In celebration of its 22nd anniversary, NewSong Music Performance & Songwriting Competition will welcome eight finalists to Asheville, NC, for an evening of songs and connection on Saturday, November 18, 2023. The internationally recognized event, previously held at the prestigious Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in New York City, has since found a home in the mountains of Western North Carolina. NewSong is proud to partner with Citizen Vinyl, a multifaceted event space in downtown Asheville, to present the finale showcase.
Clockwise from top left: Damon K. Clark, Beth // James, Reece Sullivan, Natalie Price, Stacy Antonel, Senobia, MaisCéu, Cloudbelly.
VIP PACKAGE: Join us as a patron of the arts for a pre-concert gathering. Enjoy drinks, hors d’oeuvres, an exclusive meet & greet with this year’s finalists, preferred seating for the evening and a digital recording of the night’s performances mixed by our own Gar Ragland, Co-Founder and Director of NewSong Music and Founder and CEO of Citizen Vinyl. Doors at 5:30PM.
GENERAL ADMISSION: General admission seating will include concert style and cafe tables as well as some bar stools. Seating is first come first serve. Doors at 6PM / Show at 7PM.
2022 NewSong Music finalists (with NewSong founder Gar Ragland, center back). Image by Aaron Stone Photo
The finalists, selected from advance online submissions from across North America and beyond, will bring their musical chops to Asheville to perform, compete, and connect with one another. A panel of music industry judges will select one grand prize winner who will receive a fully funded six-song EP, recorded and mixed at Citizen Studios, plus 500 vinyl records pressed at Citizen Vinyl, and a featured, paid performance at Arts Brookfield’s Summer Concert Series in New York City in the summer of 2024.
Citizen Vinyl, established by NewSong Music director and co-founder Gar Ragland, is North Carolina’s first vinyl pressing facility, and boasts a variety of amenities including a full-scale recording studio, a vinyl-themed craft cocktail and coffee lounge, a record and art store, and more.
Now in its 22nd year, the NewSong Music Performance & Songwriting Competition is one of North America’s premier showcases of emerging performers and songwriters today. This crowd-sourced effort seeks to identify the truly exceptional artists within our communities and to work closely with them to develop their careers and introduce their music to a broader, international audience while building a supportive community of performers and songwriters across all genres of music and levels of skill.
NewSong Music is now accepting original song entries for its 22nd annual Performance and Songwriting Competition, presented by Citizen Vinyl. The program’s curated showcases have been a fixture in the national music scene since 2001. The competition finals will be held at Citizen Vinyl, in Asheville, N.C., on Saturday, November 18.
While the deadline for submissions has been extended to Sunday, September 10, NewSong has already announced two of this year’s finalists. The first, Jimmie Griffith of MaisCeu, earned his place when he won the LEAF/NewSong Singer-Songwriter Competition in May. Last week Corey Laitman of Cloudbelly was named this year’s Early Bird Finalist.
Corey shared some thoughts with NewSong Music on songwriting, mutual friends, and their summer adventures.
NewSong Music: What song(s) did you submit to the NewSong contest and why?
Corey Laitman: I submitted four songs — “Garbage,” “Phantom Lung,” “Poppa,” and “Psychopomp.” My band and I were in the process of recording an album, and three of these songs didn’t make the cut.
Toward the beginning of the album process, I was working with a friend who was interested in hearing my back-catalogue of songs I’d written and decided to shelve. We dug through my endless voice memos and re-discovered these four tunes. They’re all super vulnerable songs — and while I don’t remember exactly what happened, I feel sure the first folks I played them for gave a lukewarm reception. And that was enough for me to say, okay, maybe now is not their moment — or, more brutally, maybe they’re not strong enough to warrant a moment.
So we found these songs and my friend went crazy over them, he was totally aghast that I’d left them behind to rot. It was exactly the reception they needed to come alive to me again. Oh yeah, these are actually pretty good! It’s so powerful, how positive mirroring can make or break a piece of art’s life in the world. That’s always been the case for me, at least.
