Guild Tidings
The official publication of
The International Songwriters Guild
Volume 29, No. 07
July 2024
Live meetings are Cancelled due to CoronaVirus.
However, we will be having on-line Zoom meetings.
The next zoom feedback session will be Sunday July 7th at 5pm.
We will send details under a separate e-mail,
and an announcement on the Facebook group page.
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.
SPECIAL GUEST FOR JULY
We are looking forward to a visit from Luanne Hunt who is the
newly appointed president of the Ocala Chapter of the Florida
Songwriters Association.
She is a 30-year veteran songwriter with many hits. She reached
out because she is accepting online submissions from Florida-based
singer/songwriters to perform in her new showcase series for the
"Nashville Nights!" events, which are sponsored by Villagers for Veterans,
a longstanding 501(c)3 that raises money to provide severely wounded
veterans financial resources and housing.
"It is truly an honor for me to give back in this manner and also bring
Nashville-style entertainment to The Villages."
Here are more details: https://luannehunt.com/nashville-nights
We are asking members to renew their dues for 2024. 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.
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/
C’est La Vie
by Jackie Mason
In 2017, I attended a music business class presented by Nancy Moran of Azalea Music. One piece of advice was to stick to a fixed set list. I’m not sure how I had managed to develop the poor performing habit of just winging my sets. I instinctively realized she was correct and made a note of it.
https://azaleamusic.com/ This is a good website with some helpful blogs that you may wish to read. One blog that is particularly relevant to me is an article about the importance of “wood-shedding.” It was written in 2016 by Nancy’s partner Fett. Some of you may not be aware of the term “wood-shedding.” It’s often used by musicians in Nashville. This is how Fett explains it. “The term comes from the idea of going out to the “woodshed” in the backyard (or some similar, solitary place), and working at something, over and over again, until it’s perfected.”
https://azaleamusic.com/the-importance-of-woodshedding/
It’s a good article and one to take to heart.
Seven years later I find myself starting over again. I am figuring out set lists. I am considering the pace and energy of my sets. To use an old horse racing term, I need to come out of the gate flying. I know, also, that I have a lot of wood-shedding ahead of me.
One of my opening songs will be an old Chuck Berry song, “You Never Can Tell.” It’s sometimes known as “C’est La Vie.” I find this song interesting in different ways. It’s a great example of the lyrical poetry and storytelling that Berry brought to all his songs. It was written in the early 1960’s when Berry was serving a sentence in federal prison. It has only two chords and has an infectious dance rhythm. Recorded at Chess Studios, it features Berry’s long time piano partner Johnnie Johnson playing an iconic solo and some catchy riffs and fills. Chuck’s guitar is only featured at the start of the song with a blues turnaround. Another notable cover was by Emmylou Harris which was released in 1977.
In 1994 it was used for the dance contest In Quentin Tarantino’s film “Pulp Fiction.” It was a Twist contest featuring John Travolta and Uma Thurman and as a result the song gained a new lease of life and popularity. I will add that a criteria for my sets is that most of my songs are danceable. That was another bad habit I picked up. I had too many ballads.
There are only four verses with the first verse being reprised at the end. This is verse 2;
“They furnished off an apartment with a two room Roebuck sale,
The coolerator was crammed with TV dinners and ginger ale,
But when Pierre found work, the little money comin' worked out well,
C'est la vie, say the old folks, it goes to show you never can tell.”
There is so much detail in this verse. It comes across as simple but we know it’s not simple. It’s a skill to come up with a verse that tells a little story. He invents a new word for the refrigerator. It’s a “coolerator” now.
At the webpage SongMeanings you may view the complete lyrics. https://songmeanings.com/songs/view/74395/ The comment thread is good. I express thanks to “jermstead” for this comment.
“It is about a teenage wedding that actually lasted. "C'est la vie" is a french expression that translated in English means "that's life" sometimes it works out and sometimes it doesn't hence you never can tell.”
As I complete this article I am thinking that someone should teach a Chuck Berry course. So long from the slippery side of town and the Song Motel.
WebChatter
by CyberToad
My adventures in AI
As a computer enthusiast (I call myself Cybertoad for a reason), I have been a bit late to the AI game. I must admit that in the past week or so I have been flirting with AI, and finding some pretty scary/amazing/interesting results.
I admit that I don't have any solid info to share with you, but the two AI music creation companies I looked into are suno.com and udio.com They both have free versions, where you get some credits to use each day, and also you get more features with their paid tiers. Both will allow you to input your own lyrics or have it generate them, and will build a musical song, (or instrumental) based on what musical styles or moods you choose.
At this point in time, suno seems to create a longer song snippet, but both of them give you the opportunity to extend the original snippets.
Another feature is that you can upload your own audio, but it's not available on the free version for suno anyway. The vocals do sound AI, but it is certainly a very entertaining rabbit hole to explore. Here is Jonny Keeley's take on it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZxYAtL0D50A
Andrea Stolpe always has good advice. Here's one dear to my heart.
https://www.andreastolpe.com/articles/saving-time-as-a-songwriter
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 June, since no live meeting.
New members and guests are always welcome!
© 2024 ISG