Nathan Storey is a seasoned singer-songwriter from North Carolina. “He puts lush emotion and sincerity into each note making any listener sit up and take notice…his melodies and chord changes become hook laden delights,” as described by John Fonvielle, The Beat Magazine. In his songwriting, “Storey weaves intimate tunes, filled with emotion and powerful metaphor,” as detailed by Hunter Gardner of Charleston Grit. Storey toured the east coast at notable venues including Rockwood Music Hall in NYC, the National Cherry Blossom Festival in Washington, DC and the River Arts Festival in Jacksonville, Fl.
Nathan is one of eight finalists selected to showcase and compete in the LEAF Singer Songwriter Competition, Presented by NewSong Music, at LEAF Retreat on May 11.
NewSong Music:What is the most recent song you wrote and what inspired it?
Nathan Storey: I recently wrote a song about time called “Time is a Liar.” I began thinking about how we often think we have enough or not enough of it and I thought that was really interesting idea to explore.
What was your journey to becoming a musician — are you classically trained or self-taught?
I took guitar lessons when I was very young and started with simple chord progressions. I haven’t stopped playing since!
What music was playing in your house while you were growing up?
I grew up listening to a lot of church music as well as things like ’60s folk. Mom and Dad liked a lot of different things!
If you could co-write a song with anyone, who would it be, and why?
I admire a lot of songwriters from across the pond so I would be over the moon to write with guys like Foy Vance or Glen Hansard. Their raw lyrics and performances have always been really inspiring to me.
What has most surprised you about being a singer-song-writer?
I think that I’m not tired of it yet. For many many years now I’ve trusted myself to have something to say and with as interested I am in different things, I find that kind of surprising.
Congratulations to our LEAF Singer-Songwriter Competition’s “Earlybird” Finalist, Erin Williams Banks. Erin grew up in Lyons, Georgia. She has been writing music for over 30 years. In the beginning, she would sing on dirt roads from the back of a horse. Now she sings with the rivers that wind through the Blue Ridge mountains of North Carolina. Her newest album, Coyote Mother, came out in September, 2023.
Erin and seven other finalists will showcase at the 10th annual LEAF Singer-Songwriter Competition, presented by NewSong Music, at LEAF Global Arts Retreat on Saturday, May 11.
NewSong Music: You’ve talked on your social media about the experience of having professional photos taken after age 40 — how about the experience of putting out an album after 40? Were there any surprises or insights that age brought to that process?
Erin Williams Banks: I was so grateful to turn 40. I have always had a strong sense of self and have been comfortable being me but it was the perfect storm. I moved from my South Georgia homeland and uprooted. I started over in Boone, N.C., and left so many things behind. I became a phoenix and when 40 hit, I welcomed it with fiery arms. Parts of me burned up in that transition, but I feel like whatever was left was my true form. As I was writing songs and moving towards a new decade, I felt stronger than ever and I knew I wanted to document what was going on in and around me. Recording the music I wanted to record was a dream come true and I felt like it was a gift to myself and my family and friends that they could have forever.
Coyote Mother just came out last fall. Can you share a bit about the animal inspirations on the album?
My muse is the river. The river is the ancient pathway that so many take refuge in. I used to go to church but now I go to the river. The Ohoopee River is one black water river that winds around old Cypress trees till it finally meets the Altamaha River, which is full of prehistoric creatures like gar and alligators and sturgeon that swim up to breed in the swirling muddy waters. How many interactions with coyotes and deer swimming across the river have you had? How many different kinds of herons have you seen? How many endangered plant and bird species have you noticed hiding along the river’s edge? I think if you are willing to leave early in the morning and go paddle you will feel a need to write about it, too. It is like you have seen a ghost and for the rest of your days it’s one of your stories that you’re telling the kids at bedtime: Remember that time I saw a pair of yellow-crowned night herons? Or the time I was riding my horse on a full moon and saw a cougar cross the dirt road?
You worked on the album remotely — you in Boone and your producer in Asheville. Why did you choose to work remotely rather than in the studio together? And how do you feel that served the album?
