videos

Rick Spreitzer endorses:

Olympia Dulcimer Company
MacNichol Guitars and Mandolins
K&K Sound
Composite Acoustics
Godin Guitars
Yocky Handmade Dulcimers
Pat Walters Guitar Repair
Mullis Music
Kala Brand Music Company
Lakota Leathers

(Visit the Press section for more news and reviews)

Songwriter of the Year 2014
Summit Coffee Songwriter Series

Best Performing Male Songwriter 2013
Summit Coffee Songwriter Series

Latest Product Endorsement
Lakota Leathers

New Videos by ShowLibre.com
Two songs filmed at Pura Vida, Charlotte, NC - "Coffee and Dreams" and "Come Walk With Me"

Latest Artist Endorsement
Kala Brand Ukuleles

"From the Bottom" included in new AmericanaOK CD compilation
Now That's Americana Radio - The CD - Vol 1 with 13 Classic Americana Tracks As Featured On AmericanaOK selected the title track "From the Bottom" as one of their featured songs on this compilation.

"Musicians of the Evening Muse" - Photographs by Monty Chandler
features a two-page spread of Rick Spreitzer & Kevin Edwards when they opened for Richard Buckner in 2008.  You can preview and purchase a copy of this 160 page book at http://www.blurb.com/bookstore/detail/510412

The Final Gift Film Documentary
"No Idea" from the CD "From the Bottom" is featured in the soundtrack of this documentary film.  The Final Gift is currently in the works by local writer, filmmaker and friend, Therese Bartholomew of Charlotte, NC. The film follows Bartholomew’s pursuit to find meaning in her brother, Steve’s, death.

K&K Sound
K&K Sound, manufacturer of top-quality pickups, microphones, and preamps for a variety of instruments, selected Rick Spreitzer as the Artist of the Month for June, 2008.

Folk Alley Alleycast
"On February's Alleycast, we'll listen to music from Malinky's exclusive Live From Folk Alley concert recording, along with our in-studio session with David Wilcox. We hear the Open Mic sounds of Ember, Ashley Brooke Toussant, and Rick Spreitzer. Plus, we'll get a montage of songs featured in our Love and Alt-Love side streams and hear the obscure sounds of Synanthesia - a band that made only one record in 1969. Download the Alleycast today!!"

More Endorsements
"Special thanks to Randy Mullis at Mullis Music in Concord, NC for the ongoing support and honest business! And thanks to Godin Guitars and Composite Acoustics for the Artist Endorsements. Feel free to contact me (or come up to me when playing live) to ask about both lines of guitars."

Charlotte Music Awards Winner!
2007 Best Artist Web Site.  Also a Finalist for Best of Americana Artist/Album/Song for From the Bottom/“Serpent & Henry Gray”. 

K&K Sound Endorsement

Recently added to roster of artists endorsing K&K Sound - makers of  acoustic pick-ups and pre-amps

Track on Troops Complilation CD
"From the Bottom"
selected to be one of the tracks on the latest compilation CD to be sent to our military Troops overseas.  This is a homemade project started as a small hobby by a good soul who goes by the name of oldtoad gil.  Visit him at http://www.myspace.com/oldtoadgil.

Troops duplicate and trade the 100's of CDs they are given. There have been 5 versions since 2004.

Article written by Rick on Tom Yocky Dulcimers published in the Charlotte Folk Society monthly newsletter.  Read it here.

"The Miller Tells Her Tale" Best of 2006 "Oh Kitty" picked as one of the best songs of 2006.

Charlotte Indie Radio
New Charlotte radio station up and running on Live365

AmericanaOK
"From the Bottom" selected as one of the top 15 CDs for 2006 by AmericanaOK.

Folk and Acoustic Music Exchange
"The guy writes, he sings, he plays. He's got the goods. I'm already looking forward to his next album." ..more in Press

Uptown Magazine
"From the Bottom confirms that Spreitzer is one of the region's most gifted songwriters."..more in Press

A new fan comments on "From the Bottom"...
"I play it day in, day out! Love it; love what you write about; love how you write. Your other 2 CD's are on my Christmas list!" more in Press

Flat Rock Songwriting Contest - 3rd Place Winner!
"Back to Blue" came in as the 3rd Place Winner in the 2006 Flat Rock Music Festival Songwriting Contest. Congratulations also to 2nd Place winner Steve Simpson and first place winner Ken Kiser - all three with Charlotte ties. 

Unsigned Underground Radio - features "Roll Back" and "From the Bottom" on their internet radio broadcast.  "...music for the long road home.  Rick really knows how to weave a tale."

