Macon. It's hotter here.

On Tuesday, Nov. 15, 2011 at 7pm, we will be sat in the Grand Opera House in Macon, Georgia witnessing the culmination of a lot of hard work on behalf of the City of Macon. In June of 2010, a group of creative people began the first steps in their efforts to put Macon, Georgia on the map - and in a good way. It started with a song and music video called A Little More Soul. It quickly blossomed into three contests: Macon Shorts, Macon Music, and Macon Mogul. On this Tuesday,  Gateway Macon will be announcing the winner of the Macon Shorts competition as well as showcasing the work of talented Maconites in the creation of the 10,000 Hours EP by Floco Torres and giving a live performance of A Little More Soul with all of the original musicians present and accounted for. That’s right, Chuck Leavell, Bobby McDuffie, and Sonny Spoon will be there, as well as the writer and singer of the song, Tony Reyes and producer Steve Moretti - who worked with Floco Torres on the EP. Streetline Drumline will be in attendance and who knows what other surprises await those who come out this Tuesday night. 

We waded through more than 70 songs to put together our group of 5 finalists. While we understood the disadvantage outside musicians would have coming up with a Macon song that would accurately capture the feeling that is Macon in some or all of its parts, we were also interested in finding outstanding musicians. Our biggest disappointment was with the small number of entries locally, but our biggest joy was the quality of musicians, singers, and songwriters who let us hear the rough cuts of their songs.

Breaking the over 70 songs down into a smaller group of musicians was hard. What was even harder was choosing the 10 musicians that went to our final judges. Not only did we have to pick from some really great musicians, but we also had to choose a song that was appropriately catchy, a universal tune that would appeal to many, across genre and across generations.

Our 5 finalists were a great group of musicians with an impressive list of accomplishments and many things to recommend them.  

Project 51, a jazzy neo-soul group out of Boston, MA was another great offering. We immediately fell in love with lead singer’s Sentirenla Lucia voice as well as the easy going, groovy vibe from the band. This mature effort from the relatively young band stood out against a backdrop of singer/songwriters and rock musicians. 

Eric Jennings had a soulful tone that reminded many of us of Counting Crows. His relaxed musical style and strong voice instantly pulls you into his music.  

Alexis Vear’s voice was strong and she sings with a passion you believed. Soft and whimsical, there is a fairytale like quality to her songwriting and we enjoyed the rough cut offerings she submitted. 

Shari Clarke voice bounded from her tracks, grabbing you from the get go. Her voice was so big, we were very surprised to connect it to the petite singer we met at the Otis Redding Celebration. Her voice stuck with us, even after our jurors picked their winner. 

The winner of the Macon Music Competition was Floco Torres. He won because his Macon song, Cherry Street, was so infectious. It had a sound and feel that made us proud of the city we call home. However, because we couldn’t get Shari’s voice out of our heads, we did stick our finger in the stew and set it up so that Shari Clarke provided guest vocals on Floco Torres’ EP.  

As the winner, Floco was able to record a 3 song EP at Star Motel Studio, complete with CD design and digital copy setup done by Burt & Burt. Bright Blue Sky filmed the music video for Floco’s Macon song, Cherry Street. If you come for the Nov. 15th event, Rock & Reel, you will get to see the full performance of the EP as well as the music video. 

If Gateway Macon does another Macon Music competition, I hope that the performance and the quality of work for the EP and music video encourages more local talent, as well as musicians from around the world, to enter. We hope you can join us for the fun on November 15, 2011 at the Grand Opera House. Doors open at 6 for last minute ticket sales and will call, show is at 7:30.

Finalist - 51 Project

Formed in 1998 as a Jazz group in Oakland Ca. 51 Project is a Neo Soul inspired fusion of Jazz, Pop, R&B, and Soul. The group performs live shows throughout New England. Consisting of mostly Berklee grads, the group’s live shows have been quoted as being “electric and vibrant… a new start to an old love (music)”

Listen to their music here. 

The Macon Music Competition judges narrowed down all the entries to the top 5. Whether it was a sound, a strong voice, or lyric writing, each of the 5 vying for the $25,000 prize package have something to offer. The Macon Music winner will be unveiled at the Macon City Auditorium in Macon, Georgia on Saturday, September 10 during the Otis Redding Evening of Respect Gala. History was made when Otis Redding was discovered here. Who knows what history we will make Saturday night!

Finalist - Floco Torres

Kevin “Floco Torres” Williams, Jr. got his name from a childhood friend’s grandmother. When she passed away, he took her last name Torres and create a brand that would influence people to inquire before they judge (Black Man - Spanish Name). By the age of 23, Floco had created his own hollywood call “Psychadelphia”, won two indie awards, and created a fan base from his hometown of Willingboro, New Jersey all the way down to Macon, Georgia. With his new album “Floco’s Modern Life” funded solely by his fans through online outlet Kickstarter, Floco continues to make his mark as one of the next influential entertainers/entrepreneurs/inspirations in the industry. 

