Passing this on for those interested.
 
Jim Roy
Ottawa Blues, Jazz & Swing Guide
Phone: (613) 829-3725
www.ottawabluesjazz.ca
 

Hi ,

I'm emailing to let you know that the prestigious US-based International Songwriting Competition (ISC) has announced its 2011 winners. We are very excited because out of over 16,000 entries from 112 countries, Canadian songwriters have come away with one First Place win, four Second Place wins, one Third Place win, and an impressive 35 Honorable Mentions.

The winners were chosen by a prestigious panel of celebrity and industry judges including Tom Waits; Jeff Beck; Ozzy Osbourne; Robert Smith (The Cure); Tori Amos; McCoy Tyner; Kelly Clarkson; 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@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@songwritingcompetition.com
www.songwritingcompetition.com

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Contact: Candace Avery
International Songwriting Competition
615.251.4441
cavery@songwritingcompetition.com
www.songwritingcompetition.com

Canadian Songwriters Are Honored US-Based International Songwriting Competition (ISC)

ISC Grand Prize Is Awarded To New Zealander Kimbra
For The Song "Cameo Lover"

May 1, 2012 - The International Songwriting Competition (ISC), the world's foremost global songwriting event, is pleased to announce its 2011 winners. Over 16,000 songs were submitted and of those, Canadian songwriters have come away with one First Place win, four Second Place wins, one Third Place wins, and an impressive 35 Honorable Mentions. Canadian winners and Honorable Mention recipients were present across nearly all 22 categories spanning all genres of popular music, confirming the expansive nature of the Canadian music scene and the array of sounds coming from the country's best songwriters.

Called "the songwriting competition to take note of" by the New York Times, ISC was established in 2002 and awards more than $150,000 in cash and prizes to amateur and professional songwriters around the globe. This year was the most competitive of any year in terms of quantity and quality of entries, and winners were selected from over 16,000 songs submitted from 112 countries worldwide. Judges included iconic artists Tom Waits, Jeff Beck, McCoy Tyner, Kelly Clarkson, Janelle Monae, Ozzy Osbourne, Lucinda Williams, Tori Amos, Wynonna, Keane, and many more. In addition to the high-profile artists, the roster of judges also included five 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.

For a complete list of 2011 ISC winners and to hear the winning songs, go to http://www.songwritingcompetition.com/winners

Winning ISC's highest honor is New Zealand's latest export, the quirky and wonderfully eclectic artist Kimbra. Kimbra has recently exploded onto the international music charts as the featured singer on Australian artist Gotye's current #1 hit song, "Somebody That I Used To Know." Her recent TV performances with Gotye on Jimmy Kimmel Live and Saturday Night Live were electrifying and introduced her to the US public, fortifying her meteoric rise to fame.

To download photos of winners, go to http://www.songwritingcompetition.com/winners
ISC 2011 judges included:

Recording Artists: Tom Waits; Tori Amos; Jeff Beck; Lucinda Williams; My Morning Jacket; Kelly Clarkson; Ozzy Osbourne; Keane; McCoy Tyner; Wynonna; Francesca Battistelli; Janelle Monae; Billy Currington; Tegan and Sara; Massive Attack; Simon Le Bon and Roger Taylor (Duran Duran); Michael W. Smith; Alejandro Sanz; Johnny Clegg; Jeremy Camp; Ray Wylie Hubbard; John Mayall; Craig Morgan; Basement Jaxx; James Cotton; Sandra Bernhard; Trombone Shorty; Robert Earl Keen; Black Francis (The Pixies); Mose Allison; Robert Smith (The Cure); Amadou & Mariam; Darryl McDaniels (Run D.M.C.); Toots Hibbert (Toots & The Maytals); and Matt Thiessen (Relient K)

Industry Executives: Monte Lipman (President, Universal Republic Records); David Massey (President, Mercury Records); Brian Malouf (VP A&R, Walt Disney Records); Bruce Iglauer (Founder/President, Alligator Records); Angel Carrasco (Sr. VP A&R, Latin America, Sony/BMG); Ric Arboit (President, Nettwerk Music Group); Anastasia Brown (Music Supervisor, FORMAT); Dr. Demento (Radio Host, The Dr. Demento Show); Allison Jones (VP of A&R, Big Machine Label Group); Steve Lillywhite (Producer); Dan Storper (President, Putamayo World Music Records and Putumayo Kids); Kim Buie (A&R and Artist Manager, Thirty Tigers); Douglas C. Cohn (Sr. VP, Music Marketing & Talent, Nickelodeon); Trevor Jerideau (VP of A&R, RCA Records); Antony Bland (Co-Owner, CandyShop Management); Steve Smith (VP of A&R, Aware Records); Leib Ostrow (Founder/CEO, Music For Little People); and Cory Robbins (Founder/President, Robbins Entertainment)

Sponsors included: Presonus, Lowden Guitars, Sennheiser, Posse, Mrs. Fields Cookies, ASCAP, Berklee College Of Music, D'Addario, Thayers, Onlinegigs, SongU.com, The Music Business Registry, SongTrust, Independent Mastering, Indie Venue Bible, George Stein, Esq., Sonicbids, Taxi, and music Submit.

