Rockin' Moms 2010 Songwriting Contest!
About the Winners ... and the story behind their songs!
1st Place Winner!
Zarni, "Makin My Way"
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Bio:
Zarni is a 21 year old singer/songwriter originally from South Africa. Her mother and stepfather immigrated to the small town of Johnson City, New York when she was 11. Music has been her passion for as long as she can remember and she studied piano at a very young age and eventually classical voice as well.
She is currently studying at the Berklee College of Music and is a few semesters away from finishing her double major in Music Education and Songwriting. From her first semesters at Berklee, Zarni has been showcased on several TV stations (WSKG TV and NewsChannel34) as well as several Newspapers (The Press and Sun Bulletin and the Montgomery News, in Philadelphia). In the last several months, Zarni toured with Youtube sensation Mike Lombardo and his bandmates through several cities in the Northeast of the US. She also taught a summer music course in Limassol, Cyprus at the Xenia Tsolaki Metaxa Private Institute and she also played several gigs there as well as in South Africa.
After Berklee, Zarni plans to perform/songwrite and travel full-time as she is equally addicted to all three!
Web links:
www.myspace.com/zarnidewet
www.youtube.com/zarnidewet
About the song
"I'll be the first two admit that by the second semester of college I was really missing my mama. My mother use to embarrass me into my socks in High school by wrapping my sandwiches in foil. It's already uncool to bring your lunch instead of buying it like the cool kids and even more so to wrap it in that screaming shiny tin stuff that screams "Look everyone! I'm a mommy's pet". Anyway...that was when I still cared alot what people thought.
I went home for the weekend one semester and....well let me first tell you that I have always thought the world of my mom. She is the coolest thing out. Anyway- I got on the bus to go back to Boston and for whatever reason I felt very aware of that I was now alone. The "honeymoon" first semester was now over and I was starting to have to accept my life on my own, making my own decisions..."making" "my" own "way" haha. So there I am on the greyhound, tryin to compose myself after just having said goodbye to a woman that I love more than most things in life, combined, and I pull out the sandwhich bag she packed for me (see they still do take care of you after you leave) and sure enough...there, bright and shiny as a spoon, was my sandwhich in tin foil.
Well. Needless to say a few randoms on greyhound that day saw a crazy blonde girl who started crying profusely after taking out a piece of foil. Whats up with that? I tried to hide it but you know how that is...I thought everyone saw anyway. The next night I was in the practice room writing "Making my way", which was only really intended for my mothers ears. The song ended up having quite a strong body of it's own though, despite my underestimating it. I played in on WSKG "Expressions" TV series and it has been a well requested song ever since. Way to go Mom! And all the great Mom's out there! "~ Zarni De Wet
2nd Place Winner
Katrina Carlson, "Here and Now"
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About the Song
Here and Now will always be an extraordinarily special song to me because I wrote the lyrics while holding my 6 week-old baby in my arms. Although the words were inspired by the unique bond of love that exists between mother and child, the song's overriding theme is universal: being grateful for and present in every breathing moment of life. I called my CD “Here and Now” because that is what I am trying to remind myself to do in my life - to be present and see how everything, the good the bad and the ugly, can be experienced as a gift, if I let it. ~Katrina Carlson
Bio:
A graduate of Brown University majoring in International Relations, KatrinaCarlson naturally became a musician.
Kat released her first album, Apples For Eve, in 2001 to rave reviews. Her sophomore album, Untucked,followed in 2003 and produced four hit singles: "Suddenly Beautiful," "Drive,""Count On Me" and "I Know You By Heart" with Benny Mardones. Katrina's most recent CD, Here and Now, was released in the fall of 2007 – once again to rave reviews. The CD's first single, "No One Is To Blame" featuring Howard Jones, reached #1 on the Adult Contemporary chart – Kat's first chart topper! The follow-up single "Feel For Me" was featured on the hit TV show South of
Nowhere.
www.KatrinaCarlson.com
3rd Place Winner
Karen Chisholm, "Snow Globe"
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Mother of two and Austin-based performing songwriter, Karen Chisholm (www.karenchisholm.com)
About the song
“One night we were taking down all the tinsel of the holidays, and I picked up a snow globe that we’ve had since my daughter was little. It seems like just yesterday, but in a few shorts years, she will be driving off to college.”
Honorable Mentions
(listed in alphabetical order)
3 Kisses - "All That Matters is Love"
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More about the song...
