I’m leaving Atlanta.
No this isn’t a temporary departure because of Hurricane Irma, it’s something more…permanent. For family, close friends, and recent bandmates, this news will come as no shock to you.
Today I am officially announcing that after calling Metro Atlanta home for more than a decade, my family and I have made the very tough decision to relocate to Philadelphia, PA. This departure will happen within the next couple of weeks. My last scheduled show in Atlanta will be with Bumpin’ The Mango on Saturday, September 16 at the LocalMotion Arts Festival in Hapeville, near Atlanta’s International Airport.
This decision was not by circumstance, but rather by choice; one you could say started almost 6 years ago.
When Lingo first went on hiatus in 2011, I was actually ready to leave Atlanta. Years on the grind took their toll and I needed to regroup and reset financially. Before I could put that plan into motion, I secured a new job here. The next thing I knew Bumpin’ The Mango was formed, Yacht Rock Schooner (and later Electric Avenue) made me one of their top subs, Elegant Bachelors grabbed me for wedding gigs, Lingo returned to greater success, and I met the love of my life and mother of my children, Anna. By 2013 I was once again firmly rooted in the Atlanta scene.
So time passed, and another (more permanent) Lingo hiatus opened a door I thought was closed years ago. This time it was different. I had a great job, great bands to work with, and a new basement studio where I could finally show off my producer chops. I would even go on to achieve my most financially successful stretch as a musician ever. So with all of this, why even contemplate a move?
While she was ready for a new start with one kid (and soon to be two), my wife always respected the work and name I made for myself in Atlanta. Yet if I didn’t show it, my wife could see it. Despite financial success, she had to put the proverbial mirror to my face to make me see that I wasn’t really happy. I was yearning for more. Last year, I spent eight days recording, producing, mixing and mastering a track I co-wrote with 3 other people, and she told me it was the most excited and happiest I had been about music in some time.
So we agreed to make 2016 our watershed year, a time to evaluate our lives and the businesses we had here in Atlanta. When it ended, we took stock over the next 5-10 years of our lives. We concluded that a relocation to a new area would be the best chance for our family to find happiness, and for me to find fulfilling success as a musician and (more importantly) as an artist. The motivation that drove me from Tallahassee to North Georgia all those years ago is now the same motivation driving me and my family to the City of Brotherly Love.
People can sound hyperbolic when they talk about the hardest choices they have made. I can honestly say that at this point in my life, this was probably the hardest decision I have ever had to make. I know I will never be completely cut off from the ATL, and I will make returns to see family and friends on occasion. Still, I know I’m departing from a huge family of friends that I have met and a fan base I have built over the last decade. I am truly thankful and blessed that at one time or another, I have been able to perform for you, make you laugh, make you cry, make you cheer, make you groove, make you love the power of music. It is not lost on me how much of an impact you all have made on me, and I will take all of that with me as I start this new chapter of my life and career.
From the bottom of my heart, thank you to every venue I stepped foot in the southeast. Thank you to every fan my music has touched. Thank you to every bandmate I have had the pleasure of jamming with on-stage, backstage, and in basements and living rooms. Thank you to every friend I made in this great city and everyone who has supported me in my massive musical endeavors. And most importantly of all, thank you for supporting live music!
Much love! Peace out! – The G-Factor