Life is funny. Sometimes what seems like a great idea becomes a complete disaster. And sometimes what seems like a horrible idea becomes a great success.

I found myself thinking these thoughts last weekend after seeing the group of songwriters who call themselves “In the Big Round” in concert at Boulevard Music in Culver City. My great delight in seeing these marvelous performers for a fourth time inevitably reminded me of my initial skepticism when I was presented with their intentions to turn a songwriters’ support group into a song-swapping performance.

Don’t get me wrong – I knew that each of these singer/songwriters were among the most accomplished in all of SoCal, but the idea of six or seven performers appearing on one stage “in the round” seemed like it might be excessive. This format is popular at music conferences and festivals and in Nashville, but the usual practice is to feature three or maybe four songwriters in a given performance. I wondered if this might be the musical equivalent of an all-star game in sports, meaning that seeing your favorites together might be fun, but the overall experience might seem shallow and lacking real purpose. I am thrilled to tell you that my misgivings were completely wrong-headed!

It now occurs to me the many reasons why the concept works so incredibly well. Foremost is the fact that each artist has a distinct style of writing and performing that complements the others while remaining a true unique voice unto themselves.

Art Podell, the de facto leader of the Big Round, is the epitome of a folksinger, which makes sense because he is a product of the folk revival in the early 60s in Greenwich Village. His songs and his delivery tend be gentle and soothing but sometimes pointed and direct in an understated manner.

Tracy Newman, an Emmy-winning comedy writer in a previous incarnation, often explores interpersonal relationships in tunes that can make you laugh or cry. Her perky personality on stage might keep you from noticing the sophistication of her chord progressions and her considerable skill as a guitarist.

Ken Holme writes some of the quirkiest songs around, including one about a huge cat he owned and a song about the relativity of experience that changes key so many times that I couldn’t count them all. Then he busts out a tender love ballad about his wife in his full, rich voice and it melts the hearts of the whole audience. He is no one-trick pony!

Craig Lincoln is probably the only songwriter around with an Olympic medal. That athleticism must serve him well in concocting and playing some of the most intricate chord progressions you will ever hear. The most amazing part to me is that, while you can never really anticipate where the song is going, every change makes perfect sense. His guitar playing is quite equal to the formidable task of actually delivering those myriad changes. Add in his very literate lyrics and you have a total package that is utterly original and completely charming.

Severin Browne comes from a very musical family and was once a staff writer and recording artist for Motown Records. He would be the wisest veteran in this group if not for the presence of Art. And speaking of art, Sev’s songs are all what I call “grabbers”, songs that you feel deep inside yourself the very first time that you hear them and keep getting more effective with repeated listening. His songs approach becoming anthems, tunes that convey a particular mood or feeling in transcendent style. He is also able to straddle between the worlds of folk and rock music with remarkable ease.

Kevin Kelso is not only the newest member of the group, but also the only one who plays keyboards as his primary instrument. His background in writing for musical theatre gives many of his songs a dramatic structure and a fluid literacy that makes him a standout performer. This night he exhibited a diverse range in his writing and performance, going from cynicism to hopefulness through topics that hit on donuts, turtles and community. His first public performance with these cohorts left the audience craving more.

John Zipperer may cover the widest repertoire of musical styles of any songwriter in these parts. He is equally at home in genres from folk to rock to blues to gospel to bluegrass to gypsy jazz and beyond. John is known to get audiences singing along enthusiastically and even getting a bunch of mostly folkies up and dancing. With an amazing voice that moves from growl to twang to angelic grace, he might overshadow the virtuosity of his guitar playing. It is always readily apparent why he is one of the most popular artists in all of SoCal.

The other reason that this artistic menagerie succeeds so completely is the wonderful chemistry between all the individuals. With no egos or one-upmanship on display, it is quite evident that not only do they respect each other, but they really like each other and have a lot of fun being on stage together. This creates a joyous atmosphere that the audience immediately becomes part of the show. This night they had so much fun introducing each other and fooling around, that the planned four songs each became only three so the venue could hold to its curfew. But all that camaraderie displayed kept the audience totally satisfied. As I said to a friend afterwards, it was the classic example of the whole being greater than the sum of its amazing parts.

You’ll notice that, while I did refer to some individual songs, I didn’t mention any by name or really single them out. I did have notes about every song by every artist and planned to mention the highlights. But when I looked at the list of twenty one songs done by seven artists, I realized that EVERY song was a highlight! There was no way I could choose even just one per artist to write about. And I apologize for the length of what I have written, but you hopefully understand how my enthusiasm may have overwhelmed my editing skills.

“In the Big Round” has sold out every venue they have performed in, which includes many of the most prestigious rooms in SoCal like McCabes, the Coffee Gallery and this time at Boulevard Music. Their individual music careers keep them all busy, so they can’t pull this off very often. So, my advice is, if you hear that they have a concert scheduled, make sure to go see them and buy your tickets early!

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Peter Krantz is a retired Food & Beverage professional and a life-long music fan. He served on the FAR-West Board of Directors for nine years and with his wife Becky, ran a non-profit concert series in Camarillo CA for three years. He also wrote a music blog for several years. He usually ends his reviews saying “I am NOT a music critic, I just play one on the internet.”