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!
The countdown is ON, with just eight days remaining to pure musical ecstasy supporting a wonderful cause and dedicated to a musician so revered by so many. Y’all this edition has been a seven month process on several levels of comprehension, and those who are fortunate to attend will certainly feel that energy. Songs are being exchanged amongst the musicians, potential set lists are forming, and yes, there will be some surprises!
Please welcome the talented saxophone player Bryan Lopes and trumpet extraordinaire Joey “Papa J” Sommerville to the lineup. I first saw Bryan perform over 20 years ago with Jeff Sipe, Count M’Butu and Ricky Keller at Smith’s Olde Bar, performing in an avant-garde sort of way. Both Papa J and Madrid Express trombonist Daniel Wytanis participated in the Hampton70 Concert at the Fox Theatre in May, and rest assured this trio of horn players will tear it up with Jim Lauderdale and within the Zambi Jam Finale in addition to wherever else it makes sense! Needless to say we’re looking forward to what promises to be an incredibly special night of music!
The schedule is as follows:
6:00 PM ~ Doors Open, Silent Auction open until 11:15 PM
6:45 PM – 7:45 PM ~ Ralph Roddenbery & Friends
8:15 PM – 9:15 PM ~ Jim Lauderdale
9:45 PM – 10:45 PM ~ ZambiGrass Jam, featuring Jeff Mosier, Larry Keel, Nick DiSebastian, Bobby Miller, Jared Womack(Live Auction begins)
11:15 PM – 12:30 AM ~ Zambi Jam Finale, featuring Jeff Mosier, Count M’Butu, Johnny Knapp, The Madrid Express, Zambi Horns & special guests!
I can’t implore upon you enough what it means to have your support of the Holiday Hootenanny, Atlanta Habitat, and a love for great music. Get a sitter, drop what you’re doing, and just come on! You will be thankful that you made that decision. Below is Jim Lauderdale from last year’s edition performing Headed For The Hills – enjoy!
I attended the Oakhurst Neighborhood Association meeting yesterday evening and really enjoyed both introducing myself and delivering the message that is the commitment of Frank Hamilton School to some individuals who truly care about community. Attendees were encouraged to come by and check out the School on a Tuesday evening and experience a lesson and the bonding Second Half. I encourage y’all to do the same! 7 PM group lessons, 8 PM Second Half at Oakhurst Baptist Church. Visit the Frank Hamilton School website for complete information about classes, volunteering, and news!
The Frank Hamilton School will be participating in the following events from mid-August through Labor Day Weekend, beginning with this weekend. Stay tuned for more We are thrilled that everyone has been so receptive and welcoming towards us, and we’re only just beginning to plant our roots!
Friday, August 12 ~ Frank Hamilton & Friends performing as part of the Pre-Fest Jam at Mojo Pizza N’ Pub, 657 East Lake Dr., from 5-7 PM. There’s a nice little stage in there, the food and beverages are outstanding, and it’s an extremely family friendly environment, so come on out and enjoy some music from Frank and a few of his fellow teachers in addition to some delicious food and drink!
Sunday, September 4 ~ The Frank Hamilton School will perform a special set on the Community Bandstand Stage at the Decatur Book Festivalfrom 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!
The Frank Hamilton School Concert Series continues with two evenings showcasing the blues and soulful Southern songwriting at the Red Light Cafe. You don’t want to miss either one!
Acclaimed songwriter Martha Scanlan (from Reeltime Travelers), Sun May 14 in a backyard concert setting! Complete information Click Here!
Beautiful weather is forecast for this weekend in Atlanta with highs in the 70’s and low 80’s, so don’t be bashful about getting on out and enjoying community, exercise, or whatever floats your boat! If the masses at Shaky Knees Festival in Centennial Park aren’t your thing, there are some fun options in which The Frank Hamilton School are participating, and they’re FUN!
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Saturday May 14
Kirkwood Spring Fling FREE – We will be located at the entrance to the festival on Kirkwood Dr., come visit us! 20 minute performances featuring Frank Hamilton will happen at Noon, 1 PM & 2 PM. There will be one more performance at 3:30 PM featuring contributions from the music community. Please visit the website for complete information including directions, live music offerings, food vendors, etc. It’s a wonderful local event! Come on out y’all!
Tucker Day FREE – Frank will head from the Kirkwood Spring Fling straight on over to Tucker Day, happening just east of Decatur on Main St. between Lawrenceville Highway and Lavista Rd. (dead-ends into Tucker High School). Frank will be performing in the Food Court Tent at the 1st Ave./Main St. intersection from 3:30 PM-4:15 PM. Another wonderful local festival!
~ Gate opens 5 PM, Showtime 6 PM. BYOB, bring a chair, bring a grillable if you like, some apps will be available but feel free to contribute! Bring your instrument for some after show jamming!
On behalf of The Frank Hamilton School, TDawg Presents is excited to bring you the acclaimed and gifted songrwrtier Martha Scanlan, formerly from the Reeltime Travelers, for a Sunday backyard gathering. This concert is a benefit for the Frank Hamilton School, so come on out and support a wonderful cause while witnessing magic on the stage with Martha’s presence. Martha hasn’t been around these parts very much in recent years so this will be a special performance!
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.
