FRANK BROWN SONGWRITERS FESTIVAL
(WHAT IS IT, WHY IS IT AND WHAT DOES IT DO?)
I stress songwriters festivals, music festivals (not nessasarily the big Lollapaloosa type things, but places you can actually meet other writers and artists) folk festivals (although they have their own problems), workshops, seminars, open mics, writers nights, etc. because that is where your potential allies, co-writers and future artists congregate. You have to GO where other writers and artists are to START that relationship. Chicken or the Egg Ott? REally? You have to MEET THEM FIRST! It is the equivilant of walking up to a woman or man you have never met and rapid fire start asking questions like when do they want the wedding to be, where they want to honeymoon, what kind of lingere they are going to be wearing, what names they should give kids, what kind of house they want to live in, what they think the retirement to be like, how much money they make, what they spend it on..... ALL IN THE FIRST TWO MINUTES OF A CONVERSATION!
You are putting the cart WAY before the horse if you are trying to pitch songs to people you don't know and have no relationship with. That avenue has closed. Now is the time to get in the real world.
FRANK BROWN.
Coming up in November is the FRANK BROWN INTERNATIONAL SONGWRITERS FESTIVAL in Perdido Key Florida and Gulf Shores Alabama. If you look at a map of the US, and see where the state line of Alabama and Florida meet, that is Perdido Key. It is a series of three small towns all linked together in about a 20 square mile line of beach in between Pensecola Florida and Mobile Alabama. It is the atypical SLEEPY LITTLE BEACH TOWN.
The Festival got started thirty years ago (this is the 30th anniversery) when Joe Gilchrest, the owner of a little lounge and package store sitting on the state line, THE FLORABAMA LOUNGE, decided to have a little get together weekend built around music after labor day and before the snow birds came down in December. It was just a way to bring a few people in and celebrate the beauty of the area. Joe, a retired college professor, had won the Florabama in a poker game, which should tell you what kind of gambler he is. But he loved music, especially country music.
There were many of the Nashville great writers, Witey Shafer, Hank Cochran, Red Lane, Danny Dill, Sonny Throckmorton, and a few others that would come down, drink heavily, play golf, chase women, and gamble there anyway. So getting them to sit around in a guitar pull in a lounge giving them free drinks and food was a no brainer. The first weekend was great, just af few writers and a bunch of very intimate friends.
The night watchman, an IMMENSE OLD BLACK MAN, was named FRANK BROWN. He loved music and kept the peace down there, so they named it after him. He got to see it grow into an event before he passed away in 1988. I never got to meet Mr. Frank, but he touched everyone he ever met. A fitting tribute for songwriters and songs, who are trying to do the same thing.
The next year they each invited friends. The year after THEY invited friends. It grew into amazing preportions, with new people coming all the time. the local resturants and bars, became venues, would donate food to songwriters, the Florabama became the "Bluebird" central location. It grew to ten days, with dozens of venues. People planned their vacations around it, making reservations a year in advance. The hotels and condos got booked but there were still a LOT of them, so getting really good prices because it is off season still happens. The weather is amazing, 70-80 degrees during the day, 50's a night.
It became THE RIGHT OF PASSAGE for hit writers, their newcomer writing and artist partners, girlfriends, wives, relatives, friends all would come down. Sometimes it seems like every new artist, song, upcoming hit and wanna be were all coming in. At the pinnical about 8 years ago, around 600 writers showed up. All expecting to perform and be paid. Good old Joe Gilchrist paid for a lot of it out of his pocket. It has weathered hurricaines (Ivan and Katrina), bankruptcies, deaths (every year there is another memorial service for one of us that has left the earth).
It is part show, part family reunion. Once you are a part of it, you never want to miss it. A rite of passage for everyone who has an interest in songwriting. And you can hang out with writers, and artists, understand how they think, how they work, what the "behind the scenes' we all talk about here. You can see that new song that you are going to be hearing to death in the next year. I heard Allen Shamblin do "House that built Me" about 10 years ago.
MAB INVOLVEMENT
In 1994, I was invited to be a driver for the Kinley's, the twin sisters that were my back up singers. They had been invited to the Festival. I had not been. We were playing together all the time and I was the leader and they were kind of scared to play on their own. So we all loaded up my van, left Nashville about 5 pm, and headed to Gulf Shores. I had not been to that area since I was 12 so knew nothing about it, but had been hearing about the Florabama and the Festival for many years. A lot of my friends from Birmingham had been there.
