NASHVILLE SONGWRITERS TAKE TOP PRIZE AT BLUEGRASS FESTIVAL Nashville songwriters Don King, Brant Miller and Dave Woodward walked away from MerleFest, the premier Americana and Bluegrass festival in the country held April 26-29, 2007 in Wilkesboro, NC, with the top country song in its annual Chris Austin Songwriting Contest. MerleFest, named in honor of Merle Watson, late son of legendary guitarist Doc Watson, conducts the contest to recognize songwriting excellence in the categories of bluegrass, country, gospel, and general. Nearly 1,100 songs were submitted this year with three finalists in each category earning a chance to perform their songs for a panel of judges and audience members during the festival. The competition was chaired by Nashville singer/songwriter extraordinaire, Jim Lauderdale. Former winners include the likes of Gillian Welch, Tift Merritt and Adrienne Young. King, Miller and Woodward won this year with a song titled “The Road Kill Bill”. The song idea was born when the Tennessee legislature passed a law making it legal to “harvest” road killed game animals without the need of a hunting license. The songwriting trio, which performs under the name 2nd Nature and also works for the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency, could not let this legislative nugget escape their pens and guitars. With clever and earthy lyrics such as “it ain’t like a handout, no it’s more like meals on wheels” and “it’s given brand new meaning to the phrase hot off the grill”, “The Road Kill Bill” captured the imagination of judges and festival goers alike from the first line through the last chorus. In addition to a cash prize and Epiphone guitar, the contest winners were given an evening slot on one of the festival’s main stages to perform their award winning composition. As a result over 20,000 audience members were treated to a songwriting gem for the ages. This year MerleFest drew over 80,000 participants from around the globe over the four day event and featured headlining performances from Alison Krauss and Union Station and Elvis Costello, along with a powerful line up of bluegrass and country acts. To view more pictures of 2nd Nature at MerleFest, click here. Anyone wishing to learn more about the group 2nd Nature and its members or to order a CD containing “The Road Kill Bill” can do so by logging on to their web site at www.secondnaturesongs.com.http://www.secondnaturesongs.comshapeimage_1_link_0
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