We are excited to announce the next five songwriters who will be performing at the 2024 Corpus Christi Songwriters Festival, Feb. 16-18, 2024 at several venues in downtown Corpus Christi.
Early bird tickets will go on sale Monday, January 8, 2024.
Welcome these next five songwriters to the 2024 line-up!
Ordinary Elephant – Returning to the CCSF stage for their second time, International Folk Music Awards 2017 Artist of the Year Ordinary Elephant captivates audiences with their emotionally powerful and vulnerable songs, letting the listener know that they are not alone in this world. The collaboration of husband and wife Pete and Crystal Damore, their connection, and their influences (such as Gillian Welch, Guy Clark, Anais Mitchell) all meet on stage. “Two become one, in song…hand-in-glove harmonies surprise the listener with focused intensity and musical mastery,” says Mary Gauthier. The Associated Press is calling their latest album, Honest, “one of the best Americana albums of the year.”
Bonnie Whitmore – Making her CCSF debut, Austinite Bonnie Whitmore is not new to the music business. For the last two decades, she’s played bass and sung with some of the biggest artists in the Americana genre: Hayes Carll, John Moreland, Eliza Gilkyson, Sunny Sweeney, Jimmie Dale Gilmore, and Butch Hancock, to name a few. She’s also maintained a weekly residency at the legendary Continental Club Gallery in Austin, where she lives. Her 2016 release F*** With Sad Girls turned heads, but with Last Will and Testament, Whitmore has turned a corner in her own artistry that may just catapult her to the top of the Americana heap. As someone who’s never shied away from the issues, she’s not afraid to be direct. Her record is full of topical songs, tackling suicide, rape culture, loss, and the great American divide. It’s not easy to talk about heavy subjects without weighing the music down, but Whitmore pulls it off without difficulty. It’s like she’s used to talking about serious matters in casual conversation — which she is.
Ali Holder – Although Holder was raised on outlaw country in Wichita Falls, Texas, she is influenced by a broad swathe of styles including country, jazz, blues, folk and indie. “I use slashes a lot,” Holder notes. “Folk/country/blues/Americana/jazz. I don’t think I have to be any one thing.” She began writing, singing and playing guitar in junior high, and fell in love with songwriters early on- “Janis Joplin and the women of Lilith Fair had a big impact on me growing up”. Over time, Holder discovered Texas songwriters such as Susan Gibson and Walt Wilkins, along with Wilco, Lucinda Williams, Ryan Adams and Tom Waits. In college, she absorbed Patty Griffin, Gillian Welch, Jenny Lewis and Neko Case. After completing her undergraduate degree in art education at the University of Texas at Arlington, Holder relocated to Austin in search of a larger audience. Once settled, Holder fronted two bands: the folk-leaning Ali Holder & the Broken Hearted, and R&B band Ali Holder & the Raindoggs. In recent times, Holder has expanded her musical palate to include artists such as Brandi Carlile, Susan Tedeschi, Possessed by Paul James and Lera Lynn. These influences can occasionally be heard in the songs, but it’s her own sound — a sure voice that leans toward alto but effortlessly reaches far higher, coupled with well-targeted musical sensibilities and intelligent lyrics — that draws the listener in.
Jana Pochop – 2020 CCSF Best of Fest winner Jana Pochop is a wanderer with a penchant for folk pop songs and universe pondering. Jana hails from the culturally rich Albuquerque, NM and moved to Austin to immerse herself in the Texas music scene, playing clubs, house concerts, and touring nationally while building her singer-songwriter career. She was a Kerrville New Folk Finalist in 2022 and then headed off to New York City to earn a Master’s in Songwriting and Production at Berklee NYC. She’s currently based in Albuquerque, producing her own music as well as projects for others remotely and at Howlin’ Dog Studio in Alamosa, CO.
Stefan Prigmore – Making his CCSF debut, Stefan Prigmore has been creating and performing music since his teenage years, following his father into the business in the same way he learned from his father in the woods and the river. The joy Stefan finds in the outdoors and the gratitude he shows on the stage are part of the same values that persevere in his music today. Stefan’s sound is a rustic and approachable blend of Americana, folk, and roots. Audiences comment that his lyrics are stark and sincere, and his voice is dynamic and distinctive. He lists Bob Dylan, Guy Clark, Leonard Cohen, and Richard Buckner among his influences.