Thursday, September 29, 2011

DSA E-News #124, October 2011


Hello Songwriter,

Ah, by the end of September, we have left the triple digits and outdoor festivals abound. We're having Oktoberfest down at Sons of Hermann Hall this Saturday, Oct 1, 6PM. German Food, keg beer, and bingo. Come on down. http://sonsofhermannhall.blogspot.com/

Our regular DSA monthly events resume this month: 2nd Tuesday Meeting , 1st and 3rd Monday SongSwaps and 3rd Thursday Open Mic. For details, see below.

There's been a call for new DSA t-shirt designs and we're slowly updating our website. Any ideas of designs? Let us know.

Not a DSA member? Then you've missed the musings via our member yahoo group of our DSA Prez, Buck Morgan. Catch up with what's going on here: http://dsaprezsez.blogspot.com/

Dallas Songwriters is on Facebook. Go on Facebook and LIKE us. New - Dallas Songwriters on Meetup.

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

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1. ANNUAL SONG CONTEST - WINNERS ANNOUNCED HERE
See Grand Prize Judge, Roy Elkins, comments and listen to the winning songs.

DSA Announces Grand Prize Winners of 22nd Annual Contest


MINNESOTA'S SHANE MARTIN WINS 2011 DALLAS SONG CONTEST  

Wyler Delray won the drawing for the ipod.

PAST WINNERS
See the press release on the 2009-10 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.

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

2001 - 2007 Winners Compilation CDs available at the DSA store

All winning songs are on a CD Compilation that was given out at the Awards Ceremony. To get any 3 double CD's simply make a quarter note donation to DSA through our online store and send us an email to request which 3 years of Cd's you want us to mail you.

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Tuesday, Oct 11 
Heather Little, she has cuts with Miranda Lambert
see more on meeting website.

Future Programs:
NOV: Annual Membership Meeting, Atty. Craig Crafton
DEC: Christmas Party
JAN 2012: Overcoming Stage Fright, tentative
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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 
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3. SHOWCASES AND OPEN MICS -

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

SHOWCASE AND OPEN MIC
TEXAS SONGWRITERS IN THE ROUND at Sandstone Cellars Winery Showcase & Open Mic in Mason Texas.  
HOURS 6-9PM 211 San Antonio Street, Mason, TX 76856
Our season opener is on St. Patricks Day and shows will be on the 3rd Thursday of each month starting in March.

Guidelines for our stars @ Texas Songwriters in the Round shows:
* All original set of 45 minutes
* A professional commercially released CD with some airplay and press.

We allow any songwriter to come be part of the TSR in the Round, with one star per month! If you'd like to come out and join in as a rounder I can make sure you have a place for the night! To Showcase contact: Jeri Alice
Other area open mics OPEN MICS
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4. LYRIC CONTEST - Next deadline postmarked September 30th SUMMER CONTEST or enter online.

SPRING 2011 WINNERS ANNOUNCED

2011 SPRING WINNER

Semifinalists

The Way It Used To Be by Larry Dodge

Don't Put Down My Pickup  by Joel Williams

Twenty Something Years Ago by Joel Williams
Laundromat Love by Larry Dodge
First Place

THE WAY IT USED TO BE  ©2011 Larry Dodge

LYRICS POSTED ON THE WEBSITE

LYRICISTS GAIN RECOGNITION THROUGH COMPETITION
Next Lyric Contest Deadline is June 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 and 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 -
The 2011 Board of Directors met on January 23rd to elect officers and plan for the year according the the wishes of the membership's input at the January 11th meeting. 

Wanna get involved? Become a committee member. It's fun!
To view a list of the 2011 Officer and Directors and Committees go to this link:

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
* Film Licensing Co. seeking instrumental music
* 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.

WELCOME NEW MEMBERS: Jonathan Harrison, Alexander Gorodiscas, Joyce Sanders, Ken Luginbyhl, Lu Ann Danley, Stephen Welp, Richard Ray Hurt and Song Contest Winners: Kyle Carey, Wyler Delray, John Friday, Janini Wilson, John Visconti, Donna Lisa, Tara Pruya, Christal Prout, Shoshana Sperling, Ruben Estevez, Syonwall Towery, Noel Cohen, Mike Corbin, Andre Kerek, Shane Martin, Renee Safier, Keith Thompson, Paul McNair, and Brendan Watson.

THANK YOU FOR RENEWING YOUR MEMBERSHIP: Brook Malouf, Mary Guthrie, Michael Roth, Raquel Lonon and Jeremy Ellis

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

MAY: Jackie Doss, Timberly Padden, Tim Phillips, Prudence Potter, and Steve Weisberg.
JUNE:Jan Oaborne, Butch Schindel, Brent Benton, Molly Bush, Prudence Gilmore, Karon Hi, Keven Mountcastle, Tim Schramm, and Tracie Merchant.
JULY: Elaine Gardner-Morales, CB Luce, Jetta Morris
AUGUST: Evan Krause, Dixon Beasley, Andrew Boyer, Scott Fant
SEPTEMBER: Ken Nelson, Bill Honker, Ken Golden, Bobby Montgomery, Mina Shansa
PLEASE RENEW THIS MONTH: Louie Cate, Morri Hartgrave, Steve Wilson

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 DSA hosts 3 workshops at our monthly meetings on the 1st Monday, 3rd Monday and 2nd Tuesday. see item 2 above.)

