On Eliza Edens’ sophomore album We’ll Become the Flowers, she seeks to understand what happens after the end. Whether grappling with heartache or a loved one’s mortality, the Brooklyn-based songwriter re-imagines endings not as finite events but as devotional experiences that give way to new beginnings. Edens takes inspiration from folk luminaries such as Nick Drake, Karen Dalton and Elizabeth Cotten.
Eliza will join seven other finalists to network and compete at the NewSong Performance & Songwriting Competition finals on Saturday, March 15, at Citizen Vinyl. Find tickets here.
NewSong Music: What sort of music was playing in your house when you were growing up?
Eliza: The Beatles, Stevie Wonder, Peter, Paul & Mary, John Mayer, Jack Johnson, Eva Cassidy, Dave Brubeck Quartet, Norah Jones, Canned Heat, Bonnie Raitt, and lots of classical music.
What inspired you to become a songwriter?
The absolute magic and mystery of music. I was always so mystified as a child when I saw someone playing a guitar or a piano. I wanted to learn how I could make beautiful sounds with my hands on those instruments too. So I suppose, mystery. I am still uncovering the mystery of music and songs.
If you could partner with another living songwriter to co-write a song, who would it be?
Stevie Wonder
What attracted you to submit your song(s) to the NewSong Competition?
I read about it somewhere online and submitted on a whim!
Do you have any recent or forthcoming projects to tell us about?
I am currently working on a new batch of songs about queerness and grief. They are very genre-diverse and a lot of fun!
Rai Omri is a Western Colorado-based songwriter inspired by dreams, stories, old melodies, ambient sound, and the natural world. In 2023, she was named a Finalist in Kerrville Folk Festival’s Grassy Hill New Folk Competition. Her first EP, Astral Plains, explores the dream world, the cycle of death and rebirth, and life in a small town.
Rai will join seven other finalists to network and compete at the NewSong Performance & Songwriting Competition finals on Saturday, March 15, at Citizen Vinyl. Find tickets here.
NewSong Music: What sort of music was playing in your house when you were growing up?
Rai: My mom loved listening to Gillian Welch and John Prine on long drives. My dad loved Bob Dylan, Dizzy Gillespie, Charlie Parker, Leonard Cohen, Bob Marley, lots of Arabic music – a bunch of different stuff. He and I did a lot of dancing.
What inspired you to become a songwriter?
It was a hodgepodge of things – there wasn’t really one seminal moment. I had this amazing elementary school music teacher, Mr. Mayer, who made me love music. I loved poetry and took some poetry classes in college – I got very lucky and had a brilliant poet/teacher, Dave Mason. At the same time, I was getting into old folk songs and the history of folk music. I couldn’t really play guitar back then, but I started going to this guitar summer camp for grown-ups, Puget Sound Guitar Workshop. I had already been writing a little, but one year I worked up the courage to take a songwriting class there with Patrice Haan, who’s incredible and created a really safe space to share and create. I’ve been going to guitar camp for 10 years now. All that and just listening to music I loved and admiring people’s songcraft.
If you could partner with another living songwriter to co-write a song, who would it be?
This is so hard. Honestly, it’s gotta be Dolly. I had a dream once that she came over to me and said, “Girl, you’ve got everything going for you — you should just go for it!” I was in a good mood for, like, a week after that – I had been blessed with a visitation from Dolly. I don’t think I write in the style that she does, but I’d love to learn from her. She’s a genius and a legend, and I’d also just want to meet her and hang out. There are LOTS of dream co-writes though, so many people I’d want to learn from.
What attracted you to submit your song(s) to the NewSong Competition?
I heard about the competition through friends. Jackson Emmer encouraged me to start submitting to things, and Olivia Ellen Lloyd was a NewSong finalist. They’re both awesome songwriters.
Do you have any recent or forthcoming projects to tell us about?
Yes! I’m recording an EP right now which will be out sometime next year, so stay tuned. I also recently recorded a couple live songs at this place called The Tank – it’s a huge, seven-story empty metal water tank out in rural Northwestern Colorado. It has something like a 40-second natural reverb. I had a transcendent time in there. I’ll be releasing those songs in the New Year, too. If anyone wants to keep up on things coming out, I have an email list you can sign up for at raiomri.com or on Instagram!
