Songsalive! Songnotes May/June 2013

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description

The official magazine for Songsalive!, supporting, promoting and educating songwriters and composers worldwide

Transcript of Songsalive! Songnotes May/June 2013

Page 1: Songsalive! Songnotes May/June 2013
Page 2: Songsalive! Songnotes May/June 2013

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CONTENTS

3) Calendar of Events/Featured Event

4) Forums & Community

5) Chapter News

6) Chapter News

7) Songsalive! Songcraft

8) Pro Member Spotlight

9) Get Involved

10) Featured Partner

11) Sponsored Event

12) Sponsored Event

13) Back Page

Hello! Spring is here and summer is on it’s way! This year is sure flying by fast already. Another issue of Songnotes is here for you. We have lots of May & June chapter events coming up which you can read about on page 3. We also have a couple Songsalive! Sponsored Events coming up: the Driven Music Conference this month and the Independent Music Conference (IMC) in October. Find out more information about them on pages 11 & 12. Congratulations to Songsalive! PRO Member Spotlight artist, Juice! You can read more about her and her unique folk/rock on page 8. Our Partner of the Month is Bandit A&R Newsletter. If you want to make money off of your music, find out more about Bandit A&R on page 10. We have a new Songcraft video for our PRO members with songwriter, author and songwriting business guru, Paul Zollo. Find out more on page 7. On the cover this month are Songsalive! Team Members, Jessica Akintunde, Danielle Carter, and Mike V at the Songsalive! booth at the Durango Songwriters Expo.

Have a Great Start to Your Summer! Mary Lemanski Director of Operations

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FEATURED UPCOMING

SONGSALIVE! EVENT

SONGSALIVE! ORANGE COUNTY SHOWCASE

WHEN: THURSDAY, MAY 16, 2013

TIME: 7:30PM

WHERE: SAM ASH MUSIC STORE

14200 Beach Blvd.

Westminster, CA 92683

COST: FREE

PERFORMANCES BY:

Liz Nash

Michael Plishkin

www.songsalive.org/events.htm for Calendar and Upcoming Events

www.songsalive.org/chapters.htm for details on our Chapters.

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CALENDAR OF

EVENTS

Tuesday, May 14

8:30pm New York Songsalive! Showcase & Open Mic

Thursday, May 16

7:00pm Grass Valley Songsalive! Showcase

7:30pm Orange County Songsalive! Showcase

Sunday, May 19

12:00pm Los Angeles Songsalive! Songwriters Workshop

Tuesday, May 21

8:30pm New York Songsalive! Showcase & Open Mic

Sunday, May 26

7:00pm Orange County Songsalive! Songwriters Workshop

Tuesday, May 28

8:30pm New York Songsalive! Showcase & Open Mic

Tuesday, June 4

8:30pm New York Songsalive! Showcase & Open Mic

Tuesday, June 11

8:30pm New York Songsalive! Showcase & Open Mic

Sunday, June 16

12:00pm Los Angeles Songsalive! Songwriters Workshop

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Participate and find opportunities in our Forums as a Songsalive! Pro Member. SONGSHOP - Get song leads where music business professionals (record labels, publishers, film producers and music supervisors) hunt songs from the Songsalive! song pool. GIGS, JOBS & MUSIC OPPORTUNITIES - Listings of cool gigs, jobs and music opportunities posted by Songsalive! staff as well as members themselves.

LATEST POSTS: Songsalive! Songshop - get song leads and pitch your songs forum

Portugese, French, & Hindi Vocalists Wanted BG Music Needed ASAP For New Health App Instrumental Rock Music Needed ASAP For TV Shows/Promos

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Opportunities Forum - Gigs, Jobs, and Music forum Columbia, MD Company Seeks Video Production Intern BMI Seeks Director Editorial & Executive Communications in L.A. And last week... Gospel Tracks Needed For New TLC TV Series New Website to Match Original Music to Movie Opportunities Artists and Bands' Videos Needed for New Music Television Series Bluegrass Songs Wanted for Songwriters Showcase Language Learning Program Searching For Spanish Male Vocalist

AND MANY MORE!!!

PRO MEMBERS ACCESS - GO TO: Log on to Songsalive.org and click on

BACKSTAGE / then FORUMS / then Songshop or Opportunities.