At that same friend’s behest, I made acoustic recordings of all four tracks with my buddy and bandmate, Reed Sutherland, and proceeded to submit the lot of them to a handful of song contests.
It was a pretty moving experience for me, falling back in love with these previously picked-over tunes. And it’s been ULTRA gratifying to have the folks at NewSong and New Folk fall in love with them as well — it’s all been a great reminder that my job as a songwriter is really to just show up for the music and do the work, not judge the work.
Here’s some info on each song:
“Garbage” is a song written from the perspective of a couch rotting on the roadside. It felt super sad and beautiful to try and inhabit the “mind” of something so exposed and discarded.
“Phantom Lung” is about how, in the aftermath of a destructive relationship, it’s easy to feel like you’re dangerous, somehow — like all you do, in spite of your best efforts, is hurt the people you love.
“Poppa” is about my Mom’s dad, who I call Poppa. He was my favorite adult growing up — I’m his first grandchild, and we had this special connection built around nature and music. He’s well into his 90s now, and when his wife (my Nana) fell and hurt herself at their house in LI, it was clear they had to move to somewhere nearer to my parents. Their home now is on the 17th floor of an apartment building in White Plains, N.Y. My Nana is deep in her dementia, and most of what my Poppa does is watch TV and help their aids care for her. I wrote this song from an honest place of grappling with the tension between the sweetness of remembering, the brutality of aging, and the strange grief abiding at their intersection.
“Psychopomp” is a meditation on a person in my life whom I love deeply and no longer speak with.
Cloudbelly is a quartet — who will be performing with you at the NewSong Music Performance & Songwriting competition?
Yes! I’ll be joined by electric guitarist Sam Perry.
What sort of music was playing in your house when you were growing up?
Ah, so much good stuff. My parents listened to The Beatles, Elton John, Billy Joel, Electric Light Orchestra, The Moody Blues, America, Tracy Chapman, Carole King, Pink Floyd, Cat Stevens, Simon and Garfunkel… we had a ton of fun jams in rotation at my house growing up. And occasionally some Beethoven.
Share a musical adventure from this summer with us — could be a show you played, a tour you took, a recording you made, a concert you attended, etc. Tell us about an experience that really stood out for you.
A few weeks ago I traveled from where I live in Western MA to Rockport ME in a blinding downpour, the sort that’s come to define this summer in the northeast. What should have been a 4 1/2 hour drive turned into 7 hours on the road, replete with hydroplaning and spooky visibility issues. My friends and I missed the 1:30 ferry to Vinelhaven — the island off the coast of ME where the venue, Skäl is — which meant we’d have to catch the next one at 2:30, landing us at Skäl after our scheduled soundcheck and perilously close to performance time. We were a wee bit stressed, but the ferry ride was lovely (the weather had cleared by then), and when we disembarked there was someone from the venue waiting there to pick us up and haul us over. When we arrived wearily at the venue, our host showed us to our bedrooms, where we immediately brightened at the sight of the clean and cozy space. The next few hours involved a hurried soundcheck, a gorgeous meal their chef-in-residence cooked for us, and the happy discovery that the *entire second floor* of the venue set up with big couches and a full kitchen was, in fact, our green room.
The show itself was honestly middle-of-the-road — I was playing by my lonesome and the bar crowd was feeling rowdy — but my spirits could not be dampened, for I have rarely felt so gorgeously taken care of by a venue. At the end of the show, the proprietor handed both my friend and I healthy checks, and we spent the remaining hours before bed carousing with the crowd of lingering Vinalhaven natives and visitors. The next morning we woke to some venue-provided coffee and explored the island for a few easy hours before catching a ferry back to the mainland. It was a totally invigorating hoot of a trip, and it would not have felt that way if we’d arrived all road-bedraggled and ferry-wind-whipped at a place that wasn’t quite so generous and hospitable as Skäl.
I noticed on your Instagram that you know past NewSong Music winners Jobi Riccio and Sadie Gustafson-Zook. What’s the connection?
