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Seegar Swanson

Fiddler's Green Coffeehouse is an acoustic music concert series held the third Saturday of each month at the Garden Hills Community Center located at 321 Pinetree Drive in Buckhead. It is sponsored by the Atlanta Area Friends of Folk Music, a 501(c)(3) non-profit, all volunteer organization devoted to advancing folk music in the greater Atlanta area.

Early Days

Fiddler's Green has been transforming the rustic wooden cabin at Garden Hills into a rather unique music venue for over fourteen years, and is the second oldest monthly non-commercial coffeehouse in the region. It was started when many of the commercial establishments in the Buckhead area either closed or discontinued their acoustic music opportunities, leaving a void for local and touring folk performers.

For much of that time, typical audiences were in the 20-50 range, and a minimal door donation of $3 was requested, which usually didn't pay or barely paid for the facility rental. This left little revenue with which to pay the three or four music or storytelling acts booked each month.

From Coffeehouse To Concert Series

In early 1995, some changes began to occur at Fiddler's Green. A significant upgrade to the sound system was authorized by the AAFFM Board, resulting in much better sound quality both in the room and onstage (due to the addition of monitor speakers). The lineups began to include more professional acts. Finally, noting the many monthly coffeehouses that had sprung up in the region, while there remained an extremely limited number of paying gigs for professional acoustic acts, the decision was reached by the Board to change the format from informal coffeehouse to professional concert presentation.

Beginning in January '96, the requested door donation was increased to a minimum of $5 for AAFFM members/$6 for non-members, and all the money collected at the door beyond the facility rental and expenses is given to the performers. The standard format was moved from 3-4 acts sharing the evening to usually no more than two, most often an opening act and a feature performance of one long or two standard length sets (although there is an occasional split bill arrangement, where two feature acts will split the show evenly).

Since this change, the audiences at Fiddler's Green have slowly but steadily been increasing. Currently they average close to 80, with several shows exceeding our 150 capacity. Historically, the vast majority of the listeners attending came to hear a specific act. However, increased efforts at marketing and publicizing the monthly shows during the last four years have seen a substantial number of newcomers to the venue that are also hearing an act for the first time.

Managers of the coffeehouse series are particularly pleased with the ever increasing percentage of the audience each month that are repeat attendees. In other words, the series is gradually developing its own audience. There are a number of reasons for this. One is the significant effort made to keep attendees informed of future shows through the AAFFM monthly newsletter, website, and the Fiddler's Green email distribution list, whereby notice and a description of each show is delivered electronically to over 800 different email addresses. A second is the consistency in the quality of the musical entertainment provided; with but twelve shows per year to book and many dozens of performers interested in playing the room, there is never a bad show.

A third, and probably the biggest reason behind the increase in repeat attendees, is that Fiddler's Green is simply a wonderful place to hear folk and acoustic music. The warm intimacy of the wooden cabin at the Garden Hills Community Center provides excellent acoustics for this kind of music; it's tucked away in a grove of trees such that you would think you were in the north Georgia mountains, as opposed to being a few blocks from the neon lights of the Buckhead nightclub district. Candlelit tables, professional sound, and continuous improvements in the stage and lighting have improved the ambiance of the facility.

Further, the early hours (8:00-10:30pm), non-smoking and BYOB policies at Fiddler's make it a great place for families to hear music, as compared to the commercial clubs that make their living selling food and drink. Finally, Fiddler's Green is a listening room; people are there to hear the music, not to visit with each other, which is a fact appreciated by both audience and performer.

Branching Out

As the Fiddler's Green reputation has evolved during these changes, co-managers Miki and Seegar Swanson have increased their involvement in the local acoustic music community. Excellent relationships exist with other venues such as Eddie's Attic, the local Borders Bookstores, and most of the other monthly non-commercial coffeehouses and music series. It is not unusual for referrals or multiple bookings to be worked out by the Swansons on behalf of their artists, especially touring acts coming to play Fiddler's.

In addition to these efforts, the Swansons are working at providing additional resources for the folk community. A Fiddler's Green Media Contact Guide provides performers with a list of Atlanta area radio and print media contacts. An Atlanta Region Acoustic Music Venues guide has been produced, such that performers and listeners both have a comprehensive resource listing. Performers booked into Fiddler's appreciate the extensive and detailed written confirmation they receive, which includes the media and venue guides, directions to the venue, details of venue promotion efforts, time of sound checks and performance sets, product sales table and door personnel, etc.

