Bud Bierhaus (Katy, Texas), Charlie Chamberlain (Nashville, TN), Karen Dahlstrom (Brooklyn, NY), Gabe Israel (New York, NY), Claire Kelly (Nashville. TN), Sidney Kenley (Austin, TX), China Kent (Lakewood, CO), Lia Menaker (Philadelphia, PA), Giulia Millanta (Austin, TX), Sarah Morris (Shoreview, MN), Amanda Murari (Ypsilanti, MI), Natalie Price ((Madison, TN), Teni Rane (Chattanooga, TN), Stephanie Sammons (Dallas, TX), and Alicia Stockman (Heber City, UT) were selected as semifinalists by a panel of judges comprised of Susan Gibson, Josh Grider, Kim Richey, and Walt Wilkins.

There were no fees to enter the annual competition that was established in 2007 to provide performing songwriters with a platform to showcase their skills before their peers, a panel of esteemed judges and an appreciative audience of Americana, folk and roots music lovers. Songwriters had to submit four songs in mp3 format that were written and/or copyrighted within the last three years. They were evaluated based on lyrics (imagery, story, creativity, and originality), melody (structure, phrasing and rhythm), and performing ability (vocals, musicianship). Stage presence/audience rapport will also be taken into consideration during the semifinals and finals.

Each of the 15 semifinalists will perform two songs before the judges and an audience from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Following an hour-long lunch break, seven selected finalists will perform one different original song between 3 and 4 p.m. Prize money will be awarded to all participants immediately after the finals, while an awards ceremony is slated for 4:30 p.m. Ken Gaines, an award-winning singer-songwriter and former longtime host of a songwriters’ series at Houston’s famed Anderson Fair, will be the event’s emcee. Public tickets for the concert may be purchased online at songwriterserenade.com, where more information also may be found.

In addition to prize money, the first-place winner in the Songwriter Serenade will open a concert featuring the judges that evening at the TR Ranch in Halletsville, TX. Tickets for the concert, slated for 7-9 p.m., also may be purchased online.

Free room and board at the ranch is being provided to all of the semifinalists over the weekend. They will enjoy a Friday night barbecue and participate in a songwriting workshop with the judges on Sunday.

Six Songwriters Win Prestigious Kerrville New Folk Competition

Six singer-songwriters have been selected as winners in the 2023 Grassy Hill Kerrville New Folk Competition for Emerging Songwriters. They were chosen by a panel of judges from among 24 finalists who performed two songs each during the New Folk Concerts on May 27 and 28 as part of the Kerrville Folk Festival, an 18-day event at the Quiet Valley Ranch in the Texas Hill Country.

Katie Boeck (Nashville, Tennessee), Flamy Grant (San Diego, California), Byron James (Lawrence, Kansas), Barbara Jarrell (Shreveport, Louisiana), Olivia Ellen Lloyd (Shepherdstown, West Virginia), and Jack Summers (Kansas City, Missouri) will each perform 20-minute sets during a Grassy Hill Kerrville New Folk Winners concert at the festival on Saturday afternoon, June 3 at 1:30 p.m. CT that will also be live-streamed on the Kerrville Folk Festival’s website (link) and on the Kerrville Folk Festival Foundation’s YouTube channel. The six will also receive cash honorariums and other prizes. Some 950 songwriters had initially submitted entries.

Established in 1972 at the urging of Peter Yarrow, the Kerrville New Folk Concerts have become a highlight of the annual festival that is geared towards singer-songwriters of various musical styles. Now in its 51st year, it is the longest continuously running festival of its kind in North America.

The Kerrville Folk Festival extends through Sunday, June 11. Besides concerts each evening, Kerrville features “Ballad Tree” song-sharing sessions, late-night and afternoon song circles and jam sessions at various campsites, concerts and activities for children, organized canoe and kayak trips on the Guadelupe River and Hill Country bike rides, a professional development program for teachers, as well as a songwriters school and instrumental workshops. For more information, visit kerrvillefolkfestival.org. A listing of all of this year’s New Folk Finalists was included in a previously posted article.

Korby Lenker Wins 2023 Al Johnson Performing Songwriter Contest

Korby Lenker, a Nashville-based singer-songwriter, is the winner in the 2023 Al Johnson Performing Songwriter Contest that was held in conjunction with the Wildflower! Arts and Music Festival, May 19-21 at Galatyn Park Urban Center in Richardson, Texas – just a few minutes north of Dallas.

