Posts Tagged ‘NewSongMusic’

Jenny Fares: LEAF Singer-Songwriter Competition Judge

Sunday, May 8th, 2022

NewSong Music is readying for this year’s LEAF Singer-Songwriter Competition and Showcase.

The event is a collaborative effort between NewSong Music and LEAF Community Arts. It aims to identify and recognize exceptional performers and songwriters from across the country. The finalists are invited to network and compete at the Spring LEAF Retreat, on Saturday, May 14.

Judges for the event include artists and music industry professionals in Asheville, N.C.

A creative force to be reckoned with, Jenny Fares has been an active player in Asheville’s artistic community for nearly thirteen years. Jenny is a mover, shaker, and all around crowd rouser. Her collaborations are a walloping cacophony of sound and fury, art and fun. She thrives in creative, energetic circles – and it shows. She was featured on the cover of Asheville Citizen-Times for creating a “legacy of innovative music programming” for the city. She founded and ran Music Video Asheville for 5 years and the Brown Bag Songwriting Competition. As the former lead singer of Asheville folk favorite, Jen and the Juice, she headlined area festivals including LAAFF and Downtown After Five, and the band’s record Meet the Hooligans of Bohemia was named among the top 10 regional albums of 2006 by 88.7 WNCW.

 

Wilder Adkins to perform at Sundance Film Festival’s ASCAP Music Café this Thursday and Friday afternoon

Wednesday, January 25th, 2017

Watch via Facebook Live on NewSong Music’s page

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2016 NewSong Music grand prize winner Wilder Adkins’ songwriting gleans as much from the earthy poetry of Wendell Berry and Mary Oliver as it does from the works of folk luminaries Richard Thompson and Bruce Cockburn. He’s a true theosophical spirit, arrestingly taciturn, but possessed of startling guitar skills, a wit as dry as October leaves, and a tremulous, dented voice that’s frankly mesmerizing.

His courtly-but-witty lyrics evoke a Deep South Shelley or Yeats, riding a joyful guitar dexterity. Adkins’ songs, steeped in natural imagery, frequently touch upon the subjects of faith, doubt, and as the title of his new album would indicate, hope and sorrow.

Wilder performs two sets at this year’s Sundance Film Festival’s ASCAP Music Café, and you can tune in to watch and listen via Facebook Live on NewSong Music’s Facebook page at 2:00 PM MST both this Thursday (1/26) and Friday (1/27).

“By turns haunting, spectral, tender and tenacious, Adkins is a master when it comes to conveying uncommon emotion, relying on minimal arrangements that sometimes seem suspended in the ether” – Elmore Magazine

WATCH THE LIVE STREAM ON FACEBOOK

Wilder Adkins on the web
Web: wilderadkins.com/
Facebook: facebook.com/WilderMusic/
Twitter: twitter.com/WilderMusic
Instagram: instagram.com/wildhare_radkins/

2016 NewSong grand prize winner Wilder Adkins releases peace anthem “Side By Side” on MLK Jr. Day

Monday, January 16th, 2017

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2016 NewSong grand prize winner Wilder Adkins releases peace anthem “Side By Side” on MLK Jr. Day

“This is a song about the city of Birmingham, Alabama and the struggles of the civil rights movement in the 1960s,” says Adkins, a Birmingham resident himself. “It is also an anthem for peace and a call to keep hoping and never give up fighting darkness with the power of light.”


ABOUT WILDER ADKINS
Wilder Adkins15698210_881465828570_6907624843770016758_n songwriting gleans as much from the earthy poetry of Wendell Berry and Mary Oliver as it does from the works of folk luminaries Richard Thompson and Bruce Cockburn. His courtly-but-witty lyrics evoke a Deep South Shelley or Yeats, riding a joyful guitar dexterity.

Adkins hails from Marietta, GA, but now lives and writes in Birmingham, AL. He grew up listening to his dad play renditions of Neil Young and Van Morrison songs on an old Guild Jumbo Acoustic. Adkins’ songs, steeped in natural imagery, frequently touch upon the subjects of faith, doubt, and as the title of his new album would indicate, hope and sorrow.

Adkins is the grand prize winner of the 2016 international NewSong Music Performance & Songwriting Competition.


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Congratulations to Wilder Adkins, the 2016 NewSong Grand Prize Winner

Tuesday, December 13th, 2016

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Introducing the 2016 NewSong Grand Prize Winner: Wilder Adkins

Congratulations to Wilder Adkins, this year’s grand prize winner of the 15th Annual NewSong Music Showcase and Competition. Adkins took top honors on Saturday night at Lincoln Center’s David Rubenstein Atrium in New York City.

