From the artists bio: Kaiti Jones has been making her home in the Boston folk scene since 2010. A native of Portland, Maine, she spent four years in Nashville, where she formed her sound in the backyard of Bob Dylan’s folk ballads and Flannery O’Connor’s southern gothic storytelling, before returning to her northern roots. Jones has three studio releases: Arise Child EP (2009), Growing Things EP (2013), and VOWS (2017).
Jones’ music is Americana soaked in melancholy, with the occasional foot stomper thrown in for good measure. Her voice is simultaneously earthy and ethereal, carrying the listener a few feet off the ground on a cloud of rich, sophisticated melodies while whispering truth and contemplating the human condition through good old-fashioned storytelling.
We asked Kaiti some questions about her songwriting process and what it means to be a NewSong finalist. To purchase tickets for the Dec. 15 event at Isis Music Hall, visit our ticketing page.
What is your songwriting process like, and where do you find inspiration?
I often feel as if I am at the mercy of my own songwriting process. I’ll be out somewhere — in the car, walking down the street, tackling a project at work — and a song will crash over me like a wave, often already in full form, strong, unmanageable, demanding to be written down. It’s often stories or experiences from years prior in my life that are suddenly resurfacing, now processed and safe to speak out. Other times, a song will come to me in the raw here and now of a still-lived experience. My muses include Flannery O’Connor, Wendell Berry, Madeleine L’Engle and Bob Dylan. All approach storytelling with mastery, gravity, and wonder, and have each unraveled me with the haunting, unmatched quality of their words.
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 a great honor to be selected as a NewSong finalist and to be recognized alongside high caliber writers and performers. I consider it a privilege to be given any opportunity to share my stories with others, and I look forward to connecting with and becoming part of the NewSong community of artists and industry folks.
What important news about your music do you have coming up?
It is now one year since my album VOWS came out. These days, I’m focusing on continuing to perform as much as possible, as well as writing new material and preparing for a new recording project in the coming year.
(From the artist’s bio): Boston-based singer/songwriter Liz Frame has been performing her own brand of Americana music since her early teens. She is backed live by her band, the Kickers — John Webb on lead guitars, Sean Hennessy on bass and Pete Whitehead on drums — a group of talented friends whose raw sound and sweet harmonies help to deliver her material with distinction. A prodigious writer, Ms. Frame released her first full-length recording, “Sooner,” in 2011 that drew strong praise and consistent airplay, followed by the EP, Justine. She and the band have spent the last five years on the road and are out there again this year, in support of their brand new full-length record, Sparrow in a Shoebox.
Her voice bears likeness to Patsy Cline and Linda Ronstadt, and her writing is influenced by veterans like Dolly Parton and Lucinda Williams, among others.
We asked Liz some questions about her songwriting process and what it means to be a NewSong finalist. To purchase tickets for the Dec. 15 event at Isis Music Hall, visit our ticketing page.
What does it mean to you to be selected as a NewSong finalist, and what do you hope to get out of the experience?
Being chosen as a finalist is such an honor! It means I get to meet other like-minded artists who take the craft of songwriting as seriously as I do. And it validates my own efforts, which is always nice. So many of us practice our craft in complete anonymity, so to be recognized like this is very special and much appreciated!
What is your songwriting process like?
I make time to write whenever I can, and go into my living room to do so. I sit with my guitar, and I just start strumming. Sometimes I work with a preexisting idea, sometimes not. Oftentimes I’ll have a word or two to work with, usually the title of the song, that gets me going. That was the case with “Sparrow in a Shoebox.” I started with the word “shoebox” and went from there! Songwriting is such a mysterious and satisfying process. I love it!
What important news about your music do you have coming up?
We are busy promoting our new album, Sparrow in a Shoebox, and that it’s getting airplay around the country!
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 continent and beyond, 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.
We are very excited to announce the NewSong Music Songwriting & Performance Competition will be held at Isis Music Hall in Asheville, NC on Dec. 15. Finalists have been announced, and the full list can be found on our blog. Purchase tickets here.
1. Meet our 2018 NEwSong competition Finalists (and judges!) on the blog
Keep an eye out this week as we introduce our 2018 NewSong Music Performance & Songwriting Competition finalists and judges. We’re sharing videos, artist links and interviews with the artists who will compete at Isis Music Hall on Dec. 15! So far, we have introduced Nashville-based songwriter Suzie Brown and Asheville, NC-based artist Carly Taich.
