Songwriters share heartfelt tunes at Steep Mountain Teahouse

There was a quiet hum of activity in Steep Mountain Teahouse last Thursday night; patrons played card games and sipped tea while listening to the music played by two performers from local musical group Songwriters in the Round (SR).

The two individuals from SR performing on Feb. 13 were organizer and founder Drew McDowell and group member Will Sandish. “[SR focuses] more on the songwriting aspect and workshopping song ideas together, this works best as a collective versus a band,” McDowell said.

SR usually includes four to five members playing at a time but often switches out group members for different events. “The group so far also includes Doc Branscomb, Jack Oousterhius and Dan. Just Dan,” McDowell said.

The group began playing at local coffee shops and breweries last spring. They often call their collective a bunch of “Bozeman songsters” — or, as they put it, a bunch of “BS.” “It's about bringing more people into the venue, but more importantly about the music,” McDowell said.

In addition to the collective, both McDowell and Sandish are also in their own bands. McDowell started a band called “The Scurry” and Sandish fronts “Willy on the Wire.”

The two explained that their path to music started early. “Both my parents were musicians, they were in a wedding band together,” Sandish said. “I just always kind of had that around the house.”

During their performance the two played and sang from memory, intermixing their original lyrics with expressive guitar riffs and improvisations. Many of their lyrics combine humor, joy and sadness.

“We emphasize the lyrics, melody and structure of a song, not so much the detail work of arranging it for a full band,” McDowell said. “We push each other to show up with new material and to keep the creativity flowing.”

McDowell and Sandish explained that they both often reference their life experiences when composing songs. For example, Sandish wrote a song called “Secrets” while he was in college.

“So I just started writing a song about the crazy dreams I was having,” he said. “And it ended up being my first song that I felt I needed to memorize and play for people.”

In a full-circle moment, Sandish played “Secrets” in the teahouse last Thursday.

Additionally, McDowell has found inspiration in writing about his childhood Golden Chow Retriever, Nellie. The first song he wrote about Nellie was called “Dog in My Backyard.”

“[Dogs] are very mindful beings,” McDowell said. “It was written during a time in my life when I was hanging out with my dog Nellie all day every day. I couldn’t go anywhere and it was just like the simple life of a dog.”

Nellie passed away about five years ago, which led him to write another song about his relationship with her, titled “Head Full of Stories.”

At the end of their performance, the audience in the coffee shop gave a loud round of applause.

“There's an audience here in Bozeman that are critical listeners and really enjoy clever and emotive songwriting,” McDowell said. “There's also a bunch of talented songsters here that don't have a vehicle to get their songs heard. This is the way.”

McDowell’s next performance with his band “The Scurry” will be at The Filling Station, where they will be opening for “High Fade” on Tuesday, March 15.

To hear some of McDowell’s music, visit his Spotify page at the handle “Drew McDowell." Sandish is not yet publishing music, but said he intends to soon.

To get involved with SR, email McDowell at drew.mcdowell22@gmail.com.