Win the 2016 NewSong Music Competition and YOU will get to perform at the Sundance Film Festival’s prestigious ASCAP Music Café
JUST ANNOUNCED: The grand prize winner of this year’s 15th Annual NewSong Music Showcase & Competition will now be featured at the 2017 Sundance Film Festival’s prestigious ASCAP Music Café, following in the tradition of previous #NewSongMusic grand prize winners Max Hatt/Edda Glass, Rachael Kilgour and The Cardinal Sons. Learn More.
“The ASCAP and NewSong Music collaboration continues to deliver some of the Music Cafe’s most memorable performances. We’re excited to discover the next great artist to perform at the 2017 Sundance Film Festival.” – Erik Philbrook, ASCAP VP & Creative Director
We are giving you an extra 48 hours to submit your music!
We’re extending the deadline 48 hours for you to get those new songs submitted into this year’s program over the weekend. The new deadline is now this Monday, October 17 at 11:59 PM EDT.
2015 NewSong Music Performance & Songwriting Competition grand prize winner Rachael Kilgour returned to Lincoln Center on September 8th along with 2015 finalist Blair Bodine. Photo credit: Darial Sneed
Rachael Kilgour | David Rubenstein Atrium at Lincoln Center | Photo: Darial Sneed
Lincoln Center’s Jordana Phokompe | David Rubenstein Atrium at Lincoln Center | Photo: Darial Sneed
NewSong Music Director Gar Ragland introducing the artists| David Rubenstein Atrium at Lincoln Center | Photo: Darial Sneed
Rachael Kilgour | David Rubenstein Atrium at Lincoln Center | Photo: Darial Sneed
Rachael Kilgour | David Rubenstein Atrium at Lincoln Center | Photo: Darial Sneed
Rachael Kilgour | David Rubenstein Atrium at Lincoln Center | Photo: Darial Sneed
Rachael Kilgour | David Rubenstein Atrium at Lincoln Center | Photo: Darial Sneed
Rachael Kilgour | David Rubenstein Atrium at Lincoln Center | Photo: Darial Sneed
Rachael Kilgour | David Rubenstein Atrium at Lincoln Center | Photo: Darial Sneed
Rachael Kilgour | David Rubenstein Atrium at Lincoln Center | Photo: Darial Sneed
Rachael Kilgour | David Rubenstein Atrium at Lincoln Center | Photo: Darial Sneed
Rachael Kilgour | David Rubenstein Atrium at Lincoln Center | Photo: Darial Sneed
Rachael Kilgour | David Rubenstein Atrium at Lincoln Center | Photo: Darial Sneed
Rachael Kilgour | David Rubenstein Atrium at Lincoln Center | Photo: Darial Sneed
Rachael Kilgour | David Rubenstein Atrium at Lincoln Center | Photo: Darial Sneed
Rachael Kilgour | David Rubenstein Atrium at Lincoln Center | Photo: Darial Sneed
Blair Bodine | David Rubenstein Atrium at Lincoln Center | Photo: Darial Sneed
Blair Bodine | David Rubenstein Atrium at Lincoln Center | Photo: Darial Sneed
Blair Bodine | David Rubenstein Atrium at Lincoln Center | Photo: Darial Sneed
Blair Bodine | David Rubenstein Atrium at Lincoln Center | Photo: Darial Sneed
Blair Bodine | David Rubenstein Atrium at Lincoln Center | Photo: Darial Sneed
Blair Bodine | David Rubenstein Atrium at Lincoln Center | Photo: Darial Sneed
Blair Bodine | David Rubenstein Atrium at Lincoln Center | Photo: Darial Sneed
Blair Bodine | David Rubenstein Atrium at Lincoln Center | Photo: Darial Sneed
Blair, Gar & Rachael in the green room | David Rubenstein Atrium at Lincoln Center | Photo: Meera Dugal
Congratulations to this year’s ‘Early Bird’ finalists Middle Child and Market Junction.
We’re excited to announce the two ‘Early Bird’ finalists in this year’s 15th annual NewSong Music Performance & Songwriting Competition, awarded to the bands Middle Child (Roxbury, MA) and Market Junction (Houston, TX). Learn more about each group below!
Middle Child was conceived by musicians and songwriters Austin Max (Nashville) and Danny Silberstein (Los Angeles), who met at Berklee College of Music in 2013 and were soon joined by fellow musician/songwriter Terrell Hines (Dublin, Georgia).
Market Junction is an Americana group founded in 2011 by singer-songwriters Matt Parrish and Justin Lofton.
They’ll be joining us on Saturday, December 10 to showcase and compete in the live performance finals at New York City’s Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts.
