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Casey Desmond Wins July SingerUniverse “Best Vocalist Of The Month” Competition

By Dale Kawashima

Casey Desmond, a promising singer/songwriter based in Boston, MA, has won the July SingerUniverse “Best Vocalist Of The Month” Competition, for her performance of her song “Scenario.” Desmond, who just turned 19, is completing her debut solo CD (scheduled for a September release), which will feature “Scenario” and 12 other cuts that she wrote or co-wrote.

Casey Desmond

“Scenario” is an uptempo rock/pop song, which starts subtly with an acoustic arrangement, then gradually builds into an aggressive, energized rock track. From the first verse on, it’s clear that Desmond has a strong voice which effectively conveys her distinct personality. “Scenario” is skillfully produced by William & Katherine Desmond (her parents, who also manage her), and engineered by Taylor Barefoot.

Desmond was born and raised in Boston, MA, where she grew up in a very music-oriented environment. Both of her parents are professional musicians, who helm the regionally popular, theatrical rock band the Bentmen. Desmond starting singing at a very young age, and subsequently began playing guitar and writing songs by age 11. Then in high school, she formed an alternative rock band called Adore, for which she sang lead and played bass.

When she was 17, she recorded a song at the well known Q Division studio in Boston, with producers Mike Denneen (Howie Day, Jen Trynin, Aimee Mann) and Tom Polce. Desmond was offered a development deal by Q Division, but she and her parents decided she would stay independent and record on her own. “We decided to proceed ourselves,” explained Desmond. “We started recording songs at Taylor Barefoot’s studio, and at Will Ackerman’s (Grammy-winning founder of Windham Hill Records) Imaginary Road studio. One of the songs we recorded at Taylor's studio, 'Taste It,' was mixed in Los Angeles by Chris Fogel and Bryan Kerrigan.”

Casey Desmond

Desmond’s upcoming CD also features contributions by several, renowned musicians. Will Ackerman co-wrote a song with Desmond, and played guitar. Bassist Tony Levin (Peter Gabriel, King Crimson) and drummer Mike Levesque (David Bowie, Natalie Imbruglia) also played on her album.

Desmond is currently keeping very busy, combining her artist career with her college studies (she attends the Art Institute of Boston). “I’m excited about my upcoming album release,” said Desmond. “We’re releasing it independently, and then we’ll try to get labels interested in the finished package. I’ve been approached by A&R execs at four major labels, who have expressed interest. I’m also looking forward to playing a lot of shows with my band. We will be playing in Boston, Cambridge, New York and other cities.”

Here are the Top Five Vocal Performances which were submitted for this month's competition, with the songwriter credits, plus their e-mail and website links.

"Best Vocalist Of The Month" Winner

"Scenario". Performed and written by Casey Desmond of Boston, MA.

E-mail: katherine.desmond@gmail.com.
Website: www.sonicbids.com/caseydesmond

More Best Vocalists Of The Month

"Someone, Someway, Somewhere" (country). Performed and written by Luke Stevenson of Lake Tahoe, Nevada.

E-mail: creativeartistssrv@sbcglobal.net.
Website: www.tahoeluke.com

"Glorious Day" (modern rock). Written by Ben Taylor of Byron Bay, Australia, and Trey Vittetoe of Los Angeles, CA. Performed by Ben Taylor.

E-mail: bentaylor@bentaylor.com.au.
Website: www.bentaylor.com.au

"Here Comes Goodbye" (AAA/rock). Performed and written by Johnny Isbell of Birmingham, Alabama.

E-mail: jandaisbell@charter.net.
Website: www.johnnyisbell.net

"Lay Here". Performed and written by Casey Desmond of Boston, MA.

E-mail: katherine.desmond@gmail.com.
Website: www.sonicbids.com/caseydesmond

To enter the next "Best Vocalist Of The Month" Competition (the deadline is the last day of each month), please Click Here For Info