Thursday, April 7, 2016

SONGWRITERS NOTES E-NEWS #175 APRIL 2016

Hello Songwriter,

We have a big calendar for this month with lot's going on because of Arts Week. This weekend there is a Susan Gibson workshop, April 9 and performance, April 10. This will be great! I'm going! She's the writer of the Dixie Chicks hits, Wide Open Spaces. There is still room. See #7 below for details  and contact Tim Phillips

On April 21, we have our quarterly showcase at Poor Davids Pub.

On Aprill 22, DSA will join the late night program for adults, 7 - 11PM, at the Perot Museum of Nature and Science that includes scientific talks, experiments, performances and more.  We will interact with the public about songwriting, and give people tips as they try to write their own song. HOW FUN! Mark your calendar. perotmuseum.org/ss

On April 23 - 24, we are so lucky to have a renowned vocal coach, Debbie Beinhorn, traveling to Dallas for a two day workshop. We have not had a vocal workshop in a long, long time. In the past, Debbie garnered rave reviews from our membership. She is so intuitive. She has a long line of credits that begin with Clint Black. She has students all over the world that see her for lessons and last minute first aid before a big performance. DON'T MISS THIS OPPORTUNITY TO REALIZE YOUR FULL VOCAL POTENTIAL. This is a must attend event. See #7 Workshops below for details or website https://dallassongwriters.org/the-beinhorn-vocal-method-workshop/

DSA now has 8 regular monthly events. Our regular DSA monthly events are 1st and 3rd Monday SongSwaps and 1st and 3rd Thursdays and last Monday Open Mic, 3rd Tuesday Showcase at the Sons Of Hermann Hall, 4th Saturday Showcase at Angela's, and our 2nd Tuesday Workshop and Critiques. Our guest speakers for this month are The Teeter Twins in person.   For details, see #2 and #4 below. Some of us like to visit the Poor Davids Pub (hosted by Mr Troll) or Angela's (hosted by JT) Open Mic every Monday.

For a complete calendar list see #8 Events below.

Some postings of note on our website. 
Calendar for April
https://dallassongwriters.org/calendar-for-april-2016/ 
Members with Gigs and DSA events
https://dallassongwriters.org/members-with-gigs-and-dsa-upcoming-events/

Thanks to Paul Zander, Michael Brandenberger, Bobby Montgomery, Mimi Balkey, Suzi Morse for their contributions to DSA. Just a reminder that we are a non-profit and your tax deductible donations are always welcome. Follow this link to our donation spot on the website. https://dallassongwriters.org/shop/donation/
Songcerely,
Barbe

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1. ANNUAL SONG CONTEST -

2015 SONG CONTEST WINNER T EDWIN DOSS WITH GRAND PRIZE CASIO PRIVIA

T Edwin Doss news article to come.

Did you miss the Awards Dinner? Here's a blow by blow courtesy of Dan Roark

GRAND PRIZE WINNERS
1. Jessie Brown by T. Edwin Doss, Silver Spring, MD
2. Real Love Next Time by Bonnie Warren, Philadelphia, PA
3. Aina Hanu by John Keawe, Kapaau, Hawaii



WINNERS

MC and GRAND PRIZE JUDGE,  ROY ELKINS, left us with extensive comments on the grand prize winners and more. https://dallassongwriters.org/roy-elkins-on-songs-from-dsa-song-contest/

SEMIFINALISTS   http://dsasongcontest.blogspot.com/ 

 WINNER OF THE IPOD – Samuel Miller, Chico, CA

                 2015 Dallas Songwriters Song Contest
Now in its 25th year, The DSA 2015 Song Contest is one of the longest running international song contests for amateur songwriters. Over $5,000 in cash and prizes.

GRAND PRIZE  -   A Casio Privia Piano
and a Nashville recording session at Beaird Music Group. 
Beaird Music Group


1st Runner Up
 wins studio time at
River Sounds Recording Resort







2nd Runner up
wins recording time at 
Jo-Musik


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

Category winners get cash prizes


Listen to the 2014 winners on Soundcloud at:

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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 - SECOND TUESDAY WORKSHOP
Teeter Twins at Linden Wildflower Festival

  APRIL 12th: TEETER TWINS    

Born in Lubbock, Tx, Audey and Aubrey Teeter began singing together at an early age, cutting their teeth on Hank Williams.  The family moved many times around Oklahoma, where the boys did a lot of growing up, attending college and  entertaining audiences with their unique brand of country and rock since the age of five. The next natural step was a move to Nashville for 12 years for Aubrey, soon followed by Audey. Then they moved back to Texas and the two hooked up again. Aubrey and Audey still sing together as an act all over the D/FW area, wowing audiences with their amazing harmony. They saw first light in Lubbock, Texas and have now come full circle to where it all began for them.
Aubrey Teeter is a former DSA member and director.

