Sunteți pe pagina 1din 42

Songwriter’s Monthly

A Rocket To The
Halie Loren,
Maura Kennedy, Moon
TWLOHA,
& More!

http://www.scribd.com/SongwritersMonthly May ’10, #124


Editor’s Notes
I try very hard to keep Songwriter’s Monthly from being a
typical online publication or blog. I am not interested in
“reacting to” what’s going on in the entertainment industry. I’m
not looking to publish “my take” on things. I want you to get to
know the people behind the music and to really find out what it
takes to be one of those people.

In an age when everyone is concerned with how fast everything


is happening, I want to take the time to try and dig a little
deeper and create something that matters to you, something
you’re glad you took the time to read. Hopefully you’ll find
articles within these virtual pages that you simply cannot find
any place else.

Songwriter’s Monthly only comes out once each month, that’s


just twelve issues in a year! Crazy in this digital world of every
day bloggers. Crazy in a world where advertisers want the same
people coming back to the same site day after day after day!
But I don’t believe that’s the best strategy. I’m already
forgetting to check my 2010 page-a-day calendar! I truly believe
we need something to anticipate. How special would your
birthday be if you celebrated it every day?

And hopefully you do look forward to Songwriter’s Monthly.


Hopefully, you like each issue enough to spread the word, post a
link on your site, tell your friends, tell your fans, co-workers,
family and neighbors. Songwriter’s Monthly is free and sharing is
good!

Very good!

And sharing your thoughts and comments about the issues and
articles with me? Well, that’s good too! I look forward to hearing
from you! Thank you for reading! Thank you for sharing! : )

Allen
a1foster@aol.com
Songwriter's Monthly Feb. ‘10 Cover Girl http://www.vh1.com/
shows/tough_love_couples/

Beth Thornley series.jhtmlhttp://


www.vh1.com/shows/
tough_love_couples/

Lands Music on VH1


series.jhtmlhttp://
www.vh1.com/shows/

And offers it . . .

FREE!
Beth Thornley’s [see cover story
of Songwriter’s Monthly - Feb. 2010]
funky-cool “Wash U Clean” was
chosen as the music the
audience hears when they are
first introduced to hip couple,
Ryan and Axelles (aka The
Drama-Ramas), on VH1’s TOUGH
LOVE COUPLES debut episode.

Thornley is in impressive
company with Lady Gaga and
Boys Like Girls whose music also
helps provide the soundtrack for
the spirited reality show
concerned with testing the
strength of relationships.

http://beththornley.com/?page_id=697
http://beththornley.com/?page_id=697
http://beththornley.com/?page_id=697
http://beththornley.com/?page_id=697
http://beththornley.com/?page_id=697
http://beththornley.com/?page_id=697 To help celebrate this wonderful
http://beththornley.com/?page_id=697 achievement, Beth would like to
http://beththornley.com/?page_id=697 share her music with you. That’s
http://beththornley.com/?page_id=697 right, she is offering the same
http://beththornley.com/?page_id=697
song that was used in VH1’s
http://beththornley.com/?page_id=697 http://beththornley.com/?page_id=697
TOUGH LOVE COUPLES . . . for FREE!
http://beththornley.com/?page_id=697
Allhttp://beththornley.com/?page_id=697
you have to do to get “Wash
http://beththornley.com/?page_id=697 http://beththornley.com/?page_id=697
http://beththornley.com/?page_id=697
U Clean” is click HERE!
http://beththornley.com/?page_id=697

Songwriter’s Monthly - May. ’10, #124 http://www.scribd.com/SongwritersMonthly


Click here for more information on LIVE AT KNEBWORTH

LIVE AT KNEBWORTH
Touted as “The Best British Rock Concert Of All Time,” this benefit
for Nordoff-Robbins Music Therapy and the Brit School Of
Performing Arts featured a cornucopia of stellar talent. Tears For
Fears, Cliff Richard, Eric Clapton, Robert Plant, Dire Straits,
Genesis, Elton John, Paul McCartney and more all performed free
of charge to support both charities on June 30, 1990 at the famed
Knebworth House in Hertsfordshire, England.

Not only is the sound astonishingly clear and crisp, but the
recording manages to capture the enormity of the event — you
can actually hear the ever-present, expansive magnitude of the
venue, just crank it up and you will feel like you are standing
outside on the stately grounds of Knebworth. The photography
included in the packaging is simply electric, worthy of a coffee
table book.

Sales of this 20th anniversary 2 disc re-issue will continue to raise


funds for both charities. If you like rockin’ good music and you
enjoy supporting a worthy cause (or two), check it out.

Songwriter’s Monthly - May ’10, #124 - http://www.scribd.com/SongwritersMonthly


Photo: Dirk Mai
A
Rocket
To The
Moon’s

Nick
Santino
A Rocket To The Moon is a smart
young pop/rock quartet with hints
of country influences. The guys are
having an absolutely stellar year.
They released their debut album,
O N Y OUR S IDE , on Fueled By
Ramen a little over six months ago
and are already touring with
groups like Cobra Starship, Boys
Like Girls, Motion City Soundtrack,
Mayday Parade and The Maine. If
you want to find out just how loved
these guys are, ask the nearest
young teen if she’s ever heard of
ARTTM and chances are she’ll need
a moment to calm down after
Songwriter’s Monthly - May ’10, #124 - http://www.scribd.com/SongwritersMonthly
f ra n t i c a l l y s c r e a m i n g a n d n e a r l y YOUR SIDE, is a highly detailed work
hyperventilating while she rattles off a about two vastly different girls:
list of favorite songs and describes “Annabelle” and “Dakota.” Yet for all the
vocalist Nick Santino in great detail vivid images and wonderfully
using an excessing amount of descriptive passages generously
complimentary adjectives. scattered throughout the lyrics, the girls
aren’t “real” people, they are much
There’s no denying that A Rocket To The more universal concepts of different
Moon has already achieved an enviable types of girls pieced together from a
position in pop culture. But with all the combination of firsthand experiences,
other bands out there, what makes stories from friends and remarkable
these guys so special? songwriting skills.

