Mini music festivals are nothing new for GATA’s Sports Bar and Grill. The venue is known for the Statesboro Blues Festival and Summer Jam, but this Saturday’s Dixie Jam is the first musical event to revolve around southern rock and country music. Greg Kearney, who is responsible for booking the musical talent for GATA's and organizer for Summer Jam for the last three years, explains how the concept of Dixie Jam came about.
“We've had so much success with it [Summer Jam] over the years, that I began to wonder if we could pull off a similar event, aimed more at a country and southern rock audience,” he said. “This is something that I've never seen done in Statesboro, though we have a huge country music fan base here in our town.
“We came up with the idea earlier in the year and we got a great response from the bands, so we said, let's give it a shot.”
Saturday’s festival will feature performances from seven bands across two stages, one indoors and one outside on the deck.
"Almost all [the bands] are from Georgia, with some from right here in Statesboro, like local favorite and Dixie Jam headliner the Daniel Johnson Band. We have some of the south's best local and regional touring acts," said Kearney.
Individuals may purchase tickets at GATA's. Advance tickets are $5 — that’s $1.40 per band — and $7 the day of the show.
"We think this event is going to be a great way for country and southern rock music lovers of all ages to have all the fun of a big music festival without having to leave town," said Kearney. "Plus, for GSU students, it'll be a great way to blow off some steam before finals."
All ages are allowed at the earlier shows, but after 9 p.m., only those 18 and up are allowed.
For more information and the chance to win a pair of free tickets, visit facebook.com/gatanation.