Center For Community Cooperation

2900 Live Oak
Free to Members | $5 for visitors
Sign in and Networking begins at 6:30
Announcements at 7PM
Program about 7:30
Song Critiques follow – Members only may enter for $10

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Reviews of past DSA Second Tuesday guest speakers  

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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
 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

Harry Hewlett, Dori Weaver, Michael Brandenberger
Harry Hewlett, Dori Weaver, Michael Brandenberger
2016 
January - Time to Leave by Beth Murphy
February - My Pickup Truck by Charles Carter

March - Last Chance to Dance in Texas by Rio King

2015 Winner - Waiting to Breathe by Dori Weaver
2. Jimmy Loves Jesus by Buck Morgan
3. Give 'Em Time Lord by Bobby Montgomery

Here is the list of winners of the meeting critiques from which the top three were chosen thanks to Judge, Ian Dickson, former DSA Director and Wildflower Contest winner.

Songwriter of the Year 2015 
is Rio King with the most wins at the meeting critiques

To view past winners go to the Best Songs blog. http://bestsongsofthemeeting.blogspot.com/
To hear the winners go to our Soundcloud page https://soundcloud.com/dsa-best-songs

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4. SHOWCASES AND OPEN MICS -

http://showcases-openmics.blogspot.com/

OPEN MICS

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

DUNN BROTHERS COFFEE HOUSE - Addison
EVERY 3RD THURSDAY - 7:00pm to 9:00pm
Hosted by  Craig St.Clair 
In November 2015, DSA celebrated 11 years at Dunn Brothers
see review of

KITCHEN CAFE' - North Dallas
EVERY LAST MONDAY - 7:00pm to 9:00pm
Hosted by Michael Brandenberger

SHOWCASES

ANGELA'S AT THE CROSSWALK in downtown Plano
4th Saturday 7:30 - 11:00
Hosted by Buck and Harry
APRIL 23
7;30 Buck ’n’ Harry
7:50, Rio King
8:10, John Mason
8:30, Raquel Lindemann, feature
9:15, Allen Larson, feature
10,  Cat McGee
10:20 Marcus Belmore
10:40 OPEN

 

 POOR DAVIDS PUB - APRIL 21

    7:30 Host Dan Roark
    8:00 James Pappas
    8:30 Lynn McCracken   
    9:00 John Mason
    9:30 Rickey Gene Wright
   10:00 Bill Sibley, Bill Hudson, Rockin' Robert T. Tomberlin


SHOWCASE AND OPEN MIC - 


SONS OF HERMANN HALL SHOWCASE and OPEN MIC - 3412 MAIN ST
EVERY 3RD TUESDAY - 7:00pm to 10:00pm
Sign up begins at 6:30 Hosted by Dan Roark

7:30 Host Dan Roark
8:00 Darren Rozell
    8:30 Open mic



TEXAS SONGWRITERS IN THE ROUND at Sandstone Cellars Winery Showcase and 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 .

Every 1st Thursday 7-9 PM @ Fuel Coffee House 106 Main St, Llano, Texas

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 30

or by mail

SUMMER 2015 - SEMIFINALISTS
October Sky by Kerry Kean
If I Hold You Tenderly by Michael Roth, Dulles, VA
Ducky, If You're Listening by Brenda Peak, Council Bluff, IA
Trains by Nancy Line and Candy Kattenburg, Martinez, CA
What's Your Plan by David DelBianco, Wrightstown, PA

SPRING 2015 - WINNERS

PAST WINNERS and LYRICS POSTED ON THE OLD  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 of the DSA. We have committee positions open. Let us know if you'd like to be on the board. Just show up a our membership meeting.

Directors elected at our Nov 11th Annual Membership Meeting were:
Michael BrandenbergerBobby MontgomeryDicky JohnsonRachel WilhelmDan RoarkBarbe McMillenJoe Milton, Stephen McKinnell, Steve Sullivan, Ken Duren, James Pappas and Harry Hewlett.

