The Cotton District Arts Festival Songwriter’s Competition Showcase will be held from 7-10 p.m. March 25 at Dave’s Dark Horse Tavern, followed by regionally known musician, Lee Graham, performing his new act, Lee and Georgia.

The competition itself has been around for some time but the showcase began when Keatzi Gunmoney joined the competition committee a couple of years ago and came up with the idea of hosting a live showcase where the singer/songwriters could perform their music in front of a live audience. 

Brent Varner, member of the Entertainment and Songwriter Committee for the Cotton District Art Festival, said that this was now an important part of the competition. 

“The live performance aspect of the showcase is crucial because the committee cannot get the full grasp of an artist just by listening to a recording,” Varner said. 

Three of the artists who perform at the showcase will win a first, second and third place cash prize and perform their music at the Cotton District Arts Festival. 

The winners will be judged on uniqueness, originality and their performance. There is also the chance for artists to be voted as crowd favorite by the audience. 

Andrew Rendon, member of the Entertainment and Songwriter Committee for the Cotton District Art Festival, said there is a lot of talent lined up for this year. 

“We have had some incredible musical talent sign up and perform in the showcase,” Rendon said. “While the contest is open to all experience levels, musical juggernaut talents like Bill Cooke, who participated last year, bring a lot of prestige and credibility to the competition. This year’s field has some great talent.”

Varner said he actually participated in the competition before, making more opportunities available to him. 

“I won third place in the competition last year,” Varner said. “I am now on the committee and have been performing ever since. I would say the Cotton District Arts Festival was definitely a spring board that opened up a lot of opportunities for me to perform around the Golden Triangle.” 

Rendon said the atmosphere and the music itself is his favorite part of the showcase.

“It is, without a doubt, the fact that songwriters can perform some of their original music in a live showcase,” Rendon said. “Three winners will go on to perform at the Cotton District Arts Festival, but all participants are afforded a venue to perform their music live.”

Varner said his favorite part about the showcase is the atmosphere brought about by the audience that attends. 

“As an artist, my favorite part of the showcase is that people actually listen to original material intently,” Varner said. “It is hard to find a captivated audience at some venues, especially bars, outside of places like Nashville that value original music. Most people want to hear songs they already know, like popular covers. Those are fun to play, but a captivated audience during an original performance is second to none.” 

The showcase is a public event and admission is free to those who want to attend.