Monday, June 3, 2013

Songwriters Notes E-News # 143 June 2013

Hello Songwriter,

The Dallas Songwriters Song Contest is coming to a close. DEADLINE JUNE 17. I hope you will take a moment to enter your songs. Thanks to our new sponsor, Casio, our new Grand Prize is a Privia Piano. Some of us had the opportunity to play this wonderful instrument at the Wildflower Courtyard Stage recently, thanks to a loan from Guitar Center. Wow, what a great keyboard and one of you lucky winners will get it!

SUSAN GIBSON is coming to Dallas for a concert at Poor David's and we have arranged for you to meet her the afternoon before the concert and get a discount to the show. This will be a fun Happy Hour and great learning opportunity. See workshops, below.
Come out to House of Blues this Wednesday night, June 5th, to see your fellow DSA members showcasing our original songs. It will be a fun chance to network and get to know each other material and support our organization. See #4 below for a list of performers.
Thanks to Keith Rust and Pete Miler for the great program on Tuesday May 14th . They spoke about the recording process of their Songwriter Demo Service and played some excellent examples of their production. On June 14th, with the help of Joe Milton, I will present a program, "Beyond Three Chords", that explores the most popular chord progressions and some formulas to substitute chords to create your own progressions. Bring your guitar. See # 2 below.

Our other regular DSA monthly events remain the same, 1st and 3rd Monday SongSwaps and 1st and 3rd Thursday Open Mic. (1st Thurs features guest host Buck Morgan ) For details, see #2 and #4 below.

We've revived our Songwriters Connecting To Seniors program with performances provided f for May and June at area assisted living facilities. View the new blog here. http://dsaseniorsprogram.blogspot.com/

There's a songwriting festival in Scotland, August 11 - 20. Anyone interested? here are the details. http://www.uksongwritingfestival.com/bookings/

I'll be teaching songwriting classes at Collin College next fall. We have lots of fun in the class and explore the craft of popular songwriting. Here are the details.   Classes online.


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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.


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.



1. ANNUAL SONG CONTEST -   Deadline June 17th


                 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 is a Casio Privia Piano
and a Nashville recording session at Bieard Music Group. Many more prizes and cash prizes in each category.


Eight Song Categories
1. Christian/Inspirational
2. Country
3. Americana/Folk/Bluegrass
4. Pop/Rock/RnB/Alternative
5. Love Songs/Easy Listening
6. Children's/Novelty
7. Singer/Songwriter (songwriter is the performer)
8. Instrumental

Multiple Winners In Each Category
Entry Fee $25
Deadline: Monday, June 17th, 2013
Submissions Close at Midnight. 

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2012 GRAND PRIZE WINNER
Just Me and You by Macy Medford, Jonathan George, Houston, TX

Here the song on ReverbNation

Check out her website:

READ INTERVIEW with Macy by Roger Russell

1ST RUNNER UP
That Old Shirt by Steve Chizmadia, Peekskill, NY

2ND RUNNER UP
You'll Be Back by Debra M. Gussin, Jonathan Bluth, LA, CA
Macy with Grand Prize Taylor Guitar signed by Beth Nielsen Chapman, donated by our Prez, Roger Russell.

 You will find Semifinalist  here:


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

June 11: Guest Speakers, Barbe McMillen  

and Joe Milton  

               "Beyond Three Chords" 
An exploration of common chord progressions and study of related chord substitutions.

FUTURE MEETINGS
July: Kathy Baldwin Song Catalogues
Aug: No Meeting
Nov: Membership Meeting and Elections

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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 - NEW LOCATION
Tino's - Steve Sullivan, coordinator. Mall location closed. Tino's Too is remodeled
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

MAY
Her I Am by Mary Guthrie and Joe Milton
'Wait For Tomorrow by Barbara McMillen
Critique Panel: Buck Morgan, Keith Rust, Pete Miller


Song of the Year 2012 Winner
5th place to Nancy Rynders, Kiss Me and Make Me Better
4th place to Mary Guthrie, Braver Than We Want to Be
3rd place to James and Roger, Carribean Moon
2nd place to Casey, The Good War
and 1st place, DSA Song of the Year, to Brooke Malouf for Thank God He Broke Your Heart.

