September 2021
Guild Tidings
The official publication of
The International Songwriters Guild
Volume 26, No. 09
Live meetings are Cancelled due to CoronaVirus.
However, we will be having on-line Zoom meetings.
We will send details under a separate e-mail,
and an announcement on the Facebook group page.
We expect it to be scheduled for Sunday September 5th at 5pm.
If you want the zoom meeting details, please e-mail us
at isgorlando@gmail.com
Hopefully we will soon be meeting in person again.
Please stay tuned for more info.
Any Details not in this newsletter are at:
If you wish to join our Facebook group, please check us out at
https://www.facebook.com/groups/831814850193553/
WebChatter
by CyberToad
We have been forgetting to ask members to renew their dues. It costs only $5 per year, and it helps us to defray costs for the zoom meetings.
We have 2 methods of payment. Either paypal to our treasurer Asli Goncer's paypal account. The paypal access is at aslivision@gmail.com
or you can mail a $5 check to
Asli Goncer
2849 Babylon Court
Oviedo, FL 32765
Either way, we appreciate your continued support. Thanks to those who have paid this year.
American Songwriter
By Jackie Mason
As I sat down to write this article, I saw a post on Facebook. It was sad news. Charlie Watts, the urbane and sophisticated drummer for The Rolling Stones, had passed. It’s been a bad week in the music business. We lost Don Everly on Saturday. That one touched my heart. I’ve been teaching myself how to sing harmony. One of the songs that I’ve been working on was The Everly Brothers’ song “All I Have To Do Is Dream.” We also lost country songwriter and storyteller Tom T Hall. I really liked one of his songs, “Harper Valley PTA.” If that isn’t bad enough, singer/songwriter Nanci Griffith left us. Meanwhile the Delta variant of the Covid virus is ravaging our population. It’s sad times all around. Here is a link to a Billboard article listing all the tours that have been cancelled because of Covid.
Scroll further down this page and you will also find a tribute article listing some of Charlie Watt’s most notable contributions to the music of The Rolling Stones.
So what can we do? One plan of action may be to enter a songwriting competition. Immerse ourselves in our music. Whenever I’ve written about competitions I’ve skimmed the surface. I’ve entered a couple and never won anything. So let’s not make that the point. I need some motivation and some inspiration. There’s a three month window of opportunity before the December 1st, 2021 deadline to enter this year’s American Songwriter Competition. There’s a $10,000 first prize. I said I wouldn’t enter it to win but that would buy a lot of equipment! Ha ha! To be perfectly honest a lot of my gear is well past it’s best days. At $25 to enter, I think it’s an improvement over the Florida Lottery. I googled the lottery and I take the previous sentence back. The big prizes are much bigger in the lottery! Still in this competition I have a measure of control over my entry. As I said before, it’s motivation and inspiration. They are priceless.
https://americansongwriter.com/annual-song-contest-terms-and-conditions/ You can enter as many songs as you want at $25 per song.
Go to the webpage anyway. There’s so much inspiration and motivation to be found on this webpage and it’s all free!
The American Songwriter also has a bi-monthly lyric competition. I don’t have the deadline date available for the next one. Here’s an inspiring story. Quinten Collier is a writer and poet from Colorado. In 2010, “Collier won the https://americansongwriter.com/lyric-contest/ Grand Prize for his song “Roses And Wine,” scoring a “dream co-write” with Rodney Crowell in Nashville.” The two kept in contact and Collier kept sending his words to Crowell. Crowell crafted Collier’s words into the song “Somebody’s Shadow” which appeared on Crowell’s 2014 album “Tarpaper Sky.” Here is a link to the song.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bw_EJ_7Hg9w Here are the words to the first verse.
“I’ve seen her in the streetlight once
All edgy black and white
A flash of incandescence
Shape-shifting in the night
I spied her in a clearing
Out beyond the switching yard
I’ve seen her in a fever dream
And the Empress tarot card
On every crooked sidewalk
I’ve ever stumbled down
Where all roads lead to nowhere
On the other side of town.”
The imagery in this song is very good. Here is a link to an article about Collier and Crowell. From American Songwriter.
https://americansongwriter.com/eyes-prize-rodney-crowell-met-co-writer/
I only started listening to Rodney Crowell a couple of years ago. Lera Lynn had released an album of duets. Most of the songs were co-writes with her singing partners. Every song was a winner but her duet with Rodney Crowell really caught my attention. The album was called “Plays Well With Others” and the song is “Crimson Underground.” I was captured by the way his voice came in on the second verse. His tone and timing.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9MvhXNV7LS8
I think Lera was happy to be the apprentice on this particular project.
That’s all I have for now. Please be safe everyone.
ISG Bulletin Board
Meeting space graciously provided by Central Florida Musicians Association,
Local 389. You are invited to join the largest union in the world, representing the
interests of the professional musician. Visit their website at afm389.org for more
information. You may reach them by phone at: 407-894-8666.
Why isn't your gig or live stream announced here? Members in good standing call SusieCool
with your appearance schedule! 407-760-2153 or e-mail her the details at isgorlando@gmail.com
If you are interested in open mics in the Central Florida area, SusieCool has compiled a list.
Steve Hodak hosts several newly listed open mics on the East coast.
https://sites.google.com/site/susiecoolsongs/Home/open-mic-directory-central-florida
SusieCool is the admin for a Facebook group called "Orlando Creative Music Network"
where we give out info on songwriter meetings, playing circles, open mics, workshops and concerts.
We have a Facebook page for this group if you want to join.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/274152179716552/
No Critique scores for August, since no live meeting.
New members and guests are always welcome!
© 2021 ISG