Songwriter Resources
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with Jud Caswell, Award-Winning Singer/Songwriter, Owner/Engineer at Frog Hollow Studio. Topsham, ME

May 11, 1-4pm, Unitarian Universalist Church, 1 Middle St., Brunswick, ME

In this hands-on master class, Jud will help you develop the skills you need to use the perfectly-good gear you already have, the shrewdness to buy only the toys you really need to improve your sound, and the wisdom to know the difference.  With a focus on recording vocals and acoustic guitar, we’ll discuss everything from mic choice and sound conditioning to mixing and mastering, and will have plenty of time to answer your specific questions.

We would love a couple of volunteers to bring in a song and their own microphones to serve as a demonstration of techniques and choices – reach out to MSA, via info@mainesongwriters.org to let us know if you’d be willing to do that.

Given the hands-on nature of the workshop registration will be limited.

$25 General Ticket

$22.50 for full MSA members

 

2023 song contest

We’re excited to announce the details for the finals of the 13th Annual MSA Songwriting Contest!   The finals will be held live on November 3rd, from 7pm to 9pm at the 317 Main Community Music Center in Yarmouth.  We had a tremendous response this year with an unprecedented 52 entries; a real testament to the musical richness of our state.  Our screening panel had a difficult time narrowing down to six songs, but we are now happy to reveal our list of 2023 finalists.

Peter Carriveau

Doug Cowan

Jane Fallon

Seth Gallant

Owen Howes

Kate McCann

Congratulations to all of our finalists.  We know it’s going to be a great night of music.  Tickets are $15 and available for purchase at the link below.

Finals Tickets

Thursday, October 5th

Join WERU and the Maine Songwriters Association for an amazing night of music from four incredible Maine-based songwriters: Mehuman, Tom Peabody, Andre Lascoutx and Conner Garvey at Barncastle Inn and Restaurant in Blue Hill!

 

Doors open at 6:00pm to access the bar and seating, and the show begins at 7:00pm.

 

Details/Tickets

 

The entry window for 13th annual Maine Songwriters’ Association song contest has closed for 2023. We had a record number of entries this year – 47. Three judges will be reviewing the entries in September and ranking each entry based on melody, lyrics, form, originality, and overall impact. Judges will not have access to the name of each songwriter to avoid bias. We hope to announce the finalists by September 30. We are still working on finding a venue for the finals to take place in November. Thanks to everyone who entered this year and we look forward to seeing everyone at the finals.

We’re very excited to be continuing our series at Blue in Portland in April. The show will feature Jud Caswell, Carole Wise, Bob McKillop, and Andrea Cole swapping songs and probably some stories as well in this songwriters round. Tickets are not required but a donation of $20 (or more) is suggested. All proceeds go to the performers.

Meet the performers:

Bob McKillop loves songwriters and songwriting. He wrote his first song at the tender age of five years, and has been writing folk, country, and Americana songs since his teens. His songwriting shifted into high gear in 2003, when he moved to Portland began to perform at open mics and small gigs around Southern Maine. Bob admires the work of songwriters like Roger Miller, Cindy Walker, Carole King, Mark Erelli, Tony Lane, Shane McAnally, Guy Clark, Jason Eady, and Sam Outlaw. Lori McKenna is his songwriting hero.

Andrea Goldman Cole is a Maine singer and songwriter whose music has been performed by groups throughout New England. Reflecting on themes of nature, love, and family, Andrea aims to write melodic tunes with heartfelt lyrics and rich harmonies. She was the 2nd place winner in the MSA 2021 Songwriting Contest.

Carole Wise is a singer/songwriter from Brunswick Maine. Her music is sweet and soulful, drawing on a lifelong passion for education, the beauty of the natural world, and the adventures of finding truth through life’s challenges. Her music is also organic – grown and nurtured from the seed of a feeling or a visual. “I do not chase a song,” Carole says. Nature is where her spirit thrives and meditative walks are often the source of the seeds – as in the hawk she watched soaring above – that was the seed from New Frontier. Once planted in her mind and heart, Carole gifts it the time to grow. Carole’s most recent release “Long Way Home” charted as No. 18 on Folk Radio in November 2021.

