The Martha’s Vineyard Songwriter’s Festival touches down on the Island this September for the third year. Previously promoted and hosted by BMI, this year the country music festival has been organized by New England to Nashville (NETN), a group founded in 2012 by Matt Casey. The event includes a songwriting workshop on Sept. 14 and 15 and a concert at Flatbread on Sept. 14.
Six years ago when Flatbread Company founder Jay Gould called Tina Miller to ask if he should open a restaurant at the former home of The Hot Tin Roof, she advised him against it. She didn’t think there was enough of a market for casual family dining at the airport location.
For the past five summers John Cruz has been coming to the Vineyard to sing on the schooner Alabama for three nights in August. The day after one of the cruises this year, John talked about his work, his music, his life and deep connections to the Vineyard. “The two things I love most to do are making music and cooking,” he said while preparing a lunch of striped bass for friends in the ramshackle red farmhouse across from Alley’s General Store in West Tisbury.
The Nashville sound will be heard on the Vineyard as the 2013 Martha’s Vineyard Songwriters Festival takes place from Sept. 13 to 15. Artists and songwriters from the Music City will offer a workshop for aspiring songwriters with instruction by Steve Seskin and Steve Bloch. Workshop attendees are also invited to a casual barbecue/guitar event on Friday night, Sept. 13.
He has sung Tears of a Clown, Tracks of My Tears, Cruisin’ and his other hits thousands and thousands of times — as he did once again Thursday night in Oak Bluffs — but Smokey Robinson insists they’re as new and fresh to him as ever.
This Sunday, August 25, Robby Krieger, formerly the guitar player for the Doors, performs at Dreamland in Oak Bluffs. The show begins at 9 p.m. Donavon Frankenreiter plays tonight, August 23, at 8 p.m.
The Felice Brothers — yes, there are brothers in the band — hit Flatbread on Saturday, August 24, at 9 p.m. and G Love (remember the Special Sauce?) plays on Sept. 6.