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 – #WeARENEWSONG video out today

David Robert King — a finalist in last year’s NewSong Music Competition whose striking songwriting has been compared to Leonard Cohen and Tom Waits — is featured in our video series, #WeAreNewSong. In the short video, King discusses his experience with the NewSong competition, as well as his musical inspirations and songwriting process. 

King was the runner up in last year’s NewSong Music Performance & Songwriting Competition in New York City. Since then, he has released a new record, Idaho. This past summer, King recorded a single “Have Mercy” with NewSong Grand Prize Winner Crys Matthews and producer Gar Ragland.

David performs at The Bluebird Cafe in Nashville on Wednesday Oct. 10. Buy tickets here. Listen to David Robert King on Spotify. 

2. Beth Snapp – Oct. Tour Dates

Beth Snapp is keeping busy after the release of her 2018 album, Don’t Apologize. This week, you will find the songwriter with her band at the Music on the Laurel Creek series Tuesday Oct. 9 in Damascus, VA and the Annual Harvest Boogie hosted by Jump TN on Friday Oct. 12.

Meanwhile, Don’t Apologize, recorded at Echo Mountain Recording Studios with producer Gar Ragland, continues to gather positive critical acclaim. Listen to the new album on Spotify. 

3. Farewell Milwaukee – Flannel Roots Music & Beer festival 

Farewell Milwaukee is a mainstay of the Minneapolis music scene since 2008. The band embraces the role that their Midwestern towns have played in shaping them artistically, garnering them fans through their authentic lyrics, lush vocal harmonies, and an honest sincerity at live shows. Farewell Milwaukee released their fourth full-length album, FM, in September 2018.

The band will perform at the the Flannel Roots Music & Beer Festival in Minnetonka, Minnesota Saturday Oct. 13. Listen to Farewell Milkwaukee on Spotify. 

4. NEwsong Recordings spotlight: Rachael Kilgour “Rabbit in the Road”

After a successful crowdfunding campaign, Rachael Kilgour is gearing up to release her next album, Game Changer, early next year. This week, we suggest revisiting Rachael’s first release with NewSong Recordings, Rabbit in the Road.

Billboard calls it “A heartfelt slice of master crafted indie folk, brimming with the battle-tested capacity to endure the worst in others. There’s a steadfast confidence to her voice, which lingers around the guitar and keystrokes like smoke above a dying fire.”

Listen to Rabbit in the Road on Spotify. Purchase the album on bandcamp.

5. JBird Shogren – Wild west songwriters festival

Shogren is a 2016 NewSong Music Competition finalist and has performed at Lincoln Center in NYC, as well as the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. as part of the NewSong Music Series. He was also in the studio earlier this year at Echo Mountain Recording with producer Gar Ragland, tracking material for his new solo project Horse Machine (stay tuned for more on that in future roundups).

Shogren will perform at the Wild West Songwriters Festival in Deadwood, SD, Oct. 12 and 13. For more information on the festival, visit the website. 

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.

To learn more and submit, click here.