With 860+ entries, finalists have been announced in this year's WAM Song of the Year - WA’s biggest songwriting competition.
Featuring a solid track record of propelling local acts on the rise to even greater heights - past alumni of the competition include Methyl Ethel, Beni Bjah, Tired Lion, Mathas and KUČKA - the 2018 class of finalists is lead by John Bennett, with his song 'Country Is Calling' nominated in Best Country, Best Regional, and Best Indigenous categories.
Following closely with two nominations apiece are Bolt Gun, Carla Geneve, Carus Thompson, Coin Banks, Farraday's Cage, J.F.K, Riley Pearce, Tangled Thoughts of Leaving and Ziggy Ramo.
These nominees and a host of others are all vying for a slice of the record-breaking $45,000 in prizes on offer over 16 categories (a complete list of finalists is below).
"It's great to see such authentic self-expression across this year's nominated songs," WAM Song of the Year Coordinator Claire Hodgson says, "using music to not only share personal stories, but also to draw attention to issues close to their heart. This is songwriting at its finest."
Award winners will be announced at the WAM Song of the Year Awards Party, debuting at the Fly by Night Musicians Club on Wednesday 16 May at Victoria Hall in High Street, Fremantle.
The evening will be hosted by MC Odette Mercy and will feature performances from Song of the Year-nominated acts The Justin Walshe Folk Machine, Feels and J.F.K as well as tunes from DJ Chicken Wing.
BLUES/ROOTS
Farraday's Cage - 'The Fire Inside'Wilson Trio - 'Ghost Kat'
Minky G and Rosco - 'Hometown Blues'
Tracey Barnett - 'Ask For It'
Carus Thompson - 'Lies'
COUNTRY
Jasmine Atkins - 'What Am I Fighting For'John Bennett - 'Country Is Calling'
Kim Wainwright - 'Wanted Man'
The Justin Walshe Folk Machine - 'The Great Escape'
The Little Lord Street Band - 'Maybe I'm Just In Love'
ELECTRONIC
Corbelle - 'Juxtapose'Doublethink Prism - 'Bitter Lake'
Feels - 'Prior Engagement'
Mayhills - 'Formlessness'
Ukiyo - 'Calling'
EXPERIMENTAL
Bolt Gun - 'Man is Wolf to Man Part 1'feeding | ear - 'Unveiled'
Intenso - 'The One'
samarobryn - 'Bering (Foreboding)'
Tangled Thoughts of Leaving - 'No Tether'
FOLK
Bill Lawrie - 'Friends I Want to Tell You (On My Mind)'Carla Geneve - 'Red Rocks'
Carus Thompson - 'Trains And Submarines'
Helen Shanahan - 'I Only Hide'
Riley Pearce - 'Misplaced'
HEAVY/METAL
Bolt Gun - 'Man is Wolf to Man Part 2'Make Them Suffer - 'Uncharted'
Nucleust - 'Quantum Umbrella'
Odditry - 'Stuck'
Tangled Thoughts of Leaving - 'The Alarmist'
Ultra Sound - 'Red Light'
JAZZ
457 World Jazz - 'Manzer Fesse'Daniel Susnjar Afro-Peruvian Jazz Group - 'Onward and Upward'
Harry Mitchell - 'Don't Stop Here'
Kate Pass Kohesia Ensemble - 'Catalyst'
MFG - 'Tony Umbridge'
OUTSTANDING INDIGENOUS
John Bennett - 'Country Is Calling'JoKeria - 'Culture Child'
Lullabies and Legacies - 'Little Country Town'
Rocky Ridge Band - 'Wangkatjungka Woman'
Ziggy Ramo - 'Same Script'
OUTSTANDING REGIONAL
Carla Geneve - 'Red Rocks'Harry Jakamarra - 'The Mountain'
John Bennett - 'Country Is Calling'
Short & Curly - 'Three Stories to the Truth'
Tanya Ransom - 'Here and Now'
POP
Abbe May - 'Love Decline'Coin Banks - 'Forgive Us (feat. The WAAPA Gospel Choir)'
J.F.K - 'A Boy And A Boy'
Riley Pearce - 'Misplaced'
Stella Donnelly - 'Boys Will Be Boys'
PUNK/HARDCORE
Hope Street - 'Back To The Grey'Incomplete - 'Make It Right'
Los Solos - 'Witch'
The Bible Bashers - 'Stupefied'
The Bob Gordons - 'Magic Glove'
ROCK
BATS - 'Truthless'Camarano - 'Ashes'
J.F.K - 'A Boy And A Boy'
The Tommyhawks - 'Critical'
Treehouses - 'Coping'
SCHOOLS 14 & UNDER
Darcey Morton - 'Walls'Farraday's Cage - 'The Fire Inside'
Lily Kate and Amelia Grace - 'New Slate'
Luna Rozza - 'Sometimes'
Sienna Eddy - 'I Rise'
SCHOOLS 15 - 17
Dexter Wright - 'Hannah'Figurehead - 'Ear To Lend'
hachi - 'Timeghost'
Lachy John - 'The Stockman's Grandson'
MALi JO$E - 'Now I'm Here'
URBAN/HIP HOP
Bluntfield - 'It's Usually Sunny in Perth'Coin Banks - 'Be Real (feat. Danny Martin)'
Dead Tooth - 'Navigator'
POW! Negro - 'Money For Portraits'
Ziggy Ramo - 'Same Script'
WORLD
Akolkol Dastan Gesa - 'Same Drum'Brassika - 'Blah'
Grace Barbé - 'FANM'
Phil Walley-Stack - 'Binar'
Rastatrix - 'Clarity'
