DAM Stasi, Kickbend and Mesus Wins Grand Prize Casio's Privia PX-S1000
CHRISTIAN/INSPIRATIONAL SONG, “UNLESS” IS GRAND PRIZE WINNER IN DSA SONG CONTEST
Dam Stasi is the man behind the Chicago area based band, Kickbend. Growing up in Chicagoland, the members of KickBend were exposed to a wide range of musical influences--from Buddy Guy to Stevie Ray Vaughan, from Styx to Enuff ZNuff, and from Bruce Springsteen to Bon Jovi. The band draws from their musical memory to craft songs that pay homage to the legends. The sound is contemporary, yet lyrics and melodies are classic.
The members of KickBend have been performing and recording in Chicagoland for over twenty years. From the vintage record intro of "Gone" to the futuristic ending of "The beat goes on" the songs from faith.hope.love create a timeline of modern music via the blues, soul, pop, rock, country and folk.
What sets KickBend apart from other artists is they do not try to sound like the latest fad. KickBend draws upon their musical sensibilities to create honest and moving songs.
KickBend songs and videos are finding their way to American and international radio, internet charts, compilations, and music video programs. Ironically, the whole project began as an afterthought. Jealous Bone, an established Chicagoland blues band, was looking for a keyboardist to lay down some organ, piano, and accordion tracks for their follow up to Scratch. Well, that keyboardist had some plans of his own. Dom Stasi amassed a collection of songs he had written over the years. After some failed attempts to form a recording band of his own, Dom saw something very special in Jealous Bone.
The videos for "A song for you", "Gone", "Let's make this right", and "Christmas lights" have aired on HomeGrown Video on cable channel 115 Saturdays at 10pm EST in the NYC area.
DSA interviews songwriter for Kickbend, Dam Stasi
DAM: Barbe, first of all congratulations on making DSA “gooder and gooder and gooder” over the past 30 years. I recall when KickBend placed in a few categories ~10 years ago! This time is very special, though, because it took years for “UNLESS” to see the light of day. Placing first in the “Christian/Inspirational” AND “Grand Prize” categories is a GREAT reward. Special thanks to worshipper Miki for being the driving force over the few years it took to produce this project. Here are the credits for everyone involved in this project: MESUS - rap; Miki Ivezic - drums; Paul Persa - bass guitar; Diamond Balazhi - acoustic and electric guitars; Damir Shegich - recording engineer and electric guitar; Colin Peterik - producing, mixing, and mastering engineer; Enela & Chris Michael Project - vocals and choir performances.
DSA: How and when did you become a songwriter?
DAM: My earliest songwriting recollection is during my early teens re-writing lyrics to hit songs. I would personalize the lyrics based on my friendships, relationships, and situations at the time. Once I discovered that I can tell my own stories with lyrics and rhymes, I moved on to composing my own chord changes and melodies. At the age of 18 I began experimenting with home recording of original songs. Since that time I’ve always believed that the songwriting process continues through the recording and mixing phases. Lyrics and melodies can often improve during these phases in ways I could not imagine beforehand.
DSA: Are there any songwriters that influenced your writing? Do you do any co-writing?
DAM: Songwriters that influenced me were Tom Petty, Bruce Springsteen, Jim Peterik, Dennis DeYoung, and Richie Sambora (just to name a few). Although I tried many times to find songwriting collaborators at the beginning, I did not start co-writing until about the last ten years. I love co-writers because they can be fresh ears, and their songcraft can evolve from a totally different angle or genre than I’m familiar with.
DSA: What is your writing process, i.e. do you start with words, melody or something else?
DAM: I’ve started with words, melody, AND something else (e.g. chord progressions, re-writing others’ songs, abstract concepts, themes, target audience). Once a friend commissioned me to write a song for his wedding anniversary, and he provided me with a timeline of their lives together for inspiration. That song is titled “Till Death Isn’t Long Enough” (taken from a toast he made at a family gathering). A few years ago I started with a hit song in a foreign language and wrote English lyrics for it. It is titled “Shangri-La” and is not a literal translation of the original but (in the same manner I started) a re-write of a tune I liked.
