to this issue! - San Diego Songwriters Guild
Transcription
to this issue! - San Diego Songwriters Guild
SongWritersNotes 28 Years Supporting San Diego Songwriters The San Diego Songwriters Guild SDSongwriters.org SDSongwriters@hotmail.com 858 270 7169 (Sandi Shaner) 3368 Governor Drive Suite F-326, SD, CA 92122 2010 SDSG Board of Directors President Sandi Shaner Vice President Eddie Jason Coven Treasurer Richard Widney Secretary Annie Rettic Webmaster John Pape Member Sean Reilly Advisors Bridget Brigitte Mark Charles Hattersley Photographer Steve Covault In this edition... Performing Showcase 2010 Live Contest - Page One 2009 Contest Review Winners & their Songs - Page Two Garden of Song Sven Eric-Seaholm - Page Four Venue Revue - Lestat's Annie Rettic - Page Four Holiday Party Review December 8 Coolness - Page Five Lindsay White SDSG Member Interview - Page Six 2010 Food Drive Sandi Shaner - Page Eight Seven Lessons: Part 2 Bridget Brigitte - Page Nine School of Rock Vista San Reilly - Page Ten Bad Science Fiction Eddie Jason Coven - Page Twelve Legal Seminar Entertainment Law - Page Fourteen Songwriters' Community Reaching Out - Page Thirteen Meetup.com - Page Fourteen The Gig Page - Page Sixteen Volume XXIV • February 2010 Coming in March: 2010 Performing Songwriters Showcase The Fourth Annual San Diego Songmust come from songwriters or bands writers Guild Performing Songwritwho are able to perform live, on stage, ers Showcase is a great way to show during the finals. Songs will be acceptSan Diego what your music is all about. ed the night of the Listening Session, Co-Sponsored by 102.1 KPRi FM but pre-registered entries will have Homegrown Hour, www.ListenLopriority, so early registration is encourcalSD.com and StudiOB92107.com, aged. the Showcase kicks off with a ListenEntry Form and Rules are found on ing Session on Tuesday, March 9 at Page 17 of this issue of Songwriters Country Inns & Suites in Sorrento Valley. At this session, we will listen Notes. to each artist’s CD submission. Judges The showcase is open to the pubwill select the top six acts (plus several alternates) to lic. You may join perform at the the Guild or renew Finals at Humphrey's LIVE Finals, your membership Backstage on April 3 which will take simultaneously with place at the your entry and take Humphrey's Backstage Shelter Isadvantage of additional member disland, on the evening of Saturday, April counts. Check the Guild website at 3, 2010. Performing writers and bands SDSongwriters.org. are encouraged to submit their original • Tues, March 9 Registration 6 PM songs to the Guild for consideration for the showcase. Enter in person at the Listening Session 7 PM Listening Session or by mailing your 5975 Lusk Blvd, San Diego 92121 entry form to SDSG with CD & 5 Lyric 858 450 7175 Sheets of your best song. PRIZES: The top band, selected at the live finals, will receive a Six-Hour Recording Session from StudiOB92107, Radio Airplay courtesy of KPRi Homegrown Hour and www.ListenLocalSD.com, and $250 from SDSG Submit your entry early and save. To qualify for the early entry discount, songs must be received by SDSG no later than March 1, 2009. You can enter at the March Listening Session if you can’t mail in your entry. Entries are limited to one per songwriter or team of writers, and all submissions • Saturday, April 3 LIVE at 2241 Shelter Island Drive, SD 92101 619 224 3577 Please see the Showcase Rules & Entry Form on Page Seventeen for complete details. All entrants and the public are invited to attend both the “Listening” and “Performing” events. Anthony Plourd Wins 2009 SDSG Song Contest Performer and songwriter Anthony Plourd won SDSG's 18th Annual Song Contest held this past November at the Country Inns & Suites on Sorrento Valley, taking home $500 Cash from SDSG, plus the opportunity to open at the House of Blues courtesy of Black Cherry Group. Anthony's winning song, performed by Anthony and his band JD Romance, is an upbeat tune that grabbed everyone's attention when it his the PA. Titled "Daylight", the tune is radio-ready and inspired our panel of judges to award the 2009 Platinum Prize. Black Cherry Group. Brian Darnell and Mark Charles Hattersley nabbed the Silver Award with a co-write, "Chasing Trains" for which they received a 500 retail-ready CD Package from CDRollout.com. Our final top winner for 2009 was Sarah Petite with "Little Souvenirs." Sarah received a three hour studio session with Mark Charles Hattersley at Rancho Bohemia Studios. Honorable Mention Awards went to: Aaron Echeverria & Amber Plaster “Lily Among Thorns” Sara Petite “Shouldn’t Be Doing This” Lindsay White “Give Up, Give In” Cindy Santini “Making Sound” Ed and Christian Williams “Dark Rain” L to R: SDSG VP Eddie Jason Coven, Contest Winner Anthony Plourd, and SDSG's Mark Charles Hattersley Special thanks go to our hard-working panel of judges: Eddie Jason Coven, Gregory Page, Diane Waters, and Steven Ybarra, and to our SDSG volunteers in the trenches: Sandi Shaner, Bridget Brigitte, Annie Rettic, John Pape, Richard Widney, Barby Hattersley, and our MC and DJ Mark Charles Hattersley. We couldn’t have done it without you. Before we give kudos to our runnners up, a little background is in order. SDSG's Annual Song Contest is an event in which participants' pre-recorded songs are judged based on a variety of attributes by a panel of industry judges. The entire contest takes place on a single jam-packed evening, during which each song is listened to by judges and attendees, winners are picked, and prizes awarded. The quality of entries, and the talents exhibited, were undisputable at the 2009 event. Scoring of the top songs was extremely close, with only a few points separating the winning entries. Please don’t forget to remember our sponsors, without whom the event would have been far less stimulating: Taylor Guitars, CDRollout.com, RagingBohemian. com, and Black Cherry Group. Lindsay White (interviewed starting on Page Six of this issue of Songwriters Notes) landed the Gold Award with her song "Fancy Shoes" and took home a Baby Taylor guitar, courtesy of Taylor Guitars. She also pocketed $100 in cash from SDSG and landed an opening spot at a North Park Rocks venue courtesy of If you were in the room when Anthony Plourd's “Daylight” was announced as the winner, you know what a perfect ending we shared to this year’s contest. Congrats again to Anthony and all our entrants... we enjoyed all your music, and thank you for sharing it with SDSG. SongWriters Notes • Page Two Finally, let’s not forget Country Inns & Suites for allowing us to host the event in their fine hotel, and FruitFlowers.com for providing us with incredibly edible delights including some tasty chocolates which we raffled off on Contest breaks to appreciative SDSG members. ©2009 SteveCovault.com Contest Judges at Country Inns & Suites, L to R: Gregory Page, Diane