“Arthur is exactly the kind of artist I was hoping to meet through the NewSong Contest,” said Blue. “While remaining very true to his art, his lyrical and melodic sensibilities make his songs very accessible and his rich vocal tone captivates the listener. I can’t wait to see what we come up with in my studio.”
Arthur Alligood performing at the 2011 Mountain Stage NewSong Contest Finals in New York in October, 2011.
To record the EP, Blue has recruited an all-star cast of session players to accompany Alligood in the studio: drum legend Jim Keltner (John Lennon, George Harrison, Bob Dylan), bassist Leland Sklar (James Taylor, Lyle Lovett, Carole King, Jackson Browne) and guitarist Michael Ward (Ben Harper, The Wallflowers).
To chronicle the making of the EP, Arthur and NewSong Recordings have partnered with PledgeMusic to launch a ‘pre-order campaign on steroids,’ providing exclusive access to demos, videos, photos and blogs of the pre-production and recording process.
“To me, albums are stories,” says prize-winner Alligood. “The recording process is a story as well and many times this story is unknown to the listener. Our PledgeMusic campaign is a real way to let fans in on the story and even become a part of the narrative as it plays out.”
Founded in 2009, PledgeMusic is a hands-on direct to fan music making platform, where artists engage and grow their fan base, raise funding for their projects, and nominate a charity to benefit from the process. “Arthur is a first class talent and his dedication to his fans is precisely what a successful PledgeMusic project is built upon,” said Jayce Varden, PledgeMusic COO.“This is just the beginning of a long relationship between PledgeMusic and NewSong”.
For his pre-order campaign, Alligood has selected Nashville, TN based Blood:Water mission as the project’s charity partner. “I was introduced to Blood:Water Mission several years back by a friend,” said Alligood. It’s goal is to creatively and thoughtfully raise awareness and the necessary funds for the provision of clean blood and clean water in sub-Saharan Africa. “In 2010, Blood:Water’s original goal of “1,000 wells” was reached and they continue to work with communities in Africa to supply such basic needs. I strongly believe in the work of Blood:Water Mission and am thankful for how they’ve helped me see outside my own community.”
Now entering its eleventh year, the Mountain Stage NewSong Contest has quickly evolved to become one of the premier showcases of emerging performing songwriters in North America. It has helped launch the careers of such acclaimed artists as Ingrid Michaelson, Jeff Ellis, Diana Jones and last year’s winner Amber Rubarth, whose grand prize album ‘A Common Case of Disappearing’ was produced by Jacquire King (Kings of Leon, Norah Jones, Tom Waits) and recently ascended in the iTunes Singer-Songwriter chart to #13.
“Arthur Alligood came out on top of an extremely strong group of twelve finalists that were chosen from a field of over 2,000 contest entries this year,” said NPR’s Mountain Stage host Larry Groce. “His performances are subtle and powerful, his songs are original and he’s an artist who knows who he is and is not afraid to do things his own way. I look forward to having him as a guest on Mountain Stage.”
“Arthur’s songs are characterized by poetic lyrics and strong, memorable melodies, and he delivers them with an authenticity and connection that deeply engages the listener,” said Gar Ragland, director and co-founder of NewSong Music, which produces the competition. “This combination of strong performance and songwriting ultimately separated him from the rest of the finalists. We’re excited to head into the studio later this month with Mikal and Arthur and create something truly unique and memorable together.”
NewSong Music is an independent music organization based in Brooklyn, New York. Its twofold mission is (1) To build a supportive community of performers and songwriters across all genres of music and levels of skill, and (2) To identify the truly exceptional artists within this community and to work closely with them to develop their careers and introduce their music to a broader, international audience.
–To pledge, visit pledgemusic.com/projects/arthuralligood
–To learn more about Arthur Alligood, visit arthuralligood.com
–To learn more about Mikal Blue and Revolver Studios, visit revolverrecordings.com
–To learn more about NewSong Music, visit newsong-music.com
–To learn more about PledgeMusic, visit pledgemusic.com
–To learn more about NPR’s Mountain Stage show, visit mountainstage.org or npr.org/mountainstage
–To learn more about Blood:Water Mission, visit bloodwatermission.com
For media inquiries and interviews, contact Lauren Stockner:
lauren.stockner@newsong-music.com; 718-788-0323
