October 2007
Guild Tidings
The official publication of
The International Songwriters Guild
Volume 12, No. 10
NEXT MEETING: 5:00pm Sunday, October 7th, 2007
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 .
Officers:
President/Treasurer
Russ Robinson (407) 851-5328
Vice President/Member Reception/Newsletter
Matthew Griffin (407) 903-1212
Secretary
Jacquelyn Fain, crosstyes1@yahoo.com
Website
Carlos Colon (352) 326-4295
Archives
Barbara Ross (407) 862-2795
Membership
Gilda Corrales (407) 327-5494
President's Letter
Dear Members,
I had a nice surprise recently, Perry Como’s widow Laura called. She was in town and I had lunch with her. I played at his funeral, which I think was in June 2001. Most of our conversation was about the funeral and the people who were there. She still is very lonely for him; apparently they were very much in love.
Member Bob Luft called to say he’s on the road, and got to attend a songwriter’s meeting in Nashville . When they learned that he was from our group, they asked a lot of questions. Bob said that every song they did was country. He is a pianist, and played several years at Disney; country “is not my thing”, he said. Bob says eight songs were played, all in the key of A and all sounding very much alike!
I will be in California around Thanksgiving, and am planning to attend a songwriter’s meeting in Hollywood . I’ll report on it when I get back. Several of their members are professional writers, having written for television and film. It will be interesting to see what they do at the meeting.
If you’ll bring and let us hear something of yours at the next meeting, I’ll pick a couple of songs (if I like them) to take with me to California . Hopefully someone will be there who can pick up a song and run with it. Bring your best work, old or new, for us to hear Sunday.
I’m looking forward to seeing everyone at the meeting. I hope to hear something special.
Russ
Moving Forward Without Russ
By Matt Griffin
For those of you who missed last month’s meeting, our president and dear friend Russ Robinson is making plans to retire from the group. We haven’t set a firm timetable yet, but Russ and I have started discussions on how to transition the leadership of the ISG to me, perhaps by Christmas.
I’ve written many times about how fortunate we are to have Russ. Aside from being a great guy, his experiences in the industry are a huge asset to us. Russ has devoted countless hours and enormous amounts of energy to making the guild an interesting and welcoming place for both new and experienced songwriters. I have no chance of ever really filling the void that his leaving will inevitably create. The idea is daunting, and I am very nervous about it.
So…what now? I assume folks would like to see the Orlando International Songwriter’s Guild continue. So we need to come up with a solid game plan we can ride into a future without Russ, for whenever he decides to formally step down. As I tried to make clear at the September meeting, I’m going to need some consistent help. Russ and I have been basically running the guild ourselves for the last couple of years, with only a little occasional assistance. There’s certainly no way I can do it all myself.
If I can dream for a moment, I’d really like to have seven people sharing the effort (which would make each person’s task load very light). It may not be realistic, but here’s my wish list of ISG volunteer officers and my best guess at their tasks:
· President – runs the meetings, takes phone calls and emails on behalf of the guild, coordinates the efforts of the other officers.
· Vice President – assists the President in running the meetings and fielding calls and emails; also does some light publicity work.
· Secretary – takes basic notes at the meetings and reads the minutes from last meeting; keeps and makes copies of necessary forms (sign-in sheets, critique sheets).
· Treasurer – takes care of the group’s simple finances, cashing the dues checks and keeping track of expenses.
· Membership Coordinator – keeps an up-to-date list of ISG members, letting them know when annual dues are owed.
· Newsletter Editor – puts together the monthly newsletter, sending it out in email and direct mail forms.
· Website Coordinator – keeps the ISG website up-to-date with the latest news and contact information.
Currently, Russ and I are splitting chores of the President, Vice President, Treasurer, and Newsletter Editor, and basically letting the other three go. Happily, Gilda Corrales has stepped forward to take on the Membership Coordinator tasks. But we’re going to need more volunteers if you want to see your guild keep going. We can of course do it with fewer than seven people, but then each officer will have more to do every month.
Another important issue is location: where can we meet? Russ is a long-time member of the Musician’s Union , and they let us use the union hall chiefly because of him. ISG- and Union-member Jeff Mason is inquiring whether we can continue to use the hall. If not, we’ll need to find a new meeting room that (1) is tolerant of our noise level, (2) has tables and chairs and room for up to 25-30 people, (3) is reasonably well- located, (4) is low-cost or no-cost, and (5) preferably has a piano. Yes, it’s a tall order even if we give up on the piano.
Your suggestions are welcome at this point. We need ideas as badly as we need volunteers. We’ll discuss these subjects further at the October meeting, and in future newsletters.
ISG Bulletin Board
Jeff Mason’s gig schedule:
Appearing At O'Keefe's Irish Pub, Fridays & Saturdays from 5pm, musicians welcome!
115 S. Rockingham Tavares, FL, 352-343-2157
Appearing at Tijuana Flats on the Patio (weather permitting), Thursdays at 6pm
444 S. Hunt Club Blvd , Apopka , FL 407 774 0402
Lead Sheet preparation by Carlos Colon. A simple lead sheet contains the melody, lyrics and chord symbols. For more information, visit my website at www.cecoriginals.com and click on “Lead Sheets” at the top of the page. Website design also available. Use your website address in advertising. Newspapers, business cards, fliers, to name a few and let’s not forget the use of email. Send your link to potential clients. For more information, visit a few of my clients sites at http://www.ticopeach.net/clients.htm.
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 Matt Griffin at the meetings or email him at isgorl@cfl.rr.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 call Russ or Matt or email: isgorl@cfl.rr.com ..
Why isn't your gig announced here? Call us with your appearance schedule!
Place your classified ad or gig announcement here! Free to ISG members as always! Just get your text to Matt by the print deadline (usually the Friday 16 days prior to the monthly meeting); email is best ( isgorl@cfl.rr.com ).
New members always welcome!
September Top Songs—Results of monthly critique session
(1) Florida in My Shoes by Matt Griffin and Susan Foster-Trewick
(2) The Video Recorder by Jeff Mason
(3) Ready for the Changes by James Patrick Mathis
(4) Hula by Ester Starling and Mike Kondol
© 2007 ISG