Posts Tagged ‘NewSong Music’

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Mel Bryant wins the 17th annual International NewSong Music Performance & Songwriting Competition

Wednesday, December 19th, 2018

MEL BRYANT WINS THE 17TH ANNUAL INTERNATIONAL NEWSONG MUSIC PERFORMANCE & SONGWRITING COMPETITION

 

AS GRAND PRIZE WINNER, BRYANT RECEIVES AN EP RECORDING PROJECT AT ECHO MOUNTAIN RECORDING STUDIOS, RELEASED ON THE NEWSONG RECORDINGS LABEL, A PERFORMANCE SHOWCASE AT 2019 SUNDANCE FILM FESTIVAL’S ESTEEMED ASCAP MUSIC CAFE AND MORE

 

ASHEVILLE, N.C. — Nashville-based singer, instrumentalist and songwriter Mel Bryant has been named this year’s grand prize winner of the seventeenth annual NewSong Music Performance and Songwriting Competition. Bryant – along with seven other finalists – was selected from nearly 800 entries to this year’s contest. The finalists performed at Isis Music Hall in Asheville, NC on Saturday, December 15, in front of a sold-out crowd. The panel of music industry judges included Gar Ragland, music producer and co-founder of NewSong Music; Diana Ezerins, director of public programs at The Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.; and Elysa Marden, Vice President of Arts Brookfield in New York City.

“This year’s live performance finals of the NewSong Competition was a particularly special and noteworthy one for us,” said Ragland. “Not only was the caliber of performances and songs as high as it’s ever been, it marks the first time we’ve hosted the event here in Asheville, our beloved headquarters now for the last six plus years. Moving this event to Asheville from New York’s Lincoln Center was long overdue, especially given how amazing and appreciative the fans of live music are here. The energy, enthusiasm and support that the audience provided our finalists’ made for a really magical experience for everyone involved.”

As the grand prize winner, Bryant will receive a fully funded six-song EP, recorded and mixed at Asheville’s own Echo Mountain Recording Studios and released on the NewSong Recordings label. Bryant also receives a performance showcase at the esteemed 2019 ASCAP Music Café at the Sundance Film Festival (January 31) in Park City, Utah and a featured performance in the 2019 Arts Brookfield ‘Summer Plaza’ series in New York City. All finalists receive a Shure MOTIV microphone, and will be strongly considered for future ‘NewSong Presents’ paid performances across the United States.

 

 

Bassist and songwriter Bryant leads the Nashville-based indie rock band Mel Bryant & the Mercy Makers. The four musicians moved together from Philly and New York to settle in East Nashville where they run their own recording studio, Electric Church Records, and work as the backing band for various local artists. Bryant competed in the NewSong Music Competition with her accompanist, Aaron Hicks, on acoustic guitar. Musical influences range from Fall Out Boy and Green Day to Laura Marling, B. B. King and the Allman Brothers.

“It was truly an honor just to be recognized as a finalist and to have been a part of such a wonderful night of music,” says Bryant of her win. “That show was really a career highlight and you could feel the mutual astonishment of all the finalists throughout the show— such an absolutely gorgeous group of musicians. Winning this competition could not have come at a better time for us; it’s so easy to get lost and discouraged by a career in music, but to be recognized by such a wonderful and authentic organization is incredibly heartwarming and life-affirming. I’m so excited to continue working with NewSong, and I can’t wait to see what this next chapter has in store.”

For the first time in its seventeen year history, the live performance finals of the NewSong Music Performance & Songwriting Competition was held in Asheville, NC, where NewSong Music has been headquartered since 2012. The move marks a new direction for the program, relocating from its longstanding host venue, New York City’s venerable Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts.

 

For more information about Mel Bryant, visit the artist’s website, and listen to her band, Mel Brant and the Mercy Makers, on Spotify.

For more information about NewSong Recordings and the NewSong Music Competition, visit newsong-music.com/

For media requests, contact Lea McLellan at leamclellan@gmail.com.

 

 

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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 here. RSVP 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. 

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Meet 2018 NewSong Competition finalist: Alex Wong

Friday, December 7th, 2018

From the artist’s bio: Alex Wong’s curiosity has a varied appetite, and he’s always fed it well. A steady diet of projects as artist, producer, composer, and fittingly, as chef, has taught him that the connections between seemingly separate disciplines can be a source of inspiration rather than distraction. Perhaps this understanding stems from his synesthesia, a rare neurological condition where the brain perceives relationships between unrelated senses. Alex sees sounds and hears colors. What a doctor might deem peculiar, his creative mind appreciates as a gift: this multi-sensory approach allows him to find magic in unexpected connections.