Writes Lenker: “Contests are not even close to as fun as actual shows but they are a kind of interesting gauntlet, akin to running through a tunnel of strangers with a guitar while being poked with a series of sharp sticks.” When it was finally time to play his first song – a serious one entitled “Every Time I Hear Your Favorite Song” that he wrote after his little sister Kenna passed away suddenly – Lenker looked at his hands “and to my great pleasure they weren’t shaking, not even a little bit. I sat down at the piano they had prepped for me and even though it was way too high and I felt like a Tyrannosaurus Rex when I raised my hands to play the first chord sounded right enough… When the song was done there was a smattering of applause much like you might hear folks do at some other kid’s recital. Not an inch past polite.” In contrast, some audience members sang along to the chorus during his second song, “Ain’t Nobody Gonna Steal My Joy,” a “happy as hell” number that he co-wrote with Robby Hecht, and on which Lenker accompanied himself on guitar.

The Al Johnson Performing Songwriter Contest, which drew some 300 entries from across the U.S., was open to singer-songwriters who perform in a wide array of genres — including Americana, bluegrass, blues, Celtic, country, folk, and rock, among others. Submitted songs were to have been representative of the artist’s live performance and include only one instrument, the songwriter’s vocals and no back-up harmonies, and were not to exceed five minutes in length.

Lenker who originally hails from southern Idaho and also is an author and filmmaker, was among ten finalists who competed for cash prizes and were judged based equally on the quality and presentation of their songs — with originality, lyrics, melody, and harmonic structure among the criteria. As the first-place (grand prize) winner, he received $1,000 plus two full days of recording at Audio Dallas Recording Studio, while runners-up Lauren Frihauf (Denver, CO) and Abigayle Kompst (Nashville, TN), along with Michael Troy People’s Choice Award winner JD Graham (Mesa, AZ), each received $500. The winners also were featured in a spotlight round on Sunday afternoon, May 21.

Caitlin Cannon Wins 2023 Songwriter Serenade

Cannon released her first album, The TrashCannon Album, in 2020 and followed that up with an album by Side Pony, her duo with Alice Wallace, entitled Lucky Break. On March 31, her latest single, “Amarillo and Little Rock,” premiered on streaming platforms. She plans to release another solo album early next year.

Taking second through eighth place, respectively, in this year’s Songwriter Serenade were Jenner Fox (Bainbridge Island, WA), Sarah Morris (Shoreview, MN), Nick Spear (Whitefish, MT), Chris Moyse (Nashville, TN), Ajaye Bureyko (Nashville, TN), Wyatt Espalin (Hawassee, GA), and Anthony Garcia (Holland, TX).

Prize monies were awarded to all of the finalists, while Cannon was also afforded the opportunity to perform as the opening act during the judges’ show (featuring Susan Gibson, Josh Grider, Phoebe Hunt, and Walt Wilkins) at the TR Ranch in Halletsville in the evening following the songwriter competition. The finalists and seven other semifinalists were chosen from among nearly 130 entrants. There were no fees to enter the annual competition that was established in 2007 to provide performing songwriters with a platform to showcase their skills before their peers, a panel of esteemed judges and an appreciative audience of Americana, folk and roots music lovers.

The finalists, chosen from among nearly 200 entries, are Caitlin Cannon (Nashville,TN), Lyle de Vitry (Asheville, NC), Rob Drabkin (Denver, CO), Jackson Emmer (Carbondale, CO), Daphne Gale (New York, NY), Amy Keeler (Pugwash Junction, NS, Canada), Gabrielle Louise (Paonia, CO), Sean Magwire (Oxford, MA), Halley Neal (Nashville, TN), and Eliza Thorp (Petoskey, MI). Named as alternates were Lalo Hart (Evergreen, CO) and Sarah Morris (Shoreview, MN).

Each of the ten finalists – who were judged on the basis of their songs’ composition, vocal delivery, and the overall presentation/performance — will perform two original songs in the preliminary round at the Elks Park Stage in downtown Telluride on Thursday afternoon, while the top five finalists will perform two different original songs in the final round the following afternoon. In addition to a complimentary four-day festival pass, each finalist also receives an in-the-round performance slot in Elks Park and will participate in a live radio interview and performance with local station KOTO. The winner performs a 15-minute set on the festival’s main stage on Saturday evening.

