50SS 2019 Entries: Nebraska, Arizona, Arkansas, Rhode Island
Over the years you've learned to be patient with us. After all, this is a pet project! While you're waiting for that beautiful Semifinal 1 recap video to go up and for this year's edition to officially get underway, here's four more songs we're announcing publicly today and will feature in Semifinal 2. Do any of these strike your fancy?
Nebraska: Dylan Bloom - "Truck Driver"
When we originally chose D.Boo last year, it was for Nevada - then Greg came to find she was a native Nebraskan who had moved to Vegas, so we changed her over to Nebraska. The song came 11th, and the rest is history. Little did we know we'd have another opportunity to explore the silliness of middle America with "Truck Driver."
We were a bit reluctant to give it a chance, but after a full listen, we just couldn't say no! The Dylan Bloom Band is from the capital of Nebraska, Lincoln, and he brings us into the style of country rock you'd expect from a truck-driving man!
Arizona: Alex Aiono - "Big Mistake"
If last year was the year of artists from The Voice or American Idol making it into the contest, this year is the year of the YouTube star. Alex Aiono already has 5 million (!) subscribers on his music channel and 850 million+ video views. And while he had a minor hit in Europe in 2017, he's never charted in the United States. Alex gets his surname from his Maori/Samoan father, who grew up in New Zealand and emigrated to the USA. The song is about - take a guess - reflections of past relationships? Check.
Arkansas: Joan - "Love Somebody Like You"
Now here's a band that we also received multiple submissions for! And we considered sending them last year, but there were no videos at the time. Joan is much like 'flor' (Oregon '18) in that they insist every song title and their band name is in lower case, but we don't fly that way. So too bad.
Their gimmick (if you wanna call it that) is thematic of late-80's to early-90's music production, and the videos are purposely low-key (filmed with a 2001 handycam, probably in someone's basement somewhere). We chose "Love Somebody Like You" because of its groove, and it has a bit more of a modern sound. That doesn't meant that you won't escape without a sexy saxophone solo toward the end!
Rhode Island: Charge the Atlantic - "Don't Run"
We love the name of this band, because they certain 'can' given where they're from. Lots of bands are based these days in the big music cities, and Charge The Atlantic is no exception. They can be found in Nashville, but their roots hearken back to Rhode Island and New Jersey. The song has a driving, motivating beat that makes it hard to dislike. It's their first Spotify single and, coincidentally, their first online music contest! At least we'd assume... Learn more: alexander-curnow.squarespace.com/
