Passed on for whatever interest there may be. Jim Roy Ottawa Blues, Jazz & Swing Guide www.ottawabluesjazz.ca Hi , I'm emailing to let you know that the prestigious US-based International Songwriting Competition (ISC) has announced its 2012 winners. We are very excited because out of over 20,000 entries from 119 countries, and 68 winners in total, Canadian songwriters received three First Place wins, two Second Place wins, one Third Place win, and 22 Honorable Mention showings across nearly all 22 categories spanning all genres of popular music. The winners were chosen by a prestigious panel of celebrity and industry judges including Tom Waits; Nas; Martina McBride; Robert Smith (The Cure); Duran Duran; McCoy Tyner; Black Francis (Pixies); John Mayall; Monte Lipman (President, Universal Republic Records); and many others. More than $150,000 US in cash and prizes will be shared by the winners. It is extremely important to ISC that the accomplishments of these Canadian songwriters be recognized, and we sincerely hope that you will help us to accomplish this goal by promoting this press release and helping to spread the word about their international achievements. I have included a press release below, and please go to our website to see all the winners: http://www.songwritingcompetition.com/winners If you need additional information about the ISC winners and the competition, please contact me. You can download a low-res photo of many ISC winners at http://www.songwritingcompetition.com/winners If you need a high-res photo, please me at cavery(a)songwritingcompetition.com and I will email you one. Thank you very much for your support of Canadian Music! All the best, Candace Avery Founder/Director International Songwriting Competition 1307 Eastland Avenue Nashville, TN 37206 ph: 615.251.4441 fx: 615.251.4442 www.songwritingcompetition.com "the songwriting competition to take note of..." - New York Times FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Contact: Candace Avery International Songwriting Competition 615.251.4441 cavery(a)songwritingcompetition.com www.songwritingcompetition.com FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Candace Avery International Songwriting Competition 615.251.4441 cavery(a)songwritingcompetition.com www.songwritingcompetition.com CANADIAN SONGWRITERS HONORED IN US-BASED INTERNATIONAL SONGWRITING COMPETITION Celebrity Judges Award Grand Prize To Joshua Hanson (Yellow Red Sparks) For His Song "Monsters With Misdemeanors" May 2, 2013 - - - The International Songwriting Competition (ISC), widely recognized as the world's premier songwriting event, recently announced its 2012 winners. Over 20,000 entries were submitted from 119 countries worldwide, and for the first time ever, more than half of the competition's 68 winners are from outside the USA. Canadian songwriters received three First Place wins, two Second Place wins, one Third Place win, and 22 Honorable Mention showings across nearly all 22 categories spanning the genres of popular music. Year after year, Canadian songwriters maintain a strong representation amongst competition winners, attesting to the high caliber of musicianship and the diversity of musical styles coming from some of the country's best songwriters. "ISC's mission is to inspire and promote greatness in the field of songwriting," says Candace Avery, Founder and Director. "It is humbling to hear so many talented songwriters, and it is gratifying to play a part in the growth of the winners' careers." Established in 2002, ISC awards more than $150,000 in cash and prizes to amateur and professional songwriters around the world. Past ISC winners include Gotye, The Band Perry, Kasey Chambers, Amanda Palmer, Gin Wigmore, King Charles, Kimbra, Passenger, Andrew Bird, and many more. Winning ISC's highest honor, the Grand Prize, is California native Joshua Hanson for his song "Monsters With Misdemeanors. The lead singer and songwriter of the award-winning indie folk/rock trio Yellow Red Sparks, Hanson is the son of a lounge-singing mother and a theatrically trained father. From a young age he was always fascinated with words and how the stories would unfold through the liner notes of some of his favorite songwriters. His ability of expression is eloquent and effortless, crafting and delivering candid and poetic lyrics that elicit the slightest hint of bittersweet heartache. Candace Avery, Founder and Director of ISC, says, "The judges loved the song for its sparse honesty and achingly tender lyrics. ISC is very excited to honor such a talented songwriter, and we anticipate a brilliant future for this promising artist." Yellow Red Sparks released their debut full-length CD in early 2013, and it has already garnered glowing reviews and the attention of