U.P./MARQUETTE MUSICIAN KURT PROND ONE OF 10
REGIONAL FINALISTS IN NATIONAL SONGWRITING COMPETITION
Online voting ends Sept. 1 at newsong-music.com
MARQUETTE, Mich. – Accolades for Kurt Prond’s second CD release Prone to Wander have culminated in his nomination as a regional finalist in the nationally recognized Mountain Stage NewSong Contest.
Now in its eighth year, The Mountain Stage NewSong Contest is one of North America's premier showcases for performing songwriters across ALL genres of music. The contest is interested in finding, promoting and working with the most talented songwriters who perform their own songs, regardless of style.
An Ishpeming native, Prond’s intimate acoustic folk instrumentals and lyrics come straight from his Upper Peninsula youth and recent concert tour of the Pacific Northwest. Prond currently resides in Marquette, Mich.
His 2008 release Prone To Wander has been hailed as a call to arms for a generation frustrated by the traps inherent in the ‘American dream’. He has been writing about social and environmental themes since the 2006 release of his inaugural CD titled Away With The Stone. Both albums are available on iTunes.
Prond is one of 10 regional finalists who were asked to hold a ‘virtual’ performance for the nation by uploading a video of a song to YouTube. NewSong Contest judges will review each finalist’s footage to select a winner. In addition to the official winner there will be a "People's Choice" award for each region based on popular vote through newsong-music.com.
The Mountain Stage NewSong Contest will then select 12 nationwide finalists to perform in the international contest finals, Oct. 10 in the Charleston (W.Va.) Cultural Center Theater — the home venue of the internationally broadcast Mountain Stage radio and television program. All finalists will attend the Mountain Stage show on Sunday, Oct. 11 in Charleston, W.Va., where one of the contest's five co-winners will be a featured performer of the show. At least one of the five NewSong Contest co-winners will be invited to perform on National Public Radio's Mountain Stage program.
NewSong's partner MOUNTAIN STAGE™ is public television and National Public Radio's venerable live performance music program, produced both on the road and at home and heard worldwide on more than 125 radio stations, Sirius/XM Satellite Radio and the "Voice of America." Now in its 27th year, the show has a long and storied tradition of featuring national and international acts in all styles of music and of launching emerging acts to stardom.
Mountain Stage presents acts ranging from traditional roots, blues and country, to avant-garde rock, world beat, jazz and more. The show's guest list is the most stylistically varied of any national radio or television performance program. It has showcased over two thousand artists since 1983. The short list of those who have made their national debut on the show include the Barenaked Ladies, Ryan Adams, Sheryl Crow, Norah Jones and Alison Krauss.