My friend Everett Hardin had recorded and produced several of my closest friends’ albums. What they said about him was “he will take his time with you” and “he will get your voice to sound exactly how you want it to” and “he isn’t like other male producers — he’s not an egotistical asshole.” I was a little worried at first because the only experiences I’d had were super-quick weekends to track it all. I didn’t mind it that way because that energy is like a driving force. I thought that was how I worked. So, when Everett said “No rush, it could take six months or a year,” I was kind of disappointed. I thought rushed was better but it turns out that I actually loved to be pushed. I love writing five versions of one song and getting to the gold. I thrive in an atmosphere where we are having honest critiques and, because we are now good friends, I know he loved my songs and voice so I could handle the heat and the push back if something wasn’t working. I write so much … probably a song or two a week. A lot of those are trash, so I needed someone to tell me what I should record and what I needed to leave in the diary.
We set his rig up in my attic, which was also my husband’s office at the time. It was freezing and I couldn’t run a space heater. Everett was a little square on the computer screen. I have such limited technology skills I wasn’t sure this was going to work, but it turned out that all I had to do was turn the power on. He controlled everything from his computer in his basement in Asheville. The only part we had to go over a few times was when the motorcycle gangs would rev it up at the light down from my house and it would bleed into the vocal track. That was fun.
For weeks, we would squeeze in vocals here and there. Everett was the voice inside my head. It was kind of awesome. It was like we were in the same space. And you know, the producer is always in the next room so it wasn’t that crazy. It felt like we were together. I just got to record in the comfort of my house and he got to engineer and produce in his house. Pajama party!
Also he played almost all the music! He and his wife wrote and played all the string arrangements. He’s the total package. He will never be able to find some of those weird tunings he did on some of those songs. He’s a wizard for sure.
Can you share a little bit about why it’s important to have a songwriting group, and how you found your songwriting group?
The songwriting group was the biggest selling point for me to move to Boone! That first week I was here I was invited by my dear friend Sarah Deshields to join her little group. I was so nervous and I never get nervous! I guess it was because it was so small and intimate. I played a song I wrote called “Goodbye South Georgia” (about which I’ve written so many goodbye songs and I’m sure I’ll write a dozen more). Everyone loved me from then on. That group contains some of the best human beings I have found on the planet. They are my family. I wrote several songs from the album from prompts the group gave. They have been so supportive and we always ask each other to sing or play on our records. Sarah Deshields, John Lucas, Cayla Fralick, Kevin Deshields, and Amanda Opelt are all on my record and members of my songwriting group.
NewSong Music Performance & Songwriting Competition is thrilled to announce that Natalie Price from Nashville, Tennessee, is the 2023 Grand Prize Winner. (Photos by Aaron Stone.)
During the Saturday, November 18, finals, Price showcased five songs with infectious hooks that felt like instant hits. Her grand prize package includes a fully funded six-song EP, recorded and mixed at Citizen Studios, plus 500 vinyl records pressed at Citizen Vinyl.
“Natalie’s storytelling within her singing and songwriting held the audience in her grasp,” said LEAF Performing Arts Coordinator and NewSong judge Otto Vazquez. “Like puppets on a string, she had us either crying or chuckling, qualities of a truly masterful artist. Looking forward to seeing her soar.”
Learn more about Natalie Price’s self-described “Ameri-kinda” music here.“I really enjoyed visiting Asheville, seeing Citizen Studios, and getting to know the other finalists. We had a great time together exploring the city and talking about music and life, “ said Price. “The contest itself was a great experience — the seats were full and everyone seemed engaged with what we were doing. Thank you to NewSong for hosting the event and having me out this year!”
The internationally recognized NewSong Music event, now in its 22nd year, is one of North America’s premier showcases of emerging performers and songwriters today. The Saturday, November 18, finale concert brought seven finalists — selected from nearly 500 entries, and from across the U.S. and Canada — to Asheville, NC, for an evening of songs and connection. The magical evening of singer-songwriter performances ran the gamut from soulful Americana to indie-pop and from country roots to Portuguese-infused melodies.
The 2023 runners up were: MaisCéu (Jimmie Griffith; Lenoir, NC) and Reece Sullivan (Lafayette, LA).
The full finalist lineup included: Beth // James (Mikaela and Jordan Burchill; Austin, TX); Cloudbelly (Corey Laitman, Turners Falls, MA); Senobia (Midway, GA); and Stacy Antonel (Nashville, TN).
Judges for the event, which took place at Citizen Vinyl in downtown Asheville, included Garret K. Woodward, Otto Vazquez, Jamie Beck, and Gar Ragland. Learn more about the judges here.