Brown speaks to the challenges of balancing her songwriting career with the demands of motherhood and her career as a physician. Taich discusses her songwriting process: “When I’m writing, I often feel like two parts of my brain are fighting. One part wants to solve the song like a puzzle, while the other part wants to be totally abstract. I’m just standing in the middle trying to get them to compromise.”
2. Rachael Kilgour’s “holy We are” featured in Rolling Stone’s “10 best country and Americana songs of the week”
Congratulations to Rachael Kilgour, whose new single, “Holy Are We,” from her forthcoming NewSong Recordings release, Game Changer, (avail Feb 1) is one of this week’s Top 10 Country and Americana Songs in Rolling Stone.
From Rolling Stone: “‘If my greatest sin is to love her well, you can send me to hell,’ Rachel Kilgour sings, turning this acoustic ballad into a stunning defense of same-sex love. A light string arrangement swoons lovingly in the background, but Kilgour’s unapologetic lyrics are the real treat here, taking an unapologetically personal look at the ways in which ignorant outsiders can mistake something sacred for blasphemy.”
3. ListeN: 2018 NewSong Music Competition Finalists Playlist
We’ve created Spotify and YouTube playlists featuring this year’s lineup of NewSong finalists, and these artists are well worth a listen. Follow the playlist on Spotify here, and watch our YouTube playlist here.
4. 2018 NewSong Competition Finalist Suzie Brown featured in Harvard Magazine
2018 NewSong finalist Suzie Brown was recently featured in Harvard Magazine in an article titled, “Vocals, Guitar, and Stethoscope: Suzie Brown, M.D., writes prescriptions—and love songs.” The article explores Brown’s journey to balance her two careers as a cardiologist and a musician.
From Harvard Magazine: “For more than a decade she committed herself to becoming a top research cardiologist. Then, in 2009, just as she was about to complete a grant proposal that would have funded her work into her forties, she decided she couldn’t ignore her musical desires any longer. She abandoned the grant for a part-time clinical job, treating patients with heart failure, and devoted the rest of her time to making and promoting her music. She says the decision felt reckless at first: “I think I was afraid to admit to myself that I didn’t want a high-powered academic career…even if I could have had it.”
5. NewSong Music Finals to take place in asheville, NC, dec. 15
Thank you to all who submitted their songs to this year’s NewSong Music Performance and Songwriting Competition this year. The exciting process of selecting eight finalists is underway. Stay tuned for the results, coming soon! This year, the finals competition will be held December 15 in beautiful Asheville, NC at Isis Music Hall. Purchase tickets here.
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 continent and beyond, 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.
We are very excited to announce the NewSong Music Songwriting & Performance Competition will be held at Isis Music Hall in Asheville, NC on Dec. 15. Finalists have been announced, and the full list can be found on our blog. Purchase tickets here.
1. Robby Hecht — Support via Patreon
Nashville-based songwriter Robby Hecht, a 2008 NewSong finalist, is sharing two unreleased songs per month via his Patreon page. From Hecht: “I’ll be releasing a new song [November 25] as well as an extra bonus video for my birthday week that will be free for all members. If you’re a fan of my music, it really is a great way to get your ears on new songs, most of which I’ll probably never end up having on a record.”
“I believe that good songs have the power to take us to a place where we can celebrate our common truths and feel less isolated and alone.” – Robby Hecht
This week, we’re throwing it way back to Lora Faye’s Waltzes, a 5-song EP recorded with NewSong Recordings in 2013.
The Brooklyn native took first place at The Mountain Stage NewSong Contest in 2012. These days, Lora-Faye Åshuvud is now the award-winning composer, singer, and instrumentalist behind the band Arthur Moon. Lora-Faye writes many of her lyrics using cut up newspaper and magazine articles, and describes the process of composing the band’s experimental pop arrangements as similarly collage-like. Lora-Faye also curates Soundfly’s “Incorrect Music,” an online interview series with musicians.
3. David Berkeley — Listen: “The Faded Red and Blue”
David Berkeley, a 2010 NewSong finalist, released a new album this month: The Faded Red and Blue. Santa Fe-based songwriter and author David Berkeley writes songs capable of both breaking and mending the heart. The San Francisco Chroniclecalls him a “musical poet,” and the New York Times praises his “lustrous, melancholy voice with shades of Tim Buckley and Nick Drake.”
