“The sum is greater than the parts,” is what Chrysalis Music staff songwriter Jim McCormick says in regards to the 2010 New Orleans Songwriters Festival. “There is no headliner sort of thing.” The parts that make up the sum of this festival include performances, workshops and a songwriting contest. McCormick says, “It’s a great addition to the New Orleans music festival landscape.”
The purpose of the festival, according to the Web site, is “to promote the composition of original music in New Orleans and the Gulf Coast region and advance the careers of the area’s writers and musicians by providing performance opportunities.” Musicians and writers will have the chance to perform in front of music industry professionals that will be invited to the events.
The festival will take place on November 10 through 13, and will feature performances by former Lonestar frontman Richie McDonald and hit songwriter Thom Shepherd. Also performing will be McCormick, who has written hit songs for Tim McGraw (“Louisiana”), Trisha Yearwood (“Cowboys are My Weakness”), Luke Bryan (“We Rode in Trucks”) and co-wrote the song “A Little Bit of Missing You” for Trace Adkins’ Cowboy’s Back in Town album. “A lot of performers are my friends that I grew up with,” McCormick says. “Lynn Drury, Alex McMurray — everybody’s got their own shows.”
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Along with performing on Saturday at the Tavern on Vets, McCormick is also the “prize” of the first annual songwriters’ competition. That is, the first prize is a songwriting session with McCormick. The website states that, “Part of the Grand Prize too is that the winner and Mr. McCormick will pick one of the songs to be demoed by the Beaird Music Group of Nashville, Tennessee.” The winner of the contest will be announced later today.
Even those who have not entered the contest can still participate in tonight’s “Massive Open Mic” at the Blue Nile for a chance to win prizes. Hosted by Barbara Cloyd, who has run the open mic at Bluebird Café in Nashville for 20 years, this open mic night gives songwriters the chance to perform in front of an audience and possibly win a guitar or other prizes. Another incentive is that people from record labels will be in the room listening for great songs.
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McCormick is hopeful that someone may get his or her “big break” during this festival. But most of all, he is excited that everyone will focus on the writing aspect of music. “It’s a chance for writing to take center stage,” he says. “I think by having all those different shows and workshops occurring on the same weekend, we’ll build to a point of critical mass where songs and songwriting are on people’s minds in a way that’s a little more concentrated than usual.”
For more information and a full line-up, visit NOSongFest.com.
