These are all the songs I’ve chosen for this month’s contest. I know thousands of independent musicians who are deserving of having their songs in this dang deal. So narrowing my picks down to just a few is always the hardest part of my month. Oh well. Such is life.

Aly Cook – Spend It

Aly was a 2010 nominee for Female Country Artist of the Year in New Zealand of all places. And, with that to her credit, she ended up in Nashville a few months later where she just finished her album “Brand New Day.”  This song is off that album. You can check Aly out at www.alycook.com.

Eat A Peach – Surreality

These guys are from Jolliet, Illinois, and I like what they say about themselves on Facebook: “Peach was born to bring a modern concept to the high standards of the classic rock sound. Melodic guitar harmonies and dynamic rhythms weave in and out of their collection of down-to-earth original creations.” Check them out at www.facebook.com/eatapeachmusic.

Ellie May Kay – Girl With A Fishin’ Rod

Ellie May, as far as I know, ain’t Jed’s sister. But she may end up being just as famous as that Ellie May. Born and raised just outside of Chicago, she apparently never really thought much about being a professional musician until she married a country band’s drummer and got into the business herself as a sound tech. Then she found her way on stage to do some singing with the band every now and then, and now, she has two of her own dang CDs out, and she’s working regularly with some of the best talent in Nashville on videos and such. This song is off her latest CD called “What Matters Most.” Check her out at www.elliemaykay.com.

Joe Lorge (aka Joe Nashville) – Obama Got Osama

Okay… well… for the rest of the world, Joe’s “stage” last name may work well, but, for our dang little contest, his real last name is definitely relevant: Joe Lorge is Andy, Michelle and Melinda Lorge’s dang uncle. If you’ve been following this contest over the years, you know all of those people as having quite a bit of success on this show. So, dang it, the Lorge’s are back! (How many other dang musicians do you guys have in your family!)

When I saw the news about Osama bin Laden finally dyin’, I prepared myself for an onslaught of Osama songs in my inbox. And ole’ Joe was the first to get one to me. He wrote, recorded, and sent me this little diddy well within 24 hours of the news. How could I not put it in this dang contest. Especially given that he’s got Hoss Royalty in his blood. Ya’ll look ole’ Joe up in Mt. Juliet, Tennessee. (Hey, Joe! You got a dang website? If you do, let me know, and I’ll put it right here.)

KamelMat – Street Bob

Except that we don’t play as much metal music as we did for a while (courtesy of Tony Kinsel’s son “Draystin), KamelMat, from Spain, has a HossTheBoss.com outlook toward music. Very eclectic. Here’s what his MySpace bio says: “An academic musician, trained in classical music and in Jazz, with a metal heart. Since I was 12, I knew I was to become a musician. Bach, Mozart, Paganini and all coexisted with Metallica, the Guns and Roses or Iron Maiden, and at home classical music and The Beatles, Sting & the Police, The Who or Frank Sinatra.” You can definitely hear all that in this song. Very interesting stuff. That’s why I picked it, dang it! Check him out at www.myspace.com/kamelmat

Michelle Leigh – Black Ink

The message behind this song is, definitely, don’t piss off a song writer! Ha!

Michelle is from Ashville, North Carolina, a town that I keep hearing about for it’s “Austin-like” quality of live music. (I’m guessing that a few folks in Ashville probably say that Austin music has an Ashville-like quality, though.) But she’s gettin’ to be well known throughout both of the Carolina’s and beyond. Check out her site, www.michelleleigh.com to get a taste of some of the buzz she’s stirrin’ up these days.

Rich Mirsky – Thanks for Asking

Rich has been playing around Boston for many years with about a dozen different bands, and he has finally finished is first “solo” CD. It’s called “Momma What’s A Mirsky?” Ha. What a name. This song is one of the 13 on that little recording. Pretty cool stuff.You can order it at www.richardmirskymusic.com.

Ted Campbell – A Real Woman

Knowing Ted’s day job may shed an interesting light on this song: he’s a seminary professor at Southern Methodist University. Hmmmm. (He comes to me, by the way, through a recommendation from Eradio Valverde, the United Methodist District Superintendent for my local area. And Eradio, having once been a pastor in San Marcos, right in the heart of Texas’s music country, says he is eager to be a guest DJ on my show later this summer. Who knew these Methodists could be so dang fun?) Ted has made it clear that he is definitely hoping to find a “real” singer interested in recording this song. This show has played match-maker for singer and song writer once or twice before. Let’s see if we can make it happen again.

Tom Lietz – On The Wall

Oh boy, this song is a tear jerker. Tom has captured the spirit of Memorial Day perfectly. Ya’ll all need to try to find a way to make sure this song gets played for your friends and family just before the traditional barbeque feast gets going this year!

Tom is yet another contestant who comes to the show via Andy Lorge. That should make him one of the guys to beat, right from the start (even if his song wasn’t so perfect). Tom lives in Kaukauna, Wisconsin and became a fan of the show when we had Andy (a fellow Wisconsin musician) on. And, what do you know, he actually seems to like the show, often sending me witty emails during the live broadcast and staying in touch with me even when, like last month, we have no one from Wisconsin in the line-up. When Tom started sharing some of his own music with me, I became very eager to get him on the show. So, finally, here he is with one of MANY songs that he’s recorded over the years. I’m sure this won’t be the last we’ve heard from him on this crazy show.

Check out Tom’s website: www.tommylmusic.com. Or www.nightshiftmusic.com.

Virginia Leaves – No One Rides

I don’t care if ya’ll didn’t vote very much for these guys last month. I like them, dang it. So here they are again. Ya’ll need to treat them right this time, dang it! Check them out at www.myspace.com/virginialeaves.

See My Previous Picks

November 2008 | December 2008 | January 2009 | February 2009 | April 2009 | May 2009 | June 2009 | July 2009 | August 2009 | September 2009 | October 2009 | November 2009 | January 2010 | February 2010 | March 2010 | April 2010 | May 2010 | June 2010 | July 2010 | August 2010 | September 2010 | November 2010 | January 2011 | February 2011 | March 2011 | April 2011