1st Place - 7th Annual North Carolina Songwriters Co-Op Contest
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."

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3rd Place Winner for the 2004 Flat Rock Music Festival
Hank Williams Songwriting Contest.

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"Rick Spreitzer - "Dirt Tracks" - Absolutely timeless! Spreitzer has
mastered one of my favorite sounds in the world. Good ole' western flavored
folk tunes, focused on telling a story in a thoughtful, quaint, easy
to understand fashion. "Dirt Tracks", as a project, is a very listener friendly
and damn close to perfection for it's genre....or is there a genre? Rick could
walk off a Woodstock stage, right on to the Grand Ole Opry Stage..and then
go open for the Jam Rock band of the annum. 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

"Fans of the Charlotte music scene as well as fans of coffeehouse
music would do well to check out Dirt Tracks. And if there’s an arty
little coffee house in your neighborhood, Rick will probably
be playing there soon. Go see him live—it’s worth it."
~ Jake Cansado
Left off the Dial

"thank you very much for sending me "Dirt Tracks". I really enjoyed it!!!!!
My favorite tracks are 3,4,7,12,........followed by 2,5,6,8......excellent..
nice greetings to Eddie Russell.....Eddie never was wrong.....thanx again."
All Best Whishes,
Gerd Stassen
"Hillbilly Rockhouse"
RADIO "EMS-VECHTE-WELLE", GERMANY

"With dozens of vocalizing songwriters in every decent-sized
city, it's too easy to lose the most promising ones in the shuffle.
Here's a heads up: be on the lookout for Charlotte's Rick Spreitzer...
Dirt Tracks, the second release from Spreitzer, offers a parade
of interesting characters telling their own stories--
or, at least, a story--in their own distinctive voices. Most are
looking for a break (the Vietnam vet of "Panhandler's Stomp,"
featuring supporting vocals from David Childers) or holding
onto a memory for dear life (the 40-year-old anecdote that
drives the excellent "Porter Wagoner"), and they seem to lean on
the kind of wisdom that comes from traveling the backroads
suggested by the album's title. Spreitzer's joined by an impressive
collection of Charlotte-area musicians, but by design the mostly
acoustic backing never moves beyond jaunty. And that's fine
because the folks who inhabit Spreitzer's songs bring their own
emotion and electricity."
~ Rick Cornell
The Music Monitor

"I'm so happy to see the Charlotte songwriter scene
come together like it has. Finally people are noticing.
It's writers like Rick Spreitzer who are causing this
awakening. He's got the real stuff.

Meanderthal by Rick Spreitzer is a CD you listen to
kicked back in your favorite easy chair with the lights
down....maybe through headphones, so you won't miss a word.

Most young songwriters don't dig nearly deep enough
to find the real song. Rick Spreitzer is a digging machine."
~ Michael Reno Harrell
www.michaelrenoharrell.com

"Rick Spreitzer writes songs because he has to. He is not
trying to write hits for other people; but for himself. This
keeps his references, his imagery, his stories fresh; even
when the landscapes and characters are familiar. Keep the
beers cold and the guitar somewhere near tuned. This is
drinking and misery with a grin; a "hey, ya'll watch dis"
attitude."
~ David Childers
www.davidchilders.com

".....Music with generous grit & unsupervised emotional release...
a good workhorse with energetic gait that makes the
picture come alive......"
~ Eddie Russell
Outlaw For Peace /Rainbow Smoke Network

"Thank you very much for sending me your more than beautiful
release. I've enjoyed listening to your great music and songs and I will
give your disc regular airplay in our radio show "Roots Revival",
because you are damn good."
~ Raymond and Theo
Roots Revival Radio

"Featuring a wealth of artists hailing from his hometown of Charlotte, NC,
Spreitzer has produced an album displaying a more-than-competent
musicianship and lyrics as evocative as 8mm home movies. The music covers
similar ground to Ryan Adams’ Heartbreaker and Spreitzer’s voice has a
similar moody-brooding romanticism to that of Mark Eitzel."
~ DJ - AmericanaUK

"I like Rick's way of making music a lot !!! It's just a great record !!
I will play almost every song in my show, because they all are strong and
beautiful enough to be played !"
~Ray Pieters
"Somewhere Between" - Golden Flash Radio

"..it's so damned exhilarating to hear a new (to me) local songwriter
with his own unique perspective on the elements of life that are
truly worth writing songs about. Don't ever turn back. You have
the ability to touch people."
~Billy Rollings - Down Home Video

