TDawg Presents brings you the finest in music that heals the soul and brings life to your life. You KNOW that a TDawg show will always be a solid show!
– Yes Ma’am Family Band feat. Caroline Aiken, Diane Durrett, Donna Hopkins & Liz Melendez
Set 2 (8 – 9:20 PM)
Part I (8 – 8:15) – Jason Carter & Bronwyn Keith-Hynes Fiddle Duo
Part II (8:15 – 8:45) – Jim Lauderdale Bluegrass (Steve Poltz joins)
Part III (8:45 – 9:20) Jim Lauderdale Electric
Live Auction (9:20 – 9:25 PM) – Seth Weiner, our Live Auctioneer
Drums for Count & Rico(9:30-9:40 PM)
Set III (9:50 – 11:30 PM)
Part I (9:50-10:10) – Steve Poltz
Part II (10:10 – 11:30) – Poltz > Oliver Wood > Wood/Rev. Jeff Mosier & Friends
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Folks we are right on the cusp of quite a memorable night of music and collaborations that will leave you wanting more! The silent auction, brought to you by the amazing team at Positive Legacy, will be up and running by no later than Wednesday. There are some great items to bid on! There will also be a link to donate directly to Atlanta Habitat on behalf of the Holiday Hootenanny. This is a wonderful annual event, and I sure hope you can make it! Happy Holidays everyone!
TDawg Presents is excited to announce a partnership with the wonderful non-profit organization Positive Legacy to bring back the silent auction for the Holiday Hootenanny! A staple of the show for many years, it will be nice to have the silent auction back in the mix, as there were always some great items!
Positive Legacy integrates music and service to benefit people and the planet. They provide grants for environmental and humanitarian service projects fueled by the power of music, and they transcend cultural boundaries by attending to the needs and aspirations of the communities where music happens. They create sustainable support through action from musicians and fans. They have worked directly with Cloud 9 on events such as Jam Cruise, String & Sol & Panic En La Playa as well as the kind folks from Mempho, among many other events. We are extremely honored to have them on board with the Holiday Hootenanny!
In addition to Positive Legacy, we welcome back the talents of Seth Weiner, better known these days as “Your Rocktioneer“, calling the live auction for an autographed guitar, signed by everyone participating in Holiday Hootenanny 14!
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TDawg Presents is extremely excited to present its first show of the year on January 10 at the Red Light Cafe! Featuring up and coming band The Wilder Flower, which is fronted by recent Davidson College graduate and fiddlin’ Rhodes Scholar Madeline Dierauf and banjoist Molly Johnson, the night kicks off with a set of music by well-seasoned ATL bluegrass musicians Leah Calvert on fiddle, Michael Smith on mandolin, and Ian Newberry on guitar. Fireworks are going to happen by the end of the night! We hope that you can make it out for this incredible evening and the first TDawg Presents show of 2026!
Tickets CLICK HERE ~ ADV: $30 Gen Adm – $40 Res // Day of Show: $45 Gen Adm – $55 Res.
We are thrilled to announce that Bronwyn Keith-Hynesis joining the Holiday Hootenanny lineup! Sparks
are sure to fly in the musical vortex that is the Holiday Hootenanny, as Bronwyn teams up with her husband, fiddler Jason Carter throughout the evening! The complete lineup is below:
Here’s a fun clip from 2018 featuring an on-fire Orange Blossom Special featuring Larry Keel, Jason Carter, Lyndsay Pruett, John Mailander & Jeff Mosier!
Get Off The Grid Fest – an earthly community fair for renewable energy, sustainable lifestyle and brilliant homegrown music – launches its CD at LEJ Recordings in Ellijay, GA Thursday, April 27th.
You are invited to tune in online on Thursday and come on out and get off the grid with us August 18-20! After the launch party, the CDs will be on sale at www.getoffthegridfest.com.The CDs are your ticket to Get Off The Grid Fest.
Bill Fleming and LBJ Recordings’ Michael Cornett host the launch starting at 4:20 pm until whenever. Get Off The Grid Fest will livestream and podcast the event featuring all 19 songs on the CD along with personal experiences in getting off the grid. CLICK HERE FOR THE LIVE STREAM LINK!
