In The Round with Amy Speace, Neilson Hubbard, Gary Nicholson, & Robby Hecht

with Amy Speace, Neilson Hubbard, Gary Nicholson, Robby Hecht

CST (Doors: )

$20 / $12 food/bev minimum Buy Tickets

THIS IS A PREPAID SHOW, REFUNDS ARE NOT AVAILABLE.

There are 18 tables, 8 bar seats and 8 church pew seats available for reservation. The remaining pew seats for this show are not reserved in advance. These seats are available on a first come/first served basis when doors open.

Ticket reservations at The Bluebird Cafe are an agreement to pay the non-refundable cover charge and applicable taxes/fees and to meet the $12.00 per seat food and/or drink minimum.

Note: When making reservations, choose the table you would like and then add the number of seats you need to your cart by using the + button. You are NOT reserving an entire table if you choose 1 (by choosing 1, you are reserving 1 seat). We reserve ALL seats at each table. If you are a smaller party at a larger table, you will be seated with guests outside your party.

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Artists

Amy Speace

"Amy Speace seems to have the most reliable muse in Music City and an ear for sonic settings that help her carefully chosen words soar and drift. She got her start as an actor in New York focused on Shakespeare, but some encouragement to sing got her on open mic stages, where she thrived. She’s been a star at folk and roots events for years now thanks to her intimacy, her way with a story and the vibes she shares with icon Judy Collins, who mentored her. Just when we thought she couldn’t be any more vulnerable, she arrived this year with Tucson, an album written largely at a recovery center where Speace confronted some early life trauma and its long shadows. If a folk artist is supposed to share everything while teaching us something about ourselves, Speace is an exemplar." - Craig Havighurst Heralded by Rolling Stone and Billboard Magazine, Amy Speace is one of contemporary folk and Americana music’s leading voices of the new generation. Lauded by mentors Judy Collins, Tom Paxton and Janis Ian, as well as the songwriting community in Nashville, her songs have been recorded by Judy Collins, Red Molly, Sid Selvidge among others. After 20 years of touring, she has played concerts all across the US and Europe and has graced stages from Glastonbury Festival, Cambridge Folk Festival in the UK to Rocky Mountain Folks Festival and Mountain Stage. She began her career in the iconic folk venues of New York City where she was discovered by Judy Collins and signed to her Wildflower Records label. Relocating to Nashville in 2009, she quickly became embraced by the songwriting community, with regular shows at The Bluebird Café as well as her international touring. In 2020, her song “Me and the Ghost of Charlemagne” was named International Song of the Year by the Americana Music Association UK. Her 2021 release, “There Used To Be Horses Here” received widespread critical acclaim from Rolling Stone to Billboard. Performing Songwriter gave it 5 out of 5 stars and named it as the #4 release of 2021. Her latest album, “Tucson” (Windbone/Proper Records) sets Speace’s majestic voice to symphonic arrangments, wrapped around her most intimate and emotional record yet. It landed #1 on the Folk Radio Charts in April, 2022 and was widely lauded as one of Speace’s finest work. This year, her 2013 record, “How To Sleep In A Stormy Boat,” which was featured on NPR’s All Things Considered was named to the Top 10 Albums of the century. A “writer’s writer”, she is a published poet, with pieces appearing in 2022’s Spring edition of 2River Review and Euphoia. Her essays have been published in The New York Times, American Songwriter, The Blue Rock Review.

Neilson Hubbard

These are the words that open Digging Up The Scars, Neilson Hubbard’s new album. Hubbard has been making beautiful music for decades, as a member of Strays Don’t Sleep (with Matthew Ryan), The Orphan Brigade (with co producer Ben Glover), as a solo artist, and as one of Nashville’s most renowned producers. But with Scars, Hubbard has reached an apex of his art, epic and intimate, symphonic and simple, the record is a pleading question to a lover and the universe at the same time, asking “What do I believe in? What do you believe in? What do we believe in?” It’s a rare artist that can ask such synchronous questions of simplicity and grandeur in an album based on soft acoustic guitar and pedal steel under a sweeping orchestration of strings and still keep the songs direct and personal. Nobody is making records like this anymore. Scars contains songs that touch on fierce love and loyalty to beliefs and time. As a songwriter, Hubbard has always been concise and descriptive, illuminating specific details wrapped around epic choruses that ask the big questions, direct pleas to both the Divine and mortals: “Where you been,” “will you wait for me?” But with Digging Up The Scars, Hubbard has taken on a symphonic fabric that underlies and elevates the drive of each song. The second track, “Where You Been” begins simply with acoustic guitar and lap steel and builds to an incredible sweep of orchestra with the violins and cellos driving into parts that chop at the urgency of the chorus’ pleading question. This is a record that takes on a layer of new meaning in this specific time in our history. Also new to Hubbard’s sound is the addition of Juan Solorzano’s lap steel, which is undoubtedly the supporting actor to Hubbard’s soft understated vocals. Adding a ghostly atmosphere underneath the constant rhythm of skin on strings, the lap steel lifts each song to the stars, hanging over the listener as a comforting voice of unity and communion, asking each of us to question our place in the universe. Hubbard’s art, whether as a solo songwriter or as a producer has always done that: reached to join parts to a greater whole. Authenticity is an overused word, but Hubbard embodies this in all of his art. In 2019, Hubbard produced the Grammy nominated Rifles and Rosary Beads by Mary Gauthier. He has always been a deft director of sound. Hubbard’s production specializes in staying true to the song and he chooses a small ensemble of players that are as spontaneous and loyal to beauty and space as he is. Recently moving into photography and film, Hubbard directed the documentary and produced the soundtrack of The Orphan Brigade: Soundtrack to a Ghost Story which won a number of awards and birthed the band The Orphan Brigade (Hubbard, Joshua Britt and Ben Glover). With Joshua Britt, through their company Neighborhoods Apart, he directs and produces music videos and has worked with John Prine, Jason Isbell, Lucinda Williams and The Blind Boys of Alabama as well as a host of artists without household names. And as a songwriter, his work has been featured in Grey’s Anatomy, One Tree Hill and Private Practice as well as several films. And his photography captures the stark and gorgeous reality of each subject, unadorned and genuine. One of Hubbard’s greatest gifts in his songs and his vocal delivery is the simple humility which he employs like a whisper. In an era of flaunt and flourish, Hubbard stays simple and true. The song, “The End of the Road,” is an instant classic, a Tom Waits promise “They’ll tear it out when we’re gone “Does any of this really matter,” he asks in “Our DNA” a song to his young son. Digging Up The Scars is a passing down of all that Neilson Hubbard believes in -fierce allegiance to honor.

