The Songwriter's Beat 2010 Festival

Details: Parent Category: Other Festivals; Category: Music; Published on Sunday, 25 July 2010 15:31; Written by Bree Rubin

The Songwriter's Beat 6th annual Festival - New York City's only festival celebrating performing songwriters returns for three consecutive nights (July 22rd to July 24th) and features 18 top performing songwriters including acclaimed artists Martha Redbone, Steve Addabbo, Felicia Collins, Bertha Hope, Valerie Ghent, Rob Morsberger, Tabitha Fair, Peter Calo, Deni Bonet, Ann Klein and three winners of the Songwriter's Beat - Feel the Music! Song Contest.

Leading up to this year's Festival is the first annual Songwrite's Beat - Feel the Music! Song Contest, open to all songwriters. Celebrity judges including songwriting legends Ashford & Simpson will review the finalists and decide the winners. Three winners will participate in the Festival!

Now in its 10th year, The Songwriter's Beat is New York's most popular acoustic songwriters series, curated / hosted by singer-songwriter Valerie Ghent. The Songwriter's Beat features four songwriters of varying musical styles who are encouraged to try out their newest material and arrangements.

The Songwriter's Beat is delighted to share in the 33rd birthday celebration of the Cornelia Street Cafe! Proceeds of the Songwriter's Beat Festival benefit "Feel the Music!" , a NYC nonprofit which brings music and art to children and families impacted by trauma.

Friday, July 23 8:30PM
Tonight's show features Keith Fluitt, a special set by Valerie Ghent, Ann Klein, Deborah Berg and Deni Bonet; Martha Redbone, Tabitha Fair and we will play AJ Roach's winning song, "Granddaddy" as AJ is on tour in Europe this month.

Keith Fluitt has performed globally and locally. He is a well sough-after background vocalist who has recorded and performed with such artists as Ashford & Simpson, Diana Ross, Roberta Flack, Will Downing, Harry Belafonte, The Pet Shop Boys, Celine Dion and a host of others. Deborah Berg is a New York City-based singer/songwriter and recent songwriting workshop leader, whose distinctive voice, songwriting talents, and warm teaching style characterize her 25 year musical career. College radio favorite, who has performed with the likes of R.E.M. and Sarah McLachlan, Deni Bonet plays the violin like an air guitar. Singer-songwriter and Songwriter's Beat founder Valerie Ghent offers a strikingly powerful and emotive voice, piano chops to match and "soul-stirring, uplifting songs full of vitality and joy."

Ann Klein plays guitar and mandolin and other things with strings. As a composer/songwriter, she has: toured in Europe consistently for 10 years; played house concerts in the tri-state area and Texas.

Martha Redbone's role as a leading voice in both soul and contemporary Native American music has been recognized by the awards garnered for both her albums - Skintalk and Home of the Brave; which include 2006 Independent Music Award for Best R&B album and Best Debut Artist at the 2002 Nammys. Tabitha Fair, a pastor's daughter from Oklahoma,records and sings songs that represent her spiritual journey and life experiences.

Saturday, July 24 8:30 pm
Tonight's show features Kismet Lyles, Bill Grady, Morley, Bertha Hope & Monica Hope, Peter Calo and Amanda Homi, who won first place in the Songwriter's Beat 2010 Song Contest with her song, "The Boyz in the Coffee Bar".

Kismet Lyles, a featured lead for the Robert Wilson/Dr. Bernice Johnson Reagon production of The Temptation of St. Anthony for 5 years throughout Europe and Australia is an unyielding force of melody. Her music is a harmonious blend of rock and r&b, layered on a jazz foundation. With a style ranging from acoustic-hiphop to pop-poetry, Bill Grady is always ready to provide his audiences with a real and thoughtful experience. The featured artist at the 60th Anniversary of the UN, Morley has had he distinct honor to perform for His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Nelson Mandela and has written, toured, and collaborated with artists such as Dave Mathews, Sarah Mclachlan, Queen Latifah, and Angelique Kidjo. Peter Calo is a Canadian born,singer/guitarist who has worked with artists such as Carly Simon, Hall and Oates, Joe Pecsi, James Taylor, Linda Eder, and Robben Ford and was been dubbed "one of the most engaging performers in the biz" by London's "Time Out" magazine.

Cover is $10 (plus $ 7 Drink Minimum). For more information go to http://songwritersbeat.com or call 212.989.9319

Songwriter's Beat Festival
July 22-24, 2010
The Cornelia Street Cafe 29 Cornelia Street in Greenwich Village, NYC NY 10014