Our 6th annual LEAF Festival Singer-Songwriter Competition is this weekend, Saturday, May 11! All this week we are introducing readers to our eight, talented finalists. Today we are proud to highlight Candler, NC-based Krista Shows.
Singer-songwriter Krista Shows is tied up in a place. Her sound — a combination of folk, R&B, and country with a raw, emotionally-gripping note that comes straight from the gut — is born of her life growing up in Mississippi, a place abounding in twofold realities. As new as a breath of fresh air and as old as the Mississippi River all at once, her songs are occupied by the people, the nature, and the heartbreak of that upbringing.
What is your songwriting process like, and where do you find inspiration?
My songs start with a melody or a phrase. It’s not uniform; it’s just about what feels right. I write songs for mental health — to process a situation or to help myself figure out how I am feeling. I also write to push myself to get better at it.
Inspiration for writing is nature itself, the nature of life, the humans around me. Musically, the soul and country music that was coming out of the south in the 60s and 70s is a big inspiration to me. I love Millie Jackson, Roger Miller and Outkast.
What important news about your music do you have coming up?
We just finished recording our debut studio album at Dial Back Sound in Water Valley, Mississippi. Not quite sure when it’ll be out yet, but we’re excited!
Our spring Asheville show is on Mother’s Day, May 12th, at Isis Music Hall. It’s an early evening show, 6-7:30, in the lounge. We’ll share the bill with our awesome friends, Drunken Prayer.
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’m grateful for the opportunity. For me, creating new connections with people who are active in their own journey of music is exciting. I am also stoked because LEAF is a super special place to me, I volunteered at the festival for three years so that I could attend, now we’ll attend as performers.
Our 6th annual LEAF Festival Singer-Songwriter Competition is this weekend, Saturday, May 11! All this week we are introducing readers to our eight, talented finalists. Today we are proud to highlight Warren, OH-based Demos Papadimas.
Singer-songwriter Demos Papadimas (guitar/vocals/harmonica/bouzouki) skillfully intertwines American roots music with Mediterranean influences. Based in Northeast Ohio, Papadimas cites among his influences Dylanesque balladry, Leonard Cohen’s latter day touring ensembles, and string-band revivalists such as Old Crow Medicine Show as well as Greek Rembetiko—the “Greek blues.”
What is your songwriting process like, and where do you find inspiration?
For me the songwriting process is marked by quite a bit contemplation. As with most aspects of my life, I could easily be accused of overthinking the process. I typically am writing several songs simultaneously. I mark different sections of note books with colored post-it bookmarks and flip back and forth. Some lyrics start in one song and end up in another. I usually jot down random lines anywhere possible, and I’ve got post it notes all over the place. Some of them are lines that seemingly randomly come to me and others I’ve been working on for months. Still, other potential lyrics of mine are phrases that I’ve heard in conversation or read somewhere, and others are probably subliminally, inspired by songs that I love.
Voice Memos have become essential for recording initial ideas for riffs and melodies. Without the easy access of Voice Memos on a phone, I probably would abandon many ideas. If I didn’t have the option of playing back recorded ideas so easily, I would be overly critical. The best musical ideas—whether it is riffs or chord progressions or even melodies—seem to be the ones that come to me immediately when I pick up my guitar. The more time I spend thinking about it, the further I get from the initial sense of inspiration. There’s a similar Paul McCartney quote in which he says something to the effect of, “the best idea being the purest and the purest idea is the one that comes to you initially.” With lyrics it’s practically the opposite. With more editing and re-writing, I tend to better focus on the essence of the line and it helps refine what I’m trying to express. Much of the process is stringing together various ideas, some of them musical and some of them lyrical.
My inspiration comes from various sources, but the most obvious is from musicians whom I hold in high regard. Bob Dylan and Leonard Cohen are certainly high up on the list in terms of songwriters that have inspired me.
In another sense, the best inspiration is when I’m playing with my band or working on existing songs of mine either in practices or in the studio. Revisiting my old songs gives me a sense of perspective while the process of working out new material inspires me to continue writing. It seems fairly obvious, but the less I am engaging with my art, the less I produce. Also, seeing other bands on a local or regional level is inspiring as well. Seeing what my peers (many of them friends in bands that play in the same scene that I’m a part of) are doing inspires me as well.
