By Ken Paulson
One of our favorite musical events of the year in Nashville is the annual Tin Pan South Festival, a celebration of songwriting in the world capital of that art. It begins this year on Tuesday, April 3 and continues through Saturday, April 7.
We’ve been attending since 1997 and have never been disappointed in the depth and range of talent. Some songwriters are also performers, but others at the festival simply do their best to deliver their songs with passion, conduction and often humor.
The format at each Tin Pan South show consists or three or four songwriters alternating songs, along with a generous sampling of banter.
While the talent level has remained consistent over the years, Nashville’s growth means your best bet is to settle on a single venue and stay for the evening. Early on, we would make a point of hitting at least two venues per night. Life in Nashville is not that simple anymore and parking is not that cheap.
The festival performers at Tin Pan South – presented by the Nashville Songwriters Association International – range from the highly accomplished to the highly promising.
This year’s Tin Pan South artists include Keb’ Mo’, Robert Earl Keen, Lori McKenna, Radney Foster, Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame members Paul Overstreet, Bob DePiero, Tom Douglas, Matraca Berg and Jeffrey Steele, and emerging artists Emily West, Sean McConnell, the Darlins, Sara Beck and Sarah Buxton. And that only scratches the surface.
You’ll find the full roster and more details on the Tin Pan South site.