Wednesday, November 6, 2013

Songwriters Notes E-News #148, November, 2013


Hello Songwriter,

We're in my favorite time of year in Texas - fall! The weather is marvelous! The outdoor music festival and other activities are plenty and fun. We had a blustery Halloween with lots of trick-a-treaters on the streets. As I write this I'm in Canton at the first Monday Trade Days. Last night I visited Clines Corner on The Mountain and heard Bo Rivers performing. This guy has a killer vocal range and beautiful voice. It was fun listening to him while visiting with David and Becky Cline. The neighbors dropped by today to say that the streets are bumper to bumper in Canton today.

DSA will hold it's annual membership meeting and elections on November 12, at the Center for Community Cooperation, 2900 Live Oak, at 7PM. Please plan to submit your nominations for your governing Board of Directors. Also, our 2ND TUESDAY MEETING will feature guest speaker Steve Wilson, who is a vet and winner of the 2009 Songs From The Soul Of Service song contest. 

1st Thursday Open Mic and the SongSwap is coming up at Half Price Books on 1st Monday. Our regular DSA monthly events remain the same 1st and 3rd Monday SongSwaps and 1st and 3rd Thursday Open Mic. For details, see #2 and #4 below. Also we have a regular showcase at House of Blues every last Wednesday of the month. This has grown into a very special event. So please mark these regularly occurring dates in your calendar.

The Collin College Commercial Music Department invites Dallas Songwriters to an OPEN HOUSE on Tuesday, November 19, 7-9pm. There will be refreshments, live music, and a tour of the facilities. This is your chance to explore this wonderful music program.

The booth at the Arlington Guitar Show on Oct 19th and 20th  was a lot of fun and good exposure for DSA. We will have a drawing from the names signed up at the show.  We're awarding 2 free memberships at the second Tuesday meeting.

   Our Brook Malouf was one of the ten finalists of the  ST JUDES SONGS THAT SAVE CONTEST,  The winner was Buc Williams, NY.  This is a planned annual event so for more info check here: http://songsthatsave.com

* Also, on November 11, a Veterans Day event at Tarrant County College, South Campus, in Fort Worth Texas will be a mid-day live music event featuring performers who are current or former members of the military. Some veterans from the Psychology and Music departments will be the backing band that will also cover some of the songs from "Songs From the Soul of Service." Please come out and support our Vets.

Have a great November. Happy Thanksgiving! Eat a lot of pumpkin pie.

Check out our pictures on the Dallas Songwriters Facebook. Go on Facebook and LIKE us. New, tell your firends about Dallas Songwriters on Meetup.

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

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Help DSA today at no cost to you.

DSA has enrolled in a new program at BBVA Compass Bank. You can help DSA earn money by opening a Compass account and give Dallas Songwriters as your reason or if you already have a Compass account, go to your bank and connect to our program and use your check card.

COMPASS FOR YOUR CAUSE
No checks to write. No direct mail. No telemarketing. In other words, no hassles. The Compass For Your Cause Program allows your members to support your organization, by doing something many of them do virtually every day—use their check card for everyday purchases. And it's easy for them to get started. They simply:
  • Open a BBVA Compass Checking Account*
  • Open a Compass Visa® Check Card*
  • Sign for purchases using the Check Card
That's all there is to it. When they open an account, you earn a royalty of $50. Every time they use their Check Card for qualifying purchases††, you earn additional royalties. So start earning money the easy way with the Compass For Your Cause program. Contact us today to get started.

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1. ANNUAL SONG CONTEST -   Winners Announced.


                 2013 Dallas Songwriters Song Contest
Now in its 23rd year, The DSA 2013 Song Contest is one of the longest running international song contests for amateur songwriters. Over $5,000 in cash and prizes.