The notion that hard times and suffering produce better songs is not something I necessarily agree with. Obviously, some kind of heartbreak, yearning, or general difficulties add to one’s philosophical outlook and deepen their understanding of existence, but if you’re deep in depression, you can’t think clearly enough to write. The memory of difficult times perhaps informs our memory as songwriter’s and is something to draw upon for inspiration, but only years later. I suppose for some people the process of songwriting is therapeutic and maybe it is for me, but it’s not something I’m conscious of when it is happening.
What important news about your music do you have coming up?
This summer I’ll be working on a new studio album as well as wrapping up an EP of recordings of old Greek Rembetiko songs. Rembetiko is a Greek genre of music known somewhat as the “Greek blues” and these songs are great source of inspiration for me. Also, I’ve been going through live recordings of my band for a future live album.
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’m honored to be selected as a NewSong finalist. I’ve been following news about the NewSong competitions for a few years now, and I’m grateful to be a part of it. I’m sure it will be a good networking experience not only with the other finalists, but with everyone from NewMusic as well as the LEAF Music Festival. I’ve never been to North Carolina, but I’ve been intrigued by the Asheville music scene so it will be good to see this area first hand.
About the event
With a mission to identify and celebrate exceptional performers and songwriters from across North America, the competition aims to bring some of the continent’s most accomplished emerging artists to showcase, network and compete at the 48th LEAF Festival, which takes place May 9-12, 2019. Festival headliners include India Arie, Shovels and Rope and the War and Treaty.
Our 6th annual LEAF Festival Singer-Songwriter Competition is this weekend, Saturday, May 11! All this week we are introducing readers to our eight, talented finalists. Today we are proud to highlight Brooklyn, NY-based Syd Caldera.
Syd Caldera is a singer-songwriter from Tulsa, Oklahoma currently living in Brooklyn, New York. Her most recent project, a four-song EP entitled Hasta La Bye Bye, was recorded from her bedroom studio in Brooklyn and mixed and mastered by LA-based producer Jonah Wei-Haas. Slated to be released digitally in July, the forthcoming release is a reflection on her process of finding and maintaining serenity and mental health while establishing a life in NYC. It is her hope that listeners may find solace in her work, and that those who are facing struggles can glean hope from the EP’s playful and optimistic themes.
What is your songwriting process like, and where do you find inspiration?
There are pretty much two ways that I start writing a song. One way is like an emotional burst. In that case, I’ll feel a surge of energy and this urge to create. When I get the urge, I either sing a voice memo on my phone, or if I’m home, I pick up my guitar and pull back from my mind and let it out, singing and playing with the recorder on.
The other way that I write is very intentional. I pull out my notebook and free write on a subject for 10 minutes, trying to keep my language really rich with sensory phrases. Once the ten minutes is up, I read through it and pull out things that sound nice. Then I use my thesaurus to find words related to that topic and my rhyming dictionary to expand into verses. From there I pick back up my guitar and sing and record and listen back and repeat until a full idea is formed. From there I work to make my verses symmetrical. I’ve learned this makes a big difference when trying to make my songs accessible to people, otherwise I’m just writing for myself, which isn’t as fun to share with people. I’ve learned to stop before a song is perfect. A song is valuable however it reveals itself. Whether it sticks with me or not only time can tell. This is why recording my ideas is a must! Sometimes I sit down for two minutes and just walk away. I’ve had the experience over and over of rediscovering an idea and feeling that urge to write come back up.
What important news about your music do you have coming up?