Maine singer/songwriter Jud Caswell has got a keen eye for detail, a head full of far-away, and a heart full of home. In 2006 he burst on the national scene, winning the legendary Kerrville New Folk competition. His songs have been taught at Berklee, recorded by Judy Collins, and named “#4 Song of the Decade” by New York’s WFUV. Jud left the road to raise a family where his own roots go deep. He draws inspiration from the land like Mary Oliver, pushing gently into the specific until it unfolds into the universal. He paints his landscapes like Wyeth, with a reverence for humble beauty. And with a voice fresh as water over granite and soft as a pine needle bed, he wields his instruments with the matter-of fact deftness of an old woodsman with an axe.

We’re happy to be working with Meetinghouse Arts in Freeport, to present Songwriters on Stage. The evening was curated by Yarmouth singer-songwriter, Tim Winchester. Tim will be joined by Karen McDine, Ben Wood, and Laurie Jones. Meetinghouse Arts is in the acoustically-stunning church space at 40 Main Street in Freeport. The show starts at 7:00pm. Tickets are $20 (10% discount for full paying members). Purchase in advance here or at the door.

About the artists:

Laurie Jones is an American Singer/songwriter that has been dubbed “the missing link between Dusty Springfield and Tom Petty. She has been referred to as “Chrissie Hynde with a folk guitar” and compared to Lucinda Williams and Sheryl Crow for her Americana and Folk-Rock influences. These comparisons she happily and humbly accepts. Influenced by a multitude of styles, Jones combines the craft of songwriting with her own unique sounds that ranges from Rock to Gospel. Whether playing her songs acoustic solo, or backed by her rock solid band, Jones delivers the lyrical sass and musical punch she has built her reputation on.

Laurie Jones’ latest release, Dark Horse, is available wherever you prefer to stream music and/or CDs.

Karen McDine is a unique singer/songwriter from Brunswick, ME with a voice that’s been described as “Honey over vinegar”, Newport News, Norfolk ,VA. After attending a few years of college at MECA, in Portland, ME, Karen began teaching herself how to play the guitar and moved to Virginia Beach, VA. in ’97 to pursue a career in music.

Her debut album, Fallen Angel was recorded in Virginia Beach 2002, and shortly after its release, she opened up for the legendary local pop band, The States, at the historic NORVA in downtown Norfolk, VA. Karen has since released a pop/rock single, Light Tomorrow with Today, in August 2022. Her newest single, Shadows – a song she wrote for her birth mother whom she has never met, was just released in February of 2023 on Bandcamp. Karen is currently recording her second record of 11 songs, tentatively titled, Wildflower at Owl Cave Audio in Bath, ME. Musically the record reflects Karen’s roots while embracing experimentation and other sonic possibilities. At the heart of Wildflower, there is a strong love for family and tradition.

Maine-based songwriter and rising contemporary folk artist, Tim Winchester was first introduced to the guitar at a young age by his father, a self-taught finger-style guitarist and avid music lover.

In 2016, after more than a decade of not picking up the guitar, a couple of friends convinced Tim to play a few original songs at a local open-mic night which would spark a renewed interest in performing and a deeper curiosity into songwriting and storytelling. Shortly thereafter, he timorously took his music from the living room to listening rooms and has curated a growing collection of heart-stirring songs ever since. An auditory palette of soothing and sorrowful colors, Tim’s music has been described as “atmospheric” and “an ethereal landscape of storytelling”.

He has released 2 full-length studio albums, Into The Open (2021) and Northern Lights (2022)

Ben Wood is a singer-songwriter who has called Maine home for most of the past 20 years. He was first introduced to music at a young age by an older brother and uncle who collected tapes and vinyl. Inspired and heavily influenced by the likes of Dylan, Neil Young, Motown, and soul music, Ben first picked up guitar playing and singing as a teenager. Over the past 25 years, he has played in a number of bands and gradually developed a style that is an eclectic mix of genres and influences ranging from jazz to Americana to neo-soul and R&B.

After several long hiatuses from songwriting, Ben has been more focused over the past few years. He recently recorded a collection of original songs at Acadia Studio in Portland which will be released on all online music platforms in the coming weeks.

MSA and Blue present an MSA Member Songwriter Showcase featuring award-winning songwriters and nationally-recognized touring artists Emilia Dahlin and Jenny Van West, as well as the first-place winners of our 2021 and 2022 songwriter contests, Karen Gray and Oliver Rhodes.

We had a sold out show on Thursday for the finals of our 12th Annual MSA Songwriting Contest! Congratulations to all of our finalists and particularly our three winners:
1st Place Karen Gray – song “These are the Dreams”
2nd Place John Schindler -song “Indian Hill”
3rd Place Ronnie Mocciola – song “Hazel”

MSA had a field of 34 entries for this year’s event. Three judges – blinded to contestant names – ranked each song for lyrics, melody, originality, song structure, and overall impact. The rankings were combined to choose six finalists. The top ten songs were extremely close in scoring and combined ranking, a testament to the high-quality of song writing from MSA members. All of the songs were worthy contenders.

The six finalists who will compete live for the top three prizes are:
Karen Gray
Ronnie Mocciola
Adam Fromm
John Schindler
Phillip Redo
Stan Keach.

Song Contest Finals will return as a full live event this year, Thursday, November 10th, from 7-9 PM, at Nomad (the former Frontier) located in Fort Andross, 14 Maine Street, Brunswick, Maine.

ALL TICKETS HAVE BEEN SOLD…  WE ARE SOLD OUT!

You may have missed it but you can still witness the whole show!  Yes, we successfully held our annual songwriting contest online!  Back when Gov Mills closed most if not all live music venues due to the threat of Covid-19, the MSA board met and discussed possible alternatives to our usual LIVE event.  We decided to carry on as usual and trust that the technology to hold an online event was viable.  And it was!

 

We sent out the notice announcing the contest, collected the entries, judged the songs and made our selection… just as we have always done.  Unfortunately we were not able to have a contest at the Frontier as we have donein the past.  But we did have a live event… just online.

 

There were 39 great entries and the judges of our preliminary judging had a hard time choosing the six finalists. The caliber of entries just gets better each year!  Thank you one and all for your entries.  You are all winners in our book!

 

Congratulation to this year’s finalists.  They were:

 

  • “Edge of Town” – Peter Carriveau
  • “Lady of the Pines” – Matt Shipman and Erica Brown
  • “Land of Tall Pines” – Jeff Trippe and Stan Keach
  • “Stella” – Kathy Bennet and Thom Perkins
  • “Trouble” – Doug Kolmar
  • “Yellow Rose” – Deann Marsh

 

The 6 finalists were asked to submit a video performing their song.  Then on the night of the event we had the contestants introduce their song and we played the video.   The three judges were Jenny Lou Drew and Tom Mitchell, the winners from last year and Gary Lawless, bass guitarist, poet and bookstore owner.  They heard and judged the songs in real time, online.  When all of the videos were played the judges sequestered themselves in a breakout room for their deliberations and while the judges, were doing their thing, we played the winning songs from last year.  Then the announcement!

 

“And the Winners are…….”

 

  • 3rd Place “Land of Tall Pines” – Jeff Trippe and Stan Keach
  • 2nd Place “Trouble” – Doug Kolmar
  • 1st Place “Yellow Rose” – Deann Marsh

 

CONGRATULATIONS!!!

 

Watch the whole 2020 Annual Song Contest Finals on Facebook