Maui Songwriters Festival Official Kick Off

The third annual BMI Maui Songwriters Festival gets underway with the official Maui Songwriters Festival kick-off party hosted by the legendary songwriter and BMI Icon, Bob DiPiero on Thursday, Nov. 30, 2017 from 8 to 10 p.m. at Fleetwood’s on Front Street in Lahaina, Maui.

Country superstar Eric Church will be returning for the second year in a row to headline the festival. Photo: John Peets via MACC.

The evening will feature a selection of rare intimate performances from superstars to rising stars including Maren Morris, Randy Houser, Ed Roland (of Collective Soul), Casey Beathard, Lily Meola and Mr. DiPiero himself.

From Nov. 29 to Dec. 2, the BMI Maui Songwriters Festival combines the landscapes and local flavor of Maui with the international acclaim of country music’s best. This one-of-a-kind festival puts a spotlight on the art of songwriting with intimate sets from an all-star line-up.

Country superstar Eric Church will be returning for the second year in a row to headline the festival along with GRAMMY-winning country music singer-songwriter Maren Morris and CMA’s New Artist of the Year, Jon Pardi.

Tickets are on sale online.

ABOUT THE PERFORMERS:

Bob DiPero: Since his first #1 hit in 1983, Hall of Fame Songwriter Bob DiPiero has been responsible for an uninterrupted string of country music hits. One of Nashville’s most prolific and consistent songwriters, Bob possesses a humble drive to keep learning and stay relevant. He has had over 1,000 songs recorded by other artists, countless hit singles, and an astounding 15 #1 hits. Among his countless awards are 50 BMI Million- Air honors, multiple Songwriter of the Year awards and two consecutive Triple Play awards for 3 #1 songs within a 12- month period. He was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame and Nashville’s Walk of Fame in 2007 and in 2014, the Country Music Hall of Fame honored him with their prestigious “Poets and Prophets Series: Salute to Legendary Songwriter Bob DiPiero” and he was also presented with the Chairman’s Award by the Country Music Association. Most recently, DiPiero was named a BMI Icon, celebrating his outstanding career achievement and honoring his unique and indelible influence on generations of music makers.

Maren Morris: The twenty-seven-year-old singer/songwriter has quickly established herself with vocal styling’s that reflect her country, folk and pop influences. Armed with sheer talent, honest lyrics and a completely magnetic presence, Morris’ 2016 label-debut album, the GOLD-certified HERO entered the Billboard Country Albums chart at No. 1 and No. 5 on the Billboard Top 200 Chart. Later that year, Morris tied for the most nominations with FIVE at the 50th Annual CMA Awards, including NEW ARTIST OF THE YEAR which she won, marking her first CMA Award. She was tapped by Billboard Magazine to receive the Billboard ‘BREAKTHROUGH ARTIST’ Award at the 11th annual Billboard Women in Music Gala as well as being awarded the Breakthrough Artist Award by the Music Business Association at Music Biz 2017.

Randy Houser: With an inimitable voice the New York Times describes as “wholly different, thicker and more throbbing, a caldron bubbling over,” Randy Houser’s debut Stoney Creek Records album, How Country Feels, topped the charts with the title track, “Runnin’ Outta Moonlight” and “Goodnight Kiss” (also his first #1 as a songwriter) and earned critical acclaim for his powerful delivery of the Top 5 smash and CMA Song of the Year nominated “Like A Cowboy.” He added another smash to his catalogue with the #1 “We Went” from his 2016 album, Fired Up. Having spent the past two years touring as direct support for heavyweights Luke Bryan and Dierks Bentley, his dynamic live show, having grown from back-alley dive bars to stadiums, has been called “pure brimstone” (Tampa Bay Times), prompting major country music festivals to tap Houser for their coveted 2017 lineups.

Ed Roland: Renowned for his passionate vocals, Ed Roland is best known as the frontman and principal songwriter for platinum-selling rock band Collective Soul. The multi-platinum quintet has been making music for two decades since then and has a catalog of #1 hits under their belts, helping to shape and define alternative rock with lots of guitars and attitude. The band released its ninth album, See What You Started by Continuing, in 2015. The album debuted at #1 on the Billboard Alternative Album chart, marking the band’s highest charting position on that chart in their illustrious career. With seven #1 hits under his belt, these days, Roland stays busy with solo projects and his roots band Ed Roland & the Sweet Tea Project.

Casey Beathard: After making the decision of choosing music over “the family business” of football, Casey Beathard moved to Nashville to begin his career. He began as a demo singer and went on to become a recording artist on Capitol Records for a short time before he chose to concentrate strictly on songwriting. Beathard has now written over 20 top ten singles, including eight # 1 records, for Kenny Chesney, George Strait, Tim McGraw, Eric Church, Trace Adkins, Rodney Atkins, Leanne Wommack, Tracy Lawrence, Tracy Byrd, Chris Stapelton, Garth Brooks, Billy Ray Cyrus, Billy Currington and more. He has also received many accolades throughout the years including BMI’s Songwriter of the Year in 2004 and 2008, NSAI’s Songwriter of the Songwriter of the Year in 2008, two Grammy nominations and an ACM Song of The Year nomination for “Don’t Blink.”

Lily Meola: 22-year-old singer-songwriter Lily Meola went from being a jazz-loving kid performing covers at local cafés on her native Maui to Interscope Records’ newest artist-on-the-verge. Her story reads like a rock n’ roll fairytale, including being mentored by super-producer Bob Rock, touring with the likes of Willie Nelson, being taught to write songs by Jackson Browne, and duetting with Steven Tyler, Kris Kristofferson, and Sammy Hagar. The burgeoning vocalist has been in the studio with various co-writers crafting the bluesy, soulful pop songs that will make up her debut release for Interscope later this year.