Thursday, January 3, 2019

SONGWRITERS NOTES E-NEWS #203 JANUARY 2019

Hello Songwriter,



I hope everyone had a great holiday with friends and family. 

As we enter the new year we reflect on the exciting year past and look to the future year.

In 2018 DSA was a very active organization, At our monthly meeting and critiques on the 1st Thursdays at Half Price Books, we had some very impressive guest speakers including Terry Jennings, Josh Goode, Ricky Gene Wright, Jack Allday, Aaron Shook, Tod Cotham, Bruce Channel, Isaac Janai, and yours truly.  We also had 35 songs submitted for critique. 
Also at Half Price Books, we continue to offer a 1st Monday open mic and workshop, sharing songs, new ideas and co-writing.  My birthday was celebrated in November. 
We celebrated the 14th year in November at the Dunn Brothers open mic in Addison. Each month we discover new talent at this venue and gather to share our songs with our old friends. 
We moved our Hall of Fame from the month of July to April and inducted Bruce Channel, Delbert McClinton, Jerry Lynn Williams, Gary Nicholson and The Nightcaps on the Love and War stage in Plano. Performing were the Holland K Smith Band and Barbe McMillen with special guests Joe Milton, Jack Allday, Alexis Tapp, and Jessica Ewy.  
Spring brought the festival stages at Deep Ellum Arts Festival in Dallas and Wildflower Festival in Richardson. We filled the weekends with superb DSA member talent. We exhibited at the Dallas and Ft Worth guitar shows. We beat the summer heat at the pool party and jam in August at the Milton home. 
Closing the year out in December, we celebrated the talent of our members and song contest winners with our Christmas Party and Awards Banquet.
The Grand Prize winner, John Latini was awarded a Casio Privia keyboard and studio time at JoMusik.     


In fact, Joe Milton is offering a demo for all three grand prize winners. 

Jo-Musik


Plus we awarded cash prizes for each 1st and second place category winners. All winners won a DSA membership.  http://dsasongcontest.blogspot.com   
Charles Carter was the winner of the bluetooth speaker from the drawing of the entries. He entered the most songs. It's no wonder that he won the drawing. You can check facebook for a video recap of the awards program here: https://www.facebook.com/pg/dallassongwriters/videos/  . We were so fortunate that our grand prize winner, John Latini, travelled from Michigan to Dallas to perform. Also, category winner, Michael Roth travelled from Sante Fe to perform. There were many local talented semifinalists who performed also, plus the Song of The Year songwriter and DSA Prez, Michael Brandenberger. What an exciting year!

We have a lot in store you you in the new year. Your DSA Board of Directors are meeting on January 5 to plan for the coming year. 
 For 2019, our regular DSA monthly events will be:
* the Monthly Meeting, 1st Thursday, Guest Speaker and song critiques 
Guitar Pull, 1st Monday, at Half Price Books on NWH in Dallas - Harry Hewlett hosts; and 
* the 3rd Thursday Open Mic at Dunn Brothers Coffee in Addison.
Our Lyric contest will maintain it's quarterly deadlines: March, June, September, December.
 In April 2019, DSA plans to induct Stephen Stills, Steve Miller, Boz Scaggs, Larry Henley and Rod Phelps. Check out the Dallas Songwriters Hall of Fame website. If you have not already, I hope you will read the article, Two Pals by Billy Bob Hill, on the songs of Blind Lemon and Lead Belly. It's a fun read and listen with links to the songs on youtube.
We are planning on managing a stage at Deep Ellum and Wildflower Festivals this spring. The DSA Song Contest opens in June with a deadline on Sept 30th. We'll have our annual pool party in August. We will exhibit at the Dallas and Ft Worth guitar shows again next year. Our membership meeting and elections will be in November and we'll close the year with our Awards Banquet in December.

We still count on you for support with your membership and donations. But most of all we want you to take advantage of the educational opportunities and participate. 
There is still a chance to donate for the new year. Your generosity keeps our organization going. Just go to www.dallassongwriters.org and click on the donation link. 

