30A Songwriters Festival on the Beach

When you hear a super star sing a super hit that is a very fine experience indeed but if you are given the opportunity to hear that super hit sung by the songwriter in an intimate setting like Bud and Alleys with sometimes less than 100 people in the room, wow that is in a word, sweet. I had the pleasure of working the 30A Songwriters Festival this weekend and a wonderful experience it was.

While the staff and volunteers work really, really hard they do have one really great fringe benefit of working the event: the occasional, if brief, off-stage encounter with the artists. Veteran performers and newcomer alike, I found all the artists’ I spoke to patient, good natured and a pleasure to be with.  Friday evening, after his set, Steve Forbert and I talked a little about kids and college and red snapper and how cold it was. Jeff Black and I also talked a little bit about our kids and another popular subject, our beaches, he’s been coming here for years. David Olney and I stood under the outdoor heater for a time together watching out that his hat didn’t catch fire. Back stage, Tommy Womack shared some funny stories with us after I told him I was sure one of his most colorful songs was written for someone very near and dear to me (I won’t mention any names or the lyrics I refer to).

Jedd Hughes came into the green room greeting us all warmly. I didn’t know his music then but the kindness in his eyes and his great smile were a preview of the writing and the music and lyrics that I would guess drew Rodney Crowell into his life. Oh yes, I met Rodney Crowell backstage too, waiting patiently for his time to go on stage as Jedd Hughes “special guest”. I got to see more of them the next day on the big stage. Talk about “stars on the water”. I also spent a little time with Billy Montana and his charming wife and because some of the performers shared the stage, I saw Joe Leathers and Erick Baker getting to know each other. I witnessed a similar encounter between Mathew Mayfield and Davin McCoy after their sets. I felt like an “insider”… well not really, more like a fly on the wall, but it was fun to watch the artistic exchange.

All the performers chatted easily between songs, adding to the entertainment and making it personal. Lori McKenna talked about her husband, their five kids and laughable everyday experiences that most everyone could easily relate to. Her unique talent is crafting life’s everyday moments into lyrics and music that show how perfectly special those moments are. When I looked out into the audience as she sang “Sometimes He Does”, it was clear the audience was totally captivated, transported into her world as they saw their own; you could have heard a pin drop. It’s a unique experience this 30A Songwriters Festival.

If I had to pick the festival day I liked best, I couldn’t.  I’ll try again next year.