Scheduler/webmaster Cynthia Adams is ready for marathon

Scheduler/webmaster Cynthia Adams is ready for marathon

By Fran Thompson
Following a Covid dominated year that saw the FBISF shrink from 11 to five days, the fest is back running at capacity, and so is Cynthia Adams, the woman tasked with matching writers with venues.
“Last year was a cakewalk,’’ Adams said from her Georgia home a couple weeks before heading for the Gulf Coast and an event for which she also serves as webmaster and oversees production of the fest program, which she also composes, designs and edits.
“I actually had energy the day after last year’s fest,’’ she added. “Usually after 11 days, I disconnect for two full days and watch Hallmark movies on television. It’s normally eleven straight days of sensory overload. It’s a marathon.’’
In addition to keeping the website updated during a fest that is free flowing by design, Adams answers calls from writers with questions that range from paychecks to directions to gigs and a hot meal.
Besides a new group of Nashville writers, the fest will feature some new venues such as Johnny Barbato’s Front Porch in Lillian, Fresh Off The Boat in Orange Beach and From The Ground Up Community Garden in Pensacola.
“A couple dozen younger writers from Nashville are coming and they will add complexity. We usually group them together,’’ she said. “These up-and-coming writers all know each other. Some have had hits. They are too young for the Hall of Fame, but they are really good writers.’’
The responsibility of matching writers with venues can be stressful, but Adams is not complaining. She loves her job and she loves the fest.
“It’s the stories behind the songs. They are like golden nuggets to the audience,’’ she said. “What spurred them to write it? Hearing the writers tell those stories allows the songs to come to fruition. Each audience member goes home with a nugget.’’
Adams said during a good set, the audience becomes one of the song’s instruments. And it is that connection between writer and audience that allows for spontaneous magic moments.
“The underlying thread is like Joe (FBISF founder Joe Gilchrist) says, ‘music makes the world a better place,’’ and we are in a climate where the world could use a little sunshine,’’ she said. “This festival has survived all these years despite hurricanes, an economic crisis, a pandemic. So many things. But it is still a beautiful thing where magic happens.’’
Close to 200 songwriters will perform some of the biggest hits in modern music during the event. And while the Flora-Bama is the base for the fest, venues involved stretch from Summerdale (The Frog Pond) to Pensacola (The Oar House). Writers trade songs and stories on stage and sets can turn quickly into spellbinding jam sessions.
Gilchrist, also co-owner of the Flora-Bama, founded the FBISF in 1984 as a way to celebrate the end of the season with local artists, visiting Nashcats and other musical friends. Gilchrist was sponsoring his songwriting friends for shows at the Flora-Bama in the off-season prior to 1984. But the first official FBISF was held at The Saenger Theatre in Pensacola. Gilchrist said he lost $10,000 on the venture.
“After that, I figured if I was going to lose that kind of money, I might as well have it at my own place,’’ he said.
The festival thrived at the Flora-Bama with 11 nights of non-stop music – usually ending with Gilchrist buying a round for the diehards at 2 a.m. – until 1994, when event director Brucie Glassell spearheaded an effort to share the musical wealth throughout the community.
The festival is fluid by nature, meaning the schedule is subject to change. Even if you have a printed schedule, it is best to check FrankBrownSongwriters.com daily for updated info.
“We are nice people who are respectful,’’ said Gilchrist. “Quite frequently, these writers are unappreciated even within the music business. We’re glad to provide a listening environment where they can play, and it’s not background music. It’s living music that professes emotions and feelings that all of us have, but very few of us know how to express.’’
Jason Aldean and Thompson Square are among Nashville stars that played the festival before their careers took off. Both Billboard and American Songwriters magazines have recognized the granddaddy of songwriter festivals, and it’s been called one of the Top 20 Events by the Southeast Tourism Society.
Most shows are free; a few venues charge a modest cover fee.
The festival is named after the late Frank Brown, who was night watchman at the Flora-Bama for 28 years before retiring at age 91.