Lily of the Suburbs

Lily of the Suburbs is folk rock, singer-songwriter Jessica Lily Horowitz. Her songs are powerful and hypnotic, balancing passionate emotion with a delicate Southern drawl. - Atlanta Jewish Music Festival

Thursday night is the first time the Atlanta Jewish Music Festival has presented a mix of Atlanta Jewish talents in one venue. Starting at 6:30 p.m. the famous Eddie’s Attic Listening Room in Decatur will fill its intimate house with fans of local favorites Lily of the Suburbs, Sunmoon Pie, and Ariel Root Wolpe.

With Atlanta’s hot bed of musical talent, the AJMF wanted to give some local folks a chance to have their own stage as part of the weekend filled with music culminating in a rock concert at Center Stage on West Peachtree Street, Saturday night.

According to Americana singer-songwriter Jessica Lily Horwitz’s web Lily of the Suburbspage, Lily of the Suburbs is the folk rock end product of guitar playing and vocals influenced by Gillian Welch, Nina Simone, Loretta Lynn, Paul Simon and the 90s grunge movement. “Her creeping and surprising songs are about an always changing life experience transforming into very personal storytelling,” according to the site.
Not always alone on stage, Horwitz’s band members include - Jody Hughes on banjo and guitar, who has played guitar and banjo for artists such as Jim Lauderdale, Alan Munde, Ross Nickerson, and Randy Kohrs; Michael Paynter on mandolin and vocals, is also in the Packway Handle Band; Mark Hogan is the upright and electric bassist; Andy Liechty plays several different instruments and is also a singer-songwriter.
Sunmoon Pie is a fairly new duo featuring Michael Levine ( The Learning Groove’s Mr. Michael) and Atlanta lawyer Bonnie Puckett. In the fall of 2010, through working on liturgical pieces in preparation to lead services at LimmudFest at Camp Ramah Darom, the two then began leading Ahavath Achim’s AAbsolute Unplugged synagogue services every month. The collaborations have continued. With three official recordings under their guitar straps, this is the first major performance for the two.

A producer/singer/songwriter, Levine has performed professionally for about 15 years in Atlanta, and he's even won an Open Mic Shootout at Eddie's Attic. He studied music at the University of Virginia, and hails from Birmingham, AL. He is also co-founder of The Learning Groove children’s music company.

As their debut to the larger Atlanta music scene, both Puckett and Levine said Eddie’s Attic is the right setting. “Eddie's is a great space for music like ours - we aim to create a spiritual energy, and the intimate venue really allows that energy to flow,” said Puckett.

When asked to describe Sunmoon Pie’s music, the two concluded, “We suppose one could describe Sunmoon Pie as Jewish-influenced folk/pop/rock/singer-songwriter/hip-hop/kirtan.” As for the uniquely Jewish-ness, or Jewish uniqueness of their songs – “Although we have pieces that are straight out of the Hebrew liturgy, we also enjoy writing songs that are inspired by Jewish themes, but that translate into universal concepts not tied to religion. For example, our song "Soul Beneath" is based on the holiday of Tu B'Shvat, and "Light Eternal" is about the eternal light present in every synagogue, but the lyrics of those songs don't portray those sources in an overt way,” said Levine.

For music availability at the AJMF show, the duo will be selling their three songs as an electronic download for a suggested donation of $3 to go to the charity Mazon.

When Ariel Root Wolpe hits the stage with her guitar, don’t let the sweet blonde college kid appearance throw you for a loop – this young lady has a pocket full of wise lyrics and a soulful sultry sound that others only try to achieve. Wolpe said this is an exciting opportunity for her.

"Being a local act at AJMF shows that I am respected as a contributing Jewish artist to Atlanta and that the Jewish community recognizes and values the invention in my music,"she said. "I try to give my audience a diverse experience. I identify my music as acoustic soul… with a little folk thrown in."

Originally from Philadelphia, this Cheltenham High graduate has spread her wings on the campus of Emory University where she’s knee-deep in the cultural and religious campus fabric. She helps organize and performs in coffee-shop type music shows and art showcases as well as other cultural programming on and off campus.


Show information: AJMF Local’s Stage, Eddie’s Attic (515 North Mcdonough St. # B Decatur, GA 30030), Doors open at 6:30 p.m. First Act: 7:30 p.m. and event ends: around 10:30 p.m. Parking: paid parking available around downtown Decatur.b Food: Eddie’s Attic serves meals, snacks and drinks. Kids: children under 18 are allowed with a parent guardian, however Eddie’s Attic is a listening room where a silent audience is expected. Tickets: $10, still available and will be sold at the door until capacity is reached.

By Marcy J. Levinson-Brooks, Photos are property of each musician - Atlanta Jewish News

There’s a new opportunity to enjoy a night out on Friday in Calhoun. The Harris Arts Center is proud to announce its new Indie Night Concert Series on the third Friday of every month. Brain child of the Music Guild, chaired by Rusty Hogan, Indie Night will showcase up and coming artists in varied genres. Performances will be held in the Ratner Theater and general admission is $10 per person. The season kicked off with “Three Minutes to Fame,” a blues, rock and pop trio.

The next show will be Friday, Aug. 20 and will feature “The New Coosa Valley Boys.” “Just plain ole’ pickers”, the trio delights in old time string band music you would hear on the front porch. Lead guitar player, Mr. Gene Chastain, is eighty years old and has played guitar since the age of seven. Retired Navy Submariner, Mr. Nelson Shriver, also plays guitar and sings. Rounding out the group is Mr. Phil Helton on banjo, mandolin and vocals. A sampling of their song list includes: Down Yonder, Crawdad Song, Wildwood Flower, Cripple Creek, I’ll Fly Away and Old Spinning Wheel. Gary Greene, local singer, songwriter and storyteller, will be a special guest performer. The show starts at 7 p.m.

Lily of the Suburbs, featuring the acoustic duo of singer-songwriter Jessica Lily Horwitz and instrumentalist Jody Hughes, will perform on Friday, September 17 at 7 p.m. Horwtiz’s host of original songs reflect a varied cross section of musical genres ranging from acoustic folk and Americana to grunge-alternative. Her personal lyrics tell a story of ever changing life experiences.

Writing songs since age 12, she performed with Atlanta folk and bluegrass musicians before starting her own band. Horwitz recorded vocals on albums for the Packway Handle Band. On several occasions, she placed in the final top three at Eddie’s Attic Songwriter’s Competition and won first place at the 2009 Athens Blur Magazine’s Open Mic Competition.

Jody Hughes has been performing for 15 years. Hughes has played guitar and banjo for artists such as Jim Lauderdale, Alan Munde, Ross Nickerson and Randy Kohrs. Winner of the 2006 Merlefest National Banjo Competition, the highlights of his career include performing on the stages of the Grand Ole Opry, Merlefest and the Philadelphia Folk Festival. For further information or to reserve tickets call the art center at 706 629-2599.

Read more: Calhoun Times - Indie Night at the Harris Arts Center
- Calhoun Times