Deadline is Sept. 5 for HankFest 2003's "Ghost Writers In The Sky" Songwriting Contest.
Contest associated with HankFest live music celebration seeks songs written in the Hank Williams Sr. style.
CHICAGO, IL August, 2003 -- Borrowing a page from the annual Hemingway writing competitions (where contestants create new pieces in the style of the great author), HankFest announces "Ghost Writers In The Sky" (GWITS), a Hank Williams-flavored original songwriting contest.
HankFest, an annual live music and jambalaya cookoff benefit party celebrating the birthday and music of Hank Williams Sr., will be held Tuesday, Sept. 16, at Schubas Tavern, 3159 N. Southport Ave.
The format is simple: A Chicago-area panel of industry and non-industry judges will be assembled to hear new, original songs written in the style of Hank Williams Sr. Songs will be judged according to various guidelines, including sounding the most like a Hank Williams song, lyrical content and musical quality. From there, the top three songs voted best by the judges will be posted on HankFest.com, where online voting from the general public will decide the winner.
The GWITS winner will receive:
| | - Up to 12 hours of time in a Chicago-area studio to record the song.
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| | - A listing/link inside HankFest.com for one year.
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| | - The option to market their single online through HankFest.com.
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| | - The good folks at the acclaimed Bloodshot Records will give the winning song a good, hard listen for further consideration.
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| | - A follow-up press release will be released announcing the winner (and offering TV and radio media an opportunity to showcase the winning songwriter performing their song).
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| | - And the winner will be invited to appear onstage during HankFest 2003 to perform their composition. (Note: If the winner cannot appear at HankFest, a guest artist will be chosen to perform the winning song during the event.)
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"This might seem like short notice," acknowledges HankFest producer Marty Larkin, "but I think short deadlines are good for all artists, including songwriters. There's no time to second-guess the piece -- I think first impressions are always best anyway -- and encourages 'flow' writing. And that kind of writing would seem to describe Hank's style, too."
Larkin points out that during Hank's brief life -- he died at age 29 in the back of a car -- he was incredibly prolific. In fact, scraps of paper found in the car suggest that even in his final hours, Hank continued writing.
"GWITS encourages songwriters to learn from one of the greatest who ever lived, and recognize the value of fluent, honest writing," Larkin says.
All contestants must agree to contest rules and complete an entry form. A non-refundable $15 entry fee is required from contestants. For complete rules and an entry form, visit http://www.HankFest.com.
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