"He's got the words, the music, and the heart."
~Jim
Sunnkmanitu Sapa Olo'wann (Sings with the Black Wolf)

"Spreitzer and friend, Trip Rogers, both played
acoustic guitar: Rick played rhythm, Trip played lead.
Sadly, it was a short set - under 40 minutes. I would have
liked to hear more. They played songs from the album
(including my personal favorite, “Drinking By Myself”),
as well as several new tunes (“Good Medicine“
sticks out in my mind). The live setting lent a
certain honesty and warmth to the music....
Trip’s guitar playing was amazing. Rogers actually
stepped up to play one of his own songs towards the end,
giving Spreitzer the chance to break out
the harmonica. If you have the opportunity to see
Rick Spreitzer play live, do it."
~ Jason Erb
Left Off The Dial

"Rick is a visual artist disguised as a performing artist.
Listening to his songs is like watching a movie. The way
he phrases lyrics with such texture will have you hearing
something new with each listen. A very talented, unique
and captivating singer/songwriter/performer. "
~Christy Snow
www.christysnow.com

"Listening to Rick Spreitzer's new release Meanderthal I
sensed a man who has done some traveling - traveling
that is, within the bounds of the human experience.
Every track is filled with a vignette of life's twists and
turns, even the subtle begs for a closer look and listen.
Rick's characters aren't afraid to show their weaknesses
nor that they're often not really who they seem to be - and
therein lies the lyrical strength.

Rick has surrounded himself with some very fine
musicians in Mike Strauss, Jill Lurie, Steven Carpenter
and Aaron Brindle. They do a fine job on Rick's
"canvass" adding just the right "colors" at just the right
time. I can hear it playing in many of the taverns,
roadhouses and pubs of old - and new.

Meanderthal is an album for anyone who has tried to
climb the mountain and failed; and haven't we all?
That's the point, Rick connects with our own experiences.
We all think we're a "Nice Guy," that we deserve "Doreen"
and that there's a good reason to be "Drinking By Myself.'"
- Randy Walker
Host of The Americana Connection
WSGE 91.7 FM, Dallas, NC

"From the toe tapping melodies of Be Sweet and Doreen
to the soulful rhythms of The Difference, Rick Spreitzer
puts his heart and soul into his songs. I find myself
listening to his CD when I am in that twilight part of
the day of inner musings....singing along and nodding
in agreement."
~Karen Alexander
Charlotte Folk Society

"i do so love to support burgeoning artists ... especially those
of the caliber of Rick Spreitzer ... one of the most talented
of his lot -- gives me hope for the future."
~Lindsay Planer/AMG All Music Guide and
Host of Notes from the Underground
WSGE 91.7 FM, Dallas, NC

"Rick Spreitzer is the real thing. A pure, raw poet for
those of us who don't get poetry. Rick's songs offer well-
earned wisdom that gets you laughing just to set you
up for the next line's punch in the face."
~Tom Eure, Jr.

"Rick Spreitzer has a quirky perspective on things.
He's a great performer, and his songs run the gamut
from sheer fun to introspective musings. Rick is a local
talent to keep an ear on... "
~Lea Pritchard
The Evening Muse

"Rick paints great pictures in his songs. He does not
hold anything back in his songs, tells it like it is and
how he feels about it!"
~Doak Turner
Nashville Songwriter's Association International
Charlotte Chapter

"Meanderthal serves up 14 honest, soulful tunes. A
skillful blend of the uniquely funny and the thought-
provoking, dark and haunting. Well crafted, performed
and produced. Perfect beer drinking music. "
~Steve Simpson

"Rick Spreitzer has quietly made some noise with the
release of his new CD, 'Meanderthal.' From the family
room to the bar room, Rick leads us through some damn
good stories, with a sense of humor on the side."
~Dave Holtzclaw

"Rick has gathered a great group of local musicians
for this record so the music rounds out the material
making this a fine first effort from an up and coming
local songwriter. I am listening to “meanderthal” as
I’m writing this and it gets better every time I hear it
and I’m not drinking by myself."
~Bill Stroupe
Blue Strings Music

"Always humorous, but sometimes with a bit of an edge
and most likely with a different point of view, Rick
helps you to see the world as you otherwise could not
have seen it. A casual listen leaves you believing he is
a comedian but listen closer and you realize he is a poet,
maybe even a philosopher! Most of all Rick is
entertaining. Don't miss a chance to hear him."
~Greg Baker
Second Wind Music Productions