400 LIFE JULY 2019
A showcase of local talent
Let music fill your ears
Brothers, 37 Main fill the city with sounds Wendell Cox talks career with Travis Tritt Chris Cauley and The Big Beyond Plus: Ponce De Leon Music Center a local favorite • Find a great meal, entertainment at Wild Wing Café • Focus on health at Arise Family Chiropractic
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from the editor Before Wendell Cox struck it big as the lead guitarist for Travis Tritt in the late 1980s, he played in smaller bands based out of Forsyth County that performed at humble venues. The best gig they could hope for in the county were dances after then-Forsyth County High School football games. If they wanted to test themselves on a bigger stage, they had to go to bars in Hall County or fraternity parties in Athens. Forsyth County had no such way to stoke an up-and-coming band’s ambition then. That’s changing. The city of Cumming has made a concerted effort to foster a more visible and impactful music scene since last year with a host of large-scale events at the Cumming Fairgrounds, the kind which have typically been reserved for the annual Cumming Country Fair & Festival. The city hosted four concerts last summer. This year, they’re hosting as many as six, kicked off by the recent ICON Music Festival brought to us by 37 Main. It’s a welcome sign for Forsyth County music. The county has always had talent to speak of, as evidenced by several stories in this month’s issue of 400 Life magazine, but there’s been a particular influx of emerging artists in recent years. We’ve highlighted just a few, some of which have ventured off to try to make it in the industry. Some, though, are still sticking closer to home. Why leave just yet when there are more resources to develop right here than ever before? — Brian Paglia
inside
contributors Publisher STEPHANIE WOODY Editor BRIAN PAGLIA Production Manager TRACIE PIKE Staff Writers ALEXANDER POPP KELLY WHITMIRE DAVID ALMEDA Advertising director NATHAN SCHUTTER
Keeping the vibe alive
Brothers, creators of 37 Main bring music to Forsyth. PAGE 4
MOVING FORWARD Chris Cauley on business side of industry. Page 12 MUSICAL LEGEND Local Wendell Cox on working with Travis Tritt. Page 20 UP&COMERS Talent abundant in Forsyth County. Page 24 400 SPACES Ponce De Leon Music Center a staple in the community. Page 8 400 EATS Wild Wing Café serves up great food, live music. Page 15 400 FACES How one musician became a Grammy-winning producer. Page 22 400 HEALTH Achieve optimal health at Arise Family Chiropractic. Page 30
Advertising DEBORAH DARNELL STEPHANIE MCCABE Photographer BEN HENDREN Special contributors JENNIFER COLOSIMO REBEKAH TAYLOR-WISEMAN JORDYN PAUL-SLATER
This magazine is a product of the www.ForsythNews.com Advertising rates available upon request. Call (770) 887-3126 or email marketing@forsythnews.com July 2019 | 400 LIFE | 3
Paying tribute How brothers David, John and Joe White and their venue, 37 Main, are reshaping the local music scene Story by Kelly Whitmire | Photos by Ben Hendren
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The brainchild of brothers Joe, David and John White, 37 Main has become a household name in the north Georgia music scene since opening the original Buford location in 2008. Now they are bringing music to Forsyth County.
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owntown Buford has an idyllic charm of a small southern town, complete with restaurants, small business es and a scenic railroad. One location in the quaint downtown is a little noisier than the others, but they like it that way. The brainchild of brothers Joe, David and John White, 37 Main has become a household name in the north Georgia music scene since opening the original Buford location in 2008, particularly known for hosting some of the premier tribute acts in the country.
“The idea just came from all three of us wanting to provide an experience for the customer of live entertainment and just taking them out of reality, that’s where all the tribute bands kind of spawned from,” Joe said. “You can’t see a lot of these artists anymore. If you do see them, you’re going to pay $400 a ticket, so we just wanted to create an atmosphere where people can have a good time, enjoy some great entertainment and, for me, that’s kind of where it all spawned from.” Continued on Page 6
Hosting acts performing a wise, [it] didn’t seem like variety of genres — In July, there was anything to offer the venue will host Back in the community, which is one Black, an AC/DC tribute thing we wanted to do, being band, Bruno Mars tribute from [here],” Joe said. Uptown Funk and Jeremy’s “Another would be size. Ten, a Pearl Jam tribute — We’re not as limited to means there is no set crowd at capacity at the Cumming 37 Main, and each night can Fairgrounds, so those two bring something a little bit things made us want to do different. some of these festivals.” “It never gets old, that’s for The first two concerts, sure,” Joe said. “The clientele held in 2018, were the inauis really different every weekgural City of Cumming end, from a Bon Jovi tribute Music Festival and the to a Bruno Mars tribute, it Classic Rock Tribute Fest. definitely doesn’t get stale. While the first two focused Our staff loves that. They more on tributes to classic come to work, they love rockrock mainstays, the Icon ing out with us, and 37 Main Brothers Joe, David and John White, of 37 Main, began hosting Music Fest in June instead is such a wide variety of ages: concerts last summer at the Cumming Fairgrounds. The most hosted tributes to more popit’s 25 to 65 and everything recent was the Icon Music Fest on June 8. c e n t e re d act s, such as else in between, and that’s a Michael Jackson, Prince and credit to so many different Lady Gaga. artists that come through.” The brothers said the Even with those diverse crowds have had a great acts, there are still a core of response to all three shows, regulars that make weekly even if the weather hasn’t stops at the venue. always agreed. “There’s lots of regulars “Well, it’s rained on all every weekend, then new three,” David said, with a faces,” John said. “Every laugh. “I mean, 100 percent Friday and Saturday night chance of rain at all three of you’ll see people coming them, but the turnout’s been from downtown to eat … and really well for all of them.” they’ll say, ‘We saw your “The first two were around band on Facebook, we want 5,000 people,” Joe added. to check it out.’” “With this