Thanks to Paul Zander, Jon Jaggers, Bobby Montgomery, Ginger Stanoia, Kenneth Shoemaker, and Kristi Myers for their recent contributions to our fall fundraiser. Other contributors include Ireland, Jon Jaggers, Bill Kapac, Rio King, Mimi Balkey, Suzi Morse, and Jared LoStrato. Go to this link: https://squareup.com/store/dallas-songwriters-association


Thanks to Harry Hewlett you can view some of our open mics and guest speakers in a live stream on Facebook? See guest our guest speakers, and past Angela's showcases. Can't make it? Then tune into Facebook/dallassongwriters. Want to be on our facebook streams? Show up and perform.

Songcerely,
Barbe

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DSA SONG CONTEST - 

2018 Winners Announced at the Awards Dinner on Dec, 8 at Sons of Hermann Hall

http://dsasongcontest.blogspot.com 

Cash Prizes +

THANKS TO OUR SONG CONTEST SPONSORS

 



1st, 2nd and 3rd place 

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
Winners announced at our Awards Banquet on December 8.


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DSA MEETINGS - http://dsameetings.blogspot.com

DSA Director Harry Hewlett is Guest Speaker for Thursday, Jan 3rd, at Half Brice Books.

“INTRO TO CD BABY & FACEBOOK / YOUTUBE MONETIZATION (or, Don’t Quit Your Day Job, Just Because You’re A Published Songwriter”)!

Harry has been very involved in getting his music out to the world, and getting paid, via online music distribution.  Harry has a BS in Ag. Eco. from Texas Tech & an MBA from Avila College in KC, MO. He spent 10 years with Pfizer Ag.  Div. at their corporate HQ’s in NYC as Product Mgr. & Manager, Sales Systems. While there he took up songwriting as a hobby & joined the Songwriters Guild and NSAI. Now on the DSA board where is serving as A&R Director.   Harry has utilized his savvy in the business world to figure out how business works in the music world so you won't want to miss it! 

Critiques will follow:
As usual, for members we will also have song critiques by industry pros Barbe McMillen and Joe Milton.  Bring your song on a CD or email an MP3 to Harry Hewlett at hhhewlett@gmail.com, and also bring plenty of copies of the lyrics so the members can give comments as well.  You will also be entered in the DSA Song of the Year and Songwriter of the Year contest. The cost is $10 per song.


Location: Half Price Books/Northwest Highway in Dallas
6:00 pm: Doors Open/Networking and visiting
7:00 pm: Program followed by song critiques for members only
Pay online for critique. 
https://squareup.com/store/dallas-songwriters-association or
https://dallassongwriters.org/shop/dsa-meeting-song-critique-entry/
Each song is entered into the Song of The Year and Songwriter of the Year Competition which is awarded at our December Awards Banquet. 

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Thanks to Harry Hewlett we have a video of the Sept 6th 2018 meeting with Bruce ChannelBruce received an award from BMI for two million radio performances of Hey! Baby. His original record of Hey! Baby is featured in the hit movie, Dirty Dancing, and on the international sound track album, listed in BILLBOARD’s Pop Album for over three months with sales of over twelve + million units.

___________________________________________ 

Winners were announced at the Awards Dinner. 

SONGWRITER OF THE YEAR IS CRAIG LANGFORD
SONG OF THE YEAR WINNNERS
1. A TIME FOR LOVE  Michael Brandenberger
Michael Brandenberger
2. THAT’S JUST WHAT I’LL DO Craig Langford
3. BRANDY BLUES Rio King

See the Best Songs of the Meeting and Songwriter of the Year 
Past Winners here:

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WORKSHOPS and CONFERENCES

1st Monday at Half Price Books - JAN 7th, 6:30PM, hosted by Harry Hewlett - co-writes

The 15th Annual ASG Songwriters Symposium 2019  From the evening of Wednesday, January 9 through Noon on Sunday, January 13, songwriters will be treated to one-on-one music publisher pitch sessions, seminars, workshops, all night picking circles and much more at the Austin Songwriters Group annual symposium. 


STEVE SESKIN
 15th Annual Songcrafting Seminar in Nashville is coming up on January 26th and 27th, 2019! This amazing event is one of my favorite workshops of the year. At the seminar you'll have the opportunity to connect with other songwriters and learn from some of the best and brightest folks in the music biz. It's a great weekend of music, learning, and fun. You will hopefully leave more inspired about your writing than ever!
This unique and intimate gathering features two full days of lectures, workshops, critiques, performances, and a publisher presentation that will totally change the way you look at songwriting. I have prepared several new talks for this years seminar. To learn more about possible topics to be covered, click here.

