Posts Tagged ‘Echo Mountain Recording Studio’

Crys Matthews releases new album, “These Old Hands” Oct. 11

Tuesday, October 1st, 2019

NEWSONG MUSIC COMPETITION GRAND PRIZE WINNER CRYS MATTHEWS RELEASES NEW ALBUM ON “NATIONAL COMING OUT DAY,” OCT. 11

 

“THESE OLD HANDS” RECORDED AT ECHO MOUNTAIN STUDIOS WITH NEWSONG RECORDINGS PRODUCER GAR RAGLAND AND RELEASED ON NEWSONG RECORDINGS

 

Pre-order These Old Hands on Bandcamp

Oct 1, 2019 (Asheville, NC) – Virginia-based singer-songwriter Crys Matthews is proud to announce the release of her new album, These Old Hands. The six-track record is slated for release Friday, October 11, 2019, on National Coming Out Day. The date is significant for the queer activist artist whose songwriting frequently draws from social justice themes and love in all its forms.

“This album is a sort of coming out of sorts for me,” explains Matthews. “I’ve been out as a lesbian since I was 18, but this album is one of the few times in my life I’ve actually felt vulnerable. Certainly, it’s the first time I’ve felt so vulnerable with regards to my music. It’s not love songs and hopeful protest songs — there are a lot of hard truths contained in between the lyrics of these songs.”

 

These Old Hands was recorded at Echo Mountain Recording Studios in Asheville, NC and produced and mixed by Gar Ragland of NewSong Recordings. Matthews recorded the album as part of her 2017 NewSong Singer Songwriter Competition Grand Prize win. Matthews’s career has continued to thrive since that time, with performances at Sundance Film Festival, The Kennedy Center, and the songwriter’s first national tour in 2019.

Matthews describes her new collection of songs as a breakup album, featuring the songwriter’s signature blend of Americana, folk, jazz and funk punctuated by bold, honest lyrics. “Breakups are like any other type of loss; they’re grief-inducing, and so you can hear that cycle from heart-broken to healing,” she says. “Finding love and losing love are some of the most universally human things that we do.”

Pre-order These Old Hands on Bandcamp: http://bit.ly/These-Old-Hands

For up-to-date information on Crys Matthews, visit crysmatthews.com/ 

For more information about NewSong Recordings and the NewSong Music Competition, visit newsong-music.com/

For media requests, contact lea@newsong-music.com.

Maureen Andary puts on her ‘Big Girl Pants’ for new album

Friday, September 6th, 2019

Eleven years after her debut solo album, Washington, D.C.-based songwriter Maureen Andary returned to the studio to record “Big Girl Pants.” Andary is a multi-instrumentalist, blending her stellar vocal harmonies with guitar, ukulele and flute on the recordings. Her new songs range from lighthearted tunes about marriage to heavier subjects, like loss and grief.  

Maureen took a break from recording at Echo Mountain Recording Studios to chat with us about the album, the inspiration behind the name, and her longtime connection with NewSong, which started when she was a finalist in 2008. “Gar has always helped me out,” says Andary. “And the whole contest kind of shaped who I was. So I thought, it’s been 11 years — time to get back to my solo roots. I thought it was perfect to collaborate with Gar to do that.”

 

So tell us about the new album, the inspiration behind it and the story you’re trying to tell. 

Well, the last time I came out with a record was 11 years ago in 2008, and I was 25. All of the songs on that album were about romance, and falling in love, and breaking up because that was what was going on in my life. But now, I’m 36, I’m married, and I have twin daughters that are 14 months. My father also passed away in 2015, which was a really challenging loss.

Losing a parent, getting married, giving birth to twin daughters — it was a lot of change. Now the things that have inspired me in the last six years are the things I’m working on to grow up. 

 

What is it about the name Big Girl Pants that appealed to you

It’s called Big Girl Pants because I feel like that’s a kind of brusque euphemism for “grow up,” … Like, “it’s time for me to put on my big girl pants.”  

Every day I have new challenges, and I have to pause and think: what is the adult way to deal with this, rather than just reacting. It’s really about pausing, being intentional, and grappling with challenges like mortality, parenting, marriage. It’s about putting on your big girl pants and moving forward. It’s also about being able to be happy and confident through it all. 

 

How would you describe the songs on the album?

There are songs in here about loss and grief, but there are also songs about choosing to laugh, choosing to move away from fear and towards acceptance. The song “My Intention” is about that. Some of them are silly, like I have a song about marriage called “You Fix Broken Stuff,” and it’s really a trivial look into what our lives are like and the balance that we strike. 

