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One of the oldest FREE Americana/Folk Music Festivals in the Country!
March 11, 2021 / Visit us at: www.tucsonfolkfest.org

In This Issue

Join Us at the Monty, March 27th!

Stefan George Songwriting Competition: Meet Your Finalists!

Also featuring: 2018 Songwriting Competition Winner, Sophia Rankin!

About Stefan George

Become a TKMA member

JOIN US AT THE MONTY ON MARCH 27TH!

ORDER TICKETS & MAKE RESERVATIONS ON THE MONTEREY COURT WEBSITE

Join the Tucson Kitchen Musicians Association at the 2021 Stefan George Memorial Songwriting Competition Finals at Monterey Court on March 27 at 6 PM. Featuring musical performances by 10 accomplished songwriters, the evening will see a winner crowned, earning a coveted showcase set at the 36th Annual Tucson Folk Festival the weekend of April 10 -11.

Additional awards including cash and a variety of prizes donated by the presenting sponsor, Bookmans Entertainment Exchange. Tickets are $10 per person and may be reserved at the Monterey Court website. Proceeds benefit the 2021 Tucson Folk Festival, one of the oldest free Americana and Folk music festivals in the country.

Finalists include: Eric Cunningham, Jane Fallon, Mark Febbo with Oscar Fuentes, Jerry Green with Annie Sorrells, Sandy Hathaway, Mark Iler with Jess McKeegan, Lauren Lawson, Eric Schaffer, T Greg Squires, and Alicia Stockman.

2018 Songwriting Competition Winner, Sophia Rankin, will perform a set at 9:00 while judges are deliberating.

MEET YOUR FINALISTS!

Jane (Ross) Fallon, Dunedin, Florida

Jane is a performer whose smooth, rich voice and well-written songs get noticed. She has 6 CD’s and three books to her credit and recently won first place in the nationally known American Songwriter Magazine Lyric Contest. Additional songwriting wins include the Woody Guthrie Songwriting Competition in Oklahoma and the South Florida Festival Songwriting Competition.

Mark Iler, Olympia, Washington

Mark started playing Guitar in the 5th Grade and by the time he was 17, he was performing in the pubs and bars in and around the Detroit area. He has played music in almost every State, continues to do so and loves every minute of it!

Eric Cunningham, Tucson, Arizona

Eric is originally from San Diego, CA. He writes music in a fun, laid back, yet expressive style. Having traveled extensively he uses a blend of world music and classic singer-songwriter folk to tell a story. Eric currently plays in the band Baja Caravan: www.bajacaravanband.com.

T. Greg Squires, Tucson, Arizona

T. Greg started writing songs when he was 14 years old on the gut-string guitar he still owns. His songs vary in style and substance ranging from somber to sublime, and his lyrics encompass emotions that are bone-deep. He has also written and arranged for jazz bands, theatre, and dance.

Alicia Stockman, Heber City, Utah

Alicia endears her audiences through memories, experiences, and stories. Her songs are intimate moments, meant to draw listeners in and leave them hanging on every word. Strong rhythm guitar, creative yet tasteful phrasing, and soulful sweet vocals bring the experience full circle.

Mark Anthony Febbo, Tucson, Arizona

Mark was one of the 10 finalists in the 2019 Stefan George Memorial Songwriting Contest and has been playing music in Tucson since 2001. He is the former frontman and songwriter for the now defunct band, Clam Tostada. Mark’s newest album, Dry River Redemption, co-produced by Oscar Fuentes, was released in Feb. 2020.

Sandy Hathaway, Chandler, Arizona

Sandy's outstanding presentation and musical insight draw her audience into a world of creative wonder. Her songs reach back in time and deliver stories that touch the heart. Sandy’s live performances are filled with emotion and expression.

Lauren Lawson, Tucson, Arizona

Lauren is a Tucson singer-songwriter. She plays acoustic guitar and ukulele and won a Judges Pick in the Passport to Nashville songwriting competition. She was a winner in the Toptunes.Rocks Competition and made the top 10 of Oro Valley’s Got Talent. Her latest EP "Every Little Thing" is streaming on all platforms.

Eric Schaffer, Tucson, Arizona

Eric is a 3-time finalist in the Tucson Folk Festival songwriting competition, a finalist in the Passport to Nashville songwriting competition and a semi-finalist in the Great American Songwriting Contest. He can be seen playing throughout Southern Arizona with The Other Troublemakers.

Annie Sorrells & Jerry Green, Phoenix, Arizona

Annie Sorrells and Jerry Green are Phoenix-based songwriters who perform solo and as the duo, “The Lost Earbuds”. You can catch them at music festivals, camps, and conferences throughout the U.S. and Canada. For more info, check out their websites and be sure to follow @airstreamingannie, “The Singing Airstream" on Instagram.

Also featuring 2018 Songwriting Competition Winner, Sophia Rankin!

Sophia will perform a 9pm set while judges Syndenn Sweet, Brian Hanner, and Michael Markowitz deliberate.

Singer/Songwriter Sophia Rankin has been the recipient of multiple songwriting awards and has established herself as a local performer in her hometown of Tucson, Arizona. She released her first original album Reverie when she was a junior in high school, and released her second album SOLACE as a student at the University of Arizona, she is now a recent graduate with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Music Integrated Studies. Her third Album is currently in the works.

ABOUT STEFAN GEORGE

Noted for his outstanding songwriting, Stefan George had a passion for music that drove him to excel in virtually every musical endeavor he set his sights upon. And there were many, even within the confines of our so-called folk music festival where he played with so many different ensembles and configurations including the String Trotters, Arm and Hammer, White-bread, Songtower, BK Special, Four Corners, the Ditchriders and, of course, under his own name and that of his beloved partner, Lavinia White.

While Stef was already making a name for himself throughout the late 1980s and ‘90s, and often playing in primetime slots at the festival, for 20 years he could still be seen backing his mother, Emilie, usually in the hot mid-afternoon sun, whose sets were part performance and part history lesson. She performed Eastern European folk music and taught about the traditions of her childhood that were so much a part of her life. While it would be both difficult and redundant to add to what has already been written about Stefan, it should be noted he and Emilie were as much a part of this festival as any one or two people could be.