The Telluride Troubadour Competition is open to anyone who writes and performs original music and who is not currently signed to a major recording or publishing deal. It has been held in conjunction with the Telluride Bluegrass Festival since 1991, although there hasn’t been one since 2019 – prior to the pandemic. That year’s Telluride Troubadour was Emily Scott Robinson (Greensboro, NC).

More information on the 2023 Telluride Troubadour Competition and on the Telluride Bluegrass Festival can be found online at www.bluegrass.com/telluride.

Ajaye Bureyko (Nashville, TN), Katrina Cain (Austin, TX), Caitlin Cannon (Nashville, TN), Christina Cavazos (Nashville, TN), Alex Coba (Houston, TX), Wyatt Espalin (Hawassee, GA), Jenner Fox (Bainbridge Island, WA), Anthony Garcia (Holland, TX), Helena Halberg (Brooklyn, NY), Jack McKeon (Nashville, TN), Sarah Morris (Shoreview, MN), Chris Moyse (Nashville, TN), Nick Spear (Whitefish, MT), Alicia Stockman (Heber City, UT), and Laura Zucker (Lafayette, CA) were selected as semifinalists by a panel of judges comprised of Susan Gibson, Josh Grider, Phoebe Hunt, and Walt Wilkins.

There were no fees to enter the annual competition that was established in 2007 to provide performing songwriters with a platform to showcase their skills before their peers, a panel of esteemed judges and an appreciative audience of Americana, folk and roots music lovers. Songwriters had to submit four songs in mp3 format that were written and/or copyrighted within the last three years. They were evaluated based on lyrics (imagery, story, creativity, and originality), melody (structure, phrasing and rhythm), and performing ability (vocals, musicianship). Stage presence/audience rapport will also be taken into consideration during the semifinals and finals.

Each of the 15 semifinalists will perform two songs before the judges and an audience from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Following an hour-long lunch break, seven selected finalists will perform one different original song between 3 and 4 p.m. Prize money will be awarded to all participants immediately after the finals, while an awards ceremony is slated for 4:30 p.m. Ken Gaines, an award-winning singer-songwriter and former longtime host of a songwriters’ series at Houston’s famed Anderson Fair, will be the event’s emcee. Public tickets are available for $15 and may be purchased online at songwriterserenade.com, where more information also may be found.

In addition to prize money, the first-place winner in the Songwriter Serenade will open a concert featuring the judges that evening at the TR Ranch in Halletsville, TX. Tickets for the concert, slated for 7-9 p.m., also may be purchased online.

As previously reported on AcousticMusicScene.com, Sav Buist, a Nashville, TN-based singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist (who is also part of The Accidentals), took top honors during last year’s Songwriter Serenade.

Six songwriters will be chosen as 2019 New Folk Award Winners after performing, along with the 26 other finalists, at the Threadgill Theater on the Quiet Valley Ranch Campgrounds. A Kerrville New Folk Award Winners concert is slated for Sunday, June 2.

Songwriters may submit two original songs (written after Jan. 1, 2017) online at www.tlok.org/kff/ or by following the link on the Kerrville Folk Festival website’s New Folk page, filling in the requested information and uploading two separate song files (any common audio format should work). Alternatively, home-burned CDs (mp3 format only) may be mailed to the Kerrville Folk Festival office along with a completed entry form. The entry fee is $25. Official guidelines, along with entry information and forms, are posted at www.kerrville-music.com/new-folk.

‘New Folk is our way of finding new, exciting, excellent songwriters from around the world,” said Dalis Allen, producer of the Kerrville Folk Festival. “Our line-up every year is full of artists who have remained a part of the festival long after their first introduction in the competition,” she continued. Among those she cited as first coming to the festival’s attention as New Folk Finalists are Nanci Griffith, Lyle Lovett, Hal Ketchum, James McMurtry, Lucinda Williams, Jimmy LaFave, John Gorka, David Wilcox, Tish Hinojosa, Dave Carter, Johnsmith, Tom Prasada-Rao, Tom Kimmel, and Michael Lille.