The answer is simple: The writing. Nick “The album actually isn’t really about a
and his co-writer Justin Richards really particular girl or girls,” Nick confirmed.
understand what it takes to not only “It was mostly just Justin, our guitar
w r i t e a g r e a t , c a t c hy s o n g t h a t player, and I writing the songs for the
immediately engages the listener, but record. We had this song around for a
they get the concept of keeping the little while — kinda like your regular
music universal. The debut album, ON love song about a girl named Dakota —

Photo: Dirk Mai

Songwriter’s Monthly - May ’10, #124 - http://www.scribd.com/SongwritersMonthly


but we didn’t really have anybody
that we knew named Dakota, it was
a really clever name and a cool
name to put in a song. There’s
another song called “Annabelle”
that’s the complete opposite of a
love song! The girl drives you crazy,
you’re sick of her and you’re pretty
sure you’re over her kinda thing.”

“We kinda took inspiration from


random things that have happened
to us . . . you know, past
relationships, stuff that your friends
have gone through — we’ve seen
plenty of friends getting their hearts
broken — and, you know, just kind
of anything. We wanted to make it http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?

id=hyTjEIK1pMo&offerid=146261&type=3&subid=0&tmpid=1826
&RD_PARM1=http%253A%252F%252Fitunes.apple.com%252Fus

not so much about us, but more so


%252Falbum%252Flike-we-used-to%252Fid331528598%253Fi
%253D331528609%2526uo%253D6%2526partnerId%253D30

about the listener. We want folks to


be, ‘Oh I can relate to this song the album. “It was actually afterwards,
because I just went through a terrible it was a coincidence,” Santino admitted.
breakup or I just fell in love,’ so we “We had the record written and we were
like, ‘Well half the songs are love songs
and half the songs are kind of like hate
“We wanted to s o n g s .’ We d e c i d e d i t w o u l d b e
awesome if we told the story where all
make it not so of the songs about this party girl that
much about us, you’re sick of could be about this
Annabelle character and then all the
but more so songs about this girl that you’re in love
with can be about this Dakota character.
about the It was something that kind of came
together toward the middle to the end
listener.” of the writing and recording process.”

developed the story with Annabelle and When asked about the clever lines and
Dakota being the two characters.” wordplay used to describe the
characters and situations, Nick divulged
However, some of the best ideas aren’t an interesting fact, especially for a
realized until after most of the work has young rock band: “We’re big country
been already done. Making the album music fans!”
about two opposite types of girls was
not something that happened when Nick “If you listen to a lot of country music
and Justin first began writing songs for — actually any country song — they all
Songwriter’s Monthly - May ’10, #124 - http://www.scribd.com/SongwritersMonthly
“If you listen to the song ‘Give a
The Story Behind Damn,’” Nick continued, “You’ll hear it’s
The “Baby Blue Eyes” Lick full of little things like ‘She loves the
taste of Captain Morgan and cigarettes,
oh, she adores them.’ If we use detail
At the beginning of the tender “Baby
and imagery like that, then it gives
Blue Eyes” there is a brief guitar lick
people more of a story they can relate
that, given the writers’ love for
to. ‘Like We Used To’ lists all those little
country, sounds like a tribute to Taylor
things that you remember doing with a
Swift. However, that is not the case at
person and I’m sure if somebody who
all. “That was coincidental,” Nick
has gone through a breakup recently
remarked cheerfully. The band had
listened to that song, they could relate,
written and recorded the track without
“Oh, I used to dance around the living
hearing Swift’s song. “Afterward,
room with my ex-girlfriend and sing her
when we heard it, we were like, ‘Oh,
music and watch her favorite movies
that sounds like Taylor Swift!’ So what
and I miss all of those things.’”
I’ve been doing on this last tour, when
we play “Baby Blue Eyes,” at the end
But Santino is quick to point out that
of the song we add the first little verse
not all details are good. Using “Captain
of the Taylor Swift song and the girls
Morgan” just puts a title on the idea
laugh. It’s fun, we kind of play on it
that the girl likes hard alcohol, it
because we know that it kind of
doesn’t limit the ability for the listener
sounds like the song. Those five notes
to relate to the story. However, giving
could be anything, but when you hear
the girl in question a specific name like
them, you think of Taylor Swift.”
Sarah Patterson, “You’re like, Sarah
Patterson? I don’t know a Sarah
have witty little clever tag lines and the Patterson?!”
songs are full of imagery,” Santino
noted. “I feel like that just grabs the
listener a lot better. Instead of writing, “We were over-
‘I love you and I want to grow up with
you and be married to you’ — which is prepared going
kind of boring — you say, ‘I take her out
and drop her off on the outskirts of our
into the studio, we
town and leave a trail of roses that knew exactly what
leads back home’ [from “She’s Killing
Me”] for example, it kind of makes you we wanted to do
think and it gives you a mental picture
of what that song’s about because you
going into it.”
have things like dropping a person off
on the outskirts of town and then Nick also added, “Lyrics are my favorite
‘leaving a trail of roses’ . . . We just part of writing and putting together a
really had a lot of fun with imagery and record. It’s always fun to end a chorus
telling a story.” with a line like, ‘I love her half to death,

Songwriter’s Monthly - May ’10, #124 - http://www.scribd.com/SongwritersMonthly


but she’s killing me.’ It kind of goes change much going from practice to
back on itself. We just have a lot of fun recording, we probably kept 90 to 95%
with the lyrics.” of what we had and then that 5 to 10%
we just added little flares in the studio
— almost everything was something
“We know that that we’d thought of ahead of time. We
we’re all small town were over-prepared going into the
studio, we knew exactly what we
kids who just so wanted to do going into it. I think that
made it easier, rather than not knowing
happened to get what to do and then settling.”
handed the dream As far as influences the band was
at a young age.” listening to going into this project, Nick
stated, “We were listening to tons of
Rascal Flats, Keith Urban, Taylor Swift,
Another aspect of the songwriting that and Brad Paisley . . . But then at the
has enabled the band to capture and same time we were listening to tons of
hold the attention of their audience is Third Eye Blind, The Wallflowers and
the solid song structure. The music Eve 6 — 90’s rock bands — and
builds, releases and satisfies. And it everything in between.” Santino also
does it quite naturally. When asked how sited current artists like The Maine, All
much of the details were added in the American Rejects and John Mayer. “A lot
studio (after the writing), Nick revealed of John Mayer! There’s an acoustic in
that it was not very much at all. the back of every song, that’s our John
Mayer influence!”
“Every song was
written just with

Photo: Dirk Mai


an acoustic. I have
folders and folders
on my computer,
demos of every
song on the
record. We wrote
and demoed all
the songs with just
singing and
a c o u s t i c g u i t a r.
Then we went in to
practice with the
full band and we
put the songs
t o g e t h e r. W e
actually didn’t

Songwriter’s Monthly - May ’10, #124 - http://www.scribd.com/SongwritersMonthly


“We just appreciate
every little
second . . .”

