Inside the First Louisiana-Based LCM Writers Retreat: Where Songs Were Written and Lifelong Friendships Began
- Louisiana Country Music
- 1 hour ago
- 4 min read
After previously hosting a writers retreat in Nashville, Louisiana Country Music brought the experience home for the first time, welcoming nine singer-songwriters to Jena, Louisiana, for 2½ days of collaboration, creativity, and community.
Some of the most meaningful moments from the retreat didn't happen during the writing sessions. They happened over coffee as the sun came up, around the dinner table after a full day of songwriting, during Ranger rides through the Louisiana countryside, fishing from the pontoon, or late at night when guitars came back out to share the day's new songs.
By the time everyone packed up to head home, approximately eight brand-new songs had been written. But the retreat became about much more than what happened inside the writing rooms.
Bringing the Writers Retreat Home to Louisiana
At Louisiana Country Music, our mission has always been bigger than sharing new releases or telling artists' stories.
We want to create opportunities for Louisiana artists to grow together.
After previously hosting a writers retreat in Nashville, bringing that experience home felt like the natural next step. We wanted to give songwriters a chance to step away from their busy schedules, enjoy Louisiana's beauty, and spend a few uninterrupted days focused on writing songs together.
Nine Songwriters, Four Scheduled Writes, Countless Memories
This Louisiana retreat welcomed Kylie Frey, Dan Smalley, CJ Solar, Hadlie Jo, Alex Smith, Chancie Neal, Kimberly Kelly, Blake Griffith, and Ronnie Calhoun.
Four co-writing sessions were scheduled throughout the retreat, with every writer rotating into different groups. Many of the writers were collaborating for the first time, bringing different experiences and writing styles into the room and resulting in approximately eight brand-new songs.
But the writing sessions were only part of the experience.
Between co-writes, the writers cooled off with pool sessions, walked around the lake, fished from the pontoon, explored the property on Rangers, and gathered around the table for long conversations about songwriting, the music industry, and life. Every evening ended with stories, laughter, and guitars coming back out as everyone shared what had been written that day.
Those conversations turned strangers into co-writers and co-writers into lifelong friends.
Photography by Amanda Leise
By the fourth scheduled writing session, everyone had spent the previous two days pouring themselves into the music and experiences. Rather than heading back into another co-write, the group unanimously decided to spend those final hours simply enjoying each other's company before heading home.
Hospitality That Allowed Creativity to Flourish
From the moment the writers arrived, every meal, coffee station, snack, and logistical detail had already been taken care of. That allowed everyone to focus on one thing: writing songs.
Our partners, the Pritchards and Patio Productions, LLC, welcomed everyone with incredible hospitality, creating an environment that immediately felt like home. Billy's Boudin added another unforgettable Louisiana experience by serving a Cajun dinner featuring their specialty meats after a full day of writing.
When talented people are simply given the time, space, and support to create, incredible things happen.
This Is Only the Beginning
Our vision is to continue bringing together Louisiana songwriters while also welcoming talented writers from across the country who share a passion for writing with Louisiana artists. Every retreat creates new opportunities, strengthens our songwriting community, and helps ensure Louisiana's musical legacy continues to grow.
None of this would have been possible without the generosity of the Pritchards, the incredible hospitality of Patio Productions, LLC, the support of Billy's Boudin, or Amanda Leise, whose beautiful photography and video preserved these memories.
We're incredibly proud of the eight songs that came from the retreat. But what makes us happiest is seeing artists who arrived as new collaborators leave as genuine friends.
Watching them continue to support one another, celebrate each other's successes, and cheer each other on is exactly what we hoped this retreat would create. In an industry that can often feel competitive, choosing collaboration over competition is something worth celebrating.
Music brings people together, but it's the people behind the music who make this community so special.
A Meaningful Finish to an Unforgettable Week
The retreat concluded with four of the participating songwriters, Kylie Frey, Dan Smalley, Alex Smith, and Hadlie Jo, taking the stage at Songs for St. Jude in Alexandria. Together, they helped raise more than $30,000 for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, bringing an unforgettable week of songwriting to a close by using their music to support a cause much bigger than themselves. Read more about Songs for St. Jude here.
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