Sit down & Shut up
What is sit down & shut up?
Sit Down and Shut Up is the brainchild of local musician Evan Webb in collaboration with Scout Hall. Made possible through a generous grant from Missouri Humanities, this collaborative program between the Arts Council of Southeast Missouri and Scout Hall explores the connections between creativity, consciousness, and community through the lens of music diplomacy. Through an informal, moderated discussion, musicians and community members examine how music fosters cultural understanding, inspires creative expression, and shapes the identity of our region between St. Louis and Memphis. Together, participants will explore the role of the humanities in critical thinking, placemaking, and building vibrant, sustainable communities.
From the creator
“ In 2018, I held the first iteration of Sit Down and Shut Up by renting out a room at a local restaurant, inviting a few friends to play songs they had written, and hoping that people would show up with money in hand. More so than wanting to create a revenue driving enterprise, I only wanted to give songwriters a space to be heard. In retrospect, it was a real Field of Dreams approach. Before we get too far; songwriter rounds and songwriting focused events are not new. Sit Down and Shut Up is not breaking the mold, only baking up a sometimes hard to find favorite. That is how this all started.
As someone who has spent hours - years mulling words for a song around in their brain only to have them lost in a crowded bar room, on the empty plates of restaurants, or to the endless chatter of a winery patio, etc...it felt that the effort itself, was at times for nothing. I yearned for an environment in which the crowd had arrived, taken their seats, and tuned in with intent. I did not want this only for myself and my songs. The dream was to provide artists and even patrons a safe haven from suffering through meaningless/noisy shows where the experiences of a songwriter are deafened. So why not just come out and say it? Why not just set the tone for an event so that the artist and the crowd know what they came for? The people on stage pouring out their hearts and the table next to you (that paid fair money to see a good show) want you to SIT DOWN and SHUT UP! How else are you going to HEAR the artist's intent and connect with their outlook?
Songs and the words held within them are an amalgamation. No matter how simple a song may seem or how little an artist may unveil, know that it is a complex mixture of physical environment, social status, and life experiences. The list of affecting influences really could go on indefinitely. It should be hard for us to imagine that two people have experienced exactly the same combination of loss, happiness, heartbreak, love, success, or injustice. Furthermore, it should be hard for us to imagine that those combinations are expressed as similar works or creations. This is where we can learn from those who create as they willingly offer us a glimpse into a plethora of differing possibilities. They are simply telling a version of their story! Isn't it time we sit down, shut up and listen?”
-Evan Webb
Experience
Hosted by Scout Hall, Sit Down & Shut Up is a unique live music series featuring singer-songwriters in an intimate, "in-the-round" setting. Each event offers a different lineup of performers and may include special experiences like chef-prepared dinners. Follow Scout Hall for upcoming event dates, ticket information, and featured artists.