Waters, Eddie Jason Coven, and Steven Ybarra 2009 Song Contest Sponsors and Prizes $500 Cash from SDSG A beautiful Baby Taylor Guitar from Opening Spot at House of Blues or 4th and B from Black Cherry Group 500 Printed CDs from CD Rollout Three hour recording session with Mark Charles Hattersley The Judges Gregory Page - Producer • Songwriter • Astronaut Steven Ybarra - Songwriter • Performer SD Music Awards 2009 Winner • SDSG 2007 Song Contest Winner Eddie Jason Coven - Black Cherry Music Group Diane Waters - Songwriter • Performer • SDSG 2008 Song Contest Winner SongWriters Notes • Page Three Garden of Song Why this one word would seem so surprising to many of us is in itself perhaps, part of the mystery. Mysterious I suppose, because it came from them so matter-of-factly, as if they were proclaiming that the sky was blue, or the ocean deep. Yet here I was each time, blindsided by this apparently universal truth. Staring at them as blankly Under Your Hands as the first person to be told that the earth was indeed round, and not flat, as had been the belief for countless by Sven-Erik Seaholm centuries preceding this moment of undeniably proI am haunted. Not by ghosts, memories or found proclamation. It is a word that each of us hears at our first piano, some particularly bad pressed turkey (okay, guitar, drum or vocal lesson. Yet here were these harmoso maybe that last one), but by the words nious gods, some of them over 80 years old, still creditof wisdom I have had the extreme privilege ing this eight letter word for everything they own, are to have heard proffered by true giants of or will be. Some of them even said it thrice. After 300+ music. Articulated by people who have carved their words, it may seem a bit anticlimactic, but it stands in legacies so deep into the seemingly impenetrable stone all of it’s seemingly benign splendor at both the pinnacle walls of musical history, that they have transcended the and very foundation of excellence and accomplishment. mortal constructs of remembrance and infused their That word is Practice. artistic heritages directly into our collective musical I can almost hear the thunderclap of mass bored conscience. Perhaps, even our DNA. disinterest. Who wants to practice, when there’s songs These words were, to write? When there’s somewhat surprisingly, ... it stands in all of it’s seemingly tones to explore? New not about creativity. Nor benign splendor at both the pinnacle gadgets to play with? did they address matters and very foundation of excellence. When there are people of taste, melody or chord ready to jam, right now? progression. Of course the main question for many of us, and In particular, there was one word that they all agreed I definitely include myself in this group, is how can I was the singular thing responsible for whatever manexpress myself from my brain’s right (creative) side, if ner of success they had achieved. The singular path by I’m too busy working on the left (technical, analytical) which each of them arrived at what we would collecside? tively perceive as musical greatness, even if their own There’s another one word answer to that, that all the sense of modesty would keep them from acknowledging afore mentioned virtuosos alluded to: Coltrane. their ascension to such stature. John Coltrane was more than just a master of the continues on page thirteen Venue Review by Annie Rettic Lestat’s Coffee House, located at 3343 Adams Avenue in Normal Heights, is a great little place that has something going on every night of the week. Monday night is Open Mic Night , hosted by Jimmy Lundsford. Due to the immense popularity of this Open Mic, it’s done by lottery. You arrive before 6:30, and put your name in a jar. At the appointed hour, the jar is fetched by Jimmy or his lovely assistant for the evening, and taken next door to the music room stage. As each person’s name is picked, they get to choose a time to play. The times go from 7 until 11, and each person gets 10 minutes. Comedians get 5, and keeping it clean is the rule. If you’re lucky enough to play, you can get a very clean recording of your set for $10. Just speak to the excellent sound engineer, Louis Brazier. Tuesday night is Comedy Night, and there are shows by many local artists and others passing through the area on Wednesday through Sunday nights. A variety of excellent treats are available next door, as well as coffees, teas and other non-alcoholic beverages. You owe it to yourself to come and check out this great little coffeehouse, and in doing so, you are supporting the many excellent local artists who play there. SongWriters Notes • Page Four San Diego Songwriters Guild's First Annual Holiday Party For those members who did not make it in December to our First Annual Holiday Party, I can tell you, it was amazing. The stage was filled with performers who are our own members, like Gregory Page, Steven Ybarra, Gregory Page 2010 is going to be packed with exciting Guild growth, and we want you to be a part of it. If you want to attend our meetings, and find out how you can be a part of a team of Songwriter’s who are making these events happen, just email me, Sandi Shaner at sanditarium@hotmail.com By the end of 2010, when we have our 2nd Annual Holiday Networking Party, I hope to have all of our members in one room celebrating each other’s music. Sandi Shaner Paul Moeller and Folding Mr. Lincoln. Also joining us was Katie Leigh and her amazing entourage. The music was very uplifting and provided us with the Holiday Spirit. I was about to leave, because I have a newborn baby at home, when Gregory Page started his set. He did this loop thing that planted me in a chair with amazement. Then he went on to play some tracks off of his new album. That man is a rare talent, with a unique sound, and we really enjoy what he contributes to this city. All of the performers delivered a memorizing performance. Thank you. We decided to have this party once per year to celebrate you and your commitment to the San Diego Songwriting Scene. You, our members and supporters, are going to see the Guild go through changes this year, for the better! We are opening showcases at three prominent venues- House of Blues, Humphrey’s Backstage Lounge, and Winston’s in OB. We are having a Legal Seminar in addition to our two Annual Songwriting Contests, and we even have a Pitch Session planned for this Summer. SongWriters Notes • Page Five SDSG Featured Artist Lindsay White by Sandi Shaner Our Featured Artist in this issue of Songwriters Notes is local singer-songwriter and SDSG Member Lindsay White. If you are wanting to experience humor with a twist of female emotion that goes straight to your stomach like a Tequila Shooter, and brings the laughs just the same, GO SEE LINDSAY! She is awesome! In our interview, Lindsay provides us with some insight into what makes her tick... How