Eddie’s Attic put Decatur on the map in terms of the national folk/acoustic music scene. I adore Eddie’s and I consider myself spoiled by the quality of shows there — I’ve been known to slip out of the house and up to Eddie’s on a Wednesday night to sit in a corner in the back with a beer, enjoy the heck out of a show, and be home by 9:45. I’m excited to see what the new owners might do with the space, and I am thrilled that Eddie Owen’s renewed involvement will ensure that the Attic will continue to honor the purpose it has served in support of national touring artists.

There is little room on its busy stage, however, for the many accomplished musicians we have homegrown right here. When I was an Agnes Scott student, Eddie was still a bartender at the Trackside, where I would go to hear the likes of local artists such as the Indigo Girls, Kristin Hall, and Michelle Malone. I loved it there, and I also loved going across the street to the Freight Room to hear folks like Cyndi Craven and Tom Wolf, two Atlanta acoustic mainstays who still perform in the area.

Those days are long gone, but still there is something about Decatur that wants to clear a space for the incredible muslcal talent that’s being cultivated right here at home. We are crawling with great music. It’s just a little hard to find sometimes.

It’s not so hard, though, on Tuesday nights. An actual local music scene is taking root right around the center of the city. Thinking back to a suggestion in John Kessler’s recent piece on Decatur’s dining scene that a wonderful, leisurely evening might be made of exploring the terrific culinary options the city has to offer, wouldn’t it be fun if a similar set of musical riches were to emerge?

Maybe we are well on our way. Three venues, all within a half-mile of one another around the square, are now hosting lively sessions on Tuesday nights. At these places you can find some of the best musical talent Atlanta has to offer. It’s well worth taking one night to explore all three, or to spread the joy over three weeks. Who knows? You might even find yourself setting aside your Tuesday evenings to walk up to the square and hear some music in a relaxed, comfortable setting. None of these are “open jams” or “open mics;” each promises — or even exceeds — performances that you would hear on a professional stage. Are you ready for a quick tour?

Twain’s Jazz Jam

Joe Gransden kicked off his Tuesday night jams at Twain’s Billiards and Tap on Trinity in April 2008, and it didn’t take long for this session to gain a reputation as one of the best jazz jams in Atlanta. Joe is well known in Atlanta and especially Decatur as a trumpeter and band leader par excellence, and his Tuesday nights at Twain’s draw some incredible local talent, including regulars pianist Tyrone Jackson, bassist Craig Shaw, drummer Chris Burroughs, trombone player Wes Funderburk . . . the list just goes on and on. Mosey in around 9:00, order a beer, then sit back and prepare to be blown away for several hours by the stunning musicianship on that stage. Here’s an example — a nearly nine-minute take on “Caravan” featuring Clarence Johnson on sax, Wes Funderburk on trombone, Tyrone Jackson on keys, Craig Shaw on bass, and Chris Burroughs on drums.

Marlay House Celtic Jam

If you’re called to something a little more Celtic, then jig on down to the Marlay House on Ponce for the terrific Irish sessions with, yes indeed, some of the best Celtic and acoustic players the Atlanta area has to offer. This jam, which gets rolling around 8 p.m., has been a lively weekly event since about 2009. Members of the Buddy O’Reilly Band (well known for their leading role in Atlanta’s Celtic Christmas performance), and renowned traditional players such as Moira Nelligan (fiddle player and vocalist) and Tim Cape (fiddle), Barbara Panter and Whit Connah of Hair of the Dog, and a host of other accomplished musicians circle ’round in a generous front corner booth and play unplugged. Sometimes the Irish step dancers put in an appearance, too. Later into the evening, around 10 or 10:30, the music strays from its traditional Irish bent into American old-time, swing, blues, even Cajun. Find a table near the front for a good spot to watch and listen. Here’s a segment that WPBA produced on the Marlay House jam not long ago.

Java Monkey’s Tuesday Night String Club

A Marlay House session may leave you wanting to more fully explore Decatur’s acoustic offerings. Hie thee off, then, to Java Monkey on Church Street, for the Tuesday Night String Club. Since January 2010, here have gathered some of the area’s most accomplished songwriters and players, who bring out their guitars, ukuleles, mandolins, cellos — there’s even a concertina and a piano pretty regularly — for an evening of showcases, collaborations, experimentations, and playing for the pure pleasure of it. Among the regulars are local favorites Ben Wakeman, Cyndi Craven, Ashley Filip, Billy Gewin, Bruce Gilbert, Bob Bakert, Jerry Brunner, Lindsay Petsch, Daniel Lipton, and Atlanta newcomer and former Nitty Gritty Dirt Band member, John Cable. Take your glass of wine or brew and your hunk of Southern Sweets cake out onto the patio and settle in with this intrepid and entertaining gang. Here’s a sampling of a few minutes of a recent Tuesday Night String Club evening, featuring John Cable, Lindsay Petsch, and Daniel Lipton.

 

Director of the Little 5 Points Music Center, Phil Sims, writes in with details about the Center’s August expansion to Decatur.

Decatur is quickly becoming a mecca for arts and arts education, welcoming in August the opening of the Decatur Music Center— the second location in a growing network of community music schools in Atlanta. Located on E Howard Avenue, next to the Decatur School of Ballet, the Decatur Music Center offers music lessons, classes, summer camps, educational workshops and performance opportunities for children and adults interested in classical, jazz, rock, folk and experimental music, as well as musical theater and video production. Currently, more than 350 students, beginners through pre-professionals, are enrolled at the organization’s start up location in Little Five Points.

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Carl sends in this interesting YouTube video of Guitar Red, which seems to be part of a series of his thoughts on various topics.

But be forewarned, the language is rather colorful…

Also, found this Oct. 30th announcement on his MySpace page…”Guitar Red is getting radio spins in Georgia, Virginia, and THE NETHERLANDS! Guitar Red is also Decatur Cd’s Number one Seller this Week!”

Cool!

From the Emory Wheel…

“If Bob Elphin has his way, Decatur could be a household name. Last month Elphin, the owner of Eddie’s Attic, a small music venue based in this Atlanta suburb, teamed up with Crawford Communications, an Atlanta production and broadcast company, and began work on a TV pilot that the two hope will convince media outlets to back the creation of a syndicated television show featuring live performances at the Attic.

For the Attic’s first foray into television, Elphin began by reaching out to regular venue performers like Shawn Mullins, Caroline Herring and Kitty Snyder, Telegram and the Everybody Fields, asking them to play a filmed performance for the pilot. Although these artists may not be big names, Elphin said in an interview with the Wheel that they have “a real understanding of [what] Eddie’s Attic is and have a real desire to help us be successful.”

According to the article, owner Bob Elphin is also working with Georgia Public Broadcasting to put together a monthly radio show from the Attic, in addition to looking at the possibilities of internet radio.

Folk and children’s music singer John McCutcheon has packed his bags and moved from Charlottesville, Virginia to the edge Decatur, GA. Charlottesville’s “The Hook” weekly newspaper morns the loss.

“Atlanta feels like it has a really interesting, dynamic, working musical community,” he says. “The best acoustic venue is five minute from my house.”

That would be Eddie’s Attic, a listening room favored by Sugarland, who have also asked about collaborating with McCutcheon. It seems he’s already started to find his place there.

Sure enough, a show in December has him playing at a benefit concert in a local high school. “I remember going to play at my kids’ elementary school, and they had a big poster over the stage that said ‘Welcome Will and Peter’s Dad.’ And I thought, ‘That’s who I am here.’”

If you’re looking to see McCutcheon in performance, his webpage says that he’ll be performing at Druid Hills High School on Dec. 16th.