Bedfordtimesregister.com - 'Random Acts of Music' contest finalists include two local musicians

by April Helms

Special Products Editor

Five Northeast Ohio musicians will compete throughout the month of February in a songwriting contest on Time Warner Cable's Local On Demand channel 501. The contest is part of the NEON Network show "Random Acts of Music," a 30-minute show offering independent musicians a venue to be heard.

The five finalists submitted original songs they had written and were chosen by a panel of professional musicians. The finalists include: Bob Buckridge, Canton; Mike Protich, Tallmadge; Jim Mileti, Cleveland; Desiree Boardwine, Streetsboro; and Cara, a junior high school student from Wadsworth.

Desiree Boardwine

Boardwine, 18, and a Streetsboro High School graduate, said her love for music is rooted in her family.

"I grew up with it," she said. "My dad was in a band. He teaches music and now has his own record label. He is really supportive of me and my brother [who also is a musician]."

The Boardwine family also competed on CBS's singing family face-off, according to information from Time Warner Cable.

Some of Boardwine's musical influences have come from musicians such as Colbie Caillat, Hayley Williams and Pat Benetar. Boardwine said she has been playing guitar since she was 12, and started singing and writing her own songs at 14.

Boardwine said both she and her father entered pieces for the competition.

"I wasn't expecting it at all," she said when she heard she was selected as one of the five finalists. "I thought his would have been selected. My song is pretty goofy and I'm not sure people would get the jokes that are in it."

She described her song, "Please Don't Go Away," as a "cute little love song, but you can't find the right words so you make a fool of yourself."

Boardwine said she wants to pursue music as a full-time career, and would like to be touring within five years.

"My ultimate goal is to perform on stage and have the audience sing my own lyrics back to me," she said.

Mike Protich

Protich, 22, the lead singer for Red Sun Rising and a Tallmadge High School graduate, said he started singing and playing guitar at 14. Protich said he takes his influences from Grunge-era bands, and from groups like Led Zeppelin and Tool. He also said he was "a huge Beatles fan."

"When I was younger, my mom had a nice piano," Protich said. "She often played, and I would sit next to her and bang on the keys."

Protich said he attended Kent State University's architecture program, but dropped that when his band "started to really take off."

"I think I made a good decision because the band has been moving by leaps and bounds," he said.

The song he entered, "The Drowning Incident," came from a writing session with him and lead guitarist Ryan Williams, who also graduated from Tallmadge High School.

"Basically, we sat down one night and decided to write about what we most feared," he said. "The song is metaphorical. We are on a ship, where it's safe. We see an island, and we don't know what is on there or if we can even get there."

So the question becomes, Protich said, does he stay safe on the ship, or take a chance with the island?

As well as the "Random Acts of Music" contest, Red Sun Rising also will have a CD release Party Feb. 27 at the Tangier, on West Market Street in Akron, at 9 p.m. Tickets are $10 in advance or $15 at the door. Tracey Thomas will perform as well that evening.

Voting and other information

To vote for a favorite song, Time Warner Cable customers can tune to channel 501, scroll to the "Entertainment" category, then select "Random Acts Contest." Every time a video is played, that musician will earn a vote. There is no limit to voting, so viewers are encouraged to vote often. The contest runs through Feb. 28.

The winner will star in their own music video, provided by Henry J. Productions, with a private video release party at the 356th Fighter Group Restaurant in North Canton. Other prizes include recording studio time and an acoustic guitar provided by Woody James Guitars.

For more show information, visit www.randomactsofmusic.tv.

E-mail: ahelms@recordpub.com

Phone: 330-688-0088 ext. 3153