On Sunday we had the pleasure of attending The Traveling Writers Round, Songs & Stories, at Music on Main in Bridgeport, WV. If you haven’t attended a Songs & Stories yet, it feels like an elevated music hang with your close friends who aren’t afraid to let you in. At Songs & Stories, hearts hang out on sleeves by the vehicle of original melodies. The intimate stage housed a diverse lineup of talent including Caleb Connolly, Ryan Glaspell, Nicholas Cooke, Samuel James and host, Songs & Stories founder, A.M. Benson.
As the name suggests, Songs & Stories gives us a glimpse behind the why, the story, of these artists and includes dialogue among the artists on their craft. In a conversation around how they got into song writing one artist noted,
You cant go very far playing other peoples songs.
Samuel James
In the same dialogue around songwriting, founder A.M. Benson wisely reflected,
As a songwriter sometimes you write songs that may start as a part of you but end up a part of someone else.
A.M. Benson
We caught up with Benson as he reflected on how Songs & Stories started and where it’s headed…
In the wake of the world reopening from the Covid-19 pandemic I started playing live music again after a long hiatus. During that time I had dedicated much of my time to writing original music.
My past experiences in local music communities had always been surrounding the cover music scene and, as a songwriter, I felt as though I was never going to grow if I continued to be part of that scene.
I felt as though there needed to be a place for Original music in WV outside of a few small pockets like Morgantown and Charleston.
The idea for Songs & Stories was the culmination of a few months of ideas falling through and a handful of conversations with friends encouraging me to move forward with the show.
I had seen some writers rounds in the past but had never seen one local to North Central WV so, for me, Songs & Stories was supposed to be a place for West Virginia songwriters to share their craft in an intimate and personal setting. The show specifically looks for listening room type venues for the crowd to be attentive and engaged.
The idea to travel with the show was vital to being able to come to the songwriters local areas with the intent that they could expose their music to perspective home audiences.
Also, the thought being that down the road the Songs & Stories brand will be able to bring new songwriters to areas they may otherwise never have an opportunity to play their original works in.
Essentially, Songs & Stories was the kind of show I would love to be able to play myself, as a songwriter.
The feedback for the show has been fantastic, word has really traveled in the music community and I receive messages from writers all over the state. I hope to be able to break into new parts of the state in 2024 and help promote many more of the talented writers the Mountain State produces every day.
-A.M. Benson, Founder of Songs & Stories