R.O. (Raphael Odell) Shapirostarted performing at an early age, first with dance and then musical theater, before picking up guitar at the end of high school. He forming the band Odell Fox with Jenner Fox and they started touring almost immediately, cultivating an energetic and intimate live show experience that R.O. has continued to build upon as a solo artist. The band parted ways at the end of 2017 and R.O., then in Austin, developed the full-band, electrified sound that you can hear on 2021’s King Electric Sessions, his first release since leaving Odell Fox. R.O. is currently based in Northern California, and always on the lookout for new communities and stages where he can share his authentic warmth and wit.
R.O. is this year’s early bird finalist and will join seven other finalists to network and compete at the NewSong Performance & Songwriting Competition finals on Saturday, November 16, at Citizen Vinyl. Find tickets here.
NewSong Music: What sort of music was playing in your house when you were growing up?
R.O. Shapiro: A lot of jazz — Louis, Miles, Monk… Ella and Billie. And classic rock — Beatles, Stones, Grateful Dead, Steely Dan.
What was your journey to music — were you classically trained? From a family of musicians? Self-taught?
I grew up doing a lot of musical theater, that’s really how I started singing. I didn’t pick up guitar until my senior year of high school, but as soon as I got a few chords down I started writing my own songs almost immediately.
What is the first song you wrote that you were proud of, and why?
I think I was proud of the first songs I wrote! Of course, I wouldn’t want to play them now, but I know I felt immense satisfaction from finishing them, and sharing them with my friends. I’m still totally hooked on that feeling.
What is your writing process like — do you write lyrics first, or music? Do you compose on a particular instrument? Do you need to write in a particular space or do song ideas come to you at random times?
The beginnings of a song almost always come when I’m absentmindedly messing around on my guitar. I’ll find a lick or progression that I like, a melody to go with it, and then eventually some words affix themselves based on the rhythm or cadence of the musical phrase. More often than not, these lyrics will be related in some way to whatever thoughts or feelings which are already bouncing around the front of my brain. That’s how I find the germ of a song, and I expand it from there, usually in sporadic quiet moments over the course of weeks, months, or years.
Share a musical adventure from this summer with us — could be a show you played, a tour you took, a recording you made, a concert you attended, etc. Tell us about an experience that really stood out for you.
I actually started booking and promoting shows, even running sound, at a venue in Caspar, CA, a tiny town on the coast between Mendocino and Fort Bragg, three hours north of San Francisco. It’s now called Good Bones Kitchen, but used to be the Caspar Inn, a legendary roadhouse for decades drawing acts like Bonnie Raitt, Taj Mahal, and J.J. Cale. It’s been an amazing honor to work to restart the music program in that historic space, and really exciting to learn new skills and and gain a much better understanding of the ins and outs of the production side of our industry.
CONGRATULATIONS to soulful Americana artist R.O. Shapiro on being selected the ‘Early Bird’ finalist in this year’s NewSong Performance & Songwriting Competition. R.O. (Raphael Odell) Shapiro is a purveyor of original Americana music, carefully crafted and soulfully sung. With Jenner Fox he formed the band Odell Fox. The duo started touring almost immediately, cultivating an energetic and intimate live show experience that R.O. has continued to build upon as a solo artist. In Austin, TX, they released two records, the Moon Shiner EP in 2016, and Thank You in 2017.
When the band parted ways, R.O. stayed in Austin, gigging regularly in the hallowed venues of that world famous music scene. It was then he developed the full-band, electrified sound that you can hear on 2021’s King Electric Sessions, his first release since leaving Odell Fox.
In recent years he has typically played solo, touring regularly in the Northeast, California, and Pacific Northwest including Alaska and Vancouver Island. R.O. is a winner of the 2022 Kerrville Folk Festival New Folk songwriting contest, and recently recorded with producer/instrumentalist Phil Cook (Bon Iver, Hiss Golden Messenger.) He is currently based in Northern California.