Well, in July of this year I’m releasing a four song EP entitled Hasta La Bye Bye. It was recorded almost entirely in my bedroom in Brooklyn, NY, and mixed and mastered by a dear friend of mine out of LA, Jonah Wei-Haas, who grew up with me back in my home town of Tulsa, Oklahoma. It’s a real labor of expression and very bare bones. I really think songs are great time capsules. Each of the four songs holds its own lesson, and they’re all taken directly from real life emotional struggle and growth. I hope that people hear Hasta La Bye Bye, and if they are having a hard time, that the songs will help them feel less alone. Folks can look for it on all of the streaming platforms, but also on my SoundCloud (/sydsongs). I’m also always posting snippets of things I’m working on on my Instagram page, and I love to make new friends and hear from people there. Just be warned, I am a huge dork with a strange sense of humor. That’s also @sydsongs
What does it mean to you to be selected as a NewSong finalist, and what do you hope to get out of the experience?
There was a time in my life when I thought live music belonged on front porches and in dive bars. I never would have submitted to a contest back then. Since I chose accept that songwriting is my path, I’ve started imagining a reality where my entire community and the work I do and the activities I do all revolve around writing songs, and I cannot imagine a better life. So, becoming a NewSong finalist is such an honor for me because it’s a step forward towards that dream. I’m grateful for the opportunity to get out of New York City and reconnect with dirt and sky and trees. I’m grateful for the people I get to meet and connect with. I’m grateful that I will be surrounded by music lovers and have the opportunity to contribute to people’s experience, and I look forward to the lessons I’ll take with me back to New York.
Our 6th annual LEAF Festival Singer-Songwriter Competition is this weekend, Saturday, May 11! All this week we are introducing readers to our eight, talented finalists. Today we are proud to highlight California-based Cat Terrones.
Catherine “Cat” Terrones is based in her hometown of San Pedro, California. As a solo performer, Cat has been featured as a finalist in singer-songwriter showcases like Kerrville Folk Festival’s New Folk Competition. Cat’s musical influences are diverse and far reaching. Immersed in classical and Celtic (Welsh) music from a young age, enamored equally with American Folk, Celtic, Alt Rock, and Singer-Songwriter genres, she studied classical strings, composition, and classical and jazz voice in college, while moonlighting in Blues and Irish bands.
Cat’s is one half of the Neo-Folk Americana act, Sun and Dark. Their debut album takes a personal lens and examines the topics of our time: climate change, the global refugee crises, energy extraction, our precarious relationship to and deep need for nature, and our search for genuine human connection. Anchored in Cat’s original material, with a sound based on a vocal harmony, instrumental, and songwriting collaborative with bandmate Ben Shannon, Sun & Dark’s sound is a modern fusion of Americana/Roots, Celtic, and Alternative/Folk influences.
Cat is grateful for the continued fellowship of the artists and patrons in the music community. Her hope is to spend the next 40 years (or more) contributing new, beautiful, relevant art to the American Folk tradition, through her collaborative and solo projects.
Our 6th annual LEAF Festival Singer-Songwriter Competition is this weekend, Saturday, May 11! All this week we are introducing readers to our eight, talented finalists. Today we are proud to highlight Atlanta-based The Good Graces, aka Kim Ware.
Drummer-turned-songwriter Kim Ware started the Good Graces on a whim in 2006, after purchasing a beat up, old acoustic guitar she named Buzzy at the Lakewood Antiques Market in Atlanta. The songs quickly poured out of her, melodic stories of heartache and hope, set to three chords that she often didn’t know the name of. Since then, Kim and tGG have toured the east coast multiple times, paid musical visits to Texas, over to California, and performed at such festivals as 30A, NXNE, and now, the esteemed LEAF Festival.
In 2015, Kim’s song “Cold in California” caught the attention of the Indigo Girls, who invited tGG to support some midwest and southeast shows during their summer tour. Shortly thereafter, Kim and friends began work on their 4th full-length, Set Your Sights. Released in conjunction with the Chapel Hill/Durham, NC-based boutique label PotLuck Foundation, Set Your Sights places Kim’s heart-on-her-sleeve songwriting and earnest lyrical delivery at the forefront of an atmospheric indie-folk expedition, led by producer / guitarist Jonny Daly and supported by a long list of players from around the southeast. Kim recently wrapped up work on a follow-up LP, Prose and Consciousness, to be released in October 2019.
What is your songwriting process like, and where do you find inspiration?
