Thursday, November 4, 2010

DSA E-News #113, Nov. 2010

Hello Songwriter,

I'm celebrating my birthday on Friday, Nov 5th at the Sons of Hermann Hall during the Texas Music Expos Kick off party. Come by anytime after 6PM for $2 pizza and free beer while it lasts. I also may get a chance to play a few songs, if someone doesn't show. What fun!!! There's a great talent line up for Friday and Saturday, plus some educational stuff thrown in. http://www.texasindependentmusicexpo.com/Event-Schedule.php

After TIME on Sat., I'm headed to a huge party at Aura dance club http://www.aurauptowndallas.com/ on McKinney for the Blue Calypso http://www.bluecalypso.com launch party which starts at 8PM. Come out to dance!

Besides our regularly scheduled 4 monthly events, there is the Music Buzz free Mondays at the Allen Public Library.  

Don't forget the FREE Kim Copeland Recording Workshop on Sunday, Nov. 7th at the Frisco Public Library. See our events section below.

QUICK LOOK CALENDAR OF DSA MONTHLY EVENTS - put this in your bookmark.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING
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1. ANNUAL SONG CONTEST - Fall kickoff planned. Stay tuned!
We'll set the deadline dates at the kickoff.

2009-10 SONG CONTEST - We've finally wrapped it up and delivered all prizes!
Winners were announced April 15 on the website and at the Dallas International guitar show.
See John Nitzinger and Tradition Guitars presenting the grand prize at the show.

See the press release on the song contest winners:

Get a hard copy of the April issue of Songwriters Notes with a list of winners and read about grand prize winner, Lanny Sherwin.

See the winners, be sure to scroll to the bottom for Roy Elkins comments on the cream of the crop.

Semifinalists were posted on the song contest website on March 15th.

Mimi Balkey won the drawing for the ipod.

THANKS TO TRADITION GUITARS FOR GENEROUSLY DONATING THE GUITAR TO OUR GRAND PRIZE WINNER.

2008 SONG CONTEST - WINNERS

See past 2008 winners.

Here 2008 winning songs in a series of three podcasts at:
2008 SEMIFINALISTS

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2. DSA MEETINGS - Nov. 9 - Annual Membership Meeting and Election, Guest Speaker Randy Brown



ANNUAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING and ELECTIONS AT 7PM

GUEST SPEAKER - RANDY BROWN,
 Award winning singer songwriter and editor of the Piney Woods.
Randy was a regional finalist at the Kerrville Folk Festival in 1995 and 19 of his songs were recorded by the folk trio Jealousy Motel on their 2 CDs "Jealousy Motel" and "We're Gonna Ride". After many years of playing with a wide variety of duos, trios and bands, most notably the late great folk/swing/jazz trio Jealousy Motel, 8 years ago he decided to begin a solo career. He have a new CD of all original songs titled "Dream Big". You can listen to his songs at:   http://www.brownrandy.com
Free to DSA members, $5 for visitors

Song Critiques will follow - Members Only - $5

Sign in and Networking begins at 6:30
Announcements & Elections at 7PM
Program about 7:30
Critiques will follow. Bring your songs

FUTURE PROGRAMS
Dec: Christmas Party
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DSA T-SHIRTS $10 at the meeting (you must ask me for the special) or online by mail $15
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MONDAY SONG SWAPS for peer critique
Song Swap Workshops
Monthly 7:30-10 PM
Free, Visitors Welcome
Where songwriters perform their songs for peer review. Bring your guitar and a few lyric sheets. This is like an old fashioned guitar pull with comments between songs.

FIRST MONDAY in East Dallas
Half Price Books, 5803 E Northwest Hwy Dallas, TX 75231-6519 (214) 379-8000
Roger Russell, Jame Pappas coordinating.
We'll be in the Community Room at the back left in the building.

THIRD MONDAY in PLANO -
Tino's at Collin Creek Mall- Steve Sullivan, coordinator.
Tinos Mexican Restaurant Collin Creek Mall, Plano, Tx 972 2572
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3. SHOWCASES AND OPEN MICS -

OPEN MICS
DUNN BROTHERS COFFEE HOUSE -
EVERY 3RD THURSDAY - 7:00pm to 9:00pm

TEXAS SONGWRITERS IN THE ROUND at  Hard Eight Cafe in Brady
 "2nd Saturday" if anyone can join us please do.
Hard Eight Cafe 6-9PM All original All the Time.
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4. LYRIC CONTEST - Next deadline postmarked December 31th or enter online.

WINTER/SPRING 2010 WINNER
I Threw It Away by Matt Abell, Stroudsburg, PA
SEMIFINALISTS
Music Carry Me by Donna Lisa, Westfield, NJ
Katrina by Mark Crisp, Arroyo Grande, CA
Whiskey Wins by Donna Scoggins, Dallas, Tx

WINNERS POSTED ON THE WEBSITE. See the lyrics.

