BLUE ROCK RECORDING ARTIST GRACE PETTIS WINS MOUNTAIN STAGE SONGWRITING CONTEST

Recording artist Grace Pettis with Blue Rock producer Billy Crockett

One of the artists that has recorded in the state-of-the-art facility at Blue Rock Artist Ranch and Studio in Wimberley, Texas, Grace Pettis, has been named one of the five co-winners of the 2009 Mountain Stage® NewSong International Finals, and she will be part of a “Mountain Stage” broadcast in November.

Austin-based Grace Pettis, daughter of renowned songwriter Pierce Pettis, won with two songs — “Nine to Five Girl” and “Turning Too” — from her self-titled debut album, produced by veteran singer-songwriter-master guitarist Billy Crockett, owner-creator of Blue Rock.

As a winner, Grace Pettis was chosen by host Larry Groce to be a featured performer the next day at the Templeton Blackburn Memorial Auditorium on the campus of Ohio University in Athens, Ohio, with Squirrel Nut Zippers, Southern Culture on the Skids, The Coal Men and These United States. That show of the famous “Mountain Stage” weekly radio program will air internationally the week after November 13; check local listings for air time.

Pettis will also be part of Blue Rock’s two-show A Hill Country Christmas with Pierce Pettis and Friends, set for December 10 and 11 at the Ranch. Reservations are being taken at www.events.bluerocktexas.com

Featuring the high-end high-tech recording facility and 19 acres of Texas Hill Country beauty, Blue Rock Artist Ranch and Studio (which combines 19th-century-inspired architecture and Nature’s warmth) provides an inspiring performance space for its Studio Concert Series and hosts artists, producers and other creative spirits seeking perfection in their art.

Grace Pettis’ release is just one of the albums recorded at Blue Rock this year. Others by: Jason Eady (When the Money’s All Gone; producer: Kevin Welch), Sarah Jarosz (Song Up in Her Head; producer: Gary Pacsoza), Antony Hegarty (The Crying Light; producer: Antony Hegarty), Johnny Bush (Young at Heart; producer: Paul English) and Cliff Eberhardt (500 Miles: the Blue Rock Sessions for Red House Records: producer: Billy Crockett).

Now in its eighth year, the Mountain Stage NewSong Contest is one of the premier showcases in North America of talented singer-songwriters across multiple genres of music. For info: http://www.newsong-music.com/contest/index.html

For more information, visit www.bluerocktexas.com and www.gracepettis.com