JASON EUSTICE

Nashville, Tennessee, August 15, 2005 — After a tough round of competition, former Clarion, Pa native, Jason Eustice of Louisville Kentucky, walked away from the 25th Annual Colgate Country Showdown Kentucky State Final with the state title and $1,000 in prize money. The Eastern Kentucky State Fair in Prestonsburg showcased nine acts – who had won a local contest sponsored by radio stations throughout Kentucky – enabling each to perform at the state level competition of America’s largest country music talent search.

WAMZ of Louisville, KY sponsored the local competition where Eustice won prior to Saturday’s state level triumph. Being immersed in music from a very young age, he has dabbled in almost every avenue of the industry. Every Wednesday at Hot Country Night in Louisville, recording artists perform free concerts where Eustice recently opened for Drunker Than Me singer Trent Tomlinson. He has performed at various songwriters’ nights at the famed Bluebird Café, The Commodore and Tin Pan South Trent Tomlinson, Lonestar’s Richie McDonald, Anthony Smith and Frank Myers. Advancing through the first round of cuts at Nashville Star last year, he’s been successful with songwriting and will be signing a publishing deal. He has also been co-writing with McDonald for the past year and a half. In Saturday’s competition, he displayed a multitude of talents with two original pieces – This Ain’t No Country Act and You’re One of Us. According to Eustice, “There’s no use in trying to be like someone else.”

Eustice will compete in the Northeast Regional at the Wheeling Island Racetrack & Gaming Resort in Wheeling, West Virginia on October 14th to determining if he will advance to the National Final. The five regional winners from across the country will receive an all expense-paid trip to the National Final to compete for $100,000 and the coveted national title of Best New Act in Country Music. The National Final will be televised nationally in March and April 2007.
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Throughout all four levels – local, state, regional and national – of competition a uniform judging system is used. The 1-10 point scoring system is used for the following categories: Marketability in Country Music, Vocal/Instrumental Ability, Originality of Performance; Stage Presence/Charisma and Talent with bonus points for song writing.

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- Colgate Country Showdown- Erin Burr

Former Seneca man hopes for show biz break
By AMANDA WITHERELL




Jason Eustice sings one of his original compositions during his winning performance at the Kentucky state final of the Colgate Country Showdown. The event was held at the Eastern Kentucky State Fair in Prestonsburg, Ky. Eustice beat out eight other acts to advance to regional competition.


With only two more rounds left in the Colgate Country Showdown, a former Seneca man is one step closer to getting his big break.

Jason Eustice, a singer/songwriter who is living in the Louisville, Ky., and Nashville, Tenn., areas with his wife, Diane, recently competed in the 25th annual Colgate Country Showdown Kentucky State Final. He walked away with the state title, $1,000 in prize money and a chance to compete in the regional finals.

The annual showdown is known as America's largest country music talent search. In years past, artists such as Garth Brooks, Sara Evans and Martina McBride have competed.

It begins each spring with more than 450 local talent contests sponsored by country radio stations throughout the U.S. Winners advance to state events to compete for five regional finals.

The five regional winners then compete for a grand prize of $100,000 and the national title of "Best New Act in Country Music."

Eustice's journey from Seneca to Nashville and his love of music began early in life. Eustice, the son of Edith Eustice of Seneca and the late Jimmy Eustice, graduated in 1990 from Cranberry High School and earned his bachelor's degree in finance in 1994 from Clarion University.

Eustice was in chorus and a couple of plays during his years at Cranberry, but he thinks his musical skills advanced further in college. He has played guitar all his life and took vocal lessons at Clarion.

He moved to his dream city, Nashville, in 1995.

Eustice's family members are no strangers to music. His late father was in several country bands locally in the 1960s and early '70s. The younger Eustice said his father also had his sights set on Nashville.

His mother plays the piano and sings. His nephew, Chris Kirkpatrick, who formerly lived in Clarion, was a member of the boy band 'N Sync and now is part of the band Nigels 11. Eustice's sister, Marcy, is the lead singer with a blues rock band, Strange Brew, in Pittsburgh. And his brother, Richard, and Richard's son, Joel, both have their own bands and perform in the Clarion area.

Eustice has played and sang at many area locales, including the Yellow Dog Lantern in Oil City, where his mother works; the Monarch Park Cafe, Transit Arts Center and Justus Park, all in Oil City, and Bandstand Park in Franklin. More recently, he performed during this year's Oil Heritage Festival at various events and at Kate's Lounge in the Arlington Hotel, formerly the Holiday Inn, where Eustice also has played in the past. He also performed recently in Foxburg.

Back in Nashville, Eustice has a full-time job writing songs and making demos.

"I'm just trying to make a go at it," said Eustice. "I'm not making much money, but you've got to put your time in."

He also performs around the Louisville area.

"I sing at a coffee shop down the road from where I live," Eustice said. "Recently, I played at the Hot Country Nights on Fourth Street in downtown Louisville, with MacDaddy's. We opened for Trent Tomlinson. A new Marriott was just built and I'll be playing in the lounge there, as well."

WAMZ, a radio station in Louisville, sponsored the competition that Eustice won prior to his state triumph.

"The local competition was a real nail-biter," he said. "The guy who took second was amazing."

Radio stations have the choice of providing a backup band for their contestants at the local level. Backup bands are provided at the state, regional and national competitions, and the bands are used for instrumentals only - no vocals.

"They allow you 12 minutes to rehearse with the band, I couldn't believe it," said Eustice. "I've never seen these people and they've never seen my songs."

"I had a vision of how the song sounds to me in my head," Eustice said. "They hit it dead on."

Contestants are allotted seven minutes to perform two songs in front of a panel of judges.

"The time starts when you sing the first note; whatever time you have in between songs all counts against you," said Eustice.

For both the local and state contests, Eustice performed the same two original songs, "You're One of Us" and "This Ain't No Country Act."

Judges rate the participants in several areas: marketability in country music, vocal/instrumental ability, originality of performance, stage presence/charisma and talent with bonus points for songwriting.

Even though his song selection and overall performance was enough to advance him to the regional finals, he knows his battle at the state level was a close one.

"The state competition was another nail-biter," Eustice said. "It just so happened that the guy that took second behind me at the local level tried out again at a different local showdown and won there. Again, I just edged him out. I beat the same guy twice."

Eustice's win at the state level advances him to the northeast finals where nine winners will compete for a spot in the national contest. The northeast finals cover Indiana, Kentucky, New England, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Upper Michigan, Virginia/Maryland and West Virginia.

The competition will take place Oct. 14 at the Wheeling Island Racetrack and Gaming Resort in Wheeling, W.Va.

"It's like finding the golden ticket in the Wonka Bar; there is a one in nine chance to advance," Eustice said. "I'm just going to try to nail it while I'm there."

More information about Eustice and photographs of him during performances can be found at www.myspace.com/jasonAEustice.



- The Derrick, Oil City, PA