Macon Magazine

Ten years removed from its humble beginning, Bragg Jam has grown to be one of Georgia’s premier music festivals with more than 38 acts performing in eight venues around Macon. Bragg Jam’s signature Concert Crawl allows patrons to buy an armband for admittance to any of the venues for any performance throughout the night. Trolleys are provided for transportation between venues, so concert-goers can easily hear their favorite bands regardless of the location. Over 2,000 people attended the Concert Crawl last year, and even more are expected for this year.

The lineup of bands for the 2009 Bragg Jam is as exciting as it is eclectic. Rock, metal, blues, soul and Afrobeat are all represented this year. Cracker, with one platinum and three gold albums, will perform at the Cox Capitol Theatre along with T-Bird & the Breaks, a blues group from Texas. The Red Eye Tavern will host Afromotive, a group from Asheville, N.C., that was once described as “James Brown’s band went to Africa.”

The lineup of local groups is also impressive. Chris Hicks and the reunited Loose Change will draw a crowd at the Hummingbird. Underground at Riverview Ballroom will host local favorites Citizen Insane and City Council & the Paper Street Band. You can catch St. Francis at the Shamrock and the Roly Bots at the Red Eye. The Rookery is always the sentimental favorite because Friends of Brax will perform some of Brax Bragg’s original songs.

Local bands are the heart of Bragg Jam because the purpose of the music festival was not only to honor the Bragg brothers but also showcase Macon and its rich musical heritage.

“Macon’s local music scene has really grown in the last few years,” said Brad Evans, president of the Bragg Jam board and publisher of the 11th Hour. “We couldn’t have Bragg Jam without all the local bands donating their time.”

Another goal of Bragg Jam was to raise money for the Ocmulgee Heritage Trail in honor of the Bragg brothers. In 2008, Bragg Jam donated $45,000 to the development and maintenance of the trail. In an effort to raise awareness of the trail and to offer family-friendly entertainment, the Bragg Jam Arts & Kids Fest began a few years ago.