2008 ROCKWIRED AWARDS

CONTENTS HOME BEST MALE ARTIST BEST FEMALE ARTIST BEST BAND BEST ALBUM BEST SONG VOTE NOW!!! POLLS CLOSE FEBRUARY 22, 2008 THE WINNERS  WILL BE ANNOUNCED SATURDAY MARCH 1, 2008 ON ROCKWIREDLIVE WITH YOUR HOST BRIAN LUSH ON CLICK ON THE LOGO ABOVE

THE NOMINEES FOR BEST FEMALE ARTIST ARE: SHEILA SWIFT There was a line from a PRETENDERS song. It went like this, "I've got a smile for everyone I meet." It's hard for most people to imagine CHRISSIE HYNDE flashing a smile at anyone. However, that line seems to fit singer songwriter SHEILA SWIFT a little more snuggly. She's got the cheeriest disposition this side of DORIS DAY, yet this oh-so-sunny disposition isn't the result of life gone easy. At the age of twelve she was faced with something most children never face; mortality. She was diagnosed with a  brain tumor. One can expect the straits a situation like this would do to a parent, but SHEILA saw this crisis through different eyes."I don't think any kid ever truly realizes what that means." says SWIFT. " I was more concerned with the fact that I couldn't play basketball anymore. My parents took the brunt of it but I never ever honestly ever scared. I never had a fear of death. I just approached life in a different way than a lot of other kids ever get the opportunity to so I definitely live my life with purpose. You live your life day to day." (READ MORE) CLICK HERE TO E-MAIL YOUR VOTE FOR SHEILA SWIFT SHAUNA BURNS With a debut CD, EVERY THOUGHT, behind her and a new release on the horizon, singer/songwriter/pianist SHAUNA BURNS has chosen to fill the gap between these two projects by releasing a six-song EP called DESERT TUNE (RED ROCK MUSIC). Recorded at the tail end of the sessions for her debut album, DESERT TUNE is a recording that stands on it's own. (READ MORE) CLICK HERE TO E-MAILYOUR VOTE FOR SHAUNA BURNS JULIA FREE You don't hear too many voices like that of JULIA FREE in the current pop/rock landscape. Come to think of it, you don't hear music like hers, period - and that's unfortunate. Her CD 'STRANGE CASE OF EUPHORIA' is an enchanting listen with standout tracks such as the positively chiming GIRL I KNEW, the haunting and relevant TURN THE SOIL with it's chorus 'That was a rainy day in America.' , and the urgent THESE GAMES. Producer, SPIKE MARLIN's sparse production puts JULIA at the forefront with her whimsical lyrics and ethereal coo.(READ MORE) CLICK HERE TO E-MAIL YOUR VOTE FOR  JULIA FREE VANESSA VAN SPALL Singer-songwriter VANESSA VAN SPALL didn't simply happen upon music. It was something that was always with her. At the age of 16, VAN SPALL recorded a demo that actually ended up in the right hands. A deal was in the works, but life had otehr plans for VANESSA. You see, the deal was never signed. This was no mere oversight by an administrative assistant at some record company. VANESSA simply walked away. "I think was a lot of things; fear of success and fear of failure, and a fear of confronting your dream." says VAN SPALL. "It's like you set this goal for yourself and then suddenly, the possibility of failure is right in front of you. Maybe, I wasn't ready to face that yet at that age. I also kind of felt that my life was pulling me in other directions as well."(READ MORE) CLICK HERE TO E-MAIL YOUR VOTE FOR VANESSA VAN SPALL BRITTNEY ELIZABETH It's hard to tell where one is going to end up in the world of music. This is especially the case for singer/songwriter BRITTNEY ELIZABETH but the one thing that you can be sure of of is that this girl has got something that the other female pop songwriters (a'la VANESSA CARLTON, MICHELLE BRANCH) don't have; urgency and a knack for writing some of the most amazing confessional-styled pop tunes this side of AIMEE MANN. While not being the literary tunesmith that MANN has proven to be on an album here and there, BRITTNEY's got the semi-adolescent, semi-adult, pop-psychological-heartache thing down cold, in a way that that other BRITNEY from almost ten years ago could never have fathomed. Maybe this songwriters use of language has got something to do with her love of CONNOR OBERST of BRIGHT EYES. "I'm obsessed with CONNOR OBERST's writing." says BRITTNEY ELIZABETH "He's `incredible. His lyrics are pure poetry. If I could write like that, that would just be amazing."(READ MORE) CLICK HERE TO E-MAIL YOUR VOTE FOR BRITTNEY ELIZABETH