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They write the songs: Nashville talent share their inspirations

Courtesy photo Tony Arata, who was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2012, is one of the musicians who will perform at the Mishler Theatre on Nov. 1 in “From Nashville: Songs & Stories, Vol. 4.”

Tony Arata, who was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2012, is one of the musicians who will perform at the Mishler Theatre on Nov. 1 in “From Nashville: Songs & Stories, Vol. 4.”[/caption]Songwriting is an artful combination of grit, creativity, and pain mixed with patient perseverance, according to Nashville songsters who will perform Nov. 1 at the historic Mishler Theatre.

Patience is a key ingredient, songwriters Chris Wallin and Tony Arata said during separate interviews.

Arata, inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2012, who responded to questions via email, stated: “There is certainly no one way to write a song — I have always just enjoyed the process and have never been in a hurry to finish anything. It is the one part of the process that you are completely in control of, for once finished there are so many other hurdles that you have to manage and decisions that you can’t control.”

Wallin, who wrote “Don’t Blink” recorded by Kenny Chesney and “People Loving People” by Garth Brooks, agrees.

“Some writers are very fast. I’m not one of those. If it comes out too fast then I don’t trust it,” he said, laughing. The idea behind “Don’t Blink” percolated for more than a year. It followed the deaths of his mother, brother and grandfather within 18 months.

On the day it was written, Wallin recalled, his collaborator Casey Beathard had witnessed a motorcycle accident.

“He (Beathard) said, ‘You just never know,’ and that day turned out to be the right day to write it,” Wallin said, admitting “Don’t Blink” is his favorite. “Sometimes you want to write to touch other people. That song for me gets truer every day I live. It’s a reminder of the people I’ve lost.”

Wallin and Arata will be joined by Leslie Satcher who has penned hits for Willie Nelson, Martina McBride, Vince Gill, Patty Loveless, Reba McEntire and others.

This is the fourth “From Nashville: Songs & Stories” created by JT Garber and Dana Snyder of Sinking Valley who are behind Round the Mountain Music.

“This is still something that’s very new for this area,” Garber stated. “You don’t see true in-the-round performances by writers much outside of Nashville, so there is still something of an educational process that is occurring and needs to occur here. “From Nashville: Songs & Stories” is steadily gaining traction, though, and the community response has been wonderful: They want ‘Songs and Stories’ here to stay.”

This lineup came together in what JT called “true Nashville fashion. Both Erin (Enderlin, Vol. 1) and Kent (Blazy, Vol. 3) recommended Leslie Satcher, and we knew of Chris Wallin as we shared some circles with him, especially from Dana’s time in Nashville. While we always have a ‘who’s next’ in mind, we usually defer to the first artist we get suggest who’d they’d most like to have on stage with them, which of course, creates some really amazing chemistry for each show. For this show in particular, Leslie and Chris both said separately they wanted Tony Arata as their first choice! It’s going to be quite the show.”

The format for the show consists of each songwriter with a guitar. It recreates the format where songwriters gather at places like “The Bluebird” from Nashville’s main street made familiar by the same-named TV show. The songwriters are looking forward to being together.

“Leslie and Tony are just amazing and I love those guys,” Wallin said. “There’s a camaraderie as you go back and forth. It’s always good to do what you love with the people you love.”

Arata agrees.

“I still get a kick out of hearing songs for the first time from fellow writers,” Arata said. “I remember hearing Pat Alger sing “Small Town Saturday Night” long before it was a hit. That’s one side of it. Then, there are times when you’ll find yourself sitting on stage with a fellow troubadour and they’ll sing something you know by heart and it’s always a real thrill for me to hear a great song directly from the one who penned it.”

The Bluebird is where Brooks heard “The Dance.”

“I have a million stories that involve a song that might never have been heard had it not been for Garth. He had a vision for “The Dance” from the first time he heard it when we did an early show at the Bluebird Cafe way back in 1986,” Arata said. “It is the single greatest thing that has ever happened to me musically and I always marvel at one bit of irony involving that song: It is about letting life play out as it will and knowing that you can’t change anything without changing everything. That said, if it hadn’t been sung by Garth, if it hadn’t been produced by Allen Reynolds, if it hadn’t been put down on tape by that particular stellar gathering of musicians and engineers assembled on that day, well, I feel pretty sure we wouldn’t be having this conversation.”

Wallin emphasized the performances will be enjoyed by all music lovers — the appeal isn’t limited to country music fans.

“I wish I had a dollar every time I played one of these shows and someone came up to me afterward and said, ‘I’m not a country music fan, but I loved this show.’ You get to hear songs from the people that wrote them. You get to hear songs the way they originally were born. It’s the song in the raw the way it was meant to be. It’s not polished and it’s not like someone else made it their own. It’s honest music.”

Arata said he enjoys these shows and plays 50 to 60 dates a year.

“It is truly an honor to go out and meet so many good souls and to be lucky enough to share stories and songs with them. Music has turned many strangers into life-long friends and to me that is a blessing and something for which I am forever grateful.”

Arata moved to Nashville after he earned a journalism degree from Georgia Southern University in Statesboro, Georgia, in 1980.

“When my wife Jaymi and I first moved to Nashville I wound up writing for a trade publication called the Bus Operator, which was published for the members of the American Bus Association out of Washington, D.C. I enjoyed the experience and made some friends I would have never met had I stayed only in the music world. I was actually doing an interview with a gentleman from Detroit Diesel when I got a call from the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (NARAS) telling me that “The Dance” had been nominated for a Grammy! Talk about when worlds collide! You can’t make this stuff up!”

Wallin’s first stay in Nashville occurred when his mother was singing in establishments and trying to land a contract. He’s played guitar since he was 7 and how he creates new music varies.

“Sometimes I’ll have a guitar lick I like and marry it with a lyric. I’ll try to come up with an idea and see what melody marries with the lyric. Rarely does it come all at once,” Wallin said, noting a co-writer provides an impact.

“I think my strength is lyrics although I do both. I never write anything in a song that someone wouldn’t say in a conversation,” Wallin said. “My pet peeve is a lyric that no one would ever say … I keep it very conversational.”

For all those aspiring to a career in music he advises, “Find out what your strengths are and what makes you different. Then, take that and hone it and be great at that. That’s what sets you apart.”

Staff writer Patt Keith can be reached at 949-7030.

If you go

What: “From Nashville: Songs & Stories, Vol. 4”

When: 8 p.m. Nov. 1

Where: Mishler Theatre, Altoona

Tickets: $22-$32, mishlertheatre.org

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