We arrived about 3 in the morning, found our hotel and went to sleep. The next day we hung out and immediately were made to feel at home. Volunteers, who comprise locals, people that come to visit for vacation, people like Phil, who want to see shows, and be a part, all would serve food, ice tea, goodie bags, drinks, you name it. There was a common area where you would sign in and everyone would gather for lunch, which was served from a local resturant every day.
About half the people there we knew from Nashville. It was really just like Nashville South, and we all just did what we did normally. Except this time we had packed audiences on every show listening to every word. it was all like the Bluebird. We did one show at midnight on Saturday, at the Florabama, not realizing how important that was. The girls did the first half with me playing for them, and I did the second half with them backing me up. We became stars literally overnight. The next day we were approached by a lot of hit writers asking what was going on. This carried on back in Nashville, and was a part of why the Kinley's got their record deal. People heard about them and sought them out in town.
We were immediately booked the next year, 1995 and I was REALLY excited. The girls were too, but a little trepidatious and I didn't really know why. When i got there I found out. We were BOOKED EVERYWHERE! The first day, Saturday, we started at 9:00 in the morning in Pensacola for an arts and crafts festival. We then had a lunch performance at a hospital. Back to the Gulf Shores area for the daily gathering and a press interview. Then BACK to Pensacola, for a 7:00-9:00 show at a big courtyard of several clubs, THEN a 11:00 interview on a television show, following a midnight show at the Florabama. The girls were worn out and went home. I had to finish the three shows the next day by myself.
But I was hooked and have come down every year since, about 21 years. I am an interesting guy, in that I grew up in Birmingham, so many people I went to high school and knew from there are there. I am from Nashville and known as a "hot writer", in that I can be put into any situation and rise to the occassion that is needed.A loud bar? I'm your guy. The warm intimate performance, yep, got that too. The rowdy Alabama redneck crowd, that;s me. And I've had cuts, so I am kind of a legacy. Venues often request me over the "bore you to sleep' ballad writers.
Starting about five years after my first show down there, I started playing the area during the season. And became a "local" at the Florabama. I played once a month until Hurricaine Ivan destroyed so much of the area, including the Florabama, and made it harder on the locals to bring down the Nashville people. But I did the festival even after Ivan where we had to be escorted by police to keep from being shot for looters. Was a tough year but we survived.
About five years ago, I wanted to bring more people into it, and since I didn't sleep all day like most songwriters, I decided to do my "songwriter tours" on the beach. A bunch of the writers here, Od, Matt Hoggard, Becky, and several that have not been around for a while all came down and we had a grand old time. Wrote about four songs, and went to shows, met tons of hit writers, saw the thing like I always have. Was a great time.
After that we could never quite put another group thing together because so quickly after summer vacation most people can't get off, and of course we have Thanksgiving and Christmas coming up. So it has to be something special you want to go for.
I usually do a few private appointments down there. I have a couple of regular people from that area who will get with me for critiques or to write, but most of the time I just hang out. Last year, Larry Singleton, Dani Jameson, Liz Moriondo, and Skye Clair and I wrote "THERE WAS A GUY" which is one of the hottest songs we all have. Dani is slamming that one out of the park all the time. So it is a working vacation.
I stay at the REGATTA, which is an older but very nice condo right on the beach. I am not going to give out prices, but it would, always make me look good if any of you would book something there. Like Phil had mentioned,if several people went in, it might be about $30 a night. They have some really big condos that easily sleep 8-10 people.
The shows go on every night. Usually an early one, 6:00-8:000 and a later one, 9:00-11:00. The writers are like a who's who of Nashville celebrity. Since it is the day after the CMA awards, you see both nominees and some times the winners down there. For newbies, there are open mics and usually if you keep your ears open, guitar pulls going on at people's rooms, and some common areas.
And you get to rub elbows, hear stories, and make memories. It is truely my favorite time of the year. And everyone I ever met that played into my career, I met down there. A lot of people talk about the Key West festival and yes, I am sure that is cool. But Key west is very small with limited hotel rooms so it can be VERY expensive. And there seems to be an "US and THEM" mentality among a lot of the writers there, whereas FBISF, seems to be more inclusive.
So that is about it. I suggest if you are thinking about it, to converse now. It is something you need to plan for. But can be done affordably and you can have a great time that you will never forget. If anyone has interest and want me involved, let me know at MBarne4908@aol.com.
Enough for now.
MAB