"All That Matters is Love" was written about a week prior to our last recording session at the end of March. The song is about all sorts of life experiences that pale in comparison to love. Having money, going on adventures, the "fairy tale" wedding, the "American Dream".....it's all meaningless without love as the foundation. 3 Kisses was a joint effort by me and my ex-husband for many years. When we split up, the band dynamic changed dramatically and the decision was made to market 3 Kisses around me. That was both exciting and scary. The events of the past year have really caused me to examine my priorities. Getting full custody of my kids and having to learn to be both mom and dad has been challenging, but a blessing. I'm closer to my kids than ever before and we've learned how tough the 3 of us are as a family. I love and appreciate them in ways like never before. Going through a divorce, the things that kept me going - the love of my kids and my bond with them, falling in love again and knowing that it CAN happen, the love of friends and family...are all the things that really matter! "~ Tish Meeks- 3 Kisses
www.3kisses.com
Dorothy C. LeBlanc - "Stay-at-Home-Mommy Blues"
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More about the song...
"This song is particularly special to me! This story is ABSOLUTELY ACCURATE, and the whole fiasco of a day occurred in 1988. One-year-old child waking up with 105 fever. 3-year-old brother waking up, and taking advantage of my being distracted by the health emergency...and deciding this would be the PERFECT time to see what would happen if he very quietly climbed onto the bar stool in the kitchen, stood on his tiptoes, and sprayed the little teeny tiny shiny silver can I told him never ever to touch. Just like out of a movie or something...and the insanity continued all day long, UNTIL I enjoyed BRIEF break from the hysteria between 12 and 2 that afternoon, as I sat on my front porch and enjoyed an ice cold, large Dr. Pepper, and mindlessly read the new People Magazine.
No exaggeration in this story at all! Thank you again for listening and enjoying this song!"
~Dorothy C. LeBlanc
Musician
www.dorothyleblanc.com
www.shakyeggband.com
Jeanie B! and the Jelly Beans - "Hey Daddio!"
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More about the song...
"I am primarily a children's music artist and released my second CD in 2006 entitled Mommy Knows Best. I got some heat from all the Dad's (in the most loving way of course) because I had so many songs about Mommy and not about Daddy! So, I wrote "Hey Daddio!" to honor the Dads and even put it as track one on my subsequent CD Joy! The song uses the Prince and Castle metaphor to show what an impressive figure Dad can be in a child's life. I also wrote it to honor my own Dad who was the Prince of the castle that he built with love when I was growing up!"
~Jeanie B!
www.jeaniebmusic.com.
Lanny Sherwin- "You Me and the Moon"
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Margaret MacDonald- "Letting Go"
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More about the song...
"I wrote this song the summer before my son left for college. The lyrics speak for themselves...it's something you dread and welcome, at the same time. It's inevitable but heartbreaking. "~Margaret Macdonald
www.margaretmacdonald.com
Matthew Stemme- "Laughter in the Hallway"
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STORY BEHIND "LAUGHTER IN THE HALLWAY
"I have now been married almost 25 years and have two daughters; Mallory and Kelsey. Mal is now 21 and finishing her senior year of college. Kel is finishing up her high school diploma and is 18.
There is a doorway in the main hallway of our home where we have etched lines into its frame. These lines record the heights and ages of my famililes growing years. It has been some time since I looked at them--we dont record time like that anymore.
Once Mallory left for college (I wrote a song about that day) and Kelsey was becoming home less and less...(I am awaiting that song to finish production) I went into the closet to get something...and saw those precious lines upon the frame. I stood and looked and my heart began to swell. There for me to see was a testament to a family that stayed together--through the good and through the bad. We had some rough years (as all families do) but what I heard filling the hallway of my home was laughter. Sweet laughter...
Life is what happens between the lines.
I welcome the adult years of my children, but my heart longs for the days that we marked time upon a doorpost. When our kids were little we would tell each other...How much I love you! I will love you forever and ever...
So...I picked up my guitar and attempted to be true to the blessing of family, routine, and years together. What you hear is that finished product.
I am a songwriter and have my songs professionally produced in Nashville."
www.songsfromhome.com
Renee Winter-"Just Like You, Mom"
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"My mom and I are very close, have been through a lot together, and I wanted to put it into a song for her on Mother's Day. :)"
www.reneewinter.com
Righteous Mothers- "Lesbian Honeymoon Holiday"
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Shelly Knight- "Cool Daddy"
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The Jerrys - "D and Me"
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"As for the song, my son Dylan is the "D" of "D and Me." Dylan is 17, and his sister Bridget is 14. And while their mother does not play music, she is most certainly a "rockin' mom!"
The Jerrys, a British-influenced guitar-pop band. Here are some links:
The Jerrys Website: http://www.itsthejerrys.com
The Jerrys Blog: http://apps.itsthejerrys.com/blog
The Jerrys on Twitter: http://twitter.com/thejerrys
Travis Michael Nagy - "Standing on Your Shoulders"
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More about the song...
"This is a tribute to my mom, who raised me from day 1 by herself. I was homesick in England one day, waiting on a train and the coins I had in my hand said, “Standing On The Shoulders Or Giants” on the rim-that got me started. "
Special thanks to all those who submitted to this year's contest.
Rockin' Moms would also like to thank the contest sponsors and all the judges.
Keep Rockin'!
www.rockinmoms.com