The Fourth Annual Wild West Songwriters Festival will be back in Deadwood, South Dakota this year, packed with incredible talent. Country hit band Old Dominion, Grammy Award-winning superstar Michelle Branch, and hit songwriters Dean Dillon, Brett James, Bobby Tomberlin, Buddy Cannon, Sasha McVeigh, Marc Beeson, Emerson Hart, Brett Jones, Danny Myrick, Ray Stephenson, Dean Alexander, Alyssa Bonagura, and James Elliott. The event will once again give patrons a rare, behind-the-scenes look at the lyrical creation of some of today’s hottest country and rock hits, as well as a chance to meet more than 20 of the best cross-genre songwriters in the business. Tickets are available to the general public for the Old Dominion show, taking place on Thursday October 8th for $15. Tickets for The Songwriter’s Jam on Saturday October 10th will also be available for $15. Tickets are available starting June 29th at ticketmaster.com or by calling 800-745-3000. Hotel arrangements can be made by calling 877-907-GRAND.
From October 8-11 aspiring songwriters from around the world will have an opportunity to develop their craft and receive guidance from some of the greatest songsmiths and professionals in the music industry. The Old Dominion kick-off concert is included in a $100 Songwriter’s Participant Pass, which includes a random drawing for the opportunity to write with established hit songwriters attending the festival, Kick-Off Party, Saturday Songwriter Jam, all Songwriters Rounds, Bloody Mary Brunch, the Conference, and much more. In addition, there will be four complimentary panels including “Bring Your Own Demo,” “The Art of Co-Writing,” “Artist Development,” and “Publisher’s Panel” available to festival participants. Performances will be held day and night at some of Historic Deadwood’s finest establishments, including Deadwood Mountain Grand, Saloon No. 10, The Bullock Hotel, and Tin Lizzie’s.
To find out more, and to register for the festival as a songwriter/participant, please visit: www.wildwestsongwriters.com.
In partnership with the Deadwood Chamber of Commerce, Deadwood will be all music, all the time throughout the festival. The event will culminate with a Songwriters Jam, a multi-faceted surprise show, where anything can happen. During this event guests will hear from a variety of singer/songwriters in attendance, and have an opportunity to hear impromptu, once-in-a-lifetime performances.
Songwriters in attendance at the festival have written hits for the biggest names in country and rock music, including: Kelly Clarkson, Keith Urban, Pink!, Carrie Underwood, George Strait, Martina McBride, Tim McGraw, Kenny Chesney, The Fray, Daughtry, LeAnn Rimes, Bon Jovi, Keith Urban, Carlos Santana, Jessica Simpson and so many more.
The Festival celebrates the tradition of storytelling though song in a way that is unique to the rich culture and history of Deadwood’s Wild West legends and lore. Performances will be “In the Round,” featuring three to five songwriters guiding the intimate, conversational show. The songwriters themselves will perform their biggest hits as they were written, as well as share their true-life stories and inspirations behind their music.
A Writers Round is a style of performance originating in Nashville, Tenn. Writers Rounds are concert performances that feature three to five hit songwriters. These intimate events give the audience a chance to see the original songwriter play hit country and rock songs as they were written. The audience is also entertained by the true stories of the inspiration for the song, as well as how the hit came to be.
Traditionally, the writers/artists sit in a circle and perform their songs one at a time. The most noted songwriter is designated as the host of the round (of which there are more than 20 scheduled for the Wild West Songwriters Festival) and guides the casual conversational performance. Performers interact with each other as well as the audience.
ABOUT THE PUBLISHER’S PANEL
Do you want to get your songs published and recorded? Our panel of industry professionals in the publishing world will give insight to the process of getting your songs published and recorded. Please note at the end of this panel there will be a brief Q&A session, so please wait until the appropriate time to ask any questions you may have.
ABOUT THE ARTIST DEVELOPMENT PANEL
What comes first, the chicken or the egg? Do you work on developing your songwriting skills before you venture out as an artist or do you try to seal a record deal first and then hone your songwriting skills? Listen to what these industry professionals have to say about the path they’ve chosen in their music career journey. Please note at the end of this panel there will be a brief Q&A session, so please wait until the appropriate time to ask any questions you may have.
ABOUT THE ART OF CO-WRITING PANEL
One way to improve and exploit your music is through co-writing. During this panel, determined writers have the opportunity to learn the ins and outs of properly co-writing first hand from experts. There will be two songwriters co-writing while the audience observes the process. Please note at the end of this panel there will be a brief Q&A session, so please wait until the appropriate time to ask any questions you may have.
ABOUT THE BRING YOUR OWN DEMO PANEL
An entertaining panel of music industry experts will evaluate song demos and share tips on how to win at the songwriting game. Ambitious songwriters who are ready to lay their songwriting cards on the table can submit their demo and gamble on whether our experts think they should hold’em or fold’em while receiving credible advice on how to up the ante of their craft.
ABOUT OLD DOMINION
Blending old-fashioned country charm, lyrical wit and rock n’ roll grit into radio-friendly hook-heavy pop nuggets, Old Dominion have emerged as one of the hottest breaking bands in country music. Their gut-punch of a new self-titled EP, which Rolling Stone Country says is dashed with “fuzzy guitars, catchy licks and even a little rap” is highlighted by the back porch smack of undeniable single “Break Up With Him” and the bruising “Shut Me Up,” and is the product of the five-piece band, which includes singer Matthew Ramsey, lead guitarist Brad Tursi, multi-instrumentalist Trevor Rosen, bassist Geoff Sprung and drummer Whit Sellers. They’ve spent seven years honing their craft, each making a name for themselves in Nashville by penning songs for the likes of Keith Urban and Luke Bryan. Now it’s nothing less than the country rock outfit’s defining moment. Old Dominion, which Standard Examiner calls “the definition of country music’s ‘do-it-yourself’ band,” is currently on the road with Kenny Chesney’s The Big Revival Tour for 18 stadium performances in 2015 as their debut single “Break Up With Him” hits Top 30 on the Billboard Hot Country chart.
ABOUT MICHELLE BRANCH
Michelle Branch is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. During the early 2000s, she released two top-selling albums, The Spirit Room and Hotel Paper. She won a Grammy with Santana for “The Game of Love.” In 2005, she formed the country music duo The Wreckers with friend and fellow musician Jessica Harp, and produced the Grammy-nominated single “Leave the Pieces.”
ABOUT DEADWOOD MOUNTAIN GRAND
Deadwood Mountain Grand Hotel, Event Center and Casino, in the newly restored 1906 Homestake Mining Co. ore processing plant that overlooks Historic Deadwood, has a 98-room luxury hotel, 210 state-of-the-art casino games, high stakes gaming, two restaurants, a 2,500-seat entertainment-and-event center and a multi-level parking garage.
For more information, visit www.deadwoodmountaingrand.com or www.wildwestsongwriters.com.
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