There’s this song “Good Luck,” that I thought was really important for this album because I’m in recovery, and I’ve been sober for 11 years. I have a really great life right now in large part because of [my recovery], but I really can’t take credit. … I just had good luck. Luck is a big factor in people’s lives because it’s scary and you can’t control it, but it’s important to recognize that and have some humility.

 

Gar Ragland is the producer on the album, and you’re recording at Echo Mountain Studios. How did that collaboration come about?

When I was newly sober as a 24 year old, I got a grant from the DC government to finish this album I was working on. … Once I was finished with album, I didn’t know what to do with it. … My mom actually took the album and submitted it to various contests. … She submitted it to NewSong, and I got an email and a phone call from Gar saying that I was an Early Bird Finalist. It was super validating, and most importantly, the contest had a live performance component in Charleston, WV where Mountain Stage is located, and so the plan was to go there and perform.

… [My accompanist Sara and I] loved all the other finalists, we jammed with them, and we had a blast. We didn’t win, but we just had a great time, and Gar kept in touch with us. We started a band after that, and we called it Sweater Set … It’s been an amazing project, but what really sparked it all was that weekend getaway at the NewSong contest. 

Over the years, Gar has given us various performance opportunities. I’ve performed at Lincoln Center with NewSong. I’ve performed at Bryant Park, the Performing Arts Center of North Carolina. … Gar has always helped me out, and the whole contest kind of shaped who I was. So I thought, it’s been 11 years — time to get back to my solo roots. I thought it was perfect to collaborate with Gar to do that. 

Learn more about Maureen Andary on her website

Crys Matthews records grand prize EP at Echo Mountain Recording Studios

Monday, July 30th, 2018
 

Crys Matthews was the Grand Prize Winner of the 2017 NewSong Music Competition. She spent time in Asheville this July recording her grand prize EP with producer Gar Ragland at Echo Mountain Recording Studios.

 

NewSong Music is delighted to have 2017 Grand Prize Winner Crys Matthews in the studio this week, recording her EP, These Old Hands

Matthews credits her NewSong win with launching her music career in the right direction. “Since that night, I’ve been on an incredible trajectory,” she says. “I have been able to play some of the most amazing venues in the country, meet some of the most amazing people, and rub elbows with some of the greats like Michael Franti and Keb Mo.”
 
Of her new EP with NewSong Recordings, These Old Hands, Matthews says, “It’s a complete departure from my last two projects and has more of an angsty Joan Armatrading feel to it. I’m so looking forward to sharing these songs — especially with my fans who always want to hear some sad songs.” 
 
“It’s such a pleasure to be working with Crys on this new collection of beautiful songs,” says Ragland, who is producing and mixing the project. “It’s a bit of a departure from her previous recorded work, and pushes the envelope in both exciting and musical ways. The whole team is excited for its upcoming release.”
 

More about Crys Matthews

Crys Matthews is nothing if not ambitious. In August 2017, she simultaneously released both a new full-length album, The Imagineers and an EP, Battle Hymn For An Army Of Lovers. These collections showcase two sides of Matthews’ dynamic songwriting; The Imagineers is a selection of thoughtful songs about love and life while Battle Hymn For An Army Of Lovers tackles social justice themes. Songs from both projects have already won her recognition and awards. She was one of ten finalists (from a pool of 5,000) in this year’s NewSong Music Competition and, after performing at Lincoln Center on November 30th, she was named grand-prize winner. Matthews also won the People Music Network’s Social Justice Songs contest at the 2017 Northeast Regional Folk Alliance.

We hope you will follow along with Crys Matthew’s growing music career and check out her releases on Spotify and iTunes! For updates and show schedule, visit her website

2016 NewSong grand prize winner Wilder Adkins releases peace anthem “Side By Side” on MLK Jr. Day

Monday, January 16th, 2017

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2016 NewSong grand prize winner Wilder Adkins releases peace anthem “Side By Side” on MLK Jr. Day

“This is a song about the city of Birmingham, Alabama and the struggles of the civil rights movement in the 1960s,” says Adkins, a Birmingham resident himself. “It is also an anthem for peace and a call to keep hoping and never give up fighting darkness with the power of light.”