More than anything, it’s never forced. I really am lucky, in that I love to create, and I’m almost always inspired. It can be anything, but for me, it’s usually in the everyday. Making coffee. Arguing with my husband. Making up. And often, my pets. I rarely sit down with the intention of “now I’m gonna write a song about x.” Instead, I’ll have little moments. In the car, in the shower… A melody and/or lyric will come to mind. That’s usually how it starts, and I just try to capture and build on it as quickly as I can, before it gets away.
What important news about your music do you have coming up?
LEAF! And I’m releasing my 5th full-length in October, it’s called “Prose and Consciousness,” and it doesn’t have a single breakup song on it! Pretty proud of that.
What does it mean to you to be selected as a NewSong finalist, and what do you hope to get out of the experience?
As much as I want to think I don’t need validation, I think we all do. At the very least, it feels good for my songs to be recognized in this way. The other songwriters are so talented! I’m looking forward to meeting them, and I hope my music connects with a new batch of folks who may not have been exposed to it otherwise.
With a mission to identify and celebrate exceptional performers and songwriters from across North America, the competition aims to bring some of the continent’s most accomplished emerging artists to showcase, network and compete at the 48th LEAF Festival, which takes place May 9-12, 2019. Festival headliners include India Arie, Shovels and Rope and the War and Treaty.
Our 6th annual LEAF Festival Singer-Songwriter Competition is this weekend, Saturday, May 11! All this week we are introducing readers to our eight, talented finalists. First up American roots artist Grant Maloy Smith, a Kingston, RI based musician whose album “Dust Bowl – American Stories” was hailed as a “heartland masterpiece” by No Depression.
Grant Maloy Smith is an American Roots singer/songwriter. His latest album “Dust Bowl – American Stories” spent 17 weeks on the Billboard charts, including 11 weeks in the top 10 on the Americana/Folk album sales charts. He has performed everywhere from The Troubadour to the Bitter End, the Bluebird Cafe, and most recently at the world-renowned Carnegie Hall, with his Nashville band. He has been awarded two Grammy certificates for his work on Grammy-winning albums, and has won numerous other awards, including top Indie Music Channel awards in 2016, 2017 and 2019 in Hollywood. He performed and acted in the new feature film “Oildale” which is being played in film festivals now around the world. He’s working on a new album called “Appalachia – American Stories.”
What is your songwriting process like, and where do you find inspiration?
My inspiration comes in several flavors. First, I am usually working on an album for future release, and my albums always have a theme linked to a historical epoch, such as the Dust Bowl, or Appalachia. Therefore I am always reading and learning about that topic and searching for how to capture its key elements in song. Second, song ideas also happen accidentally – usually when I am practicing. I play something unusual or try something new, and suddenly I get the idea for a song or a part of a song. Third, sometimes I wake up with an idea in my sleepy head, and I refine it in the shower.
But in all cases, my process normally involves working the idea for some time on the guitar, then recording it on my phone. Later I go to my studio and make a rough track, so that I can sing against it and develop it further. I play the song again myself and sing it to find out where the weak parts are. Then I refine the recording. I go back and forth like that as many times as needed to come up with a song that works both “live” and as a recording. It’s important to do this, because it is surprisingly easy to create a song that sounds great recorded, but which is difficult to get across “live.” So I guard against that happening.
What important news about your music do you have coming up?
I am almost done writing the songs for my upcoming album “Appalachia – American Stories.” This will be the follow-up to my 2017 album “Dust Bowl – American Stories.” That album was on the Billboard charts for four months, and in the top 10 on the Americana/Folk album sales chart for 11 weeks, selling close to 30,000 copies. I hope I am that lucky again. Also I will be performing again at Carnegie Hall next April – this was just booked. I played there November 19, 2018 for the first time and it was pretty amazing. Finally, a very good movie that one of my songs (and me) appeared in called “Oildale”, which was filmed in Merle Haggard’s hometown, is making the film festival circuit prior to an eventual theatrical release. I attended the big premiere in Bakersfield California in March, and will attend the next screening in Providence RI later this month.