Inspired by the cosmic event of the Aug. 21st 2017 total solar eclipse, across America dozens of musicians, artists, song writers and sound engineers have aligned to create this collection of original songs acknowledging the importance of our sun and of our planet in sustaining life.
Artists include: Bill Fleming – Gonna Get Off The Grid and Sun and Moon Jason Kenny, Fern Cook, Seth Livengood – Make a
Mountain of My Mind Joyce Brookshire – Love Crisis John Cable and Billy Gewin – The Levee Clay Maselle – Gold in Their Souls George Eckard – Bury Me in My SUV Joanne Steele – Honor the Atmosphere Bobby Don Bloodworth – Woody Come Back Mikhail – Sunshine Aviva – Clap for Food Quality Elise Witt – Only Love Will Do Trey Gibbs – Reboot the System Craig Rafuse – According to the Planets Heidi Pollyea – Toccoa River Tom Ferguson – Love Law B. J. Wilbanks – In This Life Michael Cornett – Rejoice Terry Garthwaite – Shine On
Fall is in full swing folks, and we’re thrilled to be a part of so many great offerings this week and weekend! The 2nd Annual Oakhurst Porchfest and our second appearance with the Little Five Arts Alive initiative sponsored by the Horizon Theatre Company are both right around the corner. Throw in a couple of unique concerts at the Red Light Cafe that truly showcase the breadth of talent and legend in this great state of Georgia and you have yourself a full week of activities! Come witness a special opening set by our namesake, leader, and a living music legend Frank Hamiltonas he opens the evening on Thursday, October 6, for the iconic, soulful songwriter/musician Caroline Aiken. It’s his first appearance as part of our concert series so come on out for this special treat!
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We’re celebrating our brand new non-profit status by offering discounts to our first 50 inaugural FHS members. Join now to save twice: once on membership, and then again when you take a class.
When you become a member, you help the Frank Hamilton School create education programs that foster face-to-face community, bring generations together, and make music education available to children who would not otherwise have access to it. With your contribution, we can offer more classes, more levels of instruction, as well as reach out farther into the community. Click Herefor complete information!
Oakhurst Porchfest SAT OCT 8! Folks we are excited to be a part of one of the most enjoyable community events around! Music takes over porches and yards in our grand Oakhurst neighborhood, and trust me there is something for everyone! The Frank Hamilton School will be performing Noon-1PM at the Oakhurst Baptist Church, 222 East Lake Dr., Decatur 30030, in their beautiful courtyard. Expect a rousing performance by teachers and students!
We will be in Findley Plaza in the heart of Little Five Points on Sunday, October 9 from 3-5 PM, so come on out and enjoy some tunes. You can also pick up a ukulele and join in! I was strumming along last time myself! Little Five Arts Alive is a wonderful community initiative in its first year, and as it wraps up the following weekend, it will be fun to grow with this program as well! Sending a big THANK YOU out to the Horizon Theatre Company as well for their support of this community event! It will be fun to collaborate with that fine organization as well!
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THANK YOU for your continued support as the Frank Hamilton School continues to strengthen and grow the legs on which the foundation of the school is built! We hope that you can become a member, volunteer, and/or a class participant down the road. Exciting times ahead!
Big news folks ~ The Frank Hamilton School is officially recognized as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, and we are thrilled about what this will mean for both our development as a music school that includes the WHOLE community and the opportunities we can create as well as participate in. On the heels of a very successful term-ending concert by the students and seeing such a level of satisfaction by all in the room at that time, obtaining 501(c)(3) status is a wonderful continuance of all that is right about what The Frank Hamilton School stands for. Thanks to everyone for the support we have received to this point as we near one full year of operations, and we hope that you can join us for classes beginning Sept 27 or one of our upcoming events (see below) over the next month! Please visit http://frankhamiltonschool.org for event listings and complete information on registration!
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On Sunday afternoon, September 25 from 3-5 PM (typo on the poster), the Frank Hamilton School is excited to be a part of first-year series of performances encouraging all forms of performing arts for Little Five Arts Alive! Supported by the Horizon Theatre, L5AA has become a wonderful part of what is Little Five Points – an eclectic and arts oriented community that embraces street performing. We will be providing some instruments if you’d like to join in and realize that you, too, can play! We’ll be situated in the heart of Little Five Points on the corner of Euclid Ave. and Moreland in Findley Plaza. Come on down and enjoy!
