NSAI

If you follow me on Facebook or Twitter, you probably already know that I joined NSAI - Nashville Songwriters Association International - http://www.nashvillesongwriters.com/

When I double checked the requirements for the audition at Bluebird that I'm wanting to sign up for, I read that you must live within 100 miles of Nashville OR be an active member of NSAI. Since I'm not part of the former, I became part of the latter. :-)

I had a moment when I was signing up where I had to stop and question myself... It's $200 to join (I opted for the $50 today and $50 over the next three months) so it's not a whim. I had to stop and make a commitment to myself. Actually I already made a commitment to "go to the next level," I just had to stop and confirm with myself that I was serious about this. Since I am, I did. :-)

I also linked my YouTube video to my ReverbNation page. I had intentions of recording the two songs I wrote this past weekend and posting them on ReverbNation as well, but didn't get around to it. Maybe tomorrow. :-)

I also want to get an EPK (electronic press kit) going to share with the wineries and such that I want to do some solo acoustic stuff with. I figure I can record a line or two (or a chorus) of several appropriate songs and string that together as a demo of sorts. Any suggestions on appropriate songs?

Thanks for reading...

contest entered

Okay - I finished the song at lunch today at my favorite writing spot - a booth at Pizza Hut. :-)

As I said yesterday, I had the hook and I had a ton of notes. Today I looked back over them and kinda "saw something..." I really have no way of explaining it - it just happened.

Anyway, I finished the song and even had the tune. I grabbed my iPhone and mumbled the song into the voice recorder so I wouldn't lose the tune to it. :-) When I got home I worked on the key and the timing and such, and even tweaked the words a bit. I recorded it simply with PhotoBooth on a MacBook Air - nothing fancy. It's sitting on YouTube now waiting on Martin to add it officially to the site.

At that point, I'll be asking you to vote for my video. Thank you in advance. :-)

This post is more than just about that though... I also had two other things music related happen today... First, I noticed after I'd practiced the song and then recorded it that I even sound to myself after the fact that I was putting everything into it... I realized that I really DO "feel" the words. The song was inspired by the contest, but I didn't write a Martin advertisement at all... I wrote a song that I would want to hear. That's something that Don Schlitz told me last week at the Bluebird - "write what you want to hear."

Speaking of Bluebird Cafe - that's the other thing I wanted to mention. I kinda got goose bumps this morning when I got their email newsletter... They only have auditions a few times a year for their Sunday writer's night. They announced that they'll be taking registration on January 20 and then the audition will be on a Sunday in February. I'm going to go online FIRST THING after the window opens and try my best to get in line for an audition... I have about five songs that I would feel comfortable performing for others, and I plan to have several more by the time February gets here. :-)

I'll keep you posted... Thanks for reading!

another songwriting contest

I'm planning to ask you, gentle reader, for your help on this one... Seems Martin Guitar Company is giving away a very nice D-28 to the winner of a songwriting contest. I'll share a link below to the full rules, but the short story is that it must be an ORIGINAL song posted to YouTube and using the lyric "lifespan" somewhere inside. The top three videos per viewer vote will go into the finals.

First - I'd like to win, just because I'm always happy to win a $3,000 MSRP guitar. :-) I've never owned a Martin before...

Second - I see it as a challenge, and I've already started on my song. I have the 'hook' - I just have to finish it and get it posted.

Here's the link - http://lifespan.venturaassociates.net/

I'll post again when my video is live and you can vote on it. :-)

Also - just a quick note - I took my old Alvarez into the shop today... The guy in Dyersburg made me a good price for the repair, and he says he's done similar repairs, so I took it to him... Keeping my fingers crossed...

Yes, I was going to do it myself, and I'd still like to say that I did, but at this point I'd rather know it's done "correct" than to just say that I did it myself.

Good night all!

Happy New Year !!!

I didn't write in my blog yesterday because I was doing a different type of writing... I awoke yesterday to a quiet house and decided to pull out some notes from a previous attempt at writing a song. I am so very glad that I now write down my ideas as they happen and I don't throw anything away. :-)

I pulled out a song that started from an exercise that Adam Levy mentioned in his blog post that I quoted before. This was the exercise where you take a picture and just write all you can about it. Well the picture was a pairing in a co-workers office. It was a barn with a stump in the foreground. This intrigued me, so I started making notes. I ended up taking a picture of it with my phone so I'd be able to refer back to it.

Anyway, I had some ideas, but my subconscious took it another direction. I sat down several weeks ago and tried to write the song, but I couldn't really "finish" it, you know? That was the night I stopped working on it and went back to my "Paradise Exercise" and finished that song about daddy.

So anyway, I "finish" the song yesterday, then go to my notes. The very first (hence oldest) note that had not been acted on turned into a fast write of a simple 3/4 time bluegrass tune. It's one of those that I don't see being a "hit" on the radio (wrong genre, wrong hook, etc.) but I can see it being played around a jam circle where different people take turns with the musical breaks. Very "classic bluegrass" in that sense. :-)

So that's why I didn't blog yesterday. This morning, though, I'd like to say Happy New Year to all my friends out there! I pray that this year is the VERY best one so far for you!!!

By the way, do you do resolutions? I don't technically do "new year's resolutions." I think that ANYTIME you decide to do something better with your life that it's okay to do it right then - you don't have to wait till January 1. But, I also know that some people need a trigger, and if the first day of the year is that trigger then good luck and more power to you. ;-)

So, that being said, I still intend to do more with my music this year - to move to the "next level," whatever that may be... Last night I successfully sat in with another group and played bass and sang a few songs. It was a "new years eve" gig so it was VERY late when it was over and very late when I got home. I do NOT want to do that every week... :-)

But anyway, it felt good to be able to sit in and play and not be lost. :-) It helped to reinforce my confidence and give me the push to keep doing more. Also - I'm planning to look into doing more "home town" gigs in an acoustic sense. We had a steak at Dusty Joe's yesterday and I asked them if they ever had live music. The waitress said they had had a band just the night before, so I left my card for her to give the owners...

That's all for now...