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The Muse's News |
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Issue 3.8 - November 2000
ISSN 1480-6975
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This issue sponsored by:
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I n T h i s I s s u e :
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@-- Editor's Musings
@-- Q&A with Nancy A. Reece from Carpe Diem Copyright Management
@-- Music Reviews - by Ben Ohmart
@-- Songwriting Book Review - by Jodi Krangle
@-- Featured Article - MAKING LIMITATIONS WORK FOR YOU
by Duncan Roberts
@-- Musical Notes - Songwriting Contests & Market Info.
@-- Muse's Clues - by Irene Jackson
@-- Songwriter In Spotlight - Journalist & Performing Songwriter,
Mark Smeby
@-- On Site Featured Article - An article already online for your
viewing pleasure.
@-- Classifieds & Useful Services
@-- Contact information
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ISSN 1480-6975. Copyright 1998 - Jodi Krangle. For more contact
information, see end of issue.
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If you enjoy The Muse's News, why not suggest it to friends?
http://recommend-it.com/l.z.e?s=333678
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This ezine featured at EzineCenter.com - the Ezine Search
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S p o n s o r M e s s a g e :
(Please support the sponsors that support this newsletter! Thanks!)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
LYRICIST! THE SONGWRITER'S BEST FRIEND HAS ARRIVED . . .
Virtual Studio Systems, Inc. is proud to announce Lyricist, the
first of its kind word processor designed for musicians,
songwriters, and poets. Includes rhyming dictionary, spell checker,
thesaurus, album categorization and more. For more info, please
visit our web-site: http://www.virtualstudiosystems.com/ .
Mention this sponsor message and receive $10 off your purchase.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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E d i t o r ' s M u s i n g s :
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Hello once again. :-) This musing is a long one, just to warn you.
Hello again and welcome to another edition of The Muse's News. We
broke the 6,000 subscriber number this month! I'm extremely happy
about that and I see nothing but good things for this newsletter in
the future. I hope you all continue to enjoy it.
I'd like to take this moment to send a message out to all the
fantastic contributors who make this newsletter everything it is.
Nancy, Ben, Irene, Kathryn, our gracious proofreader, all those
authors who have contributed their articles over the years and all
those songwriters and music business professionals who have
consented to be interviewed - THANK YOU! The Muse's News wouldn't
be the same without you.
In other news, I hope you'll help me welcome our newest columnists,
Leon & Sheryl Olguin. Here's a short description of what their
column will offer, in their own words:
"If you're an emerging artist, this column is just for you.
Building a music career can be at once both exhilarating and
frustrating. Some days it will seem as if everything is breaking
your way and other days you'll feel as if no one cares whether you
ever play another note. We've been there and we understand. We want
to help you get started off on the right foot in your writing, your
performing and your recording. There are pitfalls we can steer you
clear of, and mistakes we can help you avoid. We can show you how
to save time, money, and even the occasional heartache. Can we
solve all your problems and keep you from making any mistakes at
all? Can we guarantee your success? No one can promise to do that.
However, we've learned a lot as producers, recording artists and
writers, and we're glad to provide any insights we can, based on
our experience. "
There are already three articles online in this section and more
will be appearing all the time.
http://www.musesmuse.com/emergingartist.html
The winner of this month's book give-away is Ashley Keen of
Nashville, TN. Ashley has won a copy of the FILM & TELEVISION
MUSIC GUIDE, reviewed further down in this newsletter.
Congratulations!
You can now get great Muse's Muse shirts, mugs & mousepads - and
help keep The Muse's Muse free at the same time! Have a look at
http://www.musesmuse.com/musemerchandise.html for more information.
You can also build a promotional item store for yourself in NO TIME
FLAT. Trust me on this. This store was supremely easy to set up.
So drop by the Muse's Muse Merchandise store and have a look for
yourself!
There are tons of new articles and columnist offerings on The
Muse's Muse this month. I've also updated the Music Store so that
it offers a little more - some music FAR beyond the mainstream
along with a link to a place where you can get used CDs and tapes,
too. I hope you'll take a look around.
As always, a complete listing of new additions to the site can be
found at http://www.musesmuse.com/whatsnew.html .
