By Zach Spicer | The Tribune

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Taking center stage inside the Jackson County Visitor Center is a familiar place for Stephanie Lambring.

The Jackson County native, who now lives in Nashville, Tennessee, has performed there in recent years as part of singer-songwriter events.

When Shawn Busby with Seymour Crossroads Entertainment recently reached out to her about returning to her roots for a songwriters showcase, Lambring immediately said, “Yes, sign me up.”

“Shawn has been such a great supporter of my musical journey,” Lambring said. “It’s fun to go back to where you come from, reconnect with familiar faces and connect with new ones. Jackson County still very much feels like home to me.”

The second show in the Crossroads Songwriter

Series will start at 7 p.m. May 5 at the visitor center, 100 N. Broadway St., Seymour. Lambring will share the stage with another rising Nashville star, Nicholas Jamerson.

Advance tickets are $20 and are available at the visitor center or at eventbrite.com.

The first show in the series April 7 featured Nashville artists Gabe Lee and Harper O’Neill.

Lambring said it’s important to highlight singer-songwriters because they are amazing storytellers.

“They can pack quite a punch in just a few minutes of things that rhyme, and a lot of times, they don’t get the recognition they deserve,” she said. “It’s a beautiful thing to draw a listener in like many singer-songwriters do.”

Events like the songwriters showcase are unique experiences for both the performers and audience.

“I love the connection with the audience when sharing in song. Everyone gives, and everyone receives,” Lambring said. “The audience gets to enjoy more of an intimate, behind-the-scenes storytelling experience in a writer’s round format. It’s how we do things in Nashville, and it’s fun to recreate it elsewhere.”

Doing a show like this in her home county takes on a different feel, she said.

“I get a little nervous about playing hometown shows because I worry that the content of my music doesn’t match the perception people had of me growing up. Also, it’s hard to sing such vulnerable songs in a room where many people know you or your family,” Lambring said. “All that to say, I’ve felt so much love every time I’ve played in Jackson County. It’s an honor to get asked to come back home to play my music.”

Lambring polished her craft during five years as a contract writer on Music Row. After taking a break from the music industry, she came roaring back in 2020 with a new CD of original songs, “Autonomy,” which has garnered national acclaim.

Rolling Stone magazine called the album “One of the most irresistible roots-rock gems of the year,” and National Public Radio’s “All Songs Considered” asserted “Flat out, she is one of the best lyricists I’ve heard in a long time.”

She recently signed with Thirty Tigers and said she is writing her next record.

“I’m also playing shows here and there,” Lambring said. “My producer and I are going to start recording soon, and I’m super excited about that.”

Jamerson is an artist from eastern Kentucky known for his lyrics and indelible melodies. His catalog of original music reaches across broad spectrums in both substance and style.

As a performer, he has shared stages with stars including Steve Miller, Chris Stapleton and Tyler Childers, to name only a few.

As part of the singer-songwriter series, the Crossroads nonprofit entity in association with Southern Indiana Center for the Arts in Seymour also will organize a local singer-songwriter show as part of the arts center’s Friday Night Live summer music series. That event will take place Aug. 5 at SICA.