For the past 17 years, the 30A Songwriters Festival has attracted thousands of dedicated live music fans from around the world to hear original songwriters spanning multiple genres perform their songs. The beach resort towns along Scenic Highway 30A on the Gulf Coast became a music mecca featuring 30 venues presenting over 125 songwriters and 300+ solo, band, and in-the-round performances throughout the weekend of January 16 – 19, 2026.

10,000 Maniacs captivated audiences in the 1990s with four consecutive platinum and multi-platinum albums, including a live album from their memorable appearance on MTV Unplugged. That performance features some of the band’s best-loved songs and marked the final recording with lead singer Natalie Merchant before she embarked on her solo career.

Nonesuch Records will release Natalie Merchant’s Keep Your Courage, her ninth solo studio album and first of new material since 2014’s self-titled record, on April 14, 2023. An eclectic album, produced by Merchant, it features two duets sung with vocalist Abena Koomson-Davis (Resistance Revival Chorus), contributions from the Celtic folk group Lúnasa and Syrian virtuoso clarinetist Kinan Azmeh, and horn arrangements by jazz trombonist Steve Davis.