Free Album Download!

David Berkeley •
Lincoln Center Live

This week’s *FREE* #MixtapeWednesday comes from David Berkeley, a 2010 NewSong Contest finalist. This album was recorded live in concert at New York City’s Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts on December 27, 2012. Joining David on stage is noted guitarist and longtime accompanist Bill Titus.

The album was produced and mixed by NewSong’s very own founder and director Gar Ragland.

Click here to download.

#MixTapeWednesday

Win a Free 5-Song Entry to the NewSong Contest!

Let’s get the word out.

Share this image on instagram, facebook or twitter by simply clicking on the links below. Use #NSM2015 in your post and you could win a FREE 5-SONG ENTRY ($100 Value) to this year’s 14th annual NewSong Contest.

Make sure your post is public so we can see it. Winner will be announced on Friday at 3pm EST. Spread the word!

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Want to Perform at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in New York City, and Record at Asheville’s Echo Mountain Recording Studios?

Enter the 14th Annual NewSong Contest

#WhereGreatArtistsAreDiscovered

Tuesday, May 12. Asheville, NC. Eight singer-songwriters from across the country convened in the beautiful mountains of Western NC this past Saturday night (May 9) at the 40th LEAF Festival, to perform and compete in the second annual NewSong Presents: LEAF Singer-Songwriter Showcase & Competition. It was standing room only in the festival’s Barn venue, a historic wooden structure blessed with outstanding acoustics, history and vibe, having been constructed in the early 20th Century by the illustrious students of the now defunct Black Mountain College (whose alums include John Cage, Buckminster Fuller and Robert Rauschenberg).

The order in which these talented singer-songwriters presented their original songs was happenstance; despite having names drawn from a hat to determine the order just minutes before the program began, the energy and flow of the music from one performer to the next was remarkably cohesive and arcing, much like that of a favorite and well-worn album.

And while all the finalists played an integral role in the evening’s showcase, it was Duluth, Minnesota’s Rachael Kilgour who impressed both the judges and the audience the most; a packed house even awarded Kilgour the only standing ovation of the show after she completed her set in the contest’s second round.

“It was an impressive group of talented singer-songwriters,” stated Grammy-winning producer Steven Heller, one of the contest’s four judges. “The eight finalists are all winners. The grand star Rachel Kilgour, I hope, will become a household name, moving us with her insightful, emotive words and song.”

After the first round, Kilgour was selected along with Chad Elliott (Coon Rapids, IA) and Asheville’s own Brittany Ann to advance to the final and second round. According to judge Josh Blake, an Asheville-based producer, musician and president of iamavl.com, it was “the authenticity of Rachel’s performance, combined with her ability to describe her life’s experiences through her music, that allowed her to rise to the top of an extremely talented pool.”

“This year’s LEAF Contest received really strong entries coming from across the country and beyond,” stated judge Gar Ragland, the president and co-founder of NewSong Music, which produced the event. “The caliber of songwriting showcased at the LEAF Contest finals was very impressive, yet Rachael’s expressive and dynamic performance style – coupled with really well crafted lyrics and engaging melodies – set her apart from the other talent.”

“We’re also very excited to once again be able to support the wonderful LEAF Schools & Streets programs from proceeds from contest entry fees,” continued Ragland. “The LEAF Schools & Streets programs do amazing work across our communities in western NC and beyond, and we’re proud to support the program in this way.”

Rachael Kilgour performing an in-studio performance of her song ‘In America’ which she performed live in the second and final round of the 2015 LEAF Contest finals

As the winner, Kilgour will return to the LEAF Festival this Fall for a mainstage performance of her own, and she’ll also advance as a regional finalist in the next international NewSong Contest.

“I loved my time in North Carolina and at LEAF, thank you for the incredible opportunity! The tour of Echo Mountain Studio on Saturday blew my mind, and left me dreaming bigger recording dreams than ever before. I am inspired. I so enjoyed connecting with the other finalists and hearing their work. I think we all felt grateful to perform in such a sweet space to such an attentive and encouraging audience – a songwriter can’t ask for much more than that. I am happy that my work was received so well by the judges and by the audience, it is quite an honor to have been selected as the winner of the competition. Thank you for the recognition and for all of the work you do for folks like me. I can’t wait to return in the fall!” – Rachael Kilgour

Friday, April 10. Asheville, NC – Max Hatt / Edda Glass, Jazz-Americana duo, will take a break from recording their grand prize album at Asheville’s Echo Mountain Studios to perform a live studio webcast concert this evening, Friday, April 10th, at 9 PM EDT. To be released later this year by NewSong Recordings, the album is being produced by Pat Sansone of Wilco and the Autumn Defense. Max Hatt / Edda Glass were chosen for the recording session from the international Mountain Stage / NewSong Contest, held at Lincoln Center in New York City, where they were awarded the grand prize by judges from NewSong, ASCAP, Lincoln Center, and the producers of the upcoming LP.

“I was mesmerized by the music of Max Hatt / Edda Glass from the first moment I heard them,” says the album’s producer Pat Sansone. “They have the ability to create a deep sonic landscape […] with songs that possess a mysterious and soulful magic. I’m more than excited to be working with them.” “Max Hatt/Edda Glass often defied categorization,” said Gar Ragland, NewSong’s director and the album’s executive producer, calling them “arguably the most distinctive finalist act – let alone winner – we’ve ever had in the program’s thirteen year history.” In conjunction with the album’s forthcoming release, Max Hatt / Edda Glass will play on NPR’s Mountain Stage and at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in New York City.

After the contest, the duo entered into an intensive creative phase to come up with new material for the album. “That was the best prize of all— to suddenly be immersed in creative work,” says Glass. “Gar and Pat have really encouraged and supported us to go after something unique and artistic,” adds Hatt, saying that the material explores new rhythmic territory, which they are thrilled to be recording with a quartet, featuring Clipper Anderson on bass and River Guerguerian on drums. Guerguerian, an Asheville-based award-winning multi-percussionist, has recorded on over 200 albums and film soundtracks, and has played with such groups as the BBC Symphony Orchestra, Lizz Wright, and The Gipsy Kings. Likewise Anderson has played with a long list of jazz greats, including Michael Brecker, Bucky Pizzarelli, and Benny Golson. Based in Seattle, he is known for his virtuosic bass lines, and has already collaborated with Max Hatt / Edda Glass on the NewSong-released single ‘Occasional Summer.’  

“Our recently released song ‘Occasional Summer’ with Clipper is a taste of what we’re driving at here at Echo Mountain,” says Glass. “Tracking live in the studio with Clipper and River has been exactly the deep musical conversation we were hoping for— only different of course, because those magic surprise moments are what it’s all about. Now that the basic tracks are down we’re digging into the conversation between our jazz influences and these other textures and feels we want to evoke. We want it to resonate primally, immediately, in addition to all the deeper stuff that’s there musically. So with all of Pat and [co-producer] Josh [Shapera’s] experience in pop and rock, it’s a huge privilege to have their ears and ideas and direction. Combined with Pat’s innate sensitivity for what this is all about, I feel like something special and unique is in process this week.” For more info on Max Hatt / Edda Glass, click here. For more info on NewSong Music, click here. For more info on Echo Mountain Recording Studios, click here.