June 2019
Guild Tidings
The official publication of
The International Songwriters Guild
Volume 24, No. 6
Next meeting Sunday June 2nd 2019 at 5pm
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, networking and
introductions. 5:30 to 6:00, presentation by a guest speaker (when scheduled),
or a short workshop/exercise. 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 will be having a visit from Entertainment Attorney Kris Nichols on June 2nd.
He is also a musician and Songwriter. He will talk to us about his experiences,
and I hope you bring your questions for him. Please watch the video below to get
some of your questions already dealt with.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bxcfsPnDMZM
Looking For Joni
By Jeff Mason
Writing these articles can be like chasing a white rabbit down a hole. I never know
what unexpected Wonderlands I will find as I click from link to link. I have started to think
of these articles as treasure maps.
I have realized that my music listening habits have changed since subscribing to
Apple Music. It is an unexpected evolution. I use the term “evolution” because I am constantly
refining these habits. I was going to call it focused listening but upon reflection my listening
has always been focused. I am a working musician and learning new songs is a part of my job.
Since last summer I have been listening to the music of Ray Davies and The Kinks. Before
the subscription service, it would have cost me a considerable amount of time and money to
listen to all of their discography. Not anymore. Now with a couple of clicks I am combing through
their 55 year old back catalog. As I am doing that I am listening to interviews, watching old concert
footage and examining their creative process. After this amount of time I am getting to know these
songs. I am singing them as I go about my daily chores. I am aware that my singing has improved
with no real effort on my part! I am also clapping along to these songs. I am beating time to them
and dancing to them! I am finding my groove to quote an old clichè! It’s learning by osmosis. It’s
the best way to learn. It’s using some of the same skill set that it takes to learn another language.
Accompanying this new way to listen and appreciate music is the phone. It is an important
tool that I use daily. From using the voice memo to record new song ideas or screen shooting texts
and messages. I am using those screen shots to come up with new ideas derived from those
conversations. I am playing my music from my phone and listening on a wireless speaker. It felt
strange to actually play a CD last week!
I have started to work my way through Joni Mitchell’s catalog. I have been a casual fan of her
music. This time I have been diving into her music and have had to correct a couple of assumptions.
First I had continued to place her in the 60’s/folk/ Woodstock style of music. Like any other assumption
this was unfair of me. While it is true that she emerged from that folk tradition she has continued to
explore other styles of music. I had mistakenly thought she was a 12 string guitar player. Maybe
because she always plays in peculiar tunings. I had listened to her 1974 “Blue” album and as a
Canadian had felt a kinship to it. I also had listened to her 1974 album “Court and Spark.” It was an
album I played over and over. I knew vaguely that she had experimented with jazz. In this new
exploration of her work she has awoken the jazz aficionado in me.
So this article has begun a search into Joni’s creative process. The first station in this quest has
led me to this interesting web site
The treasure hunt has begun. This post is an excerpt from “The Complete Singer-Songwriter” written
by Jeffrey Pepper Rodgers.It presents us with 5 starting points to write songs. It is supplemented with
advice and anecdotes from famous songwriters including Joni Mitchell. One important tip is to embrace
mistakes or what I’ve referred to as “happy accidents.” This is what Joni has to say about mistakes:
“If you’re only working off what you know, then you can’t grow. It’s only through error that discovery is
made, and in order to discover you have to set up some sort of situation with a random element, a strange
attractor, using contemporary physics terms. The more I can surprise myself, the more I’ll stay in this
business, and the twiddling of the notes is one way to keep the pilgrimage going. You’re constantly pulling
the rug out from under yourself, so you don’t get a chance to settle into any kind of formula.”
This post is well worth your time in looking at it. One of the best quotes came from the comment section.
“Arlo Guthrie talks about songwriting being like fishing and waiting for an idea to come floating along -
sometimes you catch them but sometimes they float on by - or you just let them go. He also warns
against fishing downstream from Bob Dylan.”I can think of a few others I wouldn’t fish downstream from!
For this article I will leave you with a link to Mr. Pepper Rodger’s book.
https://jeffreypepperrodgers.com/the-complete-singer-songwriter/
I hope you find some inspiration from this piece. There’s more to come on Ms Mitchell. 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 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 Wednesday June 19th 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. The event usually takes place on 3rd Wednesdays, but sometimes
2nd Wednesdays. 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 admin for a Facebook group called "Orlando Creative Music Network"
where we give out info on songwriter meetings, playing circles, open mics, workshops and concerts.
We have a Facebook page for this group if you want to join.
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
No Critique competition for May.
New members always welcome!
© 2019 ISG