Instead of heading to Nashville or Atlanta when you’re looking for fresh entertainment, duck into The Camp House on a Thursday night for the Songwriter Shootout, an open mic night celebrating the craft of songwriting and the art of listening.
The Shootout draws local and nationwide musicians, as well as a faithful audience, to the cozy recesses of Southside coffee shop, The Camp House, where the music, pastries and coffee abound. For $2, anyone can enjoy an average of 12 performers each week and participate in the final grand vote to choose the winning musician of the evening. But according to Anthony Quails, Chattanooga Songwriter’s Association executive director and Shootout host, it’s about more than winning at the end of the night.
“We really wanted to develop a community of songwriters where the encouragement is the biggest thing they take away,” says Quails. “We try to provide a platform that doesn’t involve them being afraid of ridicule or heckling.”
Quails drew inspiration for the Songwriter Shootout from Eddie Owen of the Red Clay Theatre in Duluth, Georgia, who organized an open mic night that involved then-unknown names such as the Civil Wars and John Mayer. “He treated the songwriters like they actually mattered, and I took from his example,” says Quails. “It ignited my passion to try and grow something like that in Chattanooga.”
Fortunately for Quails, it seems like his efforts are working. The event has grown so popular that some nights-especially during the Quarter Final event which includes more songwriters and higher stakes-they’ve had to turn guests away at the door.
“We’ve had to turn a few people away because we didn’t want to break the fire code,” he says.
The Songwriter Shootout relies on its audience members to create a welcoming environment for the songwriters who are putting themselves out there to perform in front of the crowd. “The audience really helps set the mood for the night-the ‘listening room’ standard,” says Quails. “We want them to come away understanding that songwriting takes a lot of work and it takes a lot of guts to get on the stage and perform.”
And who knows? If you join the Shootout audience, your ears might discover a song they’ve been waiting to hear.
For more information on the Songwriter Shootout, visit thecamphouse.com/songwriter.