Portland songwriters Kelly Brightwell and Woody Moran are the Global Award Winners of the 2022 annual songwriting competition held by Talent Is Timeless. The UK-based organization seeks to shine a light on songwriters 50 years old and up. The songwriting duo won the award for their song “Bare Boards”, competing against thousands of world-wide entries.
Songwriter Woody Moran saw the entry form for the global contest early in 2022 and decided to enter one of the duo’s songs, “Bare Boards”. Moran said, “Typically, I don’t enter these types of contests, but the grand prize included a record contract, press, promotion, music video, audio equipment, and a recording session in London at Abbey Road Studios. This was definitely a prize worth going for!” The only caveat was that the songwriters must be 50 years old or older.
The duo was notified in June 2022 that they had won the grand prize and started to make plans for an experience of a lifetime: to travel to London and record at Abbey Road Studios. Contest Judge and 2021 Global Winner Fergus McNeil commented, “I was looking for a strong lyric that avoided cliché, and a song that someone only over 50 or so could write – a perspective of someone with life experience, facing the challenges that come to you at that time of life.”
The original version of the song is a melancholy-tinged ballad. For their session at Abbey Road in early October, Brightwell & Moran reimagined the song as a more up-tempo country shuffle. Using a song by The Chicks for reference, brought in violin, mandolin, double bass, percussion and additional backing vocals to add to their acoustic guitars. The CEO of Talent Is Timeless, Saskia Griffith-Moore, said “You know you’ve got a great song when it adapts so easily to different treatments.”
“Bare Boards” is a story song that follows the life of an old house on a corner in Portland — from the original inspiration of the builder, to an eventual state of disrepair, to the ultimate decision to “do the work that love requires” and rebuild it. The house also functions as a metaphor for the self and our community, and asks us to take a good look at “what we’re made of”.
ABOUT
About Brightwell & Moran: Songwriting duo Brightwell & Moran, also performing as Radio Stranger, started writing together in 2014. They have released two EP’s, and have a third titled “Land of Plenty” to be released in the 1st quarter of 2023. Brightwell & Moran’s music is available on all popular streaming platforms. www.RadioStranger.com; Youtube Video: https://youtu.be/ZcwOVdnsPsw
About Talent is Timeless: Talent is Timeless is on a mission to transform songwriting and music-making into an age-positive endeavor, to celebrate your age, wisdom, experience and most of all, talent. We want to encourage people to begin their careers in the music industry without feeling that age is a barrier. www.talentistimeless.com
LINKS
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/radiostranger
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/radiostrangermusic/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCt28uYE5A6Ap4HFqER37UMQ
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/1oCBNA3GYnOXCp4f1w3Xoy/discography
SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/user-56216075
Media Contact
Company Name: Brightwell & Moran
Contact Person: Woody Moran
Email: Send Email
Phone: 16268405173
City: Portland
State: Oregon
Country: United States
Website: https://www.woodymoran.com/radio-stranger