Oh! And before I forget, those of you in the California area when
Brian Austin Whitney of Just Plain Folks travels through (there are
various locations for get-togethers and showcases listed on the
Just Plain Folks website at http://www.jpfolks.com/ - check it
out!), give him a hug from me, ok? (Guys, if you're really
uncomfortable with that, feel free to downgrade that to a
handshake. ;-)). I can't be there (Toronto's a long way away...
) but I'd really love to be there in spirit. I'm hoping you
guys can help me do that. Thanks!
Good luck and keep writing,
--Jodi
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C o p y r i g h t & P u b l i s h i n g Q & A :
with Nancy A. Reece of Carpe Diem Copyright Management
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Q: I'm a published song writer with songs published through a
company in Nashville. The publisher was referred to our agent who
is relatively new at the music biz. He has taken six of our songs
(asked no $),& has been pitching them...sending us pitch sheets
quarterly as his proof. We have demoed all of these songs at in
nashville to try & work within the system. We do not live in
nashville & our agent (a very trustworthy person) has a good
working relationship with this person. My question is: how can we
determine how strong this publisher is in the scene, not being able
to go to nashville ourselves & quietly check this all out without
making waves with him & upsetting what we have worked so hard to
establish? Thank you, -- Mark E.
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A: The only way to move forward in this business is to trust.
Sometimes people will break that trust, sometimes, you will break
the trust of others. But without trying, nothing is gained.
If you are getting reports that show that things are being pitched,
presented and represented, then that is a wonderful thing. The job
of an agent or pitcher is only to get the material heard. The
songs have to do most of the work.
Do well what you do. Keep written reports on who is listening and
let those that you trust do well what they do.
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Q: I am just finishing a novel involving the music industry, and
would like to include the lyrics to a song in the book, along with
mentioning a number of song titles. I believe that I would need
permission from the publisher of the song to use the lyrics, but
what about just mentioning titles? Thanks for your help,
-- Sabine K.
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A: Thank you for writing Sabine -
Yes, you must have a print license to reprint lyric - no matter how
little of it. My company has obtained these types of clearances
several times for authors. The mention of a title however is
considered "Fair Use". However, don't use the title of a song for
the title of the book or a chapter without stopping and thinking
about it and getting some advice.
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Q: Myself and my partner are a group and we're currently shopping a
record and/or publishing deal. We both write the compositions and
have decided to split 50/50. I'm assuming that it would be best if
we form a publishing company together but is there a formal
agreement that we have to come up with between ourselves that says
we agree to a 50/50 split or can it be something simple without a
lawyer involved. Also, we have another producer re-arranging my
music to our lyrics. Would the other producer be entitled to a
portion of the copyright split or just a producer's fee.
-- Cherie W.
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A: Yes - you need to put things on paper. You should always seek
the advice of counsel. However there are companies, like Carpe
Diem Copyright Management that can provide guidance through the
process. Please contact me directly if you want to hear about
fees for more direct help.
Your producer's Agreement is another specific document that should
be clear with all details, in writing, of how the fee or producer
royalty is to be paid and/or if the producer is securing any
ownership as a co-author.
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TO VIEW OTHER QUESTIONS AND RESPONSES, SEE NANCY'S COPYRIGHT &
PUBLISHING Q&A ONLINE AT http://www.musesmuse.com/pubq-a.html .
Please note: Nancy received a *lot* of e-mail in a month. If you
sent in a question but have not heard a reply, it's very likely it
already *has* an answer online. It's always a good idea to
thoroughly look through the Copyright & Publishing Q&A online to
see if your question has already been asked before you send in a
request. Thanks!
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*****
Carpe Diem's owner and president, Nancy A. Reece has been
involved in the music business since 1983. She was the president
of an independent advertising agency for eight years as well as a
successful personal artist manager for nine years. She
represented the careers of several recording artists and
songwriters including those with EMI, Zomba and Liberty Records
as well as Benson, Starsong, WoodBridge, Temple Hall and N'Soul
Records. She also represented, for a number of years, a Grammy
and Dove nominated record producer. Reece has won awards of
excellence in print magazine advertising and has been named as
one of 2,000 Notable American Women (1995) as well as being
listed in the International Who's Who of Professional and
Business Women (1993). She was also named Cashbox Magazine's
Promoter of the Year (1989).