LYRICISTS GAIN RECOGNITION THROUGH COMPETITION
Next Lyric Contest Deadline is March 30th, 2010 for Spring Lyric Contest
Entry fee is $10
Please see lyric contest webpage for details.

April 2010 Hardcopy issue of Songwriters Notes has Summer & Fall 2009 winners posted.

October 2009 Hardcopy issue of Songwriters Notes has Fall 2008 & winter/spring 2009 Lyric contest winning songs listed:
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5. MEMBER NEWS -
If you are not a DSA Member, you missed these tips sent out through our yahoo group:

* Publisher looking for Childrens songs
* Artists/Producers looking for original material for recording artists
* Major Brand X (To be disclosed at a later time) Seeks Independent artist for music campaign.
* Where to get your cd reviewed
* Music related job listing
* Cheap and free tickets - Free tickets to selected Winspear Opera House events.

Lyricists are invited to co-write with music writers by submitting your lyric through the member yahoo group.

Wanna get involved? Become a committee member. It's fun!
To view a list of the 2010 Officer and Directors and Committees go to this link:

WELCOME NEW MEMBERS: Shelby Cook, Mina Shamsa, Robert Montgomery, Tracy Merchant, Jan Osborne, Tim Schramm, Kevin Mountcastle, Brent Benton, Pru Gilmore, Timberly Padden won a fee membership in the guitar show drawing.. Tim Phillips, Pru Potter, Joanna Endley, Robert Tenorio, and song contest winners Ward Parker, Eric Christensen, Chris Trentham, Scott Tonkinson, Lisa Torres, Noel Cohen, David Spence, Edward Turton, Lauren Smith, Lanny Sherwin, John Watilo Louie Cate, Claire Ulanoff, Karyna Cruz, Peter Bacsalmasi, Bernadette Conant, Roger Kaye, Matt Dahan, Dom Stasi, Sinem Varoglu, John Visconti, Jaime Leopold,

THANK YOU FOR RENEWING YOUR MEMBERSHIP: Roger Russell, Donna Scoggins. Ken Golden, Brook Malouf, Bill Honker, Scott Fant, Ed Willians, Tom ThomasTrevor Dahen, Butch Schindel, Bob Paterno, Ian Dickson, Jackie Doss, Mary Guthrie, CB Luce

TIME TO RENEW: The following members owe dues:


YOU HAVE A TWO MONTH GRACE PERIOD TO RENEW YOUR MEMBERSHIP OR YOU WILL BE DROPPED FROM THE MEMBER GROUP

MARCH: Kathy Nichols, Bobby Jo Chandler, Lisa Warner, Matt Pitcher
APRIL: Janis McQuinton, Michelle Fosse, Gerald Patton
MAY:  Ron Grimes
JUNE: Kevin Sullivan, Josh Goldberg
JULY: Michael Fredde, Dave Dalton, Dave Sanchez
SEPT: Don Wall
OCT: Reagan Redfern, Morri Hartgraves, Paul Penrod, Billy Roberson, Steve Sullivan, George Ross, Rod Ballou, Stephen Blackwell, Curtis Goho, Erick Bunch, Robert Charles
PLEASE RENEW THIS MONTH: Jose Cantu, Mimi Balkey, Michael Roth, Cheryl Anderson, Justin Marler

Renew your membership online,
You'll find the link to the store on the panel to the right
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6. WORKSHOPS - DSA WORKSHOPS ARE SPONSORED BY BMI
(Each month we have a workshop at our monthly meeting on the 1st Monday, 3rd Monday and 2nd Tuesday. see item 3 above.) http://www.meetingblog.dallassongwriters.org

Occasionally we bring in special instructors for songwriting, performance or music education workshops.

Sunday, Nov 7th in Frisco
KIM COPELAND RECORDING WORKSHOP presented by DSA and CCSA - FREE



7. EVENTSFeaturing local and worldwide events of the songwriting community including, seminars, conferences, and showcases.

Every Monday this fall, Music Buzz will take place at Allen Public Library. FREE

For more details visit the events page.

NOV
5 - 6 Texas Independent Music Expo
7 Kim Copeland Recording Workshop, Frisco Library - FREE
12-14 Miami Music Festival http://www.miamimusicfestival.org/
15 Deadline to showcase at ASG symposium www.austinsongwritersgroup.com

DEC

JAN 2011
13-16 ASG Symposium www.austinsongwritersgroup.com

TEXAS CONCERT LISTINGS

Comprehensive VENUE LIST - compliments of Uncle Calvins

DALLAS TEXAS CONCERT LISTINGS

Dallas Morning News Guide Live Music Listing ( hit search after opening the page)
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8. Featured Articles:
PREZ SEZ: Tune in to DSA President, Buck Morgan's, musings and DSA goings on.


Film Composer Thomas Newman Immersed in Music
By Kevin Cassidy -- "I had ideas," (Newman) says of his early 20s. "A lot were good, but in many ways I had no idea or experience about how to carry them out." Years of experimentation in everything from musical theater to rock 'n' roll would follow... Navigating the business side of composing, mastering the art of collaboration and dealing with rejection were all lessons learned during this period. Mostly however, he recalls just wanting to get better.


