The Rocky Mountain Highway is proud to present an opportunity for aspiring young songwriters to showcase their talent!
Write and perform your own original song.
Entry deadline extended: April 7, 2021 at 5pm.
Winners will be announced Sunday May 30, 2021, at the MeadowGrass Music Festival.
Two age categories will be featured:
- 13-18 years and a $500 winning prize
- 12 years and younger and a $250 winning prize
Please submit your entry (your song recording and the form below) via email to RMHMC09@gmail.com. See the Contest Specifics below for full details.
Thank you for participating in this inaugural event!
Contest Specifics:
- Your song must be original and performed by you.
- All music genres are welcome.
- 1 song only @ 5 minutes or less.
- There will be two age categories: 13-18 years of age ($500 prize) & 12 years of age andunder ($250 prize). Each category will have an honorable mention.
- Entry deadline: April 7, 2021 at 5pm.
- Submit your video recording along with the form below to RMHMC09@gmail.com
- All submissions will be anonymous to the judges. Each judge will receive copies of the recordings without personal identifying information.
- Judges will receive a scoring sheet for use in evaluating. Your song will be judged on the following categories: melody, lyrics, originality, and overall effect.
- The form below must be submitted with each entry. The questions below must be answered and submitted with your song. These questions will not be included in the judges evaluation, they are for organizational purposes only.
There is a $10.00 entry fee.
Or mail a check made out to Rocky Mountain Highway to P.O. Box 38943, Colorado Springs, CO 80937
No one will be turned away, so please reach out to Nicole for an entry fee waiver at RMHMC09@gmail.com.
Meet Our Sponsors
The Richard Petritz Foundation
Sponsoring our 13-18 year old category.
The mission of the Petritz Foundation is to support science, entrepreneurship and performing arts in educational and applied settings. We accomplish those aims through grants, board involvement and through collaborations with nonprofit management on strategic planning and capital building. It’s our belief that investing in local art and culture is not just a “feel good” thing to do; rather it is an imperative for a diverse and inclusive community, where innovation and collaboration set the foundations for an entrepreneurial ecosystem that attracts and nurtures the creative class of our City. For this we proudly join nonprofits such as the RMH Music Collaborative in their mission to grow our local performing arts and artists.
Cultural Office of the Pikes Peak Region
Sponsoring our 12 years old and under category.
The Cultural Office of the Pikes Peak Region is a nonprofit local arts agency, governed by a diverse board of community leaders from the arts, nonprofit, public and business sectors. We take a strategic view of the Pikes Peak region to ensure that cultural services reach all people, and that the arts are used to positively address issues of economic development, education, cultural tourism, social justice, and quality of life.
Meet Our Judges
Steve Harris
Artistic Director, MeadowGrass Music Festival
Prior to co-founding Rocky Mountain Highway, a 501(c)(3) non-profit devoted to growing the local music community in the Pikes Peak region, Steve Harris had served nearly two decades as a volunteer disk jockey at NPR-affiliate KRCC in Colorado Springs, hosting weekly radio programs focused on reggae, jazz, and Americana music. In 1996 he created the Southern Colorado Roots & Culture Fest, a one-day reggae and world music festival that raised over $8,000 for charity in its first year and lasted four years, until 1999. Steve started volunteering for the annual MeadowGrass Music Festival in 2008, assumed responsibility for booking talent for the festival in its second year, and was named “Festival Director” in 2011. He also developed the artistic lineup for the Mountain of the Sun Music Festival in Woodland Park from 2011-2014. Steve’s leadership has prioritized finding authentic voices who demonstrate a commitment to original songwriting to introduce to Colorado Springs audiences. At a time when cover bands or so-called “tribute” acts so often seem to outsell musicians who write their own songs, he believes it is vital to the health of the community to nurture creativity through song among new and emerging artists. Rocky Mountain Highway has steadfastly supported those local, regional, national, and international artists who dig deep to bare their souls and share stories that inspire the listener to reflect on the human condition.
Joe Johnson
Singer/Songwriter
Joe Johnson is a dynamic writer and performer with more than 20 years entertaining fans, friends, and family alike. Hailing from a musical family that includes Country music legend BJ “The DJ” Johnson, he presents his honest and thought provoking work anywhere and everywhere it’s appreciated from theaters and festivals to dive bars and coffee shops. Originally from South Mississippi, Joe has called the Westside of Colorado Springs home for the last 16 years, in the process becoming a cornerstone of the Springs vibrant artists community and a musical ambassador to towns all across the state and the country.
Seth Glier
American singer-songwriter, pianist, guitarist, and activist
Grammy-nominated Seth Glier is a singer-songwriter, producer, and multi-instrumentalist. NPR describes his voice as “otherworldly” while praising him as “an engaging performer and storyteller.” His critically acclaimed, emotionally dense catalog of work often draws upon traditional roots music, experimental instrumentation, and moody atmospheres that result in soulfully intelligent stories that can alternatively fight the power or break your heart.