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| Mesus and Dam Stasi with Casio Privia PX-S1000 Privia Keyboard |
DSA: How did your DSA song contest winner “Unless“ come about?
DAM: “UNLESS” started with its opening electric piano chords and riffs. My initial idea was to write about anxiety and depression in terms of, “Unless something drastic changes or improves in the protagonists’s life, then his life would continue down a gloomy path.” I think I googled the word “UNLESS” and stumbled upon Psalm 127:1, which inspired the lyrics for the chorus. Once I had the structure of the song and chorus done, I disqualified myself from writing the verses. I just wanted the first verse to be anti-poverty, and the second verse to be anti-violence. That is when drummer Miki and I began our search for the co-writer. We tried the pop-rock angle, but I kept hearing a rap and hip-hop beat in the verses. The tracks were shelved for over a year. As soon as Miki and I had a telephone interview with MESUS, I knew that he would deliver the verses. We gave him a month or two to live with the demo, and he came into the studio one day in early 2019 to track his parts. Colin Peterik arranged and produced the gospel choir vocals together with Chris Michael Project and Enela Palavra. The songwriting process continued in the mixing phase. We heard rap and vocal lines that needed to repeat or be emphasized, so we flew those in at the right spots. We heard dueling electric guitar solos, so we wrote those in the studio. Ha…I even consider the brief unintelligible banter at the very end of the song to be part of the lyrics!
DSA: What advice do you give to people who want to be songwriters or improve their songwriting?
DAM: Listen and learn as much as you can from songs in various genres, styles, languages, perspectives, and eras!
You can find their songs at:
https://www.broadjam.com/KickBend
https://www.sonicbids.com/band/kickbend/
Americana category winner, “A Thousand Lives” by Arthur Revechkis Is Grand Prize Runner Up
The folk singer-songwriter, Comrad recently released his debut EP, 10 Feet Away. This collection was written completely, from start to finish, by Comrad. The EP was produced at Fireplace Studios in Manhattan, New York by producer Josh Sadlier-Brown (Featurette, Parson James, Kae Sun).
The man behind Comrad, Arthur Revechkis, began writing music in college but only started to really focus on his music more recently. Ever since then, Revechkis has been perfecting the lyrics and sound of the project he now calls Comrad. The Connecticut based artist writes music that is unique in the lyrics and melodies; he likes to write lyrics that tell a narrative and are funny, sweet and even sarcastic at times. Revechkis draws influences from artists like Tom Petty, Kansas, Paul Simon, Ani Difranco, Dave Matthews, Bill Evans and Regina Spektor and incorporates a taste of each in his music. The Connecticut native is a man of many trades, fully composing and writing his music while also playing the guitar and piano.
Hear the grand prize runner up, "A THOUSAND LIVES". https://www.broadjam.com/songs/comrad/a-thousand-lives
Learn more about Comrad in the following All Access interview:
AA: Growing up, did you always want to be a musician? Can you recall your earliest musical memory?
AR: I don’t think I did always want to be a musician. I’m not sure I thought it was a realistic goal. Maybe my earliest memory was watching MTV and seeing Madonna’s “Like A Prayer” video. Thriller also had a big impression on me early on.
AA: Why did you decide not to use your real name, Arthur? How did you come up with Comrad?
AR: Back in the days of aol instant messanger, my handle was always Comradarthur, from when I was 14 probably. I was born in Russia, so it was always a part of my history. Comrad seemed like a logical choice.
AA: You recently released your debut EP, “10 Feet Away.” What did that feel like? What was the inspiration behind this collection of songs?
AR: It felt really great honestly. It took a lot of time and energy. I had been wanting to get something released for a very long time so it was a big accomplishment for me.
AA: How long have you been working on these songs?
AR: These songs range from being written over ten years ago (80 Proof Waltz) to being written just in time for the EP (Flying cars). In general there’s a big range between how fast I finish a song. I have songs I’ve been working on for years and some I finish in an afternoon.
AA: Who are you listening to these days?
AR: Felice Brothers, Homeboy Sandman, Marty O’reilly, anything Nico Segal is involved in.