Ah yeah, I love those guys.
Sadie and I met at Club Passim in Boston many years ago — we got to know each other a bit more at NERFA in 2018, and then during the lockdown she and her partner and the time and me and my partner at the time did a lot of zoom hanging-out. Hah! She’s fantastic. I’m obsessed with her record, Sin of Certainty.
I’m pretty sure the Jobi connection is also through Passim, but I can’t locate the first meeting place in my memory… The first time we really hung out, though, was when she was opening a few dates for Mark Erelli — They played the Parlor Room in Northampton, and she stayed at my place in Great Falls. We got breakfast the next morning and drove her to the train station for the next leg of the Erelli tour in NYC.
Kristian Phillip Valentino, a 2022 NewSong Music Finalist, has been logging studio hours for his forthcoming album, Happily Ever After. This is a five-song collection of love songs, written for Valentino’s wife Holly. It’s also a follow up to his last album, For Everything, There is a Season, which ended with a break-up song. The EP will be released on the NewSong Recordings label on Friday, Sept. 22 and the first single drops Thursday, July 27.
Valentino says that many listeners don’t know that the break-up on Season was real — and it was with Holly. Seasons was written and recorded after the couple parted ways, and for Valentino the project was a way to process the heartbreak. But that’s not how real-life worked out. Kristian and Holly found their way back to each other and are now happily married. That warranted a new collection of songs … though Valentino needed a nudge.
“When Holly and I got married, she wanted me to write a song for the ceremony,” he recalls. “I was pretty taken aback that she asked me to do that. I’d recorded it on my phone, honestly, and we played it before the wedding.” But that song, “Forever with you,” was the catalyst for finishing the couple’s story in verse.
Valentino came to Citizen Studios, located within Citizen Vinyl in downtown Asheville. The studio has historic ties to the Asheville music scene, as well as to Western North Carolina radio, and is helmed by Gar Ragland, the president and co-founder of NewSong Music, and founder and CEO of Citizen Vinyl. Initially Valentino had three songs, but he told Ragland that he wanted to record five.
The original set of songs included album opener “Out of My Head,” about the first time you see that person with whom you fall in love, and end track “Find You Sooner.” The two additional tunes both came in a surprising way to Valentino who admits he usually takes a while to write a song.
Photo by Holly Giglietti
“It was midnight, I had my guitar in my hand, and I came across these chords,” he remembers. All of a sudden, the idea for “Taking My Time” came to him, and he completed it within 30 minutes. A few nights later the same thing happened. That time though “Stick Around” emerged as a cowrite with Holly. “We’d never done anything like that before,” Valentino says.
The musician started writing songs after the passing of his father and for years he used songwriting as a tool to process hard times. Now, he says, he’s able to balance the sad songs with happy ones.
Happily Ever After will be released on Friday, Sept. 22. Stay tuned for details on a record release show in Asheville. The EP’s first single, “Taking My Time,” drops Thursday, July 27. Follow @KPVSongs and @NewSongMusic to listen!
ABOUT KRISTIAN PHILLIP VALENTINO
KPV currently calls Asheville, N.C. home. His musical palette falls between the lines of indie folk, singer-songwriter and Americana. His lyrics are a healing balm from the daily struggle as they wash over you with a deep reverence. Valentino was a finalist at the 2022 LEAF Singer-Songwriter Competition, a collaboration between NewSong Music and LEAF Global Arts, and the 2022 NewSong Music Performance & Songwriting Competition.
ABOUT NEWSONG RECORDINGS
NewSong Recordings is a small label located in Asheville, NC and based out of Citizen Vinyl. It’s roster includes projects by Max Hatt / Edda Glass, Mel Bryant & the Mercy Makers, Rachael Kilgour, Crys Matthews, Cardinal Sons, and more.
ABOUT NEWSONG MUSIC NewSong Music is an independent music organization that aims to build a supportive community of performers and songwriters across various genres of music and skill levels, while identifying truly exceptional artists and introducing their music to a broader international audience.
