April 2014
Guild Tidings
The official publication of
The International Songwriters Guild
Volume 19, No. 4
NEXT MEETING - 5:00pm Sunday, April 6th, 2014
The International Songwriter’s Guild meets at 5 PM on the first Sunday of every month at
the Central Florida Musician’s Union building, 3020 East Robinson (at the extreme east
end of Robinson, near Orlando Executive Airport ) in Orlando.
Songwriters, composers, performers, publishers, and the curious are encouraged to join
us. Non-members are invited to attend a meeting or two to get a feel for our group and
what we do. For more information, visit our website at www.tinyurl.com/isgsongs or
myspace page at https://myspace.com/21075001
The meetings will be structured as follows: 5:00 to 5:30, business and introductions.
5:30 to 6:00, presentation by a guest speaker (when scheduled), 5:30 or 6:00 to 8:00,
song critiques. Please bring a CD or I-phone or mp3 player or perform your song live, and
bring 10 or more lyric sheets. If we have at least 5 songs by members who wish to be
scored, and 6 members scoring, then we will have them entered in the Monthly competition.
Everyone is encouraged to write constructive comments on the lyric sheets.
Tips 2
By Jeff Mason
I had a good response to my last article in which I analyzed a music
industry tip. I’d like to repeat the process but this time the songs required are to be
written from a male perspective.
This is a new tip from TAXI which read as follows;
“ALT COUNTRY/ROCK SONGS with Male vocals are needed by an A-List Hollywood Music
Supervisor working on a Major Broadcast Network Hit TV Show. She's searching for Down-
To-Mid-Tempo Songs in the general stylistic wheelhouse of artists like Deer Tick, Drive-
by Truckers, Glossary, etc. Please check out the following songs to hear the texture,
tone, and vibe that could work for this pitch”
This tip included links to three songs by the above mentioned artists.
I am happy to write that I’d actually heard of Deer Tick and Drive- By Truckers!
I didn’t know what Alternative Country/Rock meant. I listened to the
first song “Twenty Miles” by Deer Tick and I couldn’t hear much of a country influence.
http://bit.ly/1iAmEbQ It’s a simple four chord song with closer ties to folk than
country. I decided to take a closer look at the tip which had other criteria;
“Your Songs should be acoustic-based with subtle ambient electric
guitar sounds. Give this Music Supervisor cool, laid-back, atmospheric songs that could
easily play in the background of a scene. It's important to have an authentic band or
small ensemble feel that's not too loud, aggressive, or overpowering. We wouldn't want to
overpower that dialogue, now would we?! Give them something that stylistically falls
somewhere between Alt/Country and Alt/Rock (like the referenced songs ). You'll be wise
not to go too far in either direction. Aim for the middle.”
After reading this part of the tip, I started to understand why the
Deer Tick song had been cited. It does seem to fall stylistically between Alt/Country and
Alt/Rock.
It’s important to read and fully understand what this Music
Supervisor is looking for. Many songwriters fail to read the criteria and are bewildered
when their song isn’t selected. There was more important criteria concerning lyrical
content;
“Your vocal performance should be strong, unique, and earnest. Introspective, soul-
searching lyrics with a slightly bittersweet or melancholy vibe could work best. Please
submit Songs with universal lyrics. Steer clear of references to specific names, dates,
times, places, brands, profanity, etc. Lyric themes with a slightly worn down or darker
outlook on life, love, heartaches, relationships, etc., could work well for this show.”
The choice of “Twenty Miles” made more sense to me after reading the
last piece of criteria. It does have a “worn down” feel to it. It’s not a power rock song
that would interfere with the show’s dialogue. Nor do the lyrics include “specific names,
dates, places, brands or profanity” that would contradict the script.
The next song cited was “Goddamn Lonely Love” by Drive- By Truckers
http://bit.ly/1l1jMHT It’s a bluesy country song with the same kind of world weary lyrics
that the Music Supervisor is seeking. This song had more of the “subtle, ambient,
electric guitar sound” that the Supervisor needed. Another more well known song in this
vein might be “Desperado” by The Eagles.
The final song is “Ghosts In The Vapor” by Glossary
http://spoti.fi/1cWHzWz I liked this song and found the guitars had a stronger ambient
feel than the other songs. It is a more “atmospheric” song and benefits from the
judicious use of echo which gives it a spacey sound.
I’ve come to realize that I need to have a well organized catalog
of original songs.They could be grouped by style or by mood. When an opportunity comes
along I should be able to make an immediate pitch. I need to develop a network of
musicians whom I can call upon for specific projects.I can’t stress the importance of
knowing one’s DAW (Digital Audio Workstation) inside out. I know there are many studios
around but in this arena you need to be able to work quickly and independently. That or
have a partner with these skills. This tip had a four day window.
If I were to pitch for this music opportunity I would have a song
written with world weary lyrics. I would gather a small ensemble of local musicians to
record it. This is not beyond the capabilities of the musicians plying a living in this
area.
Here is the last criteria mentioned in the tip;
“Do NOT copy or rip off the referenced artists or songs in any way, shape, or form.
Broadcast Quality is needed (great sounding home recordings are fine).”
I hope you take a listen to these songs and analyze them for
yourselves. See you next month.
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 announced here? Call us with your appearance schedule!
Current members please send us your website info if you would like your site to be listed
in the ISG members page. Also if you have any songs that have placed first in the monthly
critiques, please send the mp3's to isgorlando@gmail.com if you would like to have them
featured in the ISG MySpace page. https://myspace.com/21075001
March 2014 Song critique results
1. To The Heart of You Stephanie C S Barker
2. Kiss Hello Goodbye Susan Foster-Trewick, Rick Sweeting
Tie 3. Come on Over Melanie Fisher
3. Under The Moon Ron Rich
3. You Ain't Been Loved Will Campbell
New members always welcome!
Any Details not in this newsletter are at:
© 2014 ISG