Issue link: http://maconmagazine.uberflip.com/i/1536125
June/July 2025| maconmagazine.com 61 An American Aquarium/SUSTO top of the ticket for Bragg Jam embraces the belief in "a better South" STORY BY CANDICE DYER | PHOTOS COURTESY OF BRAGG JAM back when, before they made it big.' You get a real sense of how these artists grow and evolve from this perspective." All in all, it's an approach that creates a feeling of continuity for the performers and the crowd – a vibe of "old home week" that nourishes and reaffirms the artists' deep Southern roots. "I know some bands choose Athens and Atlanta on their touring circuits, but we've always been more partial to Macon," says Justin Osborne, frontman of SUSTO, who played "at the bottom of the list of bands" in 2015. "Our song 'Hyperbolic Jesus' gives Macon a shout-out and shows that we have always held this place in high regard, and it's a very special feeling to be back here." SUSTO, which takes its name from the Spanish word meaning "an intense fear understood as a condition of the soul," has recorded at Capricorn B ragg Jam revolves around full-circle moments. This year's headliners, alt-country sensations American Aquarium and SUSTO, both have played the annual music festival before, back when they were a little lower on the marquee. So Bragg Jam – in its 26th year with more than 40 bands in seven venues – will feel like an appealing echo of the past that nevertheless breaks new ground with some sprightly, innovative music- making. "That's the idea," says the festival's current board president, Olivia Walter. "We get young, up-and- coming acts when they're new, and then a few years later we bring them back, when they have a bigger profile and are touring globally. A couple of examples are Jason Isbell and Zac Brown, and now these guys. That allows festivalgoers to say, 'I saw this band way ABOVE BJ Barham, right, and the members of American Aquarium LEFT Justin Osborne of SUSTO.