Songwriters In Paradise festival brings world-class musicians to Sonoma County wineries

You might never get a chance to see a bunch of Grammy Award-winning songwriters hanging out and jamming to new and old songs together in one room.

But what if you could?

In the laid-back, intimate music festival series “Songwriters In Paradise” coming to the Healdsburg area, audiences can feast on tasty food and wine pairings as songwriters take center stage at wineries. The festival, July 20-23, features a round of songwriters performing together each night, swapping songs and exploring the stories and processes behind their favorite hits. Basically, it’ll be one giant jam session.

“When you hear the stories behind songs, why an artist put pen to paper, and how it happened, it never leaves your mind,” said Kristian Bush, who’s a part of Grammy Award-winning country music group Sugarland. “There’s a lot of joy as a listener and audience to discover these stories that are buried in these soundtracks.”

Music fans can hear from 11 songwriters including Bush; Nashville singer-songwriter Patrick Davis; John Mayer’s longtime guitar player, David Ryan Harris; Louisiana artist Marc Broussard; Channing Wilson; Lauren Jenkins; James Otto; Ashley Campbell; William Beckmann; Chris Gelbuda; and Paul McDonald.

“The audience gets a closer look into a songwriter’s process,” said Davis, the founder of the event. “As performers, we’re getting a whole new creative, collaborative experience, too. You’re bringing songwriters on that have never played together before and watching them blend their styles.”

Each night showcases two performances, from 6:30-9:30 p.m., featuring three to four songwriters for each performance at one of four wineries: Robert Young Estate Winery in Geyserville; Bella Vineyards & Wine Caves and Comstock Wines, both in Healdsburg; and La Crema Estate at Saralee’s Vineyard in Windsor.

The festival is more than simply sipping wine and enjoying performances, however. It’s also about raising money for local causes.

Funds raised at the festival from auctioned signed guitars, handwritten lyrics and other items will be donated to the Boys & Girls Club of Healdsburg, Healdsburg Education Foundation and Humane Society of Sonoma County.

“We’re trying to leave a decent long-lasting impact on the community and leave Healdsburg better than we found it,” Davis said.

Writers’ rounds

The festival’s concept is inspired by a Nashville tradition called a writers’ round, when a group of songwriters in a circle take turns singing their own songs.

This is sort of the same idea, but with songwriters performing each other’s songs together on stage.

“You’re playing on the fly. You’re creating with the person next to you,” Bush said. “Depending on which songwriters are thrown into the pot (performing on stage), it’ll create a different kind of spice. A new version of that song will emerge.”

Songwriters, when they’re not on stage, will mingle with the audience to support their performing friends.

“It’s a safe, open, intimate and friendly environment,” Davis said. “Some people will hear a song they recognize, or ones they haven’t heard or (which) haven’t been recorded yet. It’s a whole lot of fun.”

For the event, Davis selected the songwriters, all performers he considers good friends, for their musical talents and for their kindness, wit, humor and ability to communicate, he said.

“These are people I write with, perform with and have a lot of respect for as humans, songwriters and singers,” he said.

First time in Sonoma County

Songwriters in Paradise started in Hope Town, Bahamas. In 2013, Davis had been asked to perform for a weekend at the Firefly Sunset Resort in Hope Town. He wanted to hang out with his musician buddies, too, so he invited a few of them to perform with him that weekend.

That became Songwriters in Paradise Hope Town, a three-night festival. Since then it’s grown into an annual event landing in Napa; Hope Town; Cabo San Lucas, Mexico; and now Healdsburg.

“I just wanted to go on vacation, hang out and drink with my friends on an island who I don’t get to see often,” Davis said with a laugh. “When you’re all touring musicians, you don’t get that time together.”

And since its beginning, the festival has made an effort to give back to the local communities, he added.

When Hurricane Dorian hit Hope Town in 2019, Songwriters in Paradise put on a benefit concert two weeks after the storm, raising nearly $250,000 for the Bahamian islands.

This year, the festival in Napa raised funds for Notes for Education, which promotes music education in California schools; the Boys & Girls Clubs of St. Helena and Calistoga; and the St. Helena Volunteer Fire Department.

“We always try to give back to the wonderful places that we are lucky enough to enjoy,” Davis said. “It’s an opportunity to not only say thank you to the songwriters but also the community.”

For several of the songwriters who started as cover gig artists, growing up performing in the corners of restaurants and delis, the festival will be a big reunion.

“I’m watching the combination of a lot of people that I’m a huge fan of but that I’ve also written songs with,” said Bush, who’s been a Songwriters in Paradise performer for eight years.

After visiting Healdsburg over the years for events and to connect with local friends, Davis realized it would be the perfect place for the next festival. Plus, Healdsburg’s community reminded him of home in Camden, South Carolina, he said.

“Healdsburg reminds me of Camden,” Davis said. “It’s the people and the community. I love it out there. It’s a special place.”

You can reach Staff Writer Mya Constantino at mya.constantino@pressdemocrat.com. @searchingformya on Twitter.