Current Officers Elected at the Planning Meeting on January 9, 2016
Michael Brandenberger -  Prez
Bobby Montgomery - Executive VP, VP Programs
Dicky Johnson - Treasurer
Rachel Wilhelm - Tech
Dan Roark - Lyric Contest Director, showcases, workshops
Barbe McMillen - Communications, Administration, Newsletter
Harry Hewlett - A/R
Stephen McKinnell - VP of Membership
Steve Sullivan and James Pappas - SongSwap Coordinators
Joe Milton, Ken Duren - At Large

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.
NEW MEMBERS: Have you joined our member only yahoo group where you can talk with the group and get special offers and last minute updates on events? subscribe: dallassongwriters-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

                   PATRON SAINTS: PAUL ZANDER
Patron Sponsor L3: Bobby Montgomery, Michael Brandenberger
Patron Sponsor L1:
Patron Sponsor: Mimi BalkeySuzi Morse

WELCOME NEW MEMBERS: Kathryn Adams, Ron Young, Jeff Stachowski
THANK YOU FOR RENEWING YOUR MEMBERSHIP: Catt McGee, James Pappas, Aaron Shook, Terry Bloss, Raquel Nguyen, Victoria Bouton, Julia Pauletti

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 APRIL:Tom Thomas, David Wysong, Gary White, Kerry McCall, Randy Overton, Kent Poynor
EXPIRED IN MAY: Ann Cornelius, Julie Jean White, Mathew Cords.
EXPIRED IN JUNE: Joanna Endsley, LaToya Cooper
EXPIRED IN JULY: Jay Gerwertz, Stephanie Stewart, John Knoblauch
EXPIRED IN AUGUST: Sandra Foster Brown, Glen Naylor
EXPIRED IN SEPTEMBER: Dru Richmon 
EXPIRED IN OCT: Rick Webster, Jay Gallagher, Jenni Peal 
EXPIRED IN NOV: Richard Pickett, Lisa Byrn, Steve Wilson, Martha Myre
EXPIRED IN DEC: Kathryn Taylor
EXPIRED IN JAN: Terry Bloss, Bill Kapac, Cat McGee, Matt Nestor, Ben Neumann, Al Hovden, Chris Troll, Rob Lutzwig, Maxim Senin, Stephen Blackwell, Rene Safier, Kyle Vincent, Stacy Hogan, Jacquelyn Christina, Will Kincaid, John Martinez
EXPIRED IN FEBAnthony Castillo, Mark Pierce, Katrina Pitts
EXPIRED IN MARCHPete Miller, Tippy Balady, Ken Duran, Phoenix Rose, Tim York
TIME TO RENEW: Suzi Morse, Phillip Wildman, Shane Andrews, John Mason

 Renew your membership online.
You'll find the link to the store on the panel to the right
Or paste this link in your browser: https://dallassongwriters.org/shop/dsa-membership/

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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.)

April 9 -  Songwriting Workshop with Susan Gibson at the at MCL Grand, Lewisville. Workshop on Saturday 4/9 - $45 - 9 - 4pmLunch included plus - contact Tim Phillips
  She'll be performing the next evening, April 10, in the Black Box Series along with Elizabeth Wills. 


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April 23 -24 The Beinhorn Vocal Method Workshops     
                     at the Brandenberger Home 
https://dallassongwriters.org/the-beinhorn-vocal-method-workshop/
Register online - https://dallassongwriters.org/shop/the-beinhorn-vocal-method/


SING!!!
How to build the instrument ..........
How to maintain the.instrument.....
How to use the instrument.......,......
SING!!!

TWO DAYS OF WORKSHOPS
Each 3 hour workshop $50 - Both days $90

( DSA members get $10 discount on both days or $5 for one day)"

The Beinhorn Vocal Method
April 23, Saturday 1:30 to 4:30 

https://dallassongwriters.org/shop/the-beinhorn-vocal-method-single-day-ticket/ 

Realize your full vocal potential!
Discover the CYA sweet spot!
Learn how to balance your voice with these revolutionary ideas:
a) Concepts
b) Exercises

The Magic Show!!!
April 24, Sunday 1:30 to 4:30

Live performance!
https://dallassongwriters.org/shop/the-beinhorn-vocal-method-single-day-ticket/

Secrets to attain your best live performance!
Application of the Beinhorn Method for peak performance vocals!
a) Tone of instrument - Tuning the body
b) Vocal Production - Connecting body, mind and soul for peak performance

(Beinhorn Method Vocal warm-up CD and book available for purchase.)

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Coming May 20th, WildFlower Songwriting School, With Terry Hendrix and Lloyd Maines

Review of Larry Beaird Workshop
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.

