Next week kicks off the 17th annual Pensacola Beach Songwriters Festival filling local venues with national and local songwriters.
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It’s a labor of love for Reneda Cross, who founded the festival with her late husband, Jim Pasquale. He was an Air Force veteran with a 60-year musical career.
“It’s my baby, my heart,” said Cross about the festival. “I’ve always been a music lover. It’s a healer to me.”
Cross volunteered with the Frank Brown Songwriters Festival for 15 years before starting her own. The Pensacola Beach Songwriters Festival highlights the rich talent of the area while also bringing in Grammy-award winning musicians. A total of 144 songwriters will perform at more than two dozen venues from Sept. 30 through Oct. 12.
Part of the festival’s mission is music education. That was something Cross’s husband was passionate about. Songwriters partner with three local schools to host music workshops. The festival also raises money for nonprofits. At last year’s kick-off event, they presented $15,000 to Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northwest Florida.
With the exception of some ticketed events, most of the scheduled shows are free admission. Providing access to the music is part of the festival’s mission.
“We’re a homegrown festival,” said Cross. “We want people to feel comfortable, and meet the artists.”
The festival gives a platform to songwriters, many them behind the popular songs you might sing in the car. Jim “Moose” Brown, for instance won a Grammy for the country song “It’s Five O’clock Somewhere,” performed by Alan Jackson. Dylan Altman is the writer behind three No. 1 songs: “Watch the Wind Blow By” by Tim McGraw, “Barefoot Blue Jean Night” by Jake Owens and “Take a Little Ride” by Jason Aldean.
“We’ve got a lineup this year like we’ve never had,” Cross said.
That lineup of songwriters is done by word of mouth. Cross said she doesn’t need an application process. The festival’s reputation speaks for itself.
“I like it like that,” she said.
And when it comes to showcasing locals, Cross said she doesn’t have to look far.
“There are so many local artists we have to leave space for them,” she said. “Some have been in the business for a long time. It’s crazy the talent we have here.”
Local talent includes names such as Katie Dineen, James Adkins, and Jonathan Puzan.
Tanya Gallagher, host of WUWF’s monthly concert series, RadioLive, is one of the festival’s artists.
She says she looks forward to the festival every year.
“The Pensacola Songwriters Festival is a wonderful opportunity to showcase Pensacola to visiting artists as well as build up songwriters from our own community,” Gallagher added. “It's one of those special opportunities that promote listening room environments and original material. It's such a treat for both artists and music lovers.”
It may be overwhelming to plan on which shows to see during the festival. Cross advises to use the website to search for events by venue or songwriter. For whatever style of music you like “we got ‘em,” she said.
“There’s a lot to see,” she said. “Just come see us and listen to some of the best songs.”
