Pop rocks

LISTEN, DO YOU WANT TO KNOW A SECRET?

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File/Spotted

Ryan Gay performed in last year Singer-Songwriter contest.

I hate keeping secrets. It isn't that I can't keep them, but I find it kind of a drag. It's probably part of the reason I got into reporting, a license to spill beans. It's also the reason I've decided to ignore my previous promise to release the names of the 2009 Singer-Songwriter Contest finalists next week. Instead, I'm going to leak with a sneak peek right now. Here are the lucky six:

GREAT DAY IN THE MORNING -- It's always good to have a rock band in the mix. This act plays an appealing blend of classic power pop and noisy post punk. The song entered is rambunctious and instantly appealing.

RYAN GAY -- Mr. Gay has earned a spot in the Singer-Songwriter Contest hall of fame. He's the first to appear in the finals two years in a row. Although the song entered this year does feature some additional instrumentation, his approach to folk music is still willfully stripped down.

WILL MCCRANIE -- An Augustan at heart, Mr. McCranie now lives in New York City. Still, he felt the pull of home enough to enter the contest with the understanding that making the finals would mean packing his guitar and heading South. We look forward to seeing you, Will.

ADAM DOOLITTLE -- If the Singer-Songwriter Contest has a signature sound this year, it might well be country. Mr. Doolittle emerges as a finalist with a song that features Nashville slickness.

JOE STEVENSON -- An Augusta music veteran, Mr. Stevenson played with People Who Must before setting out as a solo act. His distinctive sound combines elements of pop, rock and Americana.

RONNIE HILL -- Mr. Hill's entry is a tears-over-beers slab of Bakersfield-style honky-tonk. In addition to being an exceptional singer and songwriter, Mr. Hill is a guitar player who has shared the stage with local acts such as the Mudpuppy band and Number 9.

To check out some of these acts live, go down to Sky City this evening. We'll be taping performances for online content, and the public is more than welcome. Profiles of each performer will appear in the Sept. 17 Applause .

MOVIE MAN

A few months ago, I wrote about Augusta-bred filmmaker Hodges Usry and noted that I was curious to see where his talent would take him. Last week, I received a copy of a music video he made for the Darius Rucker tune I Hope They Get to Me in Time .

I discovered a filmmaker becoming more comfortable with the complexities of filmmaking, taking more technical challenges and really starting to hone his ability. This is one of several short films Mr. Usry has made that uses a contemporary tune as a foundation for a narrative.

I'm really interested to see where he goes next. I'd love to see what happens when he steps from the song-as-script model he's clearly comfortable with and makes a movie that relies on his abilities as a producer, cinematographer and director, and as a writer. You can see Mr. Usry's video for I Hope They Get to Me in Time at hodgesusry.com.

ROCK RETURN

I've always found the Vagabond Missionaries to be one of the more infuriating Augusta acts to cover.

The group, returning to active duty Friday after a few years off the circuit, has always enjoyed (or endured) a relaxed approach to playing rock. Membership was always a revolving door. The writing, although good, was never quite prolific enough.

What's funny is that all the reasons the Vagabond Missionaries are difficult to cover are the reasons the band is easy to embrace. I never know what I'm going to get from the Vagabonds, and as a writer that's frustrating, but it's also rock 'n' roll. Welcome back, boys.

The Vagabond Missionaries appear Friday at Sky City, 1157 Broad St., with False Flag and the Hot Rods. The cover is $5, free for firefighters, EMTs and law enforcement.

Reach Steven Uhles at (706) 823-3626, or steven.uhles@augustachronicle.com.