Posts Tagged ‘Alice Howe’

NewSong Artist Roundup: Alice Howe, Ben Lubeck, & More

Monday, July 1st, 2019

There are so many talented artists who are part of the NewSong family — it can sometimes be difficult to keep up! That’s why each week, we compile a list of new releases, shows, and videos from past NewSong artists who we think deserve your attention. 

Thinking about submitting to this year’s NewSong Music Singer Songwriter Competition? The Early Bird Deadline is July 15th. Submit your music here

 

Alice Howe — Visions

 

2018 NewSong finalist Alice Howe released a new album, Visions, this spring, and it’s a beautiful collection that deserves a spot in your summer rotation.

Via alicehowe.com: “Vistas and the faces and emotions they summon unfurl with compelling grace on Visions, Howe’s anticipated debut album. A modern love letter to 60s and 70s folk and timeless blues, Visions pays homage without succumbing to imitation, and offers an intimate snapshot of a young artist discovering her own power.”

 

Ben Lubeck (Farewell Milwaukee) — “For You Again”

 

We met Ben Lubeck, frontman of the band Farewell Milwaukee, in 2010 when he was a finalist in the NewSong competition. He recently released a series of singles, one of which is the lovely “For You Again.”  This song, explains Ben, “explores the many emotional ups and downs of a couple’s relationship as they add members to their family and the daily practice of cultivating each other’s hearts through the complex and mundane parts of life.” Check out this song as well as his other singles, “Mrs. Bluebird” and “The Show,” on the artist’s website.

Ana Egge — “Cocaine Cowboys”

 

Ana Egge recently released a dreamy new single, “Cocaine Cowboys,” which premiered on PopMatters

Via PopMatters: “This one started out as a song in tribute to life on the road and the camaraderie and friendship of bandmates and it quickly crossed into territory of honky-tonk life on the road,” says Ana Egge, reflecting on her new single, ‘Cocaine Cowboys.’ Hailing from her upcoming album, Is It the KissEgge’s latest is a mellow, sweetly ruminant folk tune that explores the romantic haze surrounding the stories of old-school country stars.”

Is It the Kiss is due for release in early September via StorySound Records. It is now available to pre-order.

‘Come Together’ series in NYC continues in July, August

Enjoy new original music inspired by the 50th anniversary of the Beatle’s Abbey Road album on Wednesdays, July 10, 17, 24 and 31, from 12:30 – 1:30 PM at One New York Plaza and Thursdays July 18, August 1 and August 15 at Brookfield Place. Performers include past NewSong finalists Kaiti Jones, Crys Matthews, Suzie Brown and Mel Bryant, as well as Asheville, NC-based bands Slow Packer and For Def. For event info, visit our Facebook page

 

Early Bird Deadline is July 15 for NewSong Music Competition 

We are proud of our ever-growing NewSong community and the support, camaraderie and networking that goes on among finalists stretching back through the competition’s 18 years.

Will this be the year you will submit your original music? The Early Bird Deadline is July 15! Visit our submissions page here

Weekly Roundup: NewSong Artist News 12/10-12/16

Monday, December 10th, 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 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 NewSong Music Songwriting & Performance Competition will be held at Isis Music Hall in Asheville, NC on Dec. 15. Purchase tickets hereRSVP for the Facebook Live webcast of the finals.

 

1. Meet our 2018 NEwSong competition Finalists (and judges!) on the blog 

We hope you have enjoyed meeting our 2018 NewSong Music Performance & Songwriting Competition finalists on our blog this week. We’ve been sharing videos, artist links and interviews with all of the artists who will compete at Isis Music Hall on Dec. 15.

Visit the blog to read our interviews with Alex Wong; Alice Howe; Carly Taich; Kaiti Jones; Liz Frame, Mel Bryant and Suzie Brown, as well as an interview with our guest performer and 2016 grand prize winner, Wilder Adkins

Stay tuned this week for interviews with our judges.

2. Crys Matthews — New tour dates announced 

Crys Matthews, grand prize winner of the 2017 NewSong Music Competition, is back on the road, this time playing shows mostly in the Northeast, along songwriter Chris Pureka. Her first show is Thursday Dec. 13 at Club Passim in Cambridge, MA. 

Vist Crys’s website for full list of tour dates. 

3. No depression Year-end readers poll — deadline is 12/14

No Depression’s annual year-end readers poll is now open for voting, and this year’s list includes a handful of albums from some of our favorite NewSong artists, past and present, with two releases from our own NewSong Recordings label: “Rough and Ready Heart” from Blue Yonder (NewSong Recordings, 2018); “Don’t Apologize” from Beth Snapp (NewSong Recordings, 2018); “Idaho” from 2017 NewSong finalist David Robert King; and “White Tiger” from NewSong 2007 finalist Ana Egge. 

Click here for album links and instructions on how to vote. 

4. Wilder Adkins —  guest performance at 2018 NewSong Music competition & Listen: ‘Christmas and chill’ spotify playlist

 

Birmingham, Alabama-based songwriter Wilder Adkins will travel to Asheville on Dec. 15 to be our guest performer at the 2018 NewSong Music Competition at Isis Music Hall.

