Sandpoint, Idaho – There is a famous music spot in Nashville called the Bluebird Café. That’s where songwriters go and perform the songs they wrote, often for the very first time. They play for one another and for an audience that’s asked to stay quiet and listen.
Now one of the Nashville regulars, Thom Shepherd, who has written five number one singles including “Redneck Yacht Club” recorded by Craig Morgan and “Riding With Private Malone” recorded by David Ball, is lending his production talent to the Music Conservatory of Sandpoint’s Songfest on Sept. 16 -18.
“Thom Shepherd does these events all over the world – he’s always sending me pictures from some exotic place – and we are very excited that he chose to come and do a benefit for the conservatory,” said the Music Conservatory’s Kathi Samuels. Other songwriters include Leslie Satcher, Wil Nance, and Coley McCabe.
This is also the first big event in the conservatory’s remodeled space: the old fire station bays that now have large garage doors at street level.
“We are about education and music and songwriting an element of music people may not be aware of,” Samuels said.
The event kicks off with a concert at the Idaho Club featuring Thom Shepherd and his wife, Coley McCabe Shepherd on Sept. 16. On Friday Sept. 17, local songwriters Sam Leyde and Ben Vogel perform at 6:30 p.m. at the Conservatory.
Saturday Sept. 18 at 11 a.m. is a free open mic hosted by North Idaho Songwriters at the Conservatory, followed by performances by Leslie Satcher and Steve Azar beginning at 6:30 p.m.
“This is a little bit different than your usual concert. You are really expected to listen and hear the story about how a song came about,” Samuels said. “We are pretty excited to have this in Sandpoint.”
Visit Sandpointsongfest.com to get your tickets starting as low as $35 – or purchase a three-day pass for $79. Songfest benefits the Music Conservatory of Sandpoint which is located at 110 Main Street, in Sandpoint. Separate dinner reservations for Thursday’s performance may be made in advance at The Idaho Club, 216 Clubhouse Way, Sandpoint. Call (208) 265-2345.