September 2014
Guild Tidings
The official publication of
The International Songwriters Guild
Volume 19, No. 9
NEXT MEETING - 5:00pm Sunday, September 7th, 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
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.
Any Details not in this newsletter are at:
www.tinyurl.com/isgsongs
WebChatter
By SusieCool
I just wanted to let you know of a couple of Videos by an amusing guy called Brett Domino.
The subject is "How To Make A Hit Pop Song".
Part 1:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JV2s0UIPOQY&list=PL_uv8Ybuic9CekUqSbfanrNnExqyswJoI
Part 2:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5xIUeNJIrak&index=2&list=PL_uv8Ybuic9CekUqSbfanrNnExqyswJoI
Thematic #1
By Jeff Mason
I have been researching theme songs used in films and television. At our last
meeting, I gave a short presentation on four songs that have featured as opening songs in recent
television shows. In this article I’d like to take an in depth look at those songs.
In her 2010 book “Shortcuts to Songwriting for Film and T V,” author Robin
Frederick states: “In this field, your eyes and ears are the most important learning tools you
have. It’s important to watch and listen to the song examples in this book.” She then provides a
Resource section for inexpensive, easy ways to stream, rent or buy them. The same criteria
applies to the songs I’m writing about here. It is cheap and easy to download an episode of each
song and video sequence at iTunes or Amazon. Other resources may be Hulu or Netflix.
“The Bridge” is a gritty crime drama set on the US-Mexican border. The bridge
connects El Paso to Juarez and the show deals with murder, illegal immigration, drug cartels and
prostitution. The theme song for the show is “Until I’m One With You.” It was written and
recorded by Ryan Bingham and is featured over a short opening video sequence. It is barely a song
but is extremely effective in this context. It consists of Bingham’s gravelly vocal and simple
acoustic guitar. There is an anguish in the words which are appropriate to the show’s dark
themes.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LiW5dozlQcw
Bingham won an Oscar, Grammy and a Golden Globe for his song “The Weary Kind.”
Co-written with veteran music producer T-Bone Burnett, the song was the theme song for the 2009
movie “Crazy Heart.” You may watch an interview with Burnett and Bingham on You Tube where they
discuss the making of the movie and the song.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vP-5XVwSNM0
The song is sung and played by Bingham and features his world weary voice
and simply picked acoustic guitar. Bingham sounds like a young Tom Waits according to “Texas
Music Magazine” with a “whiskey and cigarette throat that screams hard living.” It’s exactly this
kind of voice that music supervisors are looking for. Remember that in this field the song is not
the main focus. It is being used to support the show. Here is a quote from producer David Simon:
“I hate it when somebody purposely tries to have the lyrics match the visual. It brutalizes the
visual in a way to have the lyrics dead on point. Yet at the same time it can’t be totally off
point. It has to glance at what you’re trying to say.” Simon was the executive producer for the
critically acclaimed HBO series “The Wire.” The show is a drama set in Baltimore and the themes
are drug trafficking, the police department, the stevedores union, local politics, the school
system and the demise of the newspaper industry. It’s another gritty crime drama and Simon chose
as his theme song “Way Down In The Hole.” Written by Tom Waits, the song appeared on his 1987
album “Frank’s Wild Years.” Interestingly, a different recording was used for each season. The
opening sequence over which the song was played was altered, slightly, for each season and
performed by a different performer. Here are the artists in order, The Blind Boys of Alabama, Tom
Waits, The Neville Brothers, Domaje and Steve Earle. Each performance gives a different take on
Waits’s bluesy, gospel flavored song.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zmIvu1yg3bU
T-Bone Burnett is an artist, songwriter, guitarist and producer who brings a
wealth of knowledge and experience to any project that he’s involved in. Here are just a few of
the artists that he’s produced: Roy Orbison, John Mellencamp, Elton John and Elvis Costello. He
won four Grammy Awards for his work on “O Brother, Where Art Thou” including Producer of the
Year. Other notable film contributions include “The Big Lebowski,” “Cold Mountain” and “Walk the
Line.” You may discover more about his forty year career at his web page
http://www.tboneburnett.com/
As the music supervisor for the HBO drama “True Detective”, Burnett chose the
poetic “Far From Any Road” to be the show’s theme song. Written and recorded by Brett and Rennie
Sparks of the alternative country band The Handsome Family. The song can be heard on their 2002
album “Singing Bones.” This drama is set in rural Louisiana and tracks the lives of two
detectives who are trying to apprehend a serial killer. The show is beautifully directed by Cary
Joji Fukunaga and the scenery of southern Louisiana is almost a character under Fukunaga’s
skilled hand. Rennie Spark’s dark, imaginative lyrics are a perfect complement to Fukunaga’s
intense direction. The song is played over an opening sequence and this video sequence must be
viewed to appreciate Burnett’s choice. The show’s direction also highlights the stark industrial
waste lands of coastal Louisiana.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZRPpCqXYoos
I will continue to explore this subject in my next article. 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? Members in good standing
call us with your appearance schedule! 407-760-2153
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
No Song Contest for August
New members always welcome!
© 2014 ISG