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Weekly roundup: NewSong artist news 9/17-9/23

Monday, September 17th, 2018

We love to keep up with our past NewSong Music Contest finalists and winners, and, over the years, we have amassed a busy and hardworking group of musicians we admire. 

NewSong songwriters live and perform across the country, their work spans multiple genres, and these artists are always putting out new material. To keep track of all their news and upcoming shows, we will be highlighting NewSong artists in our weekly roundup. 

We’ve put together a list of five shows, publications and recordings we think you should be paying attention to this week. 

1. Rachael Kilgour – game changer Kickstarter Campaign ends Sept. 23

Rachael Kilgour is a Minnesota-born, Boston-based songwriter and performing artist whose sincere, lyric-driven work has been called both brave and humane. As the 2015 grand prize winner of the NewSong Music Performance & Songwriting Competition, Rachael has performed at Lincoln Center, The Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. and the ASCAP Music Cafe at the Sundance Film Festival. 

Rachael’s new EP, Game Changer, is produced by NewSong founder Gar Ragland and recorded at Echo Mountain Recording Studios in Asheville, NC. “I believe in what I do as a songwriter and as a human being committed to connecting with others and building emotional literacy and resiliency through stories and songs,” says Kilgour. “I am hopeful that you believe in me too.”

Take a look at Rachael’s Kickstarter and pre-order Game Changer today! Listen to Rachael’s past work on Spotify. 

2. Beth snapp – Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion Festival Sept. 21-22

Beth Snapp is keeping busy in the wake of her recent album release, Don’t Apologize. Catch her at the Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion Festival on September 21 and 22.

From the Festival: “The Festival hosts over 130 bands on 20 stages in downtown Bristol during the third weekend in September. Attendance has grown to approximately 45,000. Among its many accolades the Festival has been named as one of Rolling Stone’s ‘Top 20 Tours and Festivals,’ and has won a Grand Pinnacle Award from the International Festival and Events Association.” 

More festival information here. Listen to Beth Snapp’s latest album, Don’t Apologize, on Spotify and iTunes. 

3. Wilder Adkins – praise for “Marietta”

Wilder Adkins continues to garner praise from critics for his recent single release, “Marietta,” which takes its inspiration from the Bruce Springsteen classic “I’m Goin’ Down.” This time, the review comes from York Calling. “It may be a cover,” says the reviewer, “but Adkins has managed to make the track truly his own.”

Read the full review here. Listen to “Marietta” on Spotify. 

4. Brie Capone – Two old hippies Sept. 21

Brie Capone was a finalist in our 2017 NewSong Songwriting Competition and the winner of the 2017 LEAF Singer Songwriter Contest. This soulful and accomplished songwriter has been playing shows around the US after the release of her 2018 album, If I Let You In.

Catch her next show at Two Old Hippies in Nashville, TN on Friday Sept. 21 at 6 pm. Free show. For full event information, visit the event page on Facebook.

Listen to Brie Capone’s latest on Spotify. 

5. Chris velan – New album, Amateur Hour, now available

Montreal singer-songwriter and producer, Chris Velan, has always been crossing borders with his mix of world music-influenced, singer-songwriter pop. NewSong has had the pleasure to work with Chris Velan on past albums including, Glow (2016) and The Long Goodbye (2013).

We are loving his most recent work, so head over to your favorite music platform and give Amateur Hour a listen! 

You can explore Velan’s work via NewSong Recordings here. 

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Meet LEAF contest finalist: Lee Jean Jr.

Friday, May 11th, 2018

 

Lee Jean Jr. had a whirlwind start in the music business at age 15, when he auditioned for American Idol. Not only did he make it to Hollywood, the Raeford, North Carolina-based musician made it all the way to top 8. “Looking back on it, I don’t feel I was really ready. I wasn’t sure of my musical identity and how I wanted to go about my career,” he says, though he does acknowledge the benefits of such a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

Since then, he has been working on finding his own voice and point of view as a songwriter. “As of now, I am focusing on my own music and trying to establish myself as an independent artist,” he says. “And here I am.” 

We asked Lee Jean Jr. some questions to learn more about his songwriting process and his artistic vision. 

What is your songwriting process like?

