Let Your Love Affair with Macon Music Begin!

Bragg Jam! Bragg Jam! Bragg Jam! With Shuga D and Mom on the board of directors, that’s all I’ve been hearing around here. Well, it’s here. Finally! And maybe our house can somehow soon get back to normal (whatever that may be) when it’s all over.

You can find all of the complete details on Bragg Jam Festival 2009 at www.braggjam.org. And visit the site, because not only did Mom bust her tail in helping create it this year, but there is a rockin’ jukebox on the home page that constantly plays a different rotation of Bragg Jam artists. Take a joy break and jam for a while. You can also go to the Concert Crawl page and download the official Bragg Jam sampler. All the goodies are there . . . local heroes Floco Torres, Al K!ing, City Council, Oh Dorian, Rolybots and more, plus our upcoming visitors . . . Cracker, Afromotive, T-Bird and the Breaks and more. There are also links to all of the artists’ websites.

2009 is the 10^th year for Bragg Jam and what an incredible long, strange trip it’s already been – and we’re not even to the signature events yet! As a Bragg Jam board member, volunteer and chair of marketing, Mom’s work with this year’s festival has been supersized. Heck, in addition to public relations, website, social media, print collateral and all things that fall under the marketing umbrella . . . she even cleaned the urinals at 580 Cherry Street, site of the Yuengling Stage that is being operated by Bragg Jam. It’s a sign of the times and the gauge of just how much this festival has grown. And although she and Shuga are worn out (they were both at 41 WMGT this morning at 5:45 a.m. for an interview!), every little bit has been a beautiful and exciting thing (especially Muddy Brown, the Ocmulgee Swamp Ape and Bragg Jam's new best friend). Here’s what Mom said when she was recently asked why she does it:

I've lived an entire life in the shadow of Macon's music past. This festival is Macon music's present. It's about creating and nurturing a sense of pride in our community. It's about honoring that musical past while creating and inspiring an entirely new and diverse scene that we can all share. This is my contribution to supporting local music and our shared community. Bragg Jam showcases our own artists, brings in new artists and exposes our audience to music they might not have heard before. It gives people a reason to come to Macon. It gives Macon a reason to show off. I can't think of any better way to show my sincere love and appreciation for Macon music - past, present and future. And thanks to the Bragg family and the founders of this festival, we've all been inspired to be a part of something special.

So there you have it. Bragg Jam is far more than open containers (which by the way, thank you Macon City Council for proving how our community can work together!). It's about creating a place we can all be proud of. Maybe, just maybe, Bragg Jam is our bridge to a a real deal entertainment district. In the meantime, as the hold lady says, please enjoy the music.

And it's why you might not hear from me and Mom for the next couple of days. Friday is the Patron Party and Music Auction. Saturday is the free Geico Arts & Kids on the Ocmulgee Heritage Trail, and Saturday evening is the Concert Crawl featuring 40 bands at eight different venues. Sunday, of course, will be Mom and Shuga D’s well-deserved day of rest.

Macon, make it worth it. This is your chance to show us what you’ve got. Bring it back to where it all began . . . and take us to the next level.

Peace. Love. And all things Macon music!

Candy Lou, Mom and Shuga D.