Carolina Creates holding 'Songwriter Showdown'

When he was a freshman, senior Patrick Carney found that there were limitations on playing music while living in Hinton James residence hall.

“As a musician, there were a lot of restrictions on a first-year student living in the dorms, and I saw that there was a lot of unmet need in the music community,” Carney said.

Almost exactly two years ago, Carney decided to get involved in Carolina Creates Music, a student-run organization sponsored by the University that helps student musicians get access, opportunities and resources to play their music.

Today, he serves as co-director of the group.

“I understand the needs of musicians on campus and can help provide for those needs,” he said.

Carolina Creates Music was originally started after former Chancellor Holden Thorp’s project “Innovate@Carolina” took off in 2011, Carney said.

Carolina Creates Music will hold its second annual “Songwriter Showdown” at 9 p.m. today at Chapel Hill Underground on Rosemary Street.

“The ‘Songwriter Showdown’ is essentially an event geared toward talented students getting involved in the local music scene,” Carney said.

Ten student musicians were selected to perform in the showdown for 10 minutes each.

At the end of the event, members of the audience will have the chance to vote for their favorite singer of the night and that winner will get the opportunity to record an original song at Nightsound Studios in Carrboro.

Sophomore Aline Martins is one of the performers at tonight’s showdown. She got involved with Carolina Creates after Carolina Kickoff her freshman year and said she is appreciative of the opportunities and resources the group has provided.

“Carolina Creates sets me up with different performance opportunities that I would never have had otherwise,” Martins said.

“Without Carolina Creates, I never would have started playing on campus.”

Freshman Dan Irving recently became involved with Carolina Creates, and this will be his first event with them, he said.

“This performance will be a good way to meet other musicians and to get into the music scene in Chapel Hill,” Irving said.

Carney said not everyone will have a chance to record, but the performers will learn something regardless.

“I hope everyone can feel a sense of validation and empowerment and feel good enough to go out into the music scene and actively be a part of it,” he said.

Carney said at last year’s showdown, which was held in the Student Union, the winners were two members of the now-prominent local band Morning Brigade.

Their win gave them the opportunity to play their most successful show to date at the time, and they emerged as an important local band, Carney said.

“Getting Morning Brigade on the map was a big accomplishment, and it makes me excited for what happens this time,” he said.

arts@dailytarheel.com