Three songwriters whose work spans four decades of alt-rock, R&B and country will play an intimate show in downtown Alpharetta this fall.
David Lowery of Cracker and Camper Van Beethoven, Atlanta-bred guitarist David Ryan Harris, and singer-songwriter Angie Aparo will share the stage for the Wire & Wood Songwriters Festival's Listening Room on Saturday, October 10, 2026, at 3 p.m. at Roaring Social. The trio will trade songs, tell stories from their careers and reveal the inspiration behind their writing in a songwriters-in-the-round format, according to a City of Alpharetta press release issued Tuesday, July 21.
Tickets are $30 and go on sale Monday, July 27, at 10 a.m. at wireandwoodalpharetta.com. Capacity is limited. Net proceeds support Alpharetta's Music Match program, which funds live local music at restaurants and venues throughout the year.
The Listening Room is the festival's only ticketed event.
Who's on stage
Lowery founded Camper Van Beethoven in the 1980s and later formed Cracker, producing hits like "Low," "Euro-Trash Girl" and "Teen Angst (What the World Needs Now)" across more than 40 years of recording. He is also known as a leading advocate for artists' rights in the streaming era.
Harris emerged as frontman of Atlanta's Follow For Now before building a career as a collaborator and session musician, writing and performing alongside John Mayer, Dave Matthews, Santana, Alicia Keys and India.Arie, among others.
Aparo wrote "Cry," the song Faith Hill took to a Grammy Award for Best Female Country Vocal Performance at the 45th Annual Grammy Awards in 2003. The track spent 11 weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart. Aparo's songwriting credits also appear on albums by Miley Cyrus, Tim McGraw and Edwin McCain. In 2016, he survived a stroke caused by spontaneous carotid artery dissection and recovered from stroke-induced aphasia before returning to the stage.
The bigger festival picture
The Listening Room falls during the 13th Annual Wire & Wood Songwriters Festival, a free two-day event running Friday, October 9, through Saturday, October 10, in downtown Alpharetta. The festival draws more than 20,000 fans annually for more than 30 performances across six outdoor stages, according to the city. Corey Smith headlines Friday night; Sister Hazel closes Saturday.
The festival is produced by the City of Alpharetta in partnership with the Alpharetta Convention & Visitors Bureau.
What's ahead
- Monday, July 27, 10 a.m. — Listening Room tickets ($30) go on sale at wireandwoodalpharetta.com
- Friday, October 9 — Wire & Wood Songwriters Festival opens; Corey Smith headlines
- Saturday, October 10, 3 p.m. — Listening Room at Roaring Social (David Lowery, David Ryan Harris, Angie Aparo)
- Saturday, October 10 (evening) — Sister Hazel headlines the main stage
