This week, listen to a playlist of the three winning tracks by Nikki & The RueMates, Todd Newman, and Capitol Jay.
This week listen to a playlist of three winning tracks by Nikki & the RueMates, chosen by Melisa Rivière, Todd Newman, chosen by Dana Raidt, and Capitol Jay chosen by Andrea Myers.
Nikki & the RueMates | Burning Up
The RueMates are Nikki Matteson, Rich Rue & Carrie Deans. Nikki is the singer of the group & plays guitar. Both Rich & Carrie provide backing vocals to create sweet three part harmonies, with Rich playing many guitars including resophonic slide, & Carrie on bass. And when he can minimalist-style drummer Bryce Kastning plays with them as well. Nikki & The RueMates' new CD, We All Live Together, is a blend of many musical styles like acoustic blues rock, soulful old timey & psychedelic folk and is for sale at shows & the Electric Fetus in Minneapolis, MN.
Todd Newman | Our College Station Then
Since winning a Lawrence, Kansas songwriting contest (judged by Robert Earl Keen and Butch Hancock!) years ago, I've recorded 45s and cds, which several great record labels (including Medium Cool/Twin Tone and the legendary The Bus Stop Label) were kind enough to release. I had a band called The Leatherwoods that released a 45 and a cd (co-produced by Peter Jesperson and Paul Westerberg, who co-wrote a few tunes as an added bonus).
Capitol Jay | Older Now Part 2 (All Grown Up)
Until now Capitol Jay has never released a full-length album, though the band has existed in some form or another for nearly ten years. It’s not for lack of material, time, or resources; it’s largely because the band members hold their music up to such a high standard. They’ve always felt that if a song they write is not something they would listen to as fans, then they have no business recording or performing it as a band. It’s that steadfast commitment to excellence that makes Capitol Jay clearly stand out from the myriad of competition in the Twin Cities music scene.
about mnSPIN 
Winning tracks from each contest are selected by panelists from within the music industry. Each week a three-song playlist from the winning submissions will be featured on the mnartists.org and Summit Brewery web sites. Quarterly listening parties at area venues will take place and a compilation CD of music from the yearlong contest will be produced.
Submission Specifications and Entry Process Any and all types of music accepted; only three tracks per musician will be reviewed for possible inclusion on the CD. Tracks can be uploaded to artist pages on mnartists.org, and a URL of the page can then be e-mailed to mnspin@mnartists.org. Submissions must come from mnartists.org members. To sign up for membership, visit www.mnartists.org/join.do?action=join. For assistance with registration or with uploading music tracks, please e-mail info@walkerart.org or call 612.375.7611.
mnSPIN is sponsored by mnartists.org, Summit Brewery, Springboard for the Arts, and McNally Smith College of Music.