NewSong finalist Blair Bodine will return to New York’s Lincoln Center on Thursday, September 8, opening for Rachael Kilgour
Blair Bodine is a New York City-based folk musician with an infectious energy and a true gift for storytelling through song. NewSong Music is excited to welcome this 2015 competition finalist back to the Lincoln Center stage as the opening act for Rachael Kilgour at Kilgour’s album release show on September 8th.
Bodine has a never-ending passion for songwriting that shows up in all areas of her life. In addition to writing and performing her original soul-stirring melodies, Bodine is passionate about music education. A Columbia University graduate, she wrote her thesis on Chinese Ethnomusicology. She currently works for Steven Van Zandt’s Rock and Roll Forever Foundation, writing curriculum for middle and high school teachers about the history of American popular music. In other words, Bodine isn’t your cookie cutter singer-songwriter — a fact that has earned the songwriter some much-deserved recognition in competitions and festivals across the country.
While Bodine didn’t take home the first place prize in last year’s competition, she’s still reaping the benefits of her experience with NewSong. She says the chance to perform at Lincoln Center (twice!) is the biggest perk. “Being a NewSong finalist can really help boost your confidence as a performer,” says Bodine. “You are given a great opportunity to play at an epic venue. As an artist, it is a true gift, and it helped propel me forward.”
The opportunity to make friends with fellow finalists and connect with other touring musicians is icing on the cake. “I am so excited to see Rachael Kilgour in September and hear songs from her new album,” says Bodine, who says she has stayed in touch with many of her fellow NewSong finalists. “They’re a great group of humans,” she adds.
To learn more about Blair Bodine, visit blairbodine.com. To learn more about her September 8th performance with Rachael Kilgour, visit lincolncenter.org.
2015 NewSong grand prize winner Rachel Kilgour returns to Lincoln Center
Rachael Kilgour stunned NewSong judges in 2015 with her passionate delivery of provocative songs that effortlessly blend artistry and activism. Her performance earned her the winning spot in last year’s competition, and that means Kilgour will return to Lincoln Center, along with fellow 2015 NewSong finalist Blair Bodine, on Thursday, September 8th.
Kilgour says that above all else, the NewSong Music competition was a way for her to reach new listeners and grow as a writer and performer. “We try to get better and better at communicating our human experience, and we try to find the right people to share it with,” says Kilgour. “That is our job as artists.”
Kilgour has also been hard at work recording over the past year and is eager to share her latest album, Rabbit in the Road (NewSong Recordings). We took some time to talk to the Minnesota-based songwriter to learn more about her life since last year’s win and her upcoming album release.
What about you upcoming show at Lincoln Center are you most excited about? I am looking forward to returning to the Lincoln Center on September 8th and so happy that Blair will be joining me! I am feeling pretty fortunate for the opportunity and so glad that I will be able to share my new album with the audience. There is quite a lot of nuance that goes into an artist’s performance, and there is something kind of jarring about picking your top three songs to share for a contest. It will be good to have the chance to move from song to song in an organic way — to tell a story.
It’s great to see you sharing the bill with last year’s NewSong finalist Blair Bodine. Are there any other relationships you have made through NewSong that have stayed with you? I think one of the most beneficial relationships I have gained through this experience is the one I have formed with Gar Ragland, the President of NewSong. Since January, Gar has put so much time and energy into helping me complete this album and plan for its release, and he has also introduced me to a number of influential people in the industry. I am so grateful to know him. I’ve also stayed in touch with a number of the other finalists since the contest, and I think we have all benefitted from those connections.
Part of your prize was performing at the ASCAP Music Cafe at the Sundance Film Festival. What was that like for you? Attending Sundance and performing at the ASCAP Music Cafe was an incredible experience. First off, I was so grateful for the opportunity to experience the festival itself. There was such respect for filmmaking as an art form in that setting — it was very encouraging. Having the chance to share my work with a brand new audience is always a gift, but performing on that particular stage was quite an honor. The listeners were engaged and seemed to really understand my performance, and that is all I care about at the end of the day.
Did anything about the NewSong competition surprise you? I was surprised to win, certainly! But I was also surprised by the amount of support NewSong offered each of the finalists and how well they maintained relationships with previous winners and finalists after all of these years. I think NewSong is doing a lot of important work to connect emerging artists with resources and with each other.
To learn more about Rachael Kilgour, visit rachaelkilgour.com. For more information about her upcoming performance at Lincoln Center, visit lincolncenter.org.
DISCOUNTED ‘EARLY BIRD’ PRICING ENDS ON MONDAY, AUGUST 15
You have until this Monday night at midnight (EDT) to submit your music during the discounted ‘Early Bird’ stage of the 15th Annual NewSong Music Competition. Enter this weekend – before submission prices increase – for your chance to showcase and compete at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in New York City this December!
