Martha’s Vineyard Songwriting Festival
Boston & Martha’s Vineyard will play host to some of Nashville’s finest songwriters and artists September 19-22 2024, when NEON Music Mgmt presents the 8th Annual Martha’s Vineyard Songwriters Festival. Every year, MVSF features shows in Boston and on “The Vineyard.”
The Nashville Makers this year are CJ Solar, Ben Williams, Rick Huckaby Paul Sikes & Dave Kuncio. They have written songs for artists including Morgan Wallen, Selena Gomez, Lainey Wilson, Ty Dolla $ign, Trace Adkins, Alicia Keys, Government Mule, Megan Maroney Jimmy Allen, Thomas Rhett, Steve Aioki Justin Moore, Jameson Rodgers, Cody Johnson, Jason Aldean.
They will playing a show in Cambridge, MA September 19 at the legendary Club Passim and then a second show on Martha’s Vineyard at the Strand Theater September 21.
They will be joined by The Music City Rising Stars, a group of emerging artists from Nashville. The Rising Stars will also play a show September 19at the Coppa Supper Club in Boston, and two shows on the island, the Tivoli Day Steer Festival and the closing show September 21 at the Strand Theatre.
MVSF Festival Organizers
Matt Casey
Songwriter Matt Casey is a Boston native who travelled to Nashville regularly from 2010-2018
Matt grew up listening to more Bruce Springsteen than Merle Haggard, but he quickly fell in love with country music and the Nashville co-writing process that enabled him to be a part of the songwriting community as a lyricist.
Matt was named “One To Watch” by the Nashville Songwriters Association International in 2011 and founded New England To Nashville, a group that has grown to 270 songwriters with New England roots who travel to or now reside in Twang Town. He is also founder of the Martha’s Vineyard Songwriters Festival, which featured Steve Seskin, Steve Bloch, Jim McCormick, Will Robinson, and Brian Maher in 2013, and in 2014, Jason Blume, Marty Dodson, and Clay Mills. Matt was a finalist in the 2013 “Songs that Save” contest benefiting St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital for a song he co-wrote with Maureen Fichten called “In The Middle of Nowhere”.
He joined forces with Keith Dozier and Allen Shervelle in launching North East Of Nashville (NEON) Publishing. Matt and Keith won the National Songwriters Association International (NSAI) Country Music Television (CMT) Song Contest with his song “Plain White Tee” that he co-wrote with Keith and David Wagner. NEON publishing was responsible for writing and publishing “All Hell Broke Loose” for legendary country duo Montgomery Gentry’s final album which went #1 on the ITunes album charts.