Last weekend of Frank Brown Fest has plenty to offer

Brian Kelly

November 21, 2008- Alabama/Florida Gulf Coast- It came and went so fast, but all good things must come to and — until next year, that is. And so, as the 24th annual Frank Brown Inter-national Song-writers' Festival wraps up this weekend, festival-goers can expect some great nights of music for the final three days. Below are a few notable events this weekend.

Perdido Beach Resort
The Perdido Beach Resort, 27200 Perdido Beach Blvd., Orange Beach, Ala., will present a day full of music with the Grand Reef Exhibit Hall Beach Party today from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. The music starts with Riley Yielding, then continues with Camille Watson, Scott Sanford and C.J. Watson.

At 2 p.m., Roger Murrah (Murrah Music ITR) will perform. If you didn't get scheduled this year, step up to the microphone with guitar in hand for the open microphone session at 3 p.m.

Blues, say hello to rock 'n' roll
Upstairs at the Perdido Beach Resort Night Reef room, SESAC and ASCAP recording artists will take the stage. The line up includes Brian White, Jerry Salley, Larry Butler, Jim "Moose" Brown, Crystal Shawanda and others.

Also at the Perdido Beach Resort is the new "Rock and Roll Meets the Blues" event on Saturday in the Grand Reef room at 8 p.m. The two musical genres will collide with the music of local songwriter Rick Whaley, Beverly Jo Scott and Scotty Cothran. The house will be brought down at 10 p.m. with the sounds of the Original Flares, a superb bluesy, country and folk band.

Pensacola News Journal

Frank Brown International Songwriters Festival

Thursday, November 13, 2008
By LAWRENCE SPECKER
Entertainment Reporter

The guy who sings the song on the radio has a familiar, comforting voice, instantly recognizable and unforgettable. The guy who wrote the song probably sings okay.

They guy who plays guitar on the song on the radio is a six-string wizard. The guy who wrote the song might be a pretty mean picker, but then again he might be no better than the average amateur strummer.

When you see that star play at some arena you get all the flash and polish that a major record label can deliver. Come see the writer this weekend at the 24th annual Frank Brown International Songwriters Festival and, well, you won't.

Mobile Press-Register

Frank Brown International Songwriters Festival website

Venue Map for Songwriters Festival

Shawn Mullins returns to Silver Moon May 16

Shawn Mullins wrote one of his hits, “The Gulf of Mexico,’’ behind the Flora-Bama. His best known song, "Lullaby," hit number one on the Adult Top 40 in 1998 and was nominated for a Grammy Award.

Mullet Wrapper

Pictured right: Shawn Mullins on stage at the Silver Moon with Senior Frog. (Click on picture for larger view.)


Click on the video below to watch the Shawn Mullins video Lullaby.




or click here to watch the official version of Lullaby on YouTube.

Final Day for Frank Brown Songwriters Festival

Sunday, November 18, 2007

Today is the last day of the the Frank Brown Songwriters Festival. The Songwriters' Festival wraps up tonight with a live web-cast from the Silver Moon Cafe', on the Alabama/Florida line.

Between 4:30-9:30pm there will be two 90-minute concerts, with interviews, special guests and an after concert party - all live from the Florida - Alabama Gulf Coast! The schedule includes:

4:30pm - Preshow/ Intro - Larry Jon Wilson, Shawn Mullins
5:00pm - Hank Cochran, Lea Anne Creswell, Rusty Budde, Dustin Shannon,
Jody Payne, Cathe Pace
6:30pm - Break
7:15pm - Larry Jon Wilson, Shawn Mullins
8:30pm - Break
9:00pm - Sam Anderson, Bo Roberts, Cass Hunter, Gove Scrivenor.

Click here for the complete Daily Schedule from the Frank Brown International Songwriters' website.

Songwriters gather for Frank Brown Festival

Thursday, November 08, 2007
by Lawrence Specker, Entertainment Columnist
"We're back to some sense of whatever normalcy is in this event," says Joe Gilchrist, and that's just what you want to hear when it comes to the Frank Brown International Songwriters Festival.

Normalcy was last seen in 2003, the year before Hurricane Ivan laid waste to the stretch of coast where the festival has taken place since the mid-'80s.

In 2004 supporters showed how deep their love for the festival ran, putting it on despite devastation that affected every aspect of the event -- from the condos and homes where fans and performers stayed, to the venues where it took place, to the basic infrastructure tying it all together. Not far from the wreckage of Gilchrist's Flora-Bama Lounge & Package, the epicenter of the festival, participants had to contend with a police checkpoint maintaining a curfew on Perdido Key.

Click here to read the full article from the Mobile Press-Register.

Frank Brown International Songwriters' Festival 2007

October 25, 2007 - More than 300 acclaimed songwriters – who have crafted some of the biggest hits in modern music – converge on the Gulf Coast from Nov. 8-18 for the 23rd annual Frank Brown International Songwriters Festival.

Grammy Award-winning artists, No. 1 hit-writers and up-and-coming young performers play their songs at intimate Gulf Coast settings. Songwriters play venues in Bon Secour, Foley, Gulf Shores, Orange Beach, and Josephine, Ala., and in Pensacola, Pensacola Beach, Innerarity Point and Perdido Key on the Florida side.

Southeast Tourism Society named the songwriters’ festival to its Top 20 Events.

Each local venue will have a lineup of songwriters, who in many cases will play at different shows. The songwriters often collaborate, turning some sets into intimate jam sessions.

The festival has a line-up of special shows, special concerts, songwriting seminars and a celebrity golf tournament.

• Songwriters Kickoff, Nov. 7 – Local songwriters bust out the music at Hub Stacey’s.
  
  
• Songwriters Guild Foundation seminar, Nov. 10 – The Island House Hotel in Orange Beach, Ala 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. The Songwriters Guild Foundation, with the Songwriters Guild of America, presents, “The Write Key,” an intense one-day personalized experience for songwriters. It is followed by an SGA Hit Songwriter Showcase starting at 7 p.m.
  
  
• Celebrity Golf tournament – Swing with the songwriters at Perdido Bay Country Club for the Frank Brown Celebrity Golf Tournament on Friday, Nov. 16. Register at the festival Web site, www.fbisf.com. Contacts, Perdido Bay Golf Club, 850-492-1223 or 866-319-2471 Frank Brown International Songwriters’ Festival 850-492-SONG
  
  
• RadioLive at the Pensacola Museum of Commerce – The WUWF Radio broadcast features a live concert broadcast from the museum in downtown Pensacola.
  
  
• More special events will be announced along with the lineup of artists.

Artist and venue updates are being posted on the Songwriters Festival Web site: www.fbisf.com