GRAND PRIZE WINNER - Do You Believe by Jay Gallagher, Philadelphia, PA

JAY GALLAGHER - RECEIVES 
A Casio Privia Piano
and a Nashville recording session at Bieard Music Group. 
Beaird Music Group


1st Runner Up
 Looking Glass by Rick Webster, Perth, Australia
 wins studio time at
River Sounds Recording Resort







2nd Runner up
3, 2, 1 by Jay Gallagher, Philadelphia, PA
wins recording time at 
Jo-Musik


Grand Prize winners receive:
($199.95 Value) 
Includes Artist Website, 1 Yr. Hosting
1 Yr. Sonicbids Membership

HARDCOPY OF NEWSLETTER ANNOUNCEMENT HANDED OUT AT THE ARLINGTON GUITAR SHOW

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Click here for more info about this contest, and for more information about joining DSA (membership not required to enter contest). Click here to view a list of frequently asked questions. 
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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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2. DSA MEETINGS - http://dsameetings.blogspot.com/

2nd TUESDAY WORKSHOP - 

Annual Membership Meeting and Elections November 12. 

PLUS  + Veteran and songwriter, Capt. Steve Wilson to speak following elections.
http://stevedwilson.bandcamp.com/
http://www.stevedwilson.com/

Amytate
Nov: Membership Meeting and Elections
        Capt. Steve Wilson - winner of Songs From Soul of Service Contest. http://www.ourstage.com/profile/stevewilsontheblackdoves
Dec: DSA Christmas Party
Jan: Tony Ramey

MEETING DETAILS AND LOCATION

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DSA T-SHIRTS 
NEW shirts: $15 at the meeting (you must ask me for the special) or online by mail $20
OLD 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 - Steve Sullivan, coordinator.
Tino's Too Mexican Restaurant 2205 Ave K, Plano, Tx  972 881-9226
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3. BEST SONGS of the 2nd Tuesday Meeting

OCT

Sunset in September by Andy Schrumpf

Critique Panel: Jeanie Peal and Buck Morgan

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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4. SHOWCASES AND OPEN MICS -


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

HALF PRICE BOOKS - NORTHWEST HIGHWAY - Rotating guest host featured artist
EVERY 1ST THURSDAY - 7:00pm to 9:00pm
Sign up begins at 6:30
Featured Artist at 8PM

SHOWCASES

HOUSE OF BLUES
Every last Wednesday
You must be a member to showcase. 
Email Buck Morgan to get on the roster for this month.

SONGWRITERS CONNECTING TO SENIORS


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
Shows will be on the 3rd Thursday of each month .

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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5. DSA LYRIC CONTEST - Next deadline postmarked Dec 31th - FALL CONTEST


2013 SUMMER CONTEST WINNERS

2013 SUMMER WINNER

She's All Texas by Tom Ruffen, Burnaby, BC, Canada 

CURRENT WINNERS and PAST WINNERS and LYRICS POSTED ON THE WEBSITE

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

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6. MEMBER NEWS -

Wanna get involved? Become a committee member. It's fun! Be apart of the inner workings or the DSA. We have a board position open. We're looking for a Treasurer.

To view a list of the 2013 elected Directors 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.

THANK YOU PATRON L3: TREVOR DAHLEN
                   PATRON SAINTS: PAUL ZANDER, ROGER RUSSELL
Thanks to our president, Roger Russell for providing the PA at the Wildflower Festival and donating the Wildflower check to DSA.

WELCOME NEW MEMBERS and RENEWALS - SONG CONTEST WINNERS: Whitley Hill, Eric Bettencourt, Brian Kalinec, T Edwin Doss, Brent Benton, Stephen McWhirter, Debra Gussin, Roger Kaye, Kevin Reardon, Rick Webster, Charlie Hill, Arek Religa, Nitanee Paris, Glen Naylor, Katie Hardyman, Kate Diaz, Renee Safier, Randy Sauer, Jay Gallagher, Maureen Fitchen, Denise Rosier, Cal Scott, Eddie Lott.

