Bourbon with a musical twist: Songwriters in Paradise debuts in Bardstown

By what definition could Bardstown be called paradise?

Sure, it’s been named “The Most Beautiful Small Town in America” by USA Today and Rand McNally, among other accolades.

But paradise?

“If you’re a bourbon fan, it is,” said Patrick Davis. He’s a singer, songwriter and entrepreneur who founded a successful series of music, food and drink getaways known as Songwriters in Paradise. He staged the first SIP event in the Bahamas (hence the “paradise” designation) in 2013 and has since hosted annual SIP gatherings in Cabo San Luca in Mexico and in northern California’s wine country.

In October, Davis kicked off the inaugural SIP – Bardstown, a five-night series of concerts along with food, drink and tourism experiences centered in the town that advertises itself as “the bourbon capital of the world.”

Local distilleries Beam, Heaven Hill and Preservation hosted concerts, as did the new Trail Hotel. Although, note that if your idea of a concert is 20,000 people in Rupp Arena standing and shouting while a big-name band renders their own hits at high volume, as Davis put it, “SIP is the opposite of that.”

SIP Bardstown shows might feature three performers sitting on stools or standing behind mics maybe 10 feet away from an audience of about 50 people, because intimacy is the point. The more established SIP shows tend to max out at about 150 because Davis’s goal is to create a greater sense of connection between the artists and attendees. After the shows, the performers and ticket holders often hang out together at the hotel bar.

“I found that once you go over 200 people, it’s really, really difficult to keep that feeling,” Davis said. “And so we really work hard to make it ... up close and personal.”

SIP performers tend to come from the musical neighborhood where country meets Americana , and include Davis, Kristian Bush (one half of the country duo Sugarland), James Otto and others, including performers with local connections like Kentucky native Matraca Berg and Aaron Raitiere, who grew up in Danville.

Collectively, the SIP songwriters have written, co-written and performed on numerous number one songs and won multiple Grammy Awards, among other honors. Unless you closely follow their end of the music business, the names on the SIP lineup may not register, but the list of artists who’ve recorded their songs includes the Zac Brown Band, Jimmy Buffett, Kenny Chesney, Alabama and Lady Gaga.

On SIP Bardstown’s final night, the songwriters capped off the event with two roughly hour-long performances that combined singing, dialogue and storytelling under a dogwood tree on the property of the James B. Beam Distilling Company in Clermont. Guests and musicians alike warmed themselves by the fire pits or by, of course, sipping bourbon as they listened to songs and stories about songs.

Some involved touching tributes to lost loved ones, others were funny, sometimes crass tales that offered insights into the songs’ origins and the culture of songwriters. SIP performer singer-songwriter Tyler Reeve performed “In Case You Didn’t Know,” a love song he co-wrote that became a number one country hit for singer Brett Young in 2017.

During his SIP performance, Reeve shared that, as a way to both tease and congratulate him, his songwriter buddies texted him satirical rewrites of his song’s lyrics. Reeve then sang his own parody, in which the ballad became a kind of tenderhearted Viagra commercial and included the refrain, “In Case it Doesn’t Grow,” which drew hearty laughs from performers and audience alike, which is SIP culture in action.

Another aspect of that culture is the understanding that during the musical performances, everyone’s focus needs to be on the stage. Davis, who also hosts the PBS series “Southern Songwriters with Patrick Davis,” announced at the beginning of the Thursday night concert, “What’s the theme of SIP?” Knowing audience members responded, “Shut the f--- up.” During one performance, when the conversation of staff in another room became audible, Davis told a member of his team, “Hey, tell those guys to shut up.” And they did.

That may sound strict, but it comes from Davis’ desire to create an experience worth the price of admission, which, at Bardstown, ranged from $300 for a single-day pass to $4200 for a five-day VIP pass, with lodging and Super VIP packages beyond that.

Kim Case of Rock Hill, S.C., said this is her 10th SIP trip. She described the vibe at the shows as being less like a honky tonk bar and more like a listening room that showcases artists who are, “so damn talented it’s insane,” she said. Plus, “it’s a family atmosphere,” she added. “I’ve made so many friends (through SIP.)”

Out-of-state visitors like Case made up the majority of SIP Bardstown attendees. When Davis asked for all the Kentuckians in the audience to raise their hands, only seven went up. Sherry Powers of Louisville was among the local SIP attendees. “It was magical,” she said. “To have something like this in Bardstown is a gift.”

The idea to bring SIP to Kentucky originated with Zachary Sinclair, a lifelong Nelson County resident who’s been doing photo and video work with Davis for years. Sinclair saw the potential long before he brought it up to Davis, in part because he knew Bardstown lacked a sufficiently high-end hotel. The opening of The Trail Hotel earlier this year met that need and SIP Bardstown was born. Sinclair said it’s been gratifying to see people enjoy the food, bourbon and scenery his hometown offers. “I want people to experience what I have,” he said.

Paradise, perhaps, is where you make it, and that can be in songs, stories and shot glasses. On the final night of his songwriter series’ first foray into Kentucky, Davis performed in the last set, and in what felt like a songwriting flex, recounted the week and thanked everyone in rhyming lyrics he seemed to improvise on the spot. Guitar in hand, he announced, “This is the first of many SIP Bardstowns.”