2012 DSA Vern Dailey Songwriter of the Year winner is James Pappas

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


SONGWRITERS CONNECTING TO SENIORS

HOUSE OF BLUES DSA Open Mic June 5, 7-10 p.m. 
(Not in this order . Sets are 15 minutes)
Randy Brown
Julie Jean White
Trevor Dahlen
Barbara McMillen
Joe Milton
Buck Morgan
Robin Willis & Kevin Moore
Heidi Zettl
Cameron Griffin
Mary Guthrie (Sugar Daddy and the M and M's)
Jimmy and Mitch
Michael Brandenberger

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 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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5. DSA LYRIC CONTEST - Next deadline postmarked JUNE 30th SPRING CONTEST


2013 WINTER CONTEST WINNERS

2013 WINTER WINNER
Check out the website for the winners - (drumroll)

2013 winter SEMIFINALISTS (deadline was March 31)



 Better Than the Best Of Wines by Debra Kay Patrick, Woodbridge, ONT, CANADA
 Simple Things or Going Back by Debra Kay Patrick, Woodbridge, ONT, CANADA    
 Romance 101 by Michael Junek, Camreon, TX
 I Keep On Wanting You by Andre Kerek, Miami, FL 
How Long Does Love Last by Bill Kapac, Williamstown, NJ
 Dancing With a Dream by Bill Kapac, Williamstown, NJ 
 Window Pain by Bill Kapac, Williamstown, NJ
Trying To Say I Love You by Bill Kapac, Williamstown, NJ 
 Painting My Picture by Bill Kapac, Williamstown, NJ


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

WELCOME NEW MEMBERS: Matt Cord, Richard Braund, Dickey Johnson, Dan Roark, George AlbertJana Zettl, Andy Schrumpf, Tom Jordan, Michael Shane Andrews, Phillip Wildman, Kerry McCall

THANK YOU FOR RENEWING YOUR MEMBERSHIP:  Annie Cornelius, Joe Milton, Ryan Galloway, Trevor DahlenTommy Thomas, Stephen Johnson

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 OCT: Charles Risinger, Liz Basse
EXPIRED IN NOV:  Jose Cantu, Cheryl Anderson, Donna Scoggins, Shelby Cook,
EXPIRED IN DEC: Ross Smith, Lisa Miller, Kathern Hallberg, Randy Brown, Joe Milton, Gregg Watts, Mark Sanders, Steve Ritter, JR Byrd
Expired in JAN:  Terry Bloss, James Andrew Boyer, Matt Boggs
EXPIRED IN FEB: Mark Glasmire, Melinda Starnes
EXPIRED IN MARCH: Robin Willis,Ryan Eichenwald, Alexandra Brooks, Corey Anderson, Brian Coker, Tom Biles, Madilne Shaw, Holly Doubet, Jim Baker, George Pucini
EXPIRED IN APRIL: Joanna Endsley, Daniel Anchondo, Margaret CuddiheeMolly Bush, Helene Cronin, Buz Craft Jeremy Ellis, Suzi Morse, Casey Graham, Dewey Stark, Mofor Otang, Robert Harper, Steve Johnson, David Spence, Lanny Sherwin, 
EXPIRED IN MAY: Bob Paterno, Bill Kapac, Ginny Lane, Mathew Johnson
PLEASE RENEW THIS MONTH: Renee Safier, Noel Cohen, Andre Kerek

Member News : 
Read performance reviews here: http://dsareviews.blogspot.com/

Grady Yates was runner up in the BW Stevenson Contest last month

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.)

Yes, we're talking the writer of the Dixie Chicks hit "Wide Open Spaces".



This will be a Happy Hour learning opportunity and networking with light snacks and beverages.

$10 to DSA members   
*  $15 for non-members

Saturday, June 8, 4-6 PM 

South Side on Lamar

tocrok.com
(214) 485-0858
(In the Artist Quarter next to the Janette Kennedy Gallery)

PLEASE RSVP HERE  http://dallassongwriters.eventbrite.com

Susan will be performing at Poor David's that evening and is offering discounts tickets of $12 to our members or anyone attending the Meet Susan Gibson Learning Event.

Saturday, June 8, 2013
1313 S Lamar St., Dallas, TX (United States) - Map 
Set: 8:00 PM 
ALL AGES
Tickets: $15 


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.