As this year’s Grand Prize Winner, Natalie Price joins NewSong Music’s impressive roster of artists such as Crys Matthews, Rachael Kilgour, Michael Flynn, Jobi Riccio, AC Sapphire, and others.
Join us in welcoming this year’s panel of judges, all music industry professionals. We appreciate their insight and expertise in selecting a Grand Prize Winner, who will receive a six-song EP, recorded and mixed at Citizen Studios, with vinyl records pressed at Citizen Vinyl.
Garret K. Woodward has been the arts/music editor for The Smoky Mountain News, an alt-weekly covering Western North Carolina, since 2012. He’s also the music editor for Smoky Mountain Living magazine, a national publication whose jurisdiction rolls across seven states in Southern Appalachia.
In 2018, Woodward joined Rolling Stone as a contributing writer, focusing
mainly on music festivals from coast-to-coast. As an author, Woodward penned the 2017 book If You Can’t Play, Get Off the Stage: Bluegrass in Western North Carolina and Beyond. To date, Woodward has been nominated three times for “Writer of the Year” by the International Bluegrass Music Association.
Otto Vazquez is the Artistic Curator for LEAF Global Arts, working to book bands and create themes for the organization’s signature events, including the annual LEAF Global Arts Festival. He is also a prolific street dancer, choreographer, published author and poet, filmmaker and grand educator who has taught at more than 100 universities both in the United States and abroad.
Jamie Beck is the Sales Director at Merge Records in Durham, N.C. Her first concert was a performance by Kitty Wells on a cattle farm outside of Kansas City, Missouri.
Gar Ragland is a producer, musician, and president and co-founder of the NewSong Music Group. He is also the founder of CEO of Citizen Vinyl in Asheville, N.C. Gar is a voting member of the Recording Academy (Grammys).
Martin Anderson, Music Director and Host at WNCW, will emcee the evening. Martin joined WNCW in 2001 as the weekday morning host. He loves interviewing the many talented musicians who come to Studio B, stretching out with the many styles ‘NCW embraces, and reflecting listener requests, events of the day, and the beautiful Southern Appalachian landscape. As Music Director, he books live sessions, and keeps in touch with the record labels and promoters that send new music.
Beth // James is an indie-Americana duo from Austin, Texas, made up of award-winning singer-songwriters Mikaela and Jordan Burchill. After two dazzling EPs, and their original song “Lion Eyes” in Spike Lee’s Academy Award-winning feature film BlacKkKlansman, the duo is back with their debut album “Get Together,” recorded and produced by James Petralli of White Denim.
The duo will be performing as finalists at the 22nd annual NewSong Music Performance & Songwriting Competition, held on Saturday, November 18, at Citizen Vinyl in downtown Asheville, N.C. Learn more and purchase tickets HERE.
NewSong Music: What sort of music was playing in your house when you were growing up?
JORDAN: Both my parents were musicians, so growing up so we had a lot of music playing in the house. My dad was a jazz band director at a local college and I was lucky enough to be around a lot of jazz. All the big band stuff — Basie and Ellington — and great guitar players like Bill Frissel and Pat Metheny. I also got really into Al Green as a kid. I loved basketball and the NBA had a commercial with the song “Love and Happiness” I was hooked. The first album I bought was Al Greens greatest hits.
MIKAELA: My dad was a big music lover and was always playing music in the house. Some of his favorites were Emmylou Harris, The Beatles, and anything bluegrass. I definitely got my eclectic music taste from him. Some of my favorite records as a kid were Paula Cole’s This Fire and Sheryl Crow’s Tuesday Night Music Club, but as I got a little older I got very into soul and r&b. I really listened to everything.
What was your journey to music?
JORDAN: Both my parents are really great musicians. My dad is a great jazz guitar player and my mom is a fantastic singer and piano player. I went to college for music at University of North Texas. I graduated with a Jazz Studies degree on guitar. My dad was my teacher growing up. He’s truly a world-class teacher. His students have gone on to play with Snarky Puppy, Leon Bridges, Snoop Dogg, and the Lumineers and have won multiple Grammys. I feel eterally blessed to have gotten to learn from him when I was a kid.
MIKAELA: I always loved singing and music. My parents noticed when I was young. I started taking piano lessons at 7 and grew up singing in choirs from age 8-18. Through choir, I learned how to harmonize, perform, and got exposed to tons of different music — classical, Broadway, and basically every famous pop song of the last 70 years.
