Issue link: http://maconmagazine.uberflip.com/i/1536125
68 maconmagazine.com | June/July 2025 whoever needs to be recorded. I got a day job, and then the week's filled with rehearsals, and sessions, and then any shows. Choir of Babble plays regularly, and Ash Tuesday as well. KILCREASE: I'm Ashlyn. My band or project is called Ash Tuesday, and I guess a typical day for me is my nine to five. Recently me and Johnny – I've been working him to death. Underpaid. But we have been working on my album, which is coming out soon and I'm really excited. WILLIAMS: Hi, I'm Blak Pearl. I'm originally from South Macon. I kind of do a lot of everything, but for the most part it's soul music. If I can feel it, I sing it. I'm a certified CNA as well as CMA, but I'm with an agency, so only if I have to work, I pick up. Because normally, I do pretty well as far as my shows. A typical week for me, most weekends I'm booked from Friday to Sunday. If I have gigs where I can bring my babies with me, I bring them. Other than that, my mom is very supportive. So anytime I do have gigs, mom always watch the kids for me. MADDUX: Tell us what drew you to make a life in music and to do it here in Macon. LEFT From left to right, Matt Laws, Bert Mims, Johnny Davis, and Blak Pearl at the artist roundtable. WRATH: I think for me it's something that came naturally. I went under several different names. I played with a couple of different groups, notably as Al King the Rapper. Alongside a couple of these guys, I play shows with Choir of Babble, with African Americana. But is a feeling of... being comfortable and supported by the history of music that's already here, and also the immersion of music, you know? We're surrounded by our peers all the time. MIMS: I've been playing music since I was 12 years old. I had periods when I first had a fan leave [a concert] where I quit playing, but music was always in my head. So even when I'm taking a shower and spinning out cords, A, C sharp. I just realized that that's what I need to do. WILLIAMS: I started in church. I said maybe the last resort was marrying a preacher, so I could sing every Sunday at church or something. But I just have to, it is just embedded in my DNA, I'll say that. I was just born with it, so why wouldn't you share that with the world? And I'm constantly being booked here or asked to be a part of podcasts and things like that. I appreciate Macon even recognizing me as a musician here. LAWS: My wife and I moved here for my in-laws, for her parents, and they were down in Tifton. I came to just kind of check out the town and I knew a little bit about the history of artists that came out of Macon, but I spent a week here and just saw how active the music scene was. MORETTI: We came here almost 19 years ago. My wife directs the Robert McDuffie Center for Strings, which is why we moved here. But I got entrenched into the music scene. I started Macon Pops, and we try to offer as many opportunities as possible for local singers. And then having my studio here has really allowed me to continue to make a living without having to travel quite as much. But I was drawn to Macon when the opportunity came to us because of obviously it's history, but I always like to say, Macon has a rich music present and future – and that's what we have to focus on. That's been kind of my mission with Macon Pops and especially the Christmas light show in Macon. MORRISON: It brings up a good point because you were brought here because of the music, even if it was because of Amy [Schwartz Moretti]. If we recruit and attract talented musicians, that brings other musicians here. That's a really cool ripple effect. LAWS: I think there's some synchronicity kind of going on between a lot of the different institutions here, too. I just saw that Mercer's going to be starting basically a music business program and… I graduated from the USC music business program, which was one of the first ones. But then we've also now had the Otis Redding Center open up, and so I think we're seeing a lot more infrastructure that people working around here are going to be able to interface with. MORETTI: Then you're not only going to be able to recruit people that will come to that program, but hopefully you'll retain them.