, door price is $40.  Save yourself a few bucks and get your tickets NOW, as we anticipate a strong turnout!

Below is the schedule of bands.  Please note as always schedule is subject to change.

3:00 PM Escape Vehicle
4:00 PM Honeywood
5:00 PM Electric Codpiece
6:00 PM gr8FLdude & frenz
7:00 PM Lefty Williams Band
8:00 PM Charlie Fog Band
9:00 PM Deep Blue Sun
10:00 PM Moontower
11:00 PM Rumpke Mountain Boys