New Rutland Event Aims To Connect Local Singer Songwriters

Ovation Wine and Spirits Bar, Oakham [photo: Riley Edmett]

Once a month, Ovation Wine Bar in Oakham becomes a hub for creativity, hosting a singer songwriter workshop that sees local musicians share ideas and songs.

Launched in February, Rutland local CJ Hatt conceived the event with the idea of fostering a community of singer songwriters, bringing people together in an environment otherwise not accessible. 

[Video cred. Riley Edmett]

“No other venue in the whole of Rutland has this,” CJ - a professional solo musician of 12 years - explains. 

"It gives people that feeling of being comfortable”

The idea for the event came at a convenient point in time - wanting to improve his own songwriting practices, CJ was looking for workshop sessions that would help with this, before he quickly found that there was nothing in the local area. “I decided to take the bull by the horns,” he says, “And create an environment where we could discuss songwriting with fellow singer songwriters, share best practices, and also provide a space for people to actually perform their music live.”

CJ knew the owners of Ovation, who themselves were looking to host an open mic night style event, and so the collaboration came to life with ease. 

Despite still being a new event, CJ has already started to see the impact it has had: “A lot of people have gone off since coming to the first one and actually gone into writing more songs themselves, so they've actually found it quite inspirational.”

The sessions provide a space for songwriters to show their ideas [photo: Riley Edmett]

Each session has seen increased networking and inspiration among attendees, which CJ attributes to the nature of the event. “They enjoy the social aspect of actually getting to see the other musicians.”

Tonight is only the fourth session since launch, and sees a variety of songwriters attending to share their work. 

One attendee tonight, as CJ describes, is 16 year old Ivan. Events like this are important, as it gives people like Ivan a platform: “Without things like this, he has nowhere to express that, unless you put it online.” But, as CJ outlines, putting it online means competing with every other singer songwriter who is doing the same thing. 

“I want people to go away feeling like they've been heard, like they've been inspired”

Another attendee tonight is Jason, a military veteran discharged with PTSD seven years ago. He has turned to poetry as an outlet, which provides “catharsis”. Tonight, he is also performing a song he has written for the first time, fighting his own nerves and worries. Improvising with shaking a bag of coins instead of a tambourine, watching him perform solidifies what events like these are all about. 

“What CJ is doing here is absolutely amazing,” Jason tells me, “It gives people who wouldn't normally have the opportunity, or maybe the courage to go along to it, a chance. It gives people that feeling of being comfortable.”

The event has also seen interest from people beyond the local area: Ollie, a singer songwriter from Bristol, is staying in the area for a few months, and after getting introduced to CJ at a previous event, has turned up to show his support tonight. For him, the networking potential is a key aspect of events like this. 

Bristol based Ollie has been staying in the area [photo: Riley Edmett]

“You might meet somebody who’s going to be a future collaborator,” Ollie describes. “Maybe they’re a really good songwriter, or a great musician.”

The success of the workshops in Oakham has seen CJ branch out to the Recruiting Sergeant in Grantham, with hopes to build an even bigger community. 

“I want people to go away feeling like they've been heard, like they've been inspired,” CJ says. “I want them to carry on doing what they’re doing, do it more, and feel like they can play their music. They can put it out there and there are people out there that want to hear it.”

"A lot of people have actually gone into writing more songs themselves ... they've actually found it quite inspirational”

With the threat of AI and grassroots venues facing mass closure, events like this are essential for future proofing local musicians. As CJ puts it, “We need to hugely protect grassroots music,” and sessions like this are one way to do this.  

Would you attend a songwriting workshop?

• Yes
• No
• Maybe

The sessions at Ovation are on the first Tuesday of every month. The next session is the 1st of July. More information can be found here.