Photo: Dirk Mai


“We took influence from all of those big heads about any of it. We know that
artists and we decided to make that our we’re all small town kids who just so
sound. Why not take our three favorite happened to get handed the dream at a
genres of music and make that what young age.”
you want your band to sound like? I
enjoy listening to our songs because Santino continued, “There is no reason
we’ve kind of combined three different for us to be like ‘Oh I knew we got this,
genres together.” I’m going to be bigger than everybody
else’ No! No! No, man! This could all get
One final contributing aspect to A taken away from us tomorrow. We just
Rocket To The Moon’s appeal is they appreciate every little second . . . the
haven’t let the sudden success they had whole thing of being in a band. We love
change who they are. “Everyone in the doing it and we wouldn’t be here
band went from doing nothing to doing without the kids who come out to the
something and now we’re in a shows and the kids who talk to us
successful band,” Nick pointed out. online.”
“We’re on the rise and we’re touring
with some great acts and we’re making A Rocket To The Moon is currently on
really good friends and we get to meet tour supporting their debut release, ON
thousands of people a night . . . it’s YOUR SIDE, on Fueled By Ramen. See
really, really cool, but none of us have adjacent page for dates and cool links!
Songwriter’s Monthly - May ’10, #124 - http://www.scribd.com/SongwritersMonthly
A ROCKET TO THE MOON Tour 2010
5/1 Headline (w/ Sing It Loud supporting)
**5/4 through 5/28 w/ Mayday Parade
COOL LINKS:
APRIL
27 Raleigh, NC Lincoln Theater
28 Washington, DC 9:30 Club
Visit:
30 Charlotte, NC The Casbah* www.myspace.com/arockettothemoon
MAY
01 Columbia, SC Clemson Road Extension Center* Listen:
4 Iowa City, IA The Blue Moose Tap House**
"Like We Used To"
5 Des Moines, IA People Court**
6 Urbana, IL Canopy Club**
11 Wichita Falls The Hanger** View:
12 Lubbock, TX Jakes** “Mr. Right”
13 Austin, TX Emo’s** (Chicago White Sox Opening Week)
14 McAllen, TX Smokin’ Aces**
16 Mobile, AL Alabama Music Box**
18 Gainesville, FL Common Ground** “Like We Used To”
19 Jacksonville, FL Free Bird Live** (Chicago White Sox Opening Week)
20 Charleston, SC Music Farm**
21 Greenville, SC Handlebar**
22 Wilmington, NC The Coliseum
24 Greensboro, NC Greene Street**
25 Raleigh, NC Lincoln Theater**
26 Richmond, VA The Hat Factory**
27 Columbus, OH Skully’s**
28 Lancaster, PA Chameleon Club**

Photo: Eric Ryan Anderson

Cover Photo: Eric Ryan Anderson


Songwriter’s Monthly - May ’10, #124 - http://www.scribd.com/SongwritersMonthly
When you think of the name
Michael Bolton, you think respected
A-list vocalist who has lifted the
singing of soulful ballads to an art
form. Just recall some of his
Click HERE for more information on MICHAEL BOLTON: LIVE AT THE ROYAL ALBERT HALL

massive hits like “How Can We Be


Lovers” or “How Am I Supposed To
Live Without You?” for proof.

However, there is more to the man


than his knee-weakening, creamed
velvet vocals. Far more.

For one thing, he’s an incredible


songwriter. Bolton has written hits
for artists as diverse as Barbara
Streisand and KISS and he has co-
written songs with Bob Dylan, Lady
Gaga and many other writers from
vastly different genres.

In fact, in the liner notes, Bolton is


quoted as saying, “One big idea I
grew up with was this: remain open
to all genres and means of musical
expression . . . it’s about accepting summit of his career, passionately
any type of music as the artist’s performing a wide variety of songs
right or freedom of expression.” from the past several decades in

Michael Bolton DVD


Another aspect that defines the one of the most prestigious concert
man is his relentless, burning drive. halls in the world . . . yet Bolton
Perhaps it is this aspect which still looks hungry. He still has that
makes this live DVD of Michael’s crisp edge of a young artist on the
performance at The Royal Albert rise.
Hall (recorded in October 2009) so
captivating? He may be at the A thoroughly enjoyable experience!

Songwriter’s Monthly - May ’10, #124 - http://www.scribd.com/SongwritersMonthly


Photo: Sally Yaich
Halie
Loren
Progression
Progression
Progression
Progression
Progression
Songwriter’s Monthly - May ’10, #124 - http://www.scribd.com/SongwritersMonthly
Photo: Sally Yaich
concerning the road
she traveled and refers
to her career as a
“progression.”

“I do think of it as a
p r o g r e s s i o n ,” t h e
dynamic young woman
declared, “because it
seems like everything
I did kind of built upon
what went before. It is
kind of interesting that
I’m doing so much jazz
now since that’s really
a full circle thing for
me. I was doing jazz
way before I was doing
the music that you
heard me doing when I
was 16. Jazz was kind
of my starting point.”

Roughly a decade ago, Songwriter’s “It’s not like I made a plan to have my
Monthly stumbled upon a sophisticated music, my career and my style take the
teen named Halie Loren who could belt course that it has taken,” she reflected.
out a tune with the style, confidence “It’s not like at 16 I wrote out that this
and finesse of a seasoned pro. She had
range, power, control and a remarkable, “It’s not like I
innate sense of phrasing. In April, she
celebrated the release of her critically made a plan to
acclaimed live album entitled STAGES.
She is also enjoying her recent spike in
have my music,
popularity overseas — Loren has my career and
consistently ranked as one of the top
artists at HMV.com (many times my style take the
holding the number one spot!).
course that it
But being so talented at such a young
age, and having had so many options in
has taken . . .”
front of her, it took Halie a little bit of is where I want to be when I’m 25, I
searching and trying out different had entirely different thoughts of where
genres till she found a direction that felt I was going to be when I was 25. But it
“ n a t u r a l .” S h e h a s n o r e g r e t s seems this is where I was meant to go.”

