2025 Competition Entry:

Alone In The Dark by Anker

Genre

Rock

Artist

Co-writer(s)

no

Performer(s)

Anker – songwriter, producer, vocals, rhythm guitar
Brandon Broderick – lead guitar
Louis DeLise – bass, piano
Emiliano – drums
Amaury Perez – synth, engineering, mastering

Description

Within a single year, my 46 year old friend lost her husband, both parents & dog. Every 2 or 3 months I’d get another call announcing another death that had nothing to do with the previosu. She told me how she feared getting phone calls. She told me “I dont’t wanna keep getting hit so hard like this”.

Bio

Do you fear the cliche of the “acoustic guitar guy”? Does the droning of melodic glue & non-stop strumming make you run for the door . . . even though you’re the manager & it’s a busy Saturday night? Do you feel you have to hire expensive bands to provide proper entertainment? ANKER SOLVES THIS PROBLEM.

Anker is an acoustic rock act from Cranbury, NJ. His repertoire consists of 425+ songs spanning nearly 125 years of pop/rock & traditional music. You know all of his selections but you don’t know many solo acts pulling it off this well. Anker’s acoustic style can be best described as “rhythm lead guitar”. There’s plenty of percussive rhythm that sometimes feels like he snuck in a little drummer – in fact, he does. At his feet, he controls percussion, looping, background vocals & guitar effects. There’s also the skill of playing some great licks to keep it consistently interesting. Imagine the guitarist love child of Keith Richards & John Mayer. This is why many of his venues schedule him on busy nights that would normally be reserved for bands.

Anker’s original studio tracks show his talent as a songwriter & collaborator in the studio to create music far away from the solo live presentation. These original songs have given Anker some college radio play & allowed some opening slots for older well known established acts. You will hear his original music & just think it’s a deep cut from some well known act you’re not too familiar with. They blend right in with all the other great stuff he selected for you.

April 2013 … 3x nominee JERSEY ACOUSTIC MUSIC AWARDS
June 2014 … performer at the Capital Building in Trenton, NJ to celebrate NJ’s 350th birthday
March 2015-2019, 2025 … venue host, performer & seminar panel member @ Cape May Singer/ Songwriter Conference
February 2018-2020 … venue host, performer & seminar panel member @ Millennium Music Conference of Harrisburg, PA
November 2016 … featured act on 6th anniversary “Musicians on a Mission” compilation CD & concert with Vini “Mad Dog” Lopez of the E-Street Band & Paul Whistler performing as “Dawg Whistle”.
September 2019 & February 2020 … released 2 singles, “Dust” & “Moments”, produced & arranged by Dr. Louis deLise (Patti Labelle, Halestorm, et al.)
March 2020 to March 2022 … hosted the weekly “Pandemic Open Mic” via Zoom for an international audience
OPENING ACT … Darryl “DMC” McDaniels (RUN-D.M.C.), Vinny Martell (Vanilla Fudge), Richard Barone (The Bongos), LUX

Lyrics

Wish I was a bird that could fly up to heaven just to rest in your arms
Higher & higher, satellites waving, signaling every alarm
Pushing out the pain that everyone breathes
Pushing out the pain that everyone screams

The stars & sky tell us what we already know
I’m not gonna think of what I had years ago
I don’t wanna keep getting hit so hard
I don’t wanna be aone in the dark

Is the top of this tree the only way out, how should I handle a fall
Higher & higher I wanna climb but all I can do is crawl
Pushing out the pain that everyone breathes
Pushing out the pain that everyone screams

Shout into a void – it goes nowhere
Alone in the dark – you stop & stare
I don’t wanna keep getting hit so hard
I don’t wanna be alone in the dark
I don’t wanna keep getting hit so hard
I don’t wanna be alone in the dark

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