Visit our Songsalive! Forums for more information on these

opportunities: www.songsalive.org/forums/

Community SONGCHAT - Members, have your say. Speak out, shout out. Tell it like it is! Find collaborators, other members, talk about songwriting, the biz, and speak your mind! Including: Songchat Songwriter Discussions Song Critique Discussion Lyrics-Only Critique Discussion SONG CRITIQUE - Critique other members songs and add yours for critique.

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Songsalive! Los Angeles March Workshop – The March Los Angeles Songsalive!

Workshop series continued the 2013 season Sunday in North Hollywood at The

Cahuenga General Store with guest speaker ASCAP/NARAS songwriter, David “Cat”

Cohen, whose topic ”Defining Your Genre, POV and Marketing Your Brand” was

borrowed from his book “SONGWRITING FOR YOUR ORIGINAL ACT”. We had 11

songs submitted for review and we squeezed them all in in the allotted time. His topic

was geared more to the marketing aspect of songwriting. Knowing the artist, knowing

the genre of material, and knowing yourself in order to provide a clearer picture of the

song and it’s intentions. Know your demographic, who you’re writing for. Cat also

emphasized how the industry has changed over the years to where there is more

specialization and a wider range of musical audiences out there but that artists tend to

be more self contained, writing their own material. Country is the one arena that tends

to remain “open” to songs. He encouraged songwriters to write to someone or about

someone in their lyric approach and to start out strong in order to grab the listener and

keep them. Engage the listener. Don’t assume an industry professional will listen

through to the bridge for the payoff unless the song keeps his attention. Cat also

mentioned additional avenues of placement are TV and movies as well. He passed

handouts that summarized songwriting tips contained in his book “Songwriting For

Your Original Act”. -Rik Lawrence

Songsalive! Orange County March Showcase – A pair of performers who recently

moved to Los Angeles (and who recently joined Songsalive!) traveled a bit to

neighboring Orange County for our monthly Songwriter Showcase in March. Eric

Roberts, most recently from Nashville, Tennessee, started things off with a set of

songs that were somber, compelling, and very short — so much so that we let him

have a few extra! We felt guilty getting him off the stage so soon! After that opening

Thadeus Gonzalez — late of the Bay Area hard-rock band Electric Sister — took to the

stage and wow’d the crowd with some fancy guitar work and a knock-you-off-your-seat

voice. Wow! After the show there was a great crowd of people hanging around and

networking, which is always terrific to see. -Rod O’Riley

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REVIEWS OF RECENT EVENTS

Songsalive! Chicago March Workshop – Songsalive! Chicago

hosted their first workshop of 2013 on March 9th at the Beat Kitchen.