Gary Nicholson

Gary Nicholson is a number one hit songwriter, two time Grammy winning record producer and recording artist. He was inducted into the Texas Songwriter’s Hall of Fame in 2011 and the Nashville Songwriters Hall Of Fame class of 2022. There are over seven hundred recordings of his songs in various genres including country, blues, rock, folk, Americana, bluegrass, and pop. Country cuts by Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, Garth Brooks, George Strait, George Jones, Vince Gill, Emmylou Harris, Chris Stapleton, Trisha Yearwood, Don Williams, Kenny Chesney, Brooks & Dunn, Patty Loveless, Randy Travis, Keith Whitley, The Chicks, Reba McEntire, Alabama, The Mavericks, The Judds, Wynonna, Dierks Bentley, Brad Paisley, T Graham Brown, Lee Roy Parnell, Billy Currington, Toby Keith, Gary Allan, Montgomery Gentry, Conway Twitty, Travis Tritt, Ronnie Milsap, Tanya Tucker, John Anderson, Guy Clark, Pam Tillis, Billy Joe Shaver, and the list goes on. Pop/rock/blues cuts by BB King, Bonnie Raitt, Ringo Starr, Fleetwood Mac, Stevie Nicks, Neil Diamond, John Prine, Buddy Guy, Michael McDonald, Delbert McClinton, Keb Mo, Taj Mahal, Gregg Allman, The Neville Brothers, Robert Plant, Etta James, Dion, George Thorogood, Beth Nielsen Chapman, Los Lonely Boys, Joan Osborne, Arthur Alexander, The Blues Brothers, and so many more. In addition to his two Grammy winning records with Delbert McClinton, he has produced records for Billy Joe Shaver, Marcia Ball, The Judds, Wynonna, Pam Tillis, T Graham Brown, Chris Knight, Seth Walker and many others. As a guitarist he has played live and recorded with Guy Clark, Delbert McClinton, Billy Joe Shaver, Bobby Bare, Joe Ely, Bo Diddley, and others. His songs have been included in many major motion pictures and television, the song “Falling and Flying" is featured in the Oscar winning film “Crazy Heart” performed by Jeff Bridges. Gary has also conducted songwriting and guitar workshops at various festivals and Berklee School of Music. For more info and complete discography visit garynicholsonmusic.com. More news, the co-written title song of Ringo Starr’s recent record ”Give More Love”, a song on Chris Stapelton’s current release “Worry B Gone”, a co-written song with Keb Mo and Taj Mahal on their Grammy winning record “Tajmo”, the title song of Buddy Guy’s Grammy winning records, “The Blues is Alive and Well” and “Skin Deep”, new recordings by Willie Nelson, Michael McDonald, George Thorogood, and Foghat.

Robby Hecht

For over two decades, Robby Hecht has been captivating audiences as a touring singer-songwriter, leaving an enduring impact on listeners around the world. With a remarkable blend of insightful lyricism, memorable melodies, and a voice that carries both strength and tenderness, Robby's music transcends time and resonates with audiences from all walks of life. Robby's songwriting mirrors our collective experiences, capturing the essence of the human condition. He combines quietly impactful songwriting reminiscent of Tom Waits or Jim Croce with the soft yet powerful vocal resonance of James Taylor. His songs offer a poignant reflection on the present, a nod to the past, and a hopeful glimpse into the future, making even his early works as relevant today as ever. Robby garnered recognition as a songwriter’s songwriter early in his career, winning a number of revered performing songwriter contests and touring across the US and Europe. Since then, his music has amassed over 20 million streams to date. With more than 60 songs recorded by other artists as well as numerous contributions as a backing vocalist, Robby has added his distinct touch to the work of fellow musicians, reaching audiences through the voices of others. This dedication to the craft and collaborative spirit have solidified his reputation as a versatile and respected artist within the industry Robby Hecht's music is a testament to the power of storytelling and song. His profound insights and compelling melodies shape an unforgettable musical experience, guiding listeners through the landscapes of the heart and mind.