**If you would like to ask Nancy a copyright or publishing
question for our continuing Q&A section, please send your e-mail
to nreece@musesmuse.com. She can't guarantee she'll get to all of
the questions, but she'll certainly try.**
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M u s i c R e v i e w s : by Ben Ohmart
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Marisa Monte - Memories, Chronicles and Declarations of Love
Some people are deserving of long titles on their cd. Marisa is a
wonder. She's doing the reverse of what Gloria Estafan did. GE took
the pop and added a Latin flavor. Well, MM has taken the Latin,
spiced it up with pop, and has an infinitely fresher, more
realistically charged way of looking at her homeland's music. Yet
if you were to put this in the World or Latin part of the music
store, you'd be dead wrong. All elements, especially those in
popular music, have come out and arranged themselves with
professional gloss, original understanding, and just a clever way
of power-combination.
For instance, 'Cinco Minutos' really Does it for me. I dare say
it's on the verge of greatness, if only because you want to play
it again and again. You can dance to it, seduce with it, you can
ride the wild, fluctuating stereo and candy-coated vocal sounds
which pump us back to the 70s and all the colors it audibly
entails.
A beautiful album on the EMI label, from a woman who Must be well
on her way by now. Any other theory is impossible.
http://www.marisamonte.com.br/
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OTHER NEW MUSIC REVIEWS SINCE LAST MONTH INCLUDE:
Ahn Trio - http://www.musesmuse.com/mrev-ahntrio.html
Bankhead - http://www.musesmuse.com/mrev-bankhead.html
Lucy Mongrel - http://www.musesmuse.com/mrev-mongrel.html
Sarah Brightman - http://www.musesmuse.com/mrev-brightman.html
Brian Parnham - http://www.musesmuse.com/mrev-parnham.html
Dr. Dan - http://www.musesmuse.com/mrev-drdan.html
Richard Leo Johnson - http://www.musesmuse.com/mrev-johnson.html
Alex Yellowlees - http://www.musesmuse.com/mrev-yellowlees.html
Peter Grand - http://www.musesmuse.com/mrev-grand.html
Tom Barabas - http://www.musesmuse.com/mrev-barabas.html
Joe Kraemer (soundtrack) -
http://www.musesmuse.com/mrev-kraemer.html
Crime & Punishment soundtrack -
http://www.musesmuse.com/mrev-c&p.html
Neil Thomas - http://www.musesmuse.com/mrev-thomas.html
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******
Ben Ohmart has had 100s of stories and poems in zines and
journals, and had 4 plays produced last year. His lyrics will be
on 2 CDs this year, 1 a gothic album, the other a rock album.
He's currently writing films, with hopes of having one done in
Malaysia soon, and is also trying to break into the prison of
television. He's white, 26, single and loves British comedy. He
lives in Boalsburg, PA, and enjoys watching rabbits eat his
garbage. Contact him at: ohmart@musesmuse.com .
**Ben has kindly consented to do music reviews for this
publication and also for The Muse's Muse itself. If you have an
independently released CD or tape that you'd like to get
reviewed, send it off to: Ben Ohmart, P O Box 750, Boalsburg, PA
16827 or drop by his Music Reviews web section at
http://www.musesmuse.com/musicreviews.html for more details.**
Back to Menu
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S o n g w r i t i n g B o o k R e v i e w : by Jodi Krangle
FILM & TELEVISION MUSIC GUIDE
Ritch Esra and Stephen Trumbull, Publishers
http://www.musicregistry.com/ ~ 800-377-7411 or 818-769-2722
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This is quite a hefty tome - but one of the most complete resources
I've ever come across for musicians and/or songwriters wanting to
work in the film & television industry. There's a huge amount of
information here. The 2000 edition is the sixth annual edition, as
it turns out - and if the introductory letter in the front of the
book is any indication, it's much larger than the previous year's
edition. Just about everything is in here. Looking for film
composers? You'll find it in the book. Looking for music
publishers? You'll find it in the book. Looking for film score
mixers? You get the idea. There are even some extremely useful
sections that I wouldn't have thought of including if I were
editing this monster. Payroll services come to mind - but BOY,
that's bound to be important. Or how about scoring stages?
