ShedFest brings generations together to enjoy the power of music  

The seventh annual ShedFest happens this weekend, and the founders are promising the biggest year ever for the indie, decidedly community-based festival. From a humble virtual beginning during the pandemic — featuring supporters of the Kirkwood-based Guitar Shed learning center — the festival has continued to raise awareness of the local music scene.

Recently, the event has sprouted several new branches, under the guidance of Roots of Rhythm Foundation founders/musicians Parker Smith, Roger Baldowski and Walker Beard — with the blessings of original organizer Brandon Marsolo.

The ShedFest flagship affair, an all-day, all-ages-admitted concert attraction, is scheduled for this Saturday from 2 p.m. to 10 p.m. at Pullman Yards. The gathering brings some of Atlanta’s best musicians, music educators, advocates, students and supportive neighbors together for a comprehensive festival of live music, visual arts and community-based activities. Each ticket and registration supports efforts to aid affordable music education and cross-cultural programs for the area, fueled through the new foundation.

“Playing music is a right, not a privilege, and that’s probably the bottom line of our entire mission statement,” said Roots of Rhythm Executive Director Smith. Along with fellow musician and artist Baldowiski, the two serve as co-chairs of the new nonprofit organization based in the Kirkwood arts community — formed specifically to promote education and general collective involvement.

“We are honored to combine several events under one umbrella, and this year’s ShedFest will be the official public launch of it all,” explained Baldowski.

The benevolent foundation was conceived at San Francisco Coffee on DeKalb Avenue. “That’s where Parker and I would meet and exchange ideas,” Baldowski continued. “As a creative, I’m always looking for new projects and challenges, and that’s where we began kicking around ideas for the whole thing. One of the earliest ideas we had was to create a YouTube show that, of course, includes music and ways to uplift people — and maybe educate them a little — all at the same time. So music education and providing scholarships were where we ultimately landed as we planned.”

The pair conceived the Roots of Rhythm Foundation, a local music and community-centric organization tailored to promote instruction and devise unique ways to involve and reward residents of the surrounding neighborhood. Proceeds will be divided among music scholarships, the Guitar Shed organization and several other music programs.

“We were looking to expand into school outreach programs, historical initiatives, adult music programs, an extended songwriter showcase and even a funky, community-based parade and also that YouTube show we conceived,” explained Smith. 

“To help us facilitate these goals, we’ve assembled a board of directors that, while the focus is always musical, the members occupy different spheres of influence,” Smith continued. The board includes music industry vets, educators and representatives from businesses and other sectors.

Until this year, ShedFest was mainly centered around the Guitar Shed school. The new effort has extended the Fest to embrace several new aspects of the surrounding arts-friendly community.

“It all started with Guitar Shed and the teachers and students — when Brandon began the original virtual event. That’s the core we are working from. Now we can expand well into the general community itself, to reach people who may be seeking other creative resources,” added Baldowski. “We want to stress that it’s not just all for kids who want to play music. Guitar Shed has ensembles representing every age group. So, from the inside, we can work outward toward anyone who can feel the benefit of music — and all the positive healing it brings.”

“The good thing about being a sort of open-ended foundation is that we can partner with mental health issues and even victims of domestic violence,” continued Smith. “From early childhood to the elderly, really. The possibilities are endless.”

Admittedly, the organization is painting with a wide brush.

“We do try to cover quite a lot of ground with our intent — but I think it all comes down to our original mission statement of just sharing music for everyone,” Baldowski agreed. “That’s the connective thread for everyone involved. We’re just providing a very open-ended infrastructure — from the studios and stages all around the Atlanta area, with the gracious help of musicians and creatives that are right here in town.”

Smith and Baldowski agree that they are merely carrying on the tradition of the Guitar Shed mentality. “It’s been going since 2015,” explained Smith, “and we’ve always welcomed all ages and abilities. Now we’ve served around 500 students, so we’re just working within the practice of exploring music. I believe we are showing how much fun the process can be if you just immerse yourself into it all.”

The pair’s upcoming “Songs From The Shed” YouTube series (set to be officially premiered at ShedFest between live performances) carries on the crafty mindset in the form of a documentary-style video series.