MUSIC BUSINESS




By Muammar Reed -- There's nothing worse than a person I hear complaining about how they don't have any connections in the entertainment industry and it's so hard because L.A. is such a big place. But these are the same people that always stay home or go to the same tired nightclubs on Friday and Saturday night expecting Dr. Dre or Lady Gaga to be there. So here are a few tips for the networking illiterate or those that come from outside the Los Angeles bubble.

John Burnett -- His name was Chester Arthur Burnett, but everyone called him Howlin' Wolf. He played harmonica, but some say he was the greatest blues singer of all time. His unique voice mesmerized audiences and hugely influenced rock 'n' roll.

Getting Heard by Music Blogs 

by Heather Browne, Fuel/Friends Music Blog



In the last five years, the world of music blogs has launched a new digital landscape for the musician. This brigade of everyday music enthusiasts who write passionately and frequently about what they love, often embedding songs in their posts, has opened doors for hundreds of musicians who might not have been heard twenty years ago. But it's also made it harder for any one musician to rise to the top of the fickle music blog world of shiny hot new things and click-happy readers. Nonetheless, music blogs can be a powerful tool to spread the word about your music,



Five Steps to a Successful Album Pre-Sale
Pre-Selling your album is one of the best sales tools you have in the direct to fan arsenal. A successful pre-sale campaign takes careful planning, excellent execution, and a solid understanding of your fans. It's very important to keep up the excitement about the release while not over-hyping or over-selling the event. Yet this IS a very special event and you want your fans to feel the same way you do about it.

Apple's Ping Wants Rock 'n' Roll, but No Sex and Drugs
By Peter Kafka -- Ping may never move beyond the "interesting idea, executed poorly" stage. But it might! And in any case, it's Apple, so if you're a music act you ignore it at your own risk.



A Musician's Life on the Road: the Glory and the Grind
By Ben Rayner -- So this is living the dream. You're insane with sleep deprivation and barely functioning on the internal fumes surviving from the greasy truck-stop burger and fries you forced down in Prince Albert nine hours ago. You want to kill the sleeping figure, once your closest friend but now something of an adversary, slouched and snoring at superhuman volume next to you in the cramped rear end of a mid-'80s Econoline van ... Welcome to the reality of life on the road...

Bob Paterno's blog Making Music Making Money

Glossary of Terms Used in the Music Industry
Compiled by Mario F. Gonzalez, Esq.

CRAFT OF SONGWRITING
Barbe McMillen's blog, The Craft of Songwriting

LITERARY DEVICES - Part 2 Similes
Let's look at some tools and formulas help you build similes.

Online Thesaurus and Rhyming Dictionary



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9. Song and Talent Contests
See contest details at:
A comprehensive list of Song Contests compliments of MusesMuse.com
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10. Songwriting Resources
Links to websites about songwriting, performance, music industry.

DSA Book Store - reviews, links, lists of recommended reading, and what's in the DSA Library.
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11. BEST SONGS of the 2nd Tuesday Meeting

JAN 2010
Man Card by Brooke Malouf
By Myself by Nancy Rynders

FEB
This Love by Bob Paterno

MARCH MADNESS - no critiques this month

APRIL Co-writes - no critiques this month

MAY
I Tell My Heart by Vern Dailey and Amber Dotson

JUNE
Loves Gonna Change Your Mind by Vern Dailey and Clay Potter
Will You Save A Drowning Man by Nancy Rynders

JULY
Worth Every Penny by Michael Brandenberger

SEPT
Blue Side of the Red River by Vern Dailey
Hero Where It Counts by Brooke Malouf

OCT

















I Know by Brook Malouf
Kiss Me and Make Me Better by Nancy Rynders

Read about 2009 Songwriter of the Year, Vern Dailey:  http://dsapress.blogspot.com/2010/08/legend-in-his-own-time.html

Download a pdf hard copy of the Oct 2009 Songwriters Notes with 2008 best songs of the meeting winners announced.http://www.keepandshare.com/doc/view.php?id=1520070&da=y

To view past winners go to the Best Songs blog. http://bestsongsofthemeeting.blogspot.com/
To hear the winners go to our myspace page.
Did you know that A and R reps from labels and music publishers are listening to our Myspace page each month?

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12. SONGS FROM THE SOUL OF SERVICE
http://www.songssoulservice.org

Did you know???  DSA held two song contests for active military and the Cds of the winning songs, Songs From the Soul of Service Vols. 1 and 2 are available online at:http://store.kagi.com/cgi-bin/store.cgi?storeID=7TE_LIVE&page=SSS4

Tribute to our fallen soldiers from DFW at our Podomatic site:
You Know Me Tribute to Fallen
Read the latest story about this years winners
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Thanks for reading this far. If you have any suggestions for the newsletter, please let me know. Follow me on Twitter @barbemcmillen. Give me a tweet.
Songcerely,
Songwriter Notes
Founding President Emeritus, DSA