2015

2016

APRIL
4 DSA Song Swap at Half Price Books
7 DSA Open Mic at Half Price Books
9 Susan Gibson Workshop at MCL Grand Lewisville
12 DSA Second Tuesday Meeting - Teeter Twins
14 Brando at Burger Edge
16 - Texas Tunes Concert with Max Stallings at MCL Grand, Lewisville.
16 - Deadline for BW Stevenson Contest
18 Song Swap at Tinos
19 DSA Showcase at Sons of Hermann Hall
21 DSA Open Mic at Dunn Brothers
21 DSA Showcase at Poor Davids

22 - DSA at The Perot Science Museum (Table demo of songwriting)
22 - May 1 New Orleans Jazz Fest http://www.nojazzfest.com/
23 - 24 Beinhorn Method Vocal Workshop  
23 DSA Showcase at Angelas  
25 DSA Open Mic at Kitchen Cafe
28 Brando @ Burger Edge
29 - May 1 Dallas International Guitar Show, Market Hall, Dallas, Tx

MAY
14 Texas Tunes Series with Michael Martin Murphy at MCL Grand, Lewisville.
 20 Wildflower Songwriting School
20 - 22 Wildflower Festival, Richardson, Tx

JUNE
9 - 12 Idyllwild Listening Room Songwriters Retreat

JULY
2 Texas Tunes Series with Marcia Ball at MCL Grand, Lewisville.
10 Walt Wilkins at MCL Grand, Lewisville.

Moses Avalon's List of Top Ranked Music Conferences.
Go to the events page to view links to local and Texas venues.   http://songwriterevents.blogspot.com/

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9. Featured Articles:


By Rachelle Wilber
Music is a product of many factors. The more avenues an artist can draw upon, the more original their music will tend to sound. For many aspiring musicians, there exists a notion that being self-taught, often in a rather unorthodox fashion, is what being a successful musician is all about. Although it is true that some rare musicians will thrive with this philosophy, the reality is that these individuals are quite rare. Continue Reading f5ec743b4e5e4c2c9587db8c6ec80b4d.gif


By Kaye Foley
"Hamilton," the musical smash hit about Founding Father and first Treasury Secretary Alexander Hamilton, has taken over Broadway, the White House and likely your newsfeed. Lin-Manuel Miranda, creator, performer and genius (yes, officially), is revolutionizing theater — onstage and off. Continue Reading f5ec743b4e5e4c2c9587db8c6ec80b4d.gif


MUSIC BUSINESS - more articles posted on  DSA Music Biz News
The Trichordist
The great artist Tish Hinojosa wrote a must-read opinion piece for her home town paper, the Austin American-Statesman, about the realities of gigging in a "no cover"/"tip jar" reality that is all too common at live music venues across the country. In her post "Austin venues, patrons can do more to pay musicians fairly," Tish lays bare the ugly truth that we experience every day–wage stagnation for musicians produces the "you're lucky to have a job" mentality with many venues Continue Reading f5ec743b4e5e4c2c9587db8c6ec80b4d.gif

The Trichordist
It amuses me to no end when people suggest that artists can make up for recorded music revenues with live music revenues. These are people who obviously know little about the live music business. Continue Reading f5ec743b4e5e4c2c9587db8c6ec80b4d.gif

By Jonathan Hack
Even the most independent of indie musicians can use a little help every now and again and, fortunately for them, there are organizations with precisely this purpose, whether you're looking for some financial help, or simply a place to crash. Continue Reading f5ec743b4e5e4c2c9587db8c6ec80b4d.gif


By David Newhoff
It is a chronically repeated theme—and therefore a widely held misconception—that the DMCA is solely a mechanism for rights holders to unilaterally and unequivocally remove content from the Web "without due process". In fact, this belief is so deeply ingrained that just citing the acronym by some journalists and bloggers is sufficient to denote censorship for many readers. Continue Reading f5ec743b4e5e4c2c9587db8c6ec80b4d.gif

By Zoë Young


By Sarah Spencer
Artists and songwriters have encountered this roadblock of a phrase many times before: "no unsolicited material. ... It can be the most infuriating thing for an eager artist to deal with. That's especially true when you know you have great material that aligns with the label's brand and roster. ... But "no unsolicited material" is actually not as scary and unapproachable of a term as it seems once you understand why labels use it in the first place. Continue Reading f5ec743b4e5e4c2c9587db8c6ec80b4d.gif


By Chris Castle
I had the good fortune to participate in a SXSW panel about the mechanics of YouTube revenues...There was a real interest in the audience about the mechanics of the rights involved and the revenues paid. If you have that same interest and you weren't able to go to SXSW, here's a basic chart of revenue splits that may help you: Continue Reading f5ec743b4e5e4c2c9587db8c6ec80b4d.gif

