A brief history...

The Songwriter Showcase was born in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin at Cafe Launch after a conversation between Adam Mackintosh, pat mAcdonald and Anna Sacks. pat suggested that Adam and Anna host a weekly "Candle-lit Acoustic" open mic. The three brainstormed on the idea for a while, discussing the things they cared for and cared less for about open mic environments they had experienced collectively in the past. The idea that the mic was wide open to anything seemed to lack focus and the idea was adopted to sharpen the beam a bit by strongly encouraging that guests play original material. Playing to a room full of talking, smoking and far too intoxicated people was also somewhat of a turn-off to what they felt were most performers, especially in acoustic scenarios, and so the idea was put forth that during and throughout these showcases we would educate and kindly remind the audience that they were an integral part of the performance of a song. Their attentiveness would enhance the performers ability to focus, and thusly they would benefit by having a better experience. Socializing could not be extinguished entirely however, and so the idea of songwriters performing three songs each in groups of three with a 10-15 minute break between each group was adopted. The Songwriter Showcase was "Launched" at Cafe Launch and thrived considerably for about 15 months. In November '08, the cafe closed for the winter and the Showcase was relocated to 3rd Avenue Cafe just a couple of blocks away. Also beginning in October of 2008 the showcase found a new home at Kavarna in Green Bay. The attendance there has been overwhelming, with as many as 16 songwriters coming out to perform original music in a single night.