7908 Aspen Songwriters Festival

The 7908 Aspen Songwriters Festival returns to the mountain town for its third year with a new slate of songwriters, covering the gamut of Appalachian Americana through to top Alt-Rock and Pop. The thirteen performances will blow audience’s minds as they get closer to the music than ever before. Acoustic in nature, the 7908 Festival remains committed to creating the shortest distance between the writer’s voice and the audience’s ear. The festival opens on Wednesday, March 21 and concludes Sunday, March 25. 7908 is for music lovers of all stripes - new talents, proven talents, legends, and fans who can’t even whistle.

The Line Up:

Wednesday, March 21 – The New Americana:

7:00 p.m. – DARRELL SCOTT – a member of Robert Plant’s 2011 “Band of Joy” tour, Grammy-nominated songwriter (“Long Time Gone” recorded by the Dixie Chicks) and guitar master

8:30 p.m. – ADAM AIJALA and BEN KAUFMANN – guitarist, bassist and vocalists for the Bluegrass jammers, the Yonder Mountain String Band



Thursday, March 22 – Two Sides of Austin:

7:00 p.m. – JAMES McMURTRY – Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter, winner of Americana Music Awards for song and album of the year. John Mellencamp says, “James writes like he's lived a lifetime.”

8:30 p.m. – BOB SCHNEIDER – winner of 24 Austin Music Awards, his songs have appeared in the movies “Miss Congeniality,” “40 Days & 40 Nights,” “Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood” and “All About Steve.”



Friday, March 23 – So-Cal Traditions:

6:00 p.m. – THE BERKLEE SONGWRITERS CIRCLE – SAM SHRIEVE (son of original Santana drummer Mike Shrieve), MERRILY JAMES, and NICK GOLDSTON are three of the brightest young talents from one of America’s very finest music schools, Berklee College of Music in Boston

7:15 p.m. – JD SOUTHER and CARRIE RODRIGUEZ – JD has been one of the great lyric voices in rock with one hit after the other ("New Kid in Town," "Heartache Tonight,” “Best of My Love”), while Carrie is one of the most exciting new and completely original voices being discovered today

8:45 p.m. – THE BLUE SKY RIDERS – Grammy Award winner and artist KENNY LOGGINS’ (“What a Fool Believes”, “Footloose”, “I’m All Right”) new project, with outstanding songwriters GEORGIA MIDDLEMAN (cuts by Keith Urban, Tracy Lawrence, and Sarah Buxton) and Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame member GARY BURR (14 #1 songs with hits in pop, country and Latin genres)



Saturday, March 24 – Masters of the Hook:

6:15 p.m. – SOPHIE B. HAWKINS – Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter whose hits include "Damn I Wish I Was Your Lover", "Right Beside You," and "As I Lay Me Down”

7:45 p.m. – MATT SCANNELL – Lead vocalist and principal songwriter of the alternative rock band, Vertical Horizon – hits include "Everything You Want", "You're A God", "Best I Ever Had"

9:15 p.m. – MARC BROUSSARD – Bayou-drenched soul master performing with his full band



Sunday, March 25 – Brothers and Sons:

6:15 p.m. – ANGEL SNOW – touted by John Oates as the next great American songwriter

7:15 p.m. – JOHN OATES and SAM BUSH – Wheeler’s two resident musicians appearing with master bluegrass guitarist Stephen Mougin

8:45 p.m. – MATT NATHANSON – currently on tour with Kelly Clarkson, Matt’s perhaps best known for his platinum song “Come On Get Higher.” His music has been featured in episodes of Scrubs, NCIS and One Tree Hill.