NewSong Music is now accepting original song entries for its 23rd annual Performance and Songwriting Competition, presented by Citizen Vinyl. The program’s curated showcases have been a fixture in the national music scene since 2001. The competition finals, formerly staged in New York City at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, relocated to Asheville, N.C. in 2017.
Eight finalists, selected from advance online submissions from across North America and beyond, will bring their musical magic to Asheville where they will perform, compete, and connect with one another. A panel of music industry judges will select one grand prize winner to receive a fully funded six-song EP, recorded and mixed at Citizen Studios, plus 300 vinyl records pressed at Citizen Vinyl, and a featured, paid performance at Arts Brookfield’s Summer Concert Series in New York City in the summer of 2025.
Past NewSong winners and standouts include Ingrid Michaelson, Grace Potter, Crys Matthews, Jobi Riccio, and Slow Runner. The 2023 Grand Prize Winner was Natalie Price.
Discounted ‘Early Bird’ entries are now open (1 song: $45; 2 songs: $80; additional songs: $30 each). Entry prices increase after Sunday, June 30, with the final deadline for submissions on Sunday, September 8, 2024 at 11:59 PM PST. To submit your original music, visit newsong-music.com/contest. This year’s eight finalists are scheduled to be announced on Facebook, Instagram, our website blog, and newsletter on Friday, Oct. 4, 2024.
Mark your calendar for the 2024 NewSong Music Performance & Songwriting Competition finale, which will take place on Saturday, November 16, 2024, at Citizen Vinyl in downtown Asheville.
For up-to-date information on the 2024 NewSong Music Performance & Songwriting Competition, visit newsong-music.com. To learn more about Citizen Vinyl, visit citizenvinyl.com.
For media inquiries or questions about contest entry, contact Alli Marshall (alli@newsong-music.com).
ABOUT NEWSONG MUSIC
NewSong Music is an independent music organization that aims to build a supportive community of performers and songwriters across various genres of music and skill levels, while identifying truly exceptional artists and introducing their music to a broader international audience.
ABOUT CITIZEN VINYL
Citizen Vinyl was established by NewSong Music director and co-founder Gar Ragland. It opened October 2020 as Asheville’s first vinyl manufacturing facility. Citizen Vinyl boasts a variety of amenities including full-scale recording studio Citizen Studios, a vinyl-themed craft cocktail and coffee lounge, a record and art store, and more.
ABOUT CITIZEN STUDIOS
Citizen Studios is a classic space for timeless sounds; the modern analog rebirth of the historic WWNC radio station studios. The newly renovated space now consists of a large control room and a communal multipurpose room for recording, rehearsing and events. The studio is available for recording artists, engineers, producers and private functions.
The annual LEAF Singer-Songwriter Showcase and Competition, now in its tenth year, will take place at LEAF Global Arts Retreat, in Black Mountain, N.C., on Saturday, May 11, 2024.
The performance showcase and competition is a collaborative effort between NewSong Music and LEAF Global Arts. It aims to identify and recognize exceptional performers and songwriters from across the country. Eight finalists will be invited to perform, network, and compete at the LEAF Retreat (a more intimate iteration of LEAF’s annual fall festival) in May.
The winner of the LEAF Singer-Songwriter Competition, selected from a panel of music industry judges, will earn a spot as one of only eight finalists at the annual International NewSong Competition, held in Asheville, N.C., in the fall. The winner will also return to the LEAF Global Arts Festival, held October 17-20, 2024, as a featured, paid performer.
Past winners include Jimmie Griffith, Noan Partly, Parker Ainsworth, and Moon Bride.
While the event is a contest, it’s decidedly not a cutthroat competition. Instead, the focus is on building a community among songwriters and sharing the magic of songcraft. “It’s a celebration of one of humanity’s oldest art forms, something that helps us all process and understand the world around us,” says NewSong Music founder Gar Ragland. This is an “opportunity to recognize talented musicians and bring new voices to a bigger stage.”
