Swampfire Songwriter's Weekend 2022

1 North Forest Beach Drive,Hilton Head Island SC 29928

09 December, 2022

Description

Join us for two nights of "Songwriter in the Round" format, live on the Coligny Theatre Stage. Each night features a unique line-up of singers & songwriters presented in a listening room enviroment. The theatre's unique acoustics provide an exceptional audio enviroment for these types of shows and have been our favorite and featured shows over the past few years. BOTHS SHOWS START AT 8 PM, WITH DOORS OPENING AT 7 PM. WE ASK CONVERSATION BE KEPT TO A MINIMUM DURING THE PERFORMANCE OUT OF RESPECT TO THE ARTISTS. NIGHT ONE: NASHVILLE COMES TO HILTON HEAD - FRIDAY DECEMBER 9TH, 2022 An awesome cast of Nashville Songwriters featuring: BOBBY LEE MAGYAROSI A singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist from Highland, MI. As a co-founding member of Duney Bros, an alternative pop/rock trio, he also shared the stage with many performers in the Metro Detroit area. You might have found him laying down the low end in Brandon Calhoon's Tobacco River Band, joining Detroit's own Bothered Minds (Tino Gross, Mo Hollis, Jerome Day) as guest front man, or playing guitar and shouting along side of underground soul legend, Levi Johnson, with Saints of Soul at the Red Dog Saloon (Milford, MI). In his time since he co-founded Duney Bros with his childhood friend, Mike Freeman, in 2010, they performed over 500 shows in the Metro Detroit area and released two musical works, the first, "Midnight Friends EP," in 2013. Shortly after, the duo was joined by Joel Hill on drums, and the new trio self produced their first full length album, "Broken Sleep", which was released in August of 2015. A few months later, Bobby relocated to Hilton Head, SC. He performed constantly as a solo artist and began writing and demoing his new solo material. In Spring of 2017, Bobby released a live, in studio recording entitled, "Live at Soundscape". It features nine acoustic versions of previously unreleased, original songs, recorded by Tim Smith at The Soundscape Recording Studio in Royal Oak, MI. In August 2019, Bobby joined up with Yannie Reynecke, to record an EP of some unreleased and some reworked original numbers. "Winds Of Change EP", represents a partnership of lyrical and musical prowess and mutual respect between the two, that can be heard and felt throughout the release. He also co-founded Bobby Lee & The Magpies, a renegade rock and roll, blues band, with Yannie and their mutual friend and mentor, John Sturm. A revolving door of talented band members (and band names) solidified in time, to include Phil Sirmans (bass), Jim Heird (drums), and Eric Reid (fiddle). In 2020, Bobby released four singles. "I Can't Do Anything Right", "Learning How to Love", "Baby's Done More Time Than Me", and "William". In fall of the same year, he began splitting his time between Hilton Head and Nashville to finish tracking the remainder of his upcoming, full length album. With the inclusion of the four singles, tracking was completed in Spring of 2021. He returned to South Carolina for his last grueling, yet rewarding, summertime coastal season before moving to East Nashville, TN, full time, in November 2021. It was in East Nashville, he finalized mixes in his home studio of his latest and arguably most dedicated solo effort, the full length "Scrambled Eggs" album, slated for release August 4, 2022. CONNOR CHRISTIAN There's a certain kind of music that carries with it an honesty, a sense of what's true, the pared back wisdom of a life on the road. Connor's sound embodies that raw Southern sincerity; he's got a big voice, writes big harmonies, and his catchy songs express a laid-back storytelling of the places he's been, and the things that he's seen. And he's been all over the place - in both his life and his music, and having grown up across Asia, Europe, and North America Connor now calls Nashville, Tennessee home. Starting out in folk, then rap, and citing influences as diverse as Elton John, The Band, Sam Cooke, and The Eagles, his sound is a melting pot of rock, soul, and country. When he's not playing with a band he's playing anything from piano and guitar to mandolin, or taking to the stage with a kick drum and a loop station. Connor has spent the best part of a decade as frontman of country/rock outfit The Southern Gothic, headlining across the country, as well as sharing the stage with the likes of Willie Nelson, Tim McGraw, Zac Brown Band and Uncle Kracker. The group has seen much success in recent years, including being named Billboard's 2014 "Band on the Verge", 2015 GA Entertainer of the Year, Creative Loafing's 2015 "Best Country Band", and spending four weeks at #1 on CMT Pure with their video for Sheets Down. Having released three albums during his time with The Southern Gothic, his forthcoming album Skeletons, due for release in August, is his first solo project as Connor, and is set to be a ride through the open roads of unique warmth and laid-back grit of his sound. Now a staff writer at Dan Hodges Music in Nashville, listen out for several Connor-penned songs next year. T0M O'CONNOR Tom O’Connor is a singer/songwriter from Binghamton, New York. He also spent time in West Virginia, Virginia, Tennessee and Texas. Tom currently splits his time between Nashville, TN and Austin, TX. He was raised by a hardworking middle-class family and grew up listening to his parent’s old country, folk and rock records. Although he never picked up an instrument until after high school, he was around music from an early age. Tom learned to play guitar and penned his first songs while attending college at West Virginia University. After graduating, he lived in the Washington D.C. area and worked on Capitol Hill as a lobbyist. During