ABOUT CITIZEN VINYL
Citizen Vinyl was established by NewSong Music director and co-founder Gar Ragland. It opened October 2020 as Asheville’s first vinyl manufacturing facility. Citizen Vinyl boasts a variety of amenities including full-scale recording studio Citizen Studios, a vinyl-themed craft cocktail and coffee lounge, a record and art store, and more.
ABOUT CITIZEN STUDIOS
Citizen Studios is a classic space for timeless sounds; the modern analog rebirth of the historic WWNC radio station studios. The newly renovated space now consists of a large control room and a communal multipurpose room for recording, rehearsing and events. The studio is available for recording artists, engineers, producers and private functions
NewSong Music is now accepting original song entries for its 22nd annual Performance and Songwriting Competition, presented by Citizen Vinyl. The program’s curated showcases have been a fixture in the national music scene since 2001. The competition finals, formerly staged in New York City at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, relocated to Asheville, N.C. in 2017.
Eight finalists, selected from advance online submissions from across North America and beyond, will bring their musical magic to Asheville where they will perform, compete, and connect with one another. A panel of music industry judges will select one grand prize winner to receive a fully funded six-song EP, recorded and mixed at Citizen Studios, plus 300 vinyl records pressed at Citizen Vinyl, and a featured, paid performance at Arts Brookfield’s Summer Concert Series in New York City in the summer of 2024.
2022 NewSong Music finalists (with NewSong founder Gar Ragland, center back). Image by Aaron Stone Photo
Past NewSong winners and standouts include Ingrid Michaelson, Slow Runner, Crys Matthews, and Jobi Riccio.
Discounted ‘Early Bird’ entries are now open (1 song: $45; 2 songs: $80; additional songs: $30 each). Entry prices increase after Sunday, July 9, with the final deadline for submissions on Sunday, September 3. To submit your original music, visit newsong-music.com/contest. Finalists will be notified via email and announced through NewSong Music’s website and social media channels on Tuesday, September 26, 2023.
Jobi Riccio, Grand Prize Winner of the 18th Annual NewSong Competition.
Mark your calendar for the 2023 NewSong Music Performance & Songwriting Competition finale, which will take place on Saturday, November 18, 2023, at Citizen Vinyl in downtown Asheville.
Jobi Riccio, the 2019 NewSong Music Grand Prize Winner, has announced her debut album Whiplash, due out September 8, 2023, on Yep Roc Records. The album began as the grand prize recording project awarded to her for taking top honors that year, and was the first album recorded and mixed at Citizen Studios in Asheville, N.C. After the album was completed, NewSong Music director and co-founder Gar Ragland pitched it to Yep Roc, who signed her.
Written over the course of several formative and tumultuous years in Riccio’s late teens and early twenties, Whiplash is a profoundly vulnerable work delivered by an artist navigating the complicated transition into adulthood with remarkable grace and maturity.
The 11-song collection effortlessly melds classic folk and country sounds with atmospheric production. Throughout the songs, Riccio searches for a place to call home against the backdrop of embracing her own identity and coming of age. The 24-year-old songwriter grapples directly with a variety of topics, including facing past wounds and embracing her queerness. “When I was writing these songs, I kept coming back to this image of someone slamming on the breaks in a car crash and this idea of emotional whiplash,” Riccio explains. “That rush of stress and adrenaline felt similar to what I was experiencing as I emotionally processed my adolescence—almost as if I was being jerked around by one big life change after another.”
Born and raised near the foothills of the Rocky Mountains, Riccio grew up surrounded by music and fell in love with roots and country music at an early age. Her album draws on her earliest influences like Sheryl Crow on the shimmering self love-anthem “Sweet,” while also pulling inspiration from the tender, confessional indie-folk of artists like Adrianne Lenker and Haley Heynderickx on tracks “Kinder to Myself” and “Lonely Tonight.” Sonically, the collection marries the classic craftmanship of Riccio’s songwriting with modern indie-leaning production to forge a lush, expansive sound that feels traditional and experimental all at once. From the bittersweet album opener “Summer” to the jazz-infused album closer “One Last Time,” each song is a revelatory, coming-of-age story about change, healing, growth, and self-love.
