Dinner and a show: In the Round singer/songwriter series kicks off Friday in Eclectic

• In the Round starts Friday at 7 p.m. at The Harden Building of The Eclectic Warehouse, 40 Kowaliga Road
• General admission tickets are $40
• VIP tickets are $50
• Tickets available at nanamusicproductions.com

Take a short trek to Eclectic on Friday for a brand new songwriter experience that will fill both your soul and your stomach. 

In The Round starts at 7 p.m. at The Harden Building of The Eclectic Warehouse, a 4,000 square foot facility at 40 Kowaliga Road (about a 40 minute drive from Montgomery into Elmore County). 

"There's four songwriters, and they go around in a circle," said event organizer Tatyana Webb, owner of of NaNa Music Productions. "Each songwriter sings their own song, and they have discussions in between. It's kind of like a live podcast concert."

In The Round is kicking it off country/rock/Americana style with Montgomery native Wyatt Edmondson, Alexander City native Chad Wilson, Millbrook's Kent Cooper, and Wetumpka native Madeline Mae. 

"It's a two hour concert that you get to hear original music from these local artists," Webb said. There's also a one hour meet and greet with the performers.

Tickets are $40 for general admission, and $50 for VIP seating toward the front. They're available online at nanamusicproductions.com.

"Once you have it, you'll get an email directly to whatever email you put in the file, and you'll have your tickets," Webb said.

The event is limited to 150 seats — 125 general admission and 25 VIP. General admission seating is first come, first served.

"If you want a good seat, get there early," Webb said.

Admission comes with a three-course catered meal, which for Friday includes chicken, mashed potatoes, green beans, roll, tea or lemonade, and dessert, Webb said. 

Guests will also receive a free event t-shirt, and art vendors will also be on scene. 

"It's kind of a fully-creative art immersive event," Webb said. 

The next performance is July 22. Other dates scheduled so far are Aug. 5, and Sept. 2,16, and 30. The goal is to have an In the Round every other Friday. Webb said to expect a variety of genres and themes for the shows ahead. She's hopeful it'll open people to new kinds of music.

"We're going to see how well it goes, and how much people like it," Webb said.

More with the artists

Along with being a singer/songwriter, Edmondson will serve as Friday's event host. The Saint James School graduate went to Troy University. Since moving from Montgomery, he's been busy working as an artist in Nashville. 2020 was a milestone year of music growth for him, with more than 57,000 streams and the most music he's released. Early last year, he released his EP Unplugged, featuring acoustic versions of four of his previously released singles: "Everyday Girl," "If I Don't Try," "Pontoon State of Mind," and "You Said It, I Meant It."

"It's just going to be a really fun time when we have Nashville songwriters, Alabama songwriters. Everybody joining together to put on this awesome concert," Edmondson said in a promotional video for In the Round. "I haven't played a show in Alabama in quite some time, so I'm really excited to be back doing this, and excited to .work with NaNa Music Productions, who is producing this show."

Also coming in from Nashville is Wilson, who is described by Webb as being the "Jimmy Buffett" of the Lake Martin area. He's got a new single out called "Ascending," featuring Kaitlyn Crocker. The video for his single "Lie Like You Love Me" has been nominated for Video of the Year at the Josie Music Awards in October. 

Cooper has been writing and singing country music for 34 years. He has written many original songs, including “The Hurt Doesn’t Stop When the Music Ends." Cooper's music is a blend of classic country and outlaw country. Although his major influences have been Waylon Jennings, Johnny Paycheck, Merle Haggard and Hank Williams Jr., he has ventured out into Southern rock.

Maye, 20, has been writing songs since she was a 10-year-old in Wetumpka. She released her first single "Little Ole Me" in 2020. Last year, the country/folk artist was spotlighted by the Montgomery Area Musicians Association as a Fam Jam feature performer. She said Friday's audience can expect a lot of fun, and that events like this are also inspirational to artists like herself.

"I know I got a lot of my song inspirations from others," Maye said. 

Webb's music paved a path to Eclectic

Outside of being the boss at NaNa Music Productions and helping put a spotlight on other local artists, Webb is also a talented singer/songwriter.

The former Saint James School student graduated from Troy University in 2016. By then, she'd already written and produced her own multi-genre album, "Unconditionally Beautiful." In the years since, along with performing, Webb has been active in the Alabama Jazz & Blues Federation. 

After Webb performed in Eclectic five years ago, she and her family got to know Pensacola, Florida native Aubrey Hornsby, who lives in Eclectic and is the owner/operator of The Harden Building of The Eclectic Warehouse. 

During a recent wedding for a friend, Webb's parents gave Hornsby an update on her music career. That led to a meeting between her and Hornsby. 

"Aubrey had kind of been keeping an eye on me over the past few years, and just seeing what kinds of music stuff I was doing," Webb said. 

Hornsby showed her his properties and said that he wanted to bring live music back to Eclectic. 

"Besides weddings, there's not a lot of music that's been going on out there anymore," Webb said.

A singer/songwriter night seemed perfect to get started with, something similar to what the famous Bluebird Cafe in Nashville has done. Webb said she's excited because this is NaNa's first "true, true" standalone event. 

"We're trying to get this going, and get our reputation built up," Webb said.

Though she's a behind the scenes boss, Webb is still stepping out into the spotlight. Expect new material from her soon.

"I've kind of been in my writing mode," Webb said. "I'm about to get myself back into the studio. I've got some material that's just been kind of sitting there for a second. I need to get that back out."

She recently performed in Montgomery at the Rosa Parks Museum's Juneteenth Festival, and also provided the rest of the festival's music through NaNa.

"That was the first time I had performed in a little bit," Webb said. 

Follow her social media for music updates on Facebook @tatyanamwebb.

Contact Montgomery Advertiser reporter Shannon Heupel at sheupel@gannett.com.