ABOUT WILDER ADKINS
Wilder Adkins15698210_881465828570_6907624843770016758_n songwriting gleans as much from the earthy poetry of Wendell Berry and Mary Oliver as it does from the works of folk luminaries Richard Thompson and Bruce Cockburn. His courtly-but-witty lyrics evoke a Deep South Shelley or Yeats, riding a joyful guitar dexterity.

Adkins hails from Marietta, GA, but now lives and writes in Birmingham, AL. He grew up listening to his dad play renditions of Neil Young and Van Morrison songs on an old Guild Jumbo Acoustic. Adkins’ songs, steeped in natural imagery, frequently touch upon the subjects of faith, doubt, and as the title of his new album would indicate, hope and sorrow.

Adkins is the grand prize winner of the 2016 international NewSong Music Performance & Songwriting Competition.


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For Your Grammy Consideration: “Ocean of Birds” by Max Hatt/Edda Glass

Tuesday, October 25th, 2016

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OCEAN OF BIRDS, THE DEBUT ALBUM FROM AMERICANA DUO MAX HATT/EDDA GLASS IS AVAILABLE FOR YOUR GRAMMY CONSIDERATION

Free Ocean of Birds Album Download & Stream Until November 4

The grand prize album Ocean of Birds (NewSong Recordings) from 2014 NewSong Music Competition winners Max Hatt / Edda Glass is eligible for nomination in three (3)  Grammy categories this year:

  • “Crossing Over” – Best American Roots Performance 
  • “Crossing Over” – Best American Roots Song
  • Ocean of Birds – Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical 

Produced and mixed by Pat Sansone (Wilco, Autumn Defense) and Josh Shapera and recorded at Echo Mountain Recording Studios, Ocean of Birds released May 20 this year on NewSong Recordings, and is now available for free download and stream for a limited time. The album features ethereal guitar, an unmistakeable voice, and the duo’s award-winning Jazz Americana compositions. “We want to write about a world both intimate and vast, about little people on great plains,” says Glass.

“Beautiful music that is subtly poignant, elegantly funky, and haunting without trying to be. Their songs are direct yet often take unexpected and colorful harmonic twists and turns, delighting the ear.” ~ Nels Cline (Wilco, Nels Cline Singers)

“I was mesmerized from the first moment I heard them. They have the ability to create a deep sonic landscape with only voice and guitar, with songs that possess a mysterious and soulful magic.”
~ Pat Sansone (Wilco, Autumn Defense)

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Win A Chance To Perform At Sundance Film Festival’s ASCAP Music Cafe in 2017

Monday, October 24th, 2016

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NewSong Music is proud to announce that the grand prize winner of this year’s competition will perform at the upcoming 2017 Sundance Film Festival, as part of the highly coveted ASCAP Music Café showcase.

Past NewSong winner Joe Shirley of the indie rock band Cardinal Sons calls the prize “amazing” — both in terms of the performance opportunity and simply being able to attend the renowned festival. “We played our set, and realized Pat Sansone and John Stirratt of Wilco and The Autumn Defense (heroes of ours) were standing at the back of the venue and listening to our show,” recalls Shirley. “What a trip!”

“Apart from playing the set to a packed room of festival-goers, just being at Sundance was also a great experience with everything it offers,” says Shirley. “It gave us an opportunity to play in front of a community of people who appreciate good art and are looking to be moved by something.”

Past grand prize winners Rachel Kilgour (2015) and Max Hatt of the jazz-americana duo Max Hatt/Edda Glass (2014) agreed on how attentive and receptive the audience was. “There was such respect for filmmaking as an artform in that setting,” says Kilgour. “It was very encouraging.” Kilgour performed at the Music Café in 2016.

“The ASCAP Music Café puts music at the center of a premier movie festival,” adds Hatt.. “It’s a listening room with a hip audience including major players in both the film and music industry.”

Erik Philbrook, ASCAP Vice President and Creative Director recognizes how important this opportunity can be to a musician — whether they are established touring musicians or just starting out. “As an integral program of the Sundance Film Festival, the Sundance ASCAP Music Café is one of the country’s premier showcases for established and emerging singer-songwriters,” says Philbrook. “It celebrates the marriage of music and film and offers filmmakers an excellent opportunity for music discovery.”

Philbrook goes on to count recent NewSong winners among the Music Cafe’s most memorable performers. “We’re excited to discover the next great artist to perform at the 2017 festival,” he says.

Today Is THE Last Day to Submit Your Music

Monday, October 17th, 2016

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GOT SONGS? TODAY IS THE FINAL DAY TO SUBMIT YOUR MUSIC!