long have you been playing guitar? I grew up connected to music. I sang in front of my church when I was still in diapers, and I took piano lessons through elementary school. I started teaching myself to play the guitar when I was about 13 years old. I stayed home sick from school one week, got bored out of my mind, and picked up some junky guitar my dad had lying around the house. I would pick out the melodies of songs by ear and then figure out the chord progressions from there. My parents eventually bought me an acoustic Hohner. When I was about 15, I decided I wanted an electric-acoustic so I bought my pretty little Dean at a pawn shop in Orange County while in town for a basketball tournament. Over a decade later, that Dean is still my main squeeze, but now I have a Baby Taylor and my grandma’s old dobro keeping me company on the side too. What style of music and which artists made you want to write songs? I have been inspired over the years by pretty much every type of music imaginable. A big influence was the “old-time religion” folk-style gospel music I grew up watching my grandparents play, as well as oldies-style rhythm & blues like Brenton Woods and Otis Redding. You can hear this influence in the simple chord construction of my songs. Lyrically speaking, influences range from children’s poet Shel Silverstein to the one, the only Bob Dylan. I am much more of a poet than a musician; I love using words in unique and precise ways to ensure each song has a story. Furthermore, I am always inspired by artists (especially female) who write with their guts spilling out. I really respect the likes of Ani Difranco, Fiona Apple, Patty Griffin, Amy Winehouse and Feist. They are not gimmicky with their confident and thoughtprovoking lyrics. They say what they want to say because it is their most honest expression. What other styles of music inspire you? Besides the major influences described above, here are a few others: Local music: I am always amazed at the talent in San Diego. It’s a shame how unrecognized it goes outside of SongWriters Notes • Page Six our little community of musicians. I could probably list a hundred, but off the top of my head, I have been directly inspired by the music of Veronica May, Gregory Page, Brenda Xu, Allegra, Jasmine Commerce, Steph Johnson, Cathryn Beeks, Rhythm Turner, Rob Deez, The Flowerthief, I could really go on and on. Country: Please don’t misunderstand me on this one. A lot of country music is cheesy to the point of nausea. But these folks know how to paint a picture and tell a story, which I love. Rap/Hip-Hop: Again, I find a lot of rap music to be ridiculous. But no poet can deny the talent of true wordsmiths like Jay-Z, Cee-Lo and Andre 3000. They have some of the most amazing lyrics I have ever heard. I would like to state for the record that I would gladly have Cee-Lo’s baby. How many songs have you recorded in the studio? What were your best results? I am currently working on my first true album “Tracks” with Alex Zander of Studio Studios. We have rough mixes of about 10 songs so far. Hopefully it will be ready for release this summer. This is the first time I’ve ever been able to create the “vision” I have for my songs with the help of a producer, which is so exciting. My favorite song with Alex so far is called My Recipe. It sound like Feist meets The Shins, and it is the kind of tune that belongs on a movie soundtrack. Maybe Zach Braff will call me if he ever does Garden State, the Sequel. =) Tell us about the musicians that you play with now. For the last year or so, I was playing with just my percussionist Joel Mendoza. I finally got off my lazy behind last year and formed a band. My friends from Snooze Button (James Staton, bass and Steve Nichols, lead guitar) join us for larger venue gigs. Please check out the website for show schedules and contact information: http://www.reverbnation/lindsaywhite What would you like to accomplish in music? I have no dreams of playing sold out shows at Madison Square Garden or snorting coke off of some toilet seat at a Grammy party. I just want to make a living writing music. I am exploring the route of getting my songs placed in TV and film. If I could make an honest living out of my passion, nothing would make me happier. But that said, I plan on writing songs whether or not they bring me financial success. In darker times, I used to think of my music as a burden that ripped out my heart one song at a time. Recently I started viewing it as a gift, and I intend to keep using it in a positive way and sharing it with others. Do you have any plans to pass your talents on to the next generations of aspiring musicians? Are you planning on teaching music or songwriting? I don’t think anyone will ever come running to me for guitar lessons. I need guitar lessons! I probably wouldn’t go the route of teaching the youngin’s per se, but I do love collaborating on songs with my peers. It’s fun to mix different songwriting approaches and see what happens! If you had a ‘Young Jedi Knight,” so to speak, what advice would you give them about how to network and become part of San Diego’s Music Scene? Again, I’m not sure people would look to me for advice on networking. I kind of take the tortoise approach on that one. I find pushy, aggressive and “schmoozy” people pretty hard to stomach. But I guess it depends what your goals are. If you’re trying to be the next big thing, you have to work really hard at selling yourself. Unfortunately, that becomes just as if not more important than your actual level of talent. The only solid advice I could give you on becoming a part of the San Diego music scene is be nice to others, be yourself, and call up Cathryn Beeks. Tell about some lyrics that you have written. How were they inspired? We want the whole story. I think one of my best songs from a lyrical standpoint is Fancy Shoes. I wrote this during a very trying time in my personal life. It was just one sad story after another; it was literally like a tornado had rolled through my life and I was just festering in the aftermath. I started thinking about the main characters in the Wizard of Oz, and what they were missing in life. Coincidentally, I am sort of known for wearing some outrageous shoes, so I thought it was funny to tie in the idea of Dorothy’s shoes: V1 If I only had a brain, I wouldn’t have gone insane I wouldn’t have said such stupid things I’m grasping at straws up here, there’s nothing between my ears I’m scared of the silence it brings Ch I lost my family, I lost my friends To falling branches and howling winds I lost my home to inclement weather I keep on clicking my heels together But fancy shoes won’t kick my blues away V2 If I only had a heart today, I’d pump the bad blood away Put it in a box made of tin I’d clean it out, oil it well, place it high upon a shelf And never let it get hurt again (repeat Chorus) Br If I only had the nerve to find what I deserve To seek what I’m after I’d let out a roar, there’d be sorrow no more I’d let out the laughter Where are your next gigs? I’m playing with the full band on March 20th at Winston’s in Ocean Beach. Colin Clyne is opening. The show goes from 5-8PM. We would LOVE to see you there! Tell us about your shoes. Yes, I had to ask! I’ve always been thrift-store chic when it comes to my fashion sense. I love finding unusual items and putting my own twist on them. I am especially in love with unusual, funky footwear because you never have to be skinny to rock fabulous shoes. I have like 35 pairs. They just keep getting more spiky and sparkly. I have come to terms with the fact that I will probably break my ankle on stage one of these days. In November 2009, Lindsay took home the Baby Talyor prize that accompanied her Gold Award winning song at SDSG's 18th Annual Songwriting Contest. We are proud to have featured Lindsay as one of last year’s Rock Fights Hunger Food Drive acts. SongWriters Notes • Page Seven SDSG in the Community Rock Fights Hunger Food Drive February 20 at Winston's Part of the San Diego Songwriter’s Guild’s community outreach program is an annual event that we organize in collaboration the Lutheran Social Services and Project Hands, called the Rock Fights Hunger Food Drive. This is a fun event that generates food to feed the hungry. Rock Fights Hunger will be held at Winston’s in Ocean Beach this February 20th, which is a Saturday. Every member and supporter is encouraged to take a few minutes of time to drop by the club and drop off a bag of groceries. If you have an hour or so, stay awhile and enjoy the talented musical acts performing all day, like Bad Science Fiction (San Diego’s Crazy Scientist Showband!) Or, if Top 40 music is your thing and you like to dance, check out our featured cover band, Sister Venus. If you prefer a quiet afternoon, the show is kicked off with absolutely stellar acoustic performances by W.O.W., Chelsea Flor, Eddie Jason Coven, Grace Ellen, and Sean Reilly! Last year our goal was to generate 100 bags of non perishable food, and donate it to the Lutheran Food Banks. We exceeded our goal. So, this year, why not double it??? To make that happen, we need your help! Spread the word, come network with fellow songwriters, and celebrate our unity. Sandi Shaner - SDSG President SongWriters Notes • Page Eight My Tour in Europe Last Summer: Seven Lessons For Musicians Part II by Bridget Brigitte I was thrilled to be in Holland. Apeldoorn, a city in the deepmove us outdoors to the patio since it is too warm indoors. ly-forested center of the country, hopes to become entirely I, and the entire sound crew, clench our fists, bite our lips Green by 2025. The city residents are doing all they can to (not to mention our tongues), glare at each other as our eyes make the entire city eco-friendly and run on sustainable and scream “Couldn’t they have just maybe possibly conceivably renewable clean energy. I wish the whole world would copy thought of this an hour ago??? Hello???” Troopers that we them! Radio Apeldoorn interviewed me a couple of times were, I said goodbye to my lovely elevated stage (that would and I told them how, when I was growing up, my family have made such a wicked video), and hello to playing in belived with a special Dutch family who came from their retween swinging doors on some gravel. I had to accept that gion. The first song I ever learned to sing was Dutch: “Sah this event was not about me, but about the business networktwee biere,” “I Saw Two Bears.” I was excited to learn that ing that I was supposed to enhance. By the end of the night I Radio Apeldoorn has a TV program also, and they played met some interesting artists, musicians, sensitive lost souls, a few of my music videos. When I performed, I balanced entrepreneurs, and no love was lost as people say. my slim Yamaha keyboard beneath their one foot telescopAnother lesson I can leave with musicians is: Whenever you plan a trip, try to schedule professional moments, ing fixed mics and tried really hard to not move in my creaky chair. Their team was generous, accommodating, and friendwhether that means performing, checking out places you’d ly and I only wish I was more fluent in Dutch. like to perform, promoting, checking out your muses, getThe Dutch family that I was raised with as a little girl ting to know anyone related to the music industry in an area. used to have a coffee shop By making sure there is a in Solana Beach. It was component If you have a clear idea of your goals, professional called “The Sugar Bowl” to your travels, some of you are much more likely to achieve them. your trip may end up beand was across from what is now called Fletcher Cove ing tax-deductible. Make beach, formerly called “Pill Box” for reasons you can figure the most of living and being music - keep it fun (minus out. The Sugar Bowl had the best donuts in town and those chemicals and excess though! Brain cells make mean muswivel vinyl chairs lining one long counter top. Their friends sic!). Finally: if you have a clear idea of your goals, you were some of the original dairy farmers in Escondido at the are much more likely to achieve them. By following my Hollandia Dairy. Today, one can still find a place in Esconheart to be around this family that I am close to in Holland dido called the Continental Delicatessen at 120 S. Kalmia in the wake of other performances, I was led to a dynamic that sells cheese, soups, meats, and cookies from Holland. dance label called White Villa where we are looking into colI mention all this since there are many Dutch immigrants in laborating on a tune I wrote that is meant for the dancefloor. San Diego and I was grateful to my bilingual “sisters” MaThey have a gorgeous studio housed in a thatched-roof house aike (who lives in Holland and is a graduate of San Dieguito with suspended swimming pool, an energetic and talented high school) and Christine for making my shows in Holland team, and mostly a no nonsense manager who manages to possible. make the word business disappear from doing business. I’ll wind down my story with lesson number four -- a must The end of my tour had Jean-Pierre and I driving along for anyone serious about the music business, or any business seemingly endless coves and beaches along the Pink Granite for that matter: Be flexible. After months of preparation for a Coast in Brittany France where entire villages are built from special performance in front of Holland’s best and brightest pink granite. This was after seeing the Lacquer Coast and creative business people, I walked into a beautiful black and Opal Coast. We ate too much with no regrets and the lesson white performance hall with high ceilings, elegant Corinthian that meant the most to me was simply feeling in harmony