The 8th annual 30A SONGWRITERS FESTIVAL– set for January 13-16, 2017 – has announced the initial line-up for the 2017 celebration of singers and songs. The festival, held in venues along scenic Highway 30A in Florida’s South Walton County, will feature headline performances from esteemed artists JOHN PRINE, CHEAP TRICK, DR. JOHN & THE NITE TRIPPERS, AND SHAWN COLVIN.
Also confirmed on the main stage are Parker Millsap, Drivin N Cryin, and Motel Mirrors (featuring Amy LaVere and Will Sexton). Featured artists in venues at night on 30A include John Fullbright, Over the Rhine, JoJo Hermann (Widespread Panic), Chely Wright, Murray Attaway (Guadalcanal Diary), Matthew Sweet, Tom Gray (The Brains), Shawn Mullins, Peter Case, Sarah Lee Guthrie, John Gorka, Nicole Witt, and Farewell Angelina.
Among the total of 175 stellar songwriters who will perform and have distinguished themselves in bands and on pop charts in various genres of music are Emerson Hart (Tonic), David Ryan Harris (John Mayer band), David Hodges (Evanescence), Michelle Malone, Peter Holsapple (the dB’s), Jeffrey Steele, Lari White, Ellis Paul, Chris Stills, Heather Maloney, Robby Hecht, Elise Davis, Caroline Spence, David Berkeley, Joe Leathers, Peter Karp, Webb Wilder, Jonathan Tyler, Cory Chisel, Robert Ellis, Jonny Fritz, Luther Dickenson, Charlie Mars, Griffin House, Michael McDermott, Dan Navarro, Dan Bern, Hailey Whitters, Sean McConnell, Trea Landon, Muscadine Bloodline, Jacob Powell, Eliot Bronson, Brigitte DeMeyer, Smokin’ Novas, Lilly Winwood, Ben Glover, Daphne Willis, Davin McCoy, Billy Montana, Kyle Jacobs, Callaghan, Don Dixon & Marti Jones, Cale Dodds, Logan Brill, Hannah Dasher, Derek George, Jaren Johnston, Josh Kear, Josh Kerr, Phil Madeira, Willis Alan Ramsey, Jimmy Robbins, Frank Rogers, Cole Taylor, Abe Stoklasa, Tommy Talton, Brian White & Karyn Williams, Willie Sugarcapps, Sugarcane Jane, Grayson Capps, Will Kimbrough, Corky Hughes, Cooper Carter, Connor Garvey, Jemina & Selina, Hannah Thomas, Jonathan Mitchell, Courtyard Saints, Wyatt Edmondson, and ESOEBO.
“The talent pool of songwriters is vast and prodigious” muses co-Producer Russell Carter. “As the years progress, it is exciting to broaden the horizon and present varied styles of music. It is with especial pride and excitement that we announce Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductees Cheap Trick to headline the Saturday afternoon stage with their full sound and fury. They will rock and reverberate Grand Boulevard to the eastern tip of 30A and back! The greatest purveyor of New Orleans music in its most unique and original form & 6-time Grammy winner joins us as well – Dr. John with both his Yamaha grand piano and the Nite Trippers. Grammy Award-winner and Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame legend John Prine brings his love songs, his melancholy tales of life, his social commentary, and his humor to the stage on Sunday afternoon. We also welcome Shawn Colvin who was recently honored with the Lifetime Achievement Trailblazer Award at the 2016 Americana Honors & Awards Show. Come early and catch rising star Parker Millsap on his way to fame and fortune rounding out the bill of superlative songwriters.
The 30A Songwriters Festival production team transforms amphitheaters, town halls, restaurants, theaters, bars and covered patios into unique music venues ranging in capacity from 75 to 500 seats indoors and 5,000 outdoors. Festival weekend passes are now available for $265 and can be purchased at www.30asongwritersfestival.com, and locally in South Walton at the Cultural Arts Alliance office and at Central Square Records in Seaside.
“All of our patrons and performers have come to anticipate with pure excitement the 30A Songwriters Festival for the unparalleled scope of music performances, the annual tradition with friends, the food, beer and wine and the amazing accommodations on the Gulf of Mexico,” says Cultural Arts Alliance Executive Director Jennifer Steele. “Keep in mind that the Festival is by far the biggest fundraiser for the CAA,” for which she co-produces the event. “100% of the net proceeds from the Festival go to our non profit and enable the CAA to fund all that it does throughout the year to fulfill its mission to make Walton County a center for artistic and cultural excellence.”
The 30A Songwriters Festival has once again teamed up with NPR’s Folk Alley, a multi-media music service produced by WKSU. Folk Alley will be on site throughout the weekend interviewing artists and filming and recording performances in a home studio on 30A which will be aired on Live From Folk Alley’s syndicated radio show and on their website and mobile app throughout the year.
