NORTHEAST REGIONAL ROUND

The following information is from the 2008 Mountain Stage NewSong Contest. Regional round results will be posted here once the finalists have been determined. Thank you.

Sunday, August 17, New York City.
Kagero of Brooklyn Wins Northeast Regional Finals at Joe's Pub in Manhattan.
www.kagero.com

INFORMATION

Date: Sunday, August 17
Venue: Joe's Pub @ the Public Theater
Location: New York, New York
Time: 6:30 PM
Tickets: $15
Youth Showcase: Yes!

FINALISTS

	Daniel Bourdeau Cambridge, MA Dan Bourdeau is singer and songwriter of the Boston based Three Tall Pines, a four piece co-op that relays the emotions of early American rural life through the sounds of impassioned harmonies and progressive instrumentations. Dan, currently in Cambridge, MA, was born and raised in the historic silver mill town of Taunton, Massachusetts, and began writing songs to reflect early American working life. Dan’s songwriting, captured on their new release “Short While Ago,” paints a vivid picture of simple timeless true life themes. www.threetallpines.com
	Jon Braman New York, New York “Ukulele folk hip-hop” - how did that happen? Well, I found the ukelele in a garbage can when I was in high school and carried it everywhere. The hip-hop? That came after college, one rough summer in Hartford, CT. I was working 80 hours a week, organizing with students for clean air and power. It was the kind of thing where you talk and talk all day long about democracy and justice and health and change. You take it door-to-door and people keep slamming them in your face but you just keep talking, keep believing. www.myspace.com/jonbraman
	Anne Heaton Somerville, Massachusetts Heaton grew up in Chicago, lived in New York and now lives in Somerville, MA, the home of Q Division Studios, which -- only a bike ride away from her home -- is where she recorded Blazing Red (co-produced by Gary Maurer of HEM) as well as her critically acclaimed second release Give In. With her joyous spirit, warm voice and spacious piano playing, Heaton has been called "more of a storyteller than Norah Jones and definitely in the same category as far as talent and vocal range" (Newspapertaxi.com). www.anneheaton.com
	KAGERO Brooklyn, New York KAGERO's gypsy-flavored acoustic rock is a melting pot of tonalities and rhythms from Asia, the Middle East, South America and Eastern Europe. Throw Gogol Bordello, Arcade Fire and Davie Bowie in a blender and you get Kagero. Sometimes the songs are beautiful imagery, sometimes sad folk tales, and sometimes silly songs about drinking. Kagero's world music goulash is very tasty -- even if you don't always know what you're eating. www.kagero.com
	Annie Keating Brooklyn, New York No frills, just passionate music and intimate songs, both tough and tender. Her sultry voice cuts straight to the heart. There’s honesty in Keating’s songwriting – real and brave – always searching. Through her journeys, Annie Keating writes songs that take us places. See what people are saying ... www.anniekeating.com
	Kelleigh Mckenzie Rosendale, New York Darkly seductive. Eerily minimal. Brashly assertive and unquestionably wry. Kelleigh McKenzie seasons her maverick blend of folk, blues, old-time and rock with a uniquely urbane edge, stirring the rich melting pot of Americana to make music with intelligence, compassion and wit. Blessed with an achingly haunting voice, Kelleigh plucks and flails out her twist-filled tales on banjo and acoustic guitar, pounding along with her amplified stomp-box. www.kelleighmckenzie.com
	Dave Murphy Rutherford, New Jersey Radio personality John Platt, of WFUV FM in New York City aptly described Brooklyn based singer-songwriter Dave Murphy as “the real deal.” During an on-air interview Platt asked Murphy; “being from the northeast, how is it that your music has such a feel of the American heartland?” Murphy paused…and answered simply “well John… it’s because I really like dairy products.” www.myspace.com/davemurphy
	Adam Michael Rothberg Cambridge, Massachusetts In Adam Michael Rothberg’s 2001 debut CD, All the Whispering, “there’s ample evidence that [he] could become one of his generation’s best singer-songwriters.” says Rambles Cultural Arts Magazine. His sophomore album “Another Spin” due for release in summer 2008 combines all the elements of Rothberg’s singer/songwriter background with the strong, producer-driven folk and rock influences of the last five decades. He plays guitar, bass, mandolin, oud, piano, Hammond B-3 organ, and more. www.myspace.com/adamrothberg
	Sinem Saniye New York, New York Sinem, pronounced "C"-nem, is an ancient Turkish word meaning "deep from within my heart." As her name implies, Sinem writes and delivers her music in this very manner. Sinem's love of music comes from an eclectic selection that include the likes of Bebel Gilberto, Astrud Gilberto, Antonio Carlos Jobim, Stan Getz, and others that fuel the bossa nova fire and sensual latin rhythms into Sinem's own music. www.sinem.net
	Amy Speace Jersey City, New Jersey Amy Speace & The Tearjerks make what critics are calling "a superior example of stunning music at its best... effortlessly accessible" (The Verve, UK). Recently named to WFUV’s “Top 16 Artists To Watch in 2008”, Amy was handpicked by pop/folk icon Judy Collins for her own Wildflower label and released her debut “Songs For Bright Street” in late 2006 to widespread critical praise, remaining in the Top 10 of Americana Roots and Folk charts for many weks, and being featured on XM Radio, NPR’s “Car Talk”. www.amyspeace.com