The deadline for Early Bird submissions is Friday, March 8. One early bird entrant will be selected as a finalist for the LEAF Singer-Songwriter Competition. (All other early bird entries will remain in consideration.) The final deadline to submit entries is Sunday, March 31. Finalists are expected to be announced by Sunday, April 7.
“NewSong has been an extraordinary LEAF partner, creating the opportunity for many amazing songwriters and singers to perform at LEAF Festival. For many artists, this was their first big step onto a national and international stage, and the teamwork with the organizations creates ease and support. In a nod to history, these artists are walking in the footsteps of historic Black Mountain College moments and LEAF Global artists from over 100 countries.” ~ Jennifer Pickering, LEAF Global Arts Co-Executive Director & Founder
About LEAF Global Arts
LEAF Global Arts is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization with a mission to connect cultures and create community through music and arts. LEAF is composed of two key cultural arts education programs, LEAF Schools & Streets and LEAF International, as well as two signature events, LEAF Global Arts Retreat (May) and LEAF Global Arts Festival (October). Since 1995, LEAF has served more than 200,000 youths with programs in more than 15 community locations and in 10 countries worldwide. Learn more at www.theLEAF.org.
MaisCéu is the brainchild of Jimmie Griffith, a musician who hails from the mountains of Minas Gerais, Brazil. His music is a fusion of American and Brazilian musical traditions, reflecting his upbringing steeped in both cultures.
Inspired by the Blue Ridge mountains and the “Mares e Morros” of Minas Gerais, MaisCeu’s unique sound, featuring heartfelt Portuguese lyrics, is a reflection of his deep love for the outdoors and his passion for bending music genres. With an authentic and soulful approach to his craft, MaisCeu’s music speaks to the heart and soul of his listeners, drawing inspiration from the natural beauty of his childhood home and the rich musical traditions that have shaped him.
MaisCéu is a finalist in the 2023 NewSong Music Performance & Songwriting Competition, which will take place on Saturday, November 18, at Citizen Vinyl in downtown Asheville, N.C. Learn more and purchase tickets HERE.
NewSong Music: What sort of music was playing in your house when you were growing up?
Jimmie: There was a pretty wide mix, from jazz to Brazilian music. I distinctly remember a lot of Dave Brubeck, Baden Powell, and James Brown.
What was your journey to music?
Mostly self-taught. Although my family is very musical, they do not have a formal musical background. Growing up, my mom and siblings liked to sing, and my dad, who now studies piano, used to play guitar and got me started on the guitar with a few chords when I was younger. In my teens, my neighbor and great friend Daniel started playing guitar, and we would teach each other songs and share music. This is when I started developing my musical tastes, branching out to other artists, styles, and developing songwriting. Music continues to play an important role in my life, whether it’s to regulate my emotions, inspire me, or connect with others.
What is the first song you wrote that you were proud of, and why?
Although not my first song, the song “Madrid” I composed helped me realize that I need to trust my musical instincts more often. This song helped me understand that if I try to control the songwriting process too much, I will feel stifled and frustrated. This could cause me either giving up on an idea that could turn out to be a great song or block out new ideas due to the creative constraints we can put on ourselves.
What is your writing process like?
There are a few different ways that I compose music. The most common process is to find a great-sounding chord, chord progression, and/or open tuning on the guitar that sparks an excerpt of a melody. I pull that thread to see where it leads me, revealing a melody, harmony, and rhythm. The final part of the process is to create lyrics that fit the mood of the song and match the melody. Too many times I’ll give the song a title before I write the lyrics, making it challenging to write something related to the title. Composing usually happens at night, in a quiet corner of the house, with a recording device close by to capture my ideas.
Share a musical adventure from this summer with us.
This summer, my former band Banana da Terra had a couple of reunion shows at festivals Boone in Blossom and Boonerang. It was such a great experience to reconnect with fellow bandmates and with old and new friends and fans of the band.
Nashville artist Stacy Antonel makes clever, country-leaning Americana that feels both vintage and hyper-modern. Her “country jazz” vocals conjure the great singers of the 1920s-’30s, with the emotive power of country icon Patsy Cline. Rooted in classic country and laced with elements of jazz, pop, and R&B, Stacy’s narrative songs often feature unconventional themes.
