Dave’s Basement Tracks, The Songwriting Contest and The Great River Folk Festival

There was a time when music recommendations were passed on only via word of mouth and perhaps through a few august music publications, meaning that musical news travelled slowly and bands found it hard work to find new audiences beyond their immediate locale.

Thankfully, times and technology have changed and we find a wealth of passionate music enthusiasts able to launch their thoughts and feelings around the globe thanks to the power of the internet. David Schipper is just such an enthusiast and as a way of promoting music and sharing that passion for great music, he writes a wonderful blog called Dave’s Basement Tracks.

David Schipper is a name that some will know already, especially those in the more folky fields, through his solo work, including humourous parodies of iconic songs, as the captain of the Lucky Dog ship and as an integral member of the Great River Folk Festival and particularly its associated songwriting contest.

And it is to these last two subjects that his blog is often dedicated and the most recent entry is a selection of submissions for this year’s songwriting contest which have caught his ear. If nothing else, it is a great place to pick up some great new bands to check out. Give it a spin, there are some gorgeous and groovesome sounds to be found there, perhaps even your next favourite band awaits you.

Maybe Stone & Snow’s gorgeous boy/girl harmonies will be to your tastes or the more countrified sound of Pat Egan’s I Will Be Your Anchor might do it for you. It might be the groovesome, bluesy and beat-driven Clown Car from Daniel Elixir, Eli Gardiner’s understated Home or the buoyant blend of folky fiddles and country-pop that is Kerosene Kites’ Hey Stranger which is your new musical crush.

A new musical blog is always a cause for celebration, especially one from such a knowledgeable source. We live in a world of fad and fashion, hyperbole and self-aggrandisement, Dave’s Basement Tracks, is the perfect antidote to all of that. Whether you want to find out more about the festival or the songwriting contest…and you should…or are just looking for a new source of new music to fall in love with, Dave has it covered.