lauren
Conner Cherland (courtesy photo)
By Lauren Bray
Local musician Conner Cherland is a finalist in an online national music competition with a grand prize of $50,000, and every vote counts.
Talent Joe, an organization focused on finding new talent, is holding a contest for budding musicians looking for their big break. From over hundreds of entries, Cherland has topped the voting chart as one of five finalists to win the cash prize.
Cherland and his guitar offer a range of musical stylings that incorporate Indie, Folk, Americana, and Soul. His smooth vocals, crafty guitar playing, and poignant lyrics will make anyone stop and listen. He could easily be compared to Hozier and Ed Sheeran, but states his musical influences come from Sufjan Stevens, Eminem, City & Colour, and A Day to Remember, just to name a few.
I recently attended a SoFar Sounds show at the Dos Pueblos Orchid Farm in Goleta where Cherland played. He easily captivated the large crowd with original songs touching on love, life, and even a self-created anthropomorphic fable titled “Toad Boy.” This song stuck out for its interesting and at times comical message which he weaved through the use of a looping machine creating a truly awesome auditory experience. Click here to see a video of his performance in Portland to see what I mean.
After being wowed by his performance, I chatted with Cherland about attending and possibly playing during our annual edhat March Edness Awards Ceremony that took place earlier this month. Luckily he agreed and delighted edhat readers. A short video of his performance at Cebada Wine can be viewed here.
Just today, Cherland released a video for his new song “Way Down” that’s now available to hear on Spotify.
“I’ve played just over 300 live shows since the start of 2015, and I’ve learned that this job is a mixed bag,” said Cherland. It’s those experiences that led him to write “Way Down” which focuses on the plight of an artist struggling to pursue their passion in the face of adversity, often times critiques from others.
“The words I leave behind are meant to be bread crumbs for my future kids – signposts to help them know how to grow up when I’m gone. I hope the world enjoys the music, and I hope my kids find peace knowing that it’s okay to be themselves on the road to who they want to become,” said Cherland.
The nationwide competition ends in just three days, on April 30th at 9:00 p.m. Help a local musician win big by voting on TalentJoe.com, instructions are below:
More information about Conner Cherland and his local performances can be found at connercherland.com
Publicity photo location: sitting on the railroad tracks. With so many tragic injuries & deaths on our tracks, how could this seem like a good idea?! Who would think this was a good idea?! Probably also illegal, though that’s likely the least of the issues. Sigh. I wonder if Darwin would vote to award him the prize money. Please, let’s work together to create a community & generation that recognizes that train tracks are not playgrounds!