4. brie Capone — Performs at New Belgium Brewery in Asheville, NC Dec. 7
2017 NewSong finalist Brie Capone will perform at New Belgium Brewery in her hometown of Asheville, NC for “Fat Tire Friday” on Dec. 7. Capone is a singer/songwriter and performer with belting female lead vocals and heartfelt, introspective lyricism. Brie’s 2018 EP ‘If I Let You In’ was recorded at Echo Mountain Studios. After returning from a nation wide run this past April and California tour in July, Brie has continued to promote her record with a run of shows in the Southeast.
5. NewSong Music Finals to take place in asheville, NC, dec. 15
Thank you to all who submitted their songs to this year’s NewSong Music Performance and Songwriting Competition this year. The exciting process of selecting eight finalists is underway. Stay tuned for the results, coming soon! This year, the finals competition will be held December 15 in beautiful Asheville, NC at Isis Music Hall. Purchase tickets here.
Congratulations to our finalists in the 17th annual NewSong Music Performance & Songwriting Competition!
The following eight songwriters will perform, network and compete on Saturday, December 15 at Isis Music Hall in Asheville, NC.
For more information on attending this event, please visit our Facebook event page. Buy tickets here.
Thank you to all who submitted their music this year, and we look forward to meeting our finalists next month! In the meantime, we hope you will check out their music below.
We’ve created a playlist for you to enjoy all of this year’s finalists here.
“Like all good storytellers, her words draw complete attention from its listener—making them eagerly grasp at lyrics to come, and hang on to and cherish what’s already past.” –WXPN The Key
Singer/Songwriter Rachael Kilgour To Release Game Changer Five-Song EP February 1 on NewSong Recordings
Hailed as “a heartfelt slice of master crafted indie folk” (Billboard), Minnesota-born, Boston-based singer/songwriter Rachael Kilgour, will release Game Changer, a five-song EP February 1, 2019, on NewSong Recordings. Now available for pre-order, the first single and video, “Holy Are We” was released today.
Recorded at Echo Mountain Recording Studios in Asheville, NC, produced and mixed by Gar Ragland, engineered by Grammy winner Julian Dreyer, and featuring carefully woven string arrangements by Sara Pajunen, Game Changer charts common ground that Kilgour and her listeners have come to share.
Following the success of her 2017 release, Rabbit in the Road, the new EP examines the artist’s first tentative steps into a more hopeful, post-heartbreak existence. With a clear head, Kilgour touches on the complicated nature of romance and relationship, sets up a stunning defense of queer love, and reassesses her priorities as a citizen of a changing wider world.
“There’s a school of thought that songwriters should work to be more inclusive of the audience,” Kilgour muses. “But I’ve come to feel that the more detail I can bring into a song, the more personal aspects there are, the more listeners can find themselves inside of it. The universality is in the emotion beneath the detail.”
The 2015 grand prize winner of the international NewSong Music Performance & Songwriting Competition and winner of the 2017 Kerrville New Folk Contest, Kilgour has been featured at NYC’s Lincoln Center, at The Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. and by the ASCAP Music Cafe at the Sundance Film Festival. She has released four previous recordings Self-Titled (2008), Will You Marry Me? (2011), Whistleblower’s Manifesto (2013) and Rabbit in the Road (2017).
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 continent and beyond, 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. The deadline for the 2018 NewSong Music Performance & Songwriting Competition is coming up! You have until Sunday, Nov. 4 to submit your original music.
1. David Robert King & Crys Matthews – “Have Mercy” video Release
David Robert King and Crys Matthews have officially released the video for their first song collaboration, “Have Mercy.” The song is a heartfelt and powerful response to family separation along the U.S. southern border. All proceeds from “Have Mercy” will benefit RAICES.org, a nonprofit agency that promotes justice by providing free and low-cost legal services to underserved immigrant children, families, and refugees in Texas. The song was recorded with producer Gar Ragland at Echo Mountain Recording Studios in Asheville, NC.
2. Kelly English records sophomore album at Echo Mountain Recording Studios
Kelly English will return to Asheville to record her sophomore album with producer Gar Ragland. Kelly was a finalist in the NewSong Music Contest and traveled to Asheville to compete at the Lake Eden Arts Festival in 2015. There, she found a home at Echo Mountain Recording Studios and eventually recorded her 2017 album, City Limits. A year later, she is returning with a host of new songs to record, and we can’t wait to see what is next for this talented artist.
