Key West Songwriters’ Fest- I

Key West Songwriters’ Fest- I

Jamey Johnson

“But there's nothing wrong with Nashville
There ain't nothing wrong with pickin' out in the sticks
There isn't nothing wrong with rolling in the cashville
There isn't nothing wrong that we can't fix in the mix”
-Todd Snider



Katie Armiger

I have to admit that I am not the biggest fan of contemporary Country music. The music industry in Nashville seems to be in the business of creating American Idol style singers and much of the music tends toward over-produced pop music rather than the traditional Country & Western sound that I prefer. Hearing this, one might assume that the 14th annual Key West Songwriters’ Festival which features many of the songwriters who write the very Country hit which lack appeal to me. The strange irony is that I absolutely love it.

Jason White, John Paul White & Jaida Dreyer

Kylie Sackley & David Lee

Kim Carnes & Tim Nichols

The over 140 songwriters featured at this years’ fest show up for a week of camaraderie, singing, drinking and performing, generally with only an acoustic guitar. To hear them perform their often familiar songs along with the back story on how they were written and why is something truly special indeed. And hearing the stripped down acoustic versions of songs as they were originally created made me appreciate that any issue I have with what is coming out of Nashville these days, has nothing to do with the actual songs that are the heart of the music.

Trevor & Nadene

John Paul White



The festival is produced by our friends Charlie Bauer, Nadene Grossman and Dani Holliday and under their guidance has grown into the premier event of its kind in the nation. Sponsored by the likes of BMI, Better Angels Music Group and a host of others, the fest attracts all the top talent working in Nashville today. Spread over 5 days at a host of the best venues in Key West, there is ample opportunity to see the songwriters perform, but it is virtually impossible to see them all- so you have to choose as best you can.

Dani & Trevor

Scotty Emerick & Paul Overstreet

This year, Kathy & I bought tickets for the two big shows at the San Carlos as well as the Saturday night concert at the Ocean Key House, but one of the great things about the festival is that the majority of the shows are free. There was so much going on that I plan to break up my KWSF postings to try and cover as much as possible of one of the coolest annual Key West events.

Scotty Emerick & Paul Overstreet

Rob

KWSF Website