1. Home
  2. SAMMIES 2020 Winner
  3. Sacramento Songwriter Circle

Sacramento Songwriter Circle

  • Awards and Nominations
    • SAMMIES 2019 Nominee★ Creative Achievement in Support of the Music Scene ★
  • Musicians
    • Heather Evans
    • James Carnahan
    • Joshua Lickter
    • Marco Robledo
    • Stephanie Perez
  • Share

Q & A

All-time favorite song?

02.07.19

There are so many, but we love alllll the songs that come from the hearts of the songwriters in Sacramento.

How did it first start?

02.07.19

I (Heather Evans) hosted a Songwriter in the Round at Fig Tree Coffee and the audience had such great feedback that the owner, Joshua Lickter, asked if I'd host one once a month there! Of course I said yes and just started reaching out to local songwriters through the "Sacramento Music" hashtag on Instagram! (#sacramentomusic) Word started catching and people started contacting US to perform at the showcase.

Tell us about this creative project. What is it?

02.07.19

The Sacramento Songwriter Circle is an in-the-round style music showcase that happens once a month at Fig Tree Coffee in Roseville, hosted by me (Heather Evans) and Marco Robledo. We invite 3-4 singer-songwriters to share their music and stories with a live audience! It's incredible! The audience is able to interact with the songwriters by writing notes of encouragement on "Encouragement Cards" that are given to each artist at the end of the night. Positive feedback is EVERYTHING to the songwriters, because they don't always get to hear how a song touched the listener's life. Bits of the songs and interviews from the showcase are recorded by James Carnahan and David Andrew for The Songwriter Circle Podcast on SoundCloud and iTunes! There are also one-on-one interviews with local and touring artists on the podcast. It's a great resource for any songwriter wanting to learn and grow.

We are also a music COMMUNITY. It started out as just a showcase, but as I began meeting and interviewing so many incredible songwriters, I wanted to get to know them and connect with them. We started doing meet-ups once a month in the basement of Fig Tree Coffee, and started talking about specific topics that had to do with songwriting, hanging out, sharing songs and JAMMING together. We started out with a handful of songwriters; now we have 30+ songwriters that come to the meet ups! Friendships are forming, people are teaming up for collaborations, playing shows together and have a safe place to share their music in a non-competitive, supportive environment.

We also support each other when something hard happens. Like one of our favorite musicians, Seth Kaminsky, got all of his sound equipment and gear stolen, so we banded together and put on a house concert to raise funds to but him new gear. We raised over $500 and he was able to buy back a lot of his gear!

Tell us about yourself.

02.07.19

We are the Sacramento Songwriter Circle. An in-the-round style music showcase and community of songwriters.

What's next for you?

02.07.19

We are planning to move the Songwriter Showcase into Midtown!

What's the best part of this experience?

02.07.19

Seeing Songwriters go from having very little confidence, then they get in a positive, supportive community and seeing them come out of their shell and being transformed by it. Also, I love just making amazing friends along the way. I feel SO interconnected with the music scene because of hosting this event and community, and that is a good feeling. I can't wait to see it grow and flourish even more this year.

We were even contacted by the casting director for NBC for a new show about songwriting called Songland. I was able to send them 20 songwriters to possibly be cast for the show. They even contacted a few to be on The VOICE. It feels good to have people like that seeing value in this community as well.

What's the story behind the name?

02.07.19

I wanted to name it something cool, and I was thinking about how we are an in-the-round style showcase and immediately thought of a circle and thought, "Sacramento Songwriter Circle sounds cool." And it stuck!

What's the worst part of this experience?

02.07.19

Not always having the support for set-up and tear-down for the events. One day we hope to have volunteers and more helpers, but in the meantime it's pretty DIY.

What's your favorite local artist/group?

02.07.19

THAT IS THE HARDEST AND BEST QUESTION. (We'll probably miss a few): Seth Kaminsky, Deux Coasts, Mona V, Brett Lee Miller, The New Crowns, James Love, The Herald, Jaclyn Lovey, Jasmine Bailey Donrico Decastro, BASI, Amador Sons, Kendra Dantes, Wolf Creek Boys, Bethany Anne, Kelly Jean, Savannah Lee, American River Ramblers, John Ruffner, DeeJay Stipe, Alison Bohannon, Stephen Sanchez, Rachel Lahr, Aaron Taylor, Ben Cole, Missy Robertson, Band of Coyotes, Icarus Falling, Devin Wright, Saint June, Purl Rede, Jacobb Alexander, Jayson Angove, Zayin Collins, Life of the Afterparty, Flight Mongoose, Manzanita, Jessica Malone and MORE...

Who are your biggest influences?

02.07.19

The local music scene. Seeing musicians go after their dreams is always inspiring and it keeps us doing what we do!

Words to live by?

02.07.19

Comparison is a thief. Learn to champion others and stay in your own lane. We need to hear YOUR perspective and story, not a copy of someone else's!

Back to Winners

Contact Us

E-mail:
sammies@newsreview.com
Phone:
916.498.1234
In-person:
Sacramento News & Review
1124 Del Paso Blvd, Sacramento, CA 95815