The Athens Insider Thursday October 6 Athens Singer Songwriter Series— Volumes 1 and 2 Bruce Dalzell is known for his hugely popular open mics, for his tremendous songwriting ability, and for his ability to scoop up someone just learning how to strum a guitar and somehow stop them from running in the circles most young singer-songwriters never outgrow and set them on a straight, forward path of self-discovery and good music. No one is quite sure how he does it—he’s often short on words and takes a less is more approach to advice, but he somehow ends up listed as an influence if not a mentor to literally dozens in this part of the state who consider themselves Brucie disciples, acoustic troubadours who find their voice and maybe their confidence while he looks on, silently smiling to himself and tapping his feet. So, when such a sage of six strings opens his doors, recording and releasing a series of compilations of his young apprentices who he is quick to call friends, it is as if Willy Wonka is inviting the public in for a closer look to see how his magic is made. It’s almost as if Athens has it’s own A&R man, someone devoted to artist development, which explains why each compilation works much like the Songwriter Showcases he frequently hosts for under-publicized or sometimes overlooked solo artists, an in-the-round experience of four artists per CD. The first album contains efforts from Jim Phillips (better known for his work as Senior Writer with the Athens News), Jody Schaub (who performs with Erin Cameron-McElroy), David Valentine, and Charlie Hughes. The second album features some names more frequently splashed across local fliers, like Jake Householder, Amanda Remnant, Justin Gordon, and Tony Xenos. Each album has its gems, some like fully laden and ripe fruit trees and others like diamonds in the rough, hinting at future efforts that will break our hearts in years to come. The production is intentionally lo-fi, leaving the songs to be the stars. This compilation will stand as a yearbook of local acoustic music for a long time to come, not because the songs are perfect, but because they represent a beautiful journey within a vibrant community of songwriters, making it an easily justifiable purchase for local music fans, musicians, and those just passing through. Brooke Williams