AA: What artists have continued to inspire you all and your music?
AR: I love Paul Simon. I go back to his music very often.
AA: Who would you absolutely love to work with in the future?
AR: I’d love to work with Nico Segal.
AA: At the end of the day, what do you hope your fans take away from your music? What do you hope is the message of your songs?
AR: I hope they walk away with a pretty melody, some lyrics that stick with them and ideally a happier mood then they had before listening.
AA: Is there anything else that you would like to share with our readers about yourselves and your music?
AR: I’m really looking forward to getting out and playing some shows this year and finishing a full length album.
You can listen to Comrad songs at:
Comrad - A Rascal's Pager NPR Tiny desk concert Submission on Youtube
@Comradmusic on Twitter
Novelty/Children Category Winner, “Love Is Not”, by Debra Gussin and Don Grady is 2nd Runner Up
Prior to becoming a songwriter, Debra enjoyed a career as a television producer on programs such as ABC's Wide World of Sports, Fox Sports News, Daytime Emmy Awards, Wolfgang Puck, National Geographic Channel, and Dr. Phil. After winning three Concord Records & Barry Manilow Songwriting Scholarships, Debra was given a Lifetime Barry Manilow Scholarship Award, and left her television career, and the Dr. Phil show, to focus on songwriting full time. She went on to win both the Grand Prize and the Lennon Award in the prestigious John Lennon Songwriting Contest, and won several other international contests in different genres, including Pop, Dance, Adult Contemporary, Country, & Broadway.
When UCLA Extension chose THIS IS OUR TIME as its Official Graduation Song, it received a WORLD PREMIERE performance at Royce Hall in Los Angeles, performed by Erich Bergen (Jersey Boys, Madam Secretary). The song went on to be the Debut Single of the 2014 winner of Ottawa Idol, and was also placed in the upcoming feature film "A Sunday Horse.” Debra was commissioned by the Federal Trade Commission to write songs for their AnnualCreditReport.com commercials, which won a CINE Golden Eagle Award for Best Public Service Announcement.
Her songs have been featured on several TV programs including the CW primetime show "90210," NBC's primetime drama "The Event," E! Entertainment's "Kourtney & Kim Take New York," Speed Network's "NASCAR Race Hub," and the UK's "It's Only The Beginning.” Debra received her first major label cut on Warner Music when U SO MEAN NOTHING TO ME was recorded and released by European singing sensation, Innocence. Debra's country song, KISS ME LIKE U MEAN IT, was the debut single by Ottawa Idol winner, Ally Mayson, and was played in Top 30 rotation on radio stations across Canada.
Debra won three HOLLYWOOD MUSIC IN MEDIA AWARDS, taking First Place in the Adult Contemporary/AAA category, as well as BEST LYRICIST in 2016 & 2017. She also took the top prize in the Australian Songwriters Association's International category, as well as the Dallas Songwriters Association (Country). In addition to winning the Grand Prize of Songdoor International, her songs won both the Soft Rock and Christian categories. She recently worked with Weezer's Brian Bell on several songs for his other band, The Relationship - which appear on their new album "Clara Obscura."
While continuing to write pop, rock, country, dance, & Hot AC, Debra is currently the lyricist for TURMOIL! A New Musical.
Hear second grand prize runner up "LOVE IS NOT". https://www.broadjam.com/songs/debragussin/love-is-not
The 2020 DSA Song Contest opens for online entries on June 1. For more info:
http://dsasongcontest.blogspot.com
Sponsors include Casio Privia,, Casio, Jo-Musik, Bar-B Music Consultants. Submission partners is Broadjam.com. Music industry partners are Dallas International Guitar Festival, Arlington Guitar Show, Texas Music Group, River Sounds, Wildflower Festival, Deep Ellum Arts Festival, Sons of Hermann Hall, Dunn Brothers Coffee, Opening Bell, Love and War, Tone Shop, and Austin Songwriters Group.
Dallas Songwriters Assoc. is a 501c3 non-profit organization dedicated to providing information about the craft and business of songwriting. All styles of music are welcome in the DSA, and membership includes writers of all ages.
