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Nashville Songwriter’s group start monthly sessions at Ryan’s Tavern

Singer/songwriter Eddie Heinzelman. Contributed photo

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By Richard O Jones, Staff Writer Updated 6:54 PM Wednesday, April 15, 2009

HAMILTON — In this high-tech world, it would be possible to have a career as a songwriter in Ohio or Indiana, but Nashville is still where the action is, said Eddie Heinzelman, a native of the Tri-State before moving to Music City four years ago.

“If you want to be in the movies, you have to go to Los Angeles because that’s where the movies are made,” he said. “If you want to write songs, Nashville is the hub where the country music industry is centralized.”

Heinzelman will be back in the area this weekend to participate in a career day at his old high school and to help kick off a performance series initiated at Ryan’s Tavern by the Dayton-Cincinnati chapter of Nashville Songwriters Association International, at 9 p.m. today, April 16.

“This performance is the first of what promises to be a monthly event at Ryan’s where a Nashville writer will be in town to perform some of their hits — or soon-to-be hits,” said organizer Jodie McFarland.

The next installment will feature Eric Measel on May 22.

“This event is being put on by a flourishing group of local writers who study the song writing craft as well as offer mutual networking and support to one another,” McFarland said. “And the beauty of the group is that it is not all about country. We study all genres of music as it relates to song writing, and we think this is an exciting opportunity for the Hamilton community.”

Heinzelman grew up in Brookville, Ind., and went to the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music. He performed in bands like Midnight on Vine while he was in school and the country band Durango with his brother after, all the while writing songs and thinking of Nashville.

“With technology the way it is, you could probably be a songwriter in Cincinnati,” he said, “but you miss the community aspect of it. If you’re in Cincinnati, you can’t call a producer up for breakfast and you can’t run by with a batch of songs because Tim McGraw is in the studio and needs one more track for his new album.

“But Nashville is a lot like Cincinnati, so I really do love it here,” he said. “It’s the biggest small town there is with a real community vibe.”

Contact this reporter at (513) 820-2188 or rjones@coxohio.com.