I’ve studied many different vocal styles with many different amazing teachers and got my degree in vocal jazz from the University of North Texas — where Jordan and I met!
What is the first song you wrote that you were proud of, and why?
JORDAN: I think the first song that I wrote with Mikaela. We wrote a song called “Lion Eyes” (which later got placed in the Spike Lee movie BlacKkKlansman). I remember after writing that together I was like, “Damn, we are a good team, this is a pretty good song.” I definitely haven’t written “the one,” though, yet. It’s the ultimate goal to write a song that you have no critiques about. I don’t think I’ve written that one yet.
MIKAELA: Probably a song I wrote when I was like 20 called “Fall With You.” I entered it in a bunch of songwriting competitions and got to play at Kerrville and Telluride. I really didn’t know at all what I was doing back then but I think that was the first time I really got recognition for a song I wrote and thought, “OK, maybe I’m good at this, I should keep writing.” Like Jordan said, though, definitely still trying to write “the one”!
What is your writing process like?
JORDAN: Lately it’s been changing. I have a ton of voice memos with chord progression ideas and I have a ton of notes with lyric ideas. I like to go to those to start ideas. We’ve also been sitting down and just writing a song based of a specific idea/topic lately and I really have been enjoying having the parameters of having that.
MIKAELA: My best songs start in the car usually. For some reason inspiration tends to hit when I’m driving alone, so I just take out my phone and leave a little voice memo with melody and usually a few lyric ideas. Then I’ll take it to the piano annd home to Jordan to piece together. I’m trying to be better about writing when I don’t feel inspired, though.
Share a musical adventure from this summer with us.
JORDAN: This summer we got asked to play an Americana Festival in Germany called Static Roots Festival. It was probably the most fun I’ve had in a long time playing music. The fest was amazing with a really great line up of artists and the attendees just loved music. They wanted to hear the songs we’ve written, wanted to talk to us, and they had specific records they wanted to buy. It felt really good. Hopefully we’ll make it back over to Germany and the UK again next summer.
MIKAELA: We toured out of the country for the first time this summer and it was amazing! Definitely agree with everything Jordan said, and another favorite moment from that tour was a show we played at a tiny town in the UK. It seemed like everyone from the whole town came out to the show and were so attentive and excited to listen to music! They really listened to the lyrics and were so kind. A group even invited us to tea after to show and told us all about the town’s history. It was magical and I can’t wait to go back!
MaisCéu is the brainchild of Jimmie Griffith, a musician who hails from the mountains of Minas Gerais, Brazil. His music is a fusion of American and Brazilian musical traditions, reflecting his upbringing steeped in both cultures.
Inspired by the Blue Ridge mountains and the “Mares e Morros” of Minas Gerais, MaisCeu’s unique sound, featuring heartfelt Portuguese lyrics, is a reflection of his deep love for the outdoors and his passion for bending music genres. With an authentic and soulful approach to his craft, MaisCeu’s music speaks to the heart and soul of his listeners, drawing inspiration from the natural beauty of his childhood home and the rich musical traditions that have shaped him.
MaisCéu is a finalist in the 2023 NewSong Music Performance & Songwriting Competition, which will take place on Saturday, November 18, at Citizen Vinyl in downtown Asheville, N.C. Learn more and purchase tickets HERE.
NewSong Music: What sort of music was playing in your house when you were growing up?
Jimmie: There was a pretty wide mix, from jazz to Brazilian music. I distinctly remember a lot of Dave Brubeck, Baden Powell, and James Brown.
What was your journey to music?
Mostly self-taught. Although my family is very musical, they do not have a formal musical background. Growing up, my mom and siblings liked to sing, and my dad, who now studies piano, used to play guitar and got me started on the guitar with a few chords when I was younger. In my teens, my neighbor and great friend Daniel started playing guitar, and we would teach each other songs and share music. This is when I started developing my musical tastes, branching out to other artists, styles, and developing songwriting. Music continues to play an important role in my life, whether it’s to regulate my emotions, inspire me, or connect with others.
What is the first song you wrote that you were proud of, and why?
Although not my first song, the song “Madrid” I composed helped me realize that I need to trust my musical instincts more often. This song helped me understand that if I try to control the songwriting process too much, I will feel stifled and frustrated. This could cause me either giving up on an idea that could turn out to be a great song or block out new ideas due to the creative constraints we can put on ourselves.
What is your writing process like?
