An outdoor music festival for those who like things rootsy and moderately rocking, Amplify Decatur Music Festival returns on Saturday afternoon and evening to Decatur Square with Melissa Etheridge, Dawes, Blind Boys of Alabama, Run Katie Run and Jitterbug.
Before that, though, Thursday night brings a music-inspired comedy showcase at Waller’s Coffee Shop. On Friday night there’s free music at bars and restaurants around the square. And on Sunday a battle of the bands tribute to Bruce Springsteen closes out the festivities at Eddie’s Attic.
Credit: Kelly Thompson Photography
Credit: Kelly Thompson Photography
Mike Killeen, a local musician and president and CEO of the Decatur-based company Lenz Marketing, founded the festival as a fundraiser for the nonprofit Amplify My Community. All proceeds from the 2024 festival weekend will go to two local community service organizations, Decatur Cooperative Ministry and the Decatur Education Foundation.
“Over the last seven years I think we’ve started to figure out what works and what doesn’t,” said Lenz Vice President Christine Mahin who has served as festival director since 2017. “While last year’s festival was impacted by the rain, we couldn’t have been happier with the format and the operations.”
One of the major tweaks this year calls for less downtime between sets. But mostly Mahin is excited by the lineup.
“Melissa Etheridge headlining was a dream that we never thought would come true, and it happened this year,” she said. “Similarly we’ve talked about booking Dawes for years, and to have the two of them is sort of a one-two punch representing a lot of the musical tastes in the community, so we’re over the moon.
Credit: Sean Reiter Photography, @seanofcal
Credit: Sean Reiter Photography, @seanofcal
“One thing I’m most proud of is we try not only to have a great diversity of music but we try to really try to book acts that represent the things that matter to Decatur,” Mahin continued. “I think the more we listen to that, the more success we have. This year’s lineup feels like the best representation of that.”
The Blind Boys of Alabama are celebrating 80 years of gospel music, with six Grammy Awards and the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Recording Academy.
In honor of that, their new album, “Echoes of the South” (Single Lock Records), features traditional spirituals along with soul and R&B songs.
And a new book, “Spirit of the Century: Our Own Story” by Preston Lauterbach (Hachette Books) covers that history.
Credit: Photo by Jim Herrington
Credit: Photo by Jim Herrington
“The book has some cool stories about all the things we were doing, and once you pick it up, it will hard to put it down,” said longtime drummer, singer and road manger Ricky McKinnie in a call from Australia, where the Blind Boys were on tour.
“I’m narrating and singing, and I guess I’m what you’d call the group leader,” McKinnie added. “We sing feel-good music, and we let you know that no matter what the situation is, it’s going to be alright.”
At 62, Melissa Etheridge’s raspy voice, confessional lyrics, and percussive guitar playing are still trademarks. But over the years she’s pursued other creative outlets, including theater and film projects. And in 2020 she launched the Etheridge Foundation to support research into treatments for opioid use disorder.
Speaking of her longevity in a business that favors youth, Etheridge praised the wisdom of age.
“I realized early on in my 30s, and things got really big for me in the ‘90s, that it’s not about that, and it just doesn’t end there,” she said. “What is success is being able to keep playing, keep doing it, loving it, making new music and being excited. I want to keep my desires and hopes in front of me.”
Credit: Courtesy of Amplify Decatur
Credit: Courtesy of Amplify Decatur
In 2022, Etheridge put on her off-Broadway show, “My Window — A Journey Through Life,” at New World Stages, before it opened in 2023 at Circle In the Square Theatre on Broadway.
She said the autobiographical show, in which she sang more than two-dozen songs solo, was “pretty heavy,” so a silent character named Roadie was added for comic relief.
“I always wanted to do a Broadway show, so finally that came together,” she said. “It’s a lot of work, but it was really good. It was my life story. I really had to narrow it down to my personal life and my music. Pretty much my journey of being a gay person in the ‘80s and ‘90s and beyond.”
Asked what to expect from her Amplify show, Etheridge allowed that her fans will not be disappointed.
“I’ve got an amazing band, and we play all the hits,” she said. “I love that people love my music, and I want to play the songs that they want to hear. And then I will some play some deep tracks. But you’re going to leave knowing that you heard all the songs you know and love.”
MUSIC PREVIEW
The 2024 Amplify Decatur Music Festival
With Melissa Etheridge, Dawes, Blind Boys of Alabama Run Katie Run and Jitterbug. 3-11 p.m. Saturday April 13. $65-$275. Decatur Square, corner of Church Street and East Ponce De Leon Avenue, Decatur. Other free and ticketed events take place April 11-14 at venues in downtown Decatur and at Waller’s Coffee Shop. Details: AmplifyDecatur.org.
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