There were 13 people in attendance, including the guest speaker. We

listened and critiqued 4 songs. Everyone gave positive, constructive

criticism about each song. In the second half, our guest speaker was

composer, Aaron McEvers. He discussed “Arranging and Use of

Horns/Strings in Songwriting.” He played several song examples,

ranging from sparse to dense arrangements of strings and/or horns

(brass), and talked about the various arranging techniques that were

used in each piece of music. He also gave us several tips to keep in

mind when writing for strings and horns. Great first workshop of

2013! -Mary Lemanski

Songsalive! Attends the Durango Songwriter’s Expo –

Songsalive! attended the Durango Songwriter’s Expo at the Marriot

Santa Ynez from March 1st - March 2nd. The conference was filled

with great music, many songwriters, and amazing panel sessions. A

couple of our own team members were able to perform at their Open

Mic on Friday Night. The conference provided a lot of information and

necessary tools for songwriters to gain. We are glad we went and

hope to be there next year! -Jessica Akintunde

www.songsalive.org/chapters.htm

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REVIEWS OF RECENT EVENTS Songsalive! Orange County March Workshop - Our planned guest speaker for the March Orange County Songsalive! Workshop, Moses Avalon, was unable to join us, so instead we concentrated on reviewing each other’s songs. It actually turned out to be a good thing, because we had tons of songs to review! This was one of our biggest workshops in recent memory, and lots of people brought cool songs to present. Host Rod O’Riley started things off with a goofy little number about coming to terms with your mortality — or not. Kip Corley was up next with a spooky story-song about love and dark magic on the bayou. Steve Finch presented as straightforward a 50’s-style love-that-girl rocker as you’ve ever heard, with his trademark strong vocals too. Jesse MacLeod gave us a strong balladeer’s love song that had everyone commenting about his voice, too. Doug Hansen presented a collaboration song-sketch on ukulele. Kate Albright (returning after a long hiatus, yay!) showed us a well-orchestrated song about going for your dreams that just about had the whole room giving her a standing ovation! Newcomer Sherif (he found out about us from his frequent appearance at the Sam Ash Music open mics) gave us a bluesy and soulful love song with his typical strong vocals and guitar playing. Gil Mosard returns with two different versions of a philosophical life and love song. And finally there was Tom Sullivan with an honest-to-goodness honky tonk song that ended everything on a high note. -Rod O’Riley Songsalive! New York March Showcases & Open Mics – March was a really good month for the NYC Songsalive! Showcase & Open Mic. Talent has been very strong with great turnouts! The assistant to a very high profile producer recently came by, and the place was packed and lots of amazing artists performed. The New York chapter has a consistent following for open mic every Tuesday at American Trash, deemed as one of the best in the city! -Dan Schteingart www.songsalive.org/chapters.htm

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Songsalive! Orange County April Showcase – It was time for a pair of veterans to take the stage this time in Orange County, California, as RD Girard and Kip Corley joined us for an evening of fine guitar playing and soulful singing at the Songsalive! OC April Showcase. Both gentlemen were in fine form, RD’s songs tinged with Blues and Americana while Kip’s were reminiscent of 1970’s singer-songwriters and “The Laurel Canyon Sound”. Interestingly, both performers premiered songs they noted had been put through Songsalive! workshops, or had been co-written with other Songsalive! members, or both. It warms the heart to know that all of our efforts are producing such great effects! The songs were terrific. -Rodney O’Riley Songsalive! Springfield, IL April Workshop – The Springfield, IL Chapter of Songsalive! hosted a songwriters workshop on Saturday, April 27th at The Pharmacy. Three people shared songs and received positive feedback. All the songs shared were of extremely high quality. The topic of the second half was “Getting a Song from Your Mind to Market.” Mary Lemanski talked about goal setting and how Songsalive! can help songwriters reach their goals. She also discussed 52 steps (1 a week for a year) you can take to get your song from your mind to market, as well as 12 steps (1 a month for a year) to take to improve your e-Marketing efforts. Everyone seemed to learn something new and said that they would be back and would invite others. Looking forward to our next workshop in July! Songsalive! Grass Valley April Showcase – The April Grass Valley Songsalive! showcase at my studio, Alta Sierra Music Center, was fun for all. The showcase featured Sandra MacDougall and NewGlowBox. NewGlowBox started with their clever, harmony rich, songs. They are good songwriters and very friendly. I played the 2nd set and explained SA benefits. Then a drop in surprise guest Michael Kessler played some of his song which were used in the Doogey Hauser TV series! Last up was Sandra with her memorable songs. -Michael Gregory

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Songsalive! Songcraft

LEARN FROM THE MASTERS

Songsalive! is proud to present a brand new program for

songwriters and composers: Songsalive! Songcraft, and

today we have our 4th video uploaded for you to watch

from anywhere in the world!

Learn the songwriting craft and biz through Videos and One-

on-One sessions with our select master teachers.

1. Songsalive! Songcraft Video Sessions: Pro Members,

you can now watch videos of our Workshop Guest Speakers'

talks online FREE. Topics include songwriting structure, lyric

writing, songwriting opportunities overseas, publishing,

producing, getting songs placed in Film and TV, and so much

more. Miss a workshop, or don't live near one of our chapters?

Now you can listen to some of our Guest speakers wherever

you live in the world, at the time that's convenient to you.

2. Book a one-on-one consultation with our Master

Teachers and Mentors: Learn their expertise with a face to

face, phone or Skype session, by purchasing a reduced rate

than their normal standard rate.

Our Songcraft Videos and discounted consultations are

only available for our Pro Members. Join today on our

website to access the Sessions Backstage.

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This Month’s Songsalive! Songcraft Video Session:

Paul Zollo – Inside 'Songwriters On Songwriting' - a journey into the

heart of songwriting wisdom from Sammy Cahn to Bob Dylan and

beyond.

