Wes Casto

CHARLESTON -- Some of the finest performing songwriters in North America and beyond will converge on Charleston Saturday, Oct. 10, for the international finals of the 2009 Mountain Stage NewSong Contest.

Now in its 8th year, the finals contest features an evening of musicianship as 12 finalists vie for a grand prize of a performance on a future taping of "Mountain Stage with Larry Groce," the live performance music show heard around the world on National Public Radio.

"Anyone who loves to discover fresh new musical acts will catch some of today's finest emerging artists and amazing performers at the finals contest in Charleston," said NewSong director and co-founder Gar Ragland, in a news release. "This will be an evening of both intense and fun musicianship. It's a master course, really, in songwriting and performance. We have quite a body of past entrants who have gone on to make their mark on the music scene."

Each year, the NewSong Contest attracts more than 1,000 entries across many musical genres, from folk to blues, world music to pop, as well as hybrid genres no one quite has a name for yet. Unique among song contests, NewSong judges look for performers who excel not only in the art and craft of songwriting, but who can deliver outstanding live performances of their own songs.

Doors open 7 p.m., Sat., Oct. 10, for the Mountain Stage NewSong Contest. The finals begin 7:30 p.m. at the Cultural Center in the state Capitol Complex in Charleston, W.Va. Admission is $10. Tickets are available online at http://newsong-music.com, or charge by phone at 800-594-TIXX (8499).

Current regional finalists for the 2009 Mountain Stage NewSong Contest are: Canadian Round: Jon Brooks, King City, Ontario; Northeast Round: Daniellle Miraglia, Somerville, Mass.; Southeast Round: Luke Brindley, Vienna, Va.; Midwest Round: Wes Casto, Marietta, Ohio; Southwest Round: Fictionist, Salt Lake City, Utah; West Round: Shaun Cromwell, Los Angeles, Calif.; Early Bird Round: David Via, Patrick County, Va.; Early Bird Round: Betty Soo, Austin, Texas. - Herald-Dispatch, Huntington, WV (September 21, 2009)