Listen to Kelly English on Bandcamp and stay tuned for new music, coming soon.
3. Max Hatt / edda glass – Recording new album in seattle
Max Hatt / Edda Glass are recording a new album at David Lange Studios outside Seattle. The duo’s last album, Ocean of Birds, was recorded in 2016 with NewSong Recordings and has garnered praise from critics across the country. The band has been featured by NPR Mountain Stage, Sundance Film Festival, NYC’s Lincoln Center, & Daytrotter. This fall they’ve made a sweep of the highly competitive official juried showcases at Arts Midwest, South Arts PAE, and Arts Northwest, three top-tier booking conferences attended by major performing arts centers, presenters, agents, and artists.
Crys Matthews, Grand Prize Winner of the 2017 NewSong Music Performance & Songwriting Competition, has some exciting shows coming up this week. You can find Crys at the Cellar Stage in Timonium, MD on Oct. 26 and The Living Room in Ardmore, PA on Oct. 27. This hardworking and eclectic songwriting is on tour through the fall, so check out her tour schedule to see if she’s stopping in a city near you.
5. 11/4 deadline approaching for NEWSONG MUSIC PERFORMANCE & SONGWRITING COMPETITION
Now in its 17th year, the NewSong Music Performance & Songwriting Competition is one of North America’s premier showcases of emerging performers and songwriters across an array of genres.The final deadline to enter this year’s competition is Sunday, November 4.
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 continent and beyond, 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. David Robert King & Crys Matthews – “Have Mercy” video Release 10/19
Atlanta-based singer-songwriter and longstanding guitarist for Mary Gauthier, David Robert King, and Virginia-based singer-songwriter Crys Matthews are proud to announce a new collaboration, “Have Mercy.” The single, a response to family separation along the US southern border, is slated for release Friday, October 19..
“Have Mercy” was recorded at Echo Mountain Recording Studios in Asheville, NC and produced by Gar Ragland of NewSong Recordings. King and Matthews met as finalists last year in the esteemed NewSong Music Competition at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in New York City, where Matthews took the Grand Prize, and King was her runner-up. The songwriters kept in touch, and, less than a year later, they found themselves in Asheville, NC, recording the co-written single.
Look out for “Have Mercy” this Friday on your favorite music platform! In the meantime, listen to David Robert King and Crys Matthews on Spotify.
2. David berkeley – “This be dear to me” video release
David Berkeley recently released his shimmering lyric video for “This Be Dear
To Me” from his forthcoming EP The Faded Red And Blue, out November 2. The
imagery moving behind the words is a 40-foot watercolor painting by Santa Fe artist
Stan Berning that was used in the 2005 movie “Off The Map.” Berkeley’s eight-
year-old son Noah hand wrote the lyrics. PopMatters premiered the video, writing, “[This Be Dear To Me is] a hauntingly beautiful track that perfectly encapsulates all that David Berkeley does best.”
Berkeley has announced a Fall/Winter tour. See his website for confirmed dates. Listen to Berkeley on Spotify.
3. Chris velan – “Amateur Hour” album release + “All time record” video
Chris Velan’s single “All Time Record” held the #7 spot on the CBC Music chart this month, the latest in a string of critical acclaim for Velan’s latest album, Amateur Hour. The album, released in September 2018, unfolds like a series of monologues in a one-act play where the characters are locked in a room and forced to respond and react to unexpected news, discovering that what they thought to be true of themselves was in fact not.
“Both in its title and lyrics, [“Amateur Hour”] came to encapsulate for me the themes of the album, representing them in this imagined, psychic space; Some dingy bar with a tiny stage where we all assemble as eternally helpless beginners, forever witnessing each other’s efforts to surrender to that inescapable truth,” says Velan.
Asheville, NC-based indie folk artist Carly Taich has three great shows coming up in Asheville. The “fearless folk-pop” artist impressed judges at the 2018 LEAF Singer-Songwriter Competition, and her unique brand of “fearless folk-pop” earned her first place.
The Music Modernization Act was signed into law on October 11, which may have big consequences for those working in the music industry. It is a comprehensive bill that aims to reform the current music licensing system and give music creators an opportunity to obtain compensation that more accurately reflects the value of music.
