After I won the Decca/Gather contest, I was asked to write about it for HP. What joy. Here’s a link to the full article, with an excerpt right here:

I May Not Be The Next American Idol, But I Did Just Win A Record Deal

by Tommy Wallach

So I just won my first online music contest after losing about 99 others. Entering contests is just a part of being a musician these days. Every other week, you get an email that says something like: ‘Ten Billion Contestants Will Enter, but Only One Will Get to Open for the White Snake/Black Sabbath/Meat Loaf Reunion Tour! Will It Be You?’ You click the link, ignoring the part of your brain reminding you that you hate White Snake and Black Sabbath. Admittedly, you have a soft spot for Meat Loaf. After some fancy Flash animation set to death metal convinces you there’s no way in bat-out-of-hell you’re ever entering this stupid thing, you see the rules. The words “No Entry Fee” glimmer like gold. Suddenly, you realize there’s really nothing to lose by entering. And really, “Here I Go Again On My Own” isn’t that bad a song. So you throw your hat into the ring. Even though you couldn’t care less if you win, you find yourself bookmarking the page and coming back a few times a day, just to see what’s new. Then you lose, weep, and repeat. Until a few days ago that is.

Wednesday I became the official winner of the Gather First Tracks Competition and I now have a record deal with Decca Label Group. Hold your applause please.

Read on…