rain [June 8], we While having an emphasis were just over 2,000.” on tribute bands, 37 Main is “Even with the nasty no stranger to original bands and has hosted bands and perform- weather, everybody was still enjoying themselves and trying to ers including Candlebox, Fuel, Aaron Lewis, Eddie Money, make the best of it,” John concluded. Queens Riot, Saliva and Buckcherry. The fairgrounds concerts will continue this summer with the The interior of the Buford location also shows a reverence for Red, White and Rock Music Festival held as part of the city of rock with autographs, pictures and instruments of famous rock Cumming’s Fourth of July festivities and the second Cumming stars hanging on the walls, such as an axe bass of Kiss’ Gene Music Fest on Saturday, July 27. On Saturday, Sept. 14, they will Simmons, a guitar from Skid Row’s Sebastian Bach and a cymbal host Grammy winner Joe Nichols, also at the Cumming from Steven Adler of Guns N’ Roses. Fairgrounds. With the success of the Buford location, it didn’t take long for “We try to keep it fresh,” Joe said. “The Icon Fest was more of the brothers to think about expanding, and a second location a pop-driven show. The city of Cumming Music Fest is always opened in Johns Creek in 2014 but closed after two years amid going to be just over-the-top, 12 bands, tons of food, tons of vennoise complaints from neighbors and issues with the city’s noise dors, kids’ zone, that’s the home run kind of thing. Then, we’re ordinance. branching out to more.” “That was a real big turning point for us,” Joe said. “We had to Whether at the fairgrounds or one of their locations, the White kind of dig out of the grave on that one with how much was put brothers and 37 Main plan to keep bringing live music to the area into that place and lost.” for years to come. It didn’t take long for 37 Main to bounce back with a new “We built something that we would want to go to, and that we venue in Gainesville, which opened its doors in 2017, and a new would feel like we would have a good time, that we have a safe location is planned to open later this year in Avondale Estates in environment,” Joe said. “You almost have to experience 37 Main. DeKalb County. It’s one of those where you walk in, leave and realize you had an But the brothers have also expanded to other ventures outside amazing time and sometimes you’re not able to pinpoint why you their venues: a series of summer concerts held at the Cumming had such a good time. When it all comes together — the lights Fairgrounds. and sound and the staff, everything that we do — it’s really an “We’re from Cumming, and there was just, entertainment value illustration of hard work.” 6 | 400 LIFE
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400 spaces
Ponce De Leon Music Center
50 years in the making, the legacy lives on
Haricharan Govindasamy, left, gets a guitar lesson from teacher Eddie Dye at Ponce De Leon Music Center. Below, Ponce De Leon Music Center owners Shawn Rochester, left, and Kathy Hines.
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Story by Jordyn Paul-Slater | Photos by Brian Paglia
rom its creation 50 years ago, Ponce De Leon Music Center continues to stand as a monument of the local music community in Forsyth County. Its founder, Max Fischer, originally built the establishment on Ponce de Leon Avenue in Decatur. In the 1980s, Fischer moved the store to Cumming, continuing its legacy as an epicenter for the music community. About two years ago, the founding family passed the ownership of the store to Kathy Hines and Shawn Rochester, who worked at the store previously. These newly-transitioned owners intend to continue the legacy of which Max Fischer and his family left behind. Ponce de Leon operates on a principal of true passion for music while simultaneously giving personal and practical assistance to any of their customers needs. With its motto “Everything in Music,� Ponce De Leon aims to serve its custom8 | 400 LIFE
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ers’ every musical need. They cover all facets of services like sales, rental, repairs, lessons and events. Its rental services include providing local schools with band equipment and personal use. They also offer music lessons for a range of different instruments including guitar, piano and flute. Like the floor staff, each instructor also has a comprehensive background in music with a specialty in their advertised instrument. Ponce De Leon hosts a multitude of different events to include free live music events for the general public in an effort to highlight local musicians. In all, the staff of Ponce De Leon is passionate about spreading the love of music to unite Forsyth County in any way they can. One employee, David Fischer, stated: “[The goal of every customer interaction] is to solve any problem. Whether it’s a repair of an instrument or advice on what kind of instrument they should purchase, we want people to come in with a problem and leave with it fixed.” It can be assured that Ponce De Leon’s staff is dedicated to doing anything possible to advance every customer’s love for music with whatever advice, equipment or event necessary. Speaking with the owners and staff displays their shared passion for music and the community behind it. When discussing Ponce’s intention for the community, all of the owners and staff agreed
that they wanted to fill the gap of a local place for musicians. “We wanted this to be a safe haven for music. Local musicians didn’t have a place where they could play and be immediately connected to the community. We wanted to be that place for them,” Fischer said. Rochester said that Ponce De Leon focuses on connecting its customers to their personal music passion. “It’s not so much about the competition or sales. It’s about people’s real love for music,” Rochester said. It’s evident that each person working at Ponce De Leon has a genuine love for the Forsyth community. Hines said that the Ponce De Leon legacy is focused on the connection between its customers and their own personal music journeys. “What I love most about owning the store is just being the forefront for people’s love for music. Just seeing the joy on these kids’ faces is enough for me to keep working,” Hines said. Ponce De Leon Music Center is not only a place to get your dream guitar, but also a hub of music lovers with the intent to pull Forsyth County community closer together. To learn more about Ponce De Leon Music Center, visit www. poncedeleonmusic.com.