There's even a huge list of performing rights societies. Just
about any songwriter can use that, no matter what market they're
writing for. As the title says, this publication is geared towards
those who write for or are somehow involved in the film and
television music industry, but just about any musician or
songwriter is bound to find something of use within the heavy gloss
pages. I was also truly blown away by the professional look and
design of the book. The pages are heavy, they won't easily tear or
crumple, it's ringbound for easy turning of those pages without
having to bend a spine and the book is arranged in "chapters"
rather more like a filing cabinet than a book. Each section has
its own tab sticking out from the side edge making it very easy for
a potential information seeker to find what he or she is looking
for. All in all, a truly impressive piece of work. I anticipate
this guide being published for at least *another* six years.
Bravo!
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S p o n s o r M e s s a g e :
(Please support the sponsors that support this newsletter! Thanks!)
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UNLEASH THE FULL POTENTIAL OF THE INTERNET WITH SONGSCOPE.COM!
SongScope is a valuable tool enabling you to build an on-line song
catalog, accessible only by proven industry professionals. Receive
FREE email informing you every time record producers and industry
professionals make requests. Songs listings are only $19.95 per
year. An ecommerce enabled marketing/promotion page and tour
calendar are also available for performing songwriters to get
further artist exposure. See www.musesmuse.com/songscope.html for
details or contact: writerinfo@songscope.com ~ Tel: 770.754.4543
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F e a t u r e d A r t i c l e :
MAKING LIMITATIONS WORK FOR YOU
by Duncan Roberts
©2000, Duncan Roberts. All Rights Reserved. Used By Permission
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Have you ever worked out one of your favourite songs only to find
that it's written over 3 first position chords like D Major, A
Major and E minor, then sat & wondered why you'd never found that
amazing melody despite having played that chord sequence about a
million times already? The answer (Ok, one of the many answers!)
lies in the rhythm of the lyrics. Now this may seem
over-simplistic, but just think about it for a moment.
Take any 2 songs and swap the lyrics over. Now try to sing those
songs with the right melodies, but the wrong lyrics. It's a Square
peg, round hole situation. The only way you'll get them to fit
together nicely is by changing the melody, which leads to the
revelation that lyrics dictate melody! Now I know that many
songwriters do not fit finished lyrics to music, they write lyrics
to fit a finished melody (I do both depending on the day!).
But just how many of us have had a tune waiting for the right
lyrics for months if not years; I've only just found the right
lyrics for a tune I wrote in 1996!
Whichever way round we compose, it would seem to me that we are
still slaves to the rise and fall of words. Now here's the
controversial bit:
If, in addition to having found that D, A & Em sequence you had
also written the lyrics to your favourite song, you would have had
a much better chance of writing that stunning melody.
"Now wait a minute!" I hear you cry. "You're suggesting that given
the same lyrics and chord sequence, we'd all write the same
melody!"
Well no, we wouldn't, because thankfully we are not robots and not
that predictable. But this thought can lead us in an interesting
direction.
In an interview with U2's The Edge he was quoted as saying "With
limitations you're already half way there". Now this is a great way
of making apparent disadvantages work for us. I've often thought
that songwriting competitions, rather than being just a "send us
your best song" affair, should be more challenging, along the lines
of: "Write a song using only the chords D Major, A Major & E minor"
We all know that accomplished songwriters can conjure up great
tunes over much used chord sequences, so why not use this
limitation as the basis for choosing the best.
Ok, so this might not be very practical for a competition (I'd hate
to be the person who had to listen to 1000's of entries with the
same chord sequence!) but it would make a great workshop idea.
Basically, any exercise that already limits your songwriting
choices forces you to work much harder on the few elements you have
left to play with. It's a very simple philosophy: at a workshop you
could focus on one element at a time by giving people the chords
and the lyrics but leaving the melody up to them, then giving them
the melody and the lyrics but leaving the chords up to them,
eventually even giving all 3 and focusing on style and arrangement.
This can seem like rather a scientific approach but one that could
greatly benefit your mastery of each area of songwriting.
Would any of the people given the same lyrics and chords come up
with similar melodies?
If ever this is run as a workshop exercise I'd be fascinated to
know the answer.