“The deliverable, at the end of the program, is a music lesson from a respected player,” explained Smith. “It’s an exciting initiative that we’re happy to launch with a screening at ShedFest. [In each episode] we’ll do an interview with a respected Atlanta musician, they will play some of their music, and then we’ll have a bit where they teach me how to play one of their songs. I’ve definitely learned some things as we’ve been filming these segments.”   

He added that the ShedFest enterprise also includes a kids’ program called Jaminals. “Basically, it’s a way for early childhood musicians to learn the essentials of music. It’s part of our school outreach, and it’s very satisfying for me to see kids learning to play some of the music they already love — and who knows where that will lead?”

To add to the celebratory nature of the project, Roots of Rhythm has also partnered with the funky parade outfit called Lanta Gras.

“They started around the same time as the Guitar Shed school,” said Smith. “People from Kirkwood, who were big fans of New Orleans music, found a way to have a party and also give back to the community. It’s a traditional thing and a lot of fun for the participants and the neighborhood. This will be our first festival to actually partner with them, even though they’d been contributing proceeds to Guitar Shed anyway, so we thought, ‘Why not combine a way to help each other and the whole neighborhood at the same time?’ We’ve always had Guitar Shed bands participating in it anyway, so we’re just combining forces, and the events sort of anchor our year-round fundraising plans.”

If the Roots of Rhythm bunch wasn’t busy enough, they’ve also wrapped the “ATL Songs” showcase into the mix. The platform is a monthly music show featuring songwriters-in-the-round-type sessions.

“Atlanta doesn’t always get the same sort of recognition for singer-songwriters as Nashville or Austin,” continued Smith. “But we have a very vital singer-songwriter community right here in town.”

All proceeds from the monthly shows will also go to the foundation, and all the performers donate their time to the cause. The showcases are held at Buteco in Grant Park on the second Thursday of each month.

“And that brings us to this weekend,” said Smith. “It’s almost time for the latest — and we hope the very best — ShedFest.” In the planning stages since January, he said the goal was to present a wide-angle view of the music scene of Atlanta.

“This year, we have three very different Guitar Shed bands — the GS Collective, which is a teacher band, and then the teen band, which is populated from students here at Guitar Shed.”

The last three acts on the bill consist of two popular Atlanta bands and one national band.

The North Carolina-based Susto Stringband headlines the event with able support from local favorites Bad Guru and Rujen. “Bad Guru brings more of a heavier, sort of hardcore sound,” Smith explained. “Rujen played ShedFest a couple of years ago, and they’re sort of college/indie rock and very much pop-influenced. So we hope it’s a little something for everyone, and all ages are encouraged to come and check them all out.”  

Earlier in the day, Concrete Thursday plays at 3:30 p.m., and the adult Guitar Shed ensemble Again Forever takes the stage at 4:15 p.m.

“As you can see, we’ve very much programmed it to meet people where they are, across their full journey of music. For the players and the listeners — starting with Jaminals for the early childhood players, through teens and young adults — and then on to the older adults, of course,” continued Smith.

“But from a purely musical perspective, it’s simply a big platform for anyone who loves music,” he said. “The Atlanta musical legacy is vital and thriving, and we just hope to continue it with every musician we feature. For this festival, we have a multisensory day planned. There’s the live music aspect, but we have the video premiere, a curated artists’ market and custom screen-printed T-shirts on demand. We’re just stepping into it all at once and learning, on the fly, what works and what doesn’t. Hopefully it all works, but I guess we’ll find out.”

Right now, he added, the festival is intentionally focused on the Kirkwood and East Atlanta areas. “That’s where our local people are,” Baldowski said. “But looking down the road, we’re already talking about how we can engage with different music schools, programs and initiatives across town and even across the state. I really think the Roots of Rhythm framework is ultimately creating a template of how to activate the arts nationwide. The bottom line is, it’s all about passing it on and sharing the joy of creating music with anyone who wants to participate. If we can touch anyone with any of this festival — then we’re doing our job right.”

Where and When

ShedFest, 2 p.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday, August 15. Pullman Yards, 225 Rogers St., Atlanta. Tickets available at www.rootsofrhythm.org/shedfest.

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Lee Valentine Smith is an Atlanta-born artist, writer and musician. Currently a regular contributor to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, his work has been syndicated internationally. He has appeared at Music Midtown, on CBS Radio and on Air America. He also served as art director, consultant and archivist for projects with ’80s hitmakers The Go-Go’s.