Stacy grew up near San Diego studying classical piano and cites an eclectic range of early musical inspiration: Tori Amos’s peculiar phrasing, Otis Redding’s rich melodic hooks. After winning televised singing contest “3 Minutes to Stardom,” Stacy quit her job to focus full-time on music. She began performing classic country covers as Ginger Cowgirl, and in 2017 moved to Nashville to record her self-titled debut EP, which was released in 2019. The album was praised by critics and led to tours in California, the Southeast, the UK, and Germany.
Stacy is a finalist in the 2023 NewSong Music Performance & Songwriting Competition, which will take place on Saturday, November 18, at Citizen Vinyl in downtown Asheville, N.C. Learn more and purchase tickets HERE.
NewSong Music: What sort of music was playing in your house when you were growing up?
Stacy: My parents weren’t really into music, so other than a Celine Dion CD that my mom briefly listened to, most of the music in my home was my older sister’s. She listened to a lot of Nirvana, Pearl Jam, The Cranberries. Very 90s.
What was your journey to music?
I took classical piano lessons from age 7 to 18, but I’m self-taught when it comes to singing. I was the only musical member of the family, and it didn’t really occur to me that it could be a career, so I stopped all my musical pursuits when I went to college. It was only 10 years later that I got back into it, when I started singing jingles for money while living in Argentina. Moving to Nashville in 2017 is when I really started writing songs and pursuing a career as an independent artist.
What is the first song you wrote that you were proud of, and why?
The first answer that springs to mind is “Planetary Heartache,” which is weird because it’s on my most recent record, and I’m most definitely proud of the songs I wrote on my prior release. But I just think this song slaps, and I’m kind of amazed that I wrote it. Somehow it makes me feel like a real songwriter.
What is your writing process like — do you write lyrics first, or music?
They usually come at the same time initially, and then there’s an editing phase. I find it more inspiring to write on the guitar, but I do figure out a lot of things on the piano because it’s my native tongue. Guitar is a new instrument for me, so there’s still a lot that I can’t do on it. As far as where I write, songs definitely come at random times, but the most important thing is that I sit down and force myself to just do it. As long as it’s quiet and I have my own space, it’ll work. When I’m on tour I particularly enjoy writing in random Airbnbs.
Share a musical adventure from this summer with us — an experience that really stood out for you.
I went on my first solo tour this summer, which was something I was really scared to do. If I’m just singing, I don’t really get stage fright, but put a guitar in my hand and take away my band and I’m legit scared. It was cool to start unraveling the story I tell myself that I’m only worth watching if I can hide behind the really talented musicians that I usually play with. There were definitely some mediocre moments onstage but it forced me to grow a lot in a short period of time.
Senobia is a versatile singer who pours out her soul fused with R&B, jazz, blues, and commercial pop undertones. She is a vocalist, composer, and veteran of the stage having performed with America’s finest as a U.S. Army band singer. She is a born and bred musician from Columbus, Ohio, where her first introductions to music were gospel, doo-wop, pop, and rhythm & blues before she found jazz.
Senobia has performed in jazz clubs on the Caribbean Sea, Opera houses along the Amalfi Coast of Italy, and wineries from Carlsbad, Calif., to Washington, D.C. Her world, life, and musical influences have transformed her music into the exotic culture she has experienced as an internationally traveled singer. Senobia is often referred to as a “sireness” as her voice is so enchanting and dynamic that she will leave listeners swooning for more.
Senobia is a finalist in the 2023 NewSong Music Performance & Songwriting Competition, which will take place on Saturday, November 18, at Citizen Vinyl in downtown Asheville, N.C. Learn more and purchase tickets HERE.
NewSong Music: What sort of music was playing in your house when you were growing up?
