Southeastern Songwriter Series In Tune With the Creative Process

(L-R) Justin Anderson, Riley Dugan, and Josh Pierce perform at the February edition of the Southeastern Songwriter Series. Steven Uhles | Augusta Today

“Songwriting is telling short stories. But instead of 15 to 20 pages, it's three to five minutes” Tyler Childers

A well-crafted song can make you sad, bring you joy, make you think and make you cry. It’s an art – an art celebrated on a monthly basis at the Southeastern Songwriter Series concerts, held monthly at the Fox’s Lair in downtown Augusta.

Augusta musician and songwriter Joe Stevenson said that it’s the way a well-crafted song can distill and amplify not only emotions, but the writer’s particular point of view that inspired starting the series in 2019.

“As a songwriter myself, I’ve always had a love for the craft of songwriting,” he said. “Lyrics, melodies, as well as the overall message, can be conveyed through song. Because of this love, I wanted to bring in other writers.”

The once-a-month event attracts a steady stream of fans, many returning month after month, and regularly packs the small basement venue. It’s a very intimate space and puts the audience up-close and personal, hearing not only the songs, but often the stories behind them as well.

Stevenson said it’s the tight format of the performances that makes them unique.

“Southeastern Songwriter Series consists of two rounds of three writers,” he explained. “The three writers take turns playing three songs each. This is not an open mic, and you must reach out in advance to get spot in one of the two rounds each month.”

Stevenson said that while the format has been standardized, booking leaves a lot to chance. The only prerequisite, he said, is a willingness for each songwriter to out themselves, and their songs, in front of an audience.

“When booking, I have found over the years that it’s best to just let the cards fall where they may,” he said “It creates special moments of different styles and levels of performers. Songwriting doesn’t mean you have to be the best singer or best player. You just need three songs and that’s all. It’s truly about the song and the stories that are being told.”

Over the years Stevenson, and the audience the performances attracts, have developed an environment differential and respectful of the performers, who primarily perform acoustically and unaccompanied. It is not, Stevenson said, a stomp your feet kind of crowd.

 “The most amazing part is the audience,” he said. “The reason is that everyone is listening. There are no external conversations happening. You can hear a pin drop. I always tell the crowd before each round that they are just as important to this show as the songwriters because if they aren’t listening, the writers have no one to tell their stories to.”