You could see the next big thing perform in Macon this weekend

Indie Live Show perfectly suits the Douglass Theatre’s legacy of giving new artists a chance to perform and potentially step on to stardom.

“That’s one reason we’re so happy to get the Douglass for our Macon show,” said Devon Sawyer, Atlanta-based owner of Indie Live Shows and entertainment entrepreneur with a bent toward helping independent artists.

“The Douglass has such a tradition of putting young performers in the spotlight who’ve gone on to great careers,” he said. “That’s pretty much what my company and Indie Live Show is about: creating a platform for really talented, up-and-coming artists.”

Sawyer said Macon native Tyrus Turner, also known as Neo Prince, is on Saturday’s bill.

Another performer, Timothy J. Wilson, is particularly taken by the opportunity to perform at the Douglass.

“I’m so excited,” he said. “I’m something of a music historian and to be able to play on the same stage as James Brown and Otis Redding, and going back even further to Ma Rainey and Ida Cox, Cab Calloway — even waiting around backstage I know I’m going to be thinking, ‘This is where James Brown waited. Bessie Smith waited.’ But to take that stage and in that moment know I’m looking out at a crowd like they did right there, that’s going to bring a lot of energy.

“I’m going to be taking a lot of pictures inside and out. It’s such a beautiful, classic theater. A treasure. I can’t wait to perform.”

As a lover of music and the music business, Wilson said his own style finds influence from almost every genre but fits best in what he calls a mix of “soulful R&B and vibrant funk.”

Major influences include the likes of Prince, Stevie Wonder and Michael Jackson.

“I’m still on the journey, the climb,” he said. “Part of what I want to do is help change the state of R&B for the better and bring back a respect for R&B artists to the mainstream. I think young artists need an appreciation for all who went before in many different styles.”

Most Indie Live Show performers also are part of other current tours, many with well-known, established artists. In Wilson’s case, he’s on tour in support of his latest release, “How ‘Bout We Make Love,” on his Tim’elody Records label.

Tickets for Indie Live Show are available online and at the Douglass Theatre’s box office. Sawyer said the Macon show will also become available for streaming on his VH2 Networks channel on Roku.

This story was originally published August 9, 2018 at 9:52 AM with the headline "You could see the next big thing perform in Macon this weekend."