Following those connections has rarely led Alex in a straight line, but it has led him to a Latin GRAMMY-nomination (Miguel Bose), song placements in film, television (One Tree Hill, The Lincoln Lawyer, The Last Song) and major ad campaigns (Google, Aquafina), as well as production credits with Delta Rae (Big Machine), Vienna Teng (Universal), Elizabeth and the Catapult (Compass) and Ari Hest (Columbia), among others. It has led him around the globe, to perform at festivals like Coachella and Outside Lands, arenas in Mexico City and theaters in Europe and Japan. Read full bio on Alex’s website. 

We asked Alex some questions about his 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?

 
Being selected as a NewSong finalist is especially meaningful to me because it’s the first time I’ve put music out under my own name. I’ve been really lucky to have had a career making music as a collaborator, band member and as a writer/producer in support of other artists, but fear always held me back from releasing music under my own name. Even when I put a solo album out over 6 years ago, I used a moniker (A City On A Lake) because I wasn’t comfortable using my name.
 
I realized I’d grown up learning to hide … as a minority kid growing up in suburban U.S., we were taught to fit in to white culture and downplay our cultural identities. As a drummer, I learned my place was in the back of the band and that writing songs and being out front was a job for someone else. It’s been a long path to try and re-write that narrative, to stand in my own space as an artist and to let myself truly be seen in the world without the protective layer of a band or collaborator. The Quiet Voice was the first song I’ve ever released under my own name so it means the world to me that it was recognized by NewSong.
 

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

 
For me, songwriting has always been a way to ask questions. I’m not really moved to write until I feel there is a question I’ve been wrestling with and can’t figure out. Sometimes I feel I’m most interested in trying to write (what I pretentiously call) “secular spirituals” because even though I’m not religious, the questions that are most interesting and that pop up in my writing the most are metaphysical in nature and often have to do with the relationship between life on Earth and the before/after life, if there is such a thing.
 
I am fascinated with why we are here, what lessons we are here to learn and whether we’ve been here before, and I think that seeps into my writing all the time. As far as inspirations, I used to have a big sign in my studio that said “WWTPD” (what would Tom Petty do?) and anytime I was stuck in the writing process I would just try to channel him. I always admired his ability to cut out all extraneous crap and his brilliant economy with lyric and melody. I also tend to worship Bob Dylan, Brian Wilson, Paul Simon, Radiohead, Quincy, Pharrell, Stravinsky and Chopin, to name a few.
 

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

 
I just finished my second solo album, called The Elephant and the Seahorse, which I plan to release in April 2019. I will also be releasing a duo concept album with Jesse Terry in 2019, about a town in Alaska struggling with climate change. I’m currently writing a musical called The Paper Raincoat with former NewSong winner Amber Rubarth and NewSong finalist Devon Copley (The Animators, 2006). I will be continuing to release exclusive content and videos on my Patreon site, which I adore. As a producer, I just started work with NC natives Delta Rae on their upcoming double album.

 

Listen to Alex Wong on Soundcloud and Spotify. Follow Alex Wong on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. 

 

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Watch & Listen: Rachael Kilgour’s “Holy Are We” single out TODAY

Friday, November 16th, 2018

 

“Like all good storytellers, her words draw complete attention from its listener—making them eagerly grasp at lyrics to come, and hang on to and cherish what’s already past.” –WXPN The Key

 

Singer/Songwriter Rachael Kilgour To Release Game Changer Five-Song EP February 1 on NewSong Recordings

First Single/Video “Holy Are We” Out Today

Watch/Share: “Holy Are We”

Tour Dates Confirmed

Hailed as “a heartfelt slice of master crafted indie folk” (Billboard), Minnesota-born, Boston-based singer/songwriter Rachael Kilgour, will release Game Changer, a five-song EP February 1, 2019, on NewSong Recordings. Now available for pre-order, the first single and video, “Holy Are We” was released today.

Recorded at Echo Mountain Recording Studios in Asheville, NC, produced and mixed by Gar Ragland, engineered by Grammy winner Julian Dreyer, and featuring carefully woven string arrangements by Sara Pajunen, Game Changer charts common ground that Kilgour and her listeners have come to share.