Lauded songwriter, author and songwriting business guru, Paul Zollo is a

wonderfully creative chameleon. In the span of a day he may go from

being one of the most respected rock journalists (interviews with Bob

Dylan, Paul Simon, etc., author of many books) to hanging his wonderful

street photography in a gallery to crafting songs that range from

Angelyne to UFO's to Halloween. A longtime journalist who has

contributed to the L.A. Times, San Francisco Chronicle, Variety,

Billboard and many other publications, he's the former editor of SongTalk

magazine, and current Senior editor of American Songwriter magazine.

He's also the chief editor of Bluerailroad and the author of several books,

including Songwriters On Songwriting [Da Capo],Conversations with

Tom Petty [Omnibus] and Hollywood Remembered [Taylor Press], which

is an award-winning narrative and oral history of Hollywood. But his

music, performance and songsmithing, we think, takes the cake and that

is why we are honored to hear his words of wisdom.

Read about our participating Mentors/Master Teachers

and more about Songsalive! Songcraft

www.songsalive.org/songcraft.htm

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PRO MEMBER SPOTLIGHT

We are all excited about Juice being chosen for the Songsalive! Pro Member Spotlight!!! You too could be featured by Songsalive! ... to 16,000+ subscribers on our mailing list, social networks and members. Join as a PRO MEMBER and find out more under Backstage.

JUICE Interview excerpt “Writing gives me that release. That extra good feeling of being able to put all of my thoughts and feelings into words and onto paper. Being able to write things in a way so that people understand who you truly are is a magnificent gift.“ Read the CD Review by Songsalive! and Interview with Songsalive! in the Songsalive! Pro Member Spotlight blog Also featured on our HOME PAGE and Members Page: www.songsalive.org/members.htm

“Singer/songwriter, Juice's latest single, "I Was In," is

not your typical folk/rock tune. The song begins with

a catchy acoustic guitar hook and melody that have

enough pop influence to stay in your mind long after

the song has finished playing. Juice also has a voice

that is instantly endearing, and her lyric are thoughtful

and well-written. “

I Was In Single Review

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Congratulations Juice on being featured as our Songsalive! Pro Member Spotlight Artist!

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GET INVOLVED "Volunteering is an act of heroism on a

grand scale. And it matters

profoundly. It does more than help

people beat the odds; it changes the

odds." - President William Jefferson

Clinton

Advertise your services in

Songnotes

Sponsor us or become a

partner

Join The Songsalive! Team

Volunteer Positions Open: 1. Los Angeles Chapter Coordinator 2. San Francisco Chapter Coordinator 3. College Interns

Los Angeles Chapter Coordinator As the Songsalive! Los Angeles Chapter Coordinator you will manage the monthly Workshop event (1) and showcase event (1) . You will be the visible ambassador for Songsalive! You will heighten our presence in the community and will be charged with maintaining and growing a vibrant membership. You will also manage a team of volunteers that carry out specific roles. San Francisco Chapter Coordinator As the Songsalive! San Francisco Chapter Coordinator you will manage the monthly Workshop event (1) and showcase event (1) . You will be the visible ambassador for Songsalive! You will heighten our presence in the community and will be charged with maintaining and growing a vibrant membership. You will also manage a team of volunteers that carry out specific roles.

College Interns

As a non profit 501 c)3) charity organization, we are always open to College Interns and you can

officially build credit. We are 10 years old community of songwriters and composers. This is the

perfect opportunity for current students or recent graduate, looking to build his/her resume, or a

musician who wants to give back to the community. As part of this team, as a member of this

organization, you would be helping us with various Internet and street promotions, including our

online communities, as well as interacting with the community at our events and doing street

promotions. We want innovative, smart, and internet savvy people, who want to get involved in a

fast growing community.

Apply for these and other Songsalive! positions at www.songsalive.org/getinvolved.htm

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FEATURED

PARTNER

Songsalive! Featured Partner: Bandit A&R Newsletter

Are you and your music good enough to hit the charts and make real money? Do you just need to find the right Label, Publisher, Producer or Manager to make things happen for you? If this describes you, The Bandit A&R Newsletter will introduce you to new people in the US, UK and beyond to pitch your demo to every month! Bandit constantly researches which are looking to sign new projects, so the newsletter is full of information about people and companies that are READY NOW TO CONSIDER SIGNING YOUR MUSIC OR TALENT! Receive a special 10% discount on subscription for the Bandit A&R Newsletter. Plus get the current copy FREE!

For more information on Bandit A&R Newsletter, click on Partner Directory in Backstage.