SONGWRITING RETREAT WITH PETER MULVEY IN HILL COUNTRY
Maybe it's time! Are you ready to take your songwriting seriously?  A rare retreat weekend Feb 22-24 at beautiful Blue Rock Studio in the Texas Hill Country with songwriting master Peter Mulvey.  Limit 21 participants.
$500   More Info
Peter will perform a concert Thursday night the 21st (rsvp below), then the weekend retreat begins.  Four Sessions, individual feedback, evening song circle.  Register HERE.


FAI is the world's largest gathering of the folk music industry and community. It attracts over 2800 attendees from 35 countries. At FAI artists and touring musicians perform for hundreds of festivals, venue bookers, agents, managers, media, and music industry representatives.
The FAI folk umbrella represents the broadest international iteration of the genre. At FAI, folk encompasses a diverse array of music including Appalachian, Americana, Blues, Bluegrass, Celtic, Cajun, Francophone, Global Roots, Indigenous, Latin, Old Time, Traditional, Singer-Songwriter, Spoken Word and every imaginable fusion.

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SHOWCASES AND OPEN MICS

OPEN MICS

 HALF PRICE BOOKS OPEN MIC and co-writes - NORTHWEST HIGHWAY - 
EVERY 1ST MONDAY - 7:00pm to 9:00pm hosted by Harry Hewlett
Open mic has changed to an old fashion guitar pull and group discussion about creation to biz. Bring your guitar of pull one from Harry. Play your recorded songs from your phone. 
If you want peer feedback on a song bring a few lyric sheets

DUNN BROTHERS COFFEE HOUSE - Addison
EVERY 3RD THURSDAY - 7:00pm to 9:00pm
Hosted by  Harry Hewlett
In November 2018, DSA is celebrated 14 years at Dunn Brothers. Check out our facebook page for performance videos

see review of
11th Anniversary DSA 3rd Thursday Open Mic at Dunn Bros.

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://squareup.com/store/dallas-songwriters-association
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EVENTS - Featuring local and worldwide events of the songwriting community including, seminars, conferences, and showcases.

2019

JAN
3 - DSA Monthly Meeting and Song Critiques
5 - DSA Board Planning Meeting
7 - DSA Guitar Pull and Discussion at Half Price Books
9-13 Austin Symposium
17 -  DSA Open Mic at Dunn Brothers
26-27- Steve Seskin Songwriting Conference, Nashville

FEB
7 - DSA Monthly Meeting and Song Critiques
4 - DSA Guitar Pull and Discussion at Half Price Books
13-17 Folk Alliance in Montreal
21 -  DSA Open Mic at Dunn Brothers
22-24 Songwriting Retreat in Hill Country

MAR
7 - DSA Monthly Meeting and Song Critiques
4 - DSA Guitar Pull and Discussion at Half Price Books
8 - 17 SXSW
21 -  DSA Open Mic at Dunn Brothers

APR
3 - DSA Monthly Meeting and Song Critiques
4 - DSA Guitar Pull and Discussion at Half Price Books
13 - DSA HALL OF FAME
18 -  DSA Open Mic at Dunn Brothers

See Texas Music Office events calendar https://gov.texas.gov/music/events
Moses Avalon's List of Top Ranked Music Conferences.
See house concerts and coffee houses here: http://unclecalvins.org/
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DSA LYRIC CONTEST - Next deadline postmarked Dec 31st


Enter online https://dallassongwriters.org/dsa-lyric-contest/
or by mail
Dallas Songwriters Lyric Contest, 
Sammons Center For The Arts
3630 Harry Hines Blvd #20 Dallas, Tx 75219


Thanks to Lyric Contest Co- Director, Gene Schilaci

 SUMMER 2018 -WINNERS ANNOUNCED 

SEMIFINALIST
A Seat At The Table by Ross Miller, Newton. MA
Come Rain Come Shine by Martin Robley,  Ballajura Western Australia
Fireworks Don't Last Very Long by Bill Kapac, West Wildwood, NJ
Let Yourself Fly by Ross Miller, Newton. MA
Restored(The Jimmy Song) by Patrick Shade
Rottin’ Reindeer by Melissa Standifird, Dallas Tx
Rockin’ Reindeer by Melissa Standifird, Dallas Tx
Till We All Drove It by TY Nelson, Billings, MT

THE 2018 SUMMER WINNER IS .........
.https://dallassongwriters.org/2018-summer-lyric-contest-winners/

2018 Spring Winners: https://wp.me/p5ky4B-32R


2018 Winter Comments are posted here: http://dallassongwriters.blogspot.com/p/lyric-contest.html


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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 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.

