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SI2001

Organizing is currently underway for The Third Annual Songwriters Invitation, April 20-April 30, 2001. Fifteen venues and expanding....

Please consult the SI2001 pages for the latest information. 

A Brief History

The Songwriters Invitational started in 1999, during a conversation with Bob Swinson of SD Public Radio's Houseblend show, which features SD musicians and writers. Bob wanted to come to the Hills to record. We wanted to maximize exposure for West River artists. Bob agreed to come record a couple of concerts with a few players at each, which would make his trip from Brookings feasible.

Originally we hoped to have three venues. Then four venues with 40 artists, then five venues with 50+ artists. Bob graciously agreed to record all five concerts, and told Thorpe he'd record as long as people played. (He may later have regretted that as Steve put close to 20 people on stage, hour after hour.) 

We told ourselves it didn't matter how many people came to see the shows, because they were going to be played on statewide radio. We were shocked when the acoustic songwriters played to Standing-Room-Only crowds at all five venues - The Daily Grind, Beatnix, Knight's Cellar, Biff Malibu's and Red Rock Cafe. 

It was a great experience, and brought together many people who'd never met or never had a chance to see the breadth and depth of creativity and talent here in the Hills. 

For more information on the first year, see a Summary sent to Terry Harris of SDPR.

SI2000

The following year, we thought long and hard about getting bigger. We definitely needed more venues - we have a huge number of players - but we didn't want to lose what had been magical the first year - the sense of community. 

We resolved to strictly adhere to the "No Central Artistic Control" policy, and to expand the Songwriters Invitational without creating a centralized authority. Thus, each venue was responsible for its own event, selecting hosts and players, and getting a sound system ready for recording and house sound. 

We ended up with 150 players in eleven venues. We estimated at least 1500 people attended the concerts. The original five venues, plus 1915 Firehouse, Common Grounds, Backporch/B&B, The Journey Museum, Borders Bookstore and the Rushmore Brewing Company were all very full, and most were again Standing-Room-Only.

It was a beautiful experience, and again, shocking to see just how many talented people we have in this little corner of America.