I get these random bursts of musical inspiration, and I go straight to my guitar and voice record as much of it as I can metaphorically vomit out before I tap out. It’s a very figurative vomit-based experience. Then I take that rough idea of a song, and, over time, I nitpick and polish until I come out with something that I love.

Where do you find inspiration? Do you have any songwriting heroes?

I can draw inspiration from pretty much anywhere because I listen to so many different kinds of music. With that being said, I have a lot of musical role models because of it. I look up to people like SRV and Hendrix and John Mayer, as well as people like Billie Marten, Ed Sheeran and Ben Howard. Marcus King, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Kurt Cobain obviously, Dave Grohl, Greta Van Fleet, Fleetwood Mac, Hippocampus, Young in the City, Led Zeppelin, Coldplay. I could go on for hours naming musical entities that I look up to for so many reasons.

What does it mean to you to be selected as a NewSong finalist, and what do you hope to get out of the experience?

I’ve never thought that I was a good songwriter. That’s the main reason that I hadn’t really gotten into it until these past couple of years. I’ve always thought that my music was juvenile and that no one would ever like it because it was just plain bad. Over these past couple of years, I’ve been getting a lot more comfortable with my songwriting, but it’s still something that I’m very self conscious about. Being picked as a finalist for this competition is more redeeming than anything. It’s definitely given me a lot more confidence in my songwriting ability.

What would you like your audience to know about you and/or your music?

I write and produce all my music by myself in my bedroom, and I’ve taught myself everything I know, with the help of YouTube, so they are all quite literally my brain babies. Although some songs are based off of my real life, others are just hypothetical situations that I have gone through in a way or can relate to. These are all very close to my heart and a direct product of who I am.

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Meet LEAF Contest finalist: Randy Steele

Thursday, May 10th, 2018

Randy Steele is a charismatic banjo picker from Chattanooga, Tennessee and frontman of the award-winning band Slim Pickins Bluegrass since 2008. His passion for acoustic-based storytelling and bluegrass and blues roots shine through in his solo work. “I enjoy writing stories, and the pieces on Songs from the Suck [his first solo release] are mostly fictional,” he says. “Seems like the newer fans are there not just to enjoy the musical atmosphere, but to really experience the songwriting. I grew up loving that storytelling style of songwriting, and it’s exciting to have the opportunity to share it. Whether I’m playing solo or with the band, I’m having fun making music with my friends.”

Look out for Randy’s latest EP, Moccasin Bender, which is slated for release on July 13th. 

We asked some Randy some questions to learn more about his songwriting process and vision. 

Randy Steele will perform at NewSong’s LEAF Singer-Songwriter Competition Saturday May 12.

What is your songwriting process like?

My songwriting process varies.  Sometimes I begin with melody and see where it goes from there. I keep a notepad of lyrics as another way to kickstart the songwriting process. Some songs take less than a day to finish and some take multiple years. I enjoy writing on the banjo a lot. The possibilities of intertwining melodies between the instrument and the vocals and backing them with an understated chord progression has been the mine I’ve dipped into the most lately.  My written music from the guitar is a completely different thing. The main tension in those songs tend to be between the chord progression and the lyrical content. It is the way I write the most even though it doesn’t tend to be the easiest for me personally. I have found that ‘experience dictates the song’ or to say it another way that ‘experience is the muse’.

Where do you find inspiration? Do you have any songwriting heroes?

My early inspirations ranged from Townes Van Zandt, Garcia/Hunter, John Prine, and Robert Earl Keen.  Lyric driven music stories were my early favorites and continue to be the Songwriting Medium that I feel the most comfortable with.  While I was listening to these guys I was studying some Jazz greats like Wes Montgomery, Thelonious Monk, and John Scofield while I was in school at the University of Tennessee.  After school I got into Bluegrass, especially Banjo driven Bluegrass. Jimmy Martin, Earl Scruggs, Doc Watson, and about every ounce of Bluegrass that I could be around during the last 15 years has been my major influence. I enjoy American Literature as well and most of my lyrical content is influenced by Dylan Thomas, Ernest Hemingway, and John Steinbeck with the ‘Spoon River Anthology’ by Edgar Lee Masters being one of the most significant influences.

