Macon’s Bragg Jam Concert Crawl returns to where it began 27 years ago

This year, Bragg Jam is taking it back to where it started. It’s been 27 years since local musicians first came together at The Rookery, on Cherry Street, for an impromptu jam session tinged with sadness.

They gathered there to honor the lives of Brax and Tate Bragg, two brothers killed in a car accident in Texas on July 3, 1999 while on a cross-country trip.

Brax, a 27-year-old singer-songwriter from Macon, had just recorded a CD with his band, the Buckleys. Tate, 17, was an accomplished classical guitarist.

That outpouring of grief over their deaths grew into an annual concert crawl involving various downtown venues and gave birth to a nonprofit organization that aims to support and promote live music in Macon.

On July 25, the concert crawl will kick off again at The Rookery, which is celebrating 50 years in Macon.

“One thing that is unique about Bragg Jam is, every Bragg Jam, we’ve opened the whole concert crawl with the Buckleys performing,” said Bragg Jam president Olivia Walter. “Typically, they open at Grant’s Lounge. But this year, because The Rookery is involved, we thought it was only appropriate that we have the Buckleys perform at The Rookery where it all began.”

Music will flow through Macon’s downtown streets, with more than 35 Bragg Jam performers at eight venues, all included in the ticket price. 

“What I love most about Bragg Jam is you’re going to find some of the musicians that you’re going to hear about in the next couple years,” Walter said. “And you can say, ‘Hey, I heard that person in Macon before they were famous.’”

In the past, Bragg Jam has featured Jason Isbell, Rainbow Kitten Surprise and the Zac Brown Band among others.

Genres include R&B, Americana, Afrobeats, Latin, hip-hop, punk rock, indie and bluegrass. There will be jam bands, as well. 

Walter is looking forward to the guitar pull, when a small group of musicians will come together and take turns playing and discussing their songs.

“This year, we have an all-female guitar pull, and they have all different types of genres they’re representing as songwriters — Ash Tuesday, CC Witt, Julia Barfield and Sam Stephens. I think they’re going to be so much fun to see and just learn about their process and hear about how they’ve created music,” she said.

Walter has been Bragg Jam president since 2022, but joined the board in 2018. Originally from Nashville, she was involved with radio stations and recording studios in her hometown. After moving to Macon, Walter attended Bragg Jam for the first time in 2012. It was a moment that cemented her love for the city.

“It wasn’t even just about the music that I happened to see that night,” she said. “It felt like the whole environment made me really love Macon. I knew that this was something that I wanted to be involved with because I felt like it brought a little bit of what my hometown was to what I was now calling home.”

If you’re planning to attend the festival, central ticketing will be on Cherry Street, across from The Rookery. Wristbands will be issued there. VIP tickets will allow you access to the lower level of Churchills on Cherry for an air conditioned space with beer and wine.

Tickets are available now at braggjam.org.

A Melody from a Bragg Jam artist

Ashlynn Kilcrease — Ash Tuesday — will be joining CC Witt, Julia Barfield and Sam Stephens in this year’s guitar pull, featuring all women artists. 

“I feel happy that someone is championing for women in the scene, and I really appreciate that,” she said. “I’m honored to be a part of who they thought of when they thought of women in Macon. I always love being a part of Bragg.”

Kilcrease performed at Bragg Jam in 2024 and loved the opportunity to play for her friends and see them wearing her merch. Music for her is very therapeutic and gives her the space to express her emotions.

During the guitar pull, you’ll hear about the featured artists’ creative processes, similar to the videos on Genius — an online lyric database and community hub for music fans — where an artist explains the meaning of their song and takes viewers behind the scenes.

“I’m excited to talk about the songs,” Kilcrease said. “This will be my Genius moment to explain how they came about, or just gab about myself, and also hear everybody else’s story. I think you take your own meaning from songs, but to hear the artist’s original meaning is going to be really cool.”

You can catch Ash Tuesday and the other women artists at Capricorn Sound Studios from 4:45-6:15 p.m. during the concert crawl July 25.