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Weekend Jam Camp

Name: Weekend Jam Camp
Start: 2026-06-12T00:00:00-04:00
End: 2026-06-14T23:59:59-04:00
Location: Big Canoe Lodge

Jun 12 – Jun 14

Taught by Cade Thacker & Joe Sewards using the Wernick Method

Jasper, GA

Big Canoe Lodge, 12 Wolfscratch Dr, Jasper GA 30143

Friday 5:00-9:00pm; Saturday 9:00am-5:00pm; Sunday 12:30-4:30pm

Tuition: $250

• Assisted by Duck Adkins

cade-thacker-joe-sewards-teaching-01-original

$25 discount for fiddle or mandolin players!

Includes Saturday lunch. $10 off if you register by May 15. $25 off for fiddlers; discounts can’t be combined. $50 deposit holds your spot; 50% refundable for cancellations more than one month in advance.

As soon as you register you’ll receive our Student Prep Guide with links to our 116 Bluegrass Jam Favorites Playlists. A digital copy of our JAM Songbook will be emailed shortly thereafter, and you’ll also get a hard copy of the book at your class if you don’t already have one.

Plenty of lodging options available; see hotels.com. Also see Microtel Inn & Suites by Wyndham and Amicalola Falls State Park (both about 25 minutes from venue).

Guitars are Full!

Join the waitlist; space may open up.

Guitar Waitlist Form

Class Flyer

Cade Thacker & Joe Sewards

Cade Thacker (Roswell, GA) was born and raised in Georgia and came up in the jam band tradition of Grateful Dead and the Allman Brothers. In college he heard a Garcia/Grisman album and “Old and in the Way” and bought a mandolin and never looked back. Cade says he came to bluegrass for the music, but stayed for the community! He loves playing mandolin, guitar, bass and fiddle. Cade is founder of the Roswell Music Jam, while also employed as an IT professional.

Joe Sewards (Cumming, GA) has been playing guitar for most of his life, plays upright and electric bass, and has taught music for years. He’s performed in bands in Chillicothe, OH, St. Augustine, FL and DeLand, FL as well as teaching horticulture at the University of Florida, training master gardeners, and serving as a county extension agent. For 10 years Joe had a weekly radio show, “The Sunday Afternoon Breakdown” on WFCF in St. Augustine, playing a mix of bluegrass and old time music. Since moving to Cumming in 2022 he helps lead the Roswell Music Jam with Cade Thacker.

Email Cade & Joe

Visit Teacher’s Website

Watch Teacher Play

Watch Teacher Teach

“Cade and Joe are awesome teachers and mentors. I’ve learned so much from them in three months of playing bluegrass. It means so much to me to learn how to jam, learn the history of a unique type of music and sound, and connect with other musicians and have a great time together.”

“Joe and Cade were fabulous! They interacted so well with each other and with the students. They kept the pace going ~ interesting and fun from one thing to the next.”

“Cade and Joe are both engaging and helpful instructors. I left the class with a strong enthusiasm to learn more about bluegrass and the confidence to join jams in the future.”

“Cade and Joe are so patient and helpful ~ I couldn’t have come this far without them and the Wernick method.”

“Joe and Cade did such a wonderful job. It was a joy to spend with weekend with them and all the other campers ~ learning so much, jamming, making new friends, and stepping out to be a bit braver! I learn so much every time I’m with them. We didn’t want it to end!”

“Cade and Joe’s class was the most fun I had in 10 years. It felt more like hanging out with a few new friends brainstorming than it did a class. It far exceeded the two prior times I attempted to be taught at a music store and at a guitar center.”