Meeting in a Legendary Basement in Dallas, TX
I first became a fan of Brianna Straut a few years ago while I was still living in Texas. This is a good excuse to introduce you to the legendary Opening Bell Coffee, an artistic hub for singers, songwriters and musicians in the historic Southside on Lamar building near downtown Dallas. Since 2003, owner Pascale Hall has provided a space for up-and-coming artists to share their music with intimate, yet attentive audiences and to interface with the local music community. Many nationally-acclaimed artists and bands, such as Leon Bridges, Maren Morris, Charley Crockett and Milk Carton Kids, to name a few, have come up through the Opening Bell incubator, and many continue to play the small-sized venue as they tour through Dallas.
Though we didn’t become quite as famous as the aforementioned names, my husband Zach and I also came up playing at Opening Bell Coffee. I worked there as a barista and team leader for a time, and Zach hosted a monthly songwriter’s round for a couple years, which brings me back to Brianna Straut. For those unfamiliar with songwriter rounds, it’s a performance format made popular in Nashville, where singer-songwriters share a stage and take turns playing and sharing stories about their songs in a round, hence the name, which is sometimes referred to as “Songwriters-in-the-Round.” Coincidentally, Zach and I first met as songwriters sharing a round.
A Chance Encounter at UMS in Denver
Brianna was one of the artists Zach hosted during his tenure at Opening Bell, and her performance was so memorable that we continued to follow her career. About a year or so later in the fall of 2019, Zach and I were touring through Denver as musicians in a Fort Worth, Texas-based rock band, and we stumbled across Brianna’s performance at Underground Music Showcase, currently the largest concert festival in Denver. We were so delighted to see her play, and happy to see her doing so well in such a strong music market.
All that to say, Brianna Straut hustles. In 2019, she won the Americana/Roots category in the Westword Music Awards, and she also plays in the Denver bands, Bison Bone and Tomahawk Fox. We at The Soundpost Sessions are very honored to have her share her music with you on July 9th at 7pm.
Come to Brianna’s Soundpost Session on July 9!
Check out some of her videos and links below and match our excitement about this show!
Instagram: @bstraut
Facebook: @bstrautmusic
Youtube: @Brianna Straut
Website: www.briannastraut.com
