Much Farragut flavor to Songwriters Showcase

Jason Ellis at Farragut Songwriters Showcase
A sold-out crowd portrayed the energy of this year’s Songwriters Showcase, hosted by Town of Farragut’s Visit Farragut program in Farragut Community Center’s Assembly Hall, 239 Jamestowne Blvd., Saturday night, Feb. 29.

The performance included Farragut area students from Knoxville’s School of Rock: Sam Brophy, a vocalist, is a Hardin Valley Academy freshman; Ethan Franklin, on keyboards, is a Bearden High School junior; Lila Satterfield, guitarist, is a sophomore at Knoxville Catholic High School; and Logan Franklin, guitarist, a seventh-grader at West Valley Middle School

They warmed up the audience for headline singers/songwriters Dave Landeo, Jason Ellis and J. Luke Cochran.

Meanwhile, Water Into Wine bistro & lounge served up hors d’oeuvres as people entered the center.

“It’s pretty impressive. We’re here to hear J. Luke and the rest of the guys,” Farragut resident Kevin Jardet said.

“I think it’s great to get this much entertainment in the community like this,” Bill McManus of Farragut said. “Who needs Nashville?”

“We sold 163 tickets,” Farragut Tourism coordinator Karen Tindal said. “… There’s lots of energy, lots of excitement, the tables are full,” adding the attendance was “more than we expected.”

Farragut’s Songwriter’s Showcase is one of 850 such events taking place this year as part of Tennessee Songwriters Showcase, started by Gov. Bill Haslam in 2018.

This year, Landeo, Ellis and Cochran teamed up to sing their original works. Landeo already has had a presence in Farragut, having performed several times, most recently for the Town’s Lawn Chair Concert Series in August 2019.

“It was a wonderful experience,” he recalled. “It’s no surprise (the Lawn Chair Series) won an award. The organizers did a wonderful job bringing original music to the community from the state.”

Landeo has been performing professionally in the East Tennessee area for about 26 years. Now living in Charleston, South Carolina, he graduated from the