Press Room for Dallas Songwriters Association

On January 15, 2022 the Dallas Songwriters Song Contest winners were announced during our live streamed awards ceremony which included performances by the finalists.

GRAND PRIZE WINNERS Announced by Judge Roy Elkins
1. Slay Me With Your Eyes by Louie Cate, Alexandria, VA
2. Gone Gone Gone by Michael RJ Roth, Eric Ramsey, Rio Rancho, NM
3. Come Sundown Piano Concerto by Andre Kerek, Miami, FL
HM. Except You by Thomas Marshall, Toronto, Ont, CAN

LOUIE CATE

Louie Cate with his grand prize Casio PX-S1000 Privia Piano

Grand Prize winner Louie Cate was a semifinalist in categories of Americana, Christian, Pop/Rock, Novelty, Love Songs and a winner in Pop/Rock, Novelty, Love Songs His grand prize winning song. Slay Me with Your Eyes” won first place in the Novelty category.
In 2018 Louie Cate was grand prize runner up and won 1st place in the love song category with the song, “All The Lovin’ I Need”. Also in 2018, he won grand prize in the John Lennon Contest world category with “Break Your Fall” and in 2017 he won 1st in the adult contemporary in Mid-Atlantic Song Contest with “Moon Safari”. For years, Louie Cate has entered and placed in our song contest as category winner and grand prize runner up. He is an excellent songwriter who has won about 100 first places in song contests including grand prize in Billboard, Mid-Atlantic, Chris Austin, and Southern Songwriters Guild. His influences are Motown, Stones, Beatles, Doors and Dylan right out of the box. Some of his demo singers have gone on to have great careers, including, Joe Diffie, Garth Brooks, Trisha Lathan (now it's Yearwood) Martina McBride, Billy Dean, Rob Crosby, Sylvia, Clay Davidson, and Ty Herndon. He thinks a lot of the best singers that he used never got deals never got record deals. You can find his songs on https://www.broadjam.com/louiecate

DSA’s interview with grand prize winner Louie Cate.
DSA: How and when did you become a songwriter?
1, started at 15, went to college music school as composition major, flunked out, joined army, reentered, eventually was asked to leave that major a second time for lack of perceivable talent (and too many parallel 5ths and tritones) graduated with degree in music education and minor in poetry, perhaps best thing that happened was getting thrown out of composition so could make a living as teacher, have a family etc

DSA: Are there any songwriters that influenced your writing? Do you do any co-writing?
You probably would have a hard time finding someone I haven't been a fan of at one time or the other, of course Beatles, Dylan, Stones, Jimmy Webb, Bacharach, Motown like teenagers in the sixties, now everyone in the hot 100 pop -

I had a co-writer, Gene Carrington, we both won first and second in some contest but they switched the prizes by mistake and we got to talking, he's dead now, no one since has expressed any interest in co-writing or they're too broke to pay recording expenses, mostly like writers who are more lyric oriented

DSA: What is your writing process, i.e. do you start with words, melody or something else?
Other peoples music, words, books movies

DSA: How did your DSA song contest winner “Slay Me With You Eyes“ come about?
After half a century of writing was bored with language, so decided to write song made up mostly of slang, some invented, some old, some new, it was fun, like writing in a different language

DSA: What advice do you give to people who want to be songwriters or improve their songwriting?
Not much advice, but maybe it's more important to write for good reasons than to be a good writer.