Songwriter’s Monthly - May ’10, #124 - http://www.scribd.com/SongwritersMonthly


Indeed, the former Alaskan [Loren now In Eugene, Halie created a name for
resides in Eugene, Oregon], was on a herself as a local artist and once again
seemingly completely different career returned to writing songs, only this time
path when she first started receiving her music was introspective,
accolades for her abilities. Many years sophisticated and poetic, not pop. She
began performing on piano and writing
“But it seems this material that would rival early Tori
Amos.
is where I was
“I think the originals album [F ULL
meant to go.” CIRCLE, 2006] was my biggest
breakthrough,” Loren stated. “I had
ago, Songwriter’s Monthly covered
a benefit concert entitled Guitars

Photo: Sally Yaich


for Life that invited many of the
most accomplished guitar players
in the world to perform at a unique
weekend-long charity event. Loren
was invited to sing with these
legendary artists from various
styles and genres so she promptly
traveled across the country to
partake in what turned out to be a
truly magical and captivating
event.

At that time in music history,


young female pop acts were very
much in fashion, so Halie was
spending a great deal of time in
the studio writing pop oriented
tracks. However, even at that
young age, her original material
had an astounding depth and
maturity. Perhaps due to that
maturity, Loren next set her sites
on Nashville (instead of, say,
Disney) and began working with
some of the finest writers in the
business while she was still in high
school. She produced several
chart-quality songs, but eventually
returned to Oregon to resume the
personal life she had left behind.

Songwriter’s Monthly - May ’10, #124 - http://www.scribd.com/SongwritersMonthly


never really accompanied myself on “It also helped me break down my own
piano up until a year prior to releasing barriers of what I thought of as the
the album. I’d never written my own music that I did vs the music that I
didn’t do,” she added. “I’d always
“There’s a dabbled in and admired the music of
people who I’ve been compared to with
passion there that album — Sarah McLachlan, Paula
Cole, Tori Amos — but I’ve never
that makes me considered myself to be that kind of an
feel like I’m a artist because I didn’t really write songs
in that style. It was really just a great
more gutsy way for me to see what I could do . . .
and then take off from there.”
vocalist.”
Looking back, Halie admitted that the
songs on the piano, itself, I’d always whole experience was rather terrifying.
just sort of done lyrics and melody and She had, at best, a cumulative total of
then had somebody else come in and do two years of piano lessons before
the instrumentation of it, so that part of deciding to tackle writing the album. “I
the creative process just really broke a just sort of went to it and didn’t know if
dam for me. I was able to tap into this I was doing anything right. I didn’t even
whole world of songwriting styles and know hardly any music theory, I’ve
have my complete influence over a song always just had this intuition about
all the way down to a musical riff! It music which has been what I’ve relied
gave me this new found confidence in on. I was thinking people are probably
my own creative abilities.” going to be able to tell that I don’t

Photo: James Lacasa

Songwriter’s Monthly - May ’10, #124 - http://www.scribd.com/SongwritersMonthly


really know what I’m doing, I’m just “Jazz feels like the music I was meant
kind of playing what I feel.” to sing,” she continued. “I sort of took a
journey elsewhere, but I came back. My
Yet despite her concerns FULL CIRCLE favorite part — and what people have
turned out to be told me is my
not only a strength — is the

Photo: Sally Yaich


fascinatingly song interpretation
personal album, aspect. As long as
but also an album I’m taking a song
that was very and I’m really
well received by processing it at my
her ever-growing emotional core and
number of fans. projecting it, then
it will work.”
The next step in
the progression Her latest album is
of Halie Loren’s her recently
journey was a released live
jazz album album, STAGES.
entitled THEY The tracks on
OUGHTA WRITE A STAGES were
SONG (2008). pulled from two
This project separate shows.
pushed Halie Halie and her long-
directly into the time pianist (and
world that many co-producer) Matt
m u s i c i a n s Tr e d e r s i f t e d
approach only through the
after having material to find the
m a s t e r e d songs they
advanced theory, believed best
but Loren’s gift represented the
for really feeling music placed her right Halie Loren live experience.
at home.
“My main goal with the live album is for
“Yes, you have to kind of know where people to be able to share a live
the music is going,” Loren agreed, experience with us,” Loren explained. “I
noting that a musician had to be love it when musicians go off page, so
comfortable enough to have an intuition to speak, in a live performance, it thrills
about a song in order to improvise. “But me!”
I’ve always felt very comfortable with
jazz since I was very young. For “As a performer, I’m less critical about
whatever reason, me and jazz, we just hearing myself recorded during a live
click.” s h o w t h a n I a m h e a r i n g my s e l f

Songwriter’s Monthly - May ’10, #124 - http://www.scribd.com/SongwritersMonthly


recording takes in a
studio because in a live
show . . . for one thing
you’re not as lazy as a
performer! You can
only do it once and
there’s a passion there
that makes me feel
like I’m a more gutsy
vocalist live than I am
in the studio. I’ll try
things live that I would
probably never try in
the studio. Sometimes
it comes across great
and sometimes it
doesn’t, but capturing
those little gems that
only pop out during a
live performance is the
whole reason for h t t p : / / c l i c k . l i n k s y n e r g y. c o m / f s - b i n / s t a t ?
id=hyTjEIK1pMo&offerid=146261&type=3&subid=0&tmpid

making a live album.”


=1826&RD_PARM1=http%253A%252F
%252Fitunes.apple.com%252Fus%252Fartist%252Fhalie-
l o r e n % 2 5 2 F i d 2 1 3 7 2 8 8 8 2 % 2 5 3 F u o
%253D6%2526partnerId%253D30

When asked if there was anything she background vocals, Mark Schneider on
wanted to mention, that hadn’t been bass, Brian West on drums, and Tim
covered, Halie responded, “I always like McLaughlin on trumpet.”

