PO‘IPU — “It’s all about the song,” proclaimed hostess and musician (and KKCR radio personality) Michelle Rundgren at the second annual Kauai Music Festival “Rising Stars” concert held last week at the Hyatt Regency Kauai Resort & Spa. The winner
PO‘IPU — “It’s all about the song,” proclaimed hostess and musician (and KKCR radio personality) Michelle Rundgren at the second annual Kauai Music Festival “Rising Stars” concert held last week at the Hyatt Regency Kauai Resort & Spa.
The winner of the contest, Abbie Cardwell of Adelaide, Australia, won over the judges with her song “Anchored.”
She didn’t know she would be able to make the trip here to take part in the festival and perform the song she co-wrote with her brother, she said when accepting the award.
“Anchored, anchored down/Living in the past, nowhere bound …” she sang in the bluesy, sultry tune; she awed the audience when she started echoing the guitar theme on the harmonica. As contestants and many concertgoers made their way to Stevenson’s Library for a post-concert drink, Cardwell told The Garden Island she was “just so excited to have won. It’s such a wonderful thing.”
The top-10 songwriters who competed in Thursday’s showcase were chosen by staff of the festival by reviewing CDs and song sheets submitted earlier.
About 100 people attended the four-day festival, which afforded them the opportunity to have their songs heard by producers, songwriters and professionals in “demo derbies,” open-mic jams, roundtable discussions and writing workshops.
Cheering fans and other festival attendees chanted for Cardwell to plug in the 1960 Les Paul classic Gibson guitar she won. She didn’t.
In addition to the guitar, Cardwell will receive a guaranteed spot in a BMI showcase in her choice of New York City, Los Angeles, or another BMI location; free one-year membership in TAXI, an independent company that links unsigned songwriters with record labels; and jewelry from Grande’s Gems & Gallery.
The runners-up were as follows (in no particular order):
Kevin Quinn for “Anyone But Me,” a song that included lyrics like “If I could change into something new … but I’m just the way I am;”
Karen Johnson, originally of Australia and currently living in New York, for her piano tune “Here in My Heart.” Her emotional ballad and powerful voice had the audience cheering;
Larry Council, for his humorous, audience-participation song “Get Up” (“Now’s the time to take a stand/What are you waiting for/You might run out of time”). He said was inspired by his recent “visit” to Maui Memorial Hospital in which he was hooked up to oxygen, pumped with medication, and said to himself: “Get up!”
Charles and Kalona Brotman performed first in the contest. They placed in the top five for “They Say,” the duo’s co-written, vocal-heavy song about a lovelorn girl who can’t get that guy out of her mind.
Judges were Russ Titelman, producer and songwriter who has produced the Bee Gees, Eric Clapton, Celine Dion and James Taylor, and whose songs have been recorded by Jimmy Buffett, Linda Ronstadt, the Hollies and others; John Cruz, who won the Na Hoku Hanohano Award in 1997 for “most promising artist” and best contemporary album for “Acoustic Soul” and is well-known for the song “Island Style;” Shelly Peiken, a Grammy-nominated songwriter who wrote “Bitch” for Meredith Brooks and whose songs have been recorded by the Pretenders, Michelle Branch, Celine Dion and Lucy Woodward among others; Suzan Koc, vice president of songwriter relations at BMG in Los Angeles, who places songs with recording artists; and Ben Margulies, a keyboardist and songwriter for Mariah Carey, the best-selling female artist of the 1990s who had four consecutive No. 1 Billboard hits.
The winner of the 2003 song competition, Kaua‘i’s Jessica Penner, recently performed her winning song “Alaska” in a BMI showcase in Manhattan. Playing the Gibson Dickie Betts Red Top Les Paul guitar she won last year, her band Chandelle (with drummer Kevin Penner and bassist Mandee Duyanen) opened the Rising Stars concert.
Rundgren, with years of experience in the professional music industry, introduced each of the 10 aspiring songwriters in the competition, who are all attendees of the festival and got to take part in seminars and workshops with music professionals.
As some after-contest entertainment, singer/songwriters Lucy Woodward, Brad Arnold of 3 Doors Down and Butch Walker of the Marvelous 3 took turns on stage, with Country Award winner Frank Meyers backing up Woodward and Arnold. Later, many festival attendees and special guests headed to Kuhios for an open-mic jam until 1 a.m.
Kauai Music Festival sponsors included BMI, County of Kaua‘i, Gibson Guitars, Hawaiian Airlines, Hugh Prestwood, Hyatt Hotels, Mokihana Travel, www.songwriting.net and WebPageCreation.org.
Lifestyle Writer Kendyce Manguchei may be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 226) or kmanguchei@pulitzer.net.