columns, commanding mirrors flanked by paintings of lanky with others. Without a soul in sight, Dutch farmers leave women from the twenties. The high stage was entirely mine homegrown products like red berries (rode bessen), eggs, including a whole team of sound engineers with their boxy zucchini, or endive on unmanned tables outside of their amplifiers, piles of licorice cables, confusing mixing boards homes. Passersby leave money for the items they want, take and stacks of mic stands. We spend the necessary hour and them and drive away in an unsupervised exchange of goods a half running the sound check, setting up the stage, taping where the lesson is: trusting leads to trust. down cables and pedals, and positioning the speaker stands. For more about Bridget and links to her songs, At the very last minute, with the business crowd buzzing please visit BridgetMusic.com over sushi and martinis, the event management decides to SongWriters Notes • Page Nine Musical Conversations by Sean Reilly My father is Irish. My mother, French. Both of these countries are famous for their love of libation, and the barstool banter that goes with it. Gaelic and French are also very lyrical languages – fascinating and beautiful to listen to (especially when perched on a barstool). Over time, these cultures have helped elevate the pleasures of conversation and wordplay into an art form. Yet, artful conversations can manifest themselves in many different ways, especially in the world of music. Songwriters in particular are some of the most gifted storytellers – they initiate an exchange between artist and audience. Other examples could be, the call and response between a church choir and its congregation, or the sing-along portion of a children’s show (or rock concert for that matter). But by far, the most common musical discussions are those that occur between fellow musicians on the band stand. And, in my opinion, these can be the most sublime musical conversations of all. I don’t know about you, but it took me years during my musical journey to find the opportunity to play regularly with other musicians in a live setting. When I was growing up, my guitar instructor would come to the house, and sit with me in the living room to teach me the basics. Then I would retreat to my room, and practice my parts over and over and over again. Victory would come only when I could sing a song and accompany myself playing at the same time. Then, as a reward, my parents would say “Come out of your room and play your song for us!” But I was too shy and uncomfortable to do that very often… I wanted to expand beyond the four walls of my bedroom, but how? I was in my early teens, and feeling pretty awkward. And, my guitar teacher certainly wasn’t gonna drop by on weekends for a jam session. So, there I sat, alone. Trying to keep at it, and hoping someday the world would change. Maybe, just maybe, I would find some other musically-inclined kids I could converse with. Well, the world has changed, and music education has followed. Sure, you can join the Jazz ensemble at your local high school and learn to play with the other kids. But how many sixteen year-olds get turned on by Glenn Miller arrangements? Don’t get me wrong, I love Glenn Miller. But when I was sixteen, I wanted to satisfy the hormone factor (ya know what I mean?). All I wanted to do was to rock – and rock hard. I guess I was born too soon, because now there are private schools dedicated to the very proposition of teaching kids how to rock. Each student is given private instruction on how to play an instrument (or multiple instruments in some cases) and then they’re thrown together in a band setting that forces them to play together - and listen to the conversation taking place. SongWriters Notes • Page Ten Their final assignment is to play as a group in a live music club performing for family and friends. Now that’s a real education! My friend Ron Weaver recently opened a school just like this. It’s called The School of Rock. He has hired a staff of qualified music instructors, and offers lessons to kids of all ages. He setup his school in Vista, and draws students from all over North County. Ron is a drummer by trade, and I recently had the chance to talk with him and gain some insight on his background and decision to open the school. When did you start playing drums? I was 7 and took private lessons during the summer. They booted me for not practicing! This is a true story. I then went on to take drums lessons at school (when they did that kind of thing) and took it from there. I played in the concert band and to be honest I really didn’t show any intense interest till I was in 8th grade and getting ready to play in the marching band the next year. That’s when I went to a drum clinic at West Chester State College in PA and saw Butch Miles from the Count Basie Orchestra just kill it on the drum set. That’s what I want to do! Did you receive any formal training? I’ve had many years of private lessons during and after my High School years and went on to study at Berklee College of Music in Boston. When did you first play with other musicians? I started in Concert Band in 7th grade. Then Rock & Roll around 9th grade. I got into playing the drum set and started playing with the neighborhood kids. There was no School of Rock ("SOR"). That’s just how you did it back then. Why did you decide to open a SOR branch? Simple Jealousy! Why didn’t they have this when I was a kid? Seriously I wanted to make a difference and I wanted to do something I love. SOR was great way to do both. How do you compare your own musical training against the methods used at SOR? It’s funny - I consider Drum Line my Rock School. It was performance based (although marching) and there was a healthy competition for parts. It was a tough love environment and you didn’t get a gold star for just showing up to practice. I loved the experience and SOR isn’t much different. We teach music in the lessons and the students are required to learn the performance material on their own. What are the main differences/benefits? We had sheet music in marching band, and the students at SOR use mainly their ears and their knowledge to figure out the music. We teach eartraining and have the students transcribe parts so they get the reading/writing part of the lesson. These days with the internet they have other ways (Tabs and such which are a lot of times incorrect…), but your ear will always tell you what’s right and that’s what we teach. Do you provide any student training in songwriting? We feel that first you should be proficient on an instrument. Study music and discover how others have done it. Yes, the school is performance based and that’s the focus. At least that’s what we tell our students. The underlying focus is true musicianship. As the school matures and the students become more proficient we will delve deeper into songwriting techniques. June is a down month with nothing to rehearse, so we offer a small recording project with the students and expose them to songwriting. It’s a lot of fun and it’s sparking some interest. In addition, this summer we plan to offer a recording / songwriting camp and I look forward to offering more of these services in the future. How many students can attend? Once we get the last two sound booths, over 180 students per week. Right now we can handle around 120 students a week. What are your goals for SOR? Create rippin’ musicians! Our tag line is "Saving Rock and Roll one Kid at a Time." Well, we’re trying to save an art form. I don’t want to wake up 20 years from now and really wonder what happened to music. Where do you want to see these students in the future? 