With the release of “Stay Home Songs: The Album”, the songs of summer 2020 are here! Thanks to the creative efforts of some of our region’s most talented musicians and songwriters, the Rockford Area Convention & Visitors Bureau (RACVB) is excited to unveil this locally-produced 11-track playlist on the GoRockford YouTube channel. “The Album” songs were created in the spring amidst the shelter-at-home order as part of Stay Home Songs, RACVB’s free community songwriting contest that featured all ages and genres and shined a light on the creative excellence and resilience of our community.
“The Album” features jazz, folk, a cappella, rock and pop songs, including the contest’s winning lead track “Up, Up, Up”, by Rockford native Clark Kelly, which celebrates upward journey of our community. Head to https://bit.ly/3jMfZzc to listen to all 11 songs, which include:
- “Up, Up, Up”, Clark Kelly
- “It’s Up to You”, Andrew Bruhn
- “I’m Gonna Stay at Home”, Carl A. Cole
- “Rock the Pandemic”, David Hayes Project
- “I’ll Come and Visit You”, April Parker
- “Rockford is for Real”, James Richter II & Ali Elaine
- “Freedom Found”, Jeremy & Kristin Tews
- “Bootstraps”, Michael R. Dresser (with Chopped Wood Band)
- “The Stay at Home Song”, Grace Hoening
- “Everybody Turns Away”, Matthew Caleb
- “Change the World”, Jessica M. Fries & Naomi Fries
“Top to bottom, ‘Stay Home Songs: The Album’ is another uplifting example of the creative spirit that abounds throughout Winnebago County,” said Nick Povalitis, RACVB vice president of marketing & sports development. “We’re so thankful to these artists and songs—they continue to inspire us because of their excellence and we want the community to hear and enjoy them too!”
After receiving the highest score of 25 total song submissions, “Up, Up, Up” is also on track to be featured as part of an upcoming RACVB destination marketing project. The song entrants were scored by an expert judges panel of local musicians including Jodi Beach of the Jodi Beach Trio, Vince Chiarelli of The Vince Chiarelli Band, Duntai Mathews of SOAR Radio, Miles Nielsen of Miles Nielsen and The Rusted Hearts, and Antonio Ramirez of Domingos en el Parque.
The mission of the RACVB is to drive quality of life and economic growth for our citizens through tourism marketing and destination development. www.gorockford.com
FOR MORE INFORMATION: Nick Povalitis, RACVB vice president of marketing & sports development, 815.489.1652, npovalitis@gorockford.com