What does it mean to you to be selected as a NewSong finalist, and what do you hope to get out of the experience?

I have submitted to NewSong for the last three years so to get selected meant a lot. I can’t wait to be a part of the LEAF and to hear all of the great songwriters who are also finalists. Honestly I just feel blessed about the whole deal, so my expectations can really be summed up best by the words Honored, Excited, and maybe a little bit Scared.

What would you like your audience to know about you and/or your music?

I am a Banjo pickin’ Singer/Songwriter from the Tennessee Valley with something to say and stories to tell. I’m beyond excited to play for music for new people and hang out at LEAF!

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Meet LEAF Contest Finalist: Carly Taich

Thursday, May 10th, 2018

Carly Taich is an Asheville, NC-based songwriter whose songs are at once soft and intense, fantastical and real. Her performances boast orchestral-rock arrangements paired with swooning vocals. Add in her her witty and irreverent writing style, and it’s no wonder Carly has steadily gained recognition in Asheville and beyond.

Taich will release a brand new single this summer, the first release since her October 2017 album titled Reverie. Her music video for her song “Give Me a Likeness” recently won “Best Soundtrack” at the Music Video Asheville awards show.  To top it off, she, along with her powerhouse band, will perform at Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival this June.

We asked Carly some questions to learn more about her artistic process and vision. See her perform at NewSong’s LEAF Singer-Songwriter Competition Saturday May 12. 

What is your songwriting process like?

I write with my guitar. Usually the melody and lyrics come out together and inform each other. It’s nice to have no idea where your song is going and let each line unfold all together. Completely on the contrary, lately, I’ve been inspired by the more structured and repetitive verses of old hymns and folk tunes, and in that case, I may approach the lyrics more like a puzzle, trying to squeeze the most accurate picture into just a few syllables. Paper is my best friend.

Where do you find inspiration? Do you have any songwriting heroes?

Growing up I was exposed to songwriters from every generation and recall a lot of Cat Stevens, the Beatles and the Andrew Sisters, among so many others. On my own I ventured into Tori Amos and Elliott Smith, which was my first exploration into more alternative songwriting. I also loved musical theater and am still very inspired by the big song productions of old musicals.

What does it mean to you to be selected as a NewSong finalist, and what do you hope to get out of the experience?

It’s an honor to be considered among such wonderful songwriters. I hope to make some new friends who I can collaborate or share the stage with again, perhaps at a future LEAF. It’s a great opportunity to get to connect with other artists from around the country through an event like the NewSong competition.

What would you like your audience to know about you and your music?

I just try to be as honest as possible in my own language. Songwriting has always been the most natural way for me to express the deep complexities of life. I’m grateful that I get to share my stories with those will listen!

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Meet LEAF Contest Finalist: Leon + the Fantastic

Wednesday, May 9th, 2018

Leon + the Fantastic is a San Matteo, California-based songwriter and piano teacher who integrates a classical approach to composition with rock, pop, and R&B influences. His performance at LEAF comes at an auspicious time: Leon is releasing his first full band EP, Let Me Cool on May 18th. “This is the single biggest driver of my hopes and dreams right now,” he says of the contemplative 6-track collection, which explores themes of justice, passion, and the “glorious chaos of daily life.”

We asked Leon some questions to learn more about his songwriting process and vision.

Leon + the Fantastic will perform at NewSong’s LEAF Singer-Songwriter Competition Saturday May 12.

What is your songwriting process like?

There are times in my life when an emotionally felt urgency is the general tone of my day to day. I’ll sit down at the piano as an urgent refuge, and start playing at some interesting chord change, improvising a bit. Melody will come, always through a sort of half-gibberish. I’ll locate a central theme, and certain vowels will come to the foreground. If I’m loyal to the moment, I’ll sit down and rework those vowels and sounds with words. My grandmother was a sculptor working in stone. She would describe her work as discovery, discovering what each piece will be. At a certain point there is recognition of a shape, and then dedication and craft to bring it to be. Often if I don’t complete the song in one sitting. It stays on my shelf, years later, a half-created beast, a strange half-angel with potential, maybe even wings, but no name.

Where do you find inspiration? Do you have any songwriting heroes?

