Friday's Garden Glow at Alabama Shakespeare Festival is full of songwriters and stories

Friday's Garden Glow outdoor concert at Alabama Shakespeare Festival will be a celebration of songwriters.

Guests at the Shakespeare Garden will be treated to original songs and the stories behind them from three local artists — Lara Oshon, Thomas Bowers (of the band Sea of Fog), and Amon Robinson.

"They're going to talk about the songs and the writing process," said Russell Bush, head of sound for ASF.

This will be Robinson's first time performing at a Garden Glow, though he's been to the beautiful Shakespeare Garden before. It's located to the right of ASF's theater in Montgomery's Blount Cultural Park.

Robinson is no stranger to ASF, though. Earlier this year, he was in the live band for their production of "Little Shop of Horrors."

"That was bittersweet, because I actually was in that play when I was in high school as the plant," Robinson said.

In addition to his own works, Robinson is planning on bringing some family history to Garden Glow.

"I think I'm going do one of my grandfather's songs that he wrote," said Robinson, who is the grandson of Wilbur Terrell.

"He played with Clarence Carter's band for eight or nine years," Robinson said. "He also co-wrote some of the songs, some of Clarence's biggest hits."

That includes the 1968 song "Slip Away," which Carter and Terrell co-wrote with William Armstrong.

Robinson said music is like therapy.

"We want people to have a good time," Robinson said. "But at the same time, it's all about the healing aspect of the music for me."

In addition to his sound duties at ASF, Bush was part of Garden Glow's opening night on June 8 as a member of the folk rock group Electric Blue Yonder, with Johnny and Beth Veres.

"It turned into a really good evening," said Bush. "It was a really good crowd. I played, so it's hard to tell from an audience perspective, but it seems like everybody was definitely very into it."

Gates open Friday at 6:30 p.m., and the music starts at 7 p.m. Bush encouraged people to bring blankets and lawn chairs.

General admission tickets are $10, and can be purchased online at asf.net/garden-glow. Packages with admission and a charcuterie box or cheese box are available for $30, but must be pre-ordered by 2 p.m. Thursday.

Southern Writers Festival on Saturday

Garden Glow is happening a day before the Southern Writers Festival on Saturday, which will give a stage reading at ASF to three new plays: "Kudzu Calling" by Donnetta Lavinia Grays, "Zelda in the Backyard" by Elyzabeth Gregory Wilder, and "Trouble at the Vista View Mobile Home Estates" by Audrey Cefaly.

Tickets to this can be purchased at asf.net/southernwritersfestival for the individual play readings, or $50 for all three that includes lunch.

"Something that we really put an emphasis on this year was showing local talent," Bush said. "With this one, the (Garden Glow) songwriter one, we intentionally paired it with the Southern Writers Festival weekend because it's all about storytelling. That's what's going to make this one special."

More Glow to come on July 22

The third and final Garden Glow for the month is a jazz and gospel night featuring Coleman Woodson III.

Contact Montgomery Advertiser reporter Shannon Heupel at [email protected].

This article originally appeared on Montgomery Advertiser: Garden Glow: ASF brings night of songwriters and stories Friday