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 always fun to be chosen, and to get the chance to meet some new friends and peers in the music world. I always learn something from them, and I hope its mutual. Music is about sharing. I love this part so much that I co-founded a group specifically for independent musicians called The Indie Collaborative. We’ve got several thousand members already, and it’s free to join at www.indiecollaborative.com/Join It’s a great place for indie musicians and music industry professionals alike to share experiences and learn from each other. I hope that everyone in music will join us because we’re doing a big showcase at the Bitter End in NYC on August 24 of this year. That’s going to be a blast!
With a mission to identify and celebrate exceptional performers and songwriters from across North America, the competition aims to bring some of the continent’s most accomplished emerging artists to showcase, network and compete at the 48th LEAF Festival, which takes place May 9-12, 2019. Festival headliners include India Arie, Shovels and Rope and the War and Treaty.
They’ll be joining us at the 48th LEAF Festival on May 9-12 in beautiful Black Mountain, NC (just outside of Asheville) to showcase, network and compete in the sixth annual LEAF Festival Singer-Songwriter Showcase & Competition, presented by NewSong Music.
Cat Terrones – San Pedro, CA
Demos Papadimas – Warren, OH
Grant Maloy Smith – Kingston, RI
The Good Graces (Kim Ware) – Atlanta, GA
Krista Shows – Candler, NC
Kristen J. Lloyd – Midway, UT
Parker Ainsworth – Venice, CA
Syd Caldera – Brooklyn, NY
On behalf of everyone at LEAF Community Arts and NewSong Music, THANK YOU to all the outstanding songwriters who entered your original music to this year’s program. Your songs and your dedication to your craft continue to inspire us all.
NewSong Music and the LEAF Festival announce the 6th Annual LEAF Singer-Songwriter Competition.
Friday, February 29. (Asheville, NC) – LEAF Community Arts (LEAF) and NewSong Music are pleased to announce the launch of the 6th annual LEAF Festival Singer-Songwriter Competition.
With a mission to identify and celebrate exceptional performers and songwriters from across North America, the competition aims to bring some of the continent’s most accomplished emerging artists to showcase, network and compete at the 48th LEAF Festival, which takes place May 9-12, 2019. Festival headliners include India Arie, Shovels and Rope and the War and Treaty.
The LEAF Festival Competition is accepting original song submissions now through Thursday, April 11, with discounted ‘Early Bird’ submissions ending Wednesday, March 13.
Judges will select eight finalists from the pool of entries, who will perform in the live showcase and competition finals at the Spring LEAF Festival on Saturday, May 11, 2019. A panel of music industry judges there will select the overall winner of the competition.
2018 NewSong Presents: LEAF Festival Competition winner Carly Taich
The GRAND PRIZE winner will be awarded a paid, featured performance (including lodging & accommodations) at the Fall 2019 LEAF Festival, held October 17-20 in Black Mountain, NC (near Asheville). The winner will also advance to perform and compete later this year in the live performance finals of the 17th annual, international NewSong Music Performance & Songwriting Competition.
NewSong is proud to announce our first ever “NewSong in Nashville” performance showcase on March 7 at The Listening Room Cafe in Nashville. Four past finalists from the LEAF Festival Competition will reunite for a night of songwriting and performances.
Performers include Beth Snapp, who recorded her latest album, Don’t Apologize (2018), with NewSong Recordings; Carly Taich, who won the 2018 LEAF Competition and went on to be a top three finalist in the NewSong Songwriting Competition in December; Nashville-based duo My One and Only; and Asheville, NC-based songwriter Alexa Rose. See below for artist bios.
Singer-songwriter Beth Snapp might be considered pop infused roots, but her appeal has little to do with the box of a genre. It’s a connection. She flits around and between folk, bluegrass, pop, early R&B and jazz to create a unique sound with one purpose – to serve a story. Snapp recorded her latest album, Don’t Apologize, with NewSong Recordings at Echo Mountain Studios in Asheville, NC.
