Category winners have been named in the 31st annual Mid-Atlantic Song Contest, sponsored by the Songwriters’ Association of Washington (SAW), while overall grand, second and third prize winners will be announced during an awards gala on January 25, 2015 at Jammin’ Java in Vienna, Virginia.
Having drawn more than 300 entries in the Folk/Acoustic category, contest organizers opted to split the category in half with different judges for each one. Karen Dahlstrom, a New York-based singer-songwriter who also is part of the group Bobtown, took Gold in one of them for her song “The Miner’s Bride,” while Shenandoah Valley-based Kipyn Martin captured the Gold in the other for “Dance Across The Sky.” Martyn’s song also was the Silver winner in the Open category, in which Anna Dagmar and Kevin Wansor took the Gold for “Cutest Nudist.”
Here’s a list of winners, finalists and those receiving honorable mention for songs entered in the contest’s folk/acoustic category:
Gold: Karen Dahlstrom – “The Miner’s Bride”
Silver: Rebecca Rego – “Bury My Body”
Finalists: Mary Gordon Hall – “Fine Start of the season,” Carolyn Fischer – “The Lucky Ones,” and Katie Larson (The Accidentals) – “The Silence”
Honorable Mention: Laura Baron and Paula Monks – “A Little Note,” Lynn Hollyfield – “Because of You” and “Winter’s Gift,” Madeline Clark – “Change My Mind,” David Glaser – “Concrete River,” Daniel Weber – “Goodbye To Day,” Laura Zucker – “Home,” Jamie Kallestad and Ben Cosgrove – “Many Rivers East,” and Mike P. Ryan – “Sidewalk Romance.”
Gold: Kipyn Martin – “Dance Across The Sky”
Silver: Tom Goss – “Illuminate The Dark”
Finalists: Eric Scott and Mike Stacey – “Break Me Open,” Tom Manche – “He Calls Me Man,” and Carolyn Fischer – “The Sextant”
Honorable Mention: Brittany Jean Valint – “Arms & Legs,” Andrew Hardin and Jeannie Burns – “Down The Deep Well” and “Gentle Rain,” Carolyn Fischer – “Fifteen Years Ago,” Brad Colerick – “Late Winter Snow,” Becky Warren – “Louie and Rosalee,” Karen Dahlstrom and Kenny Siegal – “One More Time,” Daniel Rauchwerk (The Lords of Liechtenstein) – “The Last To Die,” and Christopher Mark Jones – “The Trapper’s Wife
Winners also were named in eight other categories. Of particular note to readers of AcousticMusicScene.com, Cathy Fink captured the Gold in the Children’s category for “Twins,” while Frank Solivan, lead vocalist, mandolinist and fiddler for 2014 International Bluegrass Music Association Instrumental Group of the Year Frank Solivan & Dirty Kitchen, won Gold awards in the Country/Bluegrass and Instrumental categories for “Cold Spell” and “Chief Taghtanic” respectively.
The first place (Gold) winners will receive cash awards. The top winners in each category also will be invited to perform during the awards gala and, along with the contest’s overall winners, will be included in a winners’ compilation CD sponsored by Oasis CD Manufacturing. A list of winners, finalists and honorable mention recipients in all categories may be found online at www.saw.org, along with information about the gala for which tickets are available.
Established in 1979, the Songwriters’ Association of Washington (SAW) is a nonprofit organization that seeks to further excellence in songwriting through hosting educational programs and providing networking and performance opportunities for its members. SAW hosts open mics and showcases, workshops on the art and business of songwriting, and monthly Songwriter Exchange peer critique sessions. It also publishes a monthly e-newsletter.
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