Versant

The International Songwriting Competition (ISC) has announced its finalists today. Congratulations, the song "Push Away" in the Rock category has been selected as a finalist. ISC finalists were chosen out of approximately 15,000 entrants, making this an extraordinary achievement, and we are very pleased to offer our congratulations.

If you entered multiple songs, you will receive a separate email for any song that has achieved finalist or semi-finalist status.

You can view all the finalists and semi-finalists by going to http://www.songwritingcompetition.com/winners.htm

All finalists' songs have now been sent to the ISC judges who will select the winners. We will announce the winners in April as soon as the results are in. We will send you an email at that time to notify you of your status.

All finalists' songs and music videos (except for Lyrics Only songs which do not require recorded music as part of the entry) are posted on the ISC website. The songs are also included in the People's Voice - an online voting contest that allows the public to listen to all the finalists' songs and vote for their favorite one. People's Voice is separate from, and in addition to, the winners selected by ISC's panel of judges. The winner of People's Voice will receive over $2000 in prizes and bragging rights!. Be sure to tell all your friends, family, and fans, so that they can vote! Voting will take place from now until March 31, 2010. You can start voting now at http://www.songwritingcompetition.com/PVWelcome2009.htm

Feel free to post the link to People's Voice on your website, MySpace page, Facebook page, etc. - International Songwriters Competition

Check out the track Push Away by Versant (Carah Faye ex-Shiny Toy Guns).

The new wave pop band splits time between Sweden and America and self released their debut album this recent summer.

You can view upcoming tour dates on myspace.

Contact: matt@versantmusic.com - Kings of A&R - Versant feat. Carah Faye

We love Shiny Toy Guns as much as the next person but we were totally bummed when we found out that frontwoman Carah Faye Charnow was replaced by Sisely Treasure, some chick from that awful—and, thankfully, short-lived—CW reality show "The Pussycat Dolls Present: The Search For The Next Doll." However, all is not lost at le disko because Charnow is back with a new band.

Charnow's new band is called Versant, which means "the slope of a mountain," and although we last heard the electronica chanteuse had relocated to Vänersborg, Sweden, it looks like she's splitting her time between Europe and the States, according to the band's website.

Here's a lil' teaser of what Versant sounds like. What do you guys think? Inquiring minds want to know! - Buzznet

after knowing that carah faye was not in shiny toy guns anymore, i did some digging and found out that she had started another band in Sweden called Versant, while the members of the band are still unconfirmed apart from Carah, you can listen to a snippet of two songs on their myspace (the music player and the video).

check it out! - Above and Beyond Magazine

A few years ago, I heard Shiny Toy Guns up in LA. They were opening up for another band that I’m pretty into. When I first saw their name on the bill, I had no idea what to expect, “Shiny Toy Guns” kind of sounded like the name of a teenage punk band or something. Oh how little I knew. Their show was tight, very well produced, all of the effects were automated, everything kicked just right. I saw them again a few months later in Northern California and they sounded exactly the same; consistently tight due to the programmed tracks carrying most of the musical weight rather than relying on live instruments to deliver a tight sound. STG hadn’t released an album yet, so I had to wait a while before We Are Pilots hit store shelves and I could snag a copy.

That album left me wanting a lot more, but it would be a couple years before STG’s sophomore release, Season of Poison, was announced. Amidst the hype of the new album, in August 2008, it was noted that singer Carah Faye Charnow had parted ways with STG, and Sisely Treasure had stepped in to fill the role of female vocalist. The news broke with mixed reactions among fans, some saying that Carah was the defining characteristic of the band. Others felt that Sisely, who had gained notoriety from a Pussycat Dolls reality TV show, would bring a new and improved dimension to the group.

Season of Poison was released this past November on the heels of the band’s new single Ricochet, and it was a letdown. Even allotting it some grace for being the dreaded sophomore release, following a Grammy-nominated first album, it was missing something. That something was more than the usual sophomore slump could explain away. STG’s second album grossly exposed that Carah Faye was more than a pretty face signed to sell records, but she was in fact one of the driving creative forces behind STG’s unique sound, and subsequent success.