As far as the latest and most exciting


“Jazz feels news of her career to date . . . Halie
Loren recently signed a licensing and
like the music distribution deal with JVC/Victor
Entertainment. The agreement will
I was meant increase her music’s exposure in Japan
to sing.” and the surrounding Asian markets. She
has already begun preliminary work on
her next full-length CD which JVC/Victor
to acknowledge my musicians and I is set to release in Japan around late
want to make sure to mention that October, 2010 to coincide with several
they’re amazing! I want them to want live performances there. For more
to work with me forever! I just listen to information on this rising star, visit:
them and I’m like, ‘My gosh! they
astound me!’ I want to make sure that http://www.halieloren.com
I give them a lot of credit for their http://www.myspace.com/
contributions. Matt Treder on piano and halieloren

Songwriter’s Monthly - May ’10, #124 - http://www.scribd.com/SongwritersMonthly


The Trocadero

http://www.myspace.com/discocurtis
Disco Curtis:
4/25/10
Philadelphia,

Disco
Curtis
Live!

Songwriter’s Monthly - May ’10, #124 - http://www.scribd.com/SongwritersMonthly


Photo by Kate Cauthen
Cathy
Wagner

My Plea For
The CD
I’m a firm advocate of the CD. In fact, challenge these reasons in an attempt
my house is practically littered with to lure you back into CD fandom.
them. They fill desks, boxes, shelves,
really any space I can fit them . . . I The convenience of MP3s is undeniable
have so many CDs that I literally made – instead of making a special trip out to
a Word document on my computer to a record store to get your fix of music,
keep tabs on them all – it’s 13 pages all you need to do now is get online.
long. In this day and age, especially With the click of a button, your MP3s
among my peers, I’ve begun to realize are purchased, downloaded, and ready
that the enthusiasm I have for CDs is to go. There’s no worry about the music
not a characteristic I share with many you want being out of stock, and no
people. Why is that? pressure if you’re under time
constraints. But with this convenience,
We’re reaching an age where the CD is you also have to give something up.
becoming irrelevant, and in its place are
MP3s. I’ve been trying to figure out how The sound quality of music takes a hit
this could have happened for a long when you choose MP3s over CDs, and
time, and to be honest, I’ve really only to me, this isn’t worth it. CD quality
come up with two flimsy reasons – music is 192 kbps (kilobits per second),
convenience and price. I will now whereas the average MP3 is only 128
Songwriter’s Monthly - May ’10, #124 - http://www.scribd.com/SongwritersMonthly
kbps. While it ’s claimed that the
“untrained ear” can’t hear the difference,
Behind The Song:
I beg to differ (my ear is as “untrained” http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?

as the next, and even I take notice). By


id=hyTjEIK1pMo&offerid=146261&type=3&subid=0&t
mpid=1826&RD_PARM1=http%253A%252F

%252Fitunes.apple.com%252Fus%252Falbum
%252Ffree-to-be-me%252Fid285135873%253Fi

% 2 5 3 D 2 8 5 1 3 5 8 7 4 % 2 5 2 6 u o
%253D6%2526partnerId%253D30

removing these frequencies that are


claimed to not be within the realm of
human hearing, we cut out the fullness
and crispness that is necessary to
experience music completely.

Price is another reason why people tend


to stray from buying CDs. On the
outside, I see the point – Why spend
$10-15 on an album you can get for $8-9
(or less!) if you buy it in MP3 format? But
here’s the catch: with a CD, you not only
get the music, but you also get the Francesca Battistelli
packaging, the artwork, the packet . . .
“Beautiful, Beautiful”
And with MP3s you get nothing but a
from MY PAPER HEART
digital file. You get so much more out of
[Excerpted from Fancesca’s vlog.]
buying a CD! At the end of the day, I
simply cannot grasp the idea of paying “‘Beautiful, Beautiful’ is one of my
money for something that you can’t even favorite songs on the album. It’s a song
hold in your hand. The intangibility of the I wrote with Ian Eskelin, my producer,
MP3s on my computer will never stack up and a writer named Andrew Fromm.
to the collection of CDs that I own. The first time we kind of all sat down
and heard the melody, we were just
We’ve seen it before and I’m sure we’ll blown away, [we] knew . . . we just
see it again – one technology replacing knew it was special. Ian and I sat down
another, one format of listening to music later and worked on the lyrics and we
replacing its outdated predecessor. But were like, ‘What is this song going to be
unlike the replacement of vinyl and about?’ you know, ‘What is the meaning
tapes, the replacement of CDs by MP3s is behind this music?’ We both sort of felt
nothing more than a giant step that it was a song about second
backwards – the simplicity is great for chances and about the beauty of just
nonchalant music listeners in our current mercy and grace and having another
(rather impatient) society, but completely day to start over . . . Every time that
not worth it for true music fans. we wake up in the morning, we get
another chance to start over and
Agree? Disagree? Email me and let me there’s just something so innocent
know! cathy@suburbanroads.net about that and so beautiful about that
so we wanted to write that song.”
To see more of Kate’s work, visit: http://
www.flickr.com/photos/katecauthen http://www.francescamusic.com

Songwriter’s Monthly - May ’10, #124 - http://www.scribd.com/SongwritersMonthly


!"#$%&'"()
Simply Click on the pictures to see new videos from:
http://www.youtube.com/user/BalloonRangerRec#p/u/11/
cH6TQHQrvpw http://www.youtube.com/user/
BalloonRangerRec#p/u/11/cH6TQHQrvpw http://
www.youtube.com/user/BalloonRangerRec#p/u/11/
cH6TQHQrvpw http://www.youtube.com/user/
Ane Brun: BalloonRangerRec#p/u/11/cH6TQHQrvpw http://
www.youtube.com/user/BalloonRangerRec#p/u/11/
cH6TQHQrvpw http://www.youtube.com/user/
“Humming BalloonRangerRec#p/u/11/cH6TQHQrvpw http://
www.youtube.com/user/BalloonRangerRec#p/u/11/
One Of Your cH6TQHQrvpw http://www.youtube.com/user/

Songs” BalloonRangerRec#p/u/11/cH6TQHQrvpw http://


www.youtube.com/user/BalloonRangerRec#p/u/11/
cH6TQHQrvpw http://www.youtube.com/user/
BalloonRangerRec#p/u/11/cH6TQHQrvpw http://
www.youtube.com/user/BalloonRangerRec#p/u/11/
cH6TQHQrvpw http://www.youtube.com/user/
BalloonRangerRec#p/u/11/cH6TQHQrvpw

