songwriters in the round

Songwriters In The Round returns to The Grand Hotel in beautiful Big Timber Montana with a fresh line-up of fine songwriters, including Eliza Blue, Ryan Browning, and Shelly Besler, led by host Sean Devine.

Hailing from Minneapolis, Eliza Blue has independently released threealbums of original music, including 2010's acclaimed “The Road Home”,built around her prodigious skill with violin, banjo and guitar, But themain attraction is her haunting voice, which she uses to cast spells ofsongs about the strange gap between her very focused and intense innerworld and the tumultuous and discordant world around her. “I’m in lovewith that banjo-fiddle girl,” said veteran Chicago rocker Ike Reilly, uponhearing Eliza Blue play for the first time at the Parkway Theater inMinneapolis in September, 2008. That Reilly singled out Eliza for hissmart-ass praise was noteworthy, as the stage was crowded with world-classtalent, including Reilly, Billy Bragg, the Roots’ Boots Riley, and RageAgainst The Machine’s Tom Morello. Eliza also plays at Cedar CulturalCenter and First Avenue Club.Ryan Browning is from rural Oklahoma where he grew up working on a ranchwith full-time ranch hands and part-time convicts. He cut his musicalteeth playing coffee houses and bars in Tulsa, went off to play in NewYork City for a time, and now resides in Miles City Montana. Ryan saysthat Townes Van Zandt told him in a dream, "we all have demons youknow, and they're gonna come out one way or another, so I choose to writemine out." Ryan also says “When I play my hope is that the listener feelssomething. Maybe not what I felt when I wrote the song, but something". Ryan Browning's first independent CD is scheduled for release this spring.Shelly Besler is a popular local performer in the Livingston scene, withone independent CD release, “The Single Life”, and many local shows withher musical partner Andrew Dolittle. Shelly appeared on Songwriters InThe Round in the fall of 2011, and we are eager to have her back for thisValentine's Day special.