The Jane Titland Memorial Songwriting Contest, a juried, themed songwriting competition, takes place each year at Tumbleweed. The year’s theme was “Play Time!”
This year’s finalists were chosen from this year’s Songwriting applicants by a committee of pre-judges. They performed their songs before a panel of three judges and an audience of fans on Saturday afternoon on the Community Center stage.
There are monetary prizes for the top three place winners as well as a “People’s Choice Award,” voted on by the attendees of the finalists’ performances. The winner receives the hand-made Tumbleweed trophy (and check!) and performs their winning song between the first and second acts at the Saturday evening concert.
The ten finalists for this year’s Jane Titland Memorial Songwriting Contest, and the titles of their entered songs, are:
The winner (underlined above) was Daniel James, for his song Slow Grow. Daniel was presented his check, the “Tumbleweed Trophy,” and performed his winning song between the first and second Headliner performances at the Saturday benefit concert.
The second place winner (and “People’s Choice” winner!) was Rachel Jumago (Arbielle) for her song By The River, Under The Trees. Third place went to Carleen McCornack for her song Metolius Spring.
All the finalist’s songs were excellent examples of strong writing, and we congratulate them all once again!
Saturday Night Tumbleweed Benefit Concert
The 2024 Tumbleweed Music Festival is delighted with the Headliners for this year’s Saturday Benefit concert – each of whom was a newcomer to the festival!
Leading off was Homebrew Stringband, from Spokane, WA. Homebrew bring a little of this and a little of that, and a whole lot of fun! Gary and Alyse Read moved to Spokane from Seattle a little over a year ago, met Brad Keeler, and very quickly were performing together. They all play multiple instruments and will often switch off throughout their shows. They’ve played in different bands over the years and bring a wide variety of musical experiences to their performances.
Next were singer-songwriters Mike & Carleen McCornack, from Eugene, OR, who have been delighting audiences for over fifty years with an engaging musical style that blends clear, expressive, harmonious vocals with sparkling acoustic instrumental accompaniments. Their wide-ranging repertoire includes many critically-acclaimed original compositions. They have released ten albums during their career. Themes of love, humor, respect for living things and natural beauty fill their performances.
Closing out the show were Tumbleweed newcomers Gather Round. A new fixture in Seattle’s blooming a capella scene, Gather Round pairs deeply-rooted folk sensibilities with mouth-watering vocal talent. Performing a rich blend of originals and covers, this eight-part choral ensemble has harmonies in all the right places. Attendance is advised and participation is encouraged!
Sunday, September 1
Sunday again dawned bright and clear, with the kitchen crew again providing breakfast to performers and volunteers alike.
Sunday saw 52 performances and 19 Workshops presented.
