I got my first taste of the Cosmic Songwriter Festival in 2024, and realized right away that I’d have to endure another 361 sleeps before it made its return trip around the sun.
The four-night festival’s third installation happens May 14-17 in Bloomington, Indiana. During the nightly concerts, festival-goers experience sixteen different acts in four diverse locations: a basement honky-tonk (the Orbit Room), a bar with a roadhouse feel (The Blockhouse), a world-famous concert hall and saloon (The Bluebird), and a grand auditorium (the Buskirk-Chumley Theatre). Adding a special element, the sit-down concerts are offered up in a Nashville-style, listening room atmosphere — no chatting during performances.
Cosmic organizers Pablo “Oso” Fuentes, and Shaun McDermott have managed to snag their biggest artists yet. Headlining the event on May 16, is multi-Grammy award-winning singer/songwriter Rodney Crowell. Crowell’s songs have been covered by country music heavyweights like Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings, Keith Urban, Jimmy Buffet, John Denver, and far too many to mention here. In fact, Willie Nelson’s brand-new release, “Oh What a Beautiful World,” is a collection of 12 Rodney Crowell songs and features duets between these two Texas troubadours.
Tommy Prine anchors the night of May 15. Son of the late, legendary songwriter, John Prine, Tommy’s voice has a distinctive ache that pulls listeners in, while his music vibes with a modern, folk-pop feel. Prine released his debut single, “Ships In The Harbor,” in 2022 to high praise from the industry and fans alike. It is a haunting tribute to his dad whom he lost to COVID in 2020. Prine emotes with lyrics such as, “I’d do anything just to talk to my father, but I guess he was leaving soon, as we do.” The following year, Prine released the album, This Far South.
Fuentes and McDermott assemble each lineup through personal connections and via Cosmic Artist Showcases. Fuentes notes, “We are ecstatic to welcome an all-star lineup of decorated performers to the Cosmic Songwriter Festival. Rodney Crowell is a living legend, and we are very lucky to have him headline the show.”
Single-night ticket prices range from $24-$34. While camping is not part of this event, there are plenty of options for overnight stays: hotels, motels, Airbnbs, and, well, nearby camping. The evening concept also leaves your days free to check out all that Bloomington has to offer. Start at Visit Bloomington.
As an aside, another songwriter-focused organization headquartered in Bloomington is HOOMAC, a nonprofit group that promotes Hoosier music and puts together its own festival called Farmette in Brown County on June 21.
I’m attending both festivals and hope to see you there. If anyone from the Evansville area plans on making the trek to Cosmic, visit the Facebook Event Page where you can check in, find out about meeting up, ridesharing, and more.
Keep rockin’, bluesin’ and countryin’,
Art the dude
Art Woodward, also known as Art the Dude, is a writer and lifelong lover of music — skill sets that serve him well when reviewing Evansville’s concert and events scene.