Finn
http://vimeo.com/10732598 http://vimeo.com/10732598 http://
vimeo.com/10732598 http://vimeo.com/10732598 http://vimeo.com/
10732598 http://vimeo.com/10732598 http://vimeo.com/10732598
http://vimeo.com/10732598 http://vimeo.com/10732598 http://
Riggins
vimeo.com/10732598 http://vimeo.com/10732598 http://vimeo.com/
10732598 http://vimeo.com/10732598 http://vimeo.com/10732598 Follow the band
http://vimeo.com/10732598 http://vimeo.com/10732598 http:// as they perform
vimeo.com/10732598 http://vimeo.com/10732598 http://vimeo.com/ while strolling
10732598 http://vimeo.com/10732598 http://vimeo.com/10732598 through an
http://vimeo.com/10732598 http://vimeo.com/10732598 http:// abandoned
vimeo.com/10732598 http://vimeo.com/10732598 http://vimeo.com/ YMCA. Truly
10732598 http://vimeo.com/10732598 http://vimeo.com/10732598 haunting footage
http://vimeo.com/10732598 http://vimeo.com/10732598 http:// from “We’ll Miss
vimeo.com/10732598 http://vimeo.com/10732598 http://vimeo.com/ You More!”
10732598 http://vimeo.com/10732598 http://vimeo.com/10732598

Songwriter’s Monthly - May ’10, #124 - http://www.scribd.com/SongwritersMonthly


http://rachelbrownlive.com
Rachel Brown
LOVE, LIFE & RELATIONSHIPS
Urban Music Group
To say that Rachel Brown is refreshingly
real is overstating the obvious. She sings
with an honesty and emotional wisdom
that comes straight from the heart and is
seasoned by experience. In tracks like
“Rise Again,” there is a natural blossom to
her phrasing that draws the listener in and
carries them up to inspired heights of hope
and understanding as the melody hits its
apex.

“I want my music to move my listeners not


just on the dance floor . . . but to
encourage, motivate and heal,” Rachel
expressed. “Singing is a natural high for
me. It takes me to another realm. Those are the feelings I want my
audience to experience, too. I want to lead them on a personal journey of
rediscovery. I really want to inspire each listener.”

“Don’t Ask My Neighbor” is a sultry slow jam that offers a glimpse at the
http://www.myspace.com/rachelbrownlive

sizzling side of this passionate artist. Her rich tone, impressive flexibility
and remarkable control bring to mind
some divine hybrid of Mariah Carey
and Anita Baker.

Not afraid to ask for what she wants


[“Make It Official”] or to state how
she feels [“Just A Girl”], Brown is
perhaps at her most intense when
adding a little attitude and kicking it
old school.

Confident, sensual, empowering and


authentic, Rachel Brown has a gift
that can transport her listeners to a
better place.
http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?

id=hyTjEIK1pMo&offerid=146261&type=3&subid=0&tmpid
=1826&RD_PARM1=http%253A%252F

%252Fitunes.apple.com%252Fus%252Falbum%252Flets-
fall-in-love-again%252Fid261722730%253Fi

%253D261723100%2526uo%253D6%2526partnerId
%253D30

Songwriter’s Monthly - May ’10, #124 - http://www.scribd.com/SongwritersMonthly


www.natashajames.com
Natasha James
TEQUILA TIME
Highway One Records
Natasha James can certainly kick up the dust
with a jukebox-worthy saloon song about
drinking or life on the edge. She can also paint
a poignant lyrical portrait of life in America,
complete with all its blemishes. However, she
is at her finest when she is doing a little bit of
both while adding a touch of the blues.

Musically, “Boy Do We Drink” comes across as


a fun, tongue-in-cheek romp, but the honesty

within the lyrics is “My son’s eyes welled up


impressively bold. In when he heard it saying,
“ M o d e r n L i f e ,” J a m e s
doesn’t hide behind vague ‘This is your life.’”
or flowery prose: “Daddy
lives one hour away/Mamma’s got a new boyfriend once again/vacuum's
broke; cell phone's misplaced/Let's go out to dinner 'cuz it's gettin' late.”

“My son’s eyes welled up


www.myspace.com/natashajamesmusic

when he heard that song


saying, ‘This is your life,’
and I said, ‘This is a lot of
people's lives.’”

In tracks like “Ain’t Done


Nothin’ Wrong” and
“Somebody Just Blew It”
Natasha’s wickedly husky
vocals strut through the
music like a cocky outlaw.

TEQUILA TIME is a brazenly


confident album packed
with edge and honesty.
http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?

id=hyTjEIK1pMo&offerid=146261&type=3&subid=0&tmpid
=1826&RD_PARM1=http%253A%252F

%252Fitunes.apple.com%252Fus%252Falbum%252Fif-
you-think-this-is-love%252Fid306648216%253Fi

%253D306648324%2526uo%253D6%2526partnerId
%253D30

Songwriter’s Monthly - May ’10, #124 - http://www.scribd.com/SongwritersMonthly


Maura
Kennedy

“Everyone
has their
dark side.”
All photos by Jeff Fasano

Maura Kennedy is probably best known transmutes mere wood, steel and sound
for her many years of recording and into gold.
performing with her husband Pete as
the folk-rock duo The Kennedys. Her But Maura’s background is multifaceted,
captivating siren-sweet voice is the more like a gem than a stone, with
Philosopher’s stone for the alchemy that some surfaces brightly reflecting light
Songwriter’s Monthly - May ’10, #124 - http://www.scribd.com/SongwritersMonthly
while others are much darker. Her first
solo album, PARADE OF ECHOS, displays
those many facets with exquisite detail “I don't like to
and engaging depth. Kennedy’s innate
pop sensibilities sparkle within an
actually write the
ominous and, at times, unnervingly song until it is
Gothic atmosphere, to create an awe-
inspiring world that is at once wholly easy to write the
realized yet as intangible as the
ethereal feathers of a dream. lyrics.”
While on the road, traveling to a gig
with her husband, Maura agreed to Maura Kennedy: All the songs on The
answer a few questions about her Kennedys records are co-written. But
impressive solo debut. the songs on “Parade of Echoes” are all
songs I wrote by myself, with the
Songwriter’s Monthly: What made exception of one verse in “Shadows
these songs need to be on a solo album? With The Lonely.” Also, The Kennedys
songs are typically universal
songs, or what we call
Jungian . . . not always, but
largely. The songs on “Parade of
E c h o e s ” a r e ve r y p e r s o n a l ,
Freudian type songs. I think they
can still be universal in a personal
way, but they're mostly songs
about emotions, rather than large
shared universal concepts.

