Martha’s Vineyard Songwriters Festival kicks off at Loretta’s Last Call

Source: bostonglobe.com

Wannabe country singers are heading to Loretta’s Last Call this week. The Lansdowne Street bar is hosting the first two nights of the annual Martha’s Vineyard Songwriters Festival. Organizers say this year’s gathering features a few songwriters with serious chops, notably Jim McCormick, Marty Dodson, and Clay Mills, whose resumes include hits for such acts as Lady Antebellum, Jason Aldean, and Darius Rucker. “The first year this was just strictly a workshop on songwriting,” said festival founder Matt Casey. But in its fourth year, he said, the fest is flourishing. “Through social media and positive feedback, it just naturally started to expand. We had very little actual promotion. The artists performing this year actually reached out to us instead of the other way around.” The festival began Wednesday with “Behind the Curtain With Nashville Hit-Makers,” a concert with McCormick, Dodson, Mills, Danny Myrick, and Lance Carpenter. The fun continues at Loretta’s on Thursday with the “Rising Stars” and with various events on the Vineyard Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.