Adkins received the grand prize in 2016 and has this to say about his NewSong win: “I really have gotten a lot of opportunities to play in some neat venues, and all that really pads the resumé. … Getting to record at Echo Mountain is cool – it’s a world class recording studio.”

Read the full interview with Adkins here, and be sure to check out his new Spotify playlist, “Christmas and Chill,” which features Adkins’s rendition of the traditional hymn “Come Thou Long Expected Jesus.”

 

5. NewSong founder Gar Ragland featured in “Capital at play” magazine

Curious about the history of NewSong Music? An article titled “Production Line” in Capital at Play Magazine, gives an in-depth view of the story behind the competition and record label, which has grown considerably since its beginnings as Mountain Stage NewSong Festival in 2001.

“Over the past 10 years or so it has become an increasingly well-respected for emerging artists,” says Ragland in the article. “Last year we had more than 5,000 artists enter the competition. I’m continually surprised by the caliber of artists we attract.” 

Read the full article here

Meet 2018 NewSong Competition finalist: Alice Howe

Monday, December 10th, 2018

From the artist’s bio: Boston singer-songwriter Alice Howe is “at once of the moment and timeless, personal and universal” (Mark Walton, Americana UK). Her pure, distilled sound reflects a musical sensibility rooted in ’60s folk and ’70s Southern California songwriters. … 2017 was the year that Alice began making big waves in the folk world. Her EP You’ve Been Away So Long debuted on the April Folk-DJ charts with a #1 song – “Homeland Blues” – and #11 album. “Homeland Blues” went on to become the #7 song for all of 2017. Alice has been touring consistently in support of the EP in throughout the US, and recently returned from a critically acclaimed tour of the UK and the Netherlands. All in the last year, she was a Falcon Ridge Folk Festival Emerging Artist, an Official Showcase Artist at FAR-West, and a Formal Showcase Artist at NERFA. Read full bio here

We asked Alice 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? 

 
I am honored and thrilled to have been selected as a NewSong finalist. I consider it to be an invaluable opportunity to connect with other talented young songwriters and to learn more about and become involved in the NewSong organization. In the several years that I have been pursuing music full-time, I have learned that relationships and community are an essential part of building and sustaining a career, and I see this is a great opportunity to do exactly that.
 

What is your songwriting process like, and where do you find inspiration?

 
I have been singing and writing songs for as long as I can remember. The process has evolved considerably since my days singing into a tape recorded at age 3 1/2, but there remains a strong improvisational element to my process. I like to sit with my guitar, strumming or picking a chord progression that pleases me, and I sing whatever words come to me, changing words, trying new ones, until it feels right. I am inspired by nature, relationships, and history, and I find that I often begin my songs by painting a picture of what I see, then turning inward. I don’t always know what my songs are about when I write the first line, but I soon learn as I continue exploring.
 
I grew up with my parents’ vast record collection, and have always been inspired by the music of their generation, including Jackson Browne, Joni Mitchell, Joan Baez, Bonnie Raitt, and Taj Mahal.
 

What important news about your music do you have coming up? 

 
My forthcoming full-length album, Visions, produced by Freebo (Bonnie Raitt, CSN, Ringo Starr) and recorded in Bakersfield, CA is complete and will be released in 2019. The new album features a collection of new originals and my interpretations of iconic songs such as Muddy Waters’ “Honey Bee”, “Too Long at the Fair,” first covered by Bonnie Raitt, and songs from Dylan and Taj Mahal. The musicians who recorded Visions with Alice include Freebo, Fuzzbee Morse, John Molo, and John ‘JT’ Thomas who have played or recorded with everyone from Bruce Hornsby to Lou Reed and Richie Havens, Phil Lesh, Jackson Browne, Tracy Chapman, Nick Jameson, and a who’s who of West Coast characters.
 
 
Listen to Alice Howe on Soundcloud and Spotify. Follow Alice Howe on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter

 

Announcing the 2018 NewSong Music Contest Finalists!

Wednesday, November 21st, 2018

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. 

 

 


 

Alex Wong — Nashville, TN

Alex Wong // Nashville, TN

 

Alice Howe — Chestnut Hill, MA

Alice Howe // Chestnut Hill, MA

 

Carly Taich — Asheville, NC (2018 LEAF Festival Contest Winner)

Carly Taich // Asheville, NC

 

Kaiti Jones — Cambridge, MA

Kaiti Jones // Cambridge, MA

 

Liz Frame and the Kickers — Boston, MA

Liz Frame // Boston, MA

 

Mel Bryant & the Mercy Makers — Nashville, TN

Mel Bryant & The Mercy Makers // Nashville, TN

 

Suzie Brown — Nashville, TN

Suzie Brown // Nashville, TN

 

 

Tobias the Owl — Seattle, WA

Tobias the Owl // Seattle, WA

 

YouTube Playlist: 2018 NewSong Music Competition finalist playlist: