Two Featured Fests For the Last Weekend in May

Thomas Wynn and The Believers play the Briar Patch

Here are a couple of fests to check out this coming weekend!

The Briar Patch Music Festival happens May 29-May 31 in Damascus, Georgia  -- three hours south of Atlanta and about an hour and a half north of Tallahassee, Fl.   It's only $40 for the whole weekend, and that includes primitive camping. Kids 12 and under are free. Single-day passes are $25.

festgrrl has not been to this venue or this gathering before. She highly recommends the headliner, Thomas Wynn and the Believers. Here is who is playing and the details::

·        * Thomas Wynn and the Believers

·        * Rollin' in the Hay

·        * Bo Henry Band

·        * Tony Brook

·        * Evan Barber and the Dead Gamblers

·        * Larry Mitchell Band

·        * Funk You

·        * Bibb City Ramblers

·        * Evergreen Family Band

·        * Wainwright Applegate

·        * Bret Mosley

·        * Bubba Hall

·        * Ben Sutton

·        * Pine Box Dwellers

·        * Biggest Band in the Land

·        * Spong

·        * Rod Holt and the Fractured Souls

·        * Travers Brothership

·        * Mathis Brothers

·        * Lee Lindsey

·        * Lingo

The organizers say: 

"The Briar Patch Music Festival was created in 2010 by Jeb Tabb, Brandon Lovering, and Bo Henry. These natives of Damascus, Ga wanted to better their community through live music with many different genres.

What better way than a festival to accomplish that. In a musical landscape polluted by the same old two or three radio stations with the exact same Nashville pop playlist, the Briar Patch is bringing meaningful, thoughtful, and entertaining music that would otherwise never be heard in this area.

This festival is here to change the culture of South Georgia music by bringing "The Real to the Field". The Briar Patch is located at 13810 Five Bridges Road Damascus, Ga. It embodies all of what you think of in a rural farming community. The stage lies in between cotton, corn, and peanuts field in one of the most peaceful environments to ever see your favorite band perform. Bring a tent, lawn chair, cooler, and have the musical experience of a lifetime."

Tickets are $40 for the weekend, kids 12 and under are free. RV hookups are sold out, but you can bring a camper with a generator.

No glass, fireworks, golf carts/ four-wheelers, or campfires. 

The Randall Bramblett Band plays Finsterfest

Summerville, Georgia is home to the Finster Fest 5/31-6/1. That's about an hour and a half drive north of Atlanta. This fest is a fundraiser for an art garden left behind by the late Southern Folk artist, Howard Finster. Here's who is playing:

·        * Shenandoah

·        * Randall Bramblett Band

·        * The Whiskey Gentry

·        * Travis Denning Band

·        * The Van Lears

·        * Thayer Sarrano

·        * Yankee Slickers

·        * 3 & 20

·        * Tracie Victoria Mattox

·        * True Blue

·        * The Strange

·        * Dennis Brown Trio

·        * Daniel Parrish

This is not a camping fest. So look to this link for places to stay. Here's a little more about the event:

From the organizers: "Paradise Garden Foundation was developed to help raise funds to help successfully revive the site and continue Howard Finster’s inspiring work of inspiring. Our annual fundraising event, Finster Fest, is one of the Southeast’s most popular folk art and music festivals.

What began in 1992 as “Howard Finster Day” in Summerville, Finster Fest has grown into one of the region’s most popular events. Throughout the years, Finster Fest has continued to draw significant artists from all over the country. Howard Finster was a man with many “visions". His art and message had international appeal, drawing thousands from around the world to his Paradise Garden. The Paradise Garden Foundation hopes to continue in Howard’s faith-filled messages with art, and part of those efforts include presenting a community event like no other. Finster Fest 2014 will take place on May 31st and June 1st in Summerville, GA and will feature art and live music in Dowdy Park. Finster Fest will host over 50-juried artists and hundreds of visitors from around the world. We are excited to be bringing to the area a wide spectrum of art, live entertainment, and fabulous food, all in a family-friendly atmosphere.

On Saturday night, May 31st, the Man Of Vision  Aftershow with Randall Bramblett Band, The Whiskey Gentry, and the Travis Denning Band will take place from 5:00 P.M. to 12 am in historic Downtown Summerville on the corner of East Washington and Economy St. The show will feature nationally known musical acts on a professionally assembled stage. Tickets to the concert are $10. 

The Whiskey Gentry  play Finsterfest