2019 SOLO Songwriters Workshop Participants Announced, Including the 2019 CREATE Songwriting Fellows
2019 SOLO Songwriters Workshop Participants Announced,
Including the 2019 CREATE Songwriting Fellows
CREATE Lafayette and the South Louisiana Songwriters Festival are very pleased to announce that Erica Fox and Dustin Gaspard have been selected to serve as the two CREATE Songwriting Fellows and attend the 2019 SOLO Songwriting Workshop through a scholarship. They will join 2018 CREATE Scholarship recipients Emily Ortego and Caleb Elliott as part of the new cohort of 2019 SOLO Workshop participants. This group of over forty songwriters also includes Steve Riley, Kelli Jones, Bill Smith, Cupid, Dirk Powell, Brewster Durbin, Michael Juan Nunez and Cole Pham from Lafayette and many other songwriters from near and far who will be attending the workshop for the first time.
Dustin Gaspard
Based in Lafayette, Dustin Dale Gaspard is both Alternative Folk Songwriter and frontman/ vocalist for Rock N Soul group DG and The Freetown Sound. He has prided himself on conviction of live performance, clever cryptic lyricism, and an always evolving songwriting style. From howling vocal ambiance of solo tunes to other creative, yet simple folk driven tunes, his writing reveals a variety of range. Gaspard focuses on sharing tales and sustaining soul-touching live performances.
Erica Fox
It was always a given for Erica Fox that one day she would shine. A bonafide star in her own right, this Southern beauty is an explosion of talent. Steeped in an extensive career in show business, her music is as rich and diverse as the culture of her Louisiana hometown. “My music is characteristic of the down-home lifestyle I was nurtured in," says Erica Fox. "It's flavored with Louisiana blues and country rhythms."
“The CREATE Initiative mission is to strengthen Lafayette Parish’s cultural identity, catalyze creative assets to improve quality of life, and drive strategic investment toward cultural infrastructure. What this means for the music community is that CREATE will work with community leaders, like these, to build our music industry and workforce to nurture our talent,” said Mayor-President Joel Robideaux.
“We know living in Lafayette as a musician is a choice and we value our local musicians’ commitment to choosing to be here. As a token of our appreciation for choosing Lafayette, we co-founded and continue to invest in SOLO to provide opportunities like these. We cannot wait to see what they create during this process,” said CREATE Director, Kate Durio.
SOLO is continually impressed by the community support for the workshop and is excited to announce that many individuals and businesses in the community have contributed to SOLO’s scholarship fund this year! Thanks to their support, other aspiring songwriters and local professionals will be able to attend this world-class workshop free of charge.
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About SOLO
SOLO’s goal is to bring writers together to find inspiration not only from each other, but also from the rich, soulful, and authentic vibe that is South Louisiana. Its purpose is to bring artists, music lovers, and industry professionals together to ignite Lafayette’s creative scene – to make Lafayette known not only for its heritage, but also for its deep pool of musical talent, engineers and studios, all capable of inspiring and creating music that is relevant now and into the future. The event is presented in part by the generous support of the CREATE initiative, the Buddy Holly Educational Foundation, Lafayette Convention and Visitors Commission, BMG and many public and private sponsors.
About CREATE
CREATE is an initiative of Mayor-President Joel Robideaux to improve quality of life, drive our creative economy, and stimulate investment in Lafayette Parish. Representing Culture, Recreation, Entertainment, Arts, Tourism, Economy, CREATE is a parish-wide, multi-year effort that will provide high-quality cultural and recreational experiences for residents and visitors; develop creative infrastructure, educate and inspire the next generation of creative thinkers to build our workforce and retain talent; promote and strengthen Lafayette’s creative assets; and ensure robust support systems are in place to drive sector growth, capture return on investment and ensure sustainability. A partial rededication of the Public Health millage was passed by Lafayette Parish voters to provide $500,000 annually to support the cultural economy through the CREATE initiative. More information is available at www.createlafayette.la.
About The Buddy Holly Educational Foundation
The Buddy Holly Educational Foundation is a 501(c)(3) charitable corporation founded by Peter Bradley, Senior and Maria Elena Holly to honor the music, life, legacy and dreams of Maria Elena’s late husband Buddy Holly. The mission of the Foundation is to honor Buddy Holly’s tremendous legacy and to fulfill Buddy’s and Maria Elena’s dream of extending musical education, including songwriting, production, arranging, orchestration, and performance education to new generations regardless of creed, ethnicity or income level. In this way, the Foundation wants to empower a new generation to follow in Buddy’s footsteps and remind them of his heritage. For further detailed information on the Foundation please visit www.tbhef.org.
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For more information:
SOLO Contact: Mark Falgout
Email: solo@solosongwriters.com
Phone: 337-344-4441
CREATE Contact: Kate Durio
Email: kdurio@lafayettela.gov
For more information, visit: www.createlafayette.la