April 2013
Guild Tidings
The official publication of
The International Songwriters Guild
Volume 18, No. 4
NEXT MEETING - 5:00pm Sunday, April 7th, 2013
Officers:
Newsletter/Articles
Jeff Mason, jeffrey_mason@me.com
Meeting Coordinator/Critique scoring/CFMA Liason
Matthew Campbell, matthew_sax77@yahoo.com
Membership/Certificates/Contact
Susan Foster-Trewick, susiecool2001@yahoo.com
407-760-2153
E-mail Contact, isgorlando@gmail.com
Website
Carlos Colon, videosaysitall.fl@gmail.com
352-267-5911
Treasurer/NSAI Liason
Asli Goncer, asli@cfl.rr.com
Secretary
Jacquelyn Gould, songsuite@gmail.com
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.isgorlando.org or myspace page at
http://www.myspace.com/internationalsongwritersguildorlando
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 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.
Web Chatter
By SusieCool
Just a quick blurb to let you know that I have rejoined "Just Plain Folks" http://www.jpfolks.com
which is a free online group of songwriters. It is run by Brian Austin Whitney, and offers message
boards, and road trips. The last time I was involved, they had a road trip through Eustis in the
mid 2000's, and I played at their gig. All that you need to do is to sign up for their newsletter,
and voila, you are a member. I posted info about ISG in their Orlando message board, which is
somewhere near the bottom of the list. Please check them out, they are a friendly bunch, and very
helpful.
The Story So Far
Part 1
By Jeff Mason
Sometimes I do despair. I will be playing a room and everybody is absorbed and
preoccupied with their cell phones. It’s sad because we are truly not listening when our attention
is on a hand held device. We are also less observant. The great story tellers in music have always
been astute observers of the human condition.
I fear for the future of the story song because it is a song form that demands
attention. I fervently hope that there are younger artists who are writing these kinds of songs
and keeping this art alive. I’m looking for songs with a beginning, a middle and an end. They
should be like a short story or a film. In his February 2011 article on TAXI’s Transmitter,
songwriter Michael Anderson examines the subject.
http://www.taxi.com/transmitter/1102/songwriting-the-story-song.html
He writes about Shel Silverstein’s humorous song A Boy Named Sue which was made
popular by Johnny Cash. It’s written in an AAA song form and covers a variety of emotions from
beginning to end. The first verse introduces us to the two central characters of the story. The
absent father and the son who has been saddled with “that awful name.” They are the stars of
Silverstein’s little musical play. We are taken on an emotional ride full of colorful expressions
resulting in one of the characters seeing things from a “different point of view.” The AAA form is
perfectly suited to the story song with the title often appearing at the end or the beginning of
each verse. Another fine story song is Harry Chapin’s Taxi. Again the song’s two main characters
are featured immediately which is another technique which we can use when writing a story song. We
meet the two former lovers in a random encounter in a taxi and learn about their past and their
hopes for the future. The ending is poignant as the story teller realizes that they’ve achieved
that future but it’s not really what they’d expected. Remember that we are limited to a small
window to tell our story. Another important technique in the story song is the satisfying payoff.
The AAA form is a traditional format with roots extending into European folk
music. An example of this is Barbara Allen, which is first mentioned in Samuel Pepy’s diary in
1666. It later appears in The English and Scottish Popular Ballads, collected by Frances James
Child and published between 1882 and 1898. It is a sad story of unresolved love culminating in
suicide. This theme is revisited in Bobby Gentry’s haunting Ode To Billy Joe. There are two main
characters and four costars who talk of ordinary, mundane things while skirting the unthinkable.
Most of the sixty’s folk rockers explored the story song. Bob Dylan’s Tangled
Up In Blue and Neil Young’s Sugar Mountain would be good songs to study. I am impressed by David
Bowie’s Space Oddity which was released in 1969. Dylan is such an expert with lyrics that he can
tell five stories in one and have a title which seems to make no sense. Take a look at Like Tom
Thumb’s Blues. Yet he pulls it off. The Irish pub bands like The Clancy Brothers and The
Dubliners were storytellers and later The Pogue’s Fairy Tale of New York continued the tradition.
Country music is one genre where the story song has thrived. Some fine examples to be found
amongst it’s repertoire are Dean and Roy Acuff’s Big Bad John which was made popular by Jimmy
Dean. In the 1970s’ and 80s’ Kenny Rogers was successful with Lucille, The Gambler and Coward of
the County. Dennis Linde’s dark comedy about spousal abuse and murder Goodbye Earl became a big
and controversial hit for the Dixie Chicks.
The story song is a very hard form to master. My criteria as stated earlier
is a song with a beginning, a middle and an end. I’ve managed to write myself into several corners
in my own pursuits to come up with a satisfying song. There is much toil involved in mastering
this art. Next month I will examine some of the younger artists who are laboring at this type of
song.
See you next month.
ISG Bulletin Board
Videography and website management services at a price you CAN AFFORD. Capturing your wedding or
event on video may not be in your budget but you’re hoping that you may have something left over
to hire a videographer. I will fit your budget. My goal is to offer my services to those who
otherwise would have to pass because of funds. This is your special day and you most definitely
want to capture those moments. Visit my website at http://www.videosaysitall.com . Thanks and call
me anytime (352-267-5911)…Carlos Colon
Central Florida Folk http://cffolk.org/song_circle/song_circle.htm
is having an acoustic song circle at the Sleeping Moon on the last Wednesday
of each month.
http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/26/1556023/restaurant/Orlando/Sleeping-Moon-Cafe-Winter-Park
Their food is great and the song circle is from 7 till 10pm.
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.
We’re always looking for material for the newsletter. If you have any information that you would
like to see added to the newsletter, please see Jeff Mason at the meetings or email him at
jeffrey_mason@me.com . Please keep your articles brief and to the point. Print deadline for the
newsletter is approximately two weeks prior to the monthly meeting.
Classified advertising may be placed free of charge to members in good standing with the ISG. For
more information on display advertising and/or classified advertising for non-members, please
contact Jeff by the print deadline (usually the Friday 16 days prior to the monthly meeting);
email is best ( jeffrey_mason@me.com ).
Why isn't your gig announced here? Call us with your appearance schedule!
Open Mic Night hosted by Matthew "Sax" Campbell
Thursdays, 7-10pm, sign-up starts at 6:45
Quokka Coffee
131 Broadway Ave. (corner of Broadway & Monument)
Kissimmee, FL 34741
free music
Organic fair trade coffee, beer, wine, sandwiches, salads, and pastries with specials
Full P.A. and 6 string acoustic guitar provided
family-friendly atmosphere
Rain or shine
Matthew
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. http://www.myspace.com/internationalsongwritersguildorlando
Past Certificate winners can be found at
https://sites.google.com/site/isgsusiecool/home/resultslist-2
No critique competition for March
New members always welcome!
© 2013 ISG