Spring Songwriters Night with Same Lewis, Judy Blank, & Cam Pierce
04.19.2024 - Harvester Event Center, located in Historic Downtown Smithville, Tennessee, hosted their premier Spring Songwriters’ Night on Friday.
A “true troubadour”, Cam Pierce opened up the evening with his high lonesome, insightful songs harvested from a life ramblin’ on the road, going wherever the good Lord leads him. Cam reminds me of icons like Woodie Guthrie living in today’s world. His catalog is so extensive that he mentioned he “had a hard time cutting down to a 90 minute show”. There’s something inherently lonely in Cam’s compositions, and I really enjoyed his honest observations about love, life, and even a song about the notorious Roadrunner bird. Cam Pierce sees it, writes it, and sings it...clearly.
Judy Blank, a native Netherlander transplanted to Tennessee, turned in a very pleasant grouping of her original songs, and has managed to put together tunes that sound like country, but have a sophisticated flair about them that rings to me as of more upbeat modern folk more than “country”- while still conveying a very accessible, friendly vibe. Judy actually supported local by purchasing her entire on stage outfit from Amy Allen who was set up in the Harv’s in International Hall. The Harv crowd, very discerning and appreciative of real writing and performance talent…loved Judy Blank!
Well, the Harv attendees for Spring Songwriters’ Night got exactly what they were looking for when Sam Lewis hit the stage as headliner, along with his top notch and very capable backup trio of Chase McGillis on bass, Matty Alger on drums, and lead guitarist Joe McMahan. ALL of Sam’s songs sound familiar, a trait that really good songwriters have in common, and there were a few obvious standouts such as Loversity, and One in the Same from his 2018 album. With experience under his belt like touring extensively in Ireland and England solo, and sometimes along with Daniel Kimbro and Martin Harley, Sam is an ambassador for the Roots Revolutions that is happening in the post-pandemic world because people want to feel connected to tangled personal experiences and nothing can do that better than live music. It feeds our soul. Cam Pierce gets it, Judy Blank gets it, and sure does Sam Lewis, who has spread his vibe around many regions of the Earth. Sam immediately made a strong connection with the Harv audience and cruised through a well-balanced set of his original material. Sam Lewis IS the consummate songwriter and performer for our time and place, and it showed at the Harvester Friday night. If you don’t know any of Sam Lewis’s music, do yourself a favor and check out his clever, spiritual, sophisticated original compositions and live performance - you’re welcome!
Special thanks to Tami Studer with Cafe Healthyish for providing the wonderful food and local source honey tea for the band in the adjacent Casablanca building, which is where the VIP Get-Ready Suite that also serves as a green room for our performers. The Casablanca is a multi-use diverse array of tenants from hair stylists to title company, and from tattoo artist to office suites, The Casablanca buildling has space for rent; in fact, a 1200’ unit has opened up at 206 West Main Street and is under renovation at present. For any interested parties, please contact Bert directly at (931) 235-0531 to check out this cool opportunity to be part of The Local Vibe - check out our most recent newsletter here.
Thank you Robin and Kristy Driver of Center Hill Realty for being our partners on this journey to bring live music to Smithville, Tennessee!
Rounding out the Spring Songwriter’s Event were our good friends: Susan Thorton of Thornton’s Metals (custom jewelry), Amy Allen of Legacy Haus (chic vintage fashion), YaYa’s Food for the Soul Food Truck, Shannon Johns of Foxy Fotos (digital photo booth), Tami Studer with Cafe Healthyish, and of course the constantly fantastic Security/ Service Staff of the Harvester Event Center.
Stay tuned for upcoming special music events at the Harvester, and stay up-to-date with all the events in the Bert Driver Network (Nursery, Burlap Room, and the Harvester) by signing up for our ‘The Local Vibe’ Newsletter - released the first Tuesday of the month, straight to your inbox! And don’t forget the Harvester is for rent: corporate events and parties, weddings, receptions, graduations, baby showers, or whatever you’re celebrating, we host ‘em all! Contact us for more information, and check us out on Wedding Wire or The Knot!