Recent NewSong Music alums Rachael Kilgour and Blair Bodine to perform co-bill at New York’s Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts
With vulnerability, wit, and passion, Minnesota-based singer-songwriter Rachael Kilgour (pictured) effortlessly merges the personal and political. The 2015 NewSong Music grand prize winner releases her third full-length album, Rabbit in the Road, on September 30 on NewSong Recordings. The collection takes a vulnerable and intimate look at divorce, and the complexities of grief, resiliency, and transformation.
“Kilgour is the real deal—a modern troubadour confronting raw truths with a powerful voice and passionate, socially conscious songs that will move anyone who still believes that music can—and should—change the world.” —ASCAP Playback
To celebrate the release, Kilgour will be returning to Lincoln Center to perform on Thursday, September 8. Opening the performance is Blair Bodine, a Philadelphia native who has been racking up recent accolades for her lyrical mastery and soul-stirring melodies. Along with Kilgour, she was a finalist in 2015 NewSong Music Competition Finals.
Congratulations to Hartwell, GA’s Ethan Crump, the winner of this spring’s third annual NewSong Presents: LEAF Singer-Songwriter Competition. As the LEAF winner, Ethan will advance to join us at Lincoln Center in New York City on Saturday, December 10 to showcase and compete in this year’s international NewSong Music finals there.
This series of features highlights the 2015 NewSong Music finalists. Each artist is invited to 14th Annual NewSong Music Showcase & Competition Finals – Lincoln Center (Jan 7th) for the opportunity to win the #NSM Grand Prize. We sat down with each finalist to learn more about their music and background. Hope you enjoy! #NewSongMusic #WhereGreatArtistsAreDiscovered
BIO Based out of Duluth, MN, singer-songwriter Rachael Kilgour has built a devoted following over the last ten years, captivating audiences with a balance of provocative, topical lyrics, passionate musical delivery, and a charmingly witty stage presence. Kilgour began writing and performing her own songs in 2005. She was invited to join recording artist Catie Curtis on a tour of the Midwest as an opener and backup musician in 2006 and again the following year. Her original music was received well enough that she decided to break from the pursuit of a Music Education degree in order to focus on a career as a performer.
In 2007, Kilgour married and enthusiastically took on the role of step-parent to her wife’s young daughter. She released her long-awaited debut album in December 2008 and a second release, “Will You Marry Me?” in January 2011. Both albums give an earnest glimpse into the life and politics of a young woman turned wife, mother and advocate for a generation of dissatisfied global citizens. In February 2013, Kilgour released “Whistleblower’s Manifesto,” a three-song EP that focuses on issues of social injustice and showcases her innate ability to challenge and inspire listeners.
Kilgour has performed across the country in coffeehouses, concert series and radio studios as well as protests and picket lines and has shared the stage with such folk luminaries as Greg Brown and Cheryl Wheeler. In 2015 Kilgour took fifth place in the Telluride Troubadour Competition and was named the winner of the LEAF Newsong Contest in North Carolina. Following her 2014 divorce, Kilgour has written a collection of new, powerfully intimate material. She plans to release a full-length, studio album of the work in the spring of 2016. The album is being produced by Catie Curtis.
Q:What does it mean to you to be selected as a NewSong finalist, and what do you hope to get out of the experience? A: I was thrilled! As an artist, it’s always heartening to hear that your work resonates with people. It is an honor to be given the opportunity to perform in such a beautiful space alongside such talented artists.
I am most looking forward to meeting the other finalists! I love coming together with folks who live the same kind of life, share the same kind of passion and yet express it in such individualistic ways. I am also looking forward to meeting the judges and the rest of the Newsong team! I am excited to challenge myself to perform to the best of my ability at the showcase and I hope to connect with some new listeners as a result of this experience.
Q: What is your songwriting process? A: I don’t exactly have a process. It’s taken me some time to settle into a trusting kind of relationship with my writing. I don’t practice, I don’t force myself to write when I don’t have something to say, I don’t panic when I have dry spells or if I get stuck writing about one topic excessively. Songs seem to come to me like little gifts, I just need to make time to receive them. For me, songs are almost always born out of a repetitive thought. Sometimes it is a problem or injustice I am trying to resolve – either on a personal level or a world-wide one. Sometimes it is an intense emotion (eg: love for a child) that I am trying to communicate. I think we all write with the hope of being understood, whatever the topic. Songwriting allows me to sort the mess inside my head, but the magic lives in the sharing of the complete work. That moment of mutual understanding between the performer and listener is something I live for.
Q: What is currently happening with your music? A: I am currently working on a new album – produced by Catie Curtis and recorded in the Boston area by Crit Harmon. I am very excited to release it, hopefully in the early spring! The album consists of the work I’ve written in the last year and a half since my divorce – it is raw and emotional and people have been connecting with it in a big way since I began sharing the tunes on stage. I’m very proud of the work we are doing in the studio and can’t wait to share it!