ISC is now accepting entries for 2012. Go to http://www.songwritingcompetition.com for more information and an entry form.


Canadian Winners Include:

First Place

Ruth Moody (The Wailin' Jennys)
"Storm Comin'" - Winnipeg, Manitoba

The First Place winner in the Gospel/Christian category is Ruth Moody--founding member of the internationally renowned, Billboard-charting trio, The Wailin' Jennys. "Storm Coming," her ISC winning song, is featured on the trio's 2011 album, Bright Morning Stars. Although best known for her work with The Wailin' Jennys, the Juno Award winning, Australian born and Canadian raised songwriter launched her first full-length solo album in 2010. The debut release, The Garden, was welcomed with rave reviews and nominated for a Juno Award, Western Canadian Music Award, and three Canadian Folk Music Awards.


Second Place

Shoshana Sperling, Maury LaFoy (The Monkey Bunch)
"Poopie Diaper" - Toronto, ON, Canada - Children's Music

"Poopie Diaper," by Shoshana Sperling and Maury LaFoy of The Monkey Bunch, takes second place in the Children's Music category. Playing with a variety of musical stylings The Monkey Bunch seeks to engage kids with musicality and humor, while imparting fun but important educational messages about the environment. Shoshana Sperling is a Toronto-based songwriter and performer who has written for plays, television, and performed live comedic monologues. Maury LaFoy is a musician, songwriter, and producer who has played with Jann Arden, Ron Sexsmith and Olivia Newton John, among others. Toronto Star says of The Monkey Bunch, "Children have always enjoyed hearing the music of previous generations. They're going to LOVE this."

Rodney Clawson, Lynn Hutton, Dustin Lynch (Dallas Smith)
"Somebody Somewhere" - Vancouver, British Columbia

Rodney Clawson, Lynn Hutton, and Dustin Lynch win Second Place in the Country category for "Somebody Somewhere," which has been a hit single in Canada for country artist Dallas Smith. Rodney Clawson, apart from his own artist career, has had songs cut by George Straight, Kenny Chesney, Jason Aldean, Luke Bryan, and Big & Rich--to name a few--songs that have gone on to receive CMA and ACM awards, #1 Billboard chartning status, and Grammy nominations. Co-writer Lynn Hutton has also written songs for successful country artists, including Scotty Joe Nichols, and Sarah Johns. Nashville-based country music artist Dustin Lynch, who is the third credited writer of "Somebody Somewhere," launched his own debut single "Cowboys And Angels" earlier this year and has already made CMT's Top 30 Country Countdown.

Carlos del Junco, Al Duffy
"Heddon Tadpolly Spook" - Port Hope, Ontario

Second Place in the Instrumental category goes to harmonica virtuoso Carlos del Junco and bass player Al Duffy for the song, "Heddon Tadpolly Spook." Del Junco emigrated with his family from Cuba when he was only one year old, and has since called Canada home. With eight albums to his name, Juno nominations, and eight-time Harmonica Player of the Year accolades, del Junco plays using a recently developed "overblow" technique taught to him by jazz virtuoso Howard Levy. In 2011, he released his most recent album Mongrel Mash, featuring well-known Canadian guitar player Kevin Breit.

Kyle Jordan, Dustin Wolf
"Lighter Up" - Regina, Saskatchewan

Second Place winners of the R&B/Hip-Hop category are R&B artist Kyle Jordan, and rapper Dustin Wolf (State of Mind) for the song, "Lighter Up." Initially trained as a classical pianist, Kyle Jordan draws from the inspiration of Usher, Brian McKnight, R. Kelly, and others. Jordan is now working on his first studio album, aimed for release in the summer of 2012. Co-writer Dustin Wolf (State of Mind) is a Hip-Hop artist and founder of the group, UNLTD. Wolf is a creative lyricist whose emphasis is on wordplay mixed with pop-culture nuances--resulting in memorable punch lines. "Lighter Up" was recently featured on Coast 2 Coast Mixtape Vol. 174, hosted by Dorrough.

