September 2015
Guild Tidings
The official publication of
The International Songwriters Guild
Volume 20, No. 9
Next Meeting Sunday September 6th 5:00pm
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.
We are hoping to have a visit/talk soon from a representative from Soundwire Records, a local record
label that SusieCool has recently met. More details when we get closer to the meeting.
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/
Basement Tapes Continued
by Jeff Mason
In 2003, I was living in Tokyo. My favorite thing to do on my day off was to take the train to
a neighborhood called Jinbocho. It was Tokyo’s center for used book stores and publishing houses. The
area was full of musical instrument stores and record shops. I became aware of how vast the music
bootlegging business was, especially in Asia.
I think by October 1967 Bob Dylan’s retreat near Woodstock had been discovered by his more
obsessive fans and one day he just left. “By January 1968, the first 14 songs had been collected on
publishing demo acetates, just about anyone with a stake in the future of rock wanted to hear-and
indeed own-copies of Dylan’s own versions. As such, for the next seven years, the 14 (later, 18) songs
Dylan copyrighted would circulate first on reel-to-reel and then, from 1969, on the bootleg albums this
hallowed set of acetates spawned.”
http://www.theguardian.com/music/2014/oct/30/bob-dylan-basement-tapes-myth-reality-clinton-heylin
“The “Great White Wonder” or “GWW” was the first notable rock bootleg album, released in July
1969, and contains unofficially released recordings by Bob Dylan.” (Wikopedia.) Several songs were from
the Basement Tapes recorded in Big Pink, West Saugerties, New York. This bootleg was itself bootlegged
and so a multi-million dollar racket began and continues to this day.
The tape reels left behind at Big Pink have been painstakingly restored and rescued from age,
mildew, damp and even animal droppings (mice.) In 1975 an official version of “The Basement Tapes” was
released featuring songs by Dylan and songs written by members of The Band. A complete 6-CD set
containing 139 tracks was released in November 2014, “The Bootleg Series Vol. 11: The Basement Tapes
Complete.”
Also, in November 2014, a film by director Sam Jones was released. “Lost Songs: The Basement
Tapes Continued” focuses on “twenty-four sets of lyrics that were written by Bob Dylan during the
legendary, The Basement Tape’s sessions in 1967 but only recently rediscovered. Under the auspices of
producer T-Bone Burnett and with the approval of Bob Dylan an extraordinary collective of musicians was
brought together to set the lyrics to music: Elvis Costello, Rhiannon Giddens, Taylor Goldsmith, Jim
James and Marcus Mumford. The film presents an exclusive and intimate look at the making of the
accompanying “Lost On The River” album set against the important and historical cultural backdrop of
Bob Dylan and The Band’s original “The Basement Tapes.”
From my point of view the film highlights the different approaches to songwriting as
represented by Elvis Costello and Marcus Mumford. The songsmith approach of Costello who arrives at the
legendary Capitol Records studio with multiple melodies set to the lyrics and the tentative approach of
Mumford who has nothing prepared and must produce something over the two week period. The tensions are
palpable as Mumford paces the corridors of the studio seeking inspiration. Rhiannon Giddens of Carolina
Chocolate Drops is similarly unprepared. This from Giddens “I was unprepared for the amount of
preparedness that Taylor and Elvis and Jim did” and from Mumford “people secretly scribbling away,
writing mega hits.” Mumford continues “I’ve never written like this before” and “it’s like a game, pass
the hat and one has to write a song.” The master musician and producer, T-Bone Burnett quietly inspires
and oversees the sessions, “self consciousness ends the creative process.” Costello meanwhile observes
the pressure of the situation, “a band that never played before is potentially catastrophic.”
Both Giddens and Mumford survive and come through with flying colors and possibly the best
song of the sessions “Lost On The River.”
It should be stated that the session is conducted under very stressful conditions. A two week deadline
and a record release date overshadowing the project. Nothing like the laid back atmosphere of the
original “Basement Tapes” sessions.
Let me close with another pearl from Mr. Burnett,” a song grows out of life around it, a
song that resonates it is a mystery, it is metaphysical.”
See you next month.
WebChatter
By Cybertoad
Here's a link to a blog by Clay Mills about a song demo he made that was picked up by Darius Rucker.
You can listen to both the demo and the final recording. Pretty neat!!!
http://songtown.com/how-to-record-your-own-home-demos/
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 SusieCool with your appearance schedule! 407-760-2153
We are having a Performing Songwriter's night on August 21st.
We will be featuring Jeff Evans, Melanie Fisher and mellify (Matthew and Rebecca Campbell) and we will
have a songwriter's round featuring Dell Smith, SusieCool and Asli Goncer. This will be at the Sleeping
Moon Cafe from 7 to 10pm.
They have some really great food and teas and they also serve beer and wine, so bring your appetites
and your listening ears!!! Sleeping moon is at
495 N Semoran Blvd Suite 1, Winter Park, Florida.
I have posted a flyer on our ISG facebook page, (listed above), and also on the Sleeping Moon facebook
page. Please bring your friends.
If this goes well and we have a good audience then they will want to have us back!!
Also for anyone interested, Central Florida Folk hosts a song circle at the sleeping moon on the last
Wednesday of each month. 7 to 10pm. All are welcome. It is acoustic. Next one is this coming Wednesday
August 26th. They have a facebook page too.
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Central-Florida-Folk-Song-Circle/139385302761066?fref=ts
On the third Wednesdays of each month there is a playing circle with the Fingerstyle Guitar Group in the
Community room of the winter Park Library. 460 E. New England Ave.-- Winter Park, FL 32789.
6 to 8:30pm. Songwriters are welcome, but we do try to play our fingerstyle songs and not use picks.
There is more info on the facebook group page.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/228147620559285/?fref=nf
Current members please send us your website info if you would like your site to be listed in the ISG
members page. https://sites.google.com/site/isgsusiecool/home/links-and-recommended-reading/member-websites
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.
No critique scoring for August
New members always welcome!
© 2015 ISG