September 2007
Guild Tidings
The official publication of
The International Songwriters Guild
Volume 12, No. 9
NEXT MEETING: 5:00pm Sunday, September 2nd, 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,
Once again, August was a busy month. I’ve had many calls from out-of-state and a few from overseas. I haven’t decided if there’s more interest in songwriting here in the States or abroad. I guess what’s important is that there’s plenty of interest!
I’ve come up with an idea that I’m very excited about. The idea is to get classes at a school to work together on a project, with English students writing lyrics and music students putting the words to music. Voila, a songwriting class! I would have loved to have had a class like this when I was in school. I bet teachers from those classes might even want to join our guild. If any of you can think of any way to introduce this as a subject, perhaps at a community college, I would be interested in hearing it before I talk to the board of education or schools themselves.
With my “legal mind” in operation, I’d like to think this idea might be considered by schools nationwide. Any ideas that you can contribute, bring them to the meeting. I’m open to suggestions. Don’t be afraid to tell me honestly what you think of my idea.
Looking forward to seeing all of you Sunday…
Russ
Using Your Gift Wisely
By Matt Griffin
I’ve never opened one of these articles talking about religion. People have different views on the subject, and I don’t think it’s fair or reasonable for a discourse on songwriting to be offering opinions on such matters. But at the risk of getting a little preachy, I’m going to give it a try this month. If you’re not the religious sort, bear with me for just a paragraph.
I belong to a United Methodist church on the west side of town. One of the things I really admire about Methodism is its attitude towards personal talents and abilities; in the Methodist church they’re called “spiritual gifts”. The basic idea is that God gives each of us talents and expects us to use them for the good of church and community. Each of us is responsible for taking his or her gifts and putting them to good use.
You don’t have to believe in God or go to a church regularly to see the value in this idea. It’s not hard to think of talented folks, perhaps celebrities or even friends, who have seemingly wasted obvious talents on idle pursuits. My hope is that you and I don’t join them. J
It sounds like a line from one of those comic book superhero movies, but I really believe that we should try to “use our gifts for good”. Writing a song that encourages violence (think “Cop Killer”), for instance, to me is an obvious misuse of songwriting abilities. We could try to write songs that give a positive message, or that promote healthy discussion, or that make people think or smile in spite of themselves. Songs with a less-than-upbeat tone can express honest negative emotions (regret, loss, jealousy, frustration) in a thoughtful manner, as in “I understand how you feel”.
In my (narrow?) view, some subjects are better off left out of song lyrics. Anything that puts a positive spin on drug abuse or spousal abuse or child abuse should be off limits. In my view, a song that puts down a race or gender or sexual preference has no business being on the radio, but you hear them anyway (for some reason, songs that degrade women are common). And I think that bad language has little place in most songs, and just makes the singer sound bad; a few exceptions come to mind, but very few. Songs that are sexually provocative fall into a kind of grey area for me, and might be OK if they don’t glorify taking advantage of someone. My simple rule is this: if I’d be embarrassed to play it for my grandmother, I don’t write it. J
By the way, I’m not necessarily suggesting that we “make nice”. An angry protest song, for instance, can certainly be an appropriate use of talent. I’ve used the example of Kristen Bruno’s “Razzle Dazzle Man” before, but it fits into this discussion. It’s a furious anti-war song that pulls no punches. It’s honest and makes you think.
After this bit o’ preaching, you might be surprised to learn that I abhor censorship. I’m not suggesting that we burn CDs or attend rallies. I just want to write songs that do someone some good, even if it’s just to give them a laugh. In the end, each of us has to answer to his or her own conscience, and to his or her own God.
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!
August Top Songs—Results of monthly critique session
(1) Florida Florida by William Hammmond
(2) Higher Power by James Patrick Mathis
(3)-tie Suspension Bridge by Ester Starling and Mike Kondol
(3)-tie My Florida by Bob Witmer
© 2007 ISG