1-3% of my students I see in a music career. The rest I hope will be better people with a healthy appreciation for the arts. This work has offered me the best job satisfaction EVER! The longer I do this, I find it’s less about the music than it is about the kids. Seeing that student that couldn’t look you in the eyes get up on stage and just own the crowd is an amazing sight to witness. SOR is a performance based music program for students ages 718. Complete beginners welcomed. If you or someone you know is interested in SOR, call Ron Weaver for more information. School of Rock Vista “Saving Rock and Roll one Kid at a Time.” ™ 760 415 6219 www.SchoolofRock.com/Vista What advice would you give to a prospective student? Practice, practice, practice. Stay focused, and keep your mind open to all styles of music. No one makes it to the big stage with talent alone. It’s the ones that work hard that make it. What kind of material do you teach the students? At our performances we work with Classic Rock, Blues, Motown and a bit of Funk and Reggae. In lessons, simply put, we teach music. For drummers, it’s not just rock and roll beats. And for the melodic instruments, it not just rock cords and progressions. We are theory/ rudimentary based and expose the students to all styles of music. Do you provide networking tools for students to reach out to the broader music community in San Diego? This is something that is slowly growing at the school. The current enrollment is a relatively young group and as they show interest we will accommodate their needs. I think this newsletter is nice way to get them interested in songwriting and seeking out other musicians for collaboration. This is something I want to do more of at the school and in some ways it’s growing organically as we need it. Joe Troutman is a promoter who teaches about the industry to budding bands. I want to get my students involved in his classes although my students are still a little young and not yet interested in the business end of things. Trust me, they will be soon enough and when they read this I’m hoping I’ll get some interest. Who inspires you? I love bands like Rush, Yes, Genesis, King Crimson, UK etc yet I’m also the fan of a simple hook with a nasty groove. Max Roach – I saw that guy play with just a High Hat and a seat. After I got over wanting to burn my drums, I practiced!!! Alan Dawson and Tony Cerra, two of my teachers at Berklee were big influences in my growth. Alan taught me about melody on the drums and Tony made me realize what it meant to be a musician and not a just chop monster. These are two lessons I’ll never forget. Another inspiration is David Akers, place kicker for the Philadelphia Eagles. Has an organization called Kicks for Kids. David has taken his love for football and done something worthy for his community. SongWriters Notes • Page Eleven “Chemistry Isn’t My Thing. Enter Chuck Schiele” Custodian of Records by Eddie Jason Coven If the world ever depended upon my math skills or my knowledge of anything scientific, we’d all be screwed. That’s why there’s a Bachelor’s of Arts or a Bachelor’s of Science disciplines in the various studies, of which this college dropout has neither. I didn’t want to read, I didn’t want to do math. I just wanted to rock, and state my uneducated opinions to the world. Recently, I found myself at a bar watching the bartender mix a drink for me. A little bit of this, a little bit of thatsee, no science or math involved! And no, I didn’t order a Manhattan, but I have been there, if you are talking about the dive bar on Broadway in Chula Vista. I ordered a Long Beach. Yes, Long Beach. Never been there, but it sure tastes good, and gets that good old buzz going right away. Then enter Chuck Schiele and Bad Science Fiction. With the lights down low, black lights turned on, smoke frothing the stage, and the gentleman of the band wearing lab coats, I thought maybe, just maybe, I might learn something tonight. Indeed I did. Not being much for new psychedelics, and being a fan of the old guard, I like my acid trips to be vintage, shaken, not stirred, and to have the right amount of electric organ, preferably Farfisa, but you know me, I’m a Hammond Organist. Anything psychedelic I have heard today, outside of Modeski, Martin and Wood, has just sounded weird to me, and just not something I can latch onto. Somebody help me dig Jim Morison up and bring him back to life! I’ve got Ray Manzerick’s phone number, I’m sure he’s up for it. But one thing I can say about Bad Science Fiction is that they are not bad… at all. Unless of coarse you meant to say BAD ASS. While the stage show is a spectacle, sometimes listening to the record helps to separate the showmen from the songwriters. So when I popped in “Therefore” into my Home Theater this afternoon to take a listen, I heard the same great show. Minus the lab coats. The record is definitely a musical journey, but I must say the first half the disc is my favorite. Produced by Chuck Shiele and Mike Head, the record of coarse is engineered and mastered perfectly by the StudiOB owner, with the help of Paul Abbott at Zen Mastering, if anything, this is the soundtrack to living and loving life in the 92107 zip code. “Rise Up” is definitely the anthem to live by. Strong vocals by Chuck, and an equally strong message. 