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About the Songsalive! Partner Directory: Discounts to our friends’ products, promotions, resources, services and events to help you

with your songwriting career.

Music resources, books and directories / Online websites and services for marketing,

promotion and social networking / Artist development, production and training / Music

Licensing (Film, TV, Ads, Games and A&R contacts / Music creation, sales and distribution /

Songwriting learning and writing tools / Legal Services / Sponsored Events

Behind the Songsalive! Backstage, you can access 100 exclusive discounts, only for our

Songsalive! Pro members. www.songsalive.org/backstage.htm for all Pro Member

exclusives, or access the Partner Directory here: www.songsalive.org/link-directory.htm

Go Pro today! Join Songsalive! on our website at www.songsalive.org/join.htm.

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SPONSORED

EVENT

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DRIVEN MUSIC CONFERENCE

Fort Lauderdale, FL

May 16-19, 2013

May 16 - 19, 2013 the Driven Music Conference arrives in Fort

Lauderdale at Hyatt Regency Pier 66 and Revolution Live

continuing to successively connect artists and music fans with

the most accomplished professionals in the music world. Artists

of all genres will be in the position for a chance to advance their

careers at panel discussions led by Van's Warped Tour Founder

Kevin Lyman, Ron Burman (signed Nickelback), Atlantic

Records Radio Promotion Manager Johnny Coscia, Mayday

Parade Manager Josh Terry, Warner / Chappell Music A&R

Marc Wilson, top managers, top producers, top agents and

more.

For more information on these and other Songsalive! Sponsored Events, visit www.songsalive.org/sponsoredevents.htm

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Independent Music Conference (IMC)

October 19 - 23, 2013

Los Angeles, CA

Songsalive! members can save even more with a special discounted early-bird registration rate for the Independent Music Conference.

Visit the link to take advantage of this great offer, and pay only $55 per person! The Independent Music Conference is a highly effective

learning and networking environment which has been presented nationwide in Philly, Dallas, Charleston, Los Angeles and Northampton to

date. Now in its eleventh year, and planning the 14th event, the IMC is still the only music conference in the nation specifically for

independent musicians. The IMC focuses on empowering musicians to achieve indie success, helping them achieve their goals as

entrepreneurial business owners through the presentation of educational seminars, workshops, panel discussions, mentor sessions

networking opportunities, performance instruction, evaluation and critique, and live performances.

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SPONSORED

EVENT

For more information on this conference and other Songsalive! Sponsored Events, visit

www.songsalive.org/sponsoredevents.htm

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Make sure you're on our

Discussion Groups/Lists

eNotes - free weekly discussion list where the art and business of

songwriting meet online. eNotes is all about opportunities:

songwriting, songwriting & music business and all that pertains to the

song and the songwriter. We post relevant opportunities as well as

articles, resources and special events that will help our members

maximize their songwriting careers. Plus up to the minute posts from

our program SONGSHOP (looking for songs). We also encourage

posts from our subscribers of the above, as well as tasteful self-

promotions including upcoming music and songwriting events, and

songwriting discussions.

Our Social Networks

Facebook Group

LinkedIn

Songsalive! Video Blog on YouTube

MySpace

Twitter

Access ALL at www.songsalive.org/groups.htm

The Songsalive! Community

Confirm your email address: Please confirmed your email address on the site to continue

with your membership. It's important that you either:

a) click on the link within the email you may have received, or

b) go to the website and LOG IN with your username and password (which may then ask you

to confirm your email address).

Update your profile

There are hundreds and hundreds of other songwriters, artists and music business

professionals waiting to meet you! Update your profile on the website with some info about

you, some pics, and even use our integrated music player, where you can show off up to 10

of your own songs! Pro members can also create their own blogs, groups and add videos.

Woo hoo!

Songsalive! exists because of the songwriters and composers community at large. We feed it,

and we feed off it. We are all about community. Get involved today! JOIN A CHAPTER

GROUP - READ AND CREATE BLOGS - COMMENT ON BLOGS - ADD PHOTOS AND

VIDEOS - FIND OTHER MEMBERS.... Have FUN!

ACCESS: All at www.songsalive.org Join as a Pro Member today!

Contact us with questions www.songsalive.org/contact.htm

[email protected]

– general inquiries

[email protected]

– for the obvious

[email protected] ONLY for Songnotes questions.

Looking for Songsalive! Australia? Go to www.songsaliveaustralia.org.au

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