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Chris Cauley’s career as a musician has taken him to reality TV, below with Adam Levine, around the world and most recently propelled him to businesses that give him the freedom to express his creativity.
Cauley takes on business side of music Forsyth Central grad, ‘The Voice’ contestant manages band, travels world Story by David Almeda | Photos courtesy Chris Cauley
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rowing up, it almost seemed like Chris Cauley was destined to become an athlete. His father Jerry was a mainstay in the Forsyth County sports scene for years, coaching Forsyth Central’s 1996 softball team to a state championship. Chris was the prototypical coaches’ son in his younger years, picking up basketball and baseball. He’s still a massive sports fan — to this day, when Cauley drives around, it’s never music coming out of his car’s speakers. “I’m a way bigger sports fan than a music fan, and people are always shocked by that,” Cauley said. “I’m not the guy that’s going to be listening to music in the car. I don’t listen to music, I really don’t — I’m always listening to sports talk.” But ironically enough, music has played a
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“What it did teach me from a business standpoint is confidence with my God-given gifts. [Adam] looked at me and said, ‘Man, I can’t teach you anything, just keep doing what you’re doing.’” Chris Cauley — on appearing as a contestant on ‘The Voice’ in 2012 much bigger role in Cauley’s life than sports have. After getting a guitar for Christmas one year and teaching himself how to play, he discovered a more artistic part of himself, and by the time he was a student at Otwell Middle School, he’d picked up music and performing arts alongside his budding athletic career. When high school approached, though, he found himself needing to pick one or the other. “I remember we would do a daytime performance of a production and I had to run to the bathroom at the end of the day and wipe off my stage makeup and go to basketball practice,” Cauley said. Ultimately, Cauley chose to follow in the footsteps of his grandmother, a bluegrass musician, and focus on the arts at Forsyth Central, where he finally began singing in front of people and participated in the school’s theater program. With the things he’s experienced and the places he’s gone to in the years after making that choice, he doesn’t regret it one bit. His career as a musician has taken him to reality TV, around the world, and most recently, has propelled him to businesses that give him the freedom to express his creativity. That all begins with a band that he helps run alongside his wife Sandra, The Big Beyond. It’s a full ensemble with five lead singers, dancers, horn and rhythm sections. They’ve played at big events for companies like Chick-fil-A and Delta, and their biggest client is probably Tilman Fertitta, who owns the NBA’s Houston Rockets and Golden Nugget Casinos. “It’s a customizable experience from a nine-piece band all the way up to a 15-piece band like something you’d see in Vegas,” Cauley said. “We travel the country and do between 30 and 35 pretty large events annually and we manage that. That keeps us very, very busy.” What keeps Cauley busier still is the rest of the work he does directing and producing entertainment for clients and large-scale events like conferences. That entertainment can be grand in scale: He hired a 150-person choir for an event in Anaheim, California and for one of his bigger events, he was able to get R&B artist Jade Novah. Continued on Page 14 13
“I guess I would somewhat equate it to the opening of the Tonys or the Grammys or something like that, where it’s a big, large stage event,” Cauley said. Cauley first appeared on the national stage back in 2012, when he was a contestant on the reality TV singing competition “The Voice” as a part of Adam Levine’s team. That experience taught him a lot, but not in terms of his performance on stage. “To be honest, from a musical standpoint, really it didn’t teach me anything,” Cauley said. “What it did teach me from a business standpoint is confidence with my God-given gifts. [Adam] looked at me and said, ‘Man, I can’t teach you anything, just keep doing what you’re doing.’” But in contrast to what some other contestants did after their stints on the show, Cauley didn’t dive headfirst into the traditional music route that artists typically take. He had already attempted that route right out of high school, signing with an independent label at that point. These days, he sees himself more as a businessman, and he prefers the kind of control that comes with that route. “To be quite honest, to put it bluntly, having other people in
charge of my livelihood and my boss, I’m good on that,” Cauley said. “I’ve already done that, [and] I kind of want to be that person now. I want to be in charge. It frees you up to be more creative.” One recent creative opportunity took Cauley’s journey full circle when 680 The Fan, the sports talk radio station that carries Atlanta Braves games, tasked him with creating the theme song that plays right before broadcasts begin. As a lifelong Braves fan, he immediately jumped at the opportunity. “At the end of the day, sports talk and athletes and all this is essentially the entertainment business, just as much as I am,” Cauley said. “There’s a lot of parallels between sports and music so having friendships and business deals with folks in the sporting world has been awesome.” Cauley’s work has taken him all over the country, but he has also traveled to places like Barcelona, Paris, Dubai and the United Kingdom. He still lives in Forsyth County, though, and he wouldn’t have it any other way. “I’ll never go anywhere,” he said. “I’ve been all over the world but I’ll never leave. I just love it.”
