The Sounds of Tucker:
Local Musicians Keep the
Beat
of the
City L. A. DISON
F
rom intimate performances in a local bar to full-out concerts on Main Street, Tucker’s music scene is as diverse as the musicians who create it. While the city’s many scheduled events draw artists from across Atlanta and the Southeast, Tucker is home to a wide variety of musical talents. “Tucker is full of fantastic, professional musicians,” said Micah Cadwell, a jazz guitarist who has lived in Tucker for the past fourteen years. “It seems like everyone I work with lives here, or at least nearby.” The revitalization of Main Street and the establishment of city festivals like Tucker Day and Taste of Tucker have all created opportunities for these local musicians. “I have been playing at the Tucker Day festival for the past three years,” continued Cadwell, “and it is such a treat to get to play for your community and spend time with your friends and neighbors at the same time.” This year, the city added “First Friday Concert Series” to its TKR Summer of Fun events. (The concerts are held in the Church Street Greenspace, at 6:30 p.m. the first Friday in May, June, August and September.) The city also has discussed adding an entertainment district in downtown that would allow more outdoor dining as well as create an open container district for alcohol consumption, enhancing the attraction for live music. Still, many musicians feel more effort is needed to create a vibrant music scene that would entice fans from across metro Atlanta to Tucker. “Before we can ask good bands to play here, we have to have quality places known for live music that will invest in their production and paying bands what they are worth,” commented Art Wood, owner of The Art Wood Mortgage Team and lead singer and guitarist for 90s cover band Dial Up. For this article, we are spotlighting four Tucker musicians, but there are many more worth some attention. You can catch a lot of Tucker artists daily at 6:00 p.m. on Radio Tucker, on “Georgia Homegrown;” every Saturday at 5:00 p.m., hear new music on "Local Time," featuring local unsigned bands from Tucker and metro Atlanta. Follow Tucker bars and restaurants on Facebook and watch for scheduled performances by local talent. Tucker Main Street festivals, like Tucker Day, Taste of Tucker and the Tucker Chili Cook-Off, also often spotlight local artists. 4 OUR TOWN DEKALB | August 2022
Dial Up at the 2021 Taste of Tucker.
Micah Cadwell Guitarist Cadwell started playing in middle school, and by high school, was regularly performing in a band. He has performed professionally around the Southeast since 2001, and lived in Tucker since 2008. While primarily a jazz guitarist, he also plays folk, classic country, Americana, Western swing, and modern Appalachian music. In 2007, he began teaching guitar six days a week in his home studio, and recently produced two roots gospel records for a Belgian singer/songwriter. “Music has taken me all over the world and has provided me with so many unique experiences and incredible memories,” Cadwell says of his life as a musician. Cadwell plays every Thursday in Buckhead at Pricci and every Saturday in Roswell at Micah Cadwell with bassist Chris RiggenVin 25. He also has a monthly residency at bach at Roswell’s Vin 25. the Distillery of Modern Art in Chamblee, and hosts a jam session at High Card Brewing in downtown Tucker on the second Saturday of each month. Follow him on Instagram or listen to Micah Cadwell Music on YouTube. Elizabeth Grimes Born in Lincoln, Nebraska, Grimes has played piano since age 7. Her first paying gig was in high school, when she was booked to play dinner music nightly at Lee’s Chicken Restaurant. “This is where I learned the importance of building a large repertoire and connecting with an audience,” she said about her first shows. She has performed professionally ever since. She spent four years in the Army,