that time, Tom began performing at local and regional venues. He struggled to balance a 9 to 5 job with his passion for writing and performing music. Eventually, he relocated to Nashville, TN and become a full-time singer and songwriter. While in Nashville, Tom fell into favor with a contingent of Texas based songwriters, leading to regular co-writes with major players in the Red Dirt music scene. A number of those artists brought Tom on the road as an opening act. As an artist, Tom’s songs are derived from personal experiences and everyday blue-collar life. With influences ranging from Classic and 90’s Rock to Red Dirt and Americana, his sound has been described as, “Country Roots Rock.” He is a seasoned performer that has played over 1,000 shows at venues across the country. His trademark warm, gritty and soulful voice truly conveys emotion and really connects him with an audience. Tom’s debut release, Bad for You EP (2017) features the song “Deserve” which he wrote and performed with Top 40 Country artist, Luke Combs. His highly anticipated follow-up and debut full-length album, “Night Owl,” is slated for a mid-2021 release. To date, O’Connor’s music has been streamed nearly 6 million times. NIGHT TWO: LOWCOUNTRY LOCALS - SATURDAY DECEMBER 10TH, 2022 Lowcountry and Local Songwriters Featuring: SARA BURNS As a self-taught musician, Sara Burns began playing guitar and singing when she was 12 years old. She began her career as one of the youngest solo entertainers on Hilton Head Island, South Carolina. For over a decade, she has made a name for herself as a popular local artist and entertainer, recognized for her distinguishing vocal style and acoustic sound. While maintaining a budding career as an entertainer, she has also shifted her focus toward her own original material as a singer-songwriter and recording artist. In 2014 she released her first studio album titled “Girl on the Run,” recorded in Nashville, TN with producer Kevin Bruchert. Now at the age of 28, she has recorded and released a new set of original songs that truly tell a story of her growth and transformation as an artists and songwriter. Her new album titled “Gypsy” (released in 2019) was also produced by Kevin Bruchert, tracked and recorded in Buffalo NY at GCR Studio, home to one of her favorite bands growing up, the Goo Goo Dolls. In comparison to her first record, her lyrics have a deeper message that shows a maturity and self-confidence she has found in her music. With a wide variety of sounds, the songs on her new record showcase her ability to master many different genres as a writer. Sara’s music displays her desire to create a timeless and authentic sound, paired with a modern flare. Her style reflects her ability to adapt to a wide variety of genres, which gives her a dynamic appeal to her audience. Some of her main influences include Stevie Nicks/Fleetwood Mac, the Goo Goo Dolls, Augustana, Jewel, Joni Mitchell, Shania Twain, Alanis Morissette, and Patty Griffin. "It’s not enough for me to simply say that I have a passion for music, so Ill describe it… I have never found a greater feeling in my life than the feeling I get from sharing my music. Passion is there when you can actually feel the music. Your heart really has to be in it to pursue it. My favorite quote is by the late Jim Croce: ‘If you dig it, do it… if you really dig it, do it twice!’” MATT ECKSTINE Harnessing a wide range of influences from Tom Petty and Jack Johnson to Steve Earle and James Taylor, and straining them through an easy-going filter that embodies life on Coastal Georgia and South Carolina, coupled with imagery invoking that coast, Eckstine has grown from his John Prine influenced roots into a singular singer/songwriter inspired heavily by his home of nearly twenty years. For years, Eckstine has developed as a songwriter and performer due to the overwhelming support form his local fanbase that encompasses Savannah, Beaufort and Hilton Head. His band, The Accomplices, hit a peak regionally, selling out music halls and earning major support. He now rightfully claims the Lowcountry as his home and his performance space. Eckstine moved to Lowcountry from his native Cleveland, Ohio nearly two decades ago. He fronted the wildly popular Americana band The Accomplices—Voted Best Band In Savannah by Savannah Magazine 2015 and 2016—where his craft as a songwriter began to take shape. In 2017, Eckstine released his debut solo album and began a new chapter in his songwriting saga. In 2020, the mandatory quarantine provided Eckstine with an opportunity. Moving to a home studio opened new possibilities for him to slow down and work on his craft, fine tuning unresolved songs and penning new ones. The result was "Lil' Blue" 8 brand new tracks that vary in sound and feel but are grounded in their influence. Whether solo or with a backing band, Eckstine mixes up the set list with songs from his solo records, his time with The Accomplices, and a range of choice covers, striving to keep the show energetic and engaging for the audience. KIT LINDSEY Kit Lindsey’s love of music shines through in her epic gothic tale “Appalachian Sunday.” The murder ballad — a feminist twist on an old tale with a modern morally ambiguous lens — soars with emotion and simmers with tension. In our interview, Kit pays homage to the many artists who inspire her distinctive sound. NICK POULIN Nick Poulin IS a native son of Hilton Head with a truly original, unique voice that made him a wildly popular up-and-coming singer/songwriter. He cut his teeth in his teen years performing at church services and open mic nights, and soon after began sharing the stage with some of Hilton Head’s most prominent acts, as well as becoming an in-demand solo act for the island’s most well-established live music venues.