“To be quite honest ... having other people in charge of my livelihood and my boss, I’m good on that. I’ve already done that, [and] I kind of want to be that person now. I want to be in charge. It frees you up to be more creative.” Chris Cauley — on his place in the music industry 14 | 400 LIFE
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400 eats
Lip service (Smackin’ or singing)
Wild Wing Café brings live, local music, great food to Forsyth
Wild Wing Café at The Collection at Forsyth has great food and live music from 10 p.m. to 1 a.m. every Friday and Saturday night. Story by Jennifer Colosimo | Photos by Ben Hendren
What is it about music that makes it so universal? According to Rick Hall, co-owner of Cumming’s new Wild Wing Café at The Collection at Forsyth, it’s something intrinsic. It’s also not something that’s been found too often around Forsyth County. But that’s changed since they opened in late November last year. Now, residents get a rotation of bands delivering favorite music for fans of rock ‘n’ roll, good company and awesome food. “People were waiting on us here in Cumming, because the places that people compare us to are still smoking environments,” said Hall, who owns both the Cumming Gainesville locations with his wife, Trish. “When we opened, we had a built-in bar clientele [ready for a] non-smoking sports bar-type atmosphere.” Continued on Page 16
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If you haven’t tried the made-fromscratch sauces on never-frozen jumbo wings and hand cut crinkle fries at Wild Wings, you’re more than missing out.
Food photo courtesy Wild Wing Cafe
That clientele gets live music from 10 p.m. to 1 a.m. every Friday and Saturday night. There’s no age restriction, it remains smoke-free all the time and they serve a full menu until 1 a.m. (If you haven’t tried the made-from-scratch sauces on never-frozen jumbo wings and hand cut crinkle fries, you’re more than missing out). When you finish your wings (and wipe your fingers) you could even take a stab at the stage yourself on Tuesday’s karaoke nights. For something more low key, Wednesdays are acoustic nights. The real key, according to Hall is that everything on the (state-of-the-art) sound system remains local and live. That means no DJs and no bands from 16 | 400 LIFE
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more than a few miles away. And those bands that the crowd loves stay on a 6 to 8 week rotation — just enough time for everyone to miss them a little bit before bringing them back, according to Hall — if that, as his waiting list is in the double digits. Hall books all of the bands himself, listening to demos and CDs, watching video clips and scrolling through Facebook pages from bands out of Cumming and the immediate surrounding areas. He vets them out and then books them, to leave the restaurant patrons as judge for who they want back. “I like to think of us as everybody’s place,” said Hall. “Over 10 years I’ve just gotten to where I know so many guys, that most of the bands are in my place during
the week eating lunch or dinner. When we first took over in Gainesville, they [had been] booking bands from Atlanta, and people didn’t really know them, and the people who did know them weren’t driving up from Atlanta to go see them. That’s how I got started finding local bands, and now that we’re open in Cumming, those bands have started coming out of the woodwork.” Every now and then, bands will offer the people some of their original songs, if they have them. But overwhelmingly, people come to a Wild Wing Café to hear great covers — songs that everybody knows, says Hall, and songs that make you want to get up and dance. It’s not necessarily dance music, if we’re getting into definitions, but it’s music that makes you want to move and sing along because chances are you know all of the words to it. “Wild Wing was always based on cover bands, and playing classic rock ‘n’ roll,” said Hall. “Eighties music, classic rock or country. I started dabbling in country a few years ago in Gainesville. It has just exploded. Over here I didn’t think it was going to be a big deal, but that’s what they want more than anything.” That means songs by artists like Bon Jovi, Journey and Jason Aldean are heard every single weekend from the northeast corner of The Collection’s epicenter, but if you’re a regular you’re starting to know who sings the covers by their own names. North Main is a local high school group with a 14-year-old lead singer to rival Janis Joplin. The Band Lovett stays in the rotation appealing to mass audiences with a unique sound to tunes of The Eagles and Aerosmith, The Neon Trees and Daft Punk (among some original tunes) and returns again this month. Moby Dick, Pickup Line and Audio Vault have been playing in Hall’s venues for a decade. That just skims the top of the — er — list. And while all Wild Wing Cafes have live music, the Cumming location brings a floor-level stage that redefines the idea of a local, live music hangout. “We’re a restaurant, first and foremost, but we play some really good music,” admits Hall. “My wife and I have been in the restaurant business for a long time, and we fell in love with Wild Wing for the live music. I’ve loved music my whole life. Everybody just loves music. There are so many guys still out there putting on shows, so many shows in Atlanta every weekend, and we just like to be a small part of that.”
