The Ronald McDonald House has been working to help provide temporary homes for families enduring prolonged illness and/or treatment situations. This month Atlanta music scene veterans Charles Hedgepath (guitar), Ike Stubblefield (keyboards) and Yonrico Scott (drums) will join forces at a couple of Holiday-themed performances to raise money for this altruistic organization.

The first of these is the 4th Atlanta Chriskwanukkah event. Hosted again by Brilliant Productions (with the support of Atlanta’s 1690am Voice of the Arts Radio), this concert will also serve as the CD Release party for “We Three Kings” – a new Independent release from Hedgepath, Stubblefield and Scott which is a collection of soulful and at times Santa-funky instrumental, takes on music of the season. The trio will perform songs from the release, and a bunch of other music—some holiday-themed and some not. Many Atlanta musicians have expressed an interest in joining in the fun. Grant Green Jr. is confirmed to perform, and speculation is at a fever pitch about who else may show up to sit in. Proceeds from the concert will indeed go to the McDonald house and it begins at 7:30pm on December 17 and will be held at The Solarium in the Oakhurst section of Decatur, GA.

Then two nights later at The Handlebar in Greenville, SC Hedgepath, Stubblefield and Scott will be featured at the 8th Annual Christmas Jam also to benefit The McDonald House. As always, this Christmas Jam will be hosted by Charlie’s horn-driven funk band The Work (essentially an all-star band of South Carolina musicians). The Work will perform three full sets at this event, and a variety of guests will also be featured including some announced (Stubblefield, Scott, Bobby Lee Rodgers, Shannon Hoover, Shane Pruitt) and some not. The evening will also feature material from Hedgepath’s “We Three Kings” release, a silent auction at which attendees can bid on many items among them a guitar signed by all musicians on hand at the Christmas Jam, a ceramic piece by renowned Ceramicist Warner Hyde and a 3 night stay at Woodlands Pet Resort.

Fans of Yonrico Scott should be made aware that tonight his other band, The Derek Trucks Band, kicks off its final week of Southern shows with pair of performances at Atlanta’s Variety Playhouse. Colonel Bruce Hampton and his Quark Alliance will open tonight and Tinsley Ellis opens tomorrow. The Trucks Band will also perform at the Fly South Festival on Saturday. This event celebrates the grand opening of the Allman Brothers Band Museum in Macon, GA – and proceeds from the festival will go toward keeping the museum in Macon. The band will then go North to play its final dates before taking an indefinite hiatus. These dates include three New York State shows which will also feature opening sets from songstress Shannon McNally including DTB’s final currently scheduled performance at The Egg in Albany December 13. Report by Rob Turner