On Sunday, October 9, FHS will again perform in Findley Plaza as a part of the Little Five Arts Alive program from 2:30-4:30 PM, and we look forward to future opportunities!
Next week at the Red Light Cafe, the Frank Hamilton School is proud to bring two stellar concerts to you featuring some of the finest, most soulful songwriters and musicians you’ll come across. Expect the real deal blues – raw, genuine passion combined with amazing guitar play and a special guest or two is just the right formula!
On August 30, Australian blues guitar virtuoso and gifted songwriter Geoff Achison will be joined on stage by pedal steel guru Bill Fleming (pictured here at TDawg’s Back Porch Hootenanny in April 2015) for an incredible evening of interplay with perhaps a sit-in. This will be Geoff’s final performance in the Atlanta area until next spring, so come see for yourself why he is one our adopted “hometown” gems.
The beginning of September starts up with a concert featuring two of the most gifted southern songwriters in Donna Hopkins and Daniel Hutchens. Donna digs deep into her Alabama/Georgia roots for an incredibly soulful performance. While being the frontman for critically acclaimed Athens, GA-based Bloodkin, Hutchens also has penned many songs for Widespread Panic over the years and has co-written with the likes of Jerry Joseph. His latest release (Feb 2016) titled “The Beautiful Vicious Cycle of Life” was produced by Widepsread Panic bassist Dave Schools and features all originals. It is his first solo-release in 10 years. This show truly combines two amazing musicians in a wonderfully intimate environment. Nights like this don’t happen too often!
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Sunday, September 4 ~ The Frank Hamilton School will perform a special set on the Community Bandstand Stage at the Decatur Book Festival from Noon-12:45 PM. The Book Festival is a Labor Day tradition here in Decatur and is one of the largest of its kind in the nation. Spread the word, come on out, and bring your instrument, too!
This week marks a big step towards our commitment to the development of The Frank Hamilton School in the greater Atlanta community as we hold court for the unforeseeable future at our new location, Oakhurst Baptist Church, in Decatur! The next six-week term commences tomorrow, Tuesday, April 19th. Our new address will be:
Oakhurst Baptist Church
222 E. Lake Drive
Decatur, GA
30030
Register for classes at FrankHamiltonSchool.org – or join us Tuesday night for our first class. Classes are available in Guitar Levels 1-3, Banjo, Fiddle, Ukulele, Mandolin, Vocal Harmony.
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Check out this wonderful interview with Frank Hamilton conducted by Boyd Baker of the Good Gracious Show on his podcast. We had a great time talking at the Kavarna Coffeehouse in Oakhurst just about three weeks ago – Boyd is a true patron for the arts and we appreciate his taking the time to sit down with Frank and me! He’s always on the lookout for unique contributors to the greater Atlanta community.
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May is filling up with activities for the Frank Hamilton School! Please see below for festival, concert series, and house concert dates!
Well we had quite a HUGE time this past weekend – friends gathered that span the entire era of HarvestFest (and before!) and the Back Porch Hootenanny movement, creating for me an emotional and joyous occasion that everyone from loyal Hootenannigans to the musicians, staff, volunteers, and Smokey & Debbie simply couldn’t get enough of! I know that I shed many a tear over the course of the weekend, as it did mark the end of an era that involved a great investment of heart & soul, not just by me but by everyone who has been along for the journey. The Hootenanny instills a family energy that will sustain and serve as a springboard for the next chapter at Cherokee Farms involving the Frank Hamilton School. I ask that you please continue to follow and support FHS, as it will serve as a catalyst for continuing to bring great music to the community through concerts and public events music education.
Ralph Roddenbery Band
I know I say it every time but the music was REALLY off the charts, knocking the bar way off already high expectations! Every set was extremely special, and they all featured sit ins by fellow musicans, which made for very spontaneous moments of musical ecstasy. There were so many highlights it’s hard to single out even a couple of them – Blackberry Possum kicked it off right on Friday night under the stars and the largest Friday night attendance yet. From the first notes on Saturday with Smokey’s Farmland Band and through the entire day’s performances from the MOMS All-Stars, The Rickety Crickets, The Ain’t Sisters, Ralph Roddenbery Band,
Donna Hopkins & Friends
Brian Ashley Jones, Caroline Aiken, Donna Hopkins, Rev. Jeff Mosier and finally Strung Like A Horse to close it out, the energy one felt throughout Cherokee Farms was unlike anything I’ve experienced before. THANK YOU from the bottom and top of my heart for the music, friendship & LOVESTORM that transpired.