Duncan Roberts, Paris October 2000
******
Duncan Roberts is an English/French, singer/songwriter/musician. He
has recently returned from an acoustic world tour promoting his
band Candid. The tour attracted considerable interest from the
music industry & he is currently putting what he hopes will be the
finishing touches to the songs for the next album. The
candid.eu.com site is momentarily under re-construction, but the
bands last CD "Elm Leaf Beetle Hitch-hikes" can be found at
www.theorchard.com. & extracts can be heard at
http://www.peoplesound.com/artist/candid2.
Duncan lives in Paris, France.
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M u s i c a l N o t e s : Songwriting Contests & Market Info.
In the interest of conserving space, I will only be including
changes to this listing in this newsletter. All other contests
and market information that have already been listed here, are
displayed at http://www.musesmuse.com/contests.html &
http://www.musesmuse.com/markets.html . Please check there
regularly for updates!
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JOIN PAT & PETE LUBOFF IN NASHVILLE FOR MONDAY NIGHT SONGWRITING
WORKSHOPS:
Monday Night Songwriting Workshops have begun in Nashville at the
Music School on Music Row, 1520 Demonbreum, from 6PM to 10PM. These
are the same workshops that were the mainstay of the National
Academy of Songwriters in Los Angeles for nearly 20 years. It's a
great venue, plenty of room, comfortable seating and a fine sound
system. Pat & Pete create a completely supportive creative
environment in which all the writers help each other to make each
song the strongest it can be. They invite songwriters to bring
their songs in any state, lyrics, partially completed, etc. and
take a free ride on a group of collaborators who care. To get more
information, please visit their web site http://www.writesongs.com/
(e-mail contact is on the site) or call 615-782-0071 or
615-289-1441.
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THE BOSS-HITBOUND SONG SHOWCASE
is now online at http://www.boss-hitbound.com/. We are looking for diverse
material by songwriters interested in immediate public exposure.
This is a song showcase site which will allow writers to submit
material and have it available online in both the MP3 and RealAudio
formats. Messaging Boards are available to discuss the topics of
songwriting or any particular songs on the site. This will be
helpful to promote ones own work, as our charts are based on
polling of contributing songwriters. Awards are given for songs
which top our charts. Also coming will be quarterly contests,
prizes and guidelines to be announced closer to our official
start-up date. We are in preview mode until our grand-opening on
January 1, 2001. Stop by our site and get submission info or E-mail
us at james@boss-hitbound.com.
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THE NORTHWEST ARKANSAS COMMUNITY COLLEGE --OPEN SEASON--MUSIC
THEATER WRITING CONTEST:
The purpose of the contest is to encourage the writers of musical
theater to write and submit their work. Winning musical will be
produced on campus summer of 2001. Submissions may be: traditional,
experimental, alternative, etc.; full length or short; large cast
or small; original or adaptations of non copyrighted material.
Submit complete works with piano/vocal score before April 1, 2001.
Include SASE and $25 entry fee (check or mo to NWACC--Open Season).
Submit to OPEN SEASON--Music Theater Writing Contest; Miles Fish,
NorthWest Arkansas Community College, One College Drive,
Bentonville, AR 72712. For additional info email Miles Fish at
mfish@specent.com.
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WEASELPALOOZA I.V.
The Music Industry Party to benefit the Canadian Music Therapy
Trust Fund ~ Saturday, November 18, 2000 ~ Joe Badali's Restaurant
156 Front Street West ~ Toronto, ON ~ 9:00pm Doors ~ Tickets only
$25 (includes complimentary hors d'oeuvres and door prizes)
The goal of Weaselpalooza I.V. is to raise money in support of The
Canadian Music Therapy Trust Fund (Charitable Registration
No.119861854) through ticket sales, raffle draws, corporate
donations and a spectacular silent auction. The Trust Fund is a
non-profit charitable organization whose sole purpose is to help
fund music therapy initiatives nationally. Music therapists utilize
the power of music to help children and adults with special needs,
be they mental, physical, or psychological.
For tickets or more information on Weaselpalooza I.V., please
contact: Eric Alper, Koch International:
eric@kochcan.com or (416) 292-8111 x 240
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COOCH MUSIC'S AMATEUR SONGWRITING CONTEST
Only a $5.00 entry! Win prizes and publishing contracts! Win a
homemade acoustic guitar from Gregg Rogers Guitars! Retail value is
$2195.00. For all the details and entry form go to
http://www.coochmusic.com/ Contest runs from Sept 1st, 2000 thru April
30th, 2001!