Adkin’s songwriting is steeped in earthy poetry and is imbued with a theosophical spirit. Thematically, his songs frequently touch upon faith, doubt and the natural world. He counts poets Wendell Berry and Mary Oliver among his influences, as well as Neil Young and Van Morrison. His aptly titled latest album, Hope and Sorrow, is a characteristic marrying of poetry and musicality.

“Getting to meet and hang out with the other NewSong Music finalists totally affirmed for me that this is a supportive community of artists serious about their craft. Playing at Lincoln Center in New York at the Holidays was a dream come true. Being named the winner of such a talented pool of songwriters is an incredible honor and one of my proudest moments!” – Wilder Adkins, 2016 NewSong Grand Prize Winner

Click here for a photo gallery of the live performance finals.

“The NewSong Music Competition is one of the country’s strongest platforms for discovering and showcasing some of the today’s most talented, emerging and most deserving singer-songwriters. It has a rich legacy of shining a spotlight on true artists who are serious about their craft. While all of this year’s finalists were compelling in their own way, this year’s winner, Wilder Adkins is an extraordinarily gifted lyricist, vocalist and guitarist from Birmingham, Alabama, who mesmerized everyone in the room at Lincoln Center. He’s the real deal and I’m thrilled to play a part in exposing him to a wider audience.”  – Erik Philbrook, NewSong Music judge and ASCAP VP and Creative Director

“We had another outstanding group of finalists this year, which made our job as judges all the more challenging. But after the first two rounds, Wilder’s deeply poetic songcraft – paired with a passionate and at times comical performance – led him directly to this year’s top honor. We look forward to working with him over the next year and beyond, and to help him and the rest of his fellow finalists take their music to the broader audience they richly deserve.”  – Gar Ragland, NewSong Music Producer and Co-founder

#MeetTheJudges: Erik Philbrook, Vice President and Creative Director of ASCAP

Friday, December 9th, 2016

Erik Philbrook

ASCAP’s VP and Creative Director

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Erik Philbrook serves as ASCAP’s VP and Creative Director. In addition to writing editorial, producing video and managing content for ASCAP’s various media channels, he has interviewed and written about many of today’s leading songwriters and composers from across the musical spectrum, from legendary icons to today’s emerging artists. He has helped lead ASCAP’s advocacy efforts in protecting songwriter rights in the digital age. And he has played an essential role in the success of high-profile ASCAP events such as the Sundance ASCAP Music Café and the ASCAP “I Create Music” EXPO, where he has interviewed on stage many top music creators, including Tom Petty, John Mayer, Bon Jovi, ELO’s Jeff Lynne, Ingrid Michaelson, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, Steve Lillywhite and many others. In addition, Philbrook is a songwriter and musician himself, having recorded three acclaimed albums with his band NYC-based band The Brilliant Mistakes.

#MeetTheJudges: Elysa Marden of Arts Brookfield

Friday, December 9th, 2016

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2016 NewSong Music Performance & Songwriting Competition

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Elysa Marden is a curator and producer based in NYC. She is currently the Co-Director of Art Brookfield, a national public arts program that produces, commissions, and presents music, dance, film, visual art and spoken word year-round and free to the public. She has had the pleasure of working with NewSong Music to present NewSong artists in Brookfield spaces in NYC and Denver for 8 years.

 

#MeetTheJudges: Meera Dugal (Lincoln Center)

Friday, December 9th, 2016

MEERA DUGAL

2016 NewSong Music Performance & Songwriting Competition

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Meera Dugal is the Programming Manager for the David Rubenstein Atrium at Lincoln Center. The Atrium is home to over 100 free, extremely eclectic performances a year that are curated with the aim to reflect the diversity present in New York City. Originally from Charleston, Meera has a Bachelor of Arts from New York University’s Gallatin School where she studied ethnomusicology. Before coming to Lincoln Center, Meera worked with globalFEST, The National Jazz Museum in Harlem, The Jazz Gallery, and Iraqi-American musician Amir ElSaffar. She is the manager for the New York-based traditional Moroccan Gnawa sextet Innov Gnawa and a member of Women of Color in the Arts.

 

Three Questions with Jomo Edwards (of Jomo & The Possum Posse)

Tuesday, December 6th, 2016

Three Questions with Jomo Edwards (of Jomo & The Possum Posse)

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Jomo Edwards is a roots-loving, Austin, Texas-based singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. He is perhaps best known for his viral video series, “Guy On A Buffalo,” in which he wrote and overdubbed a new soundtrack for the film, Buffalo Rider. The irreverent wit and sardonic sense of humor apparent in the video series is just as pronounced in his songwriting.

Edwards often performs with his band, Possum Posse. The band’s latest record, Local Motive skews heavily toward roots rock & roll and old-school country. With song titles like “Farts Ain’t Funny” and “The Real Housewives of the West of Us,” you can bet that this songwriter has his own, singularly entertaining take on the classic genres.

