Guild Tidings
The official publication of
The International Songwriters Guild
Volume 30, No. 02
February 2025
Live meetings are Cancelled due to CoronaVirus.
However, we will be having on-line Zoom meetings.
The next zoom feedback session will be
Sunday February 2nd at 5pm. Please see the zoom details
at the end of this newsletter.
We will also send details closer to the date, under a
separate e-mail, and an announcement on the Facebook group page.
please e-mail us at isgorlando@gmail.com if you have any questions
Hopefully we will soon be meeting in person again.
Please stay tuned for more info.
We are asking members to renew their dues for 2025. 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/
John Weldon Cale
By Jackie Mason
Last month I wrote about Tony Joe White. A singer/guitar player and a very good songwriter. He was also an artist who valued his privacy and his space to create. Similarly John Weldon Cale had no love for the spotlight. He’s better known as J J Cale and he was another very good songwriter. In 1965 Cale landed a regular gig at the famed Whiskey a Go Go where the club
co- owner Elmer Valentine renamed him J. J. Cale so as not to be confused with John Cale of the Velvet Underground. Some have said the J. J. stands for “Jean Jacqe” but it’s just a stage name.
My first introduction to his music was a jukebox song that I discovered in a Waffle House in Tarpon Springs. I was gigging and I would stop off and have a meal before the long drive home. The artists singing the song were Southern Rock Band, Lynyrd Skynyrd and I had no idea who actually wrote it. That song was “Call Me The Breeze.” I, later, came to like a couple of songs recorded by Eric Clapton. They were “After Midnight” and “Cocaine” and at some point I became aware that the songwriter of all three songs was J. J. Cale.
I was playing a party in 2019 and I’d had a request to try to play something by J. J. Cale. I chose the three aforementioned songs. I had the chords and the words but little else. I’d bitten off more than I could chew. It wasn’t my first mistake and it certainly won’t be my last. Six years later I’m a little better at them and a bit wiser. Music can be elusive especially where timing and feel are involved.
It’s his timing that’s hard to grasp. It’s sometimes called “Tulsa Time” which is also a song recorded by Don Williams and Erica Clapton. It’s true that J. J. was born in Oklahoma but there’s no direct connection to that song. Tulsa does have a small but vibrant music community and a famous studio “The Church Studio” once owned by Oklahoma native Leon Russell.
https://thechurchstudio.com/about/
The unusual thing about J. J. Cale was that he started as a studio engineer before playing guitar and had managed Russell’s first studio in Hollywood, “Skyhill Studios” In 1971 Cale would make use of an early drum machine. It was an Ace Tone FR-1 Rhythm Ace and Cale’s subtle recording of his first album “Naturally” would establish him as a recording songwriter. “Call Me The Breeze,” “Crazy Mama,” “Magnolia” and “After Midnight” are among the great tracks to be found on this fine debut album. As I researched this article I started to theorize that the drum machine might be the beginning of the “Tulsa Time” legend. Eric Clapton says as much in the following interview. He talks about “the pocket.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6-XKkIvNAgw Cale passed in 2013 and Clapton recorded a tribute album to his friend and mentor titled “The Breeze: An Appreciation of J. J. Cale.”
I found this description of “the pocket” in musical terms. It comes from musician Conrad Ashland:“In music, the term “pocket” is often used to describe a specific quality of rhythmic timing and feel in a performance, typically in the context of groove-based music such as jazz, funk, soul, and R&B. It refers to the tight, precise, and consistent rhythmic relationship between the different instruments or elements in a musical ensemble, creating a sense of cohesion and groove.”
https://conradaskland.com/blog/in-music-what-is-a-pocket/
Aside from Clapton, J.J Cale had other devotees including John Mayer, Neil Young and Mark Knopfler. Many appeared on Clapton’s tribute album. So why wasn’t J.J a bigger name. Well he was reclusive and he had integrity. For example he refused to lip sync on American Bandstand and he paid a commercial price. He’s a songwriter worth checking out.
Well that’s what I have for you this month. Adios from the song motel located in sunny, chilly Florida.
WebChatter
by CyberToad
Jackie asked me to remind you folks about the FAWM challenge. It is for the month of February,
and you are tasked with writing 14 songs in 28 days. I took this on in 2017, 2021, and 2024.
It was very inspiring and exhausting at the same time, and I came away with a few decent songs.
Also, I got an email from Andrea Stolpe. She has a new video on Youtube.
"Becoming a Songwriter"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cNBn5miA8EA&t=716s
It is a free songwriting course (2-1/2 hours) jam packed with inspiration and exercises.
The nice thing is that she has put time stamps in for the different lessons, so you can access
whichever lessons you want. She has asked us to share this with anyone interested in Songwriting.
She also provides a downloadable pdf guide "Becoming a Songwriter 2025" to follow along with the video.
Here's a quote from her email:
"In my 25+ year career as a multi-platinum songwriter and professor at Berklee & USC, I have helped
thousands of students improve their songwriting with these tools, myself included."
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 Florida East coast. Please call ahead
before making any long trips.
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 group for this group if you want to join.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/274152179716552/
New members and guests are always welcome!
© 2025 ISG
ZOOM DETAILS Sun Feb 2nd 5pm
*****************************************************************************
Central Florida Folk Inc. is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.
Please share a song for feedback by sending an email with an mp3 and a lyric sheet to
isgorlando@gmail.com with the words "Song Submission" and the title(s) in the subject
line. If you can submit by 12:00 noon on Feb 2nd that would be much appreciated.
Topic: ISG Song Feedback sessions. First Sundays 5pm
Time: Feb 2, 2025 05:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
To obtain the zoom links, please email us at isgorlando@gmail.com in plenty of time, so we
can send you the details.