There are some local acts vying for Canadian stardom in the current run of the CBC Searchlight competition.
The first round of voting wraps up today and there are at least four local acts hoping to earn your vote to help them make it to round two.
Austin McCarthy, Mad River, Ryan MacIntyre, and Shane Cloutier each have songs in the Searchlight competition. The competition began with a call-out for “Juno-ready” Canadian musicians of any genre to submit an original song and compete for prizes donated by the Juno Awards, the National Music Centre, and CBC Music.
Austin McCarthy is from Collingwood and is now living in Montreal while attending Concordia University. His song Sunday Mornin' is one of five on his debut EP ‘reverie,’ which is a mix of pop and blues.
"Sunday Mornin' is a song that I am proud of and I really appreciate everybody getting behind this voting mania," said McCarthy.
Mad River is a Collingwood/Duntroon band that records in Mad River Studio in Duntroon. They have included their song Body & Soul in the CBC Searchlight competition.
Ryan MacIntyre is a solo musician in Collingwood who wrote his original submission last year by taking inspiration from a meme. A photo of two otters floating on their backs and holding hands led MacIntyre to write a love song. Otters is the title of his latest four-track EP.
“I’m not a big fan of chasing votes and I don’t do it usually but for CBC I make an exception because the benefits that follow are invaluable,” said MacIntyre.
Shane Cloutier is a Collingwood musician and music teacher. He’s entered his song Shape of Me in the CBC Searchlight competition.
“I wrote it about the influences around me, those who have shaped the person I am today,” said Cloutier.
The song features his vocals and acoustic guitar. Each verse pays homage to different musical and character influences in his life, from rockstars, to mentors, to Cloutier’s father.
To vote for your favourite, please click here and search the artist's name.
After round-one voting closes today at 3 p.m., the competition will be narrowed down to the top-100. Of those, 50 will make it through by popular vote and 50 by internal judging by a team of CBC Music producers. Voting commences again on Feb. 20.
CBC will announce 10 finalists on Feb. 28 and the winner will be named March 7.