Further evidence of the success of Fiddler's Green lies in the caliber of the musicians performing there. Included are such top nationally-touring performers as three-time National Association for Campus Activities Performer of the Year Mike Rayburn, Compass Records' Pierce Pettis, and Rounder Records' Sparky Rucker. Nationally acclaimed acoustic artist Caroline Aiken was so pleased with the detailed effort in her 9/96 Fiddler's show that she asked that her 6/97 Atlanta album release party be a "Fiddler's Green Presents" event, publicized and promoted by Fiddler's even though it was held at another venue.

While each of these artists are either locally or regionally (Southeast) based, performers from throughout the U.S. have expressed interest in the venue, as well. This is evidenced by the Fiddler's performances of New York based Shanachie Records artist Michael Jerling, California-based Michael McNevin, and New England's Bill Morrissey, a Philo/Rounder Records eight album veteran considered by many to be one of the best performing songwriters in the country.

As the venue's reputation has increased, the local print media responded. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution sent both writer and photographer to the community center one afternoon, resulting in the 5/8/97 publication of "A Woodsy Place for Folksy Types" article in the City Pages section. The 30305 Magazine, a local magazine with both direct mail and free newstand combined distribution of 21,000 in the immediate zip code of the Garden Hills Community Center, did a feature article on the Fiddler's Green series entitled "A Fancy for Fiddlin'" in their June 1997 issue.

1998 and early 1999 found Fiddler's continuing its expansion into shows beyond the regular third Saturday concert at Garden Hills. They moved into the realm of house concerts, where touring acoustic acts are presented in people's homes between more commercial gigs. Miki and Seegar also produced a benefit show at Eddie's Attic for Amnesty International which included performances by numerous local and national acoustic acts. Fiddler's served as producer for a reception and booksigning for Kerrville Folk Festival founder Rod Kennedy in July, 1998. In January of 1999 Fiddler's hosted a songwriting workshop featuring nationally renowned songwriter Steve Gillette, author of the book Songwriting and the Creative Process published by Sing Out! Press.

Tragedy Strikes

A few days following our April, 1999 show, fire struck the beloved cabin in the middle of the night. All that was left standing were the stone foundation and fireplace. In a dramatic testimony to the value of the music series, a wide variety of individuals responded to an emailed call for help finding alternate venues. Most interesting was an offer from the Margaret Mitchell House and Museum, which is a facility built around the restored building where Gone With The Wind was written. This building actually burned twice during the process of saving the site from redevelopment into an office complex and restoring "the dump" to it's vintage condition.

The Fiddler's Concert Series became a joint effort with the Margaret Mitchell Museum, and very popular outdoor lawn concerts were presented each third Saturday from May through October, 1999. However, the weather and street noise combined to send managers in search of another location while awaiting reconstruction of the cabin at Garden Hills.

After presenting two shows at Eddie's Attic in November, 1999, Fiddler's combined with the Moonsongs Coffeehouse in December to present the traditional AAFFM Holiday Party and Coffeehouse. The first show in the year 2000 was held at the community clubhouse in Pine Lake, in conjunction with the Pine Lake Cultural Affairs Committee.

A Fiddler's representative was invited by the Garden Hills Association to participate in the plans for the reconstruction of the Recreation Center. The new building retains all of the ambiance that made it so special as an acoustic music listening room, while incorporating several changes that will make it easier to present shows, and more comfortable for both audience and performers. The reconstruction is complete and the venue is better than ever.

A Little About AAFFM

The non-profit Atlanta Area Friends of Folk Music publishes a monthly newsletter providing information about all sorts of folk music issues, including contemporary folk, traditional folk, Appalachian, Celtic, Cajun, dulcimer, shape note singing, contra and other dance, and just about any other type of folk/acoustic music imaginable. It is sent by first class mail to the over 300 members of the organization.

The AAFFM Board of Directors is headed by President Chris Moser, who is among several individuals responsible for building the foundation of the Fiddler's Green series before the Swanson's involvement (Seegar began booking the acts with the February '93 show). Chris still volunteers with the setup and operation of nearly each show that doesn't conflict with his Celtic music interests.

Membership in AAFFM is only $12/year for an individual, or $15/year for a family. At each Fiddler's Green show, non-members are invited to sign up for one free copy of the newsletter, which will arrive with a membership application. In addition to the newsletter, a benefit to membership includes a $1 discount per show in the requested door donation at all Fiddler's shows.

Early Performances

AAFFM Board 
August, 2007