In The Round with Kostas, James Dean Hicks & John Scott Sherrill

At Nashville's Bluebird Cafe, the songwriter-in-the-round format turns an evening into an intimate listening party. This edition brings together Kostas, James Dean Hicks and John Scott Sherrill, three seasoned writers whose songs have been recorded by everyone from Dwight Yoakam and George Strait to Johnny Cash and Miley Cyrus. Seated in a small room with just 18 tables, eight bar stools and a few church pews, they trade verses and the stories behind them.

Kostas, a Greek-born songwriter inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame, shares a stage with Hicks, a Kentucky farm boy who performed with Ernest Tubb and has written roots-country standards, and Sherrill, whose clear-eyed songwriting has explored everything from lost family farms to modern divisions. Expect a relaxed, listening-room evening where each songwriter steps into the spotlight from the same circle of chairs.

With unreserved pew seating available on a first-come basis, arriving early gives you the best chance of being at the heart of the conversation.