A Relay for Life benefit concert will be held this Saturday at the Macon County Fairgrounds. “Rockin’ for Relay, Rollin’ Over Cancer” is the name of the event, which runs from 2-9 PM and costs $5 at the gate.
The day will feature the musical performances of Jason Garrett Gammon, Supernovocaine, The Glue Factory, and Mama Tried, with an opening anthem by Terri Lynn Weaver. There will be food such as hotdogs and hamburgers for sale, as well as baked goods, and over 25 sponsors have donated items for a silent auction. A cornhole tournament will be held as well, with a $20 entry fee per day (winners get 50% payback).
Weaver starts it all off at 2:00 PM, and Gammons plays until 3:00 PM. Supernovocaine plays at 3:30; Glue Factory at 5:30, and Mama Tried at 7:30.
The Willette Volunteer Fire Department will be taking admission and parking cars. All proceeds go the Macon County Relay for Life effort, which benefits the American Cancer Society.
A little bit about the night’s entertainers:
The Glue Factory
The Glue Factory is a local band made up of Mitch Brown (Guitar/Vocals), Troy Clemons (Drums/Vocals), Scott Baldwin (Bass), Benny Birchfield (Guitar/Vocals), Noel Woody (Vocals). They call themselves rock/blues/alternative band, and some of their music can be previewed online at www.reverbnation.com/GlueFactoryBand. They primarily play rock and blues cover tunes.
Supernovocaine is another band from the Macon County area, also playing rock/blues.
Jason Garrett Gammon
Gammon, a known name ‘round these parts, is has released an album called Electric Folk, which aptly describes his genre. He has a nice lineup of original music on the record, although his live renditions of other folk/rock covers also make a lasting impression.
Particularly impressive is Gammon’s original song, “In Hell with Judas & Robert Frost,” a tour of musical, historical, and literary references tied together with a folk artist’s turn of phrase. Several others, such as “Come Follow Me,” and “Say it Ain’t So,” also show this lyrical instinct, and the tune “Down by the Riverside” has all the addictive musical strength of a rock-Americana radio single.
In a bio by Sonja Mangom, posted on Gammon’s page at www.unsigned.com, Mangom calls Gammon “the real deal; a guitar-slinging, poet’s heart possessing, silver–tongued southern devil of a musician who would do the listening world a great service to continue onward with his unique brand of slightly off-center genius…”
Mama Tried
Macon County born band Mama Tried celebrated the release of their first full-length album in December, and have played several scheduled venue dates since then. The 11-track album, “Thicker Than Water,” is a followup to the EP that the group finished last year, which was picked up for radio play in Knoxville, TN, several areas in KY, and national station 102.9.
Mama Tried is made up of five men: Ron Alan Powell (lead vocals), Jason Hawks (guitar), Dan Dunaway (guitar), Scott Clariday (bass), and Chris Jones (drums). They began their musical road together at Macon County High School nearly 20 years ago.
“We’re all local guys,” said lead singer Ron Alan Powell. “We’re all workers, and engineers, and business owners, and what started off to be fun it’s turned into more success than we ever imagined. That is because of the support we get in Macon County.”
They recorded the album at Underdog Studios in Nashville, TN. It was produced by D.A. Karkos (lead guitar player for John Carobi), engineered by Cheney Brannon (drummer for Collective Soul and Gary Allen, and John Carobi), and mixed and mastered in Atlanta, GA.
“Thicker Than Water” is available for purchase ($10) on Amazon, iTunes, or the Mama Tried website - www.themamatried.com.


















