The Park City Song Summit, which is scheduled to run Sept. 7-10, is a gathering of musicians, songwriters, thought-leaders and musical pioneers who will participate in labs — moderated discussions and live podcasts – to talk about songwriting, composing and how to make it in the industry.
These labs will also address global issues such as COVID, addiction recovery, suicide prevention, mental health and race relations, according to founder and organizer Ben Anderson.
Labs will run from noon to 5:30 p.m. in three tents set up outdoors at the Lodges at Deer Valley and participants will include comedian and actor Fred Armisen, singer-songwriter Andrew Bird, award-winning singer Jason Isbell, Warren Haynes from Gov’t Mule, singer Devon Gilfillian, Dopey
Dave and his Dopey podcast, Joe Pug with the Working Songwriter podcast, Jay Blakesberg, known for his photographs of the Grateful Dead photographer, and Grammy-winning guitarist Cedric Burnside.
In addition to the labs, various venues on Park City’s historic Main Street will present early-evening and late-night performances by, but not limited to Celisse, Rising Appalachia, Gov’t Mule, Father John Misty, Bonny Light Horseman, Elvin Bishop, Charlie Musselwhite, Daniel Donato, Josh Ritter, Tré Burt, Katie Pruitt and Anders Osborne and Friends that will include a stable of New Orleans-based artists such as multi-instrumentalist Ivan Neville, drummer Chad Cromwell and percussionist Mike Dillon.
More artists will be announced later in the summer.
The Park City Song Summit will also include its trademark Songwriters in the Round sessions, which will consist of Songwriter Hall of Fame inductees and up-and-coming artists taking turns playing tunes and telling stories about these songs.
Anderson, who will join Anders Osborne’s jam session, said the Park City Song Summit is not just another music festival. “The reason why we don’t have the word in our name is because, arguably, we don’t need another
music festival,” he said. “We love them. Many of our artists play them, and we think there is a place for them. But we’re in a different lane. We are an immersive hangout for song lovers. And our format is based around the chance to explore and celebrate the myth, the power and the passion behind song and songcraft.”
Sometimes talking about that passion means addressing topics such as mental health, trauma or being a member of the LGBTQ+ community, Anderson said. “While we do have things like this accessible now
through the internet, we don’t often get to sit in a room to hear our favorite artist or a new and upcoming artist talk about their creative journey.”
For information, visit parkcitysongsummit.com.
To read more of the latest Park Record Summer Adventure Guide, click here.