June 2018
Guild Tidings
The official publication of
The International Songwriters Guild
Volume 23, No. 6
Next Meeting Sunday June 3rd 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 St.,
Orlando, FL 32803 (at the extreme east end of Robinson, near Orlando Executive
Airport)
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. If you wish to join, there is an annual fee of only $5. For
more information, visit our website at www.tinyurl.com/isgsongs
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/
Webchatter
by Cybertoad
We welcome new members James Allen and Taylor Dane Myers. Thanks to Taylor for coming to speak to us
about his studio and company Wholehearted Productions.
Here is the link to the Youtube interview Dane did with Intellectual Property Attorney Kris Nichols.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bxcfsPnDMZM
I have been reading up quite a bit about copyright law, and I can tell from this interview that not only
does Kris really know his stuff, but he also communicates it very clearly.
Thanks so much Dane for making this available to us.
Take care
SusieCool
On David Bowie
By Jeff Mason
It was a sad time. Our lives are so busy these days. Our lives play out with the noise of traffic and the insistent cell
phone as a back drop. Perhaps you were eating your breakfast or driving in your car, when the awful news was broken.
On January 10th, 2016, we heard of the unexpected death of English rocker David Bowie. One week later, The Eagle’s
Glenn Frey passed away. The year continued like this. In 2016, we lost Prince, Maurice White, Keith Emmerson, Merle
Haggard, Joey Feek, Sir George Martin, Leon Russell, Greg Lake and Leonard Cohen. There were others. Here is a
link to a CNN article paying tribute to the artists we lost that year. The year the music died.
https://www.cnn.com/2016/12/26/entertainment/musician-deaths-2016-year-music-died/index.html
“Blackstar” was the 27th and final studio album from David Bowie.” It was released two days before his death. It was
a farewell masterpiece, in my opinion, and a “parting gift” to his fans, according to co-producer Tony Visconti.
I had the good fortune to watch “David Bowie: The Last Five Years.” It is a fine documentary, made by Francis Whatley,
that takes a close look at Bowie’s last two albums, “The Next Day,” released in 2013, and the aforementioned “Blackstar.”
I found this documentary to be inspiring. We can see a creative artist working to his last breath. It connects the dots between
Bowie’s initial success, in 1969, with the song “Space Oddity” and his final, haunting video for the title track of the album
“Blackstar.” Beginning in 2004, we see the seemingly invincible Bowie on tour. Almost Peter Pan like at that point in his life,
we hear how the touring part of his career came to an abrupt end with a heart attack. After this, Bowie disappears from the
public eye, as Visconti says, “he said he wasn’t gonna work for a while, and he wasn’t sure he would record again.” We
discover that Bowie has a passion for jazz and a long held dream to write a musical. Finally returning to the studio for “The
Next Day.” This was a top secret project with all the musicians involved asked to sign a Non Disclosure Agreement.
“Valentine’s Day,” from the album, is lyrically precise and a straight ahead political song. Video director Indrani Pal-Chaudhuri
is quoted “he was troubled by the trend of people going and shooting kids.”
Bowie’s collaboration with jazz composer, arranger and pianist Maria Schneider culminates on the powerful “Sue
(Or In A Season of Crime)” on the “Blackstar” album. Making full use of the jazzy Donny McCaslin Band, the album is as
Visconti says,”everything David and I loved about big band music: That it’s discordant and strange and ethereal.”
“This band were trained musicians, so we had more colors to the palette.”
We learn that Bowie had wanted to make a musical of Orwell’s “1984.” The second Mrs Orwell had blocked that project.
We see his dream come to fruition with “Lazarus.” This song appears on the “Blackstar” album. The film takes us into rehearsals
for the show with Bowie in attendance. Throughout all of these creative scenes, both in the studio and the rehearsal room a
shadow looms. That being the inevitible knowledge of Bowie’s impending demise.
I returned to research more on Bowie’s songwriting techniques and found a reference to a 2008 interview where he
described “how he often comes up with interesting lyric lines by employing the “cut-up” writing technique used by author
William S Burroughs in his controversial novel “Naked Lunch.”
This is a great way to get your creative juices flowing and worth while looking at. Another method employed by Bowie
was to decide on a certain group of chords and stick with them. Although he admitted to bending the rules when necessary.
I leave you with this link to further discover this important artist’s creative process.
https://www.loudersound.com/features/david-bowie-on-songwriting
See you all 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 SusieCool with your appearance schedule! 407-760-2153
If you are interested in open mics in the Central Florida area, SusieCool has compiled a list.
https://sites.google.com/site/susiecoolsongs/Home/open-mic-directory-central-florida
If you want to join us at the Central Florida Folk song circle, please show up at
Bikes, Beans and Bordeaux at 3022 Corrine Drive on the last Wednesday of each month
from 6 to 8:30/9pm. The BBB has many delicious items on their menu, and also some vegetarian stuff.
They also serve beer and wine. They have a Facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/Central-Florida-Folk-Song-Circle-139385302761066/
On June 20th 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
SusieCool is the organizer of a Meetup.com group called
"Orlando Creative Music Network"
We have a Facebook page for this group if you want info.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/274152179716552/
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
May 2018 Critique Results
1. Veggie Wrap Lindsay Stroh 15.00
2. Damn Me For a Fool Jeff Evans 13.57
3. Time Rushes By Jim Allen 13.43
New members always welcome!
© 2018 ISG