Somehow, my muse is best guided by the flow of the moment, improvisation, discovery, recognition and then commitment. I do love chord changes and chromatic melodies. Uh-oh, music theory speak  … cover your ears, children! For this reason I gravitate to artists like The Beatles, Stevie Wonder, Chris Cornell, Jeff Buckley, Elliot Smith, Queen, Rufus Wainwright. Recently I’m re-inspired by groups like Aish, Once and Future Band, Meerna, Big Thief, Soccer Mommy, Joy Again.  Of course I’ve always loved the old greats of hip hop like Tribe, Outkast and Biggie. And contemporary prog rap artists like Shabazz Palaces and Robert Glasper. In jazz, it’s Coltrane, Wayne Shorter, Eric Lewis, Brad Mehldau. In country, it’s the Man in Black. And in classical, I am all about Chopin, Rachmaninoff and Scriabin. I like it all. Or as my high school friend Lily once put it, “Leon, you’re a twisted mess of religion and sin.”

What does it mean to you to be selected as a NewSong finalist, and what do you hope to get out of the experience?

It means everything. I spent many years as a piano player in jazz or classical and giving up on my own songwriting. I have always written music. I simply am not a born or natural singer. The eencie weencie bit of vocal skill I possess came with a tremendous amount of labor, and barely puts me at level. … The fact that my single was selected, that I am a finalist. I am blown away. To be invited to play, for people who don’t know me, who are saying, we like what you do… It just fills me, man. It brings a lot of hope to this Leon here.

What would you like your audience to know about you and/or your music?

That I’ve been through a long journey to get here, like many of us have. I skipped high school in the 9th grade and started to play. I wanted to just start being a person, and fell deeply in love with music. I eventually got connected with a theater company and wrote songs as a teenager and in my early 20s I belatedly went to music school in New York.

For a time I thought I’d become a Rabbi, I left music and took a deep dive among the extreme hasidic movement of Jerusalem. … The thing is, I am and was always too much of a universalist, and never really wanted to be tied down. After my deep dive, I rescued myself back up from the wellspring, dragging my tired frame up the rope until I re-emerged, with no trips, no attachment to a particular scene or group or set of beliefs. I wanted to get back into music. Let that be the story, the story of the folks I’ve met along the way. And so much of it were hard times man. Hard times. I’ve slept on park benches and grand estates. And now I seek to reap that harvest in song.  

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Meet LEAF Contest Finalist: My One And Only

Tuesday, May 8th, 2018
My One And Only is an Americana duo comprised of married couple Kassie and Benjamin Wilson. Their music can be described as “Southern soul mixed with curious grittiness” and their talent has been shared across the country, from intimate house concerts to the legendary Ryman Auditorium in their hometown of Nashville. 
 
My One And Only will record their debut EP in late May with producer Andrija Tokic (Alabama Shakes “Boys and Girls”) in Nashville. “You can expect reckless meanderings about loud people, some thoughts about our parents’ age, and some cries for Divine mercy,” says Benjamin. The album is due for release mid-2018. 
 
We asked My One and Only some questions to learn more about their songwriting process and vision. 

My One And Only will perform at NewSong’s LEAF Singer-Songwriter Competition Saturday May 12.

 

What is your songwriting process like? 

Kassie and I consciously make time to songwrite each week. In a lot of cases, we find that inspiration follows action. Since there are two of us, our songs are put through two filters, which brings about a unique blend of style and point-of-view. We always try to come from a fresh perspective, and to have something in our songs that the listener can really grab ahold of, whether that be a sweet harmony or a slightly off-kilter lyric.
 

Where do you find inspiration? Do you have any songwriter heroes? 

Together, we have been inspired by (and loved) old country songs written by the likes of Kris Kristofferson and Hank Williams, Sr. Also, John Prine and Lori McKenna have been songwriters we’ve looked up to. Adam Duritz of Counting Crows was very influential to me growing up, and Lionel Richie was frequently on the record player as Kassie was growing up.
 

What does it mean to you to be selected as a NewSong finalist, and what do you hope to get out of the experience? 

