Story and photos by Mary Jane Farmer. Click links at the end of each day’s story  for photographs.

Saturday — Day 3

Snowfall  and full moon — what a great way to end a great weekend packed with talent and friendships, old and new.

The 2nd-ever Red River Songwriters Festival ended on just such a high note Saturday night (Jan. 26). For two days, Drew Kennedy, Josh Grider, Mike Addington, Susan Gibson, Brandy Zdan, and Kelley Mickwee held fans’ full attention with their songwriting and performance talents, then on Saturday Walt Wilkins joined the mix. For this last day, Ray Wylie Hubbard — songwriting royalty — ended it all with a dazzling performance, and with those other seven helping him with background harmonies and instrumentation.

Hubbard talked some about his recent showcasing on the David Letterman show, explaining after finishing “Mother Blues” that if anyone had watched it on television, they would know that he cut two verses out. But, Ray Wylie said, there was a real time factor on the Letterman Show. The time factor wasn’t so stringent Saturday night, and Hubbard left nothing out. Nothing at all, and the crowd went back out into the night content with the evening’s complete concert content.

This festival is tentatively scheduled for the last full weekend in January (23-25) 2014, and will again be headquartered at The Lodge @ Red River, with concerts around the ski-based town and again at the famous Motherlode Saloon. Sorry, folks, already looked it up, and that’s not full-moon weekend, but probably won’t make any difference in the talent and good times.

Click here for photos of Saturday night

Video: Ray Wylie on Letterman Show

Friday — Day 2

Thursday, there were six, and Friday there were to have been seven with the addition of Walt Wilkins to the Red River Songwriters Festival line-up, but by the end of the night, all eight were on scene. Ray Wylie Hubbard arrived early, and, when Josh Grider invited him to the stage, the great Hubbard gladly obliged.

Friday’s performances were divided into four venues, two off property in order to take the songwriters’ music to those who were in Red River, N.M., for the skiing. At noon, Drew Kennedy and Kelley Mickwee entertained — big time — at the Red River Ski Area, then sound equipment and entourage moved down the mountain slightly to the Lift House. There, Brandy Zdan, Susan Gibson, and Josh Grider delighted those skiers who rested over lunch to two hours of fine –fine-fine music!

Back at home base, The Lodge @ Red River with its Lost Love Saloon and, next door, The Motherlode, it kept on going — barely breathing minutes in between. Mike Addington, a local musician who leads the Two Dollar Horse band and who is also a great songwriter on his own, Wilkins, Mickwee, and Gibson gave up some incredible 45-minute sets on the riser/corner stage in the saloon.

Then, a short trek on over to The Motherlode for the finale. The seven scheduled musicians drew straws to determine the line-up. Kennedy started, two songs later he sat down as another, and then another of these great musicians delivered two songs each. Those behind them on the stage continually added instrumentation. By the time the last songwriter got on stage, there were not only guitars in the background, but also a banjo, mandolin, tambourine, and of course harmonies up to the ceiling.

Two Dollar Horse closed it down after chairs were removed from the dance floor and the die-hards two-stepped to the full-band music — Texas style two-step!

Saturday, it could go without saying, everyone was up’n at ‘em early. Wilkins opened it all up back in the Lost Love Saloon, early, for a Bloody Mary morning. Back to alternating songwriters at the ski slopes, and it will again conclude at The Motherlode.

Probably too late for Texans to drive up to Red River for the night’s show, but it’s not too soon to begin planning to be here next year.

Photos for Friday’s shows, click here

Thursday — Day 1

Six — count ‘em — six of the best songwriters Texas has in its musical trenches proved themselves Thursday night to also be among the most incredible performers as well.

It was the first night of the 2^nd-ever Red River Songwriters Festival, held in Red River, N.M., and already the paid, ticket-buying attendance has more than quadrupled.

Those on the Lost Love Saloon stage Thursday night were, in two-person songswaps, Drew Kennedy and Mike Addington; Kelley Mickwee and Brandy Zdan; and lastly Susan Gibson and Josh Grider.  Walt Wilkins joins these six Friday, and then on Saturday night, Ray Wylie Hubbard will bring his masterful style to the event.

Mickwee might have said it best when she laughed, picking up her guitar again, “When it’s a two-man songs wap, you’re always up next.”

Steve Heglund, owner of The Lodge, which is  festival base, and also the Texas Red Restaurant, the saloon, and the Motherlode, which is next door, sat in awe of the way it’s all come together,  and let the music soak into his soul. This festival features all Texas songwriters, even though it is in New Mexico; but, Heglund said, the local musicians, including Michael Hearne and his uncle, Bill Hearne, are featured in another event in August.

Held inside The Lodge’s Lost Love Saloon this first night, musicians graced a stage with simple amplification and sound and lighting provided by the red Christmas lights still up.

Actually, Addington’s band, Two-Dollar Horse, set the tone for Thursday night by covering some of the best Texas songwriters out there… Guy Clark, Butch Hancock, Jimmie Dale Gilmore, and such. With him in the band was a bass player and an accordion player, who didn’t quite have the Dave Perez maneuverability space, but who did have incredible flair from his chair.

Kennedy and Addington officially opened the festival, swapping writing stories as well as songs. They also added good and kind humor in their stories, even the one that Kennedy wrote about the “Life and Times of a Sad Song.”

It was obvious that Mickwee and Zdan had shared a stage more than once before. Both musicians are members of “The Trishas” and also have their own careers and followings to boot.  Their harmonies reeled with mutual respect, and their songwriting took turns most chick-writers don’t dare even try.

Grider and Gibson — another duo songswap joined on one song by Grider’s wife. When Gibson closed with her “Wide Open Spaces,” the entire crowd sang along, and those sounds floated out into the fireplace-adorned gathering room. And that’s where the music continued, informally, well into the hours.

Kennedy and Heglund agreed that, if there is a commercial end to this festival, it is to get several other Red River venues involved. Kennedy said, “We want to get more Red River, and make it a town thing, to bring more people in to hear all the Texas music coming to their town.” But, they also agreed that it’s really a good excuse to hang out, and don’t want to make it too commercial. Kennedy said, “We want to connect with people on a very basic personal level.”

It looks like the festival will continue to grow. Through music, people are making new friends out of strangers, and Heglund said that, if need be, it can spill over into the larger Motherlode saloon. But if and when it does, the organizers plan to keep the intimate, personal, friendly, appreciative feel to it all.

Friday, these original six performers will take the show on the road to two ski-related venues, then it’s back to the Lost Love Saloon where Wilkins joins them, and then over the Motherlode for one large songswap involving them all. Two Dollar Horse will close down Friday night.

Repeat all this Saturday, beginning with Bloody Mary Morning where Wilkins will make his second appearance. There’s a couple of other “new venues” being treated to the music Saturday. The legendary Ray Wylie (one needs not even say his last name again) will, like earlier mentioned, give the festival a fitting conclusion.

Click here for photographs of Thursday, Day 1