Following the success of her 2017 release, Rabbit in the Road, the new EP examines the artist’s first tentative steps into a more hopeful, post-heartbreak existence. With a clear head, Kilgour touches on the complicated nature of romance and relationship, sets up a stunning defense of queer love, and reassesses her priorities as a citizen of a changing wider world.

“There’s a school of thought that songwriters should work to be more inclusive of the audience,” Kilgour muses. “But I’ve come to feel that the more detail I can bring into a song, the more personal aspects there are, the more listeners can find themselves inside of it. The universality is in the emotion beneath the detail.”

The 2015 grand prize winner of the international NewSong Music Performance & Songwriting Competition and winner of the 2017 Kerrville New Folk Contest, Kilgour has been featured at NYC’s Lincoln Center, at The Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. and by the ASCAP Music Cafe at the Sundance Film Festival. She has released four previous recordings Self-Titled (2008), Will You Marry Me? (2011), Whistleblower’s Manifesto (2013) and Rabbit in the Road (2017).

 

RACHAEL KILGOUR TOUR DATES


Sat, Nov 17 @ 7:30PM Voices in the Heights

Rachael Kilgour, Belle-Skinner, Robinson Treacher

119 Pierrepont Pl, Brooklyn, NY 11201



Sat, Nov 24 @ 7:00PM Rockwood 3

Rachael Kilgour and Crys Matthews

185 Orchard St, New York, NY 10002



Sun, Nov 25 @ 6:30PM East Rock Concert Series

Rachael Kilgour and Crys Matthews

285 Nicoll St, New Haven, Connecticut 06511

 

Wed, Nov 28 @ 8:00PM Garnet Rogers at OLS w/Rachael Kilgour,

181 State St, Portland, ME 04101

 

Thu, Nov 29 @ 7:00PM Garnet Rogers at Red & Shorty’s w/Rachael Kilgour

4 Paul Street, Dover, NH 03820

 

Sat, Dec 1 @ 8:00PM Rachael Kilgour at Possum Hollow

BeJae Fleming opens

Saint Paris, OH

 

Fri, Dec 7 @ 8:00PM The Warming House

Rachael Kilgour and Scott Cook

4001 Bryant Ave S, Minneapolis, MN 55409

 

Sat, Jan 5, 2019 @ 7:00PM The Roots Cellar

1219 University Ave SE

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Weekly roundup: NewSong Artist News 10/8-10/15

Monday, October 8th, 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. 

 

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.

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Weekly roundup: NewSong artist news 9/17-9/23

Monday, September 17th, 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 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. 

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Watch live webcast of Crys Matthews performing at the Kennedy Center today, Aug. 22

Wednesday, August 22nd, 2018

NewSong Music is honored to partner with the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. to present the 2017 NewSong Music Competition grand prize winner Crys Matthews at the Kennedy Center’s Millennium Stage. 

“It is such an honor to be playing the prestigious Kennedy Center,” says Matthews of her upcoming performance. “There isn’t much that I get to write or call home to my mom about that makes her cheer the way she did the night I won the 2017 NewSong Music and Performance Competition, but this did it. To know I am getting to sing my songs on the same stage as so many of my songwriting heroes means so much to me. To be able sing a song inspired by our former First Lady Michelle Obama in our nation’s Capital will make the night that much sweeter for me, personally.” 

Matthews’s performance is featured as part of the Kennedy Center’s free daily series on its Millennium Stage in the Grand Foyer. Watch the live webcast of her performance this Wednesday, August 22 at 6:00 PM EDT. 

To learn more about Mathews’s experience winning the 2017 NewSong Songwriting and Performance competition, check out our new video series, #WeAreNewSong below. 

More show information here. Tune in to the digital stage here or watch below.

For more on Crys Matthews, visit the artist’s website. 

 

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#WeAreNewSong :: Crys Matthews

Wednesday, August 15th, 2018

Every year, NewSong receives countless song submissions from talented artists across North America and beyond. Only a handful are chosen each year as finalists. And while not all of these finalists take home the grand prize, all of them leave a lasting impression on the NewSong team. Supporting and fostering new and as-yet-undiscovered musicians is what NewSong is all about, which is why we aim to celebrate past finalists and winners in our new video series, #WeAreNewSong. 