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Wendell Cox has been the lead guitarist for country music star Travis Tritt, below, for more than 30 years, but he’s always called Forsyth County home.
Home sweet home
During three decades in music, guitarist has never left Forsyth County Story by Brian Paglia | Photos by Mills Fitzner
A few days a year, Wendell Cox does his best to blend in. Chances are he’ll be at Good ol’ Days Bar and Grill near downtown Cumming on a lazy Sunday afternoon. Cox will pull his shoulder-length hair back under a baseball cap and wear dark sunglasses as he plays his acoustic guitar along with two old buddies. They’ll perform a set list of familiar country and rock — Aerosmith, Merle Haggard, etc. But eventually, a regular will spread the word about Cox’s real line of work and he’ll have to admit it to some curious spectator: Yeah, he’s the longtime lead guitarist for country-music star Travis Tritt. 20 | 400 LIFE
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Their natural assumption is that Cox must be visiting from Nashville. “Hell no,” Cox said, “I live right here.” But he must have moved to Forsyth County, right? “I’m like, ‘No, born and raised,’” Cox said. “It just blows their minds.” For almost 32 years, Cox has played alongside Tritt, reaching the highest of highs in the music industry. He’s been there for the platinum records and the sold-out headlining tours, traveling from coast to coast — and Canada, too — to perform to adoring crowds. Cox grew up in a musical family. His parents were older
“We just kind of looked at each other, and he was like, ‘OK, there it is; that’s what I’ve been looking for,’” Wendell Cox — on Travis Tritt hiring him as a guitarist in the ’80s — his dad was born in 1926, his mom in 1930 — which placed him in a disparate musical environment. Along with his parents’ musical tastes, Cox had an older brother who played bluegrass and a sister who listened to the Beatles and the Rolling Stones. Cox absorbed those influences, but he was most captured by the records he heard his other brother playing — Lynyrd Skynyrd, Ted Nugent, Atlanta Rhythm Section. When Cox went to learn to play the guitar at around 14 years old, he already felt acquainted with the instrument. Within a few weeks, Cox’s older brother, who had a band, invited him to play rhythm for a gig. Cox “took to it like a duck to water,” he said. They rehearsed in the back of what is now Maria & Friends Dry Cleaners in downtown Cumming and played at dances after Forsyth County High School football games. Within a few years, Cox advanced enough to play lead guitar, and the band played small bars in Hall County, like Blackbeard’s and The Brass Register. Later, the band evolved and started playing Moose Lodges, VFWs and frat parties in Athens. After Cox graduated from high school in 1984, he got in another band and started to hear about Tritt. Cox’s band didn’t last, but a friend told Cox that Tritt wanted to meet him. Tritt was putting together a band, his friend said, but was struggling to find a guitarist. Cox met Tritt at his home in Marietta. They played a few songs together and felt an instant synergy. “We just kind of looked at each other, and he was like, ‘OK, there it is; that’s what I’ve been looking for,’” Cox said. That was February of 1988. By November of 1989, Cox was on his first-ever major tour. The following year, they were on the road 300 days and played 250 shows. Cox fell into his new frenetic life with relative ease. Being
apart from his family was hard; he had recently married and had a daughter. But Cox was undaunted by the travel. “Everything seemed quite natural,” Cox said. As everything took off, industry people recommended Cox live in Nashville. It’s where they would record albums and catch the bus for tours. It needed to be the new center of his universe, Cox was told. Cox resisted, and he’s glad he did. It’s allowed him to be near family. His daughter is 30 now, and he has a son, who is 15, as well as three grandchildren. He’s stayed in touch with friends, the ones who knew him growing up in Forsyth County and told him he was “going to do something, one way or the other,” Cox said. “I still have as much work and things happen for me without having to move myself up there,” he said. “I just really enjoy being able to come home.” Cox’s schedule has scaled back since the height of Tritt’s popularity. He says they play about 80-90 concerts a year starting in March and cover about 75,000 miles. He’ll leave on a Wednesday or Thursday, play on the weekend and be home on Sunday. But Cox says he doesn’t tire of going through the same stops year after year. There’s a favorite restaurant or bar at each one, a group of friends to catch up with and smiling faces in the crowd. And he still feels the same drive to perform as he did 32 years ago when he first left Cumming to try to make it in the music world with Tritt. “It’s like it was when we first started,” Cox said. “It’s the craziest thing. That fire, that passion, has never went away.” And as long as it keeps going, Cox will keep playing and keep coming back to Cumming — to home.
