Enter to win Wyatt Edmondson's If I Don't Try EP

Enter for a chance to win the new EP from Wyatt Edmondson! Nashville-based Americana/roots rock singer-songwriter Wyatt Edmondson releases his third EP, If I Don't Try, on February 21, 2020 on all digital platforms, as well as on CD and vinyl. Recorded at Cathy Jo Studio and Great Hill Studio in Nashville, TN, and produced by Shawn Byrne and Ryan Youmans, the EP takes the listener on a journey of hope and maturity. From the resilient resonance of the aurally enticing opening title track "If I Don't Try" to the understated acoustic shimmer of "Amber" to the intimate-partner travelogue of "Lovers Lake," Edmondson displays an original voice that's wise beyond his years. To enter the contest, fill out the form below between Friday, February 21 and Friday, March 13.

Edmondson's knack for the art of storytelling is in evidence throughout the songs on If I Don't Try. There is a depth inherent in the aforementioned "Lovers Lake," which chronicles teenage star-crossed lovers and their secret rendezvous. He leans more toward his own personal experience in the case of "You Said It, I Meant It," a song that delineates the sorrowful arc of two people falling apart. All of his musical stories are told, and performed, from a deep-seated conviction to do things his own way. "I don't have any interest in following the book," he says. "I believe music should be what you want it to be. There's a lot of pressure to 'be commercial.' But I want to capture my music in a way that makes me feel good, without trying to follow anybody's rules. I think it's really important to be authentic to yourself. As long as you put your heart and soul into your music and make it your own, people will see that - and they'll identify with it, too."

Born in Montgomery, Alabama 25 years ago, Edmondson ultimately moved to Nashville to pursue his music dreams, albeit in the midst of facing one particular obstacle along the way. Despite being diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa as a teenager, Edmondson decided not to let his degenerative eye condition slow him down in the least. "I remember so clearly being 15 and finding out I was losing my vision," he says. "But something in me was like, 'This is your chance to use what's been brewing and stirring up inside you to help prove that people can do anything they want to in spite of the cards they're dealt.' For me, that was music. It's really been the thing that gets me up in the morning. It keeps me going, and I'm very thankful for that. I hope it can inspire others as well." Growing up, Edmondson was raised in an artistic family - his father is a musician - and he found a love for the guitar at a young age. Early on, he gravitated toward guitar players like Led Zeppelin's Jimmy Page ("the first rock god I worshiped!") and Dave Matthews ("as soon as I heard Dave play, I put down the electric guitar and picked up an acoustic"), but hearing Bob Marley made him fall in love with the idea of songwriting.

He released two EPs, Higher Ground and Lovers Lake, and hit the road hard, earning fans through his engaging and dynamic live performances. With over 150 shows under his belt in 2019 alone, Edmondson has also made his bones by appearing four times at the 30A Songwriters Festival, twice at River Jam Music Festival, and at the Mississippi Songwriters Festival (to name but a few). In 2020, he has continued his tour routing through the Southeast and will also venture to the West Coast, into Texas, and up to the Northeast. Indeed, Edmondson sees the art of playing live as a two-way give-and-take between performer and audience. "The most important thing to do in any performance situation is to make it become a conversation," he says. "I want people to leave knowing my name - but I also want to leave knowing theirs. Night after night, I get up onstage and try new things, hoping to find out what's going to light the fire. That's what drives me. It's my passion. And that's what I want to do with my life - I want to get up there and surprise not only the audience, but myself." https://wyattedmondson.com