Whiplash was co-produced by Gar Ragland, Jesse Timm, Isaiah Beard (of Baerd), and Riccio.
Arts Brookfield is pleased to announce ‘Notes of Pride,’ a New York City-based concert series celebrating Pride Month and the LGBTQIA+ community The series will take place throughout June. Performances will be held during lunchtime, 12:30-1:30 p.m., at Zuccotti Park (One Liberty Plaza) each Wednesday and at Grace Plaza in midtown Manhattan(1114 Avenue of the Americas) each Thursday. All performances are free to attend.
NewSong Music is proud to present 2019 NewSong Grand Prize Winner Jobi Riccio and 2022 NewSong Grand Prize Winner AC Sapphire as part of this series.
SCHEDULE:
AC SAPPHIRE + CALIKO
Wed, June 7, 12:30 – 1:30PM @Zuccotti Park
Thurs, June 8, 12:30 – 1:30PM @Grace Plaza
JOBI RICCIO
Wed, June 28, 12:30 – 1:30PM @Zuccotti Park
Thurs, June 29, 12:30 – 1:30PM @Grace Plaza
ABOUT THE ARTISTS
AC Sapphire + Caliko — Regularly championing other women and non-binary folks in the music industry, AC Sapphire attracts instant fans with her powerful voice and songwriting chops. Her music offers stunning, shimmering collections of electric rock songs, served as nostalgic souvenirs. Always in motion, AC also has a duo project called Caliko with long-time singing partner Kendall Lujan.
Jobi Riccio — An active member of the burgeoning queer country scene, Nashville-based Jobi Riccio writes songs that meld classic country sounds with modern sensibilities, aiming to turn classic tropes of genre on their head.
ABOUT NEWSONG MUSIC
Now in its 22nd year, NewSong Music is an independent artist development organization and independent record label. Its mission is to identify and celebrate truly exceptional artists, and to build and support a community of performers and songwriters across all genres of music.
ABOUT ARTS BROOKFIELD
Arts Brookfield supports innovation in music, dance, theater, film, and visual art by pushing boundaries to create unique works of art and cultural experiences presented for free. Thriving for over three decades, the program gathers communities around creativity by animating Brookfield Properties’ public spaces.
MaisCéu — the solo project of songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Jimmie Griffith — won this year’s LEAF Songwriter Competition.
Griffith hails from the mountains of Minas Gerais, Brazil. His compositions are a fusion of American and Brazilian musical traditions, reflecting his upbringing steeped in both cultures. At the LEAF Songwriter Competition, held Saturday, May 13, at LEAF Retreat, Griffith mesmerized the audience with intricate guitar melodies, upbeat auxiliary percussion, and lyrics sung in Portuguese.
“The experience of bonding with the other talented finalists, both on and off the stage, was nothing short of magical,” Griffith says. “As I looked around the room, filled with incredible talent, I was overjoyed and surprised when my name was announced as the winner of the 2023 NewSong Songwriter’s Competition. It feels surreal to witness how the songs I composed in a quiet corner of my room, with such personal meaning to me, are now resonating with new audiences.”
The singer-songwriter, who is currently based in Lenoir, N.C., earned a spot as one of only eight finalists at the annual, international NewSong Competition, to be held in Asheville this fall. MaisCéu will also return to the Fall LEAF Festival, held October 19-22, 2023, as a featured, paid performer.
“LEAF has always held a special place in my heart, and it has been a dream of mine to not only participate in the NewSong Songwriter’s Competition but also to be a featured performer at LEAF,” Griffith says. “I am looking forward to continuing this journey by putting together a special performance for the upcoming LEAF in the fall.”