SM: In general, how did you


approach the songwriting for this
album? Did you work from
feelings, concepts, rhythms,
lyrics, progressions, etc?

MK: Well, first of all, it was not


my intention to make a solo
album at all. I just wrote a song
by myself one day. Pete was
working on something else, and I
just got an idea, and rather than
saying, “Let's write this,” I just
did the whole thing. I hadn't
written a song by myself in years,
Songwriter’s Monthly - May ’10, #124 - http://www.scribd.com/SongwritersMonthly
and so it was nice to know I could still MK: Creepy lyrics! I love it! Well, yes,
do it. I demoed it right away and liked it when Pete and I write together, we
enough that I thought I would just put write as a couple. Not just a musical
it up online. In other words, I thought couple, but a happy married couple. But
The Kennedys fans might like it, but it everyone has their dark side. I think we
clearly wasn't a Kennedys song, so why tend to keep that stuff suppressed, but
not just put it out there it's still there, and
as a one-off. Then, I think it's healthy
about a month later, I to give it a
wrote another and did platform now and
the same thing. At then. The song,
about the fourth song, “ P a t i e n c e ,” f o r
I recognized a pattern e x a m p l e ,
that had emerged expresses the
organically of roughly notion of being
one new song a month. self-absorbed in
So I just decided to try sadness. We've all
and stick with that, but been there, but we
with the understanding don't live there, if
that if it ever felt you know what I
forced to me I would mean? And yes, I
stop. Around this time wanted to use
I started getting emails some heavier
from fans who were guitar sounds. Pete
telling me that they produces all The
don't like downloading Kennedys records,
songs and they would and he has a very
just wait for the CD. At defined jangly
first I maintained that I guitar sound. I
would NOT be making wanted this album
a solo CD. But after a to sound like me,
while I got tired of hearing about it, so I which is why I decided to produce all
caved! the songs. I didn't want it to sound like
a Kennedys-minus-one album, but
SM: When I first listened to these something that stands on its own.
songs, I was surprised to find a darker,
deeper tone to them than The Kennedys SM: I love “New Way To Live.” It’s
material. I’m not sure if it’s because uplifting and it just carries the listener
your voice is in a lower register or if it’s along. Do you have a specific “new way”
the dark, gutsy guitars or if it’s the in mind or is the idea just to find a new
sometimes creepy lyrics, but at times way whatever that may be?
the songs almost feel . . . sinister? Am I
off on that, or is there something MK: Honestly, I wrote this song after
deeper going on inside these tracks? reading THE TIME TRAVELER'S WIFE. But
Songwriter’s Monthly - May ’10, #124 - http://www.scribd.com/SongwritersMonthly
it's not about that . . . it just gave me MK: Well, it's an observation. It's kind
the initial idea. When I write a song of like a documentary film. There are
that's initially inspired by something I some directors that impose their
read, I use that initial inspiration as a opinion on the viewer, and I think those
point of meditation so to speak. in other are not as effective as the ones that
just capture a story and let the
“I've always audience decide what they think about
it. And maybe someone who listens to
found that lyrics “Chains” might feel on one day that it's
an unhealthy experience, but on
have their own another day that it's worth the pain. I
inherent melody, like a song that can change meaning
like that.
like if you speak a
SM: “October” is my (current) favorite
line, your voice on the album. How did you come up
would carry it with the idea of overlapping lines that
continue to build until they create a
along in a natural beautiful tonal landscape? What was the
inspiration behind that track?
cadence of rising
MK: I really like ethereal layering, and
and falling pitch.” there was a lot of that kind of music
that I listened to in the 80s, especially
words, I just think about a concept for a t h e C o c t e a u Tw i n s . A n d t h e r e ' s
while, and then it usually spins into its something very melancholy about
own story or line of thinking. Ultimately, leaving one season behind and heading
it's a song about adjusting to something into another (especially winter, for me
different in your life, and, like in the anyway). I've always loved overlapping
song “Patience,” accepting it for what it vocal lines and so I just started
is, even if it's not perfect. So “Patience” building. The only way that will really
would be the dark look at this concept, work is if the different vocal lines are in
and “New Way To Live” is looking at it a different rhythm and register. So the
from the lighter angle. But I usually first line is low and slow. The next one
hesitate at divulging what the song is goes by at a faster pace with more
about to me, because my hope is that it words and is in a higher pitch. The third
would be about different things to is the slowest line but in the highest
different listeners. register, so it all works well together.

SM: In “Chains” you question a love SM: Possibly my favorite line on the
that makes you feel “wrapped in chains, album is in “Just The Rain” when you
“but you don’t really comment on if it’s describe rain with the phrase as the
good or bad. Is it good to feel that way, “smell of minerals.” That is such an
or is that an unhealthy experience? unexpected way to describe it, but I
Songwriter’s Monthly - May ’10, #124 - http://www.scribd.com/SongwritersMonthly
totally smell rain the instant I hear that D e b u s s y, P a t s y C l i n e , a n d R o y
line, it is very powerful. Do lyrics come Orbison . . . an eclectic mix of music, I
easy for you? know, but that's always been the way I
like it.
MK: Yeah, I like that line a lot, too. And
you're right . . . it's an instantly SM: Which is your (current) favorite
recognizable image — that spring/ track . . . or which is the track that
summer rain smell! I'd never heard
anyone describe that in a song
before. When I write a song, I like
to think about it a lot. I dream
about it and I meditate on it and I
live with the concept a while before
I write. Because I don't like to
actually write the song until it is
easy to write the lyrics, if that
makes sense. In other words, I
don't usually sit down with a
notebook and write lines and
scribble them out and re-write. I
do most of that in my head, more
in a meditative trance first, then
sometimes I can't write it down
fast enough when it all comes to
me. And I've always found that
lyrics have their own inherent
melody, like if you speak a line,
your voice would carry it along in a
natural cadence of rising and falling
pitch. Most usually all my lyrics
follow what seems obvious to me
as their natural inherent melody.

SM: Did you have any influences


for this album?

