Dalton native to unveil new band at Friday's JeanneFest

Sep. 21—Schylar Shoates and the Solution, a new band formed by Dalton's own Schylar Shoates, will perform live in front of an audience for the first time Friday at JeanneFest, which honors the late local arts patron and benefactor Jeanne Burr.

"We're beyond excited, (and) Dalton has always been awesome to me," said Shoates, a 1998 graduate of Dalton High School who now resides in Nashville, Tennessee. In June, Shoates and his Music City Stones — a Rolling Stones cover band — drew approximately 1,250 fans to the Burr Performing Arts Park, named for Burr who donated $1 million for the park, as part of the downtown summer concert series, and "we were so thankful for the reception."

"It was humbling, and I have friends who have come to every show ( I've done in Dalton) since my first concert when I was 16 in 1996," Shoates said. "People love music in Dalton, and we're going to play songs (Friday) people can get up, dance and rock out to."

Shoates, who teaches music and is the owner/operator of Sky Studios in addition to playing in a pair of bands, launched this new group "to play rock songs from the '60s" through today that "everyone knows but you don't hear a lot (live), because they're tough to pull off," he said. Perhaps "you need a horn section, or there's a signature keyboard piece."

Schylar Shoates and the Solution includes Chris Dauphin, keyboards; Michael Exantus, trombone; Emmy Hickman, lead vocals; Alex Hodge, bass, Darien Phillips, saxophone; Luke Speyer, drums; and Fredrick Weathersby, trumpet.

"Emmy is small and fierce — she can bring it — and you're only as good as your singer," Shoates said. "You can have a great band, but if your singer is just average, you're not going anywhere. When you have a great singer and a great band, you can go to the next level."

With a horn section of saxophone, trombone and trumpet, no song is out of reach for Schylar Shoates and the Solution, he said.

"You'll hear classic rock from Queen (to) Led Zeppelin (to) The Who (to) Toto."

"I'm excited to show off these musicians," he said. "We had a blast" in Dalton in June, and "I'm honored to be back."

While Schylar Shoates and the Solution play primarily rock hits from the past half-century, "we have a handful of originals, too," which will be "sprinkled into" Friday's set, he said. He plans to release an EP next year with the band, and their first single, "Ain't No Doubt" — released last week to coincide with this concert — is available "on all streaming platforms," including Spotify (https://open.spotify.com/track/0IRRSlmdyXwaEjDFcx4TBT).

JeanneFest began in 2017 to commemorate Burr's impact on the Burr Performing Arts Park and the community, said David Aft, JeanneFest organizer and president of the Community Foundation of Northwest Georgia, which oversees Burr's bequest. From a rented stage in an empty lot, she welcomed those in attendance with the promise that one year from that May date they would be able to return for the opening of Burr Park, as work would be completed, and the old Lee Printing company property downtown would be transformed.

On May 19, 2018, Burr Park officially opened, and Burr — who died in May 2020 at 93 — was there to greet everyone, Aft said. The following year saw an even larger crowd, but there was no JeanneFest last year due to COVID-19, and this year's edition was moved from the spring to the fall due to the pandemic.

"JeanneFest will be a little more sedate than usual, and we ask that everyone attending be mindful of one another and adhere to safety guidelines," Aft said. "The event will be outside, so that provides us with a lot of room to social distance."

"With that said, we will still have refreshments on site, as well as our JeanneFest sunglasses tent for those who want to get into the spirit," he said.

Organizers will have sunglasses available — free of charge — as all visitors are encouraged to wear sunglasses to honor Burr, who was known for her flamboyant sunglasses and colorful style.

The group David Aft and Friends will open the concert with a musical tribute to Burr. The diverse set of performers — Aft, Earl Brackin, Amanda Brown, Charlsey Ethridge-Minor, Ken Hamilton, Austin McBryar, Tom Minor IV, David Pierce and Stephanie Womack — will celebrate music, fun and fellowship.

"We've assembled a group of musicians — most of whom have played this stage before — (who) represent some of the best voices and players in our area," Aft said. "It should be a great show."

JeanneFest coincides with the Off the Rails Summer Entertainment Series and starts at 6:30 p.m.