Toronto, ON – 97 South is pleased to announce that the 2nd annual 97 South Song Sessions will be returning to Penticton, British Columbia on July 24 and 25, 2020 featuring top songwriters from the U.S., Canada and beyond. Media personality Paul McGuire returns to host. 2020 will see the festival grow to sixteen shows across four venues with two 90 minutes performances at each venue, each night.
Nestled in the picturesque Okanagan Valley, the festival creates the ultimate wine destination experience in partnership with this burgeoning local growing region that features some 200 wineries. The festival takes place in local venues, Bench 1775 Winery, The Dream Café, Poplar Grove Winery and Tempest Theatre and welcomes key sponsors Stingray and eOne.
The impressive slate of songwriting talent from the Pop, Rock and Country genres includes writers who have crafted some of the greatest songs of the modern era including Grammy Award winner and Hall of Famer, Tim Nichols (Tim McGraw, Faith Hill, Alan Jackson), Jeff Trott (Sheryl Crow), Gary O’ (.38 Special, Kim Carnes, Molly Hatchett), rising star Jessica Mitchell (Celine Dion, Trisha Yearwood), Grammy Nominee, Deric Ruttan (Dierks Bentley, Eric Church, Blake Shelton), and Liz Rodrigues (Celine Dion, Pink, Eminem) with more announcements coming soon.
Says 97 South Song Sessions principal, Robert Ott, a long-time homeowner in the area, “We’re excited to bring such a special lineup of world-class songwriters to our beloved Okanagan Valley and to introduce a national audience to this beautiful and fast-growing wine region. We’re very thankful for the support from our sponsors and partners. Our audiences have found this event to be an unparalleled music experience. We’re all familiar with our favourite artists but not necessarily so with how our most loved songs came to be. It’s a powerful performance and one of the most purely creative, intimate music happenings you’ll ever be part of.”
“After being a part of the first 97 South Song Sessions last year, by the time I got home to Nashville, I was already looking forward to coming back this year,” said Tim Nichols. “The event founders had a vision to combine the gorgeous setting of the Okanagan Valley with amazing wineries, and some of the most talented singer-songwriters in Canada and the US.”
Festival passes are on sale now. Each pass includes access to 2 shows Friday night and 2 shows Saturday night. Pass holders will see a unique, multi-genre songwriter lineup at each of the four venues, Bench 1775, The Dream Café, Poplar Grove Winery, and Tempest Theatre. Buy your passes at https://97southsongsessions.com/tickets/.
Watch for additional performer announcements in the coming weeks.