The six songwriters named as winners in the 2018 Kerrville New Folk Competition were Ben Bedford, John R. Butler, Helene Cronin, Rich Krueger, Mac Leaphart, and Sarah Morris.

Ben Bedford (Springfield, IL), John R. Butler (Matlacha, FL), Helene Cronin (Plano, TX), Rich Krueger (Evergreen Park, IL), Miller McKeown Leaphart Sr. (Nashville, TN), and Sarah Morris (St. Paul, MN) will each perform 20-minute sets during a Grassy Hill Kerrville New Folk Winners concert at the festival on Sunday afternoon, June 3, and will receive cash honorariums and other prizes.

Established in 1972 at the urging of Peter Yarrow, the Kerrville New Folk Concerts have become a highlight of the annual festival that is geared towards singer-songwriters of various musical styles and is the longest continuously running festival of its kind in North America. Being named as a New Folk Winner is regarded as a very prestigious honor.

The 47th annual Kerrville Folk Festival extends through Sunday, June 10. Besides concerts each evening, Kerrville features “Ballad Tree” song-sharing sessions, late-night and afternoon song circles and jam sessions at various campsites, concerts and activities for children, organized canoe and kayak trips on the Guadelupe River and Hill Country bike rides, a professional development program for teachers, as well as a three-day songwriters school and instrumental workshops. For more information, visit www.kerrville-music.com.

Editor’s Note: A listing of all of this year’s New Folk Finalists was included in a previously posted article: https://acousticmusicscene.com/2018/04/14/finalists-announced-in-2018-grassy-hill-kerrville-new-folk-competition/

Slated to perform (in order of performance) at the Threadgill Theater on the Quiet Valley Ranch Campgrounds on Saturday, May 26, from 1-4 p.m., are Scott Cook (Sherwood Park, Ontario), Ian Flanigan (Saugerties, NY), Izzy Heltai (Boston, MA), Hope Dunbar (Utica, NE), Michael Braunfeld (Villanova, PA), Sarah Morris (St. Paul, MN), Mac Leaphart (Nashville, TN), Helene Cronin (Plano, TX), T. Buckley (Calgary, Alberta), Cari Ray (Nashville, IN), Dave Ray Cecil (Greensboro, NC), Rich Krueger (Evergreen Park, IL), Kora Feder (Brooklyn, NY), Austin MacRae (Ithaca, NY), Clint Alphin (Nashville, TN), and Susan Cattaneo (Medford, MA).

New Folk Finalists slated to perform on Sunday afternoon, May 27, include Teghan Devon (Myersville, MD), Rupert Wates (New York, NY), Ira Wolf (Nashville, TN), Chad Elliott (Lamoni, IA), Ezra Vancil (Dallas, TX), Kelly Augustine (Centennial, CO), Aaron Nathans (Chester Heights, PA), Nikhil Dasgupta (Portland, ME), Andrew Dunn (Lebanon, NJ), Brittany Jean (Brewster, WA), Ben Bedford (Springfield, IL), Jerry Green (Phoenix, AZ), Frankie Zwick (Nashville, TN), John R. Butler (Matlacha, FL), Erinn Peet-Lukes (Boulder, CO). and Prateek Poddar (Weston, MA).

Named as alternates were Scott Fab (Royal Oaks, MI), Angela Easterling (Green, SC), Laura Zucker (Lafayette, CA), Kristen Ford (Nashville, TN), Heather Styka (Chicago, IL), Mike P. Ryan (Clifton, VA), Grant Peeples (Tallahassee, FL), and Amy Aiken (Norfolk, VA).

After performing, six songwriters will be selected as 2018 New Folk Winners by songwriters Pierce Pettis, Jaime Michaels and BettySoo, who are serving as judges. The six, to be announced during the evening concert on May 27, will receive cash honorariums and other prizes, as well as the opportunity to return the following weekend to each perform 20-minute sets during a Grassy Hill Kerrville New Folk Winners concert at the festival on Sunday, June 3.

Established in 1972 at the urging of Peter Yarrow, the Kerrville New Folk Concerts have become a highlight of the annual festival that is geared towards singer-songwriters of various musical styles and is the longest continuously running festival of its kind in North America. In addition to receiving cash awards and additional performance opportunities, being named as a New Folk Winner is regarded as a very prestigious honor.

