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International Wolfe alert

Tricia Leslie - Staff reporter

Mark Wolfe is making waves in the international songwriting arena once again. The popular Abbotsford musician, who just finished as a finalist in the New York-based John Lennon Songwriting Competition for his children's song The Purple Polka Dot Banana Apple Orange Lime, has also made it to the quarter-finals of the Nashville-based International Songwriting Competition.

Wolfe, who made it to the semi-finals of that competition last year with Pussycats [from his Potato Numbers CD], is in the quarter-finals this year with four songs: Lucky and Potato Numbers in the children's category, and Girl Next Door and He's All Country, in the country category. Wolfe wrote the latter two songs for Mission musician Amber Nicholson.

Wolfe finds out if he made it to the semi-finals on Thursday and finalists will be named in March. Grand prize is $25,000.

"I'm just going to keep working, singing, playing and writing," Wolfe said, and added he's working on a new album entitled Wolf Tracks Retraced. It's being recorded in Abbotsford's Green Room Studios and will feature new [fresh tracks] and old [lost tracks] country tunes of Wolfe's.

Wolfe says he entered the contest for a few reasons.

"Well, they don't have a Canadian Idol seniors' division," he quipped. "It's also judged by great songwriters who have written great songs."

More than 14,000 songs have been entered.

Judges, including the Beach Boys' Ryan Wilson, Rosanne Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis and Tom Waits, judge the songs on creativity, originality, lyrics, melody and composition.

published on 01/26/2007