Area native wins prize for song

But his aim landed the grand prize in the electronic music division, bringing with it a $2,000 cash prize, $5,000 in Yamaha recording studio equipment and a $5,000 advance on an EMI publishing contract.

"I never, in a million years, expected to have a track win," said Wilsey, a 1990 graduate of Oneonta High School. "It's mind blowing."

The winning song, "Trip," was signed by EMI in May for use in films and television.

Additionally, Wilsey's song, "Closer," was a runner-up in the rock category.

The John Lennon Songwriting Contest, established in 1997, is an international competition open to amateur and professional songwriters who submit entries in 12 musical genres.

Entries are judged on originality, melody, composition and, when applicable, lyrics, according to the official contest website.

In June, Wilsey received an award from the Popular Awards Panel of the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers. They grant the awards based on the activity of their songwriters within the past year, he said.

Wilsey, a guitarist and pianist, has lived in Manhattan since graduating from high school.

He majored in classical guitar at Manhattan School of Music, and with advanced academic standing, he graduated with a bachelor's degree in 1993.

Wilsey's local musical educators included Jim Adams of The Guitar Clinic in Oneonta, pianist Kristina Turechek and classical guitarist Dennis Turechek, a music professor at the State University College at Oneonta.

Oneonta High School Principal Scott Rabeler, who taught music for 12 years before joining the school's administration, said Wilsey had innate skill.

"He was a very talented young man and had a great interest in modern music," Rabeler said. "I remember him well."

Not many young people show Wilsey's tenacity in pursuing a career in music, Rabeler said.

However, Wilsey said he did go through a period of self-doubt.

From 1993 to '94, while taking graduate courses in piano and music composition at the Juilliard School in New York City, Wilsey said he began to "think more pragmatically."

"During that year, I gave serious consideration to the notion of becoming a medical doctor," he said.

Wilsey was accepted into a medical school program at Columbia University for those with backgrounds in the arts and literature.

In 1996, he completed all required pre-med courses and was offered a scholarship from the National Science Foundation. Wilsey received a chemistry degree in 1997 from Hunter College.

However, "on a whim," he auditioned as a keyboard player for a touring major-label band.

Wilsey then found himself supporting Vibrolush, which had a top 40 Billboard hit with its 2000 release, "Touch and Go."

The band played venues big and small in fall 2000 and spring 2001 and shared stages with acts including Filter, Fuel, Lifehouse, P.O.D. and Blink 182.

"It was like being a rock star for three months," Wilsey said. "I'm just very, very lucky to have had the chance to do that."

Touring was both grueling and exhilarating, but having a live audience was a needed change, he said.

"I fell in love with music again," he said. "I had spent so much time pursuing music in an academic sense."

Wilsey's song in the contest's rock category, "Closer," was recorded by Vertigo X, a band he formed with the lead singer of Vibrolush.

Meanwhile, Wilsey founded Engine Entertainment Inc., a multimedia company that sells custom music for films, television and video games. The company is based at his 96-track digital home studio on the Upper West Side.

Wilsey's song "Jaded Heart" was featured in the NBC series "Third Watch" in 2001. He contributed several songs to the 2001 film "Silicon Alley Stories," which was produced by Emmy award winning director Thurston Smith.

Wilsey said he considers himself a "jack of all trades."

"I still play guitar, but it's not the focal point," he said. "To survive, you have to diversify a little bit."

For now, Wilsey said he is enjoying the ride.

"It would be great if things just continued down the path they seem to be taking," he said. "To me, just getting this far is great."

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