Senobia: Growing up, we would sing harmonies with our grandma to songs such as like The Jackson 5’s “Rockin Robin.” My grandma loved to sing 1950s doo-wop and barbershop quartet songs and I loved to sing with her. My grandmother’s voice is similar to the famous jazz singer Nancy Wilson. I would also transcribe music from the radio so a lot of the 1990s music from artists like Donny Hathway, Lauren Hill, Kirk Franklin, Whitney Houston, Micheal Jackson, Usher, OutKast, Destiny’s Child, R. Kelly, En Vogue, Mariah Carey, Christina Aguilera, and Eminem. I loved to sing, rap, and just vibe to all the different types of music I heard my family listening to and what I found on the radio.
What was your journey to music?
My musical journey began in 4th grade, so when I was nine I started on the violin. That first year of reading music really set the tone for my musicianship. That next year, I moved to choir and have been singing ever since. In middle school, I received more musicianship training and singing development through the choir. By the time I got to high school, I was performing competitively as a soloist in the choir and in solo and ensemble competitions. Our high school choir traveled and competed internationally with two of us at the forefront leading the solos. When I went to college, I began my studies on the piano as my secondary instrument and became a classically trained singer. I performed a recital every year at my local church and fundraised to pay for a two-week trip to the Amalfi Coast to perform with a summer Opera program. After graduation, I joined the military and started to perform all different types of genres with the U.S. Army band from rock, country, patriotic, soul, jazz, blues, classical, R&B, and pop music. It was a lot of fun to get to perform your favorite top 40 music and some old-school music sprinkled in. When I got out of the Army I went back to school to get my master’s degree in vocal pedagogy. There, I really learned all the nuances of the voice and how to master the instrument. I started my professional voice teaching business and have been performing and songwriting since completing my master’s. I wish I could say I came from a family of musicians but really, I am the only one — but we have a few singers.
What is the first song you wrote that you were proud of, and why?
The first song I wrote that I was really proud of was “Time To Breathe,” the title track from my new EP I released this past March. I had that song in my head for years. “Time To Breathe” is the tail end of a story about a point in my life where I felt low enough to end my life from losing the love I cherished. I was young and didn’t quite know what love was, but I knew that was the person I wanted at that time in my life. Every time I perform and hear this musical composition I am moved because I made it through a dark time. “Time To Breathe” was one of those songs you just know needs to be heard. So I had a strong compulsion to get this song created. I actually tried working with two other producers before I found the one who helped me bring this song to life. Once “Time To Breathe” was created, it did relieve some of the emotional burden I had been feeling all these years. So it is one of my most beloved songs.
What is your writing process like?
My writing process is a bit unorthodox. I use the universe to help me write my music, which seems weird, but I say that because my songs come to me at random. Sometimes I’m more intentional and just listen to the world around me. But the songs I write almost always start with some sort of melody. I’ll just be living life and realize I’m humming the same melody over and over, so I record a voice memo then come back and start composing the structure on the piano. Sometimes lyrics will come right away, other times I craft a story from my life experiences or from what I feel from the melody and chords. My favorite songs are the ones that I write in my dreams. I’ll just be making music in my dream, wake myself up to record the voice memo, and work on it later. I have much more fantastical ideas and sometimes I can create the full song as I recall it from my dream.
Share a musical adventure from this summer with us — an experience that really stood out for you.
This summer I really did as much as I could to promote my first album, so just about anywhere I went I was shamelessly promoting and singing. We took my Dad to New Orleans for his birthday. One morning, while walking around, there was a jazz band playing outside at a local cafe. On their break, I went up and asked them if I could perform a few tunes. It doesn’t always happen but they let me join the set. I performed and afterward, I promoted my album. Wherever I go, I always try to find local musicians to share musical stories, but this was a nice surprise. It was my first performance in New Orleans, but not even three months later, I was back there performing at an artist showcase.
Originally from Arkansas, singer-songwriter Reece Sullivan now lives in Lafayette, La., and plays the surrounding states regularly. He’s reinvented himself many times: piano to guitar, classical to art rock, art rock to folk, flat picking to fingerpicking, solely songwriting to performing. In 2022, Reece released a full length album, Arkansas, and a single, The Riverband (Dockside). In 2023, he released a full-length acoustic album, Gethsemane, and a live EP, Live in the City of Gold. He’s putting the finishing touches on a new album, False Summits, which will be released early in 2024 and he has a single, “Song for Edward de Vere,” planned for November 2023, the 400th anniversary of the first Shakespearean Folio.