Listen to his music (and catch some interesting videos) here. 

The Macon Music Competition judges narrowed down all the entries to the top 5. Whether it was a sound, a strong voice, or lyric writing, each of the 5 vying for the $25,000 prize package have something to offer. The Macon Music winner will be unveiled at the Macon City Auditorium in Macon, Georgia on Saturday, September 10 during the Otis Redding Evening of Respect Gala. History was made when Otis Redding was discovered here. Who knows what history we will make Saturday night!

Finalist - Eric Jennings

Singer/songwriter/musician Eric Jennings of Atlanta Ga.’s Geisha Hit Squad has done just about everything from butcher Alaskan King Crab two hundred miles from the Russian border, run a machine dispenser in a cough drop factory, work in a hundred capacity dog shelter, and become a Residential Assistant in a high profile substance abuse treatment center while pursuing his musical career.

Musically he delivers songs that can be introspective, witty and thought provoking. Some of his influences are Jay Farrar, Bob Dylan, Radiohead, Peter Gabriel and Neil Young. Currently Eric is working on booking his National Solo Acoustic tour in support of “Experimenting With Mirrors”, his sophomore cd. Thru a small but dedicated fan base he was able to raise 4000.00 in 60 days to have the cd professionally mastered and to have merchandise to sell at shows.

Listen to his music here.

The Macon Music Competition judges narrowed down all the entries to the top 5. Whether it was a sound, a strong voice, or lyric writing, each of the 5 vying for the $25,000 prize package have something to offer. The Macon Music winner will be unveiled at the Macon City Auditorium in Macon, Georgia on Saturday, September 10 during the Otis Redding Evening of Respect Gala. History was made when Otis Redding was discovered here. Who knows what history we will make Saturday night!

Finalist - Alexis Vear

Alexis Vear is a soulful singer/songwriter/multi-talented artist who is inspired by the what she sees in the realities of everyday life. Alexis has always felt a deep calling to share the images she sees in different ways.

Born and raised in Indianapolis, Indiana, as a young child, Alexis started writing songs secretly, while openly expressing herself through visual art. It was later in life, at the age of 32, that Alexis started sharing her music. In 2004, Alexis released her debut album, “Never Give Up”, an acoustic record full of heart and soul that received national airplay on NPR. Internationally, her CD sold on 3 continents. In 2005, Alexis moved from Greensboro, NC to Atlanta, Georgia. In 2008, Alexis released “Let It Go” which as inspired by her love of John Mellencamp, Tom Petty, U2, and Atlanta singer songwriter Shawn Mullins.

After years of taking a break from fine art, Alexis felt a calling to combine her fine art and music. Recently, Alexis launched her new store called Alexis Vear Creations. While living in Georgia, she has been bitten by the blues and is excited to create an organic compilation that will blend her love of blues, country, rock and folk together into something that will truly touch her listeners heart.

Listen to her music here.

The Macon Music Competition judges narrowed down all the entries to the top 5. Whether it was a sound, a strong voice, or lyric writing, each of the 5 vying for the $25,000 prize package have something to offer. The Macon Music winner will be unveiled at the Macon City Auditorium in Macon, Georgia on Saturday, September 10 during the Otis Redding Evening of Respect Gala. History was made when Otis Redding was discovered here. Who knows what history we will make Saturday night!

Tuesday Nights Get Busier

Gateway Macon is going to announce some really cool awards we’ve won. We’re also going to announce the 5 semifinalist for the Macon Shorts Short Film Competition. Our surprise announcement concerns Macon Music. After our announcement, we’ll have a picnic of sorts, NuWay Weiners and drinks and the opportunity to find out more about our competitions.

The Community Forum series (3rd stop at 5:30 at the Sports Hall of Fame and the last stop at 7pm at the Museum of Arts and Sciences) is a way for outsiders to gather the perspective of the community concerning the upcoming election. More than that, though, it helps the community see where others are coming from and hopefully will lead to a bigger discussion of how to get Macon on the right track, with community buy in because we chose the track. Please show up if you care about the future of Macon!

After all of that, you need a little entertainment! Strange Powers is the place to be. Strange Powers is an intimate documentary portrait of songwriter Stephin Merritt and his band the Magnetic Fields. With his unique gift for memorable melodies, lovelorn lyrics, and wry musical stylings that blend classic Tin Pan Alley with modern sounds, Stephin Merritt has distinguished himself as one of contemporary pop’s most beloved and influential artists.

And if that wasn’t enough, the music goes on just a few steps down on Cherry at the 567 Cafe. Space Ghost, Christopher Bell, Vitamin Eh, and Sick/Sea will be performing and I hear that 69 Love Songs may be played. Sounds interesting to me. Doors at 9! Only $5.

This is just Tuesday, and already, so much to do.