Flat Rock Songwriting Contest 2006 - "Back to Blue" is a Top 10 Finalist!

"Back to Blue" has been chosen as one of 10 song finalists in the 2006 Flat Rock Music Festival Songwriting Contest.  The Flat Rock Music Festival Songwriter Showcase is a nationally recognized songwriter competition, open to anyone who writes and performs original music, and who is not currently signed to a major recording or publishing deal. Contestants are judged on the quality of the song’s composition, vocal delivery, and the overall performance. Each year, the Flat Rock Music Festival staff and local industry pros select ten songwriter finalists to perform their songs at the Festival where they are judged by a panel of industry pros. Winners are awarded prizes, critical acclaim and a chance to perform on the Festival main stage!

Last year, "Invisible Wind" was a finalist, and in 2004, "Porter Wagoner" won the 3rd Place prize.  This year's Flat Rock Festival will be held September 29th, 30th and October 1st, with Rick's performance scheduled for Saturday at 11:00 am on the Lakeside Stage.

Freight Train Boogie - "...Spreitzer has produced a disc that can more than hold its own alongside some of the best that the Americana genre has to offer. He has garnered a whole raft of songwriting awards over the past few years, and the first listen to this gem affirms the perceptiveness of those judges." ...more

Wild West Radio - #1 Track out of 100 for the week (9/3/06) - "This type of great Down-home American Roots music is what Wild West Radio is all about." ...more

Real Roots Cafe - "Captivating, heating and very expressive." ...more

Americana Homeplace - "This is down-home folk music from an exceptionally talented songwriter." ...more

EuroAmericana Chart August 2006 Release TIP

Taproot Radio - "Rick Spreitzer is first and foremost a lyricist; a songwriter who tosses off one-liners with such casual ease that you don't realize their emotional punch until he's well into the next verse."...more

  Lazy Five Ranch video to the tune of "Oh Kitty" (From the Bottom).  Video courtesy of aspiring filmmaker Michael Kahn. (Quicktime 5.52MB)

3rd Coast Music Freeform American Roots (FAR) Chart - From the Bottom debuts at #28 June 2006!

Texas-based 3rd Coast Music magazine (TCMN) sponsors the Freeform American Roots (FAR) chart. The FAR charts are compiled from reports sent in by actual DJs with freeform (i.e. no playlists) radio shows on public, college and community stations from the United States and Canada, the United Kingdom, Netherlands, France, Australia and New Zealand.  Each of them lists the six albums they took most pleasure in playing, one of which can be their Album of the Month.

AmericanaOK - Album of the month for July, 2006.

"From the Bottom" has been picked up by Smart Choice Music which is a reseller of quality Americana Music to the world. They are based in the UK and are a great company to work with. Other artists being distributed by Smart Choice include: Bruce Springsteen, James McMurtry, Steve Earle, Big Blue Hearts and Jackson Browne.  CDs will be available soon.

AmericanaOK - Featured tracks on shows #16 and #17 of AmericanaOK @ LeithFM Podcast. The show can be downloaded from iTunes or http://americanaok.libsyn.com/.

Americana Roots/Ray Randall - Listen to the podcast of Ray talking with Rick about his songs and the stories behind a few of them.

Charlotte Magazine reviews "From the Bottom" in Press.

eFolkMusic - CDs and individual tracks are now available for sale from eFolkMusic.org.

Folk Alley Open Mic - Log in, listen and cast your vote for one of 4 songs uploaded.  The winner of the "Open Mic" has an opportunity to advance to the finals, which could lead to the Grand Prize - a performance at the Kent State University Folk Festival in November.  Your support is greatly appreciated.

Listen to an online podcast review of "From the Bottom" by Ray Randall on
AmericanaRoots.

WSGE 91.7 #1 Album - Week of Feb. 27 - Mar. 5, 2006

Spotlight Album on IJSSELMOND - 1 track off "From the Bottom" played weekly during March.

Featured artist on UBL.com (Artist Direct Ultimate Band List)

Every week, the UBL editorial team picks the best and brightest artists on the UBL and showcases them here.

"From the Bottom"

The new CD, "From the Bottom," is available as of February 16, 2006!!  The 12-song project, engineered by Chris Garges, features many special guests including:  Mike Strauss, Jason Atkins, JD Wilson, Mike Orlando, Jon Schigoda, Scoot Pittman, David Childers, Jill Lurie, Shana Blake and more! 

Click HERE to get your copy.