From left, Gar Ragland, Jimmie Griffith, Josh Batenhorst, Jess Young, Lyle de Vitry, Corrie Lynn Green, Bridger Dunnagan, Jess Clemons, Quinn Tuff, Maggie Monaghan, Kate Prascher, Tiana Kennel, China Langford.
Judges for the event, culled from Asheville, N.C.’s music industry professionals, included arts and culture journalist Tiana Kennel, talent booker China Langford, and NewSong Music director and co-founder Gar Ragland.
“Once again this year’s finalists showcased a wonderful array of original material to an attentive and appreciative LEAF audience,” said Ragland. “ I’m continually impressed and humbled by the level and diversity of talent that this program attracts. It’s an honor to be able to showcase this caliber of talent each year with LEAF.”
Genres ran the gamut from folk and Americana to indie-pop. Seven finalists and their accompanists traveled from as far as Oregon’s Hood River Gorge to share their songs.
The LEAF Singer-Songwriter Competition is a collaborative effort between NewSong Music and LEAF Global Arts. It aims to identify and recognize exceptional performers and songwriters from across the country.
The annual LEAF Singer-Songwriter Competition, now in its ninth year, will take place at Spring LEAF Retreat, in Black Mountain, N.C., on Saturday, May 13, 2023. Eight singer-songwriters have been selected from across the country to showcase, compete, and network at the competition.
MAGGIE MONAGHAN (Wellesley, MA)
Maggie Monaghan is an indie-folk singer-songwriter from Wellesley, MA. She is currently a rising senior at Wesleyan University in CT where she leads weekly open mics and is working on a musical. She began songwriting in high school, and it quickly became one of her biggest passions. She released her first single in May of 2022—and another last month—and is currently working to record and release an EP. Some of her top musical influences are Noah Kahan, Mt. Joy, St. Terrible, and Lizzy McAlpine.
NewSong Music: How would you describe your music to someone who has never heard it before?
Maggie Monaghan: To someone who has never heard my music before, I would describe it as an intersection of the Indie-Folk and singer-songwriter genres. I am a huge lyrics person when I listen to music, so that is one of the areas of my songwriting that I would say has grown the most over time. I grew up playing piano, so I write a lot of music on piano but have recently picked up the guitar as well. I feel like guitar has definitely helped me lean even further into the folky elements of my songs throughout the writing and production process.
What is the first album you bought, and why?
The first album I ever bought was Elton John’s Greatest Hits because my dad used to have a CD of the album in his car, and I remember countless car rides from soccer games or school, blasting “Tiny Dancer” and “Crocodile Rock.” My dad has always been one of my biggest fans; in high school, I spent hours at the piano every week, singing and playing, and he would sit on the stairs behind me and just listen. He is relentlessly supportive of my dreams in music, and it always feels special to share that passion together.
What is one influence on your music that might surprise us?
Rainbow Kitten Surprise has been one of my top artists for the past four years. Some of their songs definitely trend in a more Indie direction, but a lot of their music is pretty alt. rock, which is why they may be a surprise as far as an influence for my music. Hearing about how they write some of their songs has been fascinating and inspired a lot of my music. Some songs of theirs have only two chords and yet such intricate and funky melodies. I remember first getting into them and being blown away by their lyrics, which have since inspired my approach to writing. Many of their lyrics could mean so many different things, and that act of interpretation is something I love about listening to their music. Their lyrics, tight harmonies, and instrumentals work together to convey such a specific vibe for each of their songs, and this cohesion—out of so many different, simultaneous instrumental elements—is something I admire. During my gap year, I spent a lot of time in my makeshift recording studio (a closet in our attic) on GarageBand making mash-ups, my favorite being an RKS-Maggie Rogers one.
What projects are you currently working on?
Since October, I have been working to record an EP with Pace Ferro, who owns Pharaoh Recording Studios in Plainville, CT, and Julian Sherwood, who is an incredible Indie artist and instrumentalist. I am always writing and playing music, whether I am walking to class, at golf practice, or listening to music. I am also currently working on a musical about the environment and colonialism; the plot takes place in a McDonald’s-esque fast food chain restaurant, and one of the main characters is a naturalist from the 1700s, back from the dead. During the fall semester, I started weekly open mics with two friends at school and have been working to build that community since. Getting to see the variety of talent that people show up with, week after week—as well as getting to meet and collaborate with so many new people—has been a highlight of my year.
