The Chris Austin Songwriting Contest, presented by MerleFest, announced the finalists for the 2016 contest.
Writers of 12 songs, selected from over 744 entries, will compete on the Austin Stage in Alumni Hall at MerleFest on Friday, April 29:
Bluegrass
Cindy Giejda (Farmingdale, New Jersey) – “Jail Break”
Courtney Rorrer (Madison, North Carolina) and Asa Gravley (Beckley, West Vieginia) – “Midnight Tears”
Aaron Bibelhauser (Louisville, Kentucky) – “Blue Collar Dreams”
Gospel/Inspirational
Austin Stanley (Nashville, Tennessee.) – “The Face of God”
Marcy Each (Cedar Rapids, Iowa) – “On the Cross Built for Me”
Corey Smith and Allen Smith (Fayetteville, North Carolina) – “The Road”
Country
Sarah Morris (Shoreview, Minnesota) – “I Go Back”
Meris Gantt of Handlebar Betty (Blowing Rock, North Carolina) – “House of Cards”
Buddy Guido (Mohawk, New York), Paul Kelly (Santa Fe, New Mexico) and Willie Scheollkopf (Buffalo, New York) – “This Livin’ May Be Killing Me”
General
David Morris (Gaithersburg, Maryland) and Chris Dockins (Burke, Va.) – “Weeds”
Sarah Sample (Sheridan, Wyoming) – “A Heart That Falls Apart”
Adam Bonomo (Brooklyn, New York) – “Redshifted”
Now in its 24th year, the contest is an opportunity for aspiring writers to have their original songs heard and judged by a panel of music industry professionals, under the direction of volunteer contest chairperson, Grammy Award-winning singer/songwriter Jim Lauderdale. The first place winners will receive $600 cash from MerleFest and a performance slot on the Cabin Stage on Friday night.
All finalists will get to take part in a songwriting mentoring session with Jim Lauderdale and the on-site judges for the final round of this year’s Chris Austin Songwriting Contest.
The first round of the CASC competition takes place in Nashville, Tennessee, and is narrowed down to 12 finalists representing four categories: bluegrass, country, general and gospel/inspirational.
Judging is based on a song¹s originality, lyrics, melody and overall commercial potential. The contest is open to those whose primary source of income (50 percent or more) is not derived from songwriting or publishing.
Net proceeds from the Chris Austin Songwriting Contest help support the Wilkes Community College Chris Austin Memorial Scholarship. Since its inception the scholarship has awarded over $34,600 to 84 deserving students.
MerleFest 2016 will take place from April 28-May 1, on the campus of Wilkes Community College in Wilkesboro, North Carolina.
For more details about the contest, visit www.MerleFest.org/ChrisAustinSongwritingContest.
Author: Angel Romero
Angel Romero y Ruiz has dedicated his life to musical exploration. His efforts included the creation of two online portals, worldmusiccentral.org and musicasdelmundo.com. In addition, Angel is the co-founder of the Transglobal World Music Chart, a panel of world music DJs and writers that celebrates global sounds. Furthermore, he delved into the record business, producing world music studio albums and compilations. His works have appeared on Alula Records, Ellipsis Arts, Indígena Records and Music of the World.
