15 Years Of Being Quiet

ASCAP's Venerable Singer/Songwriter Showcase Marks A Milestone



Quiet On The Set, ASCAP's popular and long-running singer/songwriter showcase, recently celebrated its 15th anniversary with "15 Years Of Being Quiet," a three-night residency at L.A.'s Hotel Cafe. Proving its popularity hasn't waned, the three shows drew consistent capacity crowds. Since its inception, Quiet On The Set has combined veteran songwriters and songwriter/artists with prominent new voices on the horizon. The anniversary series followed that tradition, presenting emerging artists Reeve Carney, Paul Freeman, Jessie Baylin, Quincy Coleman, Dana Parish and Kendall Payne. Those returning to the Quiet On The Set stage included Desmond Child, Rick Nowels, Billy Steinberg, Bridget Benenate, Dan Bern, Judith Owen, Vonda Shepard, Larry John McNally, Lindy Robbins, Michelle Lewis, Kay Hanley, Emanuel Kiriakou, Darrell Brown, Jill Sobule, Daniel Mackenzie and Phil Roy.

Quiet On The Set debuted at L.A. club Largo in July 1991, and has presented almost 400 acts over the years. Among them: John Mayer, Kristen Hall (Sugarland), Rufus Wainwright, Patty Griffin, Jonatha Brooke, Toad The Wet Sprocket, Lori McKenna, Martin Sexton, Ben Harper, Martin Page, Colin Hay, The Weepies, Michelle Shocked, Deana Carter, Catie Curtis and Larry John McNally, as well as hit songwriters Mike Reid, Allan Shamblin, Hillary Lindsey and Bonnie Hayes and scores of other songwriters and songwriter/ artists, many of them early in their career paths.

"In the early days, when we were doing a showcase almost every month in L.A.," says ASCAP exec Brendan Okrent, who began the show and has produced them over the years, "those nights at Largo played a dual role - providing the community not only with a place to see great emerging and veteran talent, but a familial gathering place for songwriters and the industry." Greatly inspired by Nashville's Bluebird Café, Okrent felt that with Quiet On The Set, ASCAP should try to play a greater role in bringing people together on all fronts via these shows. And so it did. Quiet On The Set was arguably the premiere songwriter showcase in its formative years at a time when ASCAP also cosponsored the National Academy of Songwriters' (NAS) Acoustic Underground and Billy Block's Western Beat. In an effort to brand the show as its official singer/songwriter series, ASCAP soon expanded Quiet On The Set to New York, as well as national showcase venues South By Southwest, CMJ and the Folk Alliance Conference.

Asked about some of the most memorable shows over the years, Okrent lists: the John Mayer performance at SXSW 2000, the night the BBC filmed at Largo in 1993 for a documentary of songwriters and a particular moment with Desmond Child and Tom Kelly (see photo); the Bonnie Hayes/Larry John McNally night soon after Bonnie Raitt's Grammy sweep (both had significant songs on Nick Of Time; and the night Sixpence None The Richer played as their mega-hit "Kiss Me" was climbing the charts.

As for Quiet On The Set's future, "We're just as committed as ever to continuing," says Okrent. "At the anniversary series, it was wonderful to see everyone out and having such a great time, and great to feel like what we're doing is appreciated and enjoyed by the community. More than ever there's a need for it. And, it's important for ASCAP to continue to provide opportunities for our members in this way."


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