Here is Roy Elkins review of the winning song.
When I began the reviewing process, "Slay Me With Your Eyes" was in third place, but after listening to it while writing, I couldn’t deny it the top spot. This is the love (or lust) story of MJ & Wild Bill. It is complete with narration, a monosyllabic vocal, a ghost sound and a melodic chorus that strengthens it, especially the ending.
An exceptionally intricate lust song that keeps the intellect drawn to a sophisticated millennial lyric, a melody with benefits while riding inside a structural work of genius. This style of song is not normally the teacup I drink from, but it makes me get the saucer out of the cupboard as this pot is on high boil.
In my opinion (IMO,) this is the finest and most innovative lyric in the competition. Lyrics like “She’s Bad Kitty, OMG, lookin’ all Gucci….” & “how ‘bout L.M.I.R.L.” & “your motto is Y.O.L.O.” & “You’re lit, cross-fit, glad you’ve got my digits….” The rhyming scheme of the words, acronyms and slang didn’t exist prior to 20 years ago……and the rhyming is typical in spots and unusual in others. Every time I listen, I hear a lyric I didn’t hear the first time around.
For the folks my age reading this, I offer some translation before you listen:
Bad Kitty, OMG, lookin’ all Gucci = She is lookin’ good while looking for something more
L.M.I.R.L. = Let’s meet in real life
Y.O.L.O. = You only live once
You’re lit, cross fit, glad you’ve got my digits = He’s lookin’ good and got her phone number
That ends the millennial-to-senior translation portion of this review. However, I reserve the right to try and be hip. LMAO
It starts with an interesting staccato glissando riff that is ducked under a chatting narrator. ICYMI, the storyteller speaks about a “young man who is talking to a magician and says, I don’t believe in magic. The magician replies, “you will when you meet her and feel that shiver down your spine.” Even though it’s recited and not sung, it is the picture-perfect opening to the song. Then at 15 seconds it delivers one of the most remarkable monosyllabic vocals I have ever heard, SMH. TBH, I resist describing this as a rap or a vocal as it’s a little of both with the end of line hitting the melody. Then at 34 seconds the vocal almost sounds as if it’s detuned, but it’s not. It is a brilliant turn in the melody that works perfectly. At 45 seconds, the chorus is big, and one could hear an entire dance floor singing it. There is a line in the chorus, “I should be partners in crime” that is written to work with the melody. What do I mean? If you listen closely to the word “partners,” it’s almost as if another syllable is needed, but it works better landing the two syllables on the successive beats…..and then rhyming with the next line, “no more love on the line,” but sounds like it shouldn’t. It might sound like I’m not making sense - just listen to the song and you’ll know what I mean. The method is repeated in the last chorus with the words “open heart surgery” and “painkiller.” This is a naturally gifted writer who has such a unique feel without listening to all the rules of songwriting. I would love to hear more from this writer.
The song repeats this arrangement with the rimshot landing on 2 & 4 throughout. The ending chorus is phenomenal with additional lyrics. It is distinctive, different and hooks up with everybody who listens. Like, it certainly ain’t cheugy, they crush it, it’s lit and I can’t even. It’s a love or lust story told in 2021.
Production Note: Kudos to the producer, singer and everyone on this project. This song & production is ready for prime time right now. I would sign and pitch it as is. If I were at a label, this artist would be signed as well.

1st Runner Up - Michael R. J. Roth and Eric Ramsey for Gone, Gone, Gone

Michael R. J. Roth was the winner of the 2019 NSAI Song Contest for lyric writing. He has been called “a Jedi songwriter” whose songs display “unique and exceptional lyric writing” with “a real John Prine feel.” Lori McKenna called him “brilliant.” He received a Gold Award for lyrics from the Songwriters Association of Washington, and other First Place awards in Dallas and Austin.

Michael R. J. Roth has been called “a cool dark troubadour…a modern day poet not unlike Townes Van Zandt” and a “Jedi songwriter,” evoking a mix of Leonard Cohen, Gordon Lightfoot, Johnny Cash, Jason Isbell and others with lyrics known for their intriguing imagery and “deep, profound truth.” Lori McKenna called him “Brilliant.”
He was the lyric winner of the 2019 NSAI Song Contest, the Great American Song Contest, and a Gold Award winner in the 2018 Mid-Atlantic Song Contest. He is featured in the Great American Song Hall of Fame, and is known for his award-winning, original acoustic songs with “the kind of lyrics that make Nashville writers salivate.” NSAI named him “One to Watch.”
Past songwriting awards include First Place Lyric Winner in the Unisong International Song Contest, the Great American Song Contest, the Austin Songwriters Group and the Dallas Songwriters Association competitions, as well as two Honorable Mentions in American Songwriter Magazine.

Eric Ramsey

Eric is three time champion of the Phoenix Blues Society's Blues Showdown, a finalist at the Telluride Blues Challenge, and has twice performed in Memphis, TN at the International Blues Challenge, where he was a semi-finalist in 2017. He's a winner of the Stefan George Memorial Songwriting Contest at the sponsored by the Tucson Folk Festival, and has been tapped for the prestigious Songwriter's Showcase produced by Tempe Center for the Arts, filmed for PBS distribution. He's been a 4x featured performer at the Dripping Springs (TX) Songwriter's Festival and regularly headlines shows at the Prescott Center for the Arts, Highlands Center and the Flagstaff Folk Project in Arizona. He can be seen performing at any number of venues throughout the state and region.  Eric is a perennial favorite on the Folk and Blues Festival circuits, not only for his dynamic, engaging performances but for his open tuning and slide guitar workshops as well.  With soaring vocals and organic arrangements, Eric's original compositions reflect his musical influences, but come from a place all their own. He writes from experience about the human condition - at times sensitive, at times humorous, always thought-provoking. His arrangements and delivery encompass a spectrum of styles, from delicate fingerpicking to raucous, bluesy bottleneck slide.
Eric lives in the Phoenix area with his patient, long-suffering wife, three kids and dogs of indeterminate pedigree. He can often be found in the garage, where his family prefers he practice....

