WILD WEST SONGWRITERS FESTIVAL WRAPS

DEBUT WILD WEST SONGWRITERS FESTIVAL RESOUNDING SUCCESS

Best of Nashville and LA Songwriters & Recording Artists Celebrate Their Craft In Historic Deadwood

(Nashville, Tennessee...) - Many of the hottest songwriters from Nashville and Los Angeles converged on historic Deadwood, South Dakota recently for the inaugural Wild West Songwriters Festival, and the event was a resounding success. The four-day festival featured panel discussions, seminars for aspiring songwriters and plenty of music.


The Festival celebrated the tradition of story telling through song in a way that is unique to the culture and history of Deadwood's wild Western ways. Performances were held day and night at some of Historic Deadwood's finest establishments, including The Deadwood Mountain Grand, Saloon #10, The Bullock Hotel, and The Deadwood Loading Dock.

"We had some of the best songwriters in the business not only playing the songs that are engrained in our musical fabric, they and other industry experts also led seminars and song critiques for budding songwriters," said Gil Cunningham, President of Neste Event Marketing who produced the Wild West Songwriters Festival. "The feedback has been fantastic, and the support we received from the Deadwood community was incredible."

The "Writers Rounds," groups of three songwriters taking turns performing songs as they originally wrote them and telling the fascinating stories behind those songs, included the best of the best in the songwriting world. Highlights included Shane McAnally: "Last Call" - Lee Ann Womack, "Neon" - Chris Young; Marc Beeson: "When She Cries" - Restless Heart, "This Love" - LeAnn Rimes; James T. Slater - "Hi Cost of Living" - Jamey Johnson, "In My Daughter's Eyes" - Martina McBride; Danny Myrick - "She's Country" - Jason Aldean, "International Harvester" - Craig Morgan; Doug Johnson, "Three Wooden Crosses" - Randy Travis, "Love Like Crazy" - Lee Brice; and numerous others.

Plans are already in the works for the 2nd Annual Wild West Songwriters Festival in 2013. Details will be released in the coming months.

Deadwood Mountain Grand co-owner Marc Oswald (center holding glass) celebrates the Wild West Songwriters Festival with (l. to r.): songwriters Marc Beeson and Doug Johnson, music publisher Mark Brown, songwriters James Slater, Billy Burnette and Danny Myrick.

(l. to r.) Participants from the "Bring Your Own Demo" Panel (l. to r.): Film & TV Producer Chris Lee, ASCAP's Evyn Mustoe, Moderator Kevin Williamson, Artist/Songwriter Clayton Bellamy, PD Kat Country Radio/Rapid City Mark Houston, Artist/Songwriters Jaren Johnston and Morgan Frazier

Artists, songwriters, panelists and organizers of the Wild West Songwriters Festival gather outside the Deadwood Mountain Grand.

Artists, songwriters, panelists and organizers of the Wild West Songwriters Festival gather outside the Deadwood Mountain Grand