July 2019 | 400 LIFE | 21
400 faces
Billy Hume
Rap, rock ‘n’ roll and making records
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n his basement recording studios in Forsyth County and Norcross, Grammy winning producer Billy Hume has worked with all of the bests. From Lil Jon and the Ying Yang Twins to the Infamous Stringdusters and Rehab, over the last 30 years Hume dedicated his life to perfecting, recording and playing music. As a young musician in his early 20s, Hume started exploring his passion for recording music in his parent’s basement using a multi-track reel-to-reel recorder, slowly evolving his equipment as he learned more and his talents grew. Hume says he quickly realized that even with his simple space and equipment, he could make quality recordings for his and his friend’s bands. “Back in the day, you normally had to go to a professional facility to record and I was one of the first people to start actually making records out of my basement,” Hume said. “And over the years, people heard my work and I kind of slowly transitioned into doing more producing.” In the mid ’90s, Hume’s work took a major turn when an acquaintance turned him on to the growing rap scene in the Atlanta area, introducing him to up-andcomers like Lil Jon and Bone Crusher. “I’m not really into rap music, I’m more of a rock guy, but I just liked the people and 22 | 400 LIFE
| July 2019
Photos by Ben Hendren
they were fun to work with,” Hume said. “We all just became friends and they kept hiring me because they liked my work.” When many of these young rap artists began getting record deals in the early 2000s, suddenly work Hume had produced in his small basement studio was being played on radio channels all over and topping charts. Hume said that when Lil Jon came specifically to him for an album, booking his studio out for a month, he knew he had
made it in the field. “From that day on I think I worked almost every day for like 10 years,” he said. “It was kind of around then that I kind of felt like, ‘Yeah, this might work.’” Recently, Hume and the bluegrass rock band, the Infamous Stringdusters won a Grammy for their album, “Laws of Gravity.” — Alexander Popp
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up&comers
Forsyth County residents have a lot of talent. We caught up with a few local musicians who are making waves in the industry.
Skyler Day
Music part of the balancing act for actor From the time Skyler Day was 10 years old, the Forsyth County native has balanced music and acting. Acting took off sooner for Day. She landed her first lead role at 11 in the movie “The Adventures of Ociee Nash.” Two years later, Day convinced her family to move from Cumming to California so she could pursue a full-time career. Day has appeared in a host of television series since, including a recent three-year run on “Parenthood.” But music has been taking off lately. The 27-year-old just released “Honest,” a pensive country-pop, singer-songwriter single that Day hopes is the first in a steady stream of new releases this year. “It’s mainly just about putting as much creation out there as I can this year,” Day said. Music and acting were new for the Day family. Her parents owned a gymnastics training center in Norcross, but Day was hooked on the performing arts by the time she was 6 when she was in a musical at Sawnee Elementary School. “From then on … I knew that music and acting were the only things I wanted to do for the rest of my life,” Day said.
Day got her first taste of writing her own music at 10. She wrote a song for her grandfather, who was dying of cancer, and performed it for him. He passed the next day. “It’s actually a great experience,” Day said. “He kind of started it for me.” Day then learned to play guitar at 14, and it fully unlocked the songwriter in her. She started performing in coffee shops and even a bar here or there around Los Angeles. Eventually, Day recorded her first EP, “Between the I and the You” in 2014 and another, “Los Angeles,” in 2017. Day has even performed at the Troubadour in West Hollywood, the iconic nightclub that hosted famous artists like Elton John, Red Hot Chili Peppers and the Eagles early in their careers. Occasionally, Day’s acting and music ventures connect. During her run on “Parenthood,” the show used one of her songs on an episode. And while Day’s acting career is currently on a break, she says that’s OK as long as she has a guitar and space to create. “Music keeps me sane,” Day said. — Brian Paglia
Jive Revival
Band brings modern spin to old music Band names run the gambit from inside jokes to places to references and everything else under the sun, but for Forsyth County’s Jive Revival, their name is pretty much their mission statement. Jive Revival — made up of Ross Talbott, Chad Honea, Ryan Cross and Mitch Smith — recently released their debut, self-titled album at Cherry Street Brewing Co-op and have a slew of shows across the metro Atlanta over the summer. Like their name says, the band is trying to bring a modern spin to old music, and so far, the album has gotten a good response, even in unlikely places. “It was fantastic. I mean, the album’s been well-received everywhere,” Cross said. “We got some of our metrics back, and oddly we’re getting a lot of listens in Spain. I don’t know what that’s all about — who found us out there — but it’s been nice.” He said a listener who found their songs online was waiting to meet them hours before a recent show in Roswell. Instead of trying to ride current trends, the band wants to honor and build on the classics. “We’re not necessarily going back to what we heard growing up in the ’90s and the late ’80s, we’re trying to go back further than that to what those guys were listening to and recreate kind of the inspiration behind the inspiration,” Honea said. Talbott said the band wants to make modern music that still has 24 | 400 LIFE
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the feel of some of their influences, including Led Zeppelin, The Allman Brothers Band, Jimi Hendrix and the Grateful Dead. “Those are the guys that we love so much, that we want to keep playing their music and make that part of what people see us as,” Cross said. “It’s always a goal when we have a show to play — because it’s not always 100 percent original shows, we can throw covers in sometimes. “With our originals, we love when people don’t miss a beat when we play a Dead tune or an Allman Brothers tune or something by The Band, then we throw in our music as well as part of that mixture.” — Kelly Whitmire