Venue partners for the festival include Grand Boulevard at Sandestin (stage sponsored by Silver Sands Premium Outlets and Centennial Bank, Inc.), AJ’s/Pandora’s, Hibiscus Coffee & Guesthouse, Fish Out of Water, 30Avenue, The Gathering Spot, The Boat House, The Lake House, Pizza Bar, Bud & Alley’s, Seaside Meeting Hall, Central Square Records, Grayton Beer Company Taproom, 723 Whiskey Bravo, Old Florida Fish House, Havana Beach Bar & Grill at The Pearl, Caliza, Amavida, Vue on 30A, Rosemary Beach Town Hall, The Bay, Gulf Place, Cuvee 30A, Trebeaché, Chiringo, and Borago.
Four course VIP dinners at Borago hosted by award-winning guest chefs are being offered on Friday and Saturday nights. Chef Ashley Christensen won a James Beard Award for Best Chef in the Southeast in 2014 and is currently the chef and owner of some of Raleigh, N.C.’s downtown restaurants including Poole’s Diner, Beasley’s Chicken + Honey, Chuck’s, and Fox Liquor Bar. Zeb Stevenson (formerly at Spice Market and The Livingston) is the chef at Atlanta’s esteemed Watershed on Peachtree. Both dinners will include wine pairings by Adam Caperton as well as special musical guests to be announced at a later date.
VIP tickets offering premium seating on the lawn at Grand Boulevard for the headline shows on Saturday and Sunday afternoons and access to the VIP tent serving complementary food, beer, wine and cocktails are available online at www.30asongwritersfestival.com. Additional VIP offerings include various all weekend transportation packages for parties of two up to twelve as well as a special night of music and free craft beers at the local based Grayton Beer Company Taproom.
For lodging and special housing packages offered by our lodging partners, please be sure to check the lodging section on the website. These include: WaterColor Inn & Resort, Sunburst Beach Vacations, Ocean Reef Vacation Rentals, 30A Vacay, ResortQuest Northwest Florida, Sanders Beach Rentals, Homeowner’s Collection, and Courtyard by Marriott Sandestin at Grand Boulevard.
The 30A Songwriters Festival has partnered with Gigdog.fm to provide a streaming radio station with music of all of the artists performing at the 30A Songwriters Festival. The dedicated station streams songs by confirmed artists allowing festival goers to get acquainted with the 2017 artists and plan out who they want to see. http://30aswf.gigdog.fm.
The 30A SONGWRITERS FESTIVAL is co-produced by Russell Carter Artist Management and the Cultural Arts Alliance of Walton County (CAA), and is presented by Visit South Walton and Grand Boulevard at Sandestin. Others sponsors include ASCAP, Centennial Bank, Grayton Beer Company, Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport, and 30a.com.
Net proceeds from the 30A SONGWRITERS FESTIVAL benefit the CAA and help it to fulfill its mission to support the arts throughout Walton County. Members of the CAA receive a 10% discount off weekend passes and admission to an exclusive performance on Wednesday, January 11, at Fish Out of Water. Call (850) 622-5970 to become a member and take advantage of the discount.
For more information on the 2017 30A Songwriters Festival, including a full list of artists, venues, and ticket purchase information, visit www.30asongwritersfestival.com.
About the Cultural Arts Alliance of Walton County
The Cultural Arts Alliance of Walton County, Inc. is the officially designated local arts agency that serves as an umbrella organization and supports the arts through leadership, advocacy, funding, programs and education. The vision of the CAA is to be the catalyst for Walton County’s growth as a center for artistic and cultural excellence through which lives are enriched, economy is stimulated and community is strengthened. www.culturalartsalliance.com
About Russell Carter Artist Management
Russell Carter Artist Management is a full service artist management firm that has worked with national recording artists since 1990. Prior to forming RCAM, Russell Carter practiced entertainment law in Atlanta for ten years. RCAM produces the 30A Songwriters Festival together with the Cultural Arts Alliance of Walton County, and books and produces the Wire & Wood Alpharetta Songwriters Festival in Alpharetta, GA in conjunction with the City of Alpharetta.
About Presenting Sponsor Visit South Walton
30A Songwriters Festival is proud to partner with Visit South Walton as the title sponsor for 2017. This partnership is a perfect blend, showcasing one of the most unique events in South Walton and ensuring that tourists have the opportunity to plan their beach stay around a dynamic festival, ultimately marrying arts & culture, luxurious accommodations and award winning beaches. Learn more at visitsouthwalton.com.
About Presenting Sponsor Grand Boulevard at Sandestin
Grand Boulevard at Sandestin is the shop, dine, play and stay Town Center located on in the heart of South Walton, offering an array of shopping and dining venues, entertainment, events and lodging. Shop specialty retailers, enjoy great restaurants and Carmike’s Boulevard 10 Cinema. Two Marriott hotels are conveniently located within the Town Center. www.grandboulevard.com
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