The annual LEAF Singer-Songwriter Competition, now in its ninth year, will take place at Spring LEAF Retreat, in Black Mountain, N.C., on Saturday, May 13, 2023. Eight singer-songwriters have been selected from across the country to showcase, compete, and network at the competition.
CORRIE LYNN GREEN (Port Republic, VA)
Born and raised in The Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, Corrie Lynn Green writes and reflects the secrets and stories of life in a small holler town. Drawing from her deep roots in rural Appalachia, she pulls the history of life, rebellion, religion, hardship, grit, joy, acceptance and the displacement of her friends and family off Shenandoah National Park into her captivating songs.
NewSong Music: How would you describe your music to someone who has never heard it before?
Corrie Lynn Green: I would describe my music as an authentic, raw and unique sound and experience. My banjo style is unique to the folk songs I create. I break a lot of rules when it comes to any of the ways music is “supposed” to be. I just put forward what seems real and right to me as its being created. I tell stories that help heal me and help convey the story of the people I grew up with living the beautiful mountain way, often misunderstood, underestimated and ignored.
What is the first album you bought, and why?
The first album I ever purchased was on Vinyl and it was Prince, Purple Rain. It is still my all time favorite album. Regardless of musical genre Prince was an incredible instrumentalist and creator of songs never heard before. He always broke rules and did things completely his way. He had a vision and his music is timeless but also captures a perfect time in my life as I fell in love with music.
What is one influence on your music that might surprise us?
An influence on my music that may surprise you are bands like Beastie Boys, Tribe Called Quest, Moby, and Chris Isaak. These are not the main things I listen to but each of these styles existed somewhere in my time growing up and helped me break away from the idea that just because I had a very specific voice or that I played a very specific instrument I could experience and know music to have endless possibilities and I could go my own way following my heart to my authentic sound.
What projects are you currently working on?
I am currently working on a new album with D.W. Fearn that will be very different from the first. I believe we are always growing and changing and having life experiences that shape our music and sound. I am also getting ready for a very cool summer of gigs including Redwing Roots Festival, FredFest, The Purple Fiddle, and in the fall The Northern Appalachian Folk Fest Inc.
The annual LEAF Singer-Songwriter Competition, now in its ninth year, will take place at Spring LEAF Retreat, in Black Mountain, N.C., on Saturday, May 13, 2023. Eight singer-songwriters have been selected from across the country to showcase, compete, and network at the competition.
LYLE DE VITRY (Asheville, NC)
Asheville based singer-songwriter Lyle de Vitry‘s thoughtfully crafted melodies and poetry are imaginative, visually arresting and thought provoking as he explores themes of nature, love, memory and the temporal. Lyle’s creative expression and inspiration are derived from a wide range of sonic spaces. A life of classical training, curious exploration of jazz, and a passion for traditional Appalachian music have each shaped his style into something fresh and innovative.
NewSong Music: How would you describe your music to someone who has never heard it before?
I didn’t start buying vinyl until quite recently, actually. I don’t own many, but the first one I bought was Abysskiss by Adrianne Lenker. She’s one of my favorite songwriters and guitar players. That album is a masterpiece.
What is one influence on your music that might surprise us?
I’m an old-time musician, and although most of my music may not sound inspired by Appalachian old-time, I’ve noticed more and more of my songs have a similar trance quality to some of the fiddle tunes I love to play.
What projects are you currently working on?
I’ve been working on my debut album titled Door Within A Dream for the past year and a half. We’ve reached the mastering stage, so it’s nearly done! I also have a backlog of instrumental guitar music and a few piano compositions that I hope to record this spring/summer with some friends in Asheville. Additionally, I’ve been experimenting with writing choral music and arranging strings.