LISTEN 
JAubrey Teeter

By David Remnick
The revival and hidden treasure of Aretha Franklin. ... "I don't care what they say about Aretha," Billy Preston, who died in 2006, once said. "She can be hiding out in her house in Detroit for years. She can go decades without taking a plane or flying off to Europe. She can cancel half her gigs and infuriate every producer and promoter in the country. She can sing all kinds of jive-ass songs that are beneath her. She can go into her diva act and turn off the world. But on any given night, when that lady sits down at the piano and gets her body and soul all over some righteous song, she'll scare the shit out of you. And you'll know—you'll swear—that she's still the best f...in' singer this f...ed-up country has ever produced." Continue Reading f5ec743b4e5e4c2c9587db8c6ec80b4d.gif
Obviously for self-aggrandizing purposes, this is my favorite Aretha recording. She just nails the song! – The James Brown's version – which directly follows Aretha's - ain't bad either.

A stunning performance of this magnificent Gershwin melody ...
Ernie Adrian Mom & Dad
This wonderful performance is from 2009 when Leung Pak-yue was 13 years old. Continue Reading f5ec743b4e5e4c2c9587db8c6ec80b4d.gif

IN MEMORIAM
By James Stafford

It's only the end of March, and it's already been a rough year for music fans. ...what's most striking about this year's roll call of the departed is the sheer scope of their influence that transcended genre and, in some cases, music itself. Continue Reading f5ec743b4e5e4c2c9587db8c6ec80b4d.gif

March 4
Joey Feek, 40, American country singer (Joey + Rory); cause of death — cervical cancer
Joey was part of the husband-wife country duo Joey + Rory who scored a 2008 Top 40 country hit with "Cheater Cheater." (Sample putdown - "Where did you meet that no good white trash ho?")

March 8
Sir George Martin, 90, British Hall of Fame record producer (The Beatles)
It's not every producer and arranger who can say they changed the landscape of pop, and in the avalanche of tributes to the Beatles' producer (including my own appreciation of his hand in the Beatles' development), something overlooked was that Martin produced another British institution. He helmed the two best-ever and highest-charting Bond themes, Shirley Bassey's seismic "Goldfinger" and Sir Paulie's "Live and Let Die." The latter film featured Martin's original score throughout.


March 10 
Keith Emerson, 71, English progressive rock and rock keyboardist (The Nice; Emerson, Lake & Palmer); cause of death — suicide
Emerson, Lake, and Palmer's over-the-top progressive rock was an easy target of ELP's punk contemporaries, but Emerson was certainly a kindred spirit, what with stabbing his keyboards with Nazi-era daggers and rigging his pianos with more explosives than Wile E. Coyote might employ in a single Road Runner cartoon. Plus, he managed to get banned from the Royal Albert Hall for desecrating an American flag while performing "America" from West Side Story. In latter years, Emerson suffered nerve damage in his hand, which adversely affected his playing. It has been suggested that some of the nasty trolling about his recent appearances hurt him greatly. It makes me feel doubly worse about any cruel comments I ever made about Love Beach.
Rarely mentioned in her obits ... Patty Duke had hit records as well.
Pattyduketheatre
PERFORMANCE
RECORDING


CRAFT OF SONGWRITING
By Mylène Besançon
In creating songs, one of the best things you can do is to keep your songwriting as simple as possible. Keeping it simple does not mean lightweight or nonsensical or adding a lot of fluff, it simply means maintaining clarity so that your listeners don't have to be doing mental gymnastics to keep up. Continue Reading f5ec743b4e5e4c2c9587db8c6ec80b4d.gif

By Jesse Sterling Harrison

By Mary Williams & Kari Anderson
Recently, some VPR colleagues sat together in a studio to play bits of well-known songs from the '60s through today that we'd heard may have borrowed some, if not all, of their melodies from classical pieces. Here are a few examples we found from all over the musical landscapes of pop, rock, Motown, country and hip-hop. Continue Reading f5ec743b4e5e4c2c9587db8c6ec80b4d.gif


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/
Next deadline - March 31

COMING APRIL of 2016
THE 28th B.W. STEVENSON MEMORIAL SINGER/SONGWRITER COMPETITION:
ENTRY DEADLINE 4/15/2016
$1000 GRAND PRIZE!!!
CLICK HERE FOR INFO ON THE B.W. STEVENSON SINGER-SONGWRITERS COMPETITION 

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

DALLAS SONGWRITERS OLD WEBSITE WITH ARCHIVED LINKS TO PAST PROGRAMS

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 25th 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,
  Online Songwriting Workshops and Classes