In The Round at the Bluebird- Scooter Simmons, Steve Christopher, Mike McQuerry, Jon Robbin

If you've never been to a show at the Bluebird Cafe, let me give you the general scoop of what my experience has been. I find that most or all of the singer/songwriters in a round know each other, or know what it's like to be a singer/songwriter in Nashville. That makes for a kinship in which they will blend well with each other onstage or in the round. That synergy also opens the door for a lot of humor during the show. I don't think I ever laughed so much at a Bluebird round as I did at this night's show which featured Scooter Simmons, Steve Christopher, Mike McQuerry and Jon Robbin.

I was looking forward to meeting Scooter, having found him on MySpace (where you can find pages on these writers). I knew of him because he is the writer of a number of songs that Mark Lowry recorded, such as "Some Things Never Change" and "Jump Across Jordan". He was wonderful to talk to and hear--aside from his better known Christian songs, he has lots of strong material and a soulful voice which grabbed the crowd. I was pumped to hear one song, "Over My Head", which he and Steve Christopher co-wrote for Mark's next album. It's a beauty which will be a hand to glove fit for Mark--can't wait to hear his version.

Steve Christopher was the guy I laughed the most at, particularly his songs "God Bless The Boys Who Work For Beer" (which he dedicated to the others in the round!) and his ode to a devoted dog, with such classic lines as "like trash I'd been dumped" and "fired for the 3rd time this month", but yet he was still a winner in that dog's eyes. Mike McQuerry told us about all the compliments he gets on his MySpace by people who thinks he sings his posted demos (he doesn't). But that's cool-he sounded just fine to me and I learned from him yet another phrase that was a new one on me: "couple of sandwiches short of a picnic." Jon Robbin had a good mix of light-hearted and more serious songs, and brought one written hit to the round: "I Breathe In, I Breathe Out" which was big for Chris Cagle.

A little deja vu: like the last round I went to at the Bluebird, I had a beautiful young woman sitting next to me who sang in the round and was terrific. Last time, it was Natalie Tidwell. This night, it was CJ Garsee, a new artist who Mike is managing. She brought a very touching song, "I Was Left". I've added it for a week to my MySpace profile, so do check it out. There is so much talent here in Nashville that needs to be supported and encouraged.

It's great to be here and it's also fun to be in this town.