WELCOME NEW MEMBERS: Jenni Peal

THANK YOU FOR RENEWING YOUR MEMBERSHIP:  Bill Honker, Joanna Endsley, Alex Gorodiscas

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

EXPIRED IN FEB: Mark Glasmire, Melinda Starnes
EXPIRED IN MARCH: Ryan Eichenwald, Alexandra Brooks, Corey Anderson, Brian Coker, Tom Biles, Madilne Shaw, Holly Doubet, Jim Baker, George Pucini
EXPIRED IN APRIL: Daniel Anchondo, Margaret CuddiheeMolly Bush, Buz Craft, Jeremy Ellis, Casey Graham, Dewey Stark, Mofor Otang, Robert Harper, David Spence, Lanny Sherwin, 
EXPIRED IN MAY: Bob Paterno, Ginny Lane, Mathew Johnson
EXPIRED IN JUNE: Renee Safier, Noel Cohen, Andre Kerek
EXPIRED IN JULY: John Nitzinger
EXPIRED IN AUG: Wendy Jill Cohen Tobias, Becky Wright, Robert Graham, Daniel Sumber, Chris Alvarado, Philip Creamer, Steve Chizmadia, Gordon Lustig, Kevin Reardon, Susie McLean, Eric Colville, Diane Lekven, Nestor Cora, Chris O'Neill, Gavin Potter, Vanessa Padla, Andy Taylor, Keeton Coffman, Chase Thompson, Belle Schneiderman, Spencer Clark
EXPIRED IN SEPT: Devin Hill
EXPIRED IN OCT: Morri Hartgraves

PLEASE RENEW THIS MONTH: Liz Miller

A New Members page off the Dallas Songwriters homepage has a list of members and a url link. Please check the page and email me your link if it is not included.
http://dallassongwriters.blogspot.com/p/dsa-members.html

Member News : 
 Barbara McMillen's song, "In Your Eyes" from the musical, Give Me A Break made the 1st round ballot for the Grammys.

Former DSA guest speaker and friend, John Bryant, informs me that his group is funding a documentary film on Kickstarter about his group, Stewart Copeland and the creation of a composition for the Dallas Symphony. Check out the complete story, which is very interesting here and maybe you can help them reach their goal of $95,000.

Brook Malouf made the finalists for the Songs That Save contest for St Judes. Her song was performed at the Arlington Music Hall.
 
Read performance reviews here: http://dsareviews.blogspot.com/


SEE OUR NEW MEMBER NEWS PAGE HERE.

Renew your membership online,
You'll find the link to the store on the panel to the right

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7. WORKSHOPS - DSA WORKSHOPS 

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

You still have time to sign-up for the Amanda Williams Songwriting and Music Business workshops next week.  Amanda will get down into the depths of the music industry and give insight into what it takes to "survive and thrive" in today's music business.  Brooke Malouf has attended Amanda's workshops in Nashville, and highly recommends these sessions.  Check out the link below for information and reservations.  Don't miss this opportunity.

 http://songwritingandmusicbusiness.com/articles/Dallas_area_songwriter_events_November_2013/

More at:    http://dallassongwritersworkshops.blogspot.com/

Want to study songwriting but don't want to get out of your PJ's? Take a class online through a songwriting workshop yahoo group.
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8. EVENTS - Featuring local and worldwide events of the songwriting community including, seminars, conferences, and showcases.

NOV
7 - 12 NERFA Hudson Valley Resort, Kerhonkson, NY
        http://www.nerfa.org/ <http://www.nerfa.org/>
11 Veteran's Day Concert at Tarrant County College South Campus
12  DSA Annual Membership Meeting and Elections
19 Open House at Collin College Commercial Music Dept.