M K : Ye s , l o t s o f m u s i c a l
influences. I was listening to Bat For means the most to you? Why is it
Lashes and Kate Bush, and if you think important?
about that, you'll be able to hear it in
“The Thing With Feathers.” I was also MK: That's always a tough one to
listening to Nicole Atkins, Alison Krauss, answer. They're all like children to me
Tegan and Sara, The Mates of State, and they each have their own value.
Any Trouble, The Submarines, Claude That said, I'm still really into “The Thing
Songwriter’s Monthly - May ’10, #124 - http://www.scribd.com/SongwritersMonthly
With Feathers” because I've never Every shoot is in a different location,
written anything like that, and I'm and I meet really interesting people
proud of the way the vocal layering every time. I watch professionals work
worked out. I'm also really proud of in front of the camera (and behind), and
those instrument tracks. When I it's all very new to me. How does it
recorded the percussion, I put a mic at compare to music and songwriting? I
knee level, and did a combination foot never thought about it that way. I really
stomp/thigh slap rhythm. It sounds so don't see the point in comparing.
good to me. So I sort of went off the They're both completely different
board, technique-wise in the recording experiences. I mean songwriting is
studio (i.e. the bedroom of a sublet something you do on your own and you
apartment, with this one). can take all the time in the world, and
you don't need any real gear to do it,
SM: One final, kind of bonus question. and you don't need to book time to do it
Besides performing musically, you also or have other people relying on you.
do a bit of acting. How long have you The acting thing is the polar opposite.
been acting and how does it compare to And they're both immensely enjoyable
music/songwriting? to me.

MK: I did a little bit of it in high school Maura Kennedy’s debut solo album,
and college, but even then I knew I PARADE OF ECHOES, is a fearless plunge
wasn't any good at it. I couldn't get into the rarely explored regions of the
over my lack of confidence at that stage artist’s vast waters. At times clear and
in my life. By now, though, I've spent tranquil, but often murky and turbulent,
so many years in front of audiences that every song is an adventure. For more
confidence isn't a problem at all for information, visit:
me. So I decided to get back into it with
this learned experience at my http://www.maurakennedy.com
disposal. I started out with mostly doing
extras work and since last July I've
been in 25 TV shows and movies strictly
as an extra. But I have started going
out on auditions and realize that
confidence isn't everything! I have a lot
to learn about acting, and so I just
registered for a week-long intensive
acting class at the New York Film
Academy, just to test the waters. My
hope is that I'll be able to develop my
acting talent enough to get a small
speaking part or two in the next year.
I've really been enjoying it all so far.
Really, I started doing it as a way to
experience more New York City life.
Songwriter’s Monthly - May ’10, #124 - http://www.scribd.com/SongwritersMonthly
The
Reality
of Silence

Jamie
Tworkowski
Maybe you’ve seen the shirt that simply t h e m e s s a g e s p r e a d s . G ra d u a l l y
reads “To Write Love on Her Arms?” awareness of To Write Love on Her
That’s the way it usually happens, you Arms ripples outward and the dialogue
see the shirt and you start asking starts. When you finally understand
questions: What does that mean? Is it a what the shirt means, what it
band? Why are you wearing it? Etc. represents, you get chills.

However, depending on who is wearing In 2006, in an effort to deal the


the shirt and where they are at in “their enormous weight on his shoulders and
story,” you might not get answers. So desperate to help a friend, Jamie
you start asking other people . . . and Tworkowski sat down to write a story.
Songwriter’s Monthly - May ’10, #124 - http://www.scribd.com/SongwritersMonthly
Renee was “dealing with drug addiction,
depression, self-injury and had
attempted suicide” yet when Jamie and
his friend David finally convinced her to
take that vital step of seeking help,
Renee was denied entry into the
treatment center. Since the drugs were
still coursing through her system and
she had self-inflicted wounds on her
arms, the trio was advised to try again
in five days.

Jamie spent the next five days with a


small gathering of friends in a makeshift
support group and, equipped with
nothing more than hope and
compassion, they attempted to keep blog and it kind of just spread like
Renee alive until she could return for wildfire. That was really the catalyst for
treatment. everything that has happened since, the
organization was born out of the
Before this point, Jamie was a sales rep response to that story and we’ve really
for Hurley and Quicksilver surf wear. “I valued writing ever since. People just
grew up appreciating music and then started to write in with their questions,
writing maybe a little later, like around asking for help, asking to help people
college,” Jamie informed while waiting they cared about and we realized that
to take the stage at a recent we could do more than tell one story
engagement in Kutztown, Pennsylvania. and even invest in treatment n the life
“But I never thought in terms of of one person.”
profession or anything like that. The
To Write Love on Her Arms is not a
band, it’s a charity. Jamie is not a
“We realized that musician, he is a speaker. Better stated,
we could do more he is a listener. However, To Write Love
on Her Arms is not your typical charity.
than tell one
“I think there has been freedom
story . . .” because of my background — I didn’t
grow up wanting to run a charity. We
writing came naturally, but I was never never meant for it to look or sound like
a professional or even know for it. Then everything else out there.”
everything just changed when I wrote
the “To Write Love on Her Arms” story. Indeed, TWLOHA could be considered as
much a movement as it is a charity.
“We posted it online, just as a myspace Certainly, they raise money and

Songwriter’s Monthly - May ’10, #124 - http://www.scribd.com/SongwritersMonthly


awareness, “We’ve responded to over take the first step towards getting the
150,000 emails and messages and have help that they need.”
been able to give over $700,000 to
treatment.” But arguably it’s the other
things TWLOHA does that are so vital. “We are just here
The organization believes in reaching
people “in their story.” They are not a to say that the
group of health care professionals, they
are a bridge. A means to start
questions
conversations with people in places matter.”
where they are used to sharing, in
places of comfort.
“We’ve learned that for the folks who
“There are a lot of nights like tonight struggle with addiction, so often these
where we just get to open up the things stay silent,” he continued. “We’ve
conversation and not pretend to have learned that two out of three people
all the answers,” Tworkowski informed. with depression, don’t get help and so
“We are just here to say that the that says the majority of people who
questions matter and to encourage need help, don’t get it. The reality of
people to take that first step because silence is such a big one in terms of
we’ve learned that most people never these problems. We’ve learned that

Songwriter’s Monthly - May ’