30A Songwriters Festival Assembles Incredible Lineup for an Important Cause
The 10th annual 30A Songwriters Festival set for January 18-21, 2019 in Walton County, Florida will take on extra significance this year, and not just because it’s the event’s 10th Anniversary. Located in the Florida Panhandle, and just west of where the devastating Hurricane Michael made landfall in October, the event will be a way for music fans to help support an area that has received surprisingly little national attention in the aftermath, and no major musical tributes despite causing an estimated $15 billion in damage.
The other reason the festival holds significance in 2019 is due to the incredible lineup the event is putting together. Not your typical festival, this is more about the artists and their songs, with many acoustic and intimate one-of-a-kind performances along with full band shows spread out over four days and multiple venues, allowing true fans of songcraft a more memorable experience with their favorite artists, along with the opportunity to discover something new.
Jason Isbell, Brandi Carlile, Rosanne Cash, Lucinda Williams, Steve Earle, Justin Townes Earle, Patty Griffin, Amanda Shires, The Secret Sisters, The War and Treaty, and Radney Foster are just some of the many world-class songwriters who’ve already confirmed for the 2019 event that eventually will swell to some 175 songwriters. 225 total performances in 25 separate venues ranging from restaurants and bars, to small theaters, to large outdoor spaces will take place over the four days.
“This will be our tenth annual 30A Songwriters Festival and we are delighted to welcome back some of our favorite performers from past years, including Jason Isbell, and introduce our audience for the first time to Grammy and Americana award nominee Brandi Carlile,” say Festival producers Russell Carter and Jennifer Steele. “We join with our ticket patrons, sponsors, the board of the Cultural Arts Alliance and RCAM to happily donate a portion of the net profit from the Festival to Hurricane Michael relief efforts in the Florida Panhandle.”
“30A” is the road that runs right along the Florida coast, and the 30A Songwriters Festival is organized annually by the non profit Cultural Arts Alliance of Walton County, which supports artists and non profit cultural events and businesses throughout the county. All net proceeds from the event are paid to the Cultural Arts Alliance to help fund its annual budget.
Whether you’re a snowbird, songwriter junkie, or perhaps an aspiring songwriter yourself, the 30A Songwriters Festival may not be a bad option for your Winter festival plans, especially with the lineup that is shaping up. A full list of confirmed performers can be found below, and tickets and more information can be found at 30asongwritersfestival.com .
30A Songwriters Festival Initial Lineup:
JASON ISBELL, BRANDI CARLILE, FELIX CAVALIERE’S RASCALS, ROSANNE CASH, LUCINDA WILLIAMS, PATTY GRIFFIN, STEVE EARLE, LIVINGSTON TAYLOR,GREGORY ALAN ISAKOV, SUZY BOGGUSS, JUSTIN TOWNES EARLE, AMANDA SHIRES, SHAWN MULLINS, JOHN FULLBRIGHT, MARC BROUSSARD, MATRACA BERG, THE SECRET SISTERS, THE WAR AND TREATY, AARON LEE TASJAN, ROBYN HITCHCOCK, JEFFREY STEELE, CHELY WRIGHT, RADNEY FOSTER, STEVE POLTZ, BOB SCHNEIDER, AMYTHYST KIAH, DAVID RYAN HARRIS, KIM RICHEY, HAYES CARLL, LIZ LONGLEY, DRIVIN N CRYIN, EMERSON HART (TONIC), CHRIS STAMEY AND PETER HOLSAPPLE (THE DB’S), JOHN DRISKELL HOPKINS (ZAC BROWN BAND), GRETCHEN PETERS, THE SWIMMING POOL Q’S, BIRDS OF CHICAGO, GRIFFIN HOUSE, CHARLIE MARS, WILLIE SUGARCAPPS, LAUREN MORROW OF THE WHISKEY GENTRY, THE MULLIGAN BROTHERS, AMY LAVERE AND WILL SEXTON, ROBBY HECHT, TOMMY WOMACK, FAREWELL ANGELINA, CRAIG WISEMAN, ALLEN SHAMBLIN, JAREN JOHNSON, JEREMY STOVER, RYAN GRIFFIN, SARAH ALLISON TURNER, CLARE DUNN, THE SISTERHOOD (ALYSSA BONAGURA and RUBY STEWART), DAVE BERG, TONY LANE, COREY CROWDER, MATT DRAGSTREM
November 21, 2018 @ 10:51 am
What do yall bet Cheryl Crow shows up ? lol
November 21, 2018 @ 12:21 pm
I wouldn’t call that incredible, but it’s a decent lineup. 80% names I’ve never heard of. Of course that doesn’t mean they’re bad, but I was hoping for a little more star power. I’d love to see Patty Griffin.
