Cardinal Sons, a New Orleans-based band of brothers, was named the grand prize winner in the 2013 Mountain Stage NewSong Contest at the live finals that took place Oct. 19 at Lincoln Center’s David Rubenstein Atrium in New York City.

Cardinal Sons

Cardinal Sons

Originally hailing from Jackson, Mississippi, and all in their 20s, brothers Joe (piano, vocals), John (guitar, vocals) and Dave (drums, vocals) Shirley perform their own brand of alternative/indie rock with blues and folk-like melodies. In accordance with contest rules, which prohibit more than two performers per act in the finals, Dave, the youngest brother, watched from the crowd. However, NewSong Director Gar Ragland invited him to join his brothers on stage for a two-song, full band encore following the announcement of their win.

As grand prize winners, Cardinal Sons will return to Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts as featured performers. They also will perform at the Sundance Film Festival’s ASCAP Music Café in Park City, Utah, and will appear on National Public Radio’s Mountain Stage show, which has been showcasing talented artists and songwriters for nearly 30 years. Cardinal Sons also will have an EP recorded and mixed by producer, musician and songwriter Charlie Sexton in Asheville, NC and will receive a musician’s chair and an analog synthesizer.

“It was a complete shock when our name was called,” said John Shirley, the Cardinal Sons’ front man and oldest brother. “There were so many talented artists in this competition, and it’s quite surreal that we were chosen. We’re really excited about working at Echo Mountain [Recording] with Charlie Sexton and making some killer music.”

Cardinal Sons were among five finalists selected by a panel of music industry judges during an afternoon semifinal round to advance to the evening award round set. The other top finalists were Eliot Bronson (Atlanta, GA), Breagh Mackinnon (Sydney, Nova Scotia), Clarence Bucaro (Brooklyn, NY) and Boris McCutcheon (Albuquerque, NM). Although she did not make it to the evening round, Victoria Vox (Baltimore, MD) is this year’s People’s Choice award winner – having received the most votes from among the 60 regional finalists for her video on the contest’s website.

As AcousticMusicScene.com previously reported, ten regional finalists were selected this summer from each of six regions. http://acousticmusicscene.com/2013/08/31/regional-finalists-named-in-2013-mountain-stage-newsong-contest/.

Since its inception 12 years ago, “the Mountain Stage NewSong Contest has brought a lot of exceptional talent to our attention,” said Larry Groce, host and artistic director of Mountain Stage. He noted that contest winners and many finalists have appeared on Mountain Stage over the years. “The fact that the contestants are judged by their songs as well as their performances equally makes it very appealing to us,” he added.

NewSong Music is an independent music organization that aims to build a supportive community of performers and songwriters across all genres of music and levels of skill, while identifying truly exceptional artists within it and introducing their music to a broader international audience.

More information can be found at www.newsong-music.com, where you also can get a free download of the 2013 Mountain Stage NewSong Contest Finalist Compilation Album.