WEDNESDAY, MARCH 29, 2017
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PHOTO COURTESY SWEETBAY
Brewery sales bill approved, now headed to governor By SARAH FAY CAMPBELL sarah@newnan.com
Local band Sweetbay redefines traditional music genres By MAGGIE BOWERS maggie@newnan.com Despite being in their 20s — barely — the members of the local music group Sweetbay already have a firm handle on what it takes to work together to create music, and to perform it in a way that listeners can connect with the band’s unique “electronic alternative” sound. Lance Mapp, James T ier n a n a nd Z a c h DeLoach have been performing together for a little more than two years. Where they are today all started because, according to lead singer and guitarist Mapp, their first show together “wasn’t a train wreck.” In February 2015, Mapp agreed to play a popular Newnan fundraising event benefitting Meals on Wheels of Coweta. The Blues Plate Special, created and organized by local bluegrass musician Kris Youmans, is held annually at the Alamo downtown. “Kris got me up to play guitar for a few songs in her set at the event the year before,” Mapp explained. “This time, she wanted me to play my own set, so I asked James and Zach to play with me.” Mapp and his musician friends didn’t even have a chance to practice before the big show. “I gave them the song list and when we came together at the Alamo, we played… and we weren’t a train wreck,” Mapp said. “So, we decided we would start playing together as a band.” The Alamo is still Sweetbay’s favorite place to come together, and it shows. The band has a large fan base downtown and even just their name on the old marquee creates a bit of a buzz around town. As a group, the guys have played more than 10 shows at the local bar and restaurant. “We are all very comfortable there,” said bass player Tiernan. “It’s one of the only music venues in town that has a great space for bands, and it’s a fun place to be.” Mapp added, “The local crowd is so supportive, too, of any band that comes in there to play – I’ve seen so many different types of musicians page 4 there and crowds seem to love all of it equally.”
A local brewery – and others around the state – will be able to sell beer directly to customers under a bill that has received final passage in the Georgia General Assembly. Senate Bill 85 now heads to Gov. Nathan Deal for his signature. If signed, it’s set to go into effect Sept. 1. And that will be the first time since Prohibition that Georgia beer manufacturers will be able to sell their product directly to consumers. Once the law goes into effect, Newnan’s Abide Brewing will have expanded taproom hours for pint sales and packages to go, said Evan Scanlan of Abide. The local brewery is in the midst of a major expansion that will greatly increase production. “We are excited to see Georgia understating the potential for local tourism,” Scanlan said, and he sees Newnan becoming a destination for craft beer enthusiasts. Two years ago, the legislature passed a bill that allowed breweries to sell tour packages that included up to 36 ounces of alcohol beer on site and a small amount to go. Under the new bill, a customer can buy a case-worth of beer – 288 ounces – a day. A brewery can sell up to 3,000 barrels worth a year to consumers. Senate Bill 85 also applies to distilleries in the state. Georgia’s “farm wineries” have long been able to sell their wine directly to customers.
Both Mapp and Tiernan noted that much of their music influence and encouragement came locally from musicians like Kris Youmans and Doug Kees, owner and instructor at Musicology, and others like musician Ken Spake and music instructor Lyn Schenbeck. “Really everyone here has helped us out in so many ways,” Tiernan
“We weren’t a train
wreck, so we decided we would start playing together as a band.” said. “We would like to return the favor and pass it on to the next generation by cultivating young musicians here.” Mapp and his bandmates also hone their talents by teaching. The three manage a music-instruction business, offering young, up-andcoming musicians not only instrumental lessons, but advice on what it takes to be a part of today’s music scene. “We are working to build musicians,” Mapp said. “We are teaching what we know, preparing younger musicians for what is going on in music now.” The business is growing. Once known as Studio 150, the company is currently expanding to include a few other instructors and even a new location. Band members plan to offer the public a grand opening of Fusion Music, located at 20 Tower Place in Newnan, in mid-April. “The name ‘Fusion Music’ signifies a combination of the talent of all of the instructors involved,” Tiernan explained. “We each have such different musical backgrounds and so much to offer.” I n fact, Mapp, Tier na n , a nd DeL oach a re a l ready of fer i ng more than most to the community. The band most often plays not to pad their own pockets, but to give back. Sweetbay started out playing for a local charity fundraiser, and though a percentage of paying per-
PHOTO BY MAGGIE BOWERS
Terry “Tank” Helton brings fresh ears of corn to the Coweta County Farmer’s Market, selling the vegetable right from the bed of his pickup truck at last year’s Market Day in downtown Newnan.
Main Street aims to give back during Market Days Market Day starts Saturday, April 1 By KANDICE BELL kandice@newnan.com A program of the city of Newnan designed to boost downtown merchants is offering a new benefit to select nonprofit organizations. Main Street Gives Back is an opportunity for nonprofits and mission-based organizations to engage with visitors with a free vendor booth during Market Day
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eta & beyond... inment in Cow arts and enterta Music, theatre,
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sales events. Each Ma rket Day features un ique specia lty items from loca l a rtisa ns, artists and farmers that are available for purchase. They are held around the courthouse square in downtown Newnan every first Saturday of the month from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. starting April 1. The city
MARKET, page 4
8, 2017
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PHOTO BY MAGGI
E BOWERS
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