We were so excited to be chosen as a NewSong finalist. Of the many entries into this competition that seeks out the best songwriting, to be picked out is reaffirming and encouraging. Most of all, we are looking forward to just being a part of the LEAF Festival as performing NewSong finalists. This will be an incredible opportunity to put our art in front of people, and also to be a part of a community that has the same mind as us. 
 

What would you like your audience to know about you and your music? 

Music is powerful! Combining the emotions that notes and melodies can bring with the transfer of thoughts in lyrics is a dynamite recipe. We hope that, in our music, you can feel what we feel and learn what we have learned. We hope that it connects with you on some level, that it feels natural and sweet. We hope that it feels like home. And if it does, then hang with us for a while! We can walk this journey together.

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Meet LEAF Contest Finalist: Joe Shields

Monday, May 7th, 2018

Joe Shields, also known as Cousin Joe Twoshacks, is an award-winning cartoonist-turned-songwriter from Michigan. A decade ago, at the age of 47, Joe attended a songwriter’s retreat and has been writing his heartfelt and original songs ever since.

Late start or not, Shields has made his mark on the folk scene. He is a past winner of the prestigious Kerrville New Folk competition in Kerrville, Texas and recently recorded a new album in Austin, Texas, produced by legendary singer-songwriter and producer Gurf Morlix.

We asked Joe some questions to learn more about his artistic process and vision.

Michigan-based singer-songwriter Joe Shields will perform at LEAF for NewSong’s 5th annual Singer-Songwriter Competition.

What is your songwriting process like?

My process 90 percent of the time comes from finding chords or a rhythm that feel interesting. I noodle with that, and words just seem to come. Other times a line will fall out of my head and bounce on the table, so I try to follow it.

Do you have any songwriting heroes?

My favorite artists were and still are Neil Young, Muddy Waters, and Iggy Pop way back in the day. In the last few years, I’ve made a lot of friends whose music I just love!

 

 

 

What does it mean to you to be selected as a NewSong finalist, and what do you hope to get out of the experience?

I’m a 57-year-old artist. This is an adventure for me. I love the music, the writing and the crazy creatives I get to meet and hang out with. It’s a great honor to be selected, and I’m thrilled to be included.

What would you like your audience to know about you and your music?

I’m a delicate flower that just wants to be loved. Take me home. Plant me in your yard. I have my own tent. I only require fresh cold beer and three meals a day. Just like prison had. My music sounds like all that.

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2017: Looking back with gratitude // forward with enthusiasm.

Monday, January 1st, 2018

Thank you for a memorable 2017. We wish you great music, inspiration and happiness in the new year.

As the year comes to a final close, we want to thank you for your role in making 2017 such a memorable one, and to reflect on the milestones we’ve experienced together over the course of the last twelve months.

This year’s programming started back in late January at the Sundance Film Festival, where 2016 grand prize winner Wilder Adkins performed two captivating solo sets at the wonderful Sundance ASCAP Music Café.  


2016 NewSong grand prize winner Wilder Adkins, performing at the 
Sundance ASCAP Music Café in January.

Shortly thereafter, we opened submissions for the fourth annual NewSong Presents: LEAF Festival Singer-Songwriter Competition. In May, we hosted ten amazing artists from across the county at the spring LEAF Festival to showcase and compete at one of the country’s best music and arts festivals … right down the road from our home base here in Asheville, NC.

Among the talent, Asheville’s own Brie Capone took top honors at the LEAF Contest, winning a featured performance with her band at this year’s fall LEAF Festival, along with an automatic advancement to the live performance finals of the NewSong Music Competition in New York.


2017 LEAF Contest winner Brie Capone, performing at the 
fall LEAF Festival in October.

This year’s summer programming featured two ‘NewSong Presents’ concert series. Once again we were delighted to partner with our friends at Arts Brookfield in New York City to curate eight weekly outdoor concerts at One New York Plaza in our ‘Summer Plaza Series,’ featuring NewSong alums Brad Cole, Blair Bodine, JBird Shogren, Max Hatt/Edda Glass, Queen Esther, Andy Palmer, Wilder Adkins and Amy Fairchild.


