14th Annual MASC Winner's Bios |
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We thought you might like to know a little more about the winners of the 14th Annual Mid-Atlantic Songwriters' Contest. Over the next few issues, we hope to bring you some brief biographies of the talented people whose compositions did so well. This issue, we are pleased to introduce you to Bill Lunstrum, second and eighth place winner in the Country category, Margie Perez, first place winner in the Pop category, and Pam Steinfeld, first place winner in the Adult Contemporary category.
Bill Lunstrum, a.k.a. Bill Fox, is based in Leesburg, Virginia. He performs with his band in various venues in the Metro area, including hosting an Open Mic at King's Court Tavern in Leesburg Fri. nights, and performing at On the Border in Tyson's Corner every other Wed,.regularly at Magpie's in Middleburg, and at Coalie Harry's in Winchester. The band has just released their first CD "Lookin' Back". It has eight original songs, two of which placed in the 14th Annual Mid-Atlantic Songwriter's Contest, and is available at performances or by calling (703) 514-5485 or e-mail: heidric@erols.com. The band also plans to start their next project sometime in September.
 Margie Perez started her musical life singing with some local bands. She sang with "Then There Were None,:" "Cayenne Sole" and "Dharma Garden." After a trip to the New Orleans Jazzfest, Margie got inspired to write her first song ("Ooh Baby La La") which she recorded for the sole purpose of selling to her favorite New Orleans band, "The Iguanas." They didn't buy it (but they still play it on their tour bus). Undaunted, Margie discovered that all those tunes playing in her head ought to be put on tape and sold to people who could pay good money for them!. So she moved to Los Angeles from DC in January (after she entered the Mid-Atlantic Song Contest) and she has been shopping her demo tape around town to try and sell a few songs. She got a bite from a publishing company called BOK music. They're publishing Margie's song "Working on My Tan" which placed in the contest. (Oddly enough, they called Margie the same week SAW told her she'd won.) "Heck of a great week!" Margie exclaimed. Margie is taking a songwriting course with Harriett Schock, a Grammy-nominated songwriter (She wrote "Ain't no Way to Treat a Lady" by Helen Reddy) and has pumped out a few more songs which she will be recording in DC in September. Margie's producer is local DC musical genius Ariel Francis. (Second place Rock Category winner) Although her focus is on selling her songs, Margie will have enough tunes recorded for a full length CD and plans to make use of the free CD mastering from Omega Studios she won in the contest!
After performing at the SAW Gala at IOTA, Margie was bitten by the performance bug and will play at a songwriting showcase in September in LA. Depending how it goes, Margie is considering doing acoustic gigs around town. (LA) However, it is still her goal to sell her songs to make it big. "I've currently got a little ditty that would be perfect for the Bare Naked Ladies," Margie added. "But, I'm a little fish in the big ocean that is LA so if anyone out there has any connections in this town, let me know. My email address is Oohbabylala@earthlink.net."
As noted in the Washington Post Magazine, Pam Steinfeld's song " 'Emily' ... invariably draws tears from listeners." And "On the Inside," which Pam wrote with Susan Graham White, has been called a "multiple-chill song." People are moved by Pam Steinfeld's songs. Pam has been writing songs since childhood. Her melody-driven songs offer vivid portraits of individuals and navigate the intricacies of relationships with insight and compassion. Since 1994, Pam has won 15 songwriting awards, including three from the Billboard Magazine Song Contest and a First Place Prize in the Mid-Atlantic Song Contest. Her tunes have been recognized in folk, rock, and pop categories, reflecting her versatility and appeal. Pam and her songs have earned the praise of many talented songwriters and artists:
Born in Maryland, Pam studied at Tufts University, where she received a degree in economics. In 1994, she left her position with the Environmental Protection Agency to focus on songwriting full-time. She now performs at coffeehouses and clubs on the East Coast, including the Wintertide Coffeehouse on Martha's Vineyard and the Washington, D.C. Folk Festrval. Pam's sampler cassette has received radio airplay from Maryland to Massachusetts and Pam is currently at work on her first CD.
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