There are a few different ways that I compose music. The most common process is to find a great-sounding chord, chord progression, and/or open tuning on the guitar that sparks an excerpt of a melody. I pull that thread to see where it leads me, revealing a melody, harmony, and rhythm. The final part of the process is to create lyrics that fit the mood of the song and match the melody. Too many times I’ll give the song a title before I write the lyrics, making it challenging to write something related to the title. Composing usually happens at night, in a quiet corner of the house, with a recording device close by to capture my ideas.
Share a musical adventure from this summer with us.
This summer, my former band Banana da Terra had a couple of reunion shows at festivals Boone in Blossom and Boonerang. It was such a great experience to reconnect with fellow bandmates and with old and new friends and fans of the band.
Nashville artist Stacy Antonel makes clever, country-leaning Americana that feels both vintage and hyper-modern. Her “country jazz” vocals conjure the great singers of the 1920s-’30s, with the emotive power of country icon Patsy Cline. Rooted in classic country and laced with elements of jazz, pop, and R&B, Stacy’s narrative songs often feature unconventional themes.
Stacy grew up near San Diego studying classical piano and cites an eclectic range of early musical inspiration: Tori Amos’s peculiar phrasing, Otis Redding’s rich melodic hooks. After winning televised singing contest “3 Minutes to Stardom,” Stacy quit her job to focus full-time on music. She began performing classic country covers as Ginger Cowgirl, and in 2017 moved to Nashville to record her self-titled debut EP, which was released in 2019. The album was praised by critics and led to tours in California, the Southeast, the UK, and Germany.
Stacy is a finalist in the 2023 NewSong Music Performance & Songwriting Competition, which will take place on Saturday, November 18, at Citizen Vinyl in downtown Asheville, N.C. Learn more and purchase tickets HERE.
NewSong Music: What sort of music was playing in your house when you were growing up?
Stacy: My parents weren’t really into music, so other than a Celine Dion CD that my mom briefly listened to, most of the music in my home was my older sister’s. She listened to a lot of Nirvana, Pearl Jam, The Cranberries. Very 90s.
What was your journey to music?
I took classical piano lessons from age 7 to 18, but I’m self-taught when it comes to singing. I was the only musical member of the family, and it didn’t really occur to me that it could be a career, so I stopped all my musical pursuits when I went to college. It was only 10 years later that I got back into it, when I started singing jingles for money while living in Argentina. Moving to Nashville in 2017 is when I really started writing songs and pursuing a career as an independent artist.
What is the first song you wrote that you were proud of, and why?
The first answer that springs to mind is “Planetary Heartache,” which is weird because it’s on my most recent record, and I’m most definitely proud of the songs I wrote on my prior release. But I just think this song slaps, and I’m kind of amazed that I wrote it. Somehow it makes me feel like a real songwriter.
What is your writing process like — do you write lyrics first, or music?
They usually come at the same time initially, and then there’s an editing phase. I find it more inspiring to write on the guitar, but I do figure out a lot of things on the piano because it’s my native tongue. Guitar is a new instrument for me, so there’s still a lot that I can’t do on it. As far as where I write, songs definitely come at random times, but the most important thing is that I sit down and force myself to just do it. As long as it’s quiet and I have my own space, it’ll work. When I’m on tour I particularly enjoy writing in random Airbnbs.
Share a musical adventure from this summer with us — an experience that really stood out for you.
I went on my first solo tour this summer, which was something I was really scared to do. If I’m just singing, I don’t really get stage fright, but put a guitar in my hand and take away my band and I’m legit scared. It was cool to start unraveling the story I tell myself that I’m only worth watching if I can hide behind the really talented musicians that I usually play with. There were definitely some mediocre moments onstage but it forced me to grow a lot in a short period of time.
Senobia is a versatile singer who pours out her soul fused with R&B, jazz, blues, and commercial pop undertones. She is a vocalist, composer, and veteran of the stage having performed with America’s finest as a U.S. Army band singer. She is a born and bred musician from Columbus, Ohio, where her first introductions to music were gospel, doo-wop, pop, and rhythm & blues before she found jazz.
Senobia has performed in jazz clubs on the Caribbean Sea, Opera houses along the Amalfi Coast of Italy, and wineries from Carlsbad, Calif., to Washington, D.C. Her world, life, and musical influences have transformed her music into the exotic culture she has experienced as an internationally traveled singer. Senobia is often referred to as a “sireness” as her voice is so enchanting and dynamic that she will leave listeners swooning for more.
