Nashville style songwriters circle to take place in Strathmore

By John Watson Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

For the first time in Strathmore, a group of local musicians are coming together to organize a songwriters circle, similar to what might be observed in Nashville. 

As Erinn Gregory explained, it is designed to be an outlet for music artists to talk about their work, as well as to perform for other likeminded individuals.

“I’ve been talking to the musical arts society for a while about wanting to get a songwriters circle or performance where it really focuses on our local artists and the talent they have at writing songs,” she said. “I feel like we have a lot of shows where more covers are played, but this is more focused on the actual written songs of these artists. I was hoping to introduce Strathmore to that sort of setup.”

Traditionally in Nashville, she explained, attending artists would sit literally in a circle with one taking to the middle at a time. 

The artist in the middle of the circle, or in Strathmore’s case, simply up for their turn to perform, will introduce and explain the song they have written, then sing.

She said typically speaking, there will be four to five rounds of the exercise for the artists to participate in.

“My husband and I have been to Nashville … and I was blown away by how intimate it was and how inspiring it was to listen to these guys’ stories,” she said. “Once you have actually heard the actual songwriter explain why they wrote their song or who they wrote it for, or what was their inspiration at the time, I think it just makes you connected to the music even more.”

Although similar shows in Strathmore tend to attract the same people over and over, the music community in town is, as Gregory described it, passionate and committed to their work.

For the event itself, she is aiming to have 100 tickets sold by showtime. Thus far, Gregory said response to the idea has been very positive on social media, and wherever it has been promoted. 

If it is successful, she said it would be exciting to host more events of its like throughout the year and invite more songwriters out to talk and perform.

The event on Jan. 27 will feature Blake Reid, Lindsay Butler, Troy Kokol, and Joni Delaurier; each are from different parts of Alberta.

Tickets for the show are available online at strathmorearts.com or are available in person at the Assist Business Centre, ConnectFirst Credit Union, Pro Water Strathmore, the Station Market and the Vault. 

Show details can also be found online.