The Mahoneyfest story:
The name "Mahoneyfest" was a joke at first... but seemed to stick and appears to be here to stay. In 2006 I purchased a small farm in Box Springs GA. It consisted of several old barns, a turn of the century farm house, an old 1940's general store. When I showed my father the pictures, he said "I would burn them down..." haha. Well,I didn't burn them down... Instead i started to restore them (I always do the opposite of what my father suggests).
I immediatly felt something special about the place.. it had warmth and the character of an old soul. I remember the night I first lit up the old general store. I wired in a generator to the breaker box and the lights came on in a slow warm glow.
In the evenings after working on the farm house, I would sit in the old store and play my guitar. One evening, I thought about the importance of sharing this experience... at that moment Mahoneyfest was born.
The Musicfest is based on the principal of remembering why we do what we do - To share ourselves, thoughts and philosophies with others... to listen to each other, and walk away with something new... whether that be a warm moment, an idea or a new found friendship. The musicfest is not divided between artists and spectators, they are intertwined.
September of 2006 - we had our first event. We all had a great time. The musicians that came made the old soul smile. There were many great memories created that we now all share.
I intend to host Mahoneyfest for as long as people will come and share this old farm with me. Thanks to all who have come and shared their art with us.
any plans for another gathering this year? hope all is well down yonder...things have been rollin' merrily along up in atlanta. miss ya, jim! congrats on adding goats to the family. :)
Thank you for adding me and letting me share my art and soul with you. I hope you're having a wonderful summer. "Don't be a stranger, just be strange. "
Jeremy, Thanks for opening my eyes, ears, and mind to appreciate music from a musicians standpoint. I get it ! It's great to hear live music once again. Seeing& hearing the musical passion of a singer/songwriter is something that will be with me forever. I Thank You all
Well the work was worth it! You've got a beautiful place out there. My family and I actually built our own house as well... Lots of time, work, sweat and love goes into projects like that-but they're experiences that can't be rivaled.
On another note, I have a bunch of photos from the fest which I'll try and post soon. Thanks again for such a splendid gathering~
Jim, You have renewed my love for music by gathering some amazing talent. I feel new friendships being made and ditto about Steve. He's also a Grill Master. Thanks again.
Jim, Thanks again for welcoming me to your home away from home..which has, it seems, become something similar for many of us. I must say that I felt a new level of comfort (evident in my new mahoneyfest sleep patterns ;-)) musicianship and friendship this time. As before, I came away with a slightly different perspective...always for the better. I did miss the chat in the store w/ you though. next time. (by the way...your friend steve is a great guy and it was fun chatting w/ him on the ride home.) talk to you soon...take care and thanks again for everything. all the best, brian
Thank you for a beautiful weekend. I had another moving experience aside from the one gravity provided when I fell off the stage. On the way home the adventure continued as in raleigh we landed in a thunderstorm and had a close encounter with the phenomena known as wind shear. Thank you for everything and I am very lucky to have been a part of the Mahoneyfest experience.
I never imagined it could get any better...and you did it AGAIN! Thank you for bringing together such amazing people and providing a beautiful backdrop for community, inspiration, freedom of expression, and encouragement. What a delightfully euphoric experience MahoneyFest has been and I feel deeply fortunate to have been able to have been a part of it through the various seasons. Love you and your heart for artists. ~grace~
I had such an amazing time this weekend, Jim. It brought a lot of much needed inspiration and threw that 'auto pilot' feeling out the window...I'd even go out on a limb and say that my voice took on some more soul. Seriously, the sound of all those voices joining together around that campfire is still echoing in my head. Thanks again for such a genuine experience~
I can't wait to be there Jim. I will actually have CD's with me this time too. I will also have to of course perform "Old Road In Georgia" which was inspired by the last trip.
