Blackwing Sessions: Good Music for a Good Cause

Blackwing Sessions Concert to Benefit K-12 Arts and Music Programs

Last week, Palomino announced that the third night of the Blackwing Experience at the Chuck Jones Center for Creativity will feature a concert benefiting the Blackwing Foundation. Tickets for the concert went on sale last Thursday, and all funds raised will support innovative K-12 arts and music programs.

The concert will feature solo performances by Nashville recording artist Andrew Combs, Old Crow Medicine Show co-founder Willie Watson and Good Luck Thrift Store Outfit frontman Willy Tea Taylor, followed by an “in the round” session, during which all three musicians and other special guests will perform original compositions while discussing the songwriting process.

The team at Studio 602 has spent countless hours exploring the creative process of artists, writers and musicians, but the “in the round” format being employed by this concert is one of the most interesting and effective ways to discuss creativity we’ve seen. The Bluebird Café in Nashville, Tennessee has been hosting “in the round” style concerts for years, and these events have allowed the venue to foster a thriving songwriter community amid a crowded Nashville landscape.

For those who are unfamiliar with the format, an “in the round” concert is a fully acoustic set featuring three or more musicians who each take turns performing songs while dissecting and discussing their songwriting. “In the round” concerts often feature impromptu collaborations between the musicians, and give viewers an inside look at the artists behind the art. Check out the video below for an example of an “in the round” concert in action.

I wonder if this type of format couldn’t be employed in the other arts as well. How interesting would it be to host an “in the round” session with a group of animators, watching them sketch out their characters while discussing the inspiration and techniques behind them? Personally, I would love to watch a group of poets write out their poems while discussing the reasons behind each and every word.

If you’re going to be in the LA area on June 27^thand are interested in good music for a good cause, I definitely suggest you check out this concert. Tickets can be purchased here and details for the event can be found at BlackwingSessions.com.

What do you think Studio 602ers? What type of “in the round” events would you like to see? Sound off in the comments section below!