December 2021
Guild Tidings
The official publication of
The International Songwriters Guild
Volume 26, No. 12
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 December 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 are asking 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.
Juke Joints and Bar Room Songs
By Jackie Mason
I have been hanging out in bars all my life. The reason that I have spent so much of my time in those places is because of music. I began to seriously play music in 1978. That lifestyle came to a crashing halt in March 2020. That was when the pandemic arrived. I haven’t played a gig since. Sometimes after a gig I would find some out of the way place and study the bands or the performer. You may say I’m one track minded and I’d agree with you but I can now tell you why. I’m like a lot of musicians, I’m on the autistic spectrum. It’s good to know who and what you are. I have played several gigs in my dreams lately. Some of them have been anxiety fueled night time trips. Will I ever work again? I also remember the logistics of the rooms that I’ve played in. Things like the distance from my vehicle to the stage. That becomes important when you’re toting heavy equipment into crowded joints. True to form, I was always absorbing music as I staggered beneath the weight of those speakers. May I offer the Ever Present songs! The ones I heard during my nightly journeys as I pursued my autistic passion.
The first song on my playlist is the slow, sultry “Black Velvet” sung by Canadian singer Alanna Myles. Written by her boyfriend Christopher Ward and producer David Ward, the song is an example of how to begin a song. From the opening bluesy, acoustic riff and the bass, it’s instantly recognizable.The beat is slow and steady, punctuated by organ stabs and guitar slashes. At times, the organ is like a back wash and these musical colors are just under her voice in the soundscape. Alanna’s voice is made for this song.This production hasn’t dated since it was released in 1989. The bass is the glue that holds it together. The words of the first verse are just as captivating. If we think of a song as being constructed like a house, the first verse is a most welcome living room.
“Mississippi in the middle of a dry spell
Jimmy Rodgers on the Victrola up high
Mama's dancin' with baby on her shoulder
The sun is settin' like molasses in the sky
The boy could sing, knew how to move everything
Always wanting more, he'd leave you longing for
Black velvet and that little boy's smile
Black velvet with that slow southern style
A new religion that'll bring ya to your knees
Black velvet if you please”
All the song writing teachers tell us to to use description. These words are the furniture in the living room. “The sun is settin’ like molasses in the sky,” it’s a piece of poetry. We know the baby is Elvis Presley by the time the second verse ends. Later to be confirmed by Christopher Ward. The song was inspired by a bus trip to Graceland, Memphis. Black Velvet was the hair dye that Elvis used.
https://songmeanings.com/songs/view/12474/#:~:text=Song%20Meaning%20Black%20velvet%20is%20def%20about%20Elvis.,because%20his%20voice%20was%20so%20smooth%20and%20soulfull
The video was recorded on Alanna’s family farm, where Ontario, Canada becomes Mississippi for a day. I’d never seen the video before. As I said earlier, the song is a background track to my life. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tkXNEmtf9tk
This next song evokes images of a smokey bar in Northern Ontario where I actually played for a few days. I can see a bar room brawl in my imagination. The stage had a safety net. You can see one in The Blues Brothers movie!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RdR6MN2jKYs Aah memories!
Released in 1973 on the “Band on the Run'' album, “Let Me Roll It” it is still a staple of Paul McCartney’s stage show. It’s another slow blues burner with another seductive bass that continues to glue together the production throughout the recording. The song really takes off at around the 27 sec mark with a searing guitar lick. That lick is repeated after each verse. There is an effective hesitated start to some musical lines. There is an organ which serves as a backwash. Here’s a video of Paul McCartney and Wings on their 1976 US tour.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mcAmPfwal8E McCartney’s voice is drenched in echo. So much so that people thought it was his old musical partner singing, John Lennon. If you listen to Lennon’s “Cold Turkey” you’ll understand the comparison. The slashing guitar lick also supports the comparison. The album track was recorded in London and Lagos. It was during the time that the two men were exchanging musical snipes at one another. I’ve always interpreted the words to be about passing a marijuana joint. Here are some other thoughts about it.
https://www.songfacts.com/facts/paul-mccartney-wings/let-me-roll-it The song that I hear in my mind is the original album track. That’s what I heard as I tore down the stage each night.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kWFehaQEMYI
I’m also including a link to a fascinating BBC documentary about the making of “Band on the Run.” It’s a really cool video. Why were they in Lagos?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z9dEqN-dQtY
The next song has only one thing in common with the others. It’s a classic jukebox favorite. Stylistically it’s a combination of new wave, celtic, blue eyed soul and pop. Released as a single in 1983 “Come On Eileen” by Dexys Midnight Runners would become the Best British Single at the 1983 Brit Awards. By the time the song would become a massive worldwide smash, the band was in its third incarnation and had lost 16 previous members. The song was written by lead singer Kevin Rowland, trombone player Jim Paterson and banjo player Billy Adams. Parts of the song can be attributed to other sources. Rowlands has stated that previous member, guitarist Al Archer contributed to the “essence of the tune.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Come_On_Eileen The song begins with a slow Irish fiddle melody. Thomas Moore’s “Believe Me, If All Those Endearing Young Charms. This is taken from the above Wikipedia entry. It then breaks into an up tempo bass which we’ve heard before in Tom Jones’s song “It’s Not Unusual.” And so it continues as other musical inspirations are cobbled and molded into the song. Here are some song facts.
https://www.songfacts.com/facts/dexys-midnight-runners/come-on-eileen It even has a lead banjo break! The song is about first love in a sexually repressed culture. And just in case you thought the band were one hit wonders, here is a link to another musical documentary. It talks about the band's history, previous British hits and the long creative journey of “Come On Eileen.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ewRofRIm5uM “The Chaotic Story Of Dexys Midnight Runners and Come On Eileen”
Here is the song with the original video.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O_i9t7h8AgY
I will be returning to this song again. I worked in lots of Irish bars and this is another soundtrack to my life.
From the tower of song, stay safe.
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 November, since no live meeting.
New members and guests are always welcome!
© 2021 ISG