HITTING THE HIGH NOTES

Music lovers tune in for annual Songwriters Festival

The 11th Annual Dripping Springs Songwriters Festival was held in historic downtown last weekend, and music lovers from far and wide showed up to hear original tunes on eight different stages. There was also a “Songbird Stage” for young artists located at the festival headquarters.

The Dripping Springs Art League once again hosted its Art Lounge, where attendees could check out creations from local artists. There were even artists doing live paintings during some of the performances.

And on Saturday, Homespun Kitchen and Bar hosted Songwriter Sessions, where listeners could learn about the songwriting process from three different artists.

During the festival, songwriters performed in an “in the round” Nashville-style song-swap format. As they took turns singing, they often told the stories of how their songs came to be. The sessions are designed to evoke a “listening room” atmosphere, where the audience remains quiet during each song.

The participating venues included The Barber Shop Bar, Acopon Brewing, Mazama Coffee Co, Hudson’s on Mercer, Winehouse, Haus of Jayne and Dog ‘n’ Bone.

On Sunday, the festival closed with the traditional gospel brunch, followed by a final jam featuring all the songwriters on the Songbird Stage.

“I was deeply honored that I got to be a part of this event,” songwriter Meagan Tubbs said. “Thank you to all of the volunteers, sound engineers, and to all my friends and neighbors who stopped by to hear one of my six sets I played. It means so much to me that you came.”

Tubbs also thanked the festival organizers, the venues, and the other songwriters.

“Your songs, your stories, your experiences, expression, voice, lyrics and talents are more precious than diamonds,” Tubbs said. “Thank you for sharing your gifts with the world.”

Pam King, manager of the Dripping Springs Visitors Bureau, was one of the lead organizers for the festival.

“Events like The Dripping Springs Songwriters Festival are what make our community such a great place to live, work, play and visit,” King said. “The 40+ songwriters were incredible, and the community of local businesses truly stepped up to showcase our downtown. Our volunteers help to keep things running smoothly, and the support provided by the City of Dripping Springs staff and our generous sponsors helped to make this event a huge success!”