2016 NewSong finalist Brad Cole, performing at the 
‘Summer on the Plaza’ series in New York in May.

And in August, we were delighted to partner for the first time with the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. on a three-part weekly concert series entitled Verse –> Refrain: An Exploration of Song, featuring talented NewSong alums Max Hatt / Edda Glass (2014 grand prize winner), JBird Shogren (2016 finalist), Rachael Kilgour (2015 grand prize winner), Wilder Adkins (2016 grand prize winner), Brie Capone (2016 LEAF Contest winner) and Andy Palmer (2016 LEAF Contest finalist).


2016 NewSong finalist JBird Shogren (l) performing with 2014 grand prize winner Max Hatt / Edda Glass in the ‘Exploration of Song’ series at the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. in August.

And just last month (November 30), our 2017 programming culminated once again at New York City’s Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, for the live performance finals of the 16th annual NewSong Music Performance and Songwriting Competition. There, finalists chosen from across North America convened to network, showcase and compete for this year’s top honor. In the end, Crys Matthews of Herndon, VA won this year’s grand prize with her striking, poetic songs and deeply spirited performance. 


2017 NewSong grand prize winner Crys Matthews, performing in the 
finals at New York City’s Lincoln Center in November.

On the label front, our imprint NewSong Recordings released two wonderful albums this year: Rachael Kilgour’s Rabbit in the Road in March and Kelly English’s debut album City Limits in October.


2015 NewSong grand prize winner Rachael Kilgour released ‘Rabbit in the Road’ in March,
which Billboard Magazine cited as “a heartfelt slice of master crafted indie folk,
brimming with the battle-tested capacity to endure the worst in others.”

We’ve also been quite busy in the studio this year –  doing work we truly love – producing and mixing upcoming 2018 label releases from Blue Yonder, Wilder Adkins, Rachael Kilgour and Beth Snapp.

Our mission at NewSong Music is to identify and celebrate excellence in both performance and songwriting, and to work hand-in-hand with truly exceptional emerging artists to advance their careers in a myriad of ways.

Our goal is to be an ongoing resource and partner to the artists with whom we work, and this year’s concerts, competitions and recordings have all strived to meet this goal. 

As we approach the new year, we look forward to doing much of the same, and to keeping in touch with you along the way.

For all of the artists who have either performed in or submitted to our programs this year, we thank you very much for your participation. We value the opportunity to discover your music in this way. We wish you the best in all your music endeavors in the new year.

For everyone else, thank you for your support of independent music and those who work so hard to create it.

And thank you all for following our journey as it unfolds in exciting and unpredictable ways. Here’s to new adventures in the new year!

With gratitude, 


Gar Ragland
Director & Co-founder
NEWSONG MUSIC GROUP
NewSong Recordings • NewSong Presents • NewSong Music Competition

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Announcing the 2017 LEAF Finalists

Tuesday, April 25th, 2017

CONGRATULATIONS to our 2017 LEAF Festival Contest Finalists!

Andy Palmer – Denver, CO
Beth Snapp  – Kingsport, TN
Brie Capone – Asheville, NC
The Broadcast – Asheville, NC
John Batdorf – Redmond, OR
Heather Mae – Washington, DC
Lisa Bastoni – Watertown, MA
Nash Satterfield – Chelsea, MA
Ordinary Elephant – Livingston, TX

They’ll be joining us next month at the 44th Annual LEAF Festival to showcase, network and compete for the opportunity to advance to the live performance finals of the international 16th Annual NewSong Music Contest at New York’s Lincoln Center later this year. The 2017 NewSong Music Contest begins accepting entries this Monday, May 1.

On behalf of everyone at LEAF Community Arts and NewSong Music, we thank the many gifted songwriters who submitted to this year’s program. It’s a privilege to discover all the great new music coming from all of you, and we appreciate your participation.

#WhereGreatArtistsAreDiscovered #newsongmusic #LEAFigniteinspire

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The Fourth Annual NewSong Presents: LEAF Singer-Songwriter Competition is now accepting entries

Thursday, February 16th, 2017

 

Thursday, February 16. (Asheville, NC) – LEAF Community Arts (LEAF) and NewSong Music today announce the launch of the 4th Annual NewSong Presents: LEAF Singer-Songwriter Competition. With a mission to identify and celebrate exceptional performers and songwriters from across North America, the competition aims to bring some of the continent’s most accomplished emerging artists to showcase and compete at the 44th LEAF Festival, which takes place May 11-14, 2017, and the chance to advance to perform at the legendary Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in New York City.