"Invisible Wind" included in new CD compilation - 1-9-06

"Invisible Wind" from Dirt Tracks was chosen by a committee of songwriters, artists and a producer to appear on the new Uptown Sound, Volume 1 CD.   This first compilation, coordinated by CharlotteMusician.com, is designed to "shine a light on the best unsigned local music in town," and to "highlight the diversity of the scene."  It will be promoted to local media and handed out around town at various music and CD stores - for free!

"Invisible Wind" advances in the ISC Competition - 1-6-06

"Invisible Wind" from Dirt Tracks, which was entered into the AAA/Roots/Americana category of the 2005 International Songwriting Competition, advanced onto the second round of judging.  With the ISC receiving almost 15,000 entries this year, advancing to this level is quite an honor.  The 2005 finalists will be announced by the end of January, 2006, and winners will be announced in March, 2006.

Hank Williams Songwriting Contest 2005 - Finalist! - 9-9-05

"Invisible Wind" has been chosen as one of 10 song finalists in the 2005 Flat Rock Music Festival Hank Williams Songwriting Contest. 

Last year, "Porter Wagoner" won the 3rd Place prize.  This year's Flat Rock Festival will be held September 23, 24 & 25.


press & radio

"The Miller Tells her Tale," an online bi-weekly radio program broadcasting around the world, has chosen December's Song Again" from Dirt Tracks as one of the top tracks of 2004.

"Absolutely timeless! ...Nice well-rounded sound and very interesting mixes and diversity from song to song. Rick is also an extremely talented and heartfelt singer which made listening all the better. LOVE IT!" - Annette Warner/CoffeehouseTour.com ((full review in Press)


WINNER! NC Songwriter's Co-Op Songwriting Contest - 11-7-04

1st Place - 7th Annual North Carolina Songwriters Competition. www.ncsongwriters.org
Charlotte, NC-based singer-songwriter Rick Spreitzer wins 1st Place in North Carolina Songwriters Co-Op Songwriting Contest.

The 7th Annual NCSC Songwriting Contest held in Carrboro Arts Center on November 6th, 2004, featured eight finalists. Artists were judged on quality of composition, quality of performance and quality of musicianship.

Winner Rick Spreitzer, a Charlotte, NC based singer-songwriter who writes songs that he describes as “tip jar americana,” folk music steeped in common tones that dodge the lyrical middle ground, entered and performed two songs from his latest release "Dirt Tracks" -- "Invisible Wind"and "Porter Wagoner."


Hank Williams Songwriting Contest - 3rd Place Winner! - 9-25-04

"Porter Wagoner" comes in as the 3rd Place Winner in the 2004 Flat Rock Music Festival Hank Williams Songwriting Contest. For more details about the festival and its contest, you can check out www.flatrockmusicfestival.com.   See also the personal note in the Guestbook.

Hank Williams Songwriting Contest - 9-13-04

Finalist for the 2004 Flat Rock Music Festival Hank Williams Songwriting Contest. For more details about the festival and its contest, you can check out www.flatrockmusicfestival.com

WSGE 91.7FM

Many thanks to the djs at WSGE 91.7fm for spinning songs from "Dirt Tracks" since its release. We've managed to stay in the top ten list 3 weeks in a row.. Thank you to those who have taken the time to call or write in to the station to request tracks. If others would like to do so, simply call 704-922-4286 or visit the website (http://www.wsge.org/public/contactus.asp). You could also place a request to WNCW 88.7FM by going to their website at http://www.wncw.org/request.cfm. Your voice matters more than you know.

Look for a guest appearance by your's truly laying down some harmonica on Jason Hausman's upcoming new 6-song EP, "Grey Sky Sparrow."

cd release parties!

**"Dirt Tracks" set to be released July 17th!  This new CD features guest appearances by David Childers, Mike Orlando & Brian Burton (Cast Iron Filter), Rodney Lanier (Sea of Cortez/The Gold Coast), as well as friends and musical partners Kevin Edwards, Trip Rogers, Jill Lurie, JD Wilson, Jon Schigoda and Steven Carpenter.  Stay tuned for more details, as well as the track list and sound bytes.

**In conjuction with the new CD, there will be two CD Release parties -
Saturday, July 17th @ the Evening Muse in Charlotte
Saturday, July 24th @ Crossroads Coffeehouse in Waxhaw


best of charlotte

**Creative Loafing - The Best of Charlotte's Original Music Scene - In response to an article on the 21 best bands in the Southeast, the music staff of Creative Loafing picked what they consider to be the "best of" in various genres in Charlotte.  Rick was chosen as one of  Charlotte's best singer/songwriters.  Read more here.

"meanderthal" voted top 10 of 2003

**"Meanderthal" voted one of the top 10 Releases of 2003 by the staff of Left Off The Dial!