Festival Under Way
by Don A. Metivier, The Post-Star, August 31, 1974
A Connecticut hospital worker and three West Coast musicians were the first winners at the American Song Festival as it got off to a rocky start Friday night.
Frank Filipetti, 25, of Bristol, Conn. won the amateur rock category with his song “Analysis,” which was performed by the Canadian rock group The Stampeders.
Winners of the professional rock category for their song “Oriental Gate” were collaborators Ed Sanford, John Townsend and Kenny Loggins. Their song was presented by singer Jose Feliciano.
Sanford and Townsend own a publishing company and Loggins is featured in the musical duo of Loggins and Messina, which will appear at the festival Sunday evening.
The winners receive $5,000 for being selected finalists and are in the running for “Best Song of the Festival” which will be selected Monday evening and awarded another $25,000.
A crowd of 2,618 was on hand for the opening performance of the four-night Song Festival at Saratoga Performing Arts Center. Disc jockey Wolfman Jack was host for the evening, which began with an overture by the American Song Festival Orchestra in a tribute to the Beatles.
The early portion of the evening, featuring the Stampeders and Feliciano in a mini-concert, was plagued by problems with the special sound system, which seems to be an inherent part of rock music.
Filipetti said he wrote the song “Analysis” as part of a rock suite, “The Death of Sisyphus,” which had its debut at the University of Connecticut in 1972.
Sanford, Townsend and Loggins wrote the sexually-symbolic “Oriental Gate” some time ago and it was entered in the festival contest by Chappell Publishing.
The only songwriter to have two songs reach the semi-final, from among the 60,000 entries, Barry Blackwood of San Jose, Calif., won the amateur popular music category. His song “Natural Ways” was performed by Sarah Vaughan.
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