Senobia is a finalist in the 2023 NewSong Music Performance & Songwriting Competition, which will take place on Saturday, November 18, at Citizen Vinyl in downtown Asheville, N.C. Learn more and purchase tickets HERE.
NewSong Music: What sort of music was playing in your house when you were growing up?
Senobia: Growing up, we would sing harmonies with our grandma to songs such as like The Jackson 5’s “Rockin Robin.” My grandma loved to sing 1950s doo-wop and barbershop quartet songs and I loved to sing with her. My grandmother’s voice is similar to the famous jazz singer Nancy Wilson. I would also transcribe music from the radio so a lot of the 1990s music from artists like Donny Hathway, Lauren Hill, Kirk Franklin, Whitney Houston, Micheal Jackson, Usher, OutKast, Destiny’s Child, R. Kelly, En Vogue, Mariah Carey, Christina Aguilera, and Eminem. I loved to sing, rap, and just vibe to all the different types of music I heard my family listening to and what I found on the radio.
What was your journey to music?
My musical journey began in 4th grade, so when I was nine I started on the violin. That first year of reading music really set the tone for my musicianship. That next year, I moved to choir and have been singing ever since. In middle school, I received more musicianship training and singing development through the choir. By the time I got to high school, I was performing competitively as a soloist in the choir and in solo and ensemble competitions. Our high school choir traveled and competed internationally with two of us at the forefront leading the solos. When I went to college, I began my studies on the piano as my secondary instrument and became a classically trained singer. I performed a recital every year at my local church and fundraised to pay for a two-week trip to the Amalfi Coast to perform with a summer Opera program. After graduation, I joined the military and started to perform all different types of genres with the U.S. Army band from rock, country, patriotic, soul, jazz, blues, classical, R&B, and pop music. It was a lot of fun to get to perform your favorite top 40 music and some old-school music sprinkled in. When I got out of the Army I went back to school to get my master’s degree in vocal pedagogy. There, I really learned all the nuances of the voice and how to master the instrument. I started my professional voice teaching business and have been performing and songwriting since completing my master’s. I wish I could say I came from a family of musicians but really, I am the only one — but we have a few singers.
What is the first song you wrote that you were proud of, and why?
The first song I wrote that I was really proud of was “Time To Breathe,” the title track from my new EP I released this past March. I had that song in my head for years. “Time To Breathe” is the tail end of a story about a point in my life where I felt low enough to end my life from losing the love I cherished. I was young and didn’t quite know what love was, but I knew that was the person I wanted at that time in my life. Every time I perform and hear this musical composition I am moved because I made it through a dark time. “Time To Breathe” was one of those songs you just know needs to be heard. So I had a strong compulsion to get this song created. I actually tried working with two other producers before I found the one who helped me bring this song to life. Once “Time To Breathe” was created, it did relieve some of the emotional burden I had been feeling all these years. So it is one of my most beloved songs.
What is your writing process like?
My writing process is a bit unorthodox. I use the universe to help me write my music, which seems weird, but I say that because my songs come to me at random. Sometimes I’m more intentional and just listen to the world around me. But the songs I write almost always start with some sort of melody. I’ll just be living life and realize I’m humming the same melody over and over, so I record a voice memo then come back and start composing the structure on the piano. Sometimes lyrics will come right away, other times I craft a story from my life experiences or from what I feel from the melody and chords. My favorite songs are the ones that I write in my dreams. I’ll just be making music in my dream, wake myself up to record the voice memo, and work on it later. I have much more fantastical ideas and sometimes I can create the full song as I recall it from my dream.
Share a musical adventure from this summer with us — an experience that really stood out for you.
This summer I really did as much as I could to promote my first album, so just about anywhere I went I was shamelessly promoting and singing. We took my Dad to New Orleans for his birthday. One morning, while walking around, there was a jazz band playing outside at a local cafe. On their break, I went up and asked them if I could perform a few tunes. It doesn’t always happen but they let me join the set. I performed and afterward, I promoted my album. Wherever I go, I always try to find local musicians to share musical stories, but this was a nice surprise. It was my first performance in New Orleans, but not even three months later, I was back there performing at an artist showcase.