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BandUtopia AND IndieGroup PRESENT...
THE GLOBAL RESOURCE MUSIC MARKETING COMPETITION:
- We are going to pick a handful of the best of the best unknown
artists and promote them directly to the key decision makers in the
music business FOR FREE!!!
- Regardless of your location, race, creed, religion, or sexual
preference! Plain and simple. If you think you're great, we are
going to do our best to make sure everyone in the music business
knows it!
- It's not who you know. It's not even what they can do for you.
It is simply what WILL they do for YOU!?!!
- This contest will enable the selected winners to be heard by the
top A&R people in the business. A&R as in "Artist and Repertoire".
The people that sign artist to their labels. That includes Major
and Indie record labels!
In addition to the above, selected winners will have their songs
submitted to TV and Film Projects in development for licensing.
Click Here and Send Us YOUR CD!!! -> http://209.95.66.128/grm and
we will do the rest!
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MODMUSIC RECORDS IS PLEASED TO ANNOUNCE THE INDIE BAND SEARCH 2001!
The Indie Band Search is a national competition and a unique
opportunity that gives independent musicians, artists, songwriters,
and bands a chance to be heard by entertainment industry
professionals and compete for prizes worth over $10,000. 10 winners
will be featured on the nationally distributed “Indie Choice”
compilation CD which will be released on ModMusic Records in the
Spring of 2001. The judging panel is made up of producers,
managers, publishers, music attorneys, television and film music
supervisors, radio promoters, and other music industry
professionals, as well as celebrities including Claire Danes and
Jamie-Lynn Sigler. The Indie Band Search is offering prizes from
its top of the line sponsors including Gibson USA, Shure
microphones, Pearl Drums, Amazon.com, Crate, Guitar Center,
Airwalk, Sam Ash Music Stores and Urban Outfitters. The first 250
contestants will receive a prize packet worth over $50. Contest is
open to ALL genres of music. International submissions are
accepted. Deadline for entries is January 31, 2001. For further
information, including rules & regulations, prizes, judges and even
a printable entry form, see http://www.indiebandsearch.com/, e-mail
us at: contest@modmusicrecords.com or call the ModMusic Hotline @
(212) 479-8418
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M u s e ' s C l u e s : by Irene Jackson
©1998-2000 Moonstone Productions All Rights Reserved. Used By
Permission
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Not all songwriters are performers, just as not all performers are
songwriters...however, I know many of you out there who fit into
the category of 'performing songwriter' as I do. Over the years
I've been lucky to see many of my 'kind' who may not have hit
records and fancy careers, but who are, nonetheless, making a
living at it! Yes, it IS possible...but like any career, it takes
time to develop and build into something you can truly be proud of.
The best way to study performance skills is to watch someone who
has been out there for a long time, especially a solo performer who
isn't dependent on light shows and someone else's lead guitar solos
to fill up your senses. I have seen some truly great characters,
storytellers and stand-up comics...all performing songwriters!
Christine Lavin is one of these, and will probably be familiar to
some of you...she has honed her songwriting and performance skills
and developed a very loyal following over the years, and she also
has some ideas to share when it comes to focusing on your
performances. She has created a list of "31 Helpful Tips for the
Performing Songwriter" on her homepage:
http://www.christinelavin.com/tips.html
This list includes everything from practical tips for making sure
you have a mailing list for people to sign up, to equipment
thoughts, to deciding what kind of a performer you are! She even
includes her thoughts on how to deal with hecklers.
Hecklers....arrgghhh!! Even if you are not a performer, but plan
to play some of your songs at an open mic at some point, you will
find some interesting and practical bits of advice here that will
also apply to you.
Learning how to be a performer takes some time and some
thought...Lavin even includes a tip called "Learning From A Bad
Night". Yeah, I've had a few of those!! Take it from a performing
songwriter who has been out there and experienced just about every
situation that could possibly come up...Christine Lavin has a lot
of very helpful advice not only for the novice, but also those of
us who've been around the block a few times. You never stop
learning!
