13th Annual Winter's Tune
Dec. 6, 2 p.m.
Wealthy Theatre, Grand Rapids
$10 advance/$12 door
A Winter's Tune is back Dec. 6 for its 13th installment of local talent and holiday cheer. Featuring a panel of ten singer/songwriters, A Winter's Tune features round robin style performances including one holiday cover and one original.
Organizer J. Oscar Bittinger said he was inspired by the idea in the ‘90s after going to an event called Lamb's Retreat.
"[John Lamb, founder of Lamb's Retreat] wrote an album of music and wanted to learn more about how to write, so he formed this songwriting retreat," Bittinger said. "You stay three or four days, you have an assignment and you end up with a song you've written by Sunday. I thought that was cool, so I went up there and did that. On Saturday night, they had a round robin where songwriters on the staff would each play a song they wrote, then they had to play a song that the other one wrote. I thought it was a cool way to present songs."
A Winter's Tune has moved locations a few times but has now settled into Wealthy Theatre.
"Part of the presentation is that you're doing it at a theatrical environment," Bittinger said, "because people are quiet and people go tell a little story about their song."
Bittinger joked that the performers for the year are determined by an oracle, or a super-scientific program, but more seriously said they try to choose artists who have recorded music to sell who are actively writing. The lineup for 2009 includes Rick Beerhorst, Chance Jones, Juliet Bennett Rylah, Charlie Cheney, Nicholas James, Jeff Rose, Ben Scott-Brandt, Jane Stancil and Jen Sygit. This year's event also contains a wild card: one of the seats will go to the winner of a songwriting contest, determined people's choice style. Additional "special assignment" performances by Ralston Bowles, Roger MacNaughton, David Molinari, The Folk Bros and, of course, J. Oscar and Lauran Bittinger will also occur.
The 13th Annual AWT takes place Sunday, Dec. 6 from 2 p.m.-5:30 p.m. at Wealthy Theatre (1130 Wealthy SE). Tickets are $10 in advance and $12 at the door, with proceeds going to benefit WYCE 88.1. A DVD of the concert will be available for purchase, as well as CDs and merchandise by the performers and a silent auction.
