Wire and Wood Songwriters Festival Fills Downtown Alpharetta Late Today

Downtown Alpharetta will be filled with music late this afternoon and tonight with the inaugural Wire and Wood Songwriters Festival.

More than 20 talented artists from around the Southeast will perform their hits, and it's all for free.

Music will literally be flowing through the streets as songwriters perform their soulful melodies from five different stages throughout downtown. The stage names include: Cotton House, Hop Alley, Smokejack, and Wire and Wood. A variety of street stages will also be set up along Milton Avenue.

“Alpharetta is becoming known for its music scene and festivals filled with lively entertainment,” said Alpharetta Mayor David Belle Isle. “People love music and this new event brings together great musicians who not only wrote the songs they will perform but have stories to share about the song’s history.”

There will also be interactive stages by Music Matters and the Guitar Center set up from 4-7 p.m. The best part about this event is that it is free to attend. Families can come out from 4-7 p.m. for dinner, stroll through the various stages, and plan to stay for the big stage performances beginning at 7 p.m.

Eat a variety of gourmet food trucks including: Happy Belly, WOW, Ibizza Bites, Genki, Yumbii, American Cookie, Buen Provecho, Yum Yum Cupcakes, Champion Cheesesteak, Mac The Cheese, Mighty Meatballs and Smily’s Street Eats. Beer and wine from Smokejack and Hop Alley will be available for purchase.

“We are excited to be partnering and helping to bring this unique event to life and we look forward to hosting music lovers from around the Southeast who come to town to enjoy the stories and songs of these awesome artists,” said Janet Rodgers, president and CEO of the Alpharetta Convention and Visitors Bureau.

This is a rain or shine event. Parking will be available at the Milton Center and downtown parking lots.

Musical Lineup

 Cotton House Stage located on Old Canton Street, 4 - 7 p.m.

Kurt Scobie

Tireless performer on the college circuit that has shared stages with The Civil Wars, Matthew Perryman Jones, and Montell Jordan. Click here to listen to Kurt

Joe West
Winner of the Gibson Songwriting Contest and finalist on the Charlie Daniels Roundup. Click here to listen to Joe       

Sabrina
Winner of Sonic’s Search for a Star Competition and frequent performer at Nashville’s Bluebird Café and Tin Pan South. Click here to listen to Sabrina

Hop Alley Stage located on Old Roswell Street, 4 -7 p.m.

Brian Bisky
Has performed at Eddie’s Attic, Verizon Wireless Amphitheater, and the Roxy in Los Angeles, CA. In 2010, Brian was asked to join the Sweet Tea Project, led by former Collective Soul frontman Ed Roland.  Ed Roland and the Sweet Tea Project’s debut album -- Devils n Darlins -- was released September 2013 and contained a mix of Americana, ranging from delicate ballads to up-tempo rockers and country-flavored tunes.   They are currently on several regional tours throughout the U.S. supporting the new release. Click here to listen to Brian

Christopher Alan Yates
Multi-instrumentalist and member of the Sweet Tea Project which also includes Collective Soul’s Ed Roland. Click here to listen to Christopher

Riley 
Recently honored by the GA Music Hall of Fame as their 2012 Bill Lowery Horizon Award recipient. This special award gives recognition to young performing artists for their outstanding achievements and talents. Click here to listen to Riley

Wire & Wood Stage located on Milton Avenue, HOME BY DARK Songwriters Show, 7 - 9 p.m.

James Casto 
American singer-songwriter James Casto performs his addictive percussive, piano-pop tunes in 200 plus shows a year. He hosts and produces one of the most popular songwriter concert series in America, the Home by Dark Songwriters Show.  Casto has had songs cut by country, gospel, and indie artists and written music for Macy’s, Kroger, Mazda, Mercy Ships International, and more. He’s released six solo CD's. Click here to listen to James

Pat Terry
Writer of Travis Tritt’s #1 hit “Help Me Hold On” and Tanya Tucker’s “It’s a Little Too Late…to do the right thing now." Click here to listen to Pat

Victoria Banks
Victoria wrote the award winning “Saints & Angels” for Sara Evans, the Billboard record-breaking hit “Come On Over” for Jessica Simpson and hits for Doc Watson, One More Girl, and many more. Click here to listen to Victoria

 Chas Sandford 
Wrote the mega-hit song “Missing You” recorded by John Waite, Tina Turner and others, “Talk To Me” by Stevie Nicks and “What Kind of Man Would I Be” recorded by super-group Chicago. Click here to listen to Chas

Matt Blanchard
Matt is a saxophonist and has performed on the David Lettermen Show, at Lincoln Center, and around the globe. Click here to listen to Matt           

Jim Hettinger
Keyboardist that performed and recorded for Walt Disney World for eight years.  Jim now serves as Musical Director for the HOME BY DARK Songwriters Show.

Tony Marvelli 
Bassist that has performed with Mark Schultz, Point of Grace, The Drifters and the Platters  and at Carnegie Hall and on Fox TV’s “Next Great American Band.” 

Street Stages located on Milton Avenue, 4 - 7 p.m. 

Roxie Randle

For Nashville based singer/songwriter Roxie Randle, meeting renowned Music City producer Eddie Gore at a Nashville Songwriter’s Association meeting was the key to spurring a prolific period of songwriting which led to her perfectly titled, Gore-produced EP Little Victory. Click here to listen to Roxie

Joel Bridges
Joel Bridges is a guitarist, keyboardist, singer/songwriter and producer from Atlanta. He has toured with many diverse artists, most recently with the Nashville based band, BADHORSE, New Music Weekly’s 2010 Country Group of the Year. Joel has co-written and played on songs that have reached the top 25 on Music Row’s Country Chart in Nashville, and is endorsed by Nord keyboards.  Click here to listen to Joel

Diane Durrett
Has performed with Sting, Indigo Girls and Greg Allman and opened for Tina Turner, Faith Hill, and many more. Click here to listen to Diane

Hope Sonam
A native of Rome, Georgia, her song “Terrified” was featured on the hit ABC TV show “The Lying Game.” Click here to listen to Hope        

Ashley Harris
Owner of Ragamuffin Music Hall in Roswell, GA. Her single “Unfinished Woman” reached #1 on the Indie World Record Report. Click here to listen to Ashley

John Allison
A New York native that has performed all over the world and released two solo projects. Click here to listen to John

Smokejack Stage located on Old Roswell Street, 4 - 7 p.m.

Bill Kahler
A Kerrville Folk Festival and Plowshares Festival Songwriting Finalist that has released five solo CDs. Click here to listen to Bill

Matthew Kahler 
Legendary Georgia singer/songwriter Shawn Mullins calls Matthew “…one of the best songwriters of our time.” Click here to listen to Matthew

Interactive Stages located on Old Roswell Street, 4 - 7 p.m.

Music Matters
Recently voted number one in music lessons for North Fulton, experts will be on hand with an array of music instruments for festival goers to play and enjoy.

Guitar Center
The new store in Alpharetta will be hosting a community ukulele lessons and drum circles which are fun entry-level learning experiences for everyone.