******
Irene Jackson is a performing songwriter from Victoria, BC in
Canada. Aside from writing, recording and performing, she also
maintains a website for songwriters that includes tips, articles
and more links of interest. Her latest CD "Motor Scooter" has
had attention everywhere from Japan to South America, and a new
release is due out sometime in 2000.
Songwriting Tips: http://www.irenejackson.com/tips.html
Homepage: http://www.irenejackson.com/
Songs on MP3:
http://www.mp3.com/artists/20/irene_jackson.html
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S O N G W R I T E R I N S P O T L I G H T :
Journalist & Performing Songwriter, Mark Smeby
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Q: How did you first start writing songs? Who were your early
influences and why?
---------------------------------------------
A: I'd had a burning desire to write songs my whole life, solely
because I loved the impact that music had on me. Music was
"otherworldly" and had a way of expressing feelings that couldn't
find words. I never thought I'd be able to write a song, or at
least a half-way decent one. Until one day when I got asked to sing
at church, and with a time frame of a week I had to come up with a
song. I decided this would be the proper pressure that I needed to
force myself to actually write a song to perform. I was living in
my grandparent's condo at the time (they were in Florida for the
winter), and began writing the song on the back of an envelope,
just as the fire alarm for the building was going off. I was
scampering up and down the halls trying to calm all the elderly
residents that didn't know what to do! There I was with pen and
paper all the while. The lesson here: I need pressure to write!
First song: "It's Your Love"
Early influences: Michael W. Smith, Billy Joel, Kathy Troccoli,
Barry Manilow, 2nd Chapter of Acts, Captain & Tennille (can I say
that?) I loved the piano-based ballads that were so expressive and
dramatic. Their music communicated simply, without too many bells &
whistles.
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Q: How did you get involved in the music industry to begin with?
---------------------------------------------
A: In 1993, I packed up my tiny car and drove from Minneapolis to
Nashville to "get involved" in the music industry down here. I knew
I had a place to stay, but other than that, I had no clue what a
"wannabe" was, or how to really be a good one, which I'm sure I
wanted to do. I knew one person who took me to lunch and encouraged
me. She knew about my demo tape and still liked me! Her husband ran
a non-profit association that worked heavily within the industry,
and they needed a director of membership. So, after delivering
pizzas to bad neighborhoods and maxing my credit cards, I took this
"real job." I had no clue that it would thrust me smack dab into
the middle of the inner-workings of the Nashville music scene. I
learned quickly that it's best not to expose my true "wannabe"
nature.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Q: Tell me a little bit more about this job you took as the
director of membership for the non-profit association. How did it
get you involved in things? And where did that lead you?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
For the remainder of this interview, see
http://www.musesmuse.com/int-smeby.html#newsletter .
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" O N S I T E " F E A T U R E D A R T I C L E :
THE EMERGING ARTIST:
WHAT MAKES A GREAT MUSICIAN?
© 2000 By Leon and Sheryl Olguin
http://www.musesmuse.com/ea-greatmusician.html
Leon and Sheryl Olguin, the owners of S.O.L.O. Productions and this
site's newest columnists, share their ideas about how to take your
songwriting and music to that "next level". Whether you're a
beginner wanting to learn more about the craft, or a seasoned
player who wants to come "out of the closet" with your songs, their
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article outlines just a few of the character traits they've noticed
in successful musicians over the years. If you want to make it in
the music business, the best way to do that is to stand out from
the crowd - and here are some good ways to do just that!
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Check it out - http://www.cdstreet.com/
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THE SONGWRITING EDUCATION RESOURCE
Stop by the educational songwriting website run by professional
songwriters Danny Arena & Sara Light. Features include, numerous
songwriting articles, songwriting courses, discussion board, free
classifieds, email and much more. Coming soon: our web classroom
where you'll be able to take our songwriting courses over the
Internet! - http://www.craftofsongwriting.com/
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DISCOVER SHAREWARE MUSIC MACHINE and explore the world of software
which will help make writing and recording your songs a breeze!
Featuring over 2100 software titles to freely download as well as
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effects to hard disc recording to the latest sound players, head to
http://www.hitsquad.com/smm/?muse
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Jodi Krangle ............................................. EDITOR
Kathryn Obenshain ...........................GRACIOUS PROOFREADER
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All articles copyrighted by their authors.
Back issues and other information will be available at:
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