Texas Independent Music Expo, 
     November 5th at Sons of Hermann Hall
          Educational panels, showcases, and song critiques
Contest deadline Sept 30th only $10 to enter

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7. EVENTS- Featuring local and worldwide events of the songwriting community including, seminars, conferences, and showcases.
OCT
6-8  Durango Songwriters Expo, Boulder, CO
12 - 15  Americana Music Conference, Nashville, TN
18-22  CMJ MusicMarathon, NY, NY
NOV
Texas Independent Music Expo , Dallas, TX

DEC
2012
JAN
5 - 8 ASG Songwriter Symposium, Austin TX
28-31  MIDEM, Cannes, FR 
FEB
16-19  Mellennium Music Conference, Harrisburg, PA
22-26  Folk Alliance, Memphis, TN
MARCH
14 - 18  SXSW Music Fest, Austin, TX


Go to the events page to view links to local and Texas venues.

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8. Featured Articles:
PREZ SEZ: Tune in to DSA President, Buck Morgan's, musings and DSA goings on.

Why Lyrics Are the Consumer Web's Next Big Thing, Again
By Michael Sinanian -- Lyrics are a massively underestimated market segment, says Tom Lehman, co-founder of RapGenius, one of the progenitors of this "lyrics 2.0? movement. "People don't understand how popular lyrics are, and how much people like to read and understand them," he says. In fact, a staggering two percent of all Google search queries are for lyrics. The share of Bing's pie is even larger, at seven percent. After 'Facebook,' the term 'lyrics' is the most common search term on Google in the US.
Tony Bennett Is Oldest Living Artist To Reach Hot 100
By Gary Trust -- At 85 years and two months, the iconic Tony Bennett becomes the oldest living artist ever to grace the Billboard Hot 100, as "Body and Soul," with the late Amy Winehouse, bows at No. 87. [If you haven't seen the video of Bennett and Amy Winehouse doing "Body and Soul" that accompanies this article, it's worth a look.]
Nashville Unveils Ambitious Music-Education Program for Schools
By Richard Fausset -- The plan for the city's K-12 school system, called "Music Makes Us," was announced Friday (by "Music City" Mayor Karl Dean) at a news conference in Nashville's historic Ryman Auditorium. It calls for upgrading existing music programs such as those for band, orchestra and choir, and including some unusual new classes. Those offerings will have kids playing in rock 'n' roll bands, spitting hip-hop lyrics, DJing, writing and composing contemporary songs, and learning modern production techniques. [Thanks to Michelle Kay for the link.]
Burt Bacharach, Hal David Named Recipients of Fourth Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song
PRweb -- The Librarian of Congress, James H. Billington, announced today that Grammy- and Academy-Award-winning songwriters Burt Bacharach and Hal David will join the ranks of Paul Simon, Stevie Wonder, and Paul McCartney as recipients of the Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song. Bacharach and David each will receive the Library's Gershwin Medal next spring at an all-star tribute in Washington D.C. This will be the fourth time the honor has been awarded and the first time to a songwriting team.
Before You Die, You Gotta Play This Gig...
By Paul Resnikoff -- What are the stages that artists dream of playing, the ones they absolutely lust after? We joined forces with ReverbNation to ask thousands of aspiring artists that very question, and these are the responses we got.
Singer/Songwriter Country Johnny Mathis has passed away at the age of 80


VIDEOS
Troubadour, TX one-hour, high definition episodes air on the CW network in most markets. Twenty-two episodes are currently in production for season one of “Troubadour, TX,” and past episodes will be available for viewing at TroubadourTX.com. A complete list of markets and air times is availablehere and on the “Troubadour, TX” TV Facebook fan page

MUSIC BUSINESS - more articles posted on the new blog DSA Music Biz News

Band Merch 101: What to Make, How to Make It, How to Sell it
By Rob Dix -- Music merchandise has always been important to bands, both as a source of revenue and to help raise awareness of your 'brand'. Fans love buying merch too - the music we like is closely tied in with our identity, and wearing a band's t-shirt is a way of showing off that identity to others. Now, merch is more important than ever as a way of making money. For many independent artists, the music itself is almost a 'loss leader' - given away to promote live shows and merchandise.
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



Paul Simon On Songwriting: I Know What I Know
By Paul Zollo -- Paul Simon hears voices. Or, more specifically, one voice. It's the voice that gave him the phrase "so beautiful or so what" a few years before it became the title song of his most recent album. It's the voice that gave him other phrases now deeply woven into the fabric of our culture, such as "Sound Of Silence," "Still Crazy After All These Years," "Fifty Ways To Leave Your Lover," and "Bridge Over Troubled Water." None of these were contrived; all were ideas that simply arrived, sometimes when he was at his guitar, other times when he wasn't. But, like any savvy songwriter, he knows it's a good idea to listen when that voice speaks. And maybe jot it down.
Barbe McMillen's blog, The Craft of Songwriting

Online Thesaurus and Rhyming Dictionary


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9. Song and Talent Contests
See contest details at:
Song, Lyric and Fiddle Contests

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 2011
Ask Your Heart by Vern Dailey
Beautiful For Just A Moment by Guy Rourk

FEB
Our Heaven On Earth by Vern Dailey

MARCH
Where Are The Daddies by Nancy Rynders
A Time For Love by Michael Brandenberger

APRIL
And Chicken Wings by Will Brown
Never Together Anymore by Nancy Rynders

MAY
Tear For Joanna by Casey Graham
The Gingerbread Man by Loretta Dunnaway

JUNE
Small Town Girl by James Pappas and Roger Russell
I Let Her Get Away by Nancy Rynders

JULY
Keep on Riding by Brook Malouf
I Don't by Ray Phillips

NO AUG. MEETING

SEPT

Do You Love by James Pappas
That's Why by Vern Dailey

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

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