San Diego Songwriter's Guild

On February 23, 2009, a talented group of musicians submitted recordings for the review of a panel of judges, with the six top entrants being selected to move on the 2009 SDSG Performing Songwriters Contest finals. At the end of the listening session, the judges commented on the overall quality of the submissions, noting that everyone who came out presented strong material with professional recording quality predominating. As one who can recall the days of cassette submissions being the norm, it was gratifying to hear the solid, well-crafted material that was presented. Kudos to all our contestants for a job well done!

Our judges still had to select top entries to move on to the Belly Up and the contest finals; they picked seven top songs from the 32 entrants. Scoring was very tight, with only a few points separating songs in the scoring.

Slated to perform at the Belly Up on Tuesday March 3, 2009 are Allegra and the Allegra Collective, Blues Lyne, Candice Graham, Kerri Dopart, Lindsay White, Reverend Stickman, and Steven Ybarra. The winner of the Contest finals will receive a Six-Hour Studio West Recording Session, a 500 CD Package from CDRollout.com, and $250 in cash from SDSG.

Our panel of judges for the Qualification Session at Country Inn and Suites included SDSG President Sandi Shaner, SDSG Vice President Tim Turner, former SDSG President Bridget Brigitte, and Contest Sponsor Studio West’s Kyle Z. Helmstetter.

Board Members John Pape and Richard Widney, assisted by SDSG associate Barby Hattersley, diligently ran the sign-ins, organized the entries and handled the housekeeping chores as the judges reviewed our contestants’ songs.

Mark Hattersley served as the Contest MC and handled sound for the session.

We couldn’t do an event like this without the support of our members and our generous sponsors. Thank you KPRi 102.1 FM, CDRollout.com and Studio West for your support for this event. And thanks to Country Inn and Suites for your proving us with a fine venue for the listening session.

Finally, thanks to everyone who entered and attended our 2009 Performing Songwriters Contest. Keep your eyes peeled for upcoming events… we’ll see you there!

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Thanks to everyone for a great job with the first leg of the Performing Songwriters Contest.

The artists moving forward to the next round at the Belly Up on March 3rd are:

• 8PM – Kerri Dopart
• 8:30 – Lindsay White
• 9PM – Reverend Stickman
• 9:30 – Steven Ybarra
• 10PM – Candice Graham
• 10:30 – Allegra
• 11PM – Blues Lyne

Sponsors…

Diane Waters, veteran SDSG Member and last year’s Song Contest Gold Award winner took home Platinum at the 17th Annual San Diego Songwriters Guild Song Contest with her song “Better Things,” co-written with and produced by Doug Stokes. An up tempo crossover country tune with a hot melody and Diane’s typically exceptional lyrics, this song captured a high score from each of our judges, putting Diane and Doug over the top in 2008. Congratulations to our winners, who took home $500 and a sixhour recording session at Studio West as their reward.

Close on the heels of Ms. Waters and Mr. Stokes, was Sara Petite with her Gold Award winning song “Flying in Your Dreams” followed by Kirk Cumming with “Nothing in Common,” this year’s Silver Award winner. Our final top award, the Bronze Award, went to Diane Waters and Jason Brawner for “Crawling.”

This year, six Song of Merit Awards were presented, going to Ryan Hiller for “Insatiable,” Linda Sargent Brown for “Cloudless” and “Hold On,” Sara Petite for “Dead Man Walking,” Joan Kurland for “Right Kind of Wrong, and Paul Moeller for his hilarious “It’s Xmas Time Again.“

Overall, the evening was a rousing success, with entries ranging across the universe of musical styles and structures, and a great panel of judges who listened intently to every song. Bob Duffy, Ren Daversa, Steven Ybarra, Thomas Di Noto, and Tim Mudd were this year’s judges, and we sincerely thank them for a job well done.

Board Members John Pape, Karen Real, Richard Widney, and Tim Turner, assisted by SDSG Associate Barby Hattersley, were each instrumental in the show’s success. These hard-working Board Members diligently ran the sign-ins, organized the entries and handled the housekeeping chores as the judges reviewed our contestants’ songs. Mark Hattesrley served as the Contest MC and handled sound for the event.

Over the course of the evening, participants had the opportunity to both hear their peers’ writing and shoot the breeze with like-minded musicians and writers. Thanks to everyone who entered and attended our 2008 Song Contest. Please drop SDSG a line if you have any comments or suggestions for future events, and don’t hesitate to let us know if you are interested in working with SDSG’s Board of Directors in 2009.

SDSG’s 17th Annual Song Contest will be held Wednesday, November 12, 2008 at the Country Inn & Suites in Sorrento Valley. The contest is a popular tradition for San Diego writers, and offers a unique opportunity to hear a tremendous cross section of local work. Prize winners are selected by a panel of industry professionals in our final event on November 12, during which song entries recorded on CD or cassette are played for both judges and audience to hear. Winners will be announced and prizes awarded on this jam packed night, an exciting prospect indeed. If you are a songwriter, or a producer or artist looking for some new material, Country Inn & Suites, located at 5975 Lusk Boulevard , San Diego 92121 is the place to be on Wednesday, November 12.

This year’s grand prize includes a $500 Cash Award from SDSG. We’ll also be giving away a Taylor Guitar, thanks to Taylor’s generous support, and a stay at Pala Mesa Resort, too! Many other fine prizes, donated by local and national businesses will be awarded… Remember, the maximum total number of entries is only 70 songs, so do the math and you’ll know your chances of taking home a prize are excellent!

The contest is open to the public. You may join the Guild or renew your membership simultaneously with your entry and take advantage of member discounts. Submit your entries by mail now or in person on the night of the contest. To guarantee entry into the contest, and to qualify for the early entry discount, songs must be mailed to SDSG and received no later than November 1, 2008. Mail-in entries are being accepted now. Up to 70 recorded songs will be judged in the Finals the night of Wednesday, November 12. If more than 70 entries are received by November 1, a panel of judges will pre-screen and select the 70 top songs for the Finals. If space permits, SDSG will accept additional entries before and on the night of the Final. However, registration by mail is encouraged to guarantee your entries can be accepted. Please see the 2008 Contest Rules and Entry Form for complete details.

5975 Lusk Boulevard,
San Diego 92121
(858) 558-1818

In-Person Entries will be accepted starting at 6:00 PM on November 12

Click Here For Current Newsletter with Complete Contest Information.

San Diego Songwriters Guild Enthusiasts -

Join us on Wednesday November 12 in Sorrento Valley at the Country Inn and Suites for our Annual Songwriting Contest! During tough economic times, SDSG pulls though for songwriters:

!! $500 Grand Prize !!

See the link on the right to submit. Send in your songs by Nov 1 and on Nov 12 at the Final Listening Session prizes will be awarded. The evening is lots of fun, a great networking opportunity, and a good way to have your music heard by a panel of professionals.

At Country Inn and Suites, Sorrento Valley. Submit your recorded songs! Send in recordings early by mail by Nov 1, then join us Nov 12 where top entries are played during Final Listening Session. Great prizes! Not a live performance event.

SDSG Songwriters Contest Entry Form

Keep your eyes on our website for our contest to be held early 2009. SDSG will accept recordings for the screening event featuring a judging panel of music professionals – a live performance event.