2019 Directors elected at our Nov 1st 2018 Annual Membership Meeting were:
Michael BrandenbergerBobby Montgomery, Phillip CasteelBarbe McMillenJoe Milton, Marcus Belmore, Steve Sullivan, Ken Duren, James Pappas, Jessica Ewy, Rod Phelps,Gene Schillaci,  Harry Hewlett, Craig Langford, Buck Morgan Ricky Gene Wright. New 2019 officers will be elected at the planning meeting on Jan 5th. 

 Officers 2018
Michael Brandenberger -  Prez
Bobby Montgomery - VP Programs
Phil Casteel - Treasurer
Jessica Ewy - Secretary
Alexis Tapp - VP Membership, Lyric Contest Director
Barbe McMillen - Administration, Newsletter
Harry Hewlett - A/
Gene Schillaci - Lyric Contest Director, Webmaster
Steve Sullivan, James Pappas, 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 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, BOBBY MONTGOMERY, JOHN JAGGERS
Patron Sponsor L3: Michael Brandenberger, Bill Honker, John Stone
Patron Sponsor L1: Cliff MonroeSuzi Morse Rio KingGinger Stanoio
Patron Sponsor: Mimi BalkeyKristi Myers

WELCOME NEW MEMBERS: David Lewis, Anna XiongJane Fallon, Caera Thornton, Robert LongMichael Richards, Teresa Ann Turner, Katie Dundas, Donette Murphy, Alejandro Dominguez, Jack Simmons, Steve Brown, Terry JenningsTodd Catham, Jack Allday, Josh Goode, Ryan Mahoney, Steve Ledford, Lance French, Melissa Standifird, Douglas Lloyd, Mitch Horner, Kerry Maddox, Brandon Elliott, 


THANK YOU FOR RENEWING YOUR MEMBERSHIP: Ryan Galloway, Rick Babb, K
en Golden, Scott Mendenhall, Stephen Houpt, John Mason, Trevor Dahlen, Ginger Stanoui, Gigi Gostas, Alexis Tapp, Suzi Morse, Ricky Gene Wright, Cat McGee, Aaron Shook, Ken Duren, Raquel Linderman, Phillip Wildman, Greg Waits, Randy Wallace, Ryan Galloway, Phillip Casteel, Joseph Lopez, Don Wall, David Claerr, Stephen Valenzuela, Gene Schillachi, Ricky Gene Wright, Aaron Shook, Jacquelyn Schwartz

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 JAN: Conrad Shwartz, Chris Sjostrom, Lauren Paley, Pam Oliver, Yulia Petrova, Bonnie Warren, Don Coyne 
EXPIRED IN FEB: Bianca Rodrequez
EXPIRED IN MARCH: Al Lumbreras, Charles Barrale, Jeff Stachowesky, Victoria Bouton, Julia Pauletti, David Byboth
EXPIRED IN APRIL: Aubrey and Audie Teeter, Claude Webb
EXPIRED IN MAY: Rob Case, Dan Roark, Dickey Johnson, Kevin Brennan, Matt Brent, Stephanie Sammons, Charles Leftwich, John Nelson.
EXPIRED IN JUNE: Brad Banning, Davis Banning, Bill Honker, Robert Tomberlin, Malini Shaw, Marcus Belmore.
EXPIRED IN JULY: JR Rosenberger, Bob Sullivan, Mike Mullins, Bill Cox, Bill Sibley
EXPIRED IN AUG: Robert Graham, Lanny Sherwin, Wayne Willingham, Minnie Murray
EXPIRED IN SEPT::Serges Himbaza, Doc Parker, Lezleigh Kleibrink
EXPIRED IN OCT: Christine Winburn
EXPIRED IN NOV: Martha Myer, Greg Waits, Randy Wallace
EXPIRED IN DEC: None
TIME TO RENEW: 

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://squareup.com/store/dallas-songwriters-association

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Featured Articles:

Eric Bernsen (Sonicbids)

