By Amanda Romeo
About 100 people gathered at the Netherlands Core to watch finalists perform at HU MEISA’s and Hofstra Concerts’ Songwriting Contest. Ten finalists were selected to perform for three judges and an audience this past Friday. The judges, Terry Tompkins, Sharon Goldsmith and Ben Ward, provided insightful feedback and constructive criticism to the musicians following each performance.
Many talented musicians were showcased at the event – each playing their own original songs. Variety in the performance styles made the whole show continually interesting and enjoyable to watch, as each song brought something pleasantly new to the table.
A particularly outstanding performance came from T.V. Yellow – a two-person group that started working together just a few weeks ago. Jazz Graham on vocals and Will on guitar wrote “Amorous” a song about self-love. Graham got on stage and addressed the audience, asking if anyone has ever been in love. “What about self-love?” she asked, explaining how obtaining true self-love can be a more intricate experience than loving another. Like the concept behind it, the song was poetically intriguing. Graham’s dynamic and passionate voice delivered a beautiful harmonious melody made of meaningful and thoughtful lyrics.
Being one of the more artistic renditions performed that night, “Amorous” received some of the most criticism. Ward said he liked the groove the song had, but pointed out it could use a pre-chorus to improve continuity, referring to its lyrical lack of repetition. Goldsmith, Hofstra’s director of Entrepreneurship, said the song seemed more like spoken word poetry. She suggested that T.V. Yellow focus more on telling a story and said that although Jazz’s voice was intriguing, she still didn’t know what was going on. Tompkins, assistant professor of music, disagreed and praised the song’s complexity and abstract-yet-relatable deeper meaning.
At the end of the show, the audience was asked to text in their vote to decide the big winner, who would receive a Ticketmaster gift card, and an opportunity to record in a professional studio. During this time, a second “judges’ choice” winner was also selected by the three judges.
The judges’ choice went to Josh Metzler for his song “Pyrite Love.” In this song, the word “pyrite” is not to be confused with the word “pirate,” as Metzler pointed out prior to performing. ‘Pyrite’ refers to pyrite-gold, or fool’s gold.
“Pyrite Love” is about vulnerability in love, and how people often consciously let themselves be taken advantage of by those they care about. Sincere and heartfelt, the song’s already existing emotional power was amplified by Metzler’s self-accompaniment on piano. Passionate vocals increased in strength as the song progressed.
As another artistically strong performance, “Pyrite Love” received criticisms very similar to those of T.V. Yellow’s “Amorous.” Goldsmith was put off by the fact that Josh had to clarify the meaning of the word “pyrite,” stating that could be “confusing” for an audience. Tompkins appreciated Metzler’s fragile delivery and chord changes. Despite heavy criticism – or perhaps because of it – the judges chose “Pyrite Love” and its elusive title as their top pick in the end.
The big prize was awarded to Mike O’Malley’s band “New Horizons,” alongside Ashlee Tisi and Matt Ferrara. The three-person group played a song called “Coming Home,” written about loving something, letting it go and hoping it will come back home. Lyric heavy and highly literate, the energetic-yet-passionate song featured harmonious back-up vocals and an effective second guitar throughout most of the song.
As an original pinnacle of classic emo ballads, “Coming Home” was an obvious leading contender, even before O’Malley plugged in an electric guitar halfway through the song. Judges praised a super effective outro and distinct lyrical style, particularly wordiness and how nicely it contrasted with the use of repetition. Tompkins pointed out how great songs can often be played in multiple genres and still translate, and went on to say he believes “Coming Home” could be a song to do that.
Hofstra Concerts was pleased with the turnout of the event and hopes to continue to host a Song Writing Contest at Hofstra annually.