I was particularly caught off guard by a little ceremony that occurred prior to introducing Strung Like A Horse and featured the dedicated Hootenanny staff, volunteers & people who have been a part since 1998. If you have a few minutes, I recommend you watch the video below courtesy of my friend Jessi 😉 :
Two big THANK YOU’s right now – the first to Beth & Randy Judy, life friends and creators of Suwannee SpringFest and MagnoliaFest down at The Spirit of the Suwannee Music Park in Live Oak, FL. Without their inspiration in the mid/late 90’s with the inaugural Sunshine Daydream Weekend (became MagnoliaFest), I don’t know if I would have ever meandered down the crazy path that is the music business and festival industry. Their vision is my vision, as music farmers growing fresh sounds for the ear with amazingly talented musicians. I love y’all to the moon and back, as do many many others!
The second THANK YOU goes to Roy, Rebecca & Dave, who are the masterminds behind High Sierra Music Festival in Quincy, CA and DelFest in Cumberland, MD. They joined forces with TDawg Presents in 2001, and we were able to continue the magic that was Blue Ridge HarvestFest, taking the festival from a popular regional festival to one of national stature. Unfortunately the hurricanes from 2001-2005 won the battle, but the magic produced despite the setbacks was unrivaled, and it was a fantastic experience to host Bob Weir & Ratdog and John Prine, among many, many others. I love what High Sierra has continued to do through the years and hope our paths will cross once again!
On that note, I hope you can make it out Thursday night for the third installment of the Frank Hamilton School Concert Series featuring Dangermuffin at the Red Light Cafe! Showtime is 10PM, and trust me when I tell you that these fine fellas from Folly Beach, SC will simply blow your mind with their of level of talent and amazing instrumentation.
The forecast for Friday and Saturday is a beautiful one! We can’t wait for the music to start up on Friday night! We hope you can come on Friday, as we have Wildman Steve’s band, Blackberry Possum, kicking off the weekend high energy jamgrass and some special guests throughout. These fellas are highly skilled and will blow your mind. They’ll do two long sets so get ready! Bring your hammocks, too, as we’ll have some edge domes set up for your enjoyment, not to mention the jungle gym effect 😉 This is really going to be a fun weekend with friends and family, and the music is going to be off the chains!
The primary goal of a TDawg’s Back Porch Hootenanny has never been about bringing in the headliner that draws the big crowd – it’s about the extremely high quality of musicians and those in attendance joining forces for a incredible experience that leaves you happily decompressed from the rigors of your daily lives. You always leave with a new band in your head and memories of unique combinations of the participating musicians.
Below is the schedule for the weekend.
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SCHEDULE
SHED STAGE, FRI APRIL 1
8:30PM – 11:30PM > Blackberry Possum
SHED STAGE, SAT APRIL 2
Noon – 1:20PM > Smokey’s Farmland Band
2:10PM – 3:40PM > The Rickety Crickets
4:35PM – 6:05PM > Ralph Roddenbery Band
7:00PM – 8:30PM > Caroline Aiken
9:25PM – 10:55PM > Rev. Jeff Mosier & Friends
11:25PM – 1:00AM > Strung Like A Horse
MOMS/GRATEFUL FRED STAGE, SAT APRIL 2
1:25PM – 2:10PM > MOMS Jam
3:45PM – 4:30PM > The Ain’t Sisters
6:10PM – 6:55PM > Brian Ashley Jones
8:35PM – 9:20PM > Donna Hopkins & Friends
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Below is the video (filmed at Cherokee Farms no less!) for Gypsy Jane by Strung Like A Horse. Enjoy!
Oakhurst Porchfest SAT OCT 8! Folks we are excited to be a part of one of the most enjoyable community events around! Music takes over porches and yards in our grand Oakhurst neighborhood, and trust me there is something for everyone! The Frank Hamilton School will be performing Noon-1PM at the 
Big news folks ~ 
8/30 – Geoff Achison w/ Bill Fleming, 
Sunday, September 4 ~ The Frank Hamilton School will perform a special set on the Community Bandstand Stage at the 
TDawg Presents 