Songs & Stories, West Virginia’s traveling singer songwriter round, made a stop in Shinnston on Sunday at The Born & Bred Studio. The series, curated by Andy Benson of A.M. Benson & The Stations, pairs four artists together and has them talk about the inspiration behind a song and then they perform it.

They each perform 4-5 songs in a round, meaning one artists kicks it off with a single song, followed by the other three. Then they are asked a question by Benson about their processes or inspirations in how they approach the music they create.

This edition of the series featured performances from Brian Cottrill of The Dream Trippers and Grey Agents, solo artist Ashley Renae, producer and musician Brandon Wood of his own self titled band and guitarist for Last Year’s Model, and Jamie Lester, noted visual artist and front man of The Lords of Lester and his solo endeavors. The artists have little in common as far as genre goes but the tie that connects them all is their West Virginia Roots.

The group of artists once again displayed the creative songwriting abilities of the state and how our experiences inform the approach to the songs that emanate from the mountain state. Brian Cottrill sang songs that drew attention to the plights of others, while Brandon Wood sang songs that were informed by his life experiences. Ashley Renae sang a song from her recent ep and a few others. She said her inspirations were observational and derived from things that caught her attention like movies and shows. Jamie Lester sang several songs that were newer to him and concluded the afternoon with a crowd favorite “Forever Lost” from The Lords Of Lester’s album “Oracle.”

Of the series, Benson said one of his favorite things isn’t seeing the crowds response to the songs but the other artists responses to the songs as they hear them in the intimate setting.

Make sure to catch Songs & Stories when they make a stop in your area. Follow their Facebook to stay up to date.