January 2016
Guild Tidings
The official publication of
The International Songwriters Guild
Volume 21, No. 1
Next Meeting Sunday January 3rd 5:00pm
We will be renewing memberships in January. The annual Membership fee is $5.
We had a great Christmas party, with lots of food and music. Thanks especially to Melanie Fisher for bringing
Ham and Turkey, and to Michael Wallace for that huge dish of Lo Mein. Yum!! Also thanks to Matt Campbell
for bringing the sound equipment.
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:
If you wish to join our Facebook group, please check us out at
https://www.facebook.com/groups/831814850193553/
A Weekend In LA
By Jeff Mason
I joined TAXI at the end of last year. It was at a discounted price. I knew that I wasn’t ready to
take full advantage of my membership but free admission to the TAXI convention in LA was included with the
membership fee. I thought that attending the convention would be a worthwhile goal for the year. My other
goals for the year were to improve my recording skills and write more songs. Those goals are works in
progress and will continue to evolve in the new year.
Traveling was an experience. It always is. I’ve never traveled with a laptop before and was unaware
of the security complications associated with it. Another decision I made was to not take a guitar. For the
first time I had no instrument with me and I felt naked without it. I was, however, aware of the
difficulties involved in flying with an instrument. Anyway it seemed in keeping with my decision to
approach the business from a different angle. Can I write a song without a guitar? Of course I can. There
is so much music software available these days. I’ve a Garageband app on my phone. I’m traveling with a
rock band on my laptop and another on my phone.
The hotel was a Westin near LAX. The convention was being held at the hotel and TAXI had obtained
reasonable room rates for it’s members. I’d watched a TAXI video and knew what to expect at the convention.
I knew the hotel wasn’t located in the best of areas. It’s not a place to go walking alone late at night.
Oh yes I didn’t mention I was traveling alone. I’m used to that. I’ve been a solo performer for forty years
and I can live with myself! While the room rate was reasonable, the price of food in the hotel was
exorbitant. After one pricey Cobb salad I ate all my other meals at the local Dennys and a Thai restaurant
which was next to the hotel. I ate heaps of hot curry and rice that weekend!
Four nights on a single city block with airplanes preparing for landing and flying so close to my
window I could almost see the passengers. Some might ask how Los Angeles is. I don’t know. I saw a hotel,
an airport and part of a street.
The TAXI folks were wonderful and it was easy to meet people and make new contacts. Some of whom I
met in line while registering on the first evening. I met other people while lining up for the fourteen
seminars I attended. I met other friendly people at Dennys and the Thai restaurant. Obviously other folks
were economizing. We are musicians, don’t you know!
I have been writing the articles for ISG for five years. I’ve researched and written about some
of the featured guests at the convention. It was good to see and hear them. I learned about production in
classes presented by Rob Chiarelli and Ronan Chris Murphy.
http://www.ferocioustalent.com/rob-chiarelli/
Both of these producers are in the forefront of modern music production. I am always amazed at how well
trained their listening skills are. I came home inspired to improve my own hearing skills. I have made an
earnest effort to listen to newer, modern artists. A complaint that I hear often from people in my own age
group is how bad today’s music is. That’s just not true. Too many people are stuck in the past.
Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin suffered from the same problem.When The Beatles and The Rolling Stones
first appeared in America, Sinatra is rumored to have torn up the sheet music to
“Yesterday.” Lose those narrow ways of thinking, it just limits you, if you’re guilty of it.
A man named Nick Murray presented an interesting class on composing and producing music for
movie trailers. https://www.youtube.com/user/nickmurrayvideos
You may find examples of Nick’s work and some interesting tutorials at his youtube page.
I enjoyed the songwriting classes of Ralph Murphy. He’s an old hand in the business and is very
generous with his time. Ralph says he demos a hundred songs a year and gets a hit every three years. That’s
a goal. Write a hundred songs a year and produce them well.
http://murphyslawsofsongwriting.com/
Another intriguing speaker was Michael Anderson. He is an honest and refreshing teacher with a real dash
of realism in his approach. http://michaelanderson.com/Shot_o_Salvation.html
I get the feeling Michael has seen it all and then some.
Check out his book “Little Black Book of Songwriting” which is available on his web page.
I’m glad I went and will have more to tell 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.
SusieCool has just completed her latest CD called "The Best of SusieCool"
17 songs for just 15 dollars.
Details at: https://sites.google.com/site/susiecoolsongs/Home/cd-information
Why isn't your gig announced here? Members in good standing
call SusieCool with your appearance schedule! 407-760-2153
Asli Goncer will be one of the featured songwriters playing at the Smiling Bison 745 Bennet Rd Orlando 32803
on January 7th at 8pm for the "Last 1st Thursday Songwriting Series". There is an event page for this on Facebook.
https://www.facebook.com/events/1678985495651554/
Other featured guests for the this final edition include Rayvon PurpleKloud Rollins, David A. Gay, Keith Eaton, Siren Sea
Song and Playing Circles
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. 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 we have 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
Open Mics: If anyone wants to road test some of their material, I have a webpage of open mics in the
Orlando/Central Florida area.
https://sites.google.com/site/susiecoolsongs/Home/open-mic-directory-central-florida
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 critiques due to the Christmas party.
New members always welcome!
© 2015 ISG