Originally from Arkansas, singer-songwriter Reece Sullivan now lives in Lafayette, La., and plays the surrounding states regularly. He’s reinvented himself many times: piano to guitar, classical to art rock, art rock to folk, flat picking to fingerpicking, solely songwriting to performing. In 2022, Reece released a full length album, Arkansas, and a single, The Riverband (Dockside). In 2023, he released a full-length acoustic album, Gethsemane, and a live EP, Live in the City of Gold. He’s putting the finishing touches on a new album, False Summits, which will be released early in 2024 and he has a single, “Song for Edward de Vere,” planned for November 2023, the 400th anniversary of the first Shakespearean Folio.
Reece is a finalist in the 2023 NewSong Music Performance & Songwriting Competition, which will take place on Saturday, November 18, at Citizen Vinyl in downtown Asheville, N.C. Learn more and purchase tickets HERE.
NewSong Music: What sort of music was playing in your house when you were growing up?
Reece: Not much! I had a very limited amount of vinyl that I remember playing such as an album by The Beach Boys, Joan Jett’s “I Love Rock N’ Roll,” and a kid’s song album. Other than that, one of my bigger and more fond memories of music was listening to what cassettes my dad played in his truck. I remember listening to the album An Innocent Man by Billy Joel and Tumbleweed Connection by Elton John. I loved those albums and the memories associated with them of riding with my dad singing along.
What was your journey to music?
I was classically trained. I started taking piano lessons when I was six; I still remember getting out of the car that day and the lessons, also. Though I did learn a lot like so, it wasn’t until I got an acoustic guitar at age 15 that I truly started learning music theory and playing by ear, which I had beforehand thought of as extremely mysterious. At age 20, I majored in piano performance, but I quit that after a mere year. My professor and I got along really well and would talk a lot about The Beatles and Beethoven, both of whom I greatly love, and he advised me to simply quit college if I knew I really only wanted to write music. Majoring in piano is a very time-consuming degree. I was practicing at least a couple hours a day for five or six days a week, and I felt even that wasn’t enough. It pained me because I was dedicating all that time to learning someone else’s music, however great it may’ve been, instead of working on my own. Thus, my professor’s suggestion that I quit, which I think of to this day as good advice.
What is the first song you wrote that you were proud of, and why?
I wrote my first song, “All I Wanted,” at my friend Jeff Fox’s house when I was 16. I still think of it a somewhat catchy tune and not all too bad. The lyrics were certainly extremely juvenile, but what can one expect at that age? As far as being satisfied with what I write, it’s a difficult thing. I feel no song is ever really perfect and can almost always be made better. Often it’s hard to figure out how to do that, though! I wrote a lot of stuff in my 20s that certainly showed talent and such, but there was a major shift in my music starting at the end of my 20s. I dedicated myself more fully to lyrics and aspects of the craft that I’d somewhat ignored up until then. When that phase started, I wrote an incredible amount of material; some of the material to arise from the early part of that phase I still enjoy and some of them I still play, but the first song to arrive where I realized I’d improved and that the improvement seemed lasting was a song titled “Suffering & Pain.” That song was released on the album “All For You, Dulcinea.” Though the vocals and production and recording quality on those songs was drastically lacking, I still really like “Suffering & Pain.”
What is your writing process like?
I believe in writing whether one is “in the mood” or not. So I try to generally treat it like an author would while writing a book. I tend to write predominantly on acoustic guitar, but I’ll sometimes write things on piano. Though there are definitely exceptions, I almost always get the music totally to my liking. This includes verses, choruses, bridges, breaks, and phrasing. After that, I write lyrics.
Share a musical adventure from this summer with us — an experience that really stood out for you.
I had a song place in this year’s ACORN Songwriting Competition, so I flew to Chicago to play the event, which is about an hour east, in the bottom part of Michigan, almost, but not quite, on Lake Michigan. Certainly traveling is one of my favorite things to be doing, no matter where I’m headed or why, though traveling for music is the best. I had also never been to Michigan or Wisconsin, so I took the chance to drive up into Wisconsin on a free day, which, combined with seeing Michigan, makes for 45 states I’ve been to. Louisiana was scorching hot, as it always is in the summer, so it bordered on magical being somewhere as cool and breezy as they are. The ACORN Theater did not disappoint. It’s an amazing, magical place that couldn’t look better, aesthetically. I had a great time playing and met a lot of good folks, one of which I may play some shows with in a few months. Meeting people through music is honestly one of the best parts to touring, and for me, I feel closer to people I meet through music than any of circumstance.
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.