With five albums, five Independent Music Awards, and even a U.S. State Department-sponsored international tour under his belt, Glier has also played with a diverse list of artists such as Ani DiFranco, Martin Sexton, James Taylor, Ronnie Spector, and Marc Cohn. His two latest songs “If It Wasn’t For You” and “Stages”, both released in 2020 as he builds to a full length album in early 2021. Inspired by Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzai, “If It Wasn’t For You” echoes the young activist’s own concepts about the transformative power of turning one’s trauma into gratitude and awareness. “Stages” captures the magic and secret joy that’s shared when close relationships evolve using the universal art of ritual.
Grace Easley
Banjo, Violin player – Roma Ransom
Grace Easley began her musical life twenty-seven years ago with a burning desire to play the violin and two years later, at the age of six began piano and violin lessons. She studied and performed as a violinist and violist in youth ensembles in Minneapolis, Kansas City and St. Louis where she was a member of the renowned St. Louis Symphony Youth Orchestra. She studied Viola Performance at Missouri State University which eventually led her to teaching full-time in both studio and classroom settings in Colorado Springs.
In her role as violinist and co-creator of Roma Ransom (with multi-instrumentalist Gordon Lewis) Grace has had the opportunity to perform on professional stages alongside musical legends, even serenading Itzhak Perlman at his own VIP after-party!
As part of Roma Ransom, Grace has also had the honor to co-create music for independent films, and has had her work featured in digital productions for brands such as Patagonia, Yeti, Vice, Xtratuf and Bud Light.
Kyshona Armstrong
Singer Songwriter, Music Therapist
Kyshona wrote her first songs with her patients as an exercise in self reflection. Now she writes songs with the imprisoned in mind. She’s a strong voice for the underdog. “Wherever she plants her feet she does so with righteous conviction and a strong sense of her own voice.”- NPR. Kyshona’s latest album has been recognized by Billboard, Rolling Stone Magazine, NPR Music, The Blue Grass Situation and many more. She is honored to have presented at 3 TEDx talks about the mission of music and therapy. In January 2020, Kyshona had a nomination for “UK Song of the Year” at the Americana Fest UK for a song that was cowritten with British artist, Danni Nicholls. In February of 2020, She performed a commission piece at the LA Philharmonic at Walt Disney Hall in Los Angelas, CA with visual artist, Nicole Miller, and violinist, Jessica McJunkins. Regarding her newly released album, “Listen”, No Depression says, “This is protest music for a new generation, a musical treatment for social ills, a unique prescription that only works if you listen.
Marc Benning
Producer/Talent Buyer at LuLu’s Downstairs
Marc Bishop Benning has been building a career and community of music for over 25 years, from Pittsburgh to New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco, finding his way to his current role and home in Colorado. Marc’s experience in the music business has earned him a national reputation in his musicianship, as a recording/tour artist, composer, talent buyer, studio musician, studio and label owner, and record producer. His career was launched out of the Berklee School of Music and lead him into his band, 34 Satellite as the vocalist, songwriter, and guitarist. Within the 8 years spent with the band, they recorded five records and toured out of New York City with band members of Guided By Voices, Whiskeytown, The Flaming Lips, Dinosaur Jr., The Screaming Trees and more. The band worked with producer John Agnello (Kurt Vile, Sonic Youth, Alice Cooper, The War on Drugs) on multiple records.
In 1996, Marc partnered to rebuild the infamous Hideaway Studios which consists of a 150-acre residential recording facility in Sedalia, Colorado. Marc has been the chief operator of the studio, focusing on recording, composing, and producing records for a decade and a half with bands including Hazeldine, The Anniversary, My Morning Jacket, The Sugarsounds, and Grant Sabin. Marc has gathered a strong understanding of the business of live and recorded music and the subtleties that contribute to the success of a show and the makings of what would be his most recent venture, Lulu’s Downstairs (named after Marc’s daughter). The space is warm and welcoming with a deep sense of history and was hand-curated by Marc in the esthetic and nostalgia of a 1970’s Pittsburgh style bar, helping to complete his mission and intention for this 8,000 square foot venue in Manitou Springs, Colorado.
The venue has welcomed a variety of diverse talent including Cracker, Robin Hitchcock, Black Mountain, Towers, The Reminders, Spirettes, Cass McCombs, and Adam Cayton Holland. With firsthand experience of how a room can feel, look and sound for live music, Marc’s approach is clear; treat bands with respect, provoking all of the senses visually and sonically while providing a safe haven for the patrons and musicians, deliver on healthy food, providing fair compensation for artists, and an unfiltered opportunity to share and inspire creativity with the music community, through a world-class venue.
Lee Stroud
Board President, Rocky Mountain Highway
A lover of music and passionate about building community through music, Lee joined the board in November 2017. Her husband was initially approached by a current board member to join, but Lee quickly realized she was the better fit. Lee was excited to have the opportunity to shape community experiences her children would be proud of and excited to participate in as they grow up. Her primary contribution to MeadowGrass 2018 was scheduling over 400 volunteers for shifts over the 3-day weekend. Since then, Lee has grown her role to include marketing through social media and partnerships, securing the first RMH app for event promotion, and leading strategic planning. She currently serves as President of RMHMC.