November 21, 2018 @ 5:19 pm
It’s a great weekend. The best part is that you don’t know 80% of the lineup and discover some amazing talent. The bad thing is that everything is crazy expensive.
November 21, 2018 @ 7:01 pm
TBH, in my younger years, I’d be all about a festival with new bands and acts that i could soak up, but these days, in my 9pm bedtime, it’s less likely for me to go see someone unless i’m already way into their music. Luckily enough there’s still a bunch of that that happens but the idea of an all-day festival just makes me tired, and yea, like you said, you spend 6 dollars on a water, 30 dollars for parking, and a small sandwich is 15 bucks.
If, say, a festival had the likes of :
Miranda Lambert
Randall King
Amanda Shires
Patty Griffin
Aubrie Sellers
Kristina Murray
Midland
Kacey Musgraves
Colter Wall
Tyler Childers
Sturgill Simpson
Ashley Monroe
Ruston Kelly
LeeAnn Womack
Maren Morris
Jenny Lewis
Natalie Hemby
Brad Paisley
Cody Johnson
Brooks and Dunn
Caitlyn Smith
etc etc
…i’d be there with bells on for the whole show!
November 23, 2018 @ 1:42 pm
…….and you’d need to sell your firstborn for a ticket to THAT dream-list of writers BB
not that I’m anywhere near the panhandle …but that just seems like an overwhelming truckload of talent to even begin to digest. …although I realize you can probably attend only so many shows due to scheduling and your sleep needs .
November 24, 2018 @ 5:17 am
I’d pay wayyyy too much money to go to that!
November 21, 2018 @ 8:04 pm
Sorry to change topics but anyone see that CMT is going to air an AmericanaFest in December The article I read said it will feature, Buddy Guy, Irma Thomas, k.d. lang, Rosanne Cash, Brandi Carlile, Fantastic Negrito, I’m With Her, Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit, John Prine, Lukas Nelson and Promise of the Real, Margo Price, Nathaniel Rateliff and the Night Sweats and Tyler Childers… now that’s a great lineup!
My question is why do they call this group of performers americana? This is country! The crap on mainstream country radio is pop but they call that country
November 25, 2018 @ 7:22 pm
Buddy Guy is a blues act
kd lang stopped singing country music after Shadowland, unless she’s returned to it that I’m not aware of
Fantastic Negrito isn’t country. We saw him open for Sturgill at Red Rocks and he definitely is not country. Definitely wasn’t our jam.
November 22, 2018 @ 6:09 am
If y’all haven’t discovered Gregory Alan Isakov yet you’re missing out! So glad to see him added to the festival lineup. Patty Griffin most recently opened for him at his Red Rocks Amphitheater show in October.
November 25, 2018 @ 7:16 pm
It’s an incredible lineup, especially when you get into the second level – Aaron Lee Tasjan, Hayes Carll, with more to come.
At Mile 0 we were starting at 11 AM at a satellite stage, over to the main stage from 3 – 10 PM, then back to the satellite stages until 2 AM or more. Then back at it again the next day. Tough to do at our age, but worth. every. second. We saw some sets you’ll never see again.
As the kids say, yolo. Actually I don’t think they do say that anymore.