92107 is a great track, again, taking me to the ocean waves, to the bums sitting on the retaining wall, to the smell of salt and pot in the air. But the best part of the record is the “Candyman Suite” tracks 3-5. It’s pure rock n roll meshed with experimental cybertronics. I can’t really put it into words. Take a listen you’ll understand. But honestly though, the CD does not do justice to the live version. Watching Bad Science Fiction is an experience I suggest you enjoy at least once this year. They will be performing February 20th at Winston’s for SDSG's Annual Food Drive event. Eddie Jason Coven is Public Relations for Black Cherry Music Group, "Artists Helping Artists" in San Diego. You can reach Eddie at eddiejasoncoven@hotmail.com SongWriters Notes • Page Twelve Garden of Song Continued from Page 4 saxophone. He was more than a great arranger, bandleader and composer. He has become far more than one of the most influential musical artists of this or any other time, and yes, I’d stack him up against any number of music’s great movers and shakers. I say that with the greatest respect and admiration for all those great artists, from Stravinsky to Bach, Django to Jaco, Beethoven to Hendrix. Most of his contemporaries and countless more disciples since, have attested to his seemingly unobstructed flow of extemporaneous creation, as if he and his horn were merely a synapse between the listener and the universal mind. Even listening to his recorded works all these years later can give one the sense that he simply tapped into the maple tree of love and beauty, and let its sap pour over us all like a syrup of inspiration. How does such a strange creature come to exist? Surely the rareness of the individual can be attributed to more than just random chance, though there are certainly precious few Gershwins, Mozarts and Ellingtons. I read a biography of the man that may give at least some insight into this phenomenon. In it, they describe his insatiable thirst for knowledge of every scale and mode. He obsessively searched for every imaginable combination of notes and the technical skill to execute them at will. He played his horn incessantly, in a relentless pursuit of the ability to play whatever he could imagine and indeed, the ability to imagine more. His was a spiritual quest. By his own account, he was God’s servant and his service was to give voice to that divine existence. This mission is hinted at in some of his album titles: “Ascension”, “Expression”, “Meditations”, “A Love Supreme”. Given the previously described zealousness of his search, my guess is that in his mind, he never got all the way there. One man said it best: “The farther you get, the further you see you have to go.” He also said this: “If you don’t practice for a day, okay. Don’t practice for two days and you’ll know it. Don’t practice for three, and your audience knows it.” An acquaintance of mine refers to it as having a song “under your hands”. To know it so well as to be able to not think about it. This ideally frees one to be directly in touch with the inspiration and ultimately, give it true expression. If you’ll excuse me, I’m going to rehearse now. I’ve got a hell of a lot of work to do. Sven-Erik Seaholm is an award-winning independent record producer, performer and recording artist. His company Kitsch & Sync Production (kaspro.com) provides Recording, Mastering, Graphic Design, Consultations and CD Manufacturing Services. Call him at 619-287-1955 to inquire about Special Winter Rates. Or go to www.svensongs.com to see where he’s playing. Songwriters Reaching Out Dear Guild Members, As musicians in San Diego, we are well aware of our surroundings and our own challenges. Challenge #1: Overcoming the” San Diego Syndrome”- getting people to come to shows. All laughs aside, I wanted to also bring to attention that our friends and neighbors have their own challenges. Part of any organization should be giving back to the community by its members. I am extending the offer to each of members, that if you have a charity event or other community outreach that you would like your fellow Guild Members to support with you, please email me at eddiejasoncoven@hotmail.com . I would like to do at least one community outreach event every month or every other month. So if you would be interested in playing to some elderly folk at a rest home, sharing your love of music with young children at a local school, then please let me know. Let’s get involved with our friends and neighbors. Yours in the Music, Eddie Jason Coven, Vice President pdate... Membership U ? to Join SDSG ...only $25.00 mem- G new your SDS Is it time to re at your th e keep in mind bership? Pleas newal or ight be up for re m p hi rs be em DSG m lease contact S P d. re pi ex ly recent join the like renew or if you would ial rates forget the spec Guild. Don't mem: $25 for new ct fe ef in y tl en lar curr half off the regu .. s. al w ne re d bers an rate. $50 annual dues Another Great Resource... NSAI Nashville Songwriters Association www.nashvillesongwriters.com. San Diego NSAI conducts regular Fourth Monday Workshops as well as Quarterly Showcases and Special Events with Pro Songwriters. For more information, contact: Liz Axford lizaxford@pianopress.com 619.884.1401 or Bob Duffy BobDuffyMusic@cox.net SongWriters Notes • Page Thirteen San Diego Songwriter’s Meetup Group SDSG Presents As many of you know, the San Diego Songwriter’s Guild’s website is www.sdsongwriters.org. Recently, it came to our attention that a group known as the San Diego Songwriter’s Meetup Group obtained the rights to www.sdsongwriters.com So in an effort to see what the Meetup.com group was about, I joined and attended a "Meetup." A Legal Seminar by Eddie Jason Coven Cliff Keller, a recently retired CEO, started the San Diego Songwriter’s Meetup Group two years ago this month. He was already a Meetup.com member and thought he would try organizing his own Meetup group. An aspiring songwriter, Cliff was having trouble finding musicians that wanted to write and perform original music, when most musicians he came across wanted to play covers. The first meeting of the San Diego Songwriter's Meetup Group had a total of five in attendance, but has grown since then to an average of 25 to 30 participants. Through the founding of this Meetup.com group, Cliff met Tony, a fellow songwriter who joined him in the forming of Driver Ed, their all original band, which is set to release their debut record within the coming months. (DriverEdBand.com) Interestingly, through the meetup group, Cliff also met Karen, whose passion for songwriting led them to marriage vows a few months back. Now that's what I call a Meetup! The San Diego Songwriter’s Meetup Group currently has over 360 members, and assembles every other Wednesday, usually at Swedenborg Hall in University Heights and occasionally at Old Time Music in North Park. The mission of this group is to cater to those songwriter’s who are not necessarily a part of the music scene. Those who are just starting out or interesting in becoming a songwriter are the basis of this group. The group also serves to foster networking and collaborating for songwriters, musicians, lyricists and singers, and provide a venue for their material to be performed and to be heard. The Meetup Group is also big on learning, having local music industry professionals speak and present at some of the Meetups, and also encourages its members to do constructive critiques on members songs, and has a song contest every month. To find out more about the San Diego Songwriter’s Meetup Group, you can log