Maintaining a positive outlook and keeping the big picture in perspective play a huge role in thriving as an artist. So, in order to avoid negative distractions and reach your full potential, follow these four rules as daily reminders of your mission as a musician.  Continue Reading f5ec743b4e5e4c2c9587db8c6ec80b4d.gif

By Kevin Rutherford (Billboard)
LyricFind has pulled together the data to determine the Top 20 Lyric Searches of 2018.  Continue Reading f5ec743b4e5e4c2c9587db8c6ec80b4d.gif
By Jesse Sterling Harrison (SonicBids)

By Jamie Leger (DIY Musician)
How to win the battle against 'Starving Artist Syndrome.'  Continue Reading f5ec743b4e5e4c2c9587db8c6ec80b4d.gif

By Ann Powers (NPR)

By Daniel Reifsnyder (Sonicbids)

MUSIC BUSINESS
By Frances Katz (Flypaper)

The truth behind advances is simplethey're situational and the pros/cons should be heavily considered [including seeking advice from a music industry attorney] before making a decision. As alluring as they may seem, and as much of a fix as they might bring to your financial situation, the fix is short-term. Be sure to weigh the need versus the want so you're not stuck in an even trickier financial situation in the future. If taking an advance makes sense for your situation and career, go for itContinue Reading f5ec743b4e5e4c2c9587db8c6ec80b4d.gif

By Rachelle Wilber (Music Think Tank)

LISTEN 
Read the article by Billy Bob Hill about the friendship between Blind Lemmon Jefferson and Ledbelly. This was so much fun to read and listen to the links to the covers of their songs. Thanks so much, Billy, for an entertaining read and listen.

Pickleball  by Harry Hewlett 
Harry song has become adapted by the city of Plano as the official Pickleball Song. His song was recently performed a a school concert in Plano, Tx

By Dan Zorn (Reverb)

Even though Auto-Tune has evolved to become a cultural phenomenon, very few artists or producers truly understand how to get it to sound like the way it sounds on major records.  Continue Reading f5ec743b4e5e4c2c9587db8c6ec80b4d.gif

PERFORMANCE 
By Matt Ramsey (Ramsey Voice Studio)

Let's face it: Everyone wants to learn how to sing better. It doesn't matter whether you've been on the road for 20 years or you're just starting out. Here's the bottom line: You can improve your voice and learn how to singContinue Reading f5ec743b4e5e4c2c9587db8c6ec80b4d.gif

IN MEMORIAM
By Tom Huizenga and Robin Hilton (All Songs Considered)

CRAFT OF SONGWRITING
By Nick Jarjour (Variety)

Of the 30 most-consumed songs featured on the 2018 Hitmakers list, several credit more than 10 songwriters and a few, like Travis Scott's epic "Sicko Mode," utilized as many as six producers. Some might scoff that it takes more than a dozen people to come up with a few minutes of music, but the truth is, in a lot of instances, it does. Making a hit song is hardly a solitary experience, writes Maverick's Nick Jarjour.  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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 Song and Talent Contests

 DSA Quarterly Lyric Contest https://dallassongwriters.org/dsa-lyric-contest/
Next deadline - March 30

Best Songs of the Meeting - for DSA Members only - next chance to submit in January.

DSA Song Contest OPENS JUNE

FAI's Regional and International Events and Deadlines

FARM | Folk Alliance Region Midwest
Official Showcase applications due June 10
October 24 - 27, 2019
Grand Rapids, Michigan
*Look for FAI staff at this event!

NERFA | Northeast Regional Folk Alliance
Semi-Formal Showcase applications due July 9
November 8-11, 2018
Stamford, Connecticut
*Look for FAI staff at this event!

SWRFA | Southwest Regional Folk Alliance
Official Showcase application due July 15
September 26 - 30, 2018
Austin, Texas
*Look for FAI staff at this event!

FOLK ALLIANCE INTERNATIONAL
Official Showcase application due August 15
February 13 - 17, 2019
Montréal, Québec, Canada

FAR-West | Folk Alliance Region West
Summer Registration Rate ends August 31
October 10 - 13, 2019
Woodland Hills, California
*Look for FAI staff at this event!

SERFA | Southeast Regional Folk Alliance
More Info Here
May 15 - 19, 2019
Chattanooga, Tennessee
*Look for FAI staff at this event!


https://www.folk.org/page/Regions

A comprehensive list of Song Contests compliments of MusesMuse.com