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. Rachael Kilgour – game changer Kickstarter Campaign ends Sept. 23

Rachael Kilgour is a Minnesota-born, Boston-based songwriter and performing artist whose sincere, lyric-driven work has been called both brave and humane. As the 2015 grand prize winner of the NewSong Music Performance & Songwriting Competition, Rachael has performed at Lincoln Center, The Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. and the ASCAP Music Cafe at the Sundance Film Festival. 

Rachael’s new EP, Game Changer, is produced by NewSong founder 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. “I am hopeful that you believe in me too.”

Take a look at Rachael’s Kickstarter and pre-order Game Changer today! Listen to Rachael’s past work on Spotify. 

2. Beth snapp – Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion Festival Sept. 21-22

Beth Snapp is keeping busy in the wake of her recent album release, Don’t Apologize. Catch her at the Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion Festival on September 21 and 22.

From the Festival: “The Festival hosts over 130 bands on 20 stages in downtown Bristol during the third weekend in September. Attendance has grown to approximately 45,000. Among its many accolades the Festival has been named as one of Rolling Stone’s ‘Top 20 Tours and Festivals,’ and has won a Grand Pinnacle Award from the International Festival and Events Association.” 

More festival information here. Listen to Beth Snapp’s latest album, Don’t Apologize, on Spotify and iTunes. 

3. Wilder Adkins – praise for “Marietta”

Wilder Adkins continues to garner praise from critics for his recent single release, “Marietta,” which takes its inspiration from the Bruce Springsteen classic “I’m Goin’ Down.” This time, the review comes from York Calling. “It may be a cover,” says the reviewer, “but Adkins has managed to make the track truly his own.”

Read the full review here. Listen to “Marietta” on Spotify. 

4. Brie Capone – Two old hippies Sept. 21

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 Two Old Hippies in Nashville, TN on Friday Sept. 21 at 6 pm. Free show. For full event information, visit the event page on Facebook.

Listen to Brie Capone’s latest on Spotify. 

5. Chris velan – New album, Amateur Hour, now available

Montreal singer-songwriter and producer, Chris Velan, has always been crossing borders with his mix of world music-influenced, singer-songwriter pop. NewSong has had the pleasure to work with Chris Velan on past albums including, Glow (2016) and The Long Goodbye (2013).

We are loving his most recent work, so head over to your favorite music platform and give Amateur Hour a listen! 

You can explore Velan’s work via NewSong Recordings here.