As I’ve intimated in this forum before, a meticulous, minute-by-minute plan for Bragg Jam is essentially worthless, but you do have to do some sort of planning or else you’ll be lost, doomed to wander through the whispered asides of history with the likes of Amelia Earhart, Jimmy Hoffa, and the Roanoke Colony.
“Did you hear about So-And-So? He never even looked at the schedule and wandered aimlessly up and down Cherry St. for hours. He was never able to decide which door to open and eventually just imploded into a tiny globule of dejected confusion. He was last seen tumbling down a city sewer alongside a cold pizza crust and a lost flip flop. Some say his spirit lingers on in Bond Swamp, haunting floaters on the Ocmulgee who miss their exit point.”
<GASP> “Bless her heart.”
Here’s the (very vague) plan so far:
3:00 to 5:15: I’m going to do my best to see Atria at Taste & See, Sean Solo at 5/4 Music Space, Jade Poppyfield at Fresh Produce Records, and Elroy Love at the Brick. That’s an incredibly ambitious start, and I might be setting a dangerous pace for myself. But, these are all locals (or local-ish), and they’re worth the early entrance onto the streets.
[DISCLAIMER: The next portion of the post is biased - possibly even fake news - for I am a part of the act mentioned within]
5:30 to 7:30: Widow Pills is opening up the night at the historic Grant’s Lounge. Question: What do you get when you put Merle Haggard, Paul Westerberg, Roky Erickson, an industrial sized bucket of Play-Doh, and some homemade likker into a blender and set on liquefy? You get Widow Pills.
[This is the point in the night when things get sweaty and hazy. As twilight descends, hunger competes with the desire to pack in as much music as possible]
7:30-10:00: All bets are off here. My first venue is going to be the pizza place with the shortest, least aggressive line. Then I’ll stop into the nearest show in earshot and check it out. Later, I’ll find my way to the Pylon Reenactment Society set. It’s a not-to-miss re-creation of the legendary Athens band’s music, led by original front-woman Vanessa Hay.
[This is the magic hour of Bragg Jam. Dehydration and intoxication are rampant. Crowds lurch steadily but unhurriedly. Eyes begin to glaze over]
10:00-12:00: I’m going to head to the Capitol Theatre for the close of Twin Peaks’ set, and I’ll definitely make my way up close for White Denim. Both of these bands put out records that were near the top of my list last year, and White Denim’s last record, Stiff, is full of the kind of music that’ll make you wanna take your shirt off and go yell at nothing in particular while high-kicking the air around you. In short, it’s the perfect soundtrack to get ready for the midnight Bragg Jam ultimatum, also known as the point of no return.
[At this juncture, you must choose. Should you stay, or should you go? If you’re full of energy, you’re golden, just like Pony Boy’s bleached daydreams. If you’re wavering, indecisive, or anything slightly less than completely committed, you’re a zombie, Cinderellla]
12:00-2:00: If I wind up on the former path, I’ll be in the audience for Cult of Riggonia at Fresh Produce Records. If it’s the latter, I’ll be at home snuggling my dogs with a Brian Eno record on the turntable. Only time will tell. I’ll see y’all out there.