Crys Matthews is one of those artists who did, in fact, take home the grand prize in 2017. Watch our interview with Crys to learn more about her NewSong experience and what drives her songwriting. 

Crys Matthews is the second NewSong artist featured in the series, and we have been thrilled to continue working with this talented songwriter since her grand prize win in 2017. As recently as July 2018, Crys co-wrote and recorded a new single with fellow 2017 NewSong finalist David Robert King at Echo Mountain Recording Studios. Producer and NewSong founder, Gar Ragland, was at the helm.

To call Crys “busy” might be an understatement. In August 2017, she simultaneously released both a new full-length album, The Imagineers, and an EP, Battle Hymn For An Army Of Lovers. These collections showcase two sides of Matthews’ dynamic songwriting; The Imagineers is a selection of thoughtful songs about love and life, while Battle Hymn For An Army Of Lovers tackles social justice themes.

We hope you follow Crys’s career, as we will, and check out her work on Spotify and iTunes! 

To stay up-to-date with Crys’s news and schedule, visit her website. 

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Crys Matthews records grand prize EP at Echo Mountain Recording Studios

Monday, July 30th, 2018
 

Crys Matthews was the Grand Prize Winner of the 2017 NewSong Music Competition. She spent time in Asheville this July recording her grand prize EP with producer Gar Ragland at Echo Mountain Recording Studios.

 

NewSong Music is delighted to have 2017 Grand Prize Winner Crys Matthews in the studio this week, recording her EP, These Old Hands. 

Matthews credits her NewSong win with launching her music career in the right direction. “Since that night, I’ve been on an incredible trajectory,” she says. “I have been able to play some of the most amazing venues in the country, meet some of the most amazing people, and rub elbows with some of the greats like Michael Franti and Keb Mo.”
 
Of her new EP with NewSong Recordings, These Old Hands, Matthews says, “It’s a complete departure from my last two projects and has more of an angsty Joan Armatrading feel to it. I’m so looking forward to sharing these songs — especially with my fans who always want to hear some sad songs.” 
 
“It’s such a pleasure to be working with Crys on this new collection of beautiful songs,” says Ragland, who is producing and mixing the project. “It’s a bit of a departure from her previous recorded work, and pushes the envelope in both exciting and musical ways. The whole team is excited for its upcoming release.”
 

More about Crys Matthews

Crys Matthews is nothing if not ambitious. In August 2017, she simultaneously released both a new full-length album, The Imagineers and an EP, Battle Hymn For An Army Of Lovers. These collections showcase two sides of Matthews’ dynamic songwriting; The Imagineers is a selection of thoughtful songs about love and life while Battle Hymn For An Army Of Lovers tackles social justice themes. Songs from both projects have already won her recognition and awards. She was one of ten finalists (from a pool of 5,000) in this year’s NewSong Music Competition and, after performing at Lincoln Center on November 30th, she was named grand-prize winner. Matthews also won the People Music Network’s Social Justice Songs contest at the 2017 Northeast Regional Folk Alliance.

We hope you will follow along with Crys Matthew’s growing music career and check out her releases on Spotify and iTunes! For updates and show schedule, visit her website. 

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Beth Snapp releases new video for single “Don’t Apologize”

Friday, July 13th, 2018

Beth Snapp and NewSong Music are proud to announce the video release for Snapp’s latest single “Don’t Apologize.” 

“’Don’t Apologize” is the title track [of the new EP]; however, it really became the overarching theme of both this project as well as my current place in life,” says Snapp.

Beth Snapp – “Don’t Apologize” (OFFICIAL VIDEO)

“We get insecure, we listen to the voices in our head (or sometimes the voices around us) and suddenly we aren’t just ashamed of our character flaws – we become ashamed of our character. We become ashamed of trying new things, putting ourselves out there, being vulnerable…and that has to stop. SO. Don’t apologize – ever — for loving yourself, loving your neighbors, and trying to pour some of that love into this broken world.” 

The video was written by Snapp and produced by Jeb Johnson. “Don’t Apologize,” is the first single released from Snapp’s new EP of the same name, which was produced and mixed by Gar Ragland of NewSong Recordings. 

“Don’t Apologize” is available for purchase on Spotify, Bandcamp andd iTunes. Pre-order the full EP on iTunes, and receive the single as an instant gratification download.

Learn more about Beth and stay up to date with her performance schedule at bethsnapp.com.

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