StudioAmped records Songwriters Festival edition this Friday, free admission

WSRE will again welcome artists from the Pensacola Beach Songwriters Festival to appear in concert for a special edition of “StudioAmped.” The concert will be recorded live before a studio audience on Friday, October 3 at the Jean & Paul Amos Performance Studio on the Pensacola State College campus and will air at a later date. Doors open at 6 p.m.; the concert begins at 7 p.m. Admission is free and open to the public.

Songwriters Jim McBride, Alan Rhody and Thom Bresh will perform original music made famous by well-known recording artists and critically acclaimed by the music industry.

McBride is a CMA Award-winning, Grammy-nominated songwriter whose career spans over 30 years and includes collaboration with Alan Jackson on No. 1 hits like “Chasing that Neon Rainbow,” “Who Says You Can’t Have It All,” “Someday” and the Grammy-nominated “Chattahoochee.”

Rhody is an award-winning songwriter and recording folk artist whose music has been featured on NPR’s “Morning Edition” and “All Things Considered” along with several TV appearances. He penned the No. 1 hit and country classic “I’ll Be True To You,” which was recorded in 1977 by The Oak Ridge Boys.

Bresh is a Grammy-nominated singer, songwriter, recording artist, TV personality and instrumentalist (he plays several) with inherited talent from his famous father Merle Travis.

“Bresh has played venues with Tommy Emmanuel and is a guitar virtuoso in the same vein,” said Ross Orenstein of the Pensacola Beach Songwriters Festival board of directors. Legendary guitarist Emmanuel performed a sold-out show at WSRE last year. “If you enjoyed Tommy Emmanuel, you’ll love Thom Bresh.”

“Though not at the beach, the Amos is no less a great venue for the Songwriters Festival, seating around 500 people, and “StudioAmped” provides the fun opportunity to be part of a live studio audience and enjoy some really great music for free,” said Orenstein.

“StudioAmped” is WSRE’s televised concert series typically featuring regional bands and their original music. Bill Harrell is executive producer. The program regularly airs Thursdays at 9 p.m. on WSRE. Other concerts for the show’s upcoming seventh season will be performed in April.