We’re just over a week out from the final Back Porch Hootenanny, and it is going to be an amazing time had by all, from the musicians to staff & volunteers to the patrons who have supported the Hootenannies all these years and HarvestFest before that! We all WANT to be there. The music will be continuous, first from the stage and carrying over to the late night acoustic jams! We will celebrate all that has been, that has brought an amazing group of individuals together to form an extra special potpourri of family and friends for so many years already and for the unforeseeable future. The message of bringing together community through music via TDawg Presents events doesn’t end; there is simply a change of venue in the Frank Hamilton School that will continue the trend of outstanding performances and on a more regular basis! Meanwhile, HOOOOOOOOOOTENANNY y’all!!!
Y’all we’re going to have a fantastic time of it in just TWO weekends! There is some great energy in the air around this last edition of TDawg’s Back Porch Hootenanny; I am so very thankful for having the opportunity to be an enabler of such amazing music with soooo many amazing musicians and like-minded individuals, as both groups have continued to support these wonderful small festies over the years and that is what has kept the spirit alive. Small festivals are becoming a thing of the past, I feel, so come experience why they’re so special! The journey will certainly continue in the new position as Director for Concerts, Community Outreach & Development for the Frank Hamilton School!
Scroll down for a great raw clip from Hootenannies past of Ralph Roddenbery on stage backed by the grooves of the Atlanta’s own Moontower.
Advance tickets are on sale NOW for both FRI-SAT and SAT ONLY (both include camping) – SAT day passes can be purchased on site only, and there will be NO FRIDAY ONLY passes available. As usual, NO DOGS ALLOWED, BYOB (& food if you’d like), and LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR!
We are only about THREE WEEKS OUT (April 1-2) from the biggest little blow out you’ve ever witnessed, should you be there. I’ve had a few contemplative moments over the last few weeks as I begin a new journey that is currently overlapping with my passion of the past 18 years. Come the time of the Back Porch Hoot Wrap Party, I feel only celebration and not sadness as I move forward with a life’s worth of experiences in only the first half of my time here. The musicians assembled for TDawg’s Back Porch Hootenanny #19 represent the beginning of HarvestFest, my time being involved with the Atlanta Dogwood Festival, and the Back Porch Hootenanny era. We are all excited to go down the road one more time as a Hoot, and you can rest assured the midnight Hootenanny Battlecry on Saturday night will be a true Howlin’ At The Moon experience!
Every note will reciprocate the appreciation from the audience, regardless of whether they’re listening from the front of the stage, out in the field with your family in warm sunlight, under the tent where the shade is nice, or from your campsite. The jams continuing into the night will be energetic and soothing to the soul as they always are. The large bonfire burns to what seems like an eternity, creating a mesmerizing and meandering flow of yellow and orange flames, while smaller and equally inviting fires sprout up in the darkness, often accompanied by the sound of music being made. I, for one, am really looking forward to celebrating what first HarvestFest and then the Hootenannies have done to bring together so many family and friends.
We had a great week last week at the Frank Hamilton School! Check out this great article that James Kelly wrote in the Atlanta Creative Loafing edition out now! Many thanks for the push as we move forward in our journey to become an integral part of the musical DNA of the greater Atlanta area.
Please consider coming out Tuesday evening to Epworth United Methodist Church (across from Candler Park) for the start of our next term (6 sessions for $100) – you’ll be glad you did! We will be featuring Guitar I & II, Banjo, Mandolin, Ukulele, Fiddle & Vocals…there’s something for everyone! It really doesn’t matter what level you are, and if you’re shy about playing with others then this is your ticket. Please visit http://frankhamiltonschool.org for more information, and we hope to see you on Tuesday, February 23!
The opening concert of the Frank Hamilton Concert Series on Thursday night with Jeff Mosier starting the festivities followed by The Georgia Crackers was an amazing experience that was fitting for a kick-off celebration, and we had a great crowd for the festivities! Below are some videos that highlight how wonderful the evening really was. The first video features Jeff Mosier performing the classic John Hartford tune made famous by Glenn Campbell, “Gentle On My Mind”. The next song is performed by The Georgia Crackers, and the last couple of videos feature Jeff joining on stage with the spoons. Great stuff! Hope you enjoy!
We hope to see y’all out on March 3 for our next concert at the Red Light Cafe, featuring Atlanta’s own Hair of the Dog! Great Cajun music with a twist of pedal steel thrown in for good measure. You’re sure to leave a fan! Advance tickets are available for purchase, $10 Adv/$12 door. Please let your friends know, show starts at 8pm!
SAT day passes can be purchased on site only, and there will be NO FRIDAY ONLY passes available. Kids 12&under are admitted FREE. Ages 13-16 $20 at gate. As usual, NO DOGS ALLOWED, BYOB (& food if you’d like), and LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR!
TDawg Presents is thrilled to bring you a true family reunion for this 19th and final installment of TDawg’s Back Porch Hootenanny, April 1-2 at Cherokee Farms! The Hoots have always been about a special relationship between musicians, patrons, and Cherokee Farms – such an idyllic setting for some incredibly intimate and phenomenal music. You can expect some fantastic collaborations, bonfire jams, and a welcome jolt to the spring that you need!
The 2016 lineup is almost complete, but here is the list to date. I hope to have the complete lineup within the next two weeks.
Let’s go out in style with one, y’all. Everyone is excited to be a part, and it promises to be a period of non-stop fun! PLEASE spread the good word – invite your friends through FB, word-of-mouth, however you can. HOOOOOOOOOOOOOOTENANNY!!!