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up&comers
Dalton Day
Using a second chance to take on music industry Dalton Day had a bit of schizophrenia when it came to his musical interests growing up. He gravitated toward heavy metal and punk when he was learning guitar as a teenager. “I was trying to rebel and be cool,” he said. Later, he discovered the understated brilliance of guitarists Gregg Allman and John Mayer. When he ventured into songwriting with lyrics, Day found inspiration in Bob Dylan, Bonnie Raitt and Death Cab for Cutie. But Day, now 27 and living in California, is making his mark with a heartfelt “ambient” folk sound. (Think Bon Iver meets Sigur Rós, Day said.) “A lot of people say those type of songs are depressive, but to me, it’s not,” he said. “It’s just looking at an emotion and being able to feel it and live in the moment and be present.” Day is grateful for the present after he almost died from a skateboarding accident at 15. One day, Day went to land a big jump but instead fell chest-first on a curb. He broke all the ribs on the left side, some of which punctured his lungs and severed his spleen. He lost 30 pounds in the hospital. The recovery process took six months 26 | 400 LIFE
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and ended a once-promising career in competitive gymnastics. Day had casually played guitar before the accident, but while still in the hospital, Day’s dad bought him a Gibson Les Paul electric guitar. The gift unlocked Day’s creativity. “That’s when it really kind of took off, and I was like, ‘OK, guitar’s going to be my thing,’” Day said. Day began playing coffee shops around the Los Angeles area, including The Hotel Cafe, a reputable venue of
up-and-coming artists. Last summer, he released his first recording, “Believe Me,” six tracks of mostly promises — to his girlfriend at the time, sure, but also to himself. The surest promise he’s made so far is that whatever the future holds, it will involve music. “I want to play music for the rest of my life,” Day said. “I don’t really care how I do it.” — Brian Paglia
Photos by Ben Hendren
415
New musicians, close friends, ready to take on world with their music When the four members of the band 415 started playing together, it was like how many high school bands start: just a couple of close friends who love music, learning and playing together for fun. But when they got the opportunity to play a show at His Rock Record Store in Cumming earlier last year, the members of 415 (pronounced four one five) realized the dream of becoming a real band was possible if they got serious and put themselves out there. “At our first show we had like 75 people show up and this was before we had released a song or anything like that,” said drummer Ethan Page. “And then it evolved from there. We got the opportunity for that show ... and we were like, ‘OK, we need to take this kind of seriously.’” According to Page, the process of becoming a band, while simultaneously learning to master their chosen instruments — Sam Wilder, lead guitar and backing vocals; Aidan Powers, rhythm guitar and lead vocals; Josh Allen, bass and backing vocals; and Page, drums and synth — has been harder than they expected. But together they have been able to make a sound they like and feel is working. “We’re all recently musicians,” he said. “Sam has been playing for two years, Aiden’s been playing for four or five, Josh has been playing for two and I’ve only been playing for a year and a half now. A lot of our musical style has developed from a combination of our music tastes and our influences.” And their music does seem to be working for fans too. According to a count by music streaming service Spotify, with just a few songs released, 415 has an average of about 17,000 monthly listeners.
In May, all four of the bandmates graduated from South Forsyth High School. Soon they will set out on the next stages of their school and musical careers. Even though they are spreading out to the University of North Georgia and Georgia State, Page said that he and his bandmates are still dedicated to improving their music. “We currently have a lot of writing going on. We have three singles we plan on releasing soon, hopefully by the beginning of July,” he said. “That’s what we’re looking forward to right now; we’re also working on an album. A lot of writing sessions have gone into that.” Page said that 415 will be announcing plans for a new show in Forsyth County sometime in the next year. — Alexander Popp July 2019 | 400 LIFE | 27
up&comers Daniel Hardin
Brings variety of tastes to Athens music scene Then a senior at West Forsyth High School, Daniel Hardin released his selftitled album, which he wrote, produced and even made the instruments appearing on the album. After a busy few years, including a move to Athens to attend the University of Georgia and releasing an EP and five singles, Hardin said he’s getting ready to return to the studio. “I’m in the middle of writing and recording for a new full-length album,” Hardin said. “I feel like it’s time that I release one after three years since the last one. I’m almost halfway done ... but my main focus for this record is I’m going to be featuring a lot of cool artists, a lot of people that are bigger than me.” Hardin said he is making the most of his move to Athens, both in terms of pursuing a degree in marketing with a special certificate in the music industry and taking advantage of the local music scene. He recently took part in AthFest, the city’s annual music festival. “It’s a nice confined little music town that has a lot of support, and it’s small enough to where you can get to know everybody pretty quickly and get a network going if you