North Carolina-based musician, Carly Taich, is tough to pin down. Just when you think you’ve got her figured out, she takes off in a new direction with her hand out-stretched, waving for you to follow. She may be quick but she’d never leave you behind. This patient yet resolute nature has been revealed, like most innovative things, to be a strength for the seraphic songwriter. She holds a magnifying glass to her own soul before turning it on others. She has an unexpected, laissez-faire way of tackling the human experience, then holding it with humor and grace as if to always be secretly saying to her audience, “You are not alone.”
My One And Only gathers it’s strength from Southern-Soul mixed with Curious-Grit. They’ve honed their sound in individual crucibles on stage, TV, radio, solo recording, engineering and producing. The merger brings true-to-life lyrics that bid you to wander through hidden scenes in their lives – to find heart, emotions, the real. Blanket the raw with hollow-body guitars and home-grown harmonies, and My One And Only’s music cuts through. My One And Only released their debut album “The Past Year”, produced by Grammy Award-nominated Andrija Tokic (Alabama Shakes,) and features all original songs by the duo – husband and wife Benjamin and Kassie Wilson. They have played stages throughout the U.S., as well as touring in Uganda, Africa, and have both graced the stage of the famed Ryman Auditorium in their hometown of Nashville.
Alexa Rose has the rare ability to find strikingly original melodies that nevertheless sound like they must have existed for a long time, stored away maybe in the ether of creativity, self-evident and awaiting discovery. Moving deftly between complex dexterity and heart-tugging familiarity, Rose achieves a sound that pushes gently alongside the bright vocal experimentalism of Joni Mitchell and Joanna Newsom while maintaining the brassy attitude and simple refrains that run straight through American roots music from mountain ballads to rock n roll.
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. Ordinary Elephant – new album announced, kickstarter in progress
If they aren’t already, Ordinary Elephant should be in your music rotation. After being awarded the Folk Alliance International Artist of the Year award, the 2016 LEAF Contest finalists recently announced that they’re heading in to the studio with producer Neilson Hubbard to record their next album.
Hubbard has produced albums by Mary Gauthier, Sam Baker, Glen Phillips, and Amy Speace. “After meeting with him,” says the band, “we’re confident that our visions are aligning, and that he’s going to help us serve these songs, giving them only what they are asking for. This means that overall this record will be fairly stripped down, highlighting the emotional intensity of our live performances.”
Pre-order your copy of the band’s new album and support the project via Kickstarter.
Listen to Ordinary Elephant’s latest on Spotify. Learn more about the duo on the band’s website.
2. Andy palmer – new music video For “The Switch”
Andy Palmer announced the release of a new video for his song “The Switch,” created by award winning digital, animation and claymation artist John Grigsby. The striking video has been accepted in film festivals across the country. In addition to the film release, Andy announced his indefinite hiatus from the music industry and invites fans to join him at his last show (for now) at the Walnut Room in Denver, CO on Oct. 20.
Andy Palmer and Brie Capone shared a bill at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. in August 2017 as part of NewSong’s ‘Exploration of Song’ series there. Watch a video of Brie and Andy singing Andy’s song “Off” on YouTube.
Brie Capone is keeping busy this fall with a full lineup of shows. This week, you will find her at Isis Music Hall on Oct. 7th, performing songs from Carole King’s “Tapestry” album, with Asheville musician Jesse Barry and others.
Recorded and released in 1971, “Tapestry” is one of the best selling albums of all time. It received four Grammy Awards in 1972. With an all-star lineup of musicians including Peggy Ratusz, Kelly Jones, Aaron Price, Zack Page, Micah Thomas, Dean Mitchell, & Kate Kinney Barber, this is bound to be another night to remember.
Kelly English is a singer-songwriter from Hartford, Connecticut. A finalist in the 2015 NewSong Songwriting Contest, Kelly traveled to Asheville to compete at the LEAF Singer-Songwriter Competition. There, she found a home at Echo Mountain Recording Studios and partnered with Gar Ragland and NewSong Recordings to record and release “City Limits.” The debut album was released a year ago, in October 2017.
Kelly will return to Asheville later this month to record songs for her follow up album, and we can’t wait to hear what’s next from this talented artist.
Purchase “City Limits” on Bandcamp. Listen to Kelly’s music on Spotify.
5. 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. To learn more and submit, click here.
