In the Round at the Bluebird Cafe

An evening at the Bluebird Cafe puts the focus squarely on the songs. In the round, four Nashville-based writers — Kris Crepeau, Tony Arata, Jesse Felder and Elizabeth Eckert — trade turns sharing the stories behind their music from the club's intimate floor of tables, bar seats and church pews.

The lineup spans classic country and contemporary songwriter styles. Arata, a Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame inductee, wrote Garth Brooks's "The Dance" and has had records cut by Patty Loveless, Lee Roy Parnell and Clay Walker. Eckert trained as a classical pianist and debuted at Carnegie Hall before rebuilding her career as a singer-songwriter in Nashville. Felder, a U.S. Army veteran, brings a style shaped at songwriter festivals, and Crepeau co-wrote the chart-topping "True Colors" with the Dugger Band.

The Bluebird's small-room setup makes the evening feel communal: all seats at each table are reserved, smaller parties share tables with other guests, and remaining pew seats go first come, first served when doors open. It's a close-up night for anyone who loves the craft of songwriting.