JUNE
1   Songwriters Connecting To Seniors - Signature Point 3rd floor
6 - 8 Thunder on the Mountain, Ozark, AR
8    Susan Gibson Songwriters Workshop, 4 - 6, Southside on Lamar
      Susan Gibson at Poor David's Pub  8PM
9 - 11  New Music Seminar
13 - 16  Sonic Boom electronic Festival, Georgetown, CO
17  DSA Song Contest Deadline
29  2nd Annual DSA Pool Party Jam & BBQ

JULY

AUG
3 - 8 Christian Artist Seminar, Germany
11- 17 REO Songwriters Retreat, British Columbia
10 - 16 UK Songwriting Festival, Scotland

SEPT
26 - 28 Cutting Edge Music Conference, NOLA

OCT
2 - 6 AC3 Music Conference, Atlanta, GA
3- 5 Durango Expo, Boulder, CO

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:

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

Songwriters Tell Congressmen Where the Music Comes from at ASCAP Concert
By Roxanne Roberts and Amy Argetsinger -- Sometimes it seems like it's actually fun to be a congressman. Take the annual concert hosted by the ASCAP Foundation, where songwriters serenade lawmakers with their favorite oldies.


A Tale of Two Musicians: "We Sold It All, Bought a Trailer, and Hit The Road"
By Grassrootsy -- Beacon, NY-based duo The Whispering Tree shares their experience of leaving it all behind with the intention of permanently hitting the road. Their story is a pretty challenging one and if you've considered living out your art fully, this is a great post to read for an honest, un-biased, non-glamorous look into the life.
VIDEO
This had me in stitches.


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



This year’s NARM broke three new areas of discussion for our industry. One is an important announcement by the RIAA that will radically change the way sales are calculated.

Read more by clicking here: http://su.pr/6GutDR=
7 Steps To Add Your Songs To The CDDB Database
By Solveig -- After you've pressed your CDs, it's important to take one more step and upload your stuff to the Gracenote CDDB (Compact Disc Database), so that all your identifying information (album title, artist, and track titles) is available to everyone else.
Complete Image Size Chart For Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, YouTube & Other Social Networks
By Bruce Houghton -- Good design has never been more important. But recent changes to Facebook pages, Twitter headers, YouTube channels and other social sites has made it rather difficult to get the size of your images just right. So bookmark this page, and the next time you're about to post a picture or change your profile image, refer to this handy cheat sheet.
9 Questions For A Great Music Licensing Partnership
By Andy Lykens -- [This is actually a "come on" to Andy's own music licensing service, but it is a worthwhile primer for creators seeking assistance in placing their music in films, TV, and advertising.]




IN MEMORANDUM

By Eric Kelsey -- Ray Manzarek, a founding member and keyboardist of 1960s rock group The Doors, died on Monday at a medical clinic in Germany at age 74 following a battle with cancer...Singer Jim Morrison and then-UCLA film student Manzarek formed The Doors in 1965 after a chance meeting at Los Angeles' Venice Beach, and Manzarek's keyboard work would go on to be a touchstone of hits like "Break On Through to the Other Side" and "Light My Fire."



PERFORMANCE

Professional Advice on Backup Singing
In the new May issue of Music Connection magazine, pro vocal coach Lisa Popeil outlines the "6 Steps to Better Backup Singing." Popeil covers harmonization, listening skills, proper modulation, endurance and much more. Check it out: http://musicconnection.com/6-steps-backup-singing.
LISTEN 

RECORDING


CRAFT OF SONGWRITING


The great American songwriter, responsible for 73 Top 40 hits on the U.S. charts, talks about how he writes a song, and the time Miles Davis complimented him. His new memoir, with Robert Greenfield, is Anyone Who Had a Heart:...


Goodbye Norma Jean or What Went Wrong with 'Smash', the NBC show about broadway that had so much potential.   http://clients.terraceproductions.com/goodbye_norma_jean/



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 ANNUAL SONG CONTEST March 15th - June 17th

DSA Quarterly Lyric Contest http://dsalyriccontest.blogspot.com/


See contest details at:
Song, Lyric and Fiddle Contests


A comprehensive list of Song Contests compliments of MusesMuse.com