Grand Finale: Lach Thornton, Stephen Lee Veal, Clay Mills, and Sean Gasaway
- Songwriter festivals are celebrations and essential incubators for creativity.
On a recent weekend in Mississippi, an acoustic musical array captured downtown Meridian with music—not the polished hits heard on the radio, but original songs born from the hearts of those who lived them. Held on July 18-19, the 2025 MSA Pines Region Songwriters Festival, now in its second official year, worked with and helped transform five venues into intimate listening rooms where stories became melodies and strangers became kin through shared rhythm and rhyme.
Friday activities included a brown bag lunch, a youth songwriting workshop sponsored by the Jimmie Rodgers Foundation, afternoon recordings the state-of-the-art studio in The Mississippi Arts + Entertainment Experience (The MAX), and over 30 songwriters performing in rounds at Don P’s Taste of Bayou, The Brickhaus Brewtique, Threefoot Brewing Company, and Aie’s Taste of Thai. The rounds celebrated stories and reminded us that behind every song is a songwriter.
From Idea to Song
Each one-hour round at the venues consisted of three songwriters sharing their original material, which often carried the weight of reality and the enchantment of imagination.
Singer-Songwriter Steve Westbrook’s path began with poetry, which he eventually molded into melody.
“Westerns inspired my first song, about a gunfighter wanting to hang up his pistols or throw them away.”
Marshall Watkins’s moment of recognition came under festival lights.
“When I played an open mic at a songwriters’ festival two years ago, listeners interacting with me later told me how the song connected with them. My first real song was inspired by the relationship I had with my grandfather when I was growing up.”
All agreed that it was magical when their stories became part of the greater human experience.
The Song
For the songwriter, song composition is just as crucial as performance, maybe even more so. The festival provided workshops to assist them in that endeavor. The Clay Mills workshop, Seven Proven Ways to Make Your Song Unforgettable, was packed with insider knowledge and practical tools to elevate songwriting. Young songwriters also had learning opportunities with Mississippi native and award-winning songwriter Sean Gasaway in his workshop.
“It’s about education,” Sean pointed out. “It’s about setting an example for future creators and inspiring the next group of healers and being the light of the world.”
Finding a Voice in Unexpected Places
A songwriter’s journey rarely begins dramatically. Some songs are complex, others simple. Some come unexpectedly. Some come fast. Some take months, even years, to produce a final draft.
“My first song was a love song inspired by a margarine commercial of all things!” said Sean. “I just knew it was a path given to me from the Heavenly Father.”
Dave Cornelius, whose career spans decades, found songwriting so early it felt ingrained in his DNA.
“I don’t know if I can pinpoint a time that sparked my interest in writing. I’ve been studying and playing music since I was five or six. My folks told me I was always making some sort of music, so I suppose songwriting was just a logical extension.”
Dave recently discovered some audio cassettes of songs he wrote in junior high and high school, some 60+ years ago. He said he struggled with comparing himself to other artists despite his successes and often wondered if he was good enough.
“That leads to a constant attempt to improve/grow. While recording my first single radio release, Tony Migliore (who played piano on the cuts) said ‘The best you can be is second-rate George Strait. We’ve already got a George. We need a Dave.’ I guess that has always stuck with me and enabled me to develop my unique style and voice, whatever that may be.”
Connecting to Community
During the festival, as crowds shifted to and from, in and out of the venues, it became apparent that the weekend wasn’t just about performances. It was about informing and educating the community about the craft and how stories become songs.
For Sean, the mission was clear.
“As a founding member of the first Mississippi Songwriters Alliance (MSA) Festival (in Ocean Springs), our goal was to connect hit writers with those who wanted to be hit writers, and to emphasize Mississippi songwriters, its music culture, and influence on the world’s music.”
Steve’s mission was somewhat different.
“Festivals help me get my original music out there to people unfamiliar with it. And they give me a chance to meet other songwriters and hear their writing approaches.”
Dave agreed that connecting like minds and hearts “helped us realize we aren’t alone on an island somewhere pouring our hearts out to the wind.”
Performing Live in a Digital World
The authenticity of live performance resonates with audiences because music isn’t about the sound. It’s about connecting to that sound through the songwriters.
Marshall said songwriter rounds reach listeners differently from streaming platforms.
“It’s three-dimensional versus two-dimensional. As a songwriter, you can see, feel, and hear if your song connects with people. You see the faces.”
Dave tied it together like this.
“I’ve been through several iterations of ‘almost live’ music. Artists need venues that allow them to be themselves, not try to be surrogate juke boxes. Being your unique self is the only chance you have for true success. Unfortunately, too many venues and consumers only want to hear second-rate versions of what they hear online or on the radio.”
Developing a Listening Culture
Some songs are destined for airplay, but others will be preserved in the memories of those who heard them. Both matter.
“Encouraging songwriters helps preserve the regional culture because most songwriters pull from life experiences,” said Steve.
Dave added, “For our songs, stories and artists to thrive, we need to develop a culture that values and nurtures the unique nature of each. Without that, everything becomes sterile.”
In other words, you can’t manufacture emotion, creativity, passion, and voice.
“We have become a world of consumers rather than creators. As a culture, we need to return to our innate creative sensibilities. Organizations like MSA recognize, value and support the spark that still exists, but we can’t just shelter it; we need to fan it and feed it until it becomes a raging inferno.”
Looking Ahead
The festival’s closing grand finale, featuring 16-time ASCAP winner Clay Mills, three-time Native American Music Awards Song of the Year winning songwriter Sean Gasaway, Stephen Lee Veal, and Meridian’s own Lach Thornton, illuminated its greater purpose: exhibiting the art of songwriting.
“The songwriter’s heart is in every word and melody line, whether it’s funny, heartfelt, or sad,” said Sean. “You can’t replace the real thing. Not even AI can do it. None of this happens without a supportive community and audience.”
Remnants of the 2025 MSA Pines Region Songwriters Festival will resonate along Meridian’s sidewalks for quite some time. The creative labor in lyric and music composition is no different from that in performing, visual, and digital arts. Songwriter festivals are celebrations and essential incubators for this creativity.
Plans are underway for next year with more venues, youth rounds, and diverse voices because in Mississippi, every story matters and every song needs a place to grow.
Richelle Putnam
