THREE (NO, FOUR) CONTESTS...

Songs have gone out this month to two contests, will go out to a third, and are ready to go out to a fourth. I had planned on entering only two song contests this year, but the other two opportunities were too good to resist. In order of getting finished, they are:

GOODNIGHT KISS MUSIC: These are the folks who wanted the "traditional Gospel song" for a "theme" album. They got "Turn Your Radio On," recorded by me and four other members of the Friday Night Group at Gary Way's little studio in Bay City. I don't think the product was very good (and told the publisher so), but sent it off anyway. One of the insights from the exercise is that the Group needs to be recorded playing live; none of thjem are comfortable enough in a studio setting to effectively "let loose."

WHEELER COUNTY BLUEGRASS FESTIVAL: They award a prize every July 4 for the best song about Fossil, Oregon, the little town where the Festival is held. I'd planned on entering this one, because "entering" means performing the song live, and I think I do well in live performance situations. They got "Prehistoric Roadkill," which is about FOSSILS rather than Fossil (I couldn't resist the pun–and Fossil got its name because it sits in a big dinosaur lakebed). I think of it as the first song I'd written in a long time, but that's not true–I actually wrote two new songs in the lst month besides this one–but this one did take a long time to write. I got the chorus way back in October or November, and then verses gradually happened over time until last week. I tried for something that would be "timeless"–i.e., not useable just for the Wheeler Co. Bluegrass Festival–but we'll see. I'll play it this week for the Friday Night Group and see what a live audience thinks.

AMERICAN IDOL: Their contest was announced at the beginning of April, with a deadline of April 17. The producers are after something for the contestants to sing that'll show off their talents, and they'll probably get tens of thousands of entries. From me, they got "Rotten Candy," which CAN be sung by somebody with a good voice (I was channeling Dottie West at the time). It is probably way too country for their tastes; I am sure they're after more "poppy" music, and probably something more upbeat ("Rotten Candy" is just uptempo). What I figure I'll get for my $10 entry fee is the ability to tell audiences, "And this is the song that was rejected by American Idol..." And yes, I've decided that's worth the ten bucks. A lot of serious songwriters are entering this thing, despite the long odds and the contract that'll be offered the winners vesting all rights in the producers of the show–because it's a way to bypass the record industry and get exposure. Myself, I don't care if they steal the song–I'll always write more.

THE WOODY GUTHRIE SONG COMPETITION: The other one I'd planned on entering. In this instance, it's the finalists–3 of them–that will get to perform on stage in Woody's old home town in Oklahoma. They're going to get "Oil in the Cornfield," a song I penned back in 1976 which is one of my few serious songs and probably the only one that fits the "social-justice songs" requirement of the contest. The Collaborators did this one–actually, Vic "Mississippi Spud" Bonner (bass, drums, lead guitar and mixing) and Vikki "Hummingbird" Flawith (piano), with me doing rhythm guitar, vocal and occasional simple plinks on the Strat. The product is (expectably) beautiful.

And that's probably it for contests for this year: two I'd planned to enter, two I didn't that just happened, and all within one month. Contests primarily benefit the contest-runners and no one else; nobody's getting any record contracts out of these (that's not even offered as a prize any more in most contests), and the prizes that ARE offered–recording time, demos, equipment–aren't that attractive for someone like me. I've already got, or can get, that stuff at pretty low cost, and therefore am not impressed. What I look at in contests is (1) whether I've got an advantage that'll help me win, and (2) whether the prize is something that will help ME.

In the above cases, I consider being able to "enter" by playing the song live to be a plus; I do good in live performances. In the Woody Guthrie thing, I tried to submit them as good as possible a recording, in the hope I'll be one of the finalists (who get to perform live). Performing live is a good reward; what I'm after is EXPOSURE for the material, and I get that best by playing it in front of large groups of people in different places. American Idol, of course, is a long shot–but the winner's name is going to get mentioned a lot on T.V., even if he or she never makes a penny out of the deal (which is likely under that contract). And the music publisher? I just want to stay on her mailing list, and have her recognize my name when I submit her something (she may recognize it already).

UPDATES: Still two songs to finish writing (waiting on lyrics, they are); I haven't recorded "Tugga Paw," my and Leif Alderman's Swedish country-music song, yet, but I now have an offer for a BAGPIPE lead (St. Leif was also the patron saint of bagpipes) that I think will sound real impressive.