Elizabeth Matthews, chief executive officer of ASCAP, says, “The MMA’s unanimous passage in the House and Senate proves that the power of music is a great unifier.”
To read the entire statement from ASCAP, click here.
6. SUBMISSIONS NOW OPEN FOR 2018 NEWSONG MUSIC PERFORMANCE & SONGWRITING COMPETITION
Now in its 17th year, the NewSong Music Performance & Songwriting Competition is one of North America’s premier showcases of emerging performers and songwriters across an array of genres.The final deadline to enter this year’s competition is Sunday, November 4.
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 continent and beyond, 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. ROSE COUSINS – on tour in Alberta
Halifax, Nova Scotia-based artist Rose Cousins is on tour this week in Alberta, and will continue play shows into the fall. Performances this week include the Theatre Junction Grand onSept. 27th in Calgary; Arden Theatre in St. Albert on Sept. 28th; The Empress Theatre in Fort Macleod on Sep 29th; and The Communitea Cafe in Canmore Sept. 30th. For American fans, the songwriter will stop in Massachusetts and Connecticut in October. Visit her website for a full list of tour dates.
Cousins’ 2012 album We Have Made A Spark won a JUNO Award, 3 East Coast Music Awards, a Canadian Folk Music Award, was nominated for the Polaris Music Prize, and made picks/best of lists in USA Today, NPR Music and Oprah Magazine. Her music has found its way into several TV shows including Grey’s Anatomy.
2. Brie Capone – Asheville Masonic Temple Show Sept. 29
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 the Masonic Temple in Asheville, NC on Saturday Sept. 29 at 6:30 pm. For full event information, visit the event page on Facebook.
The pre-order campaign for Kilgour’s forthcoming album, Game Changer, met its goal on Kickstarter last week. Two hundred and twenty-one backers pre-ordered $8,281 to help bring the project to life. The 2015 NewSong Music Contest winner, Kilgour has performed at Lincoln Center in New York, The Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. and the prestigious ASCAP Music Café at the Sundance Film Festival.
Rachael’s new EP, Game Changer, is produced and mixed by NewSong co-founder and director 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 of her work.
4. Wilder Adkins – “Side by side” featured on “Starbucks folk” spotify playlist
Wilder Adkins’ song “Side by Side” is featured on the “Starbucks Folk” playlist on Spotify. “Side by Side” is a tribute to the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s, and a reflection on the 16th Street Baptist Church Bombing. According to Adkins, it’s “an anthem for peace and a call to keep hoping and never give up fighting darkness with the power of light.”
Wilder finds himself in good company on the popular playlist, among an eclectic mix of artists including John Prine, Shakey Graves and Laura Veirs.
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. Beth Snapp – album review and upcoming shows
The Knoxville News Sentinel reviewed Beth Snapp’s new album, Don’t Apologize,” writing, “The beauty of the singer-songwriter’s work is … its actual beauty. … ‘Don’t Apologize’ is a poised, and occasionally playful, soundscape perfectly suited for Snapp’s vocals.”
Read the full review here. Listen to Beth Snapp’s Don’t Apologize on Spotify and iTunes.
Wilder Adkins has a new single out that should be in your rotation! Glide Magazine premiered the tune, writing, “[the song] flirts with glitchy Radiohead narratives, before Adkins offers his sincere vocals to complete the picture – giving this Springsteen classic its own personality.”
Check out his surprising and satisfying take on the Bruce Springsteen original, “Dancing in the Dark” on Spotify.
3. Carly Taich – “My Own Stages”
Carly Taich, winner of this year’s LEAF Singer-Songwriter Contest, has released a new single titled, “My Own Stages.” The Mountain Xpress quotes Carly speaking to the inspiration behind the song: “I have a love-hate relationship with the technology I survive on, and I find myself wishing to experience, for even a day, this romantic past I’m not so sure ever existed.”
Check out “My Own Stages” on Spotify or your favorite music platform.
5. Blue Yonder – feature in Charleston Gazette-Mail
The Charleston Gazette-Mail featured The Blue Yonder this week. “As supergroups go,” says writer Billy Lynch, “you’d be hard-pressed to find one as unassuming as Charleston’s Blue Yonder.”
Read the full article here. Listen to the band’s new album, Rough and Ready Heart, on Spotify and iTunes.