We took the time to ask Edwards about his songwriting inspiration, career news and his hopes for the NewSong competition.

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

I do my best work when given a deadline or assignment. I don’t usually spend weeks or months writing a song. I usually write my best songs in one sitting. Then, I begin playing them on an instrument, and don’t look back at the words I’ve written down, which usually allows me to develop more organic-sounding lyrics.

A few years ago, I also started attending a songwriting circle where an assignment was given each week. I was immediately hooked, and I have ended up writing a large number of songs from that group.

What does it mean to you to be a NewSong finalist, and what do you hope to gain from the experience?

For me, it means I’m not 100 percent crazy. I really believe in what I’m doing as a songwriter, but sometimes it can feel like there’s nobody else out there who understands and/or appreciates it.

What music news do you have to share with fans?

Earlier this year, my band, The Possum Posse, released a self-produced album called Local Motive. I’m pretty proud of it, and I think it captures the energy of our live shows. We’ve been playing most of the songs on that album live for a couple of years, so they organically developed their own arrangements. When we got into the studio, we were able to just play them the way we’d done many times before, and we were able to track most of the songs live.

To learn more about Jomo Edwards, visit thepossumposse.com and follow his band Jomo & The Possum Posse on Facebook.

Three Questions With Wilder Adkins

Tuesday, December 6th, 2016

Three Questions With Wilder Adkins

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Wilder Adkins, a Birmingham, Alabama-based folk musician, discovered that he was a NewSong finalist at a friend’s house in Cambridge, England. “I had just played a show at a 900-year-old church when I heard,” says Adkins. “So, suffice to say, it was a great bit of news to cap off a great evening.”

Adkin’s songwriting is steeped in earthy poetry and is imbued with a theosophical spirit. Thematically, his songs frequently touch upon faith, doubt and the natural world. He counts poets Wendell Berry and Mary Oliver among his influences, as well as Neil Young and Van Morrison. His aptly titled latest album, Hope and Sorrow, is a characteristic marrying of poetry and musicality.

We took the time to ask Adkins about his songwriting inspiration, career news and his hopes for the NewSong competition.

What is your songwriting process like, and where do you find inspiration?
Generally, I write about things that move me. Usually, the music comes first, but not always. Oftentimes it takes a while for a song to grow on me — even my own songs. In terms of musicians that inspire me, I love Van Morrison’s Astral Weeks. It’s one of my favorite albums. Recently, I played at a folk festival in Scotland hosted by another of my songwriting heroes, Dougie MacLean.

What does it mean to you to be a NewSong finalist, and what do you hope to gain from the experience?
It can be pretty hard for folk musicians to get attention these days, so it is really wonderful to receive that kind of recognition for my work. I’d love to connect with the NewSong family of artists and hopefully make plans for future shows and collaborations.

https://soundcloud.com/wilderadkins/bright-beautiful

What music news do you have to share with fans?
I put out a new album called Hope & Sorrow in 2016. I’ve also got an album of pirate music hopefully coming out soon.

To learn more about Wilder Atkins, visit wilderatkins.bandcamp.com and follow Wilder Music on Facebook and Twitter. You can also listen to his music on SoundCloud.

#InstagramTakeover with Wilder Adkins

Tuesday, December 6th, 2016

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Follow 2016 NewSong Music finalist Wilder Adkins as they take over the official NewSong Music Instagram account.

 

 

Good day, my name is Wilder Adkins and I’m a #NewSongMusic finalist from Birmingham, AL doing an Instagram takeover today. Thanks for joining me. Follow along for a fascinating behind-the-scenes look at the life of a songwriter/janitor in the Deep South. #instagramtakeover #songwriterslife #singersongwriter #meditation #snoopy #joechristmas

A photo posted by NewSong Music (@newsongmusic) on

 

 

On the phone with a big-time music publisher! Part of the #WilderAdkinsTakeover today. #wilderadkins #carlyraejepsen #musicindustry #songwriter

A video posted by NewSong Music (@newsongmusic) on

 

 

#WilderAdkinsTakeover If you’re ever down in Birmingham, come check out the best little music shop in the land, Bob Tedrow’s Homewood Music. These guys are great luthiers and set up all my guitars for me. #musicbham #luthier #birminghamal #wilderadkins #alabama @wildhare_radkins

A photo posted by NewSong Music (@newsongmusic) on

#wilderadkinstakeover Everyday I'm hustlin'. #onemoreday #holdon #wilsonphillips #wilderadkins #inspiration

A video posted by NewSong Music (@newsongmusic) on

 

#wilderadkinstakeover Everyday I'm hustlin'. #onemoreday #holdon #wilsonphillips #wilderadkins #inspiration

A video posted by NewSong Music (@newsongmusic) on