Riley Bierderer From Forsyth County to L.A. Riley Biederer, 23, recently made the move from Forsyth County to Los Angeles to pursue her music career, but she still makes time for the hometown. After being signed to Elton John’s Rocket Music at age 15, in recent years, Biederer has toured with Backstreet Boy Nick Carter, performed on the ninth Season of NBC’s “The Voice” as part of Gwen Stefani and Pharrell Williams’ teams and performed a duet with Katy Perry’s on Best.Cover.Ever, a YouTubeexclusive talent competition hosted by rapper Ludacris. Even with those big names, Biederer finds time to come home and perform at venues around Forsyth County. “I’ve actually relocated to Los Angeles about a year-and-ahalf ago, but I come back a good bit and perform here,” Biederer said. From her teenage years to now and with the experience of working with so many established names, Biederer’s influence and music have evolved. 28 | 400 LIFE
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start talking to people, but it’s big enough ... to support good artists and regular shows,” he said. “I love it, especially the people I get to meet because there’s all kinds of people playing all kinds of music.” Drawing from a variety of influences, Hardin said his shows dip into a number of genres. “I play guitar-based rock most of the time, but I like to keep it pretty diverse,” he said. “My influences range from John Mayer, Joe Bonamassa to Ben Folds, Collective Soul, Gary Clark Jr., The Black Keys. “I like to write songs that range from alt-rock to just straight blues to more funky rock, even sometimes Americana, but I like to keep them all different because it makes listening to it more exciting. It makes live shows a lot more interesting when I’m playing a bunch of very different types of music.” — Kelly Whitmire
“Growing up, I was always influenced by like Taylor Swift and all of the female artists that were also songwriters. I really liked that,” she said. “Now I’d say it’s like 90 percent pop and 10 percent almost a country, Americana influence to it. It’s definitely pop, but I’d say like a Julia Michaels, Lennon Stella is a really good example. Just kind of left-of-center pop that still has almost like a Nashville feel to it, but it’s still pop.” Biederer has performed at events for Billboard, at Ultra Music Festival in Miami and has made a few trips to perform in Canada, where she has made some waves. She was featured on DJ Frank Walker’s “Heartbreak Back,” which made Billboard’s Canadian Hot 100. “It was released in August, and I think it’s still on the charts, which is pretty crazy,” Biederer said. Biederer said she went through a big change in managers and publishers at the beginning of the year and new music featuring her is expected to be released soon. “I have just a couple of things in the woodwork,” she said. — Kelly Whitmire
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Helping patients achieve optimal health
Dr. Caitlyn Cortner, Arise Family Chiropractic, Photo by Ben Hendren 30 | 400 LIFE
| July 2019
With a firm belief in the human body’s immense ability to heal, the hope of helping patients achieve their optimal health and some old-fashioned work ethic, Dr. Caitlyn Cortner and her husband, Greg, opened Arise Family Chiropractic to the public in October 2018. Since opening, the couple has established a practice that aims to warmly welcome patients of all ages and extend its reach far outside of its front doors. At the Bethelview Road clinic, Dr. Cortner offers personalized care to optimize each individual patient’s health, but her attention to detail does not limit the scope of her vision — her passion for community involvement and outreach is a natural extension of her dedication to the local families. Cortner’s journey with chiropractic care began when she was 13 years old and diagnosed with polycystic ovarian syndrome, or PCOS. While medical doctors urged Cortner to manage the symptoms of PCOS with antibiotics, birth control or surgical intervention, chiropractic care addressed the root of the problem, and after six months of treatment she was symptom and medication free. Her personal experience with chronic illness drives her to provide the same results to patients, though she cautions against the common misconception that chiropractic care is only for those in pain. “Don’t wait until you have problems,” Cortner said. To Cortner, chiropractic is “not a belief system” or a “cure for pain,” but a method to remove interference so the body can do what it was designed to do — heal. “Even if you are symptom free,” she said, “take a moment for yourself, for your health, to refocus on the power source.” Arise’s office space rivals any of Joanna Gaines’s “fixer uppers.” It’s trendy and fresh and not your typical doctor’s office. The impeccably-designed “Pregnancy Bay” makes it possible for expectant mothers to take advantage of the numerous benefits chiropractic has to offer — more space and blood supply for growing baby and easier labor and delivery for mom, just to name a few, Cortner notes. Dr. Cortner’s continuing education focuses on pregnancy and pediatrics, and her youngest patients are just a few days old. She is even known to make house calls for mom and baby after delivery and offers her personal cellphone number to mothers in the final weeks of pregnancy. “I’m on call, anytime. I do that for my moms,” she said. And the Cortners are just getting started — they organized the Inaugural FOCO Block Party this June to bring together vendors, small businesses and families in the Cumming area. The event, in collaboration with their charity partner, Mentor Me North Georgia, attracted over 100 people for family-friendly fun, food trucks and free health education. The recent FOCO Block Party was so successful that they are already planning how to make the next event bigger and even more fun. — Rebekah Taylor-Wiseman
Arise to your optimum health Arise Family Chiropractic provides exceptional neurologically based chiropractic care and nutrition to those of all ages. Our goal is to restore healing within your body so that you and your family are happy, healthy, and living life optimally! Hours of operation Monday 8:30AM – 10:30AM & 3:30PM – 7:00PM Tuesday 3:30PM – 6:00PM Wednesday 8:30AM – 10:30AM & 3:30PM – 7:00PM Thursday 3:30PM – 6:00PM Friday 8:30AM – 10:30AM Saturday CLOSED Sunday CLOSED
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