Here is Roy Elkins comments for Gone Gone Gone.
one, Gone, Gone is a remarkable song in ¾ time and an example of “simple complexity.” While hearing it the first time through, one might think it’s a good hook. It’s not a good hook, it’s a great hook, because after you hear it once you can sing it the second time around. This is an ABAB song, with the hook at the end of the verse with well-placed set-ups just before the hook, “Gone, Gone, Gone.” The set-ups are positioned perfectly. “Even she can’t trust her memory, but the lake is there for all to see” is an example of the set-up in Verse 1. The song picks up at 1:21 with a body-swaying break. The entire feel and message of the song is something you just want to hold onto and envision.
If this song was a book, it would be considered a collection of short stories as each verse really deals with a different topic, but at the same time the hook works for all verses. The first is about Lake Erie drying up, the second is about a strange object in the sky, and the third verse is about losing a girl. One of the great phrases in this contest comes from the last verse – “Forever Is So Temporary.” But the entire song is about the simple, but powerful effect of something disappearing, whether it’s love, nature or in the night sky.
My guess is this song was written quickly and it just flowed or channeled out of the writer. Maybe a few lyrical edits were necessary, but it seems as if the writer guided it to this form. We all have at least one of these songs in our collection. When it happens, it’s a gift. I’m not sure if that was the case here, but it really doesn’t matter, it’s still a great song.
With every song I hear, I think if this was my song, this is what I would change. In this case, I am not sure I would change much about it. It is authentic, raw, sentimental and satisfying. With a good production, this could easily cross genres and have a long shelf life.

2nd Runner Up ANDRE KEREK, Come Sundown Piano Concerto

Andre Kerek started writing and composing as a teenager and has many songs of all styles and genres in his repertoire. He has won numerous awards and prizes in song contests here and in Europe. His R&B song "Come Sundown" produced by Jason Sterling, and sung by Fiona Robinson earned Kerek an award from Billboard Song Contest. The song also took first prize for R&B in the Malibu Song Contest. Mike Pinder of the legendary rock group Moody Blues had this to say, "Come Sundown is unique and creative with a memorable hook, great groove, very strong vocal melody, and definite hit potential". Kerek and Robinson also won kudos at the Les Vignes D'Or International Songwriting Competition in France and in the UK. A French music critique wrote, "Superbly well sung (by Fiona Robinson)! This is an interesting songwriting due to the subtle indexed chorus in the background adding even more to this ambient tone of musical sensuality". Kerek's song "Mystery Girl" was recorded on PolyGram Latino "Nostalgia" album by Miami dance band Clockwork produced by Alex Cobos. His "Tango Amoroso" song is featured in the award winning documentary film "La Gata" produced and directed by Julienne Gage.

After a lengthy interlude, Kerek returned to songwriting in 2019 adding a film score to his repertoir. His new poignant, melancholy, love song titled "Heart In Vain", was superbly arranged, and produced by Jerry Oviedo.
A.J. Gundell wrote, "this gorgeous work is reminiscent of film scores like The Pianist, Schindler's List, and The Zookeepers Wife". All very nice company to be in !

To compliment Oviedo's first Electronic demo, Kerek decided to do a second live orchestral recording under the leadership of University of Miami graduate student from the Frost School of Music, Jose Veliz. The ensemble was organized by Veliz, and conducted by Alexander Magalong, who is currently pursuing his Doctor of Musical Arts in Instrumental Conducting from the University of Miami.. Veliz' inspired, and innovative blend of modern, romantic, and symphonic style arrangement was only equaled by his talented piano keyboard performance.

Doug Diamond, record producer had this to say in his Pro-Review, ""Heart In Vain is an excellent film score type theme that sounds like it stepped right out of 1940s Hollywood and yet still could be utilized in today's plethora of modern sync situations".

