2018 Festival Archive

The 1st Annual Corpus Christi Songwriters Festival, Music Awards & Conference — Feb. 16-18, 2018.

2018 CC SONGWRITERS FESTIVAL RECAP:

As we settle into our stunned post-Festival haze, let us THANK every single one of you for making the #CCSongwritersFestival 2018 the success it was always meant to be. We took a gamble — and because of the support of our community, the support of our sponsors, and the support of the songwriting community at large — that gamble paid off. It also cemented the certainty that we will be back next year, bigger and better — just for you!

Personally, I want to thank my wife, VANESSA, for all that she does, as a mother, teacher, and CC Songwriters Board Member — she pulled this Festival forward, and I don’t think any of us would have survived without her (your love of music shines through every moment of every day, and that shaped what this festival would become, one full of love, for each other, and for the songs; Garrett Wieland— your knowledge and unwavering passion infused an energy into this year’s event that made sure it was a success, thank you for being VP; David Martinez, for being the first Board Member, and sticking with us through all of the chaos of building this Festival from the ground up; TImothy Doc Carter, for being the heart of this festival, period; RICK HOEFEL, for taking me to lunch at Sugarbakers a year ago, and reminding me of the need this community had for a songwriter’s Festival; and finally, to ABBY WIELAND, Garrett’s better half — you came in late in the game, when we were almost at our most chaotic, parted the waters, and delivered this Festival into the home stretch. Thanks for finally completing the Board, and making us a stronger organization with your presence!

We will see you next year, Corpus Christi. We promise.

— Jimmy

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ANNOUNCING Award-winning songwriter Susan Gibson (“Wide Open Spaces”) as our festival headliner, for Sunday, Feb. 18 at Executive Surf Club.

sg_blue — “Susan has spent more than a decade crafting great songs that share (and usually exceed) the qualities that made “Wide Open Spaces” such a hit – authenticity, wit, and themes to which just about anyone with a heartbeat can relate.” – No Depression Review

ANNOUNCING: Our Festival Featured Songwriter – George Ensle! Performing at Executive Surf Club on Sunday, Feb. 18 at 10pm.

26993457_1688585151164693_9102953049755101768_n — George Ensle (pronounced Enslee) is a veteran Singer/Songwriter who began his career in Houston in 1967 sharing stages with legends Townes Van Zandt, Guy Clark and Billy Joe Shaver. He pens his own brand of StorySongs, powerfully crafted and played with his unique finger picking style on his vintage Martin D-35 and Fender Resonator guitar. He is celebrating 50 years as a performing songwriter and in February 2017 was inducted into the Houston Folk Music Archives at Rice University. He has won numerous songwriting awards, been awarded Government grants to teach children through the Artist in the Schools program, and released albums and CDs in the US and Europe, including a Movie–in-Song CD, “Small Town Sundown”, based on his original story, which he performs as a one man “Songplay.” George is the originator and songwriting director of PortraitSongs, a custom songwriting service designed to pay tribute and honor loved ones by “Giving them Their Own Song.” He also teaches songwriting workshops, in individual one on one and group sessions. George has been called a SongPainter, a title well-earned.

ANNOUNCING: Matt Grundy (of Donavon Frankenreiter, Gravel Ghost fame) as our second #CCSongwritersFestival Headliner, and host of our Songwriting Workshop, to be held at Aloft Corpus Christi on Saturday, Feb. 17 at 3 p.m.!

Matt Grundy is a native of the California High Desert. He has been a multi-instrumentalist, as well as a songwriting collaborator, and producer, for Donavon Frankenreiter for 14 years, and has his own singer-songwriter duo with his wife, Gravel Ghost. He has also a published solo record as Matt Grundy entitled “Fabric and Fog”. Matt’s songwriting style has been described as “edgy folk/Americana that touches the soul.

ANNOUNCING: Michael O’Connor is our final HEADLINER of the #CCSongwritersFestival! He will be performing at 9:45pm at Executive Surf Club on Feb. 18! BE THERE.

mocimg1 — Michael O’Connor is a guitarist, singer, and songwriter living in Colorado. For decades he has played and recorded with musicians including Ray Wylie Hubbard, Slaid Cleaves, Adam Carroll, Susan Gibson, Terri Hendrix, and Shelley King. A lifetime of hard-won experience on- and off-stage has allowed Michael a rare insight into the world of the rough, the faithless, the romantic, and the unlucky, all of whom find refuge in his songs. Michael has toured throughout the United States and overseas. He has released six albums, and a seventh is on the way next year.

ANNOUNCING: Claude Butch Morgan and Matt Hole, two legendary Texas songwriters — performing at the 1st Annual #CCSongwritersFestival in #CorpusChristi, Feb. 16-18 at Executive Surf Club and Aloft Corpus Christi!

ANNOUNCING: Three more of Texas’ best songwriters are on the #CCSongwritersFestival line-up! 2017 #CCSongwriters Hall-Of-Famer Ty DietZ (Music), the one and only Tyler McCumber and one of the most talented writers we know, Dan Brodhag Music! All performing during our main event at the Executive Surf Club on Sunday, Feb. 18!

ANNOUNCING: Three more of Texas’ best songwriters from our official #CCSongwritersFestival line-up! Regional favorite Sonny Salinas, #CCSongwriters 2017 Hall-Of-Famer Doc Carter, and the unforgettable Billy Snipes!

ANNOUNCING: Our last big batch of amazing songwriters, as we head into the announcement of the official line-up tomorrow! We are honored to have each and every one of these amazing performers and writers as part of our first festival. Their talent is unmatched, and they are some of the best of the best around. Shayna Sands Music, Emily Dale, Rudolph Llanes, Jordan Cody, ArtandLisa Crawford, Eric Magnusson, Sue Young & Rusty Nelson (Young&Rusty) and finally our board will be hosting a #CCSongwriters Song Swap (Garrett Wieland Music, Jimmy Willden Band, The David Martinez Band and Steven James & The Jaded).

TICKETS ARE NOW ON SALE! We have several different packages available, from music only, workshop only, to All-Access and VIP All-Access. For more information, and to purchase tickets, GO HERE.

Check back periodically, as we roll out new information. We will announce the official full schedule to the 1st Annual Corpus Christi Songwriters Festival soon, and we continue to offer sponsorship programs and vendor options.

I hope you are as excited as we are, as we get ready to welcome songwriting “troubadours on the shores” of Corpus Christi!