Moga Family Band Wins American Songwriter’s Road Ready Talent Contest: Live Grand Finale Recap From Nashville

Moga Family Band has won American Songwriter’s latest Road Ready contest. During a live finale at Nashville’s Basement East, the band—along with fellow finalists Gabe Baker and Ava Valianti—took the stage to show off their stuff in six-song sets.

Baker was up first, lighting the stage up with charisma and his signature soul-inspired sound. He particularly got the crowd going when he pulled out his cello and wowed the crowd with his skills.

Valianti, a 16-year-old with a voice and songwriting skills that far exceed her age, followed Baker. Her first trip to Nashville was certainly one to remember, as the teen mesmerized the crowd with deeply personal songs and a stage presence to match.

The performances came to an end with Moga Family Band, a six-person grouping made up of Dekar Baker, Eric Fortaleza, Emme Cannon, Owen Fader, Jake Baynes, and Cav Mims.

After the show, Baker told American Songwriter that their set was “electric,” and he wasn’t kidding.

The band got the crowd energized, particularly with their last song of the night, “What You Do When You Can’t.” The rollicking track showed off each member’s musicality and got the audience fired up to epic proportions.

“It felt great and felt like one of our best ones tonight,” Baker said. “There was something in the air. It was a vibration, just an immaculate feeling it. It felt really amazing.”

Moga Family Band Reacts to Winning American Songwriter’s Road Ready Talent Contest

The crowd agreed, because, after the votes we tabulated, Moga Family Band was declared the winner. Baker was named the second runner up, and Valianti the first. Both runners up received checks for $5,000, while the victors walked away with $20,000.

“We always said that, where we want to be, we don’t wait till we get there. We want to act as if we’re already there,” Fortaleza said after the band’s big win. “We’ve been trying to do this for a very long time, and regardless if we won this or not, we want to be road ready anyway. We want to tour, and we’re gonna tour regardless, and now this helps. This makes it so much easier.”

Moga Family Band largely plans to put their winnings towards touring, Baynes said.

“This is our big growth year. We just want to meet as many people that we possibly can,” he said. “… This really is truly our way of getting there… All this stuff helps us grow our family, the Moga family.”

Fader agreed, stating, “Having this is a huge blessing to help us make that dream possible. I think we’ll rev it up this year and really build on that foundation that we’ve all put into this band.”

(All Photos via Orchee Sorker)