Four performers took the stage at Punta Gorda's Military Heritage Museum for an evening that founder Mark Addison said was almost sold out before it even began. The lineup paired a U.S. Army veteran turned country singer with local artist Josie Sal, 14; a former American Idol contestant; and a working Nashville tunesmith who has placed songs with some of the genre's biggest names.
A Veteran's Pivot From 250 Shows a Year to 15
Addison, who retired from the Army in 2015 to pursue a country music career, founded Grindhouse and now coordinates performances for fellow songwriters, according to the Punta Gorda Sun. He has had songs recorded by Luke Bryan, Lee Brice and Braxton Keith, and he told the paper he once played roughly 250 shows a year but now performs about 15 annually. Addison opened the Punta Gorda show with his original song “Nowhere No More,” explaining that a man had once suggested the title to him, and he also performed a song that has not yet been recorded, describing himself as having become super avoidant after being hurt by a woman.
Grindhouse Nashville describes itself as a Tennessee-based group that has given country songwriters a platform to perform and share their stories with local communities since 2017, per the group's own site, Grindhouse Nashville. The organization bills its songwriter rounds as stripped-down affairs with no band and no production, a format it says has been the whole idea since 2017. Grindhouse also runs a weekly, free round at Live Oak in Nashville's Midtown starting at 7 p.m., according to the same source.
Preview Coverage Flagged a Thursday Showcase — With a Venue Discrepancy
Ahead of the Punta Gorda date, gulfcoastnewsnow.com reported that the Nashville songwriter experience was coming to the Military Heritage Museum in Punta Gorda on a Thursday night, running from 7 p.m. to 9:30 p.m., with $60 VIP tickets that had to be purchased by noon that same Thursday. Grindhouse Nashville's own listing, meanwhile, advertised a Thursday, October 29 round at the Gulf Theater in Punta Gorda, framing it as Nashville's writers' room landing there for one night. The available accounts do not clarify whether the Gulf Theater and the Military Heritage Museum refer to the same site. Separately, the preview outlet reported that local artist Josie Sal had been tapped to join songwriters behind hits from Luke Bryan, Keith Urban and Rascal Flatts.
A Nashville Idol Finalist Returns to Songwriting
Chris Sligh, who performed on season six of American Idol, told the crowd he began songwriting again about six and a half years earlier after leaving the music business for nine years to raise a family. Sligh, who is from Tennessee and now lives in Springfield, Tennessee, spent time in Florida and learned to drive in St. Petersburg. He has written and produced more than 200 songs and has had songs recorded by Rascal Flatts and Bailey Zimmerman, per the Sun's account. At the Punta Gorda showcase, he performed “Wreckage” first. Sligh also credited Nate Smith, who texted him every day and encouraged him to begin songwriting, with eventually convincing him to write together after nine months of back-and-forth.
The 14-Year-Old Making Her Mark
Josie Sal, 14, has racked up more than one million streams, the Sun reported. She performed “Cowboys & Barbies” at the showcase. Sal co-wrote “Cowboys & Barbies” with Kelli Johnson and Maura Streppa, and told RFD-TV that the song is about discovering that life and love do not always look the way people imagine they will. Her own website, Josie Sal, describes her as a 14-year-old already turning heads.
At age 10, Sal took a dare, according to the Sun. She has shared a stage with rapper Jelly Roll. At the Punta Gorda show, Sal performed, and she has also written the song “Everywhere but Home.”
Jason Duke's Songwriting Career
Jason Duke has worked as a songwriter and in the publishing industry, and has battled cancer.
A Night Addison Hopes Becomes an Annual Tradition
Before each song, the musicians explained why they had written it, giving the crowd a behind-the-scenes look at music careers, according to the Sun's account of the evening. Residents also gathered for a VIP reception on the museum's outdoor deck, mingling with the visiting songwriters over hors d'oeuvres. Addison said he hopes to return to Punta Gorda the following year, telling the crowd, “We're hoping to make it a thing.” Grindhouse Nashville posts updates on the group and future shows at grindhousenashville.com. The showcase arrived amid a busy stretch for live music in Punta Gorda, with a tribute to the Allman Brothers Band and a tiki bar show listed on the local concert calendar for the following weeks, per AllEvents.