Reece is a finalist in the 2023 NewSong Music Performance & Songwriting Competition, which will take place on Saturday, November 18, at Citizen Vinyl in downtown Asheville, N.C. Learn more and purchase tickets HERE.
NewSong Music: What sort of music was playing in your house when you were growing up?
Reece: Not much! I had a very limited amount of vinyl that I remember playing such as an album by The Beach Boys, Joan Jett’s “I Love Rock N’ Roll,” and a kid’s song album. Other than that, one of my bigger and more fond memories of music was listening to what cassettes my dad played in his truck. I remember listening to the album An Innocent Man by Billy Joel and Tumbleweed Connection by Elton John. I loved those albums and the memories associated with them of riding with my dad singing along.
What was your journey to music?
I was classically trained. I started taking piano lessons when I was six; I still remember getting out of the car that day and the lessons, also. Though I did learn a lot like so, it wasn’t until I got an acoustic guitar at age 15 that I truly started learning music theory and playing by ear, which I had beforehand thought of as extremely mysterious. At age 20, I majored in piano performance, but I quit that after a mere year. My professor and I got along really well and would talk a lot about The Beatles and Beethoven, both of whom I greatly love, and he advised me to simply quit college if I knew I really only wanted to write music. Majoring in piano is a very time-consuming degree. I was practicing at least a couple hours a day for five or six days a week, and I felt even that wasn’t enough. It pained me because I was dedicating all that time to learning someone else’s music, however great it may’ve been, instead of working on my own. Thus, my professor’s suggestion that I quit, which I think of to this day as good advice.
What is the first song you wrote that you were proud of, and why?
I wrote my first song, “All I Wanted,” at my friend Jeff Fox’s house when I was 16. I still think of it a somewhat catchy tune and not all too bad. The lyrics were certainly extremely juvenile, but what can one expect at that age? As far as being satisfied with what I write, it’s a difficult thing. I feel no song is ever really perfect and can almost always be made better. Often it’s hard to figure out how to do that, though! I wrote a lot of stuff in my 20s that certainly showed talent and such, but there was a major shift in my music starting at the end of my 20s. I dedicated myself more fully to lyrics and aspects of the craft that I’d somewhat ignored up until then. When that phase started, I wrote an incredible amount of material; some of the material to arise from the early part of that phase I still enjoy and some of them I still play, but the first song to arrive where I realized I’d improved and that the improvement seemed lasting was a song titled “Suffering & Pain.” That song was released on the album “All For You, Dulcinea.” Though the vocals and production and recording quality on those songs was drastically lacking, I still really like “Suffering & Pain.”
What is your writing process like?
I believe in writing whether one is “in the mood” or not. So I try to generally treat it like an author would while writing a book. I tend to write predominantly on acoustic guitar, but I’ll sometimes write things on piano. Though there are definitely exceptions, I almost always get the music totally to my liking. This includes verses, choruses, bridges, breaks, and phrasing. After that, I write lyrics.
Share a musical adventure from this summer with us — an experience that really stood out for you.
I had a song place in this year’s ACORN Songwriting Competition, so I flew to Chicago to play the event, which is about an hour east, in the bottom part of Michigan, almost, but not quite, on Lake Michigan. Certainly traveling is one of my favorite things to be doing, no matter where I’m headed or why, though traveling for music is the best. I had also never been to Michigan or Wisconsin, so I took the chance to drive up into Wisconsin on a free day, which, combined with seeing Michigan, makes for 45 states I’ve been to. Louisiana was scorching hot, as it always is in the summer, so it bordered on magical being somewhere as cool and breezy as they are. The ACORN Theater did not disappoint. It’s an amazing, magical place that couldn’t look better, aesthetically. I had a great time playing and met a lot of good folks, one of which I may play some shows with in a few months. Meeting people through music is honestly one of the best parts to touring, and for me, I feel closer to people I meet through music than any of circumstance.
NewSong Music: What sort of music was playing in your house when you were growing up?