DEC
10  DSA Christmas Party

2013 Folk Alliance  REGIONAL CONFERENCE
SERFAMay 16-19, 2013, Montreat Conference CenterMontreatNC,
http://www.serfa.org/ <http://www.serfa.org/>
SWRFASeptember 26-29, 2013, Holiday Inn Mid-TownAustinTX,
http://www.swfolkalliance.org <http://www.swfolkalliance.org>
FAR-WestOctober 10 - 13, 2013, Hyatt Regency IrvineIrvineCA,
http://www.far-west.org/ <http://www.far-west.org/>
FARMOctober 24 - 27, 2013, Sheraton Westport TowerStLouisMO,
http://farmfolk.org/ <http://farmfolk.org/>
NERFANovember 7-10, 2013, Hudson Valley ResortKerhonksonNY,
http://www.nerfa.org/ <http://www.nerfa.org/>


South By Southwest Conferences, Festivals Now Open
South By Southwest (SXSW) Conferences and Festivals are now open for business at http://sxsw.com. Conference registrations, hotel requests, Film Festival submissions, Interactive Awards and SXSW Accelerator applications and Music Festival showcase applications are now being accepted. SXSW Music, SXSW Film and SXSW Interactive take place Friday, March 7 through Sunday, March 16, 2014 in Austin, TX.
Go to the events page to view links to local and Texas venues. There's a list of holiday music for this month.  http://songwriterevents.blogspot.com/

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9. Featured Articles:


ASCAP Celebrates 100 Years in 100 Days with Launch of Interactive Centennial Site
By ASCAP -- ASCAP hits its 100-year milestone on February 13th, 2014...As it approaches its birthday, ASCAP is celebrating its 100-year history – and looking ahead to its future – by launching its 100 Years, 100 Days campaign and website today.
How Did Ancient Greek Music Sound?
By Armand D'Angour -- The music of ancient Greece, unheard for thousands of years, is being brought back to life by Armand D'Angour, a musician and tutor in classics at Oxford University. He describes what his research is discovering.

The Benefits of a Musical Education: An Infographic
By Chris Robley -- Lots of people just aren't aware of how music education can positively affect a young person's entire development, from a boost in learning and verbal skills, to better grades and SAT scores, to just —  ya know —feeling good about life in general.

PREZ SEZ: Tune in to DSA President, Roger Russell's, musings and DSA goings on.


VIDEO: And You Think You're Having A Bad Day
By Anastasia Tsioulcas -- An old video is suddenly making the internet rounds, because living vicariously through a performance nightmare is an ever-popular sport, I guess. It depicts pianist Maria João Pires in front of an audience with conductor and the Concertgebouw Orchestra of Amsterdam. Just another day on the job for this elegant Portuguese soloist — until she realizes that she's prepared the wrong concerto for the performance.
MUSIC BUSINESS - more articles posted on the new blog DSA Music Biz News
Ten Common Misconceptions About Copyright and Fair Use
By Cory M. Amron, Tanya Marie Curcio, Joan C.Makley, William H. Oldach III and Christopher M. Ott
By Eliot Van Buskirk
How to Score the Next BIG Hit: 5 Marketing Tips From Macklemore & Ryan Lewis' 'Thrift Shop'
By Lukas Camenzind -- With over 7 million copies sold, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis' "Thrift Shop" is one of the highest selling singles of the past few years. But WHY was the song such a huge success?
[Rejection is a major component of the entertainment industry. Surviving and learning from it is what opens the door to success. Important read.]
7 Tips For Handling An Embarrassing Rejection
By Bruna Martinuzzi -- We've all been rejected in business, but it's how we deal with it that ultimately defines us.

IN MEMORANDUM

The Life Of Doc Pomus, Songwriter To The Stars
By NPR Staff -- His name would spin around and around on the vinyl, the writer of a thousand songs: Doc Pomus. As the man behind smash records including 's "Viva Las Vegas," "Lonely Avenue" and The Drifters' "This Magic Moment," he shaped the early sound of rock 'n' roll.

Lou Reed, Velvet Underground Leader and Rock Pioneer, Dead at 71
By Jon Dolan -- With the Velvet Underground in the late ‘60s, Reed fused street-level urgency with elements of European avant-garde music, marrying beauty and noise, while bringing a whole new lyrical honesty to rock & roll poetry.

