Michael Johnathon
Hometown: Lexington, Kentucky
Genre: Folk, Singer/Songwriter
Website: www.woodsongs.com

We are pleased to announce that folk singer/author Michael Johnathon will be both performing his musical craft and hosting Woodsongs Sunday at Chattahippie, which will feature a wide and ecelect mix of folk and roots music throughout the day.

Every Monday night, musical history is made as the Woodsongs Old Time Radio Hour begins its regular radio and television broadcast at the Kentucky Theatre. Tour buses deliver visitors from faraway places; crowds scramble for good seats. Volunteers wearing black shirts finish their sound checks and adjust their cameras.

The house is packed as stage lights dim. Michael Johnathon comes onstage and introduces himself as a folksinger, songwriter and tree hugger. What he doesn’t say is he’s also a playwright, producer, author and touring artist. Johnathon has a worldwide radio audience exceeding a million listeners each week. He also created the world’s first multi-camera weekly series broadcast on the Internet.

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By Casey Phillips, Chattanooga Times Free Press

Finding enough funding, unraveling the tangle of bureaucratic red tape and booking the right acts are all major hurdles to getting a music festival to succeed.

But ultimately, it all comes down to Mother Nature, local festival organizers said.

From smaller, one-day affairs with a handful of artists to sprawling events such as Riverbend, success or failure hangs on the weather more than any other factor, they said.

“The weather is probably the biggest situation you can’t do anything about,” said Paul Smith, who works with operations at the Chattanooga branch of Texas-based Palo Duro Records. The label is planning to host the inaugural year of their Chattahippie Americana music festival in September.

[Read the full article]

Gary Nicholson

Residence: Nashville
Hometown: Garland, Texas
Genres: Americana, Singer/Songwriter, Country, Blues, Rock
Website: www.garynicholson.com

A 2006 nominee for the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame, Gary Nicholson has had more than 350 of his songs recorded, has won 26 ASCAP songwriting awards and is responsible for more than a dozen major hits. Unlike most tunesmiths, he is not bound by musical genre. His songs routinely top the country hit parade. But rock bands, blues artists, folk stars and bluegrass acts have also embraced him as a songwriter.

“I’ve never found it difficult to ’shift gears’ between different musical styles,” Nicholson says. “I let myself be dictated by the needs of the artist or of the writer I’m collaborating with. A lot of these guys are just looking for good lyrics. Songwriting is songwriting. A song is a song.”

As a guitarist, Gary Nicholson has brightened recording sessions and/or concert stages with the likes of Guy Clark, Billy Joe Shaver, Bobby Bare, Delbert McClinton and Tracy Nelson. During his long career, he has also played lead guitar in at least 10 of his own bands.

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Two Tons of Steel
Hometown: San Antonio, Texas
Genres: Americana, Rockabilly, Rock
Website: www.twotons.com

Texas band Two Tons of Steel might be described as equal parts Elvis Presley and Elvis Costello, with a liberal dose of Buddy Holly and a dollop of The Ramones. It’s a one-of-a-kind sound that bandleader and frontman Kevin Geil likes to call countrybilly. Read the rest of this entry →

We have started to confirm the lineup for the inaugural Chattahippie Music Festival, and will begin to announce new entertainers, partners and hosts each week until we run out of space!

Because Chattahippie is a music discovery festival, don’t expect for us to announce artists in any particular order;  everyone appearing at the festival is terrific, although admittedly some are more widely known than others.  Our goal is to expose you to new ideas and experiences, and the order of which we announce the lineup will be intentionally random.

Life is meant to be interesting!

The Chattahippie Music Festival is a celebration of peace, love & music discovery - and we have designed the schedule to offer a wide variety of musical experiences. Although we won’t begin to announce specific performers for a couple more weeks, here is a sneak preview of what’s ahead:

Thursday, September 18, 2008

A special evening of acoustic performances by leading singer/songwriters from across the nation. This attendance-restricted event will feature great music and smaller crowds, and will include a meet-and-greet with all of the performing artists. Admission limited to 4-day ticket holders only.

Friday, September 19, 2008

Hosted by a national radio personality/outlaw country entertainer, this evening will feature high energy, hard rockin’ alt-country entertainers from Texas to Tennessee and everywhere in between. What would Friday night be without blowing off some steam? Come discover your inner-outlaw, and have some fun.

Saturday, September 20, 2008

From rock to blues, from jam bands to Americana, Saturday promises to be a full-day of great music, food and good times. With over 12 hours of live entertainment, you’ll need to rest up to start early and party late.

Sunday, September 21, 2008

The morning after a great night is always a bit rough, but Sunday promises everyone a fresh start - beginning with an early-morning Hippie Church gathering. Afterwards, join us for a pancake breakfast and a full day of folk & bluegrass music hosted by a nationally syndicated radio program creator & performing artist.

Sunday afternoon will mark the end of our Chattahippie celebration… until next year.

We have created a facebook page to promote the social community around those interested in attending, performing, volunteering or promoting the debut Chattahippie Music Festival.  If you are a facebook fan, drop by and join the group!  Everyone is invited to upload photos, ideas, and share links to great hippie music.

Word is quickly spreading about our upcoming festival, and we’re starting to receive a lot of interest from artists, managers & agents regarding the available slots. As we are not formally announcing the festival until January/2008, we are caught a bit off-guard and not quite ready for the rush of interest.

The public interest is very exciting, and we’re looking forward to hearing from everyone.

In order for us to effectively manage submissions, we are using SonicBids as our primary system for accepting, tracking and responding to inquiries. We’ve discovered that the flood of manilla envelopes is really ineffective, particularly when our review team is spread across multiple cities and states. CDs get lost, not everyone is able to review the materials, and it generally becomes a train wreck.

Artists & agents are encouraged to review our event description at www.sonicbids.com/Chattahippie, and if you feel that you are a compelling fit, then we would like to hear from you.

Please note: unrequested physical mail submissions and phone calls are strongly discouraged, and will have a negative impact on our review process. We HATE to throw away CDs, press kits, and other materials; if we feel that we need to speak with you, or hear a bit more of your music, we will contact you by telephone to discuss the opportunity.

Thanks for your cooperation!

You have stumbled upon the unannounced website for the Chattahippie Music Festival, a celebration of peace, love and music to be held in Chattanooga, TN.

Thanks for dropping by, but please check back later for our official launch announcement.

The Chattahippie Music Festival is a production of Palo Duro Presents, LLC.