Annual Sautee Jamboree coming up

For the past three years, the Sautee Jamboree has provided a rousing soundtrack to the beginning of autumn in Appalachia, eclectic sonic goodness for the mountain masses.
The fourth edition of the music festival returns to the Sautee Nacoochee Center (Friday and Saturday, Sept. 25-26) with a lineup of bluegrass and rock musicians steeped in progressive improvisational sensibilities as well as a deep and abiding love of traditional, celebrated sounds.
Festival-goers will be delighted by the mix of familiar artists and fresh (to Sautee) faces, a blend of longtime veterans and pioneers and younger upstarts who are creating a new, bright buzz.
Headlining and capping the festival on Saturday night will be Blueground Undergrass (BGUG), guest-starring Col. Bruce Hampton, influential and ubiquitous Godfather of the Southern jamband scene, a musical Jedi mentor to the Rev. Jeff Mosier (BGUG’s founder, philosopher, lead-singer and banjo savant).
The Mosier Brothers (Jeff and his guitar-wizard brother Johnny) will be joined by their old friend, fiddle-master David Blackmon, in opening the festival Friday night.
In between Friday evening’s opener and Saturday’s closer will be performances by the Bluegrass Alliance and Scott Baston & St. Francis (Friday night), then a kids performance by Sol Driven Train on Saturday morning, followed by Soulhound, Lingo, the Shane Pruitt Band, Baston & St. Francis again, Sol Driven Train’s grown-up blowout and the Last Waltz Ensemble (which will surely include some special surprise guests not mentioned here).
“A lot of music, a ton of music for two days,” says Tommy Deadwyler, co-producer and co-founder of the Sautee Jamboree, who believes the music is only part of the show. The venue itself is probably the prettiest setting for any music festival in the state.
“We’ve got that beautiful outdoor stage, draped by the big oak trees, and the view – the valley and the mountains as a backdrop, a million stars perforating the sky at night. It’s gorgeous.”
The Jamboree benefits the Sautee Nacoochee Community Association, the non-profit community and arts organization headquartered at the Center.
“This is an event for every member of the family,” Deadwyler says. “Free camping, plenty of food, activities for the kids – how cool is it that parents can be right there, dancing to the music coming from a stage a few yards away while their kids play on the playground?”
The pastoral majesty of the Nacoochee Valley will be serenaded by sweet sounds generated by a diverse lineup.
The Blueground Alliance is the latest incarnation of an acclaimed 40-year project, this version featuring some of the best string players from across Northeast Georgia.
Sol Driven Train, from Charleston, S.C., are longtime favorites in Northeast Georgia, a genre-blurring quintet with a worldly sound laced with horns and a Southern accent.
Soulhound, a quintet from Atlanta, has been called “one part James Brown, one part Steely Dan, one part Stevie Wonder; throw in some Al Green and the Meters and a dash of growling guitars, funky grooves and infectious melodies and sprinkle with a liberal dose of modern sensibilities.” OK, ’nuff said.
Lingo, a youthful quartet from Marietta, brings sophistication and flair beyond its years to its merger of acoustic and electric harmonies. The band released its debut album last year – Through the Scattered Trees, produced by John Keane (Widespread Panic, R.E.M., etc.).
The blues-infused Spartanburg-based Shane Pruitt Band has about 100 years of playing experience among its three members, who are influenced by a diverse sound collective, from Duane Allman and John Coltrane to Muddy Waters and Howlin’ Wolf.
Scott Baston, best known as the former front man, lead vocalist and co-founder of Moonshine Still, brings his latest project to the Valley. Saint Francis aspires to a higher musical plain of existence, propelled by an emotional stew of bluegrass, rock and reggae-tinged sounds.
The Last Waltz Ensemble returns to the Jamboree with a playlist of more than 70 tunes from Bob Dylan and The Band, covering multiple eras and styles, fronted by Mark Kramer’s voice, Kris Gloer’s mesmerizing guitar and – in true Last Waltz style – joined by a host of guest musicians with a knack for improvisation.
The Mosier brothers, along with pedal steel maestro Mark Van Allen, anchor Blueground Undergrass, purveyors of a psychedelic hick-hop sound that has been feeding audiences the good stuff for 11 years, combining bluegrass with jazz and rock in a progressive web of music.
For Jeff Mosier, a veteran of the Sautee Nacoochee Center stage, there is a sonic sense of community that makes the Jamboree a singular event.
“It’s the only festival I play that didn’t happen as part and parcel of the music business, it’s a result of something deeper. This is bigger than a gig for me,” says Mosier, who made his debut in Sautee as a performer for Celebrate the Arts, an annual Spring event at the Center targeting developmentally disabled children in the local school systems.
“One of the reasons why I love Sautee so much is, they see art as a naturally occurring substance in a healthy human community. They see art as something that should be necessary and accessible,” Mosier says.
“And no amount of television or technology can replace being in the presence of art, whether you’re standing in front of painting, or watching a mime, or listening to Blueground Undergrass play on an outdoor stage.”
The first notes fall at 7:15 p.m., Friday, Sept. 25, when the Mosier boys and Blackmon take the stage. Saturday’s fun begins at 11:30 a.m. with Sol Driven Train.
Plenty of camping space is available – and free! – for Friday and Saturday nights. Food vendors will cook up goodies, cold beverages and T-shirts with a new design from local artist Andy Slack will be available.
Ticket prices are: $15 for Friday, $30 for Saturday, $35 for the weekend. Kids under 12 get in free (but no dogs, and no glass, please!). Call 706-878-3300 or visit  HYPERLINK “http://www.snca.org” www.snca.org to purchase tickets or for directions.