onto www.sdsongwriters.com or www.meetup. com/sdsongwriters SongWriters Notes • Page Fourteen Entertainment Law and the Songwriter with attorneys Paul Mirowski Valerie Ann Nemeth Michael Hoisington Jeff Mach Wednesday, May 12, 7 PM Swedenborg Hall 1531 Tyler Avenue San Diego, CA 9210 Free to SDSG Members Public Welcome -Admission $15.00 SDSG Memberships available at SDSongwriters.org or at the Door. SDSG PERFORMING SONGWRITERS ShOWCASE • Song entered must be the contestant(s)’ original work. • Bands will be judged by a committee consisting of industry professionals and songwriters. • Judges will use five criteria: melody, form, originality, lyrics (when applicable), and presentation. • Winners are responsible for division of prizes. • CD’s and Lyric Sheets will not be returned. • Winner of Final Live Event will receive Radio Play from The KPRi Homegrown Hour and ListenLocalSD.com, StudioOB92107 Six-Hour Recording Session & $250 from SDSG • SDSG is not responsible for late, lost, damaged, misdirected, postage due, stolen, or misappropriated entries. • To qualify for the pre-registration discount fee, entries must be received by March 1, 2010. Later entries will be accepted subject to availability. • Finalists to be determined at the March 9 Listening Session. • Maximum number of song submissions is ONE per writer or team of writers. SDSG reserves the right to limit entries. If more than 50 advance entries are received, preliminary review RULES will be utilized to select top entries for the Listening Session. • Entrants must include information on the number of performers and instrumentation of the artist/group if selected as a Finalist for the April 3, 2010 Live Finals at Humphrey’s Backstage • Should a Songwriter/Band selected as a Finalist choose not to perform at the Finals, their position will be filled by a Songwriter/Band chosen as an Alternate. • Finalists will not receive payment for performing at the Showcase Finalists and will perform utilizing the sound system, drum kit, keyboard, amps and microphones supplied. • Entries that violate these rules may be disqualified, and submitted fees will not be returned. All judges’ decisions are final. Sponsored by LocalSD.com 102.1 KPRi FM Listen EACH ENTRY MUST CONSIST OF THE FOLLOWING: m StudiOB92107.co SDSG $250 in CASH • Entry Form: Completed and signed Entry Form, see below, photocopy is OK. • CD: Entrant must indicate the track number of song submitted on CD. • Lyric Sheets: 5 copies of lyric sheets (please include English translation if applicable). Performer’s/songwriter’s names must not appear on lyric sheets. Entries will be number coded to assure impartiality in judging. • Fees: Check or money order (U.S. currency only) payable to San Diego Songwriters Guild: Pre-registration Discount Fees (To qualify, entry must be received no later than March 1, 2010) $10 (Current SDSG Member) or $20 (Non-SDSG Member) Fees for entries received after March 1, 2010 (subject to availability) $20 (Current SDSG Member) or $30 (Non-SDSG Member) Join SDSG or renew your expired membership when you enter and you may enter at member rates. Membership Applications are available at SDSongwriters.org. Mail Entries To: San Diego Songwriters Guild Contest 3368 Governor Drive, Suite F-326 • San Diego, CA 92122 Questions or comments? Contact us at sdsongwriters@hotmail.com Website: www.sdsongwriters.org 2010 SDSG Performing Songwriters ShowCase Payment Enclosed (circle one): Song Title: Current SDSG Member: $10 / $20 Entry Form Non-Member: $20 / $30 CD Track Number: Band/Songwriter Name(s) Contact Name/Relationship to Writer(s): Contact Address: Day Phone: Eve Phone: Number of Performers and Instrumentation: I have read and accept the contest rules, terms and conditions. Signed: Email: Songwriter’s Signature and Date The Gig Page SDSG Members Performing in and around San Diego Paul Moeller Saturday, March 13, 8PM Saturday, March 27, 7PM Technomania Circus The Center For Amusing Arts 2438 Commercial St. San Diego, CA 92113 619-231-1950 www.technomaniacircus.com Steven Ybarra Friday, March 26, 7PM Del Mar Plaza, 1555 Camino Del Mar, Del Mar, CA, 92014 Grab some dinner at one of the restaurants in the plaza and join us on the deck for live music. Tell your friends... let’s make it a memorable evening. JT Moring Thursday, February 25, 5-9PM with Neck & Neck Roosevelt St, Carlsbad 92008 Saturday, April 24, 2:30-3:45PM, Little Italy Artwalk India & Cedar stage area (Acoustic) Saturday, March 6, 4PM with Neck & Neck Winston's SDSG Beach Party 1921 Bacon St., Ocean Beach 92107 Sunday, April 25, 5-6PM Little Italy Artwalk India & Date stage, (Band) Annie Rettic www.annierettic.com Saturday, March 13, Noon - 9PM Tuesday March 16, 6PM - 9PM Wednesday, March 17, Noon - 9PM Gallagher’s Pub, St. Patrick’s Day Festival 5046 Newport Ave., Ocean Beach 92107 Saturday, March 27, 7-10PM Wild Older Women - Sweet Joyce Ann and Annie Rettic with guests Veronica May & Eric Burton Kashtan Bistro 12125 Alta Carmel Ct., San Diego 92128 Lindsay White www.lindsayannwhite.com Saturday, March 20, 5-8PM Full Band. Colin Clyne opens. Winston's Ocean Beach 5-8pm Friday, April 2 - time TBD with Chad Cavanaugh, Jon Lall, & Jeffrey Joe Morin Java Jones 631 9th Avenue, San Diego CA 92101 Saturday, April 24 - time/stage TBD Mission Federal Artwalk SongWriters Notes • Page Sixteen and don't forget... SDSG Rock Fights Hunger February 20 SDSG Beach Party March 6 SDSG Performing Songwriters Contest March / April 3 SDSG Legal Seminar May 12 If you are an SDSG Member and would like a listing, please email gig notices to us at SDSongwriters@hotmail. SDSG Sponsors Beach City Graphics Paul@BeachCityGraphics.com 760 415 8900 Black Cherry Music Group 501 west Broadway, Plaza A, #242, San Diego, 92101 blackcherrygroup.com CD Rollout CDRollout.com 800 811 7478 Country Inn and Suites 5975 Lusk Boulevard, San Diego 92121 858 558 1818 Mark Charles Hattersley RagingBohemian.com Mark@RagingBohemian.com The KPRi Homegron Hour & www.ListenLocalSD.com Every Saturday Night at 9PM on 102.1 FM Music Mart 122 S. Solana Hills Drive, Solana Beach MusicMartUSA.com 858 259 3940 Steve Covault Professional Music Photography stevecovault.com sgc@san.rr.com StudiOB92107.com 858 663 9612 Chuck Schiele / Producer Sven-Eric Seaholm 619-287-1955 www.svensongs.com Taylor Guitars taylorguitars.com SongWriters Notes • Page Seventeen San Diego Songwriters Guild Rock Fights Hunger February 20 Beach Party March 6 Performing Songwriters Contest March 9 / April 3 Legal Seminar May 12 See Inside for Details 2009 Contest Winners Writer Interviews SDSongwriters@hotmail.com and Much More! SDSongwriters.org SongWritersNotes The San Diego Songwriters Guild 3368 Governor Drive, Suite F-326 San Diego, CA 92122 Address Correction Requested PerformingSongwriters Showcase... See Page One
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