PERFORMANCE

Sheet Music Direct for iPad App Offers an Unrivaled Interactive Sheet Music Experience
By Matthew Lobas -- The brand new Sheet Music Direct iPad app features a new design, better ways of discovering new sheet music and the best-in-class performance mode.
Stop Shredding Your Vocal Cords
By Cari Cole -- Veteran vocal coach Cari Cole talks about proper vocal care and five things you can do to avoid major vocal health issues.

How Long Is The Perfect Concert?
By Stephen Thompson -- Anyone who's ever worked in front of a crowd can tell you what it's like to lose an audience's interest; to feel a shift in the split-second between a moment that works and a moment that causes an audience's entire collective mind to wander simultaneously.
LISTEN 
Steve Wilson will be speaking at our Nov meeting.
RECORDING

The Making of LeAnn Rimes' 'Spitfire'
During the past few years, LeAnn Rimes’ private life has become tabloid fodder, the result of the public’s insatiable appetite for titillation. Being the constant subject of gossip, rumor and innuendo was understandably horrific for Rimes. So, in a sustained act of self-therapy, the 31-year-old artist, who’s been making records since the age of 13, set about working through the intense emotions she was feeling in the songs she was writing, while also seizing on a handful of outside songs…

CRAFT OF SONGWRITING

The Sound of Silence: How Gravity Created a Terrifying Score for Outer Space
By Angela Watercutter -- If Alien taught us anything — besides that Sigourney Weaver is awesome — it's that in space, no one can hear you scream...
Rap Stats: Breaking Down The Words in Rap Lyrics Over Time
By SameOldShawn -- Rap's history has been traced many ways -- through books, documentaries, official compilations, DJ mixes, university archives, even parties. But until now you haven't been able to look at the development of the genre through its building blocks: the actual words used by emcees.

Barbe McMillen's blog, The Craft of Songwriting

Online Thesaurus and Rhyming Dictionary



Great web tool for lyric writing
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10. Song and Talent Contests
DSA Quarterly Lyric Contest http://dsalyriccontest.blogspot.com/

Acoustic Music Competition Deadline SoonThe 10th Annual IAMA (International Acoustic Music Awards) promotes excellence in Acoustic Music Performance and Artistry. Artists gain exciting radio and web exposure through this competition. Participating sponsors include D'Addario, New Music Weekly, Loggins Promotion, AirplayAccess.com, Acoustica, The A&R Promo, NoisyPlanet, SongU, Acoustic Cafe Radio Show, Broadjam, Sonicbids and XM Satellite Radio. IAMA is open to all independent artists and labels. Unlike other music industry competitions, IAMA focuses on developing new markets for Acoustic artists, labels--with or without CD releases. Win prizes in 8 categories. Deadline is November 8th. Complete information: http://www.inacoustic.com.See contest details at:
Song, Lyric and Fiddle Contests

A comprehensive list of Song Contests compliments of MusesMuse.com
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11. Songwriting Resources -  Now accepting book reviews

Links to websites about songwriting, performance, music industry.

DSA Book Store - reviews, links, lists of recommended reading, and what's in the DSA Library.
12. Archives of Past Programs and Activities

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

CROSSROADS SHOWCASES

View past showcase performances and workshops on Crossroads Youtube.
                       
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DSA depends on your support.

Giving Rocks! While it never hurts to remind you that DSA is a non-profit organization (and so your contributions are tax-deductible) -  this year it means so much more. We're proud to be celebrating our 21th Anniversary as a non-profit. DSA has been an organized songwriter group since 1985 and became a non-profit in 1990.

Your gift
 enables us to meet our mission.

Our programs created to meet our mission goals are: a monthly newsletter, workshops, critique sessions, showcases, contests, networking opportunities and community service.
If you like what we do, and want to help us keep doing it, please make a contribution today. Gifts of all sizes are meaningful and appreciated.
Donations are welcome year round. 
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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,
  Barbara McMillen, Editor
  Songwriter Notes
  Founding President Emeritus, DSADSA Online Store
  Online Songwriting Workshops and Classeshttp://www.songwritingcompetition.com.