On Thursday, Allen and his ensemble, rounded out by Shamim Allen and Bill Chamberlain, were in the back of the Ampersound music store on Main Street, running through old favorites and rehearsing a few new songs recently penned by Billy. Surrounded by guitars hanging on the walls, the three stood around a notebook set on top of a bongo, reading the hand-written lyrics.

After one of their songs, Billy smiled and said, “Even if we screw it up, that one comes out pretty good.”

The trio will be one of many local artists featured at the New Year’s Eve Songwriter Spotlight at Bluebird Lake Placid next week. They will perform a number of never-before-heard songs and a few old favorites at the showcase, which is being organized by host and producer of the weekly Saranac Lake Hootenanny, Charlie Reinertsen of Twolined Studio.

Reinertsen designed this event with both music-lovers and party-goers in mind. He wanted to create an event similar to the Hootenanny open mic, with a special emphasis on local songwriters. November marked the one-year anniversary of the Hootenanny.

Massachusetts-based songwriter Dwayne Haggins performs at the Saranac Lake Hootenanny. (Provided photo — Charlie Reinertsen)

“I could sing the praises of every person that’s playing,” Reinertsen said.

The performance will be divided into 30-minute sets with featured artist performances alternating with “In the Round” sessions. The lineup is mainly local artists. Dwayne Haggins, a musician from Massachusetts, will also be featured. The night will end with a “SL’oo line,” a performance format from the Saranac Lake Hootenanny where all the night’s musicians take turns playing favorite songs.

Tickets can be purchased at tinyurl.com/3pxxj6v6. The show will take place 7:30 to 11 p.m. Tuesday in the Bluebird Lake Placid Musician’s Lounge. Doors open at 7 p.m.

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Listening local

Elaine Dewar, left, joins Shamim Allen, Bill Chamberlain and Billy Allen (not pictured) for a rehearsal at the back of Ampersound on Thursday. (Enterprise photo — Grace McIntyre)

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Born and raised in the Tri-Lakes area, Billy bought the Waterhole in 1985 and ran the bar/music venue for decades until selling it in 2018. Not long after, about 4 years ago, he picked up the guitar and started writing songs.

Shamim Allen — no relation, they’re just friends — has been performing with Billy for about a year. She has played in numerous local groups over the years, including the Dust Bunnies. They are joined by Bill Chamberlain, who has been adding mandolin motifs to the Allen’s close harmonies since they started performing together over the summer. They are also sometimes joined by Elaine Dewar on the violin.

Many of Billy’s songs are about his own life and the lives of the people he knows. They play one song that is both an ode to Onchiota, a small settlement near Rainbow Lake, and a story about a mutual friend of the Allens.

“Nobody expects there to be a song about Onchiota, because it’s so tiny,” Shamim said, commenting on Billy’s locally-inspired writing between rehearsing songs. “But it’s just so special and beautiful out there.”

From left, Shamim Allen, Bill Chamberlain and Billy Allen rehearse a setlist of Allen’s original songs at Ampersound on Thursday in preparation for the New Year’s Eve Songwriter Spotlight. (Enterprise photo — Grace McIntyre)

The Songwriter Spotlight is meant to be a showcase of local talent and stories like this. Reinertsen has hopes to continue to grow these events, saying it can be hard for local acts to draw large crowds, simply because they don’t have the name recognition.

“I’d like to change that, because we have some incredible musicians doing some amazing things and they’re kind of underground right now,” Reinertsen said. “I want to be a part of giving them more opportunities to play on bigger stages.”

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Sharing the stage

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Isaac Newcomb moved to the Tri-Lakes area about ten years ago, leaving in the middle to study engineering at Cornell University. He returned to the area recently and started participating in the Hootenanny regularly over the summer. He describes his style as “alternative synth pop.”

Newcomb is excited to participate in the first “In the Round” session at the beginning of the night. “In the Round” is a format that was popularized by the Bluebird Cafe in Nashville, Tennessee, where several artists take turns sharing a song and the story behind it. Newcomb said it’ll be nice to share the stage with people playing their songs.

“There’s some energy that kind of bounces around like that,” Newcomb said.

Haggins is the one artist visiting from outside the Adirondacks. He describes his music as a blend of country blues and soul. Haggins is a friend of Reinertsen’s and has been visiting the Adirondacks about once per year for the last few years, performing at the Hootenanny and at a few other venues in the area. He said local venues have played a huge role in his journey as a musician and are important in a world where people have a lot of demands on their time and entertainment options.

“Even if you like music, it seems like a lot of people that are in their 20s, like myself, or younger, their idea of going to see music is only the biggest stars that there are,” Haggins said. “You don’t think that right down the street from you are great musicians and entertainment.”

It means a lot to Haggins for a venue like Bluebird to show interest in hosting music events. Venues make a big difference for both artists and guests.

Tuesday’s show will culminate in a dance-party-like climax featuring Wayne Holtz, a local artist who combines rock and roll and pop into a “visual but high energy” show. He’s been creating original music since 2016 and started performing at open mic’s over the summer. He thinks local venues and opportunities for artists are important for helping communities thrive.

“It’s really important that everyone takes into consideration how powerful art is for others and for the human spirit,” Holtz said. “Little things like shows or art walks or anything that can get people involved and also get people inspired to do whatever kind of creativity lies within themselves is so important because it keeps the world turning.”