  

“LEAF is thrilled to once again partner with NewSong Music for the 4th annual singer songwriter competition… Providing artists from throughout the globe with the unique opportunity to share their music, artistry, and spirit at the 44th LEAF Festival this Spring. Through creating a platform and pathway for artists to emerge through their craft, this program has become an invaluable stepping stone toward launching a thriving career. In addition to performing in front of hundreds of LEAFers and a host of world-class music industry judges, the winner receives an the opportunity to perform at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts for the international NewSong Finals, as well as two sets at the 45th LEAF Festival next Fall! We can’t wait to experience the incredible talent this competition will reveal…” ~ Ehren Cruz, LEAF Performing Arts Director

ENTER HERE

The contest begins accepting online song submissions today (February 16), and the final deadline to enter is Sunday, April 2. Judges will select eight finalists from advance online submissions, who will then perform in the live showcase and competition finals at the Spring LEAF Festival on Saturday, May 13, 2017. A panel of music industry judges will select the overall winner of the competition.

The GRAND PRIZE winner will be awarded a paid, featured performance (including lodging & accommodations) at the Fall 2017 LEAF Festival, held October 19-22 in Black Mountain, NC. The overall LEAF winner will also advance to perform and compete at New York City’s Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts later this year in the live performance finals of the 16th annual, international NewSong Music competition.

All eight finalists will each receive a complimentary LEAF Festival performer pass for Saturday, May 13 to perform in the live finals.

“NewSong Music is delighted to be partnering once again with our hometown friends at LEAF to produce the fourth annual singer-songwriter showcase and competition at this spring’s LEAF Festival. The program has increasingly attracted outstanding emerging talent from across North America and beyond, whom we’ve been honored to invite to showcase and compete at one of the country’s best music and arts festivals … all right here in our own backyard!”

~ Gar Ragland, NewSong Director & Co-Founder

COST TO ENTER:

‘Early Bird’ (before March 8)
$20 – 1 SONG ENTRY
$35 – 2 SONG ENTRY
$45 – 3 SONG ENTRY

Regular Pricing
$25 – 1 SONG ENTRY
$45 – 2 SONG ENTRY
$55 – 3 SONG ENTRY

Submit your songs safely and securely online at www.newsong-music.com/LEAF. A portion of the contest proceeds will support LEAF Schools & Streets’ local cultural arts education programming.

ENTER HERE

IMPORTANT NEWSONG PRESENTS: LEAF SINGER-SONGWRITER COMPETITION DATES

Thursday, February 16
– Online mp3 submission platform opens for entries

Tuesday, March 7
– ‘Early Bird’ Discounted Entry Deadline 

Sunday, April 2
– Final deadline to enter

Thursday, April 13
– Finalists Announced

Saturday, May 13
– LIVE PERFORMANCE FINALS at the Spring LEAF Festival (May 11-14); Black Mountain, NC (near Asheville)

About LEAF Community Arts

LEAF Community Arts (lovingly called LEAF) is a 501 (c) 3 non-profit organization with a mission to connect cultures and create community through music and arts. LEAF is comprised of two key cultural arts education programs – LEAF Schools & Streets and LEAF International as well as two signature events – LEAF Festival (the event that started it all) and LEAF Downtown.  Attendance at LEAF Festival provides a family-friendly weekend experience infused with music and arts while supporting the long-term vision of the organization. Since 1995, LEAF has served over 200,000+ youth with programs in over 15 community locations and in 10 countries worldwide.  Learn more at www.theLEAF.org.

About NewSong Music

NewSong Music is an independent artist development company headquartered in Asheville, NC.

NewSong’s mission is to build and support a community of performers and songwriters across all genres and levels of skill, and to identify the truly exceptional artists to introduce their music to a broader, international audience. Its programs include a boutique record label (NewSong Recordings), artist management services, concert production and the annual, international NewSong performance and songwriting competition.

Its presenting partners include Arts Brookfield and Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in New York, the ASCAP Music Café at the Sundance Film Festival.

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