Third Place

Scott Nolan
"You Rock, We Roll" - Winnipeg, Manitoba

Winnipeg-based songwriter Scott Noland receives Third Place in the Americana category for his song, "You Rock, We Roll" off his latest album Montgomery Eldorado (2011). Nolan is no newcomer to ISC, with a 2008 Second Place showing in the Americana category with "Bad Liver / Broken Heart," from Nolan's 2008 release, Receiver/Reflector; award winning Americana artist Hayes Carll covered the song on his 2008 album, Trouble In Mine.


Honorable Mentions

"Old Piano" - Jon Matte (The Franklin Electric) - Montreal, QC, Canada - Adult Contemporary (AC)
"Warning Signs" - Jessica Beach, Jeff Dawson - Vancouver, BC, Canada - Adult Contemporary (AC)
"Roll Baby Roll" - Mark Bragg - St. John's, NL, Canada - Americana
"Heaven Send Me An Angel" - Kenneth Spruell (Kenny "Blues Boss" Wayne) - Burnaby, BC, Canada - Blues
"Save Me For Later" - Suzie Vinnick, Kristi Magraw - Toronto, ON, Canada - Blues
"These Four Walls" - Rita Chiarelli - Toronto, ON, Canada - Blues
"Woman in Blue" - Rita Chiarelli - Toronto, ON, Canada - Blues
"All The Letters" - Helen Austin - Comox, BC, Canada - Children's Music
"Bath Time" - Paul Runalls, Chris Atkinson - Regina, SK, Canada - Children's Music
"The Holiday Song" - Ben Sures - Edmonton, AB, Canada - Comedy/Novelty
"Worm" - Justin Wiebe (Bicycle-Town) - Chilliwack, BC, Canada - Comedy/Novelty
"When It All Goes South" - Jaylene Johnson, Sharlene Loveless, Jolene Keats - Winnipeg, MB, Canada - Country
"Electrolove" - Kuba Oms, Jason Cook - Victoria, BC, Canada - Dance/Electronica
"High" - Tiffany Desrosiers, Anthony Anderson, Steve Smith - Langley, BC, Canada - Dance/Electronica
"Ashes" - Andy Brown - Fredericton, NB, Canada - Folk/Singer-Songwriter
"Come Rain Or Come Shine" - David Francey - Toronto, ON, Canada - Folk/Singer-Songwriter
"Half The Boat" - Matthew Clarke (Honey And The Money) - Port Moody, BC, Canada - Folk/Singer-Songwriter
"Kicking Up Dust" - Brad Keller (The Creaking Tree String Quartet) - Toronto, ON, Canada - Instrumental
"Palmas" - Eddie Paton, Bret Menezes - Toronto, ON, Canada - Instrumental
"Un Poco De Ti" - Maddy Rodriguez, Ryan Stewart - Toronto, ON, Canada - Latin
"Tell Tale" - Jordan Fricker - Waterloo, ON, Canada - Lyrics Only
"Calling All Angels" - Jane Siberry - Toronto, ON, Canada - Performance
"Dream Street" - Ariana Gillis, David Gillis - Toronto, ON, Canada - Performance
"Lady Flower" - Jenie Thai - Fort Saskatchewan, AB, Canada - Performance
"Reload" - Sara Smith - London, ON, Canada - Performance
"These Four Walls" - Rita Chiarelli - Toronto, ON, Canada - Performance
"Summer Days" - Meredith Coloma - Vancouver, BC, Canada - Pop/Top 40
"Harder" - Matt Dubois, John Michael - Ottawa, ON, Canada - R&B/Hip-Hop
"The Storm" - Michelle Chadsey, Mike Asselin, Will Harris, Jesse Mackle, Kelly Schmale (The Proper Villains) - Surrey, BC, Canada - R&B/Hip-Hop
"Hope & Ruin" - John-Angus MacDonald, Colin MacDonald, Jack Syperek, Sean Dalton, Gord Sinclair (The Trews) - Antigonish, NS, Canada - Rock
"Taken For Granted" - The Mercy Now - Toronto, ON, Canada - Rock
"By My Side" - Matt Dubois - Ottawa, ON, Canada - Teen
"Lovelorn" - Alison MacLea, Chris Ioannou, Chris Sytnyk (Little Creatures) - Toronto, ON, Canada - Unsigned Only
"Never Walked On The Moon" - Dylan Edward Roberts (King Dylan) - Calgary, AB, Canada - Unsigned Only
"Rabba Ru" - Kiran Ahluwalia - Toronto, ON, Canada - World ¬¬