THROUGH THE LENS: Florida’s 30A Songwriters Festival Cured the Winter Blahs

While much of the country was receiving large amounts of snow and/or experiencing temperatures in the single digits, the 30A Songwriters Festival in Santa Rosa Beach, Florida, was celebrating its 15th year Jan. 12-15 in sunny, spring-like weather. This was much to the delight of ND photographer Justin St. Clair, whose report and photos, along with additional photos by Alan Perry, are below. 

The fest got its name from the 30A highway, also known as County Road 30A and Scenic Highway 30A, a two-lane road in Florida’s panhandle that runs along the Gulf of Mexico in Walton County. Originally, all the festival’s venues were either on Highway 30A or immediately adjacent to it. However, as the fest has gotten bigger, with more than 30 venues now, including 10 or so that are off that well-beaten path. 

What sets this fest apart from its peers is that, as its name implies, it concentrates solely on the songwriting aspect of roots music. This column first reported from the fest in 2017, and former ND editor Kim Ruehl shared her experience there in 2019. So it is gratifying to visit it once again and highlight the state of songwriting today.

30A Songwriters Festival 2024 by Justin St. Clair

Do you go to SXSW mostly for the day parties? Prefer listening rooms to overcrowded concert halls? Fancy a long weekend at the beach while most of the country suffers through yet another winter weather advisory? Well, my friends, have I got a festival for you: 30A bills itself as the nation’s premier songwriters festival — and with good reason. Held annually over Martin Luther King Jr. holiday weekend, the four-day event distributes several hundred performances across more than 30 venues along a beautiful, 20-mile stretch of the Emerald Coast. This year marked the festival’s 15th anniversary, and I’m completely embarrassed to confess that I somehow missed the first 14.

A joint production of Russell Carter Artist Management and the Cultural Arts Alliance of Walton County, the festival offers an eclectic mix of established acts and up-and-comers. Most of the venues are of the pop-up variety, with stages tucked into the corners of restaurants and other local businesses. Despite the informal, scattered setup, a listening-room ethos prevails throughout, with a bevy of festival volunteers on standby to shush patrons, ever-so-gently, who momentarily forget their bearings.

With so much on offer at 30A, it is impossible to see it all. Of the venues I was able to visit, two of my favorites were the WaterColor Boathouse, where I saw a stellar sets from Robyn Hitchcock and Sunny War, as well as several excellent song-swaps, and Bud and Alley’s, which featured performances by Kelly Willis and the Black Opry Revue.

The pop-ups paused on Saturday and Sunday afternoons for the festival headliners. This year’s marquee performers included Jeff Tweedy, Rosanne Cash, and KT Tunstall on Saturday, while Rodney Crowell, Grace Potter, and Elvis Costello occupied the main stage on Sunday. 

The highlight of Cash’s set was a 30th anniversary celebration of her album The Wheel, which was reissued recently in a deluxe set. Tweedy’s engaging performance was one of the festival’s indisputable highlights, his solo acoustic set featuring both deep cuts and a few old favorites, including Uncle Tupelo’s “New Madrid” thrown in for good measure. Sunday’s standout was Elvis Costello & The Imposters, with Charlie Sexton on guitar, who tore through one of the better live shows I’m likely to see all year.

As things began to wind down on Monday, I made my way to The Bay in Santa Rosa Beach for its festival-closing day party. Highlights included Grant-Lee Phillips and teenage phenom Jack Barksdale, as well as a riveting performance by Abe Partridge and The Purdys, who not only won the audience over but even managed to get them all chanting “I been waitin’ on them aliens to come!” (from Partridge’s song “Alabama Astronauts”). Whether they will is anyone’s guess, but one thing’s for certain: I’m already making plans to return to the 30A fest next year for more roots music fun in the sun.

Click on any photo below to view the gallery as a full-size slideshow.