So where has she been? I’ve been keeping tabs on Carah Faye’s new project Versant for several months now, and have been waiting for a full song to be posted before I wrote about it. For a while, they had a quick peek into what they would sound like via a 90 second clip on their MySpace page. They’ve now elected to post the full version of Push Away and it’s what we all thought STG’s second album was supposed to sound like; a more mature, epic and polished STG, driven solely by Charnow’s voice instead of splitting time with Chad Petree.

Check it out here, and keep an ear out for Versant to go big in 2009. - Wax&Wires

Shiny Toy Guns triggered controversy when the synth-pop-rock band announced in August that singer Carah Faye Charnow was no longer a member and had been replaced by Sisely Treasure.

Without Charnow, the Grammy-nominated foursome lost half of its Ventura County luster: The singer is from Newbury Park. (Drummer Mikey Martin of Simi Valley is still a Gun.)

Details are murky about the breakup, and both sides have been politely restrained in public comments. Charnow said her pink slip, which came in the form of a phone call, was “a surprise. We had some mixed-communication problems. Although they thought it was what I wanted, it definitely wasn’t.” She added, “I don’t want people to dislike Shiny Toy Guns. I wish nothing but success for them.”

Fans clamored for more Carah, however, so she’s created a new band, Versant. The name is pronounced ver-SONT, even though the proper pronunciation is VERS-nt. Charnow said the word is defined as either a mountain slope, or having knowledge of something.

It features her and four Swedish guys — drummer Richard Ankers, guitar and keyboard players Johan Grettve and Daniel Johansson, and bassist Nicholas Oja.

They haven’t played any live gigs yet, but are halfway through recording an album, and have released a few videos and tracks on their MySpace page, http://www.myspace.com/versantmusic.

Charnow, who spoke to The Star while at home in SoCal for a spell, returned to Sweden last week for a month to continue rehearsing and recording. She hopes the new Versant album will be released by late 2009 or early 2010.

“I can’t wait to show the world what we’ve been doing in basements in Sweden,” she said. - Ventura County Star

Versant it's a an indie band from Vanersborg/Newbury Park, California.
They just have one song on their profile, and, even when one of my rules is not to judge a band just for one song, I can't help it but talk about them, I really liked that song, it's relaxing, but with the perfect amount of strenght, and so well produced; it's really good, and besides the voice of Carah Faye Charnow, the girl who make vocals it's pretty, it's the kind of voice I prefer in a girl, not so acute and with a good timbre.
The boys (the rest of the band are boys) are good musicians, I liked the music and I think everything is played just fine, without any mistakes.
Good demo.
I would like to see them live, I bet they are good. - Nayeli @ Cheap Music Reviews dot Blogspot

Welcome, welcome to my endeavor into blogging about what I love most: FEEL GOOD MUSIC.

Music is something that gets deep into your soul. You listen to certain songs/artists when you feel certain emotions, or just for the hell of it.

Carah Faye, the former lead vocalist of Shiny Toy Guns, made her debut with the major smash album “We Are Pilots,” including STG hits “Le Disko” and “You Are The One.” However, Faye left the band in 2008 and moved onto a new project–VERSANT.

Formed overseas in Sweden, the band includes Daniel Johansson (guitar/keys), Nicholas Oja (bass), Richard Ankers (drums) and Johan Grettve (gutair/keys).

They have been in the recording process for about a year now and are hoping to release a full album as soon as possible. Though not yet signed, this group has a bright future ahead of them. With their recent demo “Push Away” already making its way all over Myspace and the internet, Versant is gaining fans every single day.

“Push Away” is an emotional song with touching lyrics and great melodies. Check out Faye’s angelic voice here and share with your friends.

Don’t forget, music saves. ? - Dena @ Members Only AV

Brooding grandiose capable of sitting pretty on the ‘New Moon OST’, Versant, featuring Carah Faye, formerly of Shiny Toy Guns, produce brash, emotional rock so ambitious it floors you. ‘Push Away’ is capable of fitting itself into the American charts in a flash with its soaring kaleidescope of tear-stricken melancholy that’s indisputably powerful. - Music Fans Mic