Cole: Salem Dean's lot is in songwriting

Although Salem Dean's Deborah Higgs and Jonathan Dean Snellings perform, their focus is on penning songs for others.

Although Salem Dean's Deborah Higgs and Jonathan Dean Snellings perform, their focus is on penning songs for others.

The music of singer/songwriter duo Salem Dean is a far cry from vocalist/guitarist Jonathan Dean Snellings' modern rock project Fierce Embrace, but after winning CMT's Music City Madness Competition for Knoxville last August, Snellings might concede to have found his calling in writing country tunes. While Snellings and bandmate vocalist Deborah Higgs excel at vocal harmonies that offer a thicker sound to the band's lone guitar, the duo hopes to make its fortune through writing rather than performing.

In naming his act, Snellings, an English teacher by day, recycled his own pen name formerly used in screenplay submittals. Salem is borrowed from Snellings' favorite novel, "Salem's Lot" and Dean from his actual middle name. The duo arrived at this moniker at the last minute before entering The Music City Madness competition that has earned Salem Dean its prominence in the songwriting arena. Competing against more than 50 contestants in the Knoxville auditions, the pair took first honors with its song "Should Know Better."

Among Salem Dean's winnings was a prize package valued at $5,000, including a Macbook Pro, camcorder, Best Buy gift card and other items necessary for a professional demo recording. Salem Dean followed up this award-winning performance with another, winning the Tootsie's showcase in Nashville.

"I sing and play guitar in a rock band, Fierce Embrace, and this whole thing came about after I wrote a song that would not fit with the band's sound," says Snellings. "Yet I knew I had something there, so I kept it for a while until I had the opportunity to showcase it in CMT's Music City Madness Competition last August. I heard about the songwriting competition on the radio and decided to enter with 'Should Know Better,' the song I had written. I called Deborah and asked her if she wanted to sing it with me."

Despite CMT's approval, Snellings is reluctant to label his work as strictly country. Having a solid rock background, he points out that "Should Know Better" is but one song in a catalog that is predominantly rock- or folk-oriented. He suggests that the song hits home with a country audience due to its portrayal of classic country themes such as self-reflection and regret.

"Despite winning the CMT competition for Knoxville, I wouldn't describe our music as country," Snellings says. "'Should Know Better' could fit in that genre easily, depending on who recorded it, but it and other songs we've written lean toward singer/songwriter. So many people say this, but we literally listen to everything. A great song isn't bound by genres. I listen to rock - be it hard, classic or metal, then pop, country, Americana, anything that catches my attention. 'Should Know Better' is a nostalgic song. It deals mainly with those moments in life we take for granted and the desire to go back and have the chance to experience them again."

With live performances that have begun to occasionally incorporate digital tracks to supplement the group's soundscape, Salem Dean has no intention to record anything more elaborate than demos to shop. Like many songwriters working under the country music umbrella, the duo aims to turn its songs over to well-known acts rather than climb a crowded ladder as new artists.

"We just want to keep co-writing," says Snellings. "If Deb has a great idea, we'll get together and see if we can turn it into a great song. I write with (Fierce Embrace), with Deb, and I write alone. But with Salem Dean, we're hoping to secure a publishing deal and have the song shopped around Nashville and elsewhere. We're not currently working on a release or album. Our goal with this is to record individual songs and look to have them published and cut by other artists."

Salem Dean is scheduled to perform its next show at Lenoir City's Brown Cup Coffee Co. Cafe on April 3. The free show starts at 7 p.m. and admits all ages.

DEUCES WILD: Barley's Taproom hosts The Big Deuce and Dishwater Blonde tonight. Music is slated to begin at 10 p.m.

2 IS THE NEW 1: The 2nd String joins DJ Wigs at Patrick Sullivan's tonight for a hip-hop show. The gig kicks off at 10 p.m., and admission is $5.

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