As a local music champion, Steve Taylor is eager to showcase some homegrown talent.

The Lake Orion, Michigan singer-songwriter is relaunching his monthly songwriter series spotlighting Michigan artists at 20 Front Street on September 19.

“I’m excited to have a new home to do this series,” said Taylor, who last hosted the series in late 2023 at the now-closed Berkley Coffee & Oak Park Dry.

“I hope it’s something that people will come out and support and help give some love to our local artists who write their own music.”

Known as the Michigan Songwriter Showcase, the first show in the series features Taylor and Metro Detroit singer-songwriters Rebecca Cameron, Dan Cafferty, and Jacki Daniels.

“I’ve done shows with Dan at Trinity House and Berkley Coffee, and he was just getting started with songwriter rounds at that point. He’s such a great guy and talented guitar player, and his songs are upbeat and funny,” Taylor said.

“Rebecca is really talented, and she’s done other shows that I’ve hosted at Berkley Coffee. Since she’s in Clarkston, I thought this would be close by and be a good show for her as well. Jacki also hosts songwriter rounds and she’s been heavily involved in our music scene.”

The show’s format is based on the traditional songwriter rounds that are frequently found in Nashville, Tennessee. Each songwriter takes a turn introducing and performing a song for a round and a show can include up to several rounds.

“We’ll probably do two rounds and then do a short intermission. After that, we’ll come back and do three rounds,” said Taylor, who also fronts The Steve Taylor Three.

“What’s fun about songwriter rounds is that somebody else might play a song and it will remind me of something that I’ve written and will want to play. Or I’ll tell a story and it will remind somebody else of something they might want to play.”

A mainstay in the local music scene, Taylor started hosting songwriter showcases in 2015 and has held them at four different venues.

Past venues include The Bird & The Bread in Birmingham, Dixie Moon Saloon in Royal Oak, and Berkley Coffee & Oak Park Dry in Oak Park.

“After Berkley Coffee & Oak Park Dry closed [in late 2023], people asked me, ‘Where are you gonna go next?’ And I said, ‘You can’t do this kind of show in a bar—you need the right venue,’” said Taylor, who previously hosted the series at 20 Front Street in early 2020.

“20 Front Street is the most ideal venue for that kind of show. We elected to call it the Michigan Songwriter Showcase, so when people look at the calendar for 20 Front Street they will know these are all local songwriters.”

After the September 19 show, Taylor will feature Jason Waggoner, Taylor DeRousse, and Kate Hinote and Tony Hamera on October 17 and Trey Simon, Annie Bacon, and Terry Burns on November 21. He’s also finalizing the lineup for the December 19 show.

“Anytime someone does come to a show like this and if they aren’t used to the format, they’ll quickly see how great it is to hear people tell their stories and share their songs,” he said.

“They’ll also see the camaraderie that develops with the songwriters on stage during the show and realize how special that is.”

Outside of the Michigan Songwriter Showcase, Taylor is working on a new Steve Taylor Three album with bandmates Bryan Frink and Carey Weaver. The band plans to release their follow-up to 2022’s Travel Light later this fall.

“We’ve been recording steadily for the last two years in fits and starts, and we’ve gotten to the point where we’ve finished our fifth album,” Taylor said. “We’re mastering it right now, and we’re trying to find a venue to do an album release party.”

The Michigan Songwriter Showcase series starts September 19 at 20 Front Street in Lake Orion and features Steve Taylor, Rebecca Cameron, Dan Cafferty, and Jacki Daniels. For tickets, visit 20 Front Street’s website.