Luis M. Tuesta Ph.D., Assistant Professor at University of Miami wrote, "I like how the melody shifts from piano to winds and this allows the piano to color the piece. The treble arpeggios on the piano give a sense of lightness, and by shifting to bass arpeggios, a bit of darkness. Also, the dynamic shift from arpeggio to staccato gives it the urgency/angst that one gets when listening to Chopin or Liszt".

Music critic, Diana Williamson added, "Andre must be channelling music from the heavens, his ability to draw emotion into his superb melodies would be a crime not to be heard".

Robert Dellaposta commented, "Andre Kerek is a classical composer of cinematic romantic orchestral instrumentals. His melodies will touch your soul and move you".

Jonathan Weiss's review stated, "I really enjoyed listening to this song, it's readily apparent how much time it took Andre to put together this memorable lead melody, arrangement and overall performance".

"I'm impressed, and feel that your songs are ready for pitching to Film & TV" -- Robin Fredericks.

During the Pandemic lockdown, Kerek penned his finest lyrics and his best melody to date in "Farewell My Angel". Doug Diamond wrote, Andre Kerek's "Farewell My Angel" might just make a nice replacement track for a classic Frank Sinatra song that may not be affordable/obtainable for a sync licensing deal.

A.J. Gundell added, Farewell My Angel" has some of the great attributes of the best of Tin Pan Alley: classic and heart-tugging lyric, melody, iconic torch ballad vocalist, and great elements in the authentic style of that era.

Roy Elkins Comments on Come Sundown.
Third place goes to another poignant melody that I couldn’t get out my head during this whole process, Come Sundown. This is a wonderfully written piano piece that reminded me of the song “Suicide Is Painless,” better known as the M.A.S.H. theme. But when listening to them back-to-back, they are significantly different.
It begins with a beautiful new age like opening for about 10 seconds, then starts with a minimal lead line moving back and forth between the one and the five note, then finishing on the augmented 5th. The second phrase, which is just a half step apart, peaks on the 4th, then returns home. The entire piece is stunning and effortless. The aforementioned one to five phrase is the hook and that’s what gets stuck in your head, almost to the point of pleasant annoyance. The second verse is the same melody, but tastefully an octave higher. The entire melody seems to be a love affair between two notes. At 2:25 & 2:30, there is an interesting offbeat left-hand rhythm accent that I initially thought was a mistake of the pianist. But then this similar peculiar rhythm energy emerges during the verse beginning at 2:38 and I smiled as this was added aural spice. Since the melody is so strong, the listener may not even hear this subtle addition if not listening intently. The end of the preceding phrase is establishing the next verse as if the “Georges” came together to add intensity - Winston on the right hand and Gershwin on the left. It feels like these subtle parts were written in the original score. If it wasn’t, then kudos to the performer as they made it sound as if they were.
When I hear songs this elegant, I wonder what complex thoughts might have going through the composer’s head as it has a melancholy feel. While I don’t think this fits squarely within the pop world, it certainly could be performed with an orchestra, jazz band, an acoustic guitar, virtually any solo instrument or even land in a film. The Georges would be proud of this graceful song that frees the mind to meander while listening.
One other note: This song was in the contest a few years ago, but I heard it differently this time around. Maybe it was tweaked and re-entered. Regardless, it really caught my hear this year. It is very difficult for instrumentals to win or even place in a songwriting contest, but Come Sundown earned third place this year.

THOMAS MARSHALL

Thomas Marshall’s song “Except You” garnered an honorable mention for the Toronto native. You can find more of his music on Facebook @tmarshallmusic.

Roy Elkins comments on "Except You".

Except You
A multifaceted modern love song delivered with great melodic skill. It begins with an awesome vocal line that would be extremely hard to sing though fascinating to hear. It’s definitely not a sing-a-long as the entire melody, with the exception of the chorus, is a staccato-driven message about love. The song is about 100 beats per minute and would easily pack a dancefloor. The lyric and melody work well together and it captured me from the first listen. The melody at 9 & 19 seconds (throughout as well) feels like a vocal-drum fill and probably stems from having too many syllables in the line. But the writer made it work with the melody. I am assuming the writer is the singer as this would be a challenging song to cover. Like the winning song, this is not in my regular tea box, but I could listen to this repeatedly and will continue to do so. Kudos to writer, great work on this. One production note: Being an old synth guy, I love the OBX type sound used in the chorus.

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GRAND PRIZE

a Casio PX-S1000 Privia Piano