The Young Novelists Win 2015 Grassy Hill CT Folk Songwriting Competition

The Young Novelists took first place in the 2015 Grassy Hill CT Folk Songwriting Competition. The Toronto, Ontario (Canada)-based husband-and-wife folk-roots duo was selected by a panel of judges following short performances by the five finalists that kicked-off the 10th annual Connecticut Folk Festival and Green Expo at New Haven’s Edgerton Park on September 12.

As the winners, The Young Novelists (Graydon James and Laura Spink) performed a short set on the main stage in the early evening, received a $150 cash prize, and is guaranteed a performance slot in next year’s festival.

“It was a huge honor to be included in the songwriting competition, and amazing to see the other performances,” Laura Spink told AcousticMusicScene.com. “It’s hard to overstate the benefit of the simple fact that we got to share our songs with a wonderful audience who were ready and willing to sing-along as well. As an independent artist, just getting your songs heard is the hardest thing, and the fact that the Connecticut Folk Festival allows for that is a huge boon to the folk community.”

Launched six years ago, The Young Novelists, as a band, were recipients of the 2010 Galaxie Rising Star Award for young performing artists. The duo is known for its songwriting and harmonies. Sharing a passion for storytelling, Graydon and Laura sing songs about small towns, redemption, love and loss. They have toured across Canada and into the U.S. – playing venues and festivals large and small. Their second full-length album, made as strangers, was released in late April, while the band is among the nominees for New/Emerging Artist of the Year and Vocal Group of the Year in the 2015 Canadian Folk Music Awards. The duo played coveted official showcases during the 2014 Southeast Regional Folk Alliance (SERFA) Conference in Montreat, NC, and the 2015 International Folk Alliance Conference in Kansas City, MO. They will perform in a Formal Showcase during the annual Northeast Regional Folk Alliance (NERFA) Conference in Kerhonkson, NY in November, having had a juried Quad Showcase last year.

The Young Novelists and the four other 2015 Grassy Hill CT Folk Songwriting Competition finalists — Carrie Ferguson (Northampton, MA), Elaine Romanelli (New York, NY), Grant Maloy Smith (Wakefield, RI), and Mark Stepakoff (Wellesley, MA) – were chosen from among more than 75 singer-songwriters from across the U.S. and Canada who entered recordings in this year’s competition, according to Barbara Shiller, president of CT Folk’s board of directors. “CT Folk likes to support local artists, but they all [this year’s finalists] traveled from out of state,” she noted.

CT Folk (www.ctfolk.com)is a nonprofit organization dedicated to traditional and contemporary roots music, introducing listeners to emerging singer-songwriters, and to caring for the earth. Besides presenting the festival, CT Folk also hosts a First Fridays concert series that runs from October through May and promotes folk music throughout Connecticut.