Local musician Steve Davis proved his musicianship is top notch when he took first place at the Wyoming Singer-Songwriter Grand Finale over Labor Day weekend in Ten Sleep.
Davis has been playing music since he was 11 years old, and this was his first try at a music competition. He said the talent was immense and everyone was so different, which made winning all that more exciting.
“It was such an amazing feeling when I won,” Davis told SweetwaterNOW. “They announced third place, then second, and then they waited to announce first so I was on the edge of my seat. When they called ‘Steve Davis’ I couldn’t believe it because of how talented everyone was. With tears rolling down my face, I went up there to accept the award. It was an awesome experience.”
The competition started with the regional rounds, in which judges spent the summer traveling to five major locations across Wyoming to hear competitors.
“They only allow 10 to sign up per town and only three are chosen to make it to the finals in Ten Sleep. I competed in Lander for the regional rounds and got second place from the judges,” Davis said. “There were a lot of gifted musicians there.”
After the regional round, the 25 finalists head to Ten Sleep for the final competition.
“The final competition was unlike anything I have ever been to. It was so wonderful to hear everyone share a piece of their soul with us. There was so much talent and so much fun. I would suggest this as a must go to event if you enjoy unique music and a fun time,” he said.
With this being his first competition, Davis said that it was a bit strange competing with music.
“If you are masterful in your craft and make great songs then how do you compare Reggae to the Blues? The judges had their work cut out for them 100 percent because of how different everyone sounded,” he said.
Upcoming Recording Plans
Davis said that throughout the competition the musicians were allowed to perform their three best songs, and the Wyoming Singer-Songwriter competition is willing to pay for the songs to be recorded in the studio. Therefore, Davis will be recording these songs shortly.
He said the two songs that did the best in the competition were “Stardust” and “Don’t Drink and Drive No More”.
“‘Don’t Drink and Drive No More’ did the best overall with the judges. And that is a song that was written for fun with my friend about regretting some drunk texts. Another friend and I sat down with it later and changed it to Don’t Drink and Drive. It’s upbeat and bluesy,” Davis said. “Also the guitar parts in my songs are very intricate and I think that may have played a role in the song doing so well.”
He also received a $5,000 grand prize from the competition, which he plans to put towards getting more of his music recorded. He will be releasing his music on Spotify and he hopes Apple Music as well.
“I think one of the reasons I haven’t recorded my acoustic stuff in 10 years is because I want it to be perfect,” Davis said. “Hopefully we could see an album released some time after Christmas as I have to travel to do the recordings.”
Davis said he has always loved expressing himself through music. He believes music is a gift that not only connects with people emotionally, but also connects people with others.
“To me, it is a wonderful gift that breaks down language barriers and helps people feel something they have never felt, or feel something that they have felt. It creates friends and memories and is a special part of our society and our humanity,” Davis said. “It helps towns thrive and make connections. And that is what this competition was all about: connecting Sweetwater County with all of the music and musicians from around the state.”