Besides concerts each evening, Kerrville (which extends for 18 straight days — Thursday, May 24-Sunday, June 10) features “Ballad Tree” song-sharing sessions, campfire jam sessions, concerts and activities for children, organized canoe and kayak trips on the Guadelupe River and Hill Country bike rides, yoga, beer and wine seminars, a Young Artists Performance Incubator, a professional development program for teachers, as well as a three-day songwriters school and instrumental workshops. For a complete schedule and additional information, visit www.kerrville-music.com.

Rachael Kilgour, a Duluth, Minnesota-based singer-songwriter, was named the grand prize winner of the 2015 NewSong Contest after performing, along with eight other artists, during a music showcase and competition finals held January 7, 2016 at Lincoln Center’s David Rubenstein Atrium in New York City.

Now in its 14th year, the NewSong Contest showcases emerging performing songwriters. 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.

As the contest’s grand prize winner, Kilgour will receive a performance slot at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival’s ASCAP Music Café in Park City, Utah in later January; an opportunity to perform at Lincoln Center later this year; and a recording session at Echo Mountain Recording Studios in Asheville, NC, produced by Gar Ragland, NewSong Music’s executive director, for an album to be released under the NewSong Recordings label.

A passionate and engaging performing artist whose songs merge the personal and political, Kilgour also was the winner of the 2015 LEAF Newsong Contest in North Carolina and a finalist in last year’s Telluride Troubadour Competition. Noted singer-songwriter Catie Curtis is producing Kilgour’s next crowd-funded CD, which is set for release later this year.

Here’s a link to a video of “If I Am Gonna Fall Apart,” recorded live last September 10 at the World One Studios in Maryland:

http://www.perfectduluthday.com/2015/09/30/rachael-kilgour-if-i-am-gonna-fall-apart/

Among the tracks on the forthcoming album is “If I Am Gonna Fall Apart,” which impressed both a capacity crowd and the judges, securing Kilgour a slot in the competition’s final round, along with Blair Bodine (Brooklyn, NY), Bonomo (New York, NY) and Sarah Morris (Shoreview, MN). During the second round, Kilgour poured her heart and soul into singing “Still My Wife” and “In America.”

Here’s a link to a video of “In America”:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p6ilvjaA6Eo

“How incredible to have not only a room full of eager listeners, but a panel of judges connect with my work in such a big way,” says Kilgour. Reflecting on the experience, she cites “good music, new friends and a kind of validation that a person doesn’t get to experience very often. Pretty sure I should keep doing this.”

This writer, who considered Kilgour my favorite new discovery at last summer’s Falcon Ridge Folk Festival although she did not have an official slot, certainly shares that sentiment — as do many others.

“When Rachael performs, a force of nature erupts,” writes Richard Cuccaro in an Acoustic Live! in New York City and Beyond cover feature. “She unleashes a palpable torrent of passion, whether singing about social justice or a searing personal revelation…. When the gigs begin piling up here in the northeast, be sure to see her. The missives from her heart will win yours.”

The finalists are Blair Bodine (Brooklyn, NY), Kaz Fujimoto (Brooklyn, NY), Sarah Kervin (Brooklyn, NY), Rachael Kilgour (Duluth, MN), Sarah Morris (Shoreview, MN), Scott Mulvahill (Nashville, TN), Queen Esther (New York, NY), The Shades (Chicago, IL), Megan Wilde (Seattle, WA) and Ken Yates (Toronto, ON, Canada).

Now in its 14th year, the NewSong Contest showcases emerging performing songwriters across various genres. The grand-prize winner, to be selected Jan. 7, will receive a performance slot at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival’s ASCAP Music Café in Park City, Utah and a follow-up feature performance at Lincoln Center; as well as a recording session at Echo Mountain Recording Studios in Asheville, NC, produced by Gar Ragland, NewSong Music’s executive director, for an album to be released under the NewSong Recordings label.

Here’s a link to listen to a NewSongs Finalists compilation album:

http://newsongrecordings.com/album/2015-newsong-finalists

NewSong Music is an independent music organization that aims to build a supportive community of performers and songwriters across all genres of music and skill levels, while identifying truly exceptional artists and introducing their music to a broader, international audience. More information can be found at www.newsong-music.com.