The deadline to enter the 15th Annual NewSong Music Performance & Songwriting Competition is TONIGHT (Monday, October 17) at 11:59pm PST. Ten finalists will be selected to compete at the prestigious Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in New York City this December for the grand prize, which includes featured prize performances in 2017 back at Lincoln Center AND the ASCAP Music Café at the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah. The winner will also receive a multi-day professional recording session at the award winning Echo Mountain Recording Studios in Asheville, NC.

As an entrant in the 2016 competition, you are also eligible for exclusive discounts on future recording sessions at Echo Mountain Recording Studios, and you and your music will be considered for additional recording and performance opportunities across the U.S.


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Three Questions With Early Bird Finalist: Middle Child

Friday, October 7th, 2016

Three questions with Early Bird Finalist: Middle Child

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NewSong Music is proud to count the band Middle Child among our Early Bird Finalists. While each of these three musicians has immense talent — and two have established solo careers — the bandmates discovered that they were better together. And we are so glad they did.

Austin Max and Danny Silberstein began writing songs together after meeting at Berklee College of Music in 2013. Terrell Hines soon joined the band, filling in harmonies and playing drums. Together, the trio boasts a psychedelic R&B sound that is inspired by the likes of The Wrecking Crew, Frank Ocean, Paul Simon, and Al Green. Middle Child will release its first official single in the fall of 2016, and we can’t wait for the world to hear it.

We took the time to ask Danny some questions about the band. To learn more about Middle Child, visit middlechildofficialband.com.

What are your biggest inspirations as songwriters?

I think basic human emotions are really the common thread between each of our songs. When we write, we try to take a snapshot of way we are feeling at that point in time. Different harmonies and arrangements tend to evoke a variety of feelings and emotions, so we like to  approach writing songs with an opening mind, both instrumentally and stylistically.

Why did you submit to the NewSong Music Competition?

We were inspired to submit after seeing that the Cardinal Sons had won the competition a while back. We’re fans of their Echo Choir EP, so we wanted to be involved with the people who helped create it.

What’s the one thing you would like people to know about Middle Child?

We are independent artists who came together to make something bigger than the three of us. We love music so much, and would love people to feel that in our music.

Three Questions with Early Bird Finalist: Market Junction

Friday, October 7th, 2016

Three questions with Early Bird Finalist: Market Junction

Market Junction is the name under which Matt Parish and Justin Lofton share their insightful brand of Americana, and NewSong Music is excited to welcome the Houston, Texas-based duo as Early Bird Finalists.

The two friends currently have a single called “All I Really Need” on the Texas Region Radio chart, and they have secured opening spots for artists including Charlie Pride, Ray Wylie Hubbard and Little Texas. We think it’s only a matter of time before we start hearing more about Market Junction, and we are only too happy to welcome them to the NewSong stage.

We asked Matt and Justin a few questions about their songwriting. To learn more about the band, visit mktjct.com.

How would you describe your sound to those who have never heard you before?

We are Americana to our core. If you listen to our record, you will hear elements of folk, country and rock, but the foundation lies in our quest to tell a good story.

What fuels your songwriting?

Justin and I have been best friends for a long time. Our experiences together, along with our families, find their way into our writing. We are suckers for sad stories and hard times.  Artistically, our goal is to paint a picture without drawing the lines too clearly.

What inspired you to submit to NewSong?

We had not heard about NewSong before, but the contest intrigued us. We were looking for a way to showcase our songwriting abilities on a national level, and NewSong seemed to be a good avenue for that.

Only 16 Days Left To Enter The NewSong Music Competition

Friday, September 30th, 2016

 

 

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SHOWCASE YOUR MUSIC TO THE WORLD TODAY!

Don’t wait until the last minute to submit your music into the 2016 NewSong Music Performance & Songwriting Competition. The final deadline for this year’s competition is October 15, 2016 at 11:59pm EST. 


KORBY LENKER DISCUSSES CAREER AND LASTING FRIENDSHIPS MADE AT NEWSONG MUSIC COMPETITION

Korby Lenker, performing in the 2014 NewSong finals at New York's Lincoln Center

Korby Lenker, performing in the 2014 NewSong finals at New York’s Lincoln Center

Korby Lenker is an accomplished Nashville-based songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and past NewSong finalist. His music features sounds ranging from folksy, indie-pop songs to hard rock funk tunes, and his albums have garnered him praise from SPIN Magazine and the BBC’s Bob Harris. READ MORE

Watch Videos From Some Of The 2016 NewSong Finalists

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