Local musician Paul Lagendyk wants your votes

His debut CD may be called Shiny Rails to Nowhere but local musician Paul Lagendyk is hoping to take it all the way to the finals in the CBC’s Searchlight 2016.

It’s the second year he’s participated in the national competition that has musicians from across the country vying for a spot in the on-air finals on CBC TV. Last year he placed in the top 200 out of more than 3300 submissions.

The winner walks away with a prize package valued at $50,000.

“You get national exposure – you get to be on the TV show if you’re in the final four,” said Lagendyk. “And the prize pack is good for a startup artist. There’s enough equipment to do your own stage show, so you don’t have to play your shows for basically nothing to pay for equipment.”

The artists that participate in the competition have yet to get play on major radio, added Lagendyk. “So you maybe get some play on CBC and then you get exposure as an unsigned artist which is tough in the music industry.”

New for the competition this year is the requirement for musicians to submit a video of their song, which left Lagendyk struggling to create a video before the submission deadline. He decided, instead, to include the video of his live performance of Whiskey in My Water at his CD release party at the Huntsville Legion on April 17, 2015.

“(Whisky in My Water) hasn’t been played on the radio yet, even at a local level. It’s one of the songs I wanted to get out there and I already had a video for it, so it was a good choice on both counts.”

The opening round of the national competition began March 30 and Lagendyk is trying to generate momentum for votes via his Facebook page and Twitter feed. “You can vote every day – it’s not just a one-time deal. The people I’ve made contact with (on social media) remember it from last year. The support from the local community last year was phenomenal and I have double the contacts now. If people can continue to vote and come to shows and build momentum, maybe I’ll turn something that is still a hobby for me into something more.”

In addition to gathering votes, part of the early selection process is critiques by industry professionals. “Some of them will like (my song), some won’t – that’s just the way it is. But you’re hoping for that one person that likes it and believes in it and will give it some exposure.”

Shiny Rails to Nowhere is Paul Lagendyk’s debut CD

Lagendyk has been playing professionally for just one year but he learned to play the guitar at 12 from his mother and played drums in his high school band. “My early music experience came from sitting around the kitchen table and watching my mother and her sisters play bluegrass and country music. It was a hobby until a friend of mine who is also a producer, Andre Wahl, he believed in my voice and asked if I’d written any songs. So I made an attempt at it and here we are.”

You can hear Lagendyk on Talent on the Bay on Hunters Bay Radio this Wednesday (April 6) from 6-7pm. He’ll be releasing a new song and video on July 1 and will be playing at Midnight Madness on July 15, recording footage for part of a video he hopes to release next year.

Vote for Lagendyk daily on CBC Searchlight 2016 here, and follow his Facebook page for updates on performances.