music tastemakers. For a complete list of 2012 ISC winners, to hear the winning songs, and to download low-res photos of all winners, go to http://www.songwritingcompetition.com/winners Applauded for its high caliber of judges, ISC compiled a stellar panel of judges for the 2012 competition. In addition to celebrity artists, judges also included seven record label presidents as well as other industry leaders, offering songwriters the unprecedented opportunity to have their music heard by influential decision-makers. See below for the complete list of judges. Recording Artists: Jeff Beck; Nas; Tom Waits; Bernie Taupin; Martina McBride; Duran Duran; Janelle Monae; Susan Tedeschi & Derek Trucks; Robert Smith (The Cure); Bruce Hornsby; Suzanne Vega; Michael W. Smith; Darryl McDaniels (Run DMC); Mark Foster (Foster The People); Alejandro Sanz; Gerald Casale (Devo); Bill Evans; Anthony Hamilton; Brian Setzer; Avicci; Wynonna; Keane; Jeremy Camp; Tegan & Sara; McCoy Tyner; Ketch Secor (Old Crow Medicine Show); Francesca Batistelli; Craig Morgan; James Cotton; Robert Earl Keen; Black Francis (The Pixies); John Mayall; Anoushka Shankar; Chris Hillman (The Byrds, The Flying Burrito Brothers); Toots Hibbert (Toots & The Maytals); Los Temerarios; Billy Currington; Sandra Bernhard; Basement Jaxx; and Matt Thiessen (Relient K) Industry Executives: Dan McCarroll (President, Capitol/Virgin Label Group); Monte Lipman (President, Universal Republic Records); Alison Donald (Co-President, Columbia Records UK); Ed Vetri (President, Wind-Up Records); Richard Stumpf (President, Imagem Music US); Bruce Iglauer (Founder/President, Alligator Records); Albert Schilcher (VP Music & Music Mktg, MTV International); Angel Carrasco (Sr. VP A&R, Latin America, Sony/BMG); Dan Storper (President, Putamayo World Music Records and Putumayo Kids); Steve Smith (VP of A&R, Aware Records); Cory Robbins (Founder/President, Robbins Entertainment); Lori Tieg (VP of Talent, VEVO); Dr. Demento (Radio Host, The Dr. Demento Show); Steve Lillywhite (Producer); Kim Buie (Head of A&R, Thirty Tigers); Douglas C. Cohn (Sr. VP, Music Marketing & Talent, Nickelodeon); Allison B. Jones (VP of A&R, Big Machine Label Group); Jack Vaughn (VP, Comedy Central Records); Leib Ostrow (Founder/CEO, Music For Little People); and Jamie Masada (Owner, Laugh Factory) Sponsors include: Presonus, Lowden, Marshall Amplification, Grooveshark, Solid State Logic, Berklee College Of Music, Mrs. Fields Cookies, Airplay Direct, DiscMakers, Thayers, SongU.com, The Music Business Registry, Independent Mastering, Indie Venue Bible, George Stein, Esq., Sonicbids, Songtrust, and Taxi ISC is now accepting entries for 2013. Go to http://www.songwritingcompetition.com for more information and an entry form. ### Canadian Winners Include: First Place Winners Helen Austin "Always Be A Unicorn" - Children's Music An ISC Honorable Mention recipient in prior years, Helen Austin returns to claim First Place in the Children's Music category with "Always Be A Unicorn." Born and raised in the UK, Austin moved to Vancouver Island in 2002 to make music her main focus--a move that truly became the catalyst for her musical career. Austin was named Female Songwriter and Artist of the Year at the 2011 Vancouver Island Music Awards and has had over 70 synch placements in ads, TV and movies. Her ISC winning song is the title track of her most recent album, Always Be A Unicorn, her first collection of songs written specifically for young children. The album was nominated for Children's Album of the Year at the 2013 Juno Awards and has been welcomed with rave reviews. Denis Dufresne, Lynae Dufresne (Pear), Bryan Wayne "This Ain't A Love Song" - Country First Place in the Country category goes to "This Ain't A Love Song," written by husband and wife duo, Denis and Lynae Dufresne, along with Nashville-based co-writer Bryan Wayne. Denis and Lynae make up the band PEAR, who was named the 2013 Group of the Year by the Association of Country Music in Alberta. Their debut album, Sweet N Gritty, was released in April 2012 on Chronograph Records and was produced by Neil Gordon on Music Row in Nashville. They are currently in pre-production for their new album and will be touring across Canada through the summer and fall of 2013. Co-writer and Nashville hit songwriter Bryan Wayne attained BMI's "Million Air" status in 2002 with Tommy Shane Steiner's "What If She's An Angel." He penned Chris Cagle's "Country By The Grace of God" Top 25 hit, and landed a track on Big & Rich's triple platinum debut album. Wayne has also secured cuts with Emerson Drive, Clay Walker and Rodney Carrington, among others. Jaron Freeman-Fox (Jaron Freeman-Fox & The Opposite Of Everything) "Auctioneering Everything" - Instrumental Originally from the mountains of Northwest Canada, violinist Jaron Freeman-Fox takes home First Place in the Instrumental category with his song, "Auctioneering Everything." Blending his roots of Celtic and bluegrass fiddling with his study of Indian classical music and jazz, Freeman-Fox has brought his music to new ears worldwide, recently showcasing at WOMEX in Greece. Described as Tom Waits playing the fiddle, backed up by the Mahavishnu Orchestra, The Opposite of Everything transform Freeman-Fox's intricate compositions into an infectious party. The line-up consists of New Orleans-style clarinetist John Williams, electro-pop klezmer accordionist Robbie Grunwald, jazz bassist Charles James, and drummer Dan Stadnicki. After three busy years of touring, the band will go coast-to-coast again this summer, then head overseas for their first full European tour this fall, accompanied by their new full-length, self-titled album which was released in March 2013. Second Place Winners Dale Boyle "You Might Come Around (Ft. Annabelle Chvoste)" - Americana Second Place in the Americana category is awarded to Montreal-based folk, roots, and blues singer-songwriter Dale Boyle. The ISC winning song, "You Might Come Around," is a duet with former Wailin' Jenny's Juno Award nominee Annabelle Chvoste, from Boyle's latest self-produced album Throwback, released in June of 2012. In both 2009 and 2010, Boyle received Honorable Mentions within the competition (Americana, Blues), but this year he has returned to secure a Second Place win, as well as a semi-finalist showing for the song "All Gone Now" from the same album. Thierry Matrat (Funk Embassy) "Unity" - Dance/Electronica Thierry Matrat (a.k.a. Emcee TiTi), leader of the Funk Embassy project, has garnered a Second Place win in the Dance/Electronica category with "Unity." A native of Lyons, France who now calls Montreal home, Matrat is preparing for the Funk Embassy EP release in September of 2013. Matrat spent the 1990's and early 2000's as a composer in the French hip-hop community, but he has now brought his talents to Canada--unafraid to experiment across new musical horizons. Rooted in an eclectic mix of musical inspirations, the members of the Funk Embassy project have embraced the mission of contributing to the experimental dynamics of the new soul/funk/rap scene, while building strong artistic bonds between a variety of musical genres and influences. Third Place Winner Jeff Kalesnikoff, Tyson Yerex, Dan Ball, Shane Deyotte (Acres of Lions) "Reaction" - Pop/Top 40 Third Place in the Pop/Top 40 category goes to Acres of Lions (comprised of Jeff Kalesnikoff, Tyson Yerex, Dan Ball and Shane Deyotte) for the song "Reaction" from their 2011 sophomore album, Collections. The band has seen a great deal of success with the placement of their songs on the TV series Degrassi and Majority Rules, charting on the National Campus Radio Chart and peaking at No. 19 on the Alternative Rock Chart with their ISC winning song, "Reaction." After such success in Canada, Collections was released in the UK on Fierce Panda, and in Japan on Bullion, to much acclaim. The band's new album is due out in early summer, 2013. Honorable Mentions "The Letter" - Alison MacLean, Melanie Hilmi (Little Creatures) - Toronto, ON - Adult Contemporary (AC) "Love Don't Happen Every Time" - Dean Batstone - Almonte, ON, Canada - Adult Contemporary (AC) "I Want Your Love" - Royal Wood - Toronto, ON - Adult Contemporary (AC) "She's Trouble" - Bob Tunnoch - Toronto, ON - Blues "Let's Get Crazy" - Layla Zoe, Henrik Freischlader - Montreal, QC - Blues "On A Mission" - Lindsay Beaver (The 24th Street Wailers) - Toronto, ON - Blues "Leaving" - Steve Strongman, Rob Szabo - Hamilton, ON - Blues "I Wish I Could Hate You" - Jaylene Johnson, Heather Longstaffe, Wendy Wills - Winnipeg, MB - Country "I'm A Dreamer" - Lee Bowman, Paula Bowman, Julian Sammut, Simon Ross (Jetty Road), Jason McCoy - Melbourne, VIC, Australia / Minesing, ON - Country "Tinman" - Andy Brown - Fredericton, NB - Folk/Singer-Songwriter "Sing A New Song" - Colin Bernard - Ottawa, ON - Gospel/Christian "Old Shanghai" - Jason Cullimore - Regina, SK - Instrumental "Canalia" - Yiannis Kapoulas - Hamilton, ON - Instrumental "Blue Skin" - Alexis Baro - Toronto, ON - Jazz "Vivir Sin Ti" - Julio Andres Rodriguez - Ottawa, ON - Latin "Complicated Woman" - Erin McCallum - Alliston, ON - Lyrics Only "The Far Side of Town" - Jeremy Lyall - Toronto, ON - Lyrics Only "Wash Away" - Noshin Samji - Vancouver, BC - Lyrics Only "Island Of The Cows" - Cheyne McCormick (Dig Devil Dig) - London, ON - Rock "Gone" - Matt Walst (My Darkest Days), Joey Moi, Jeff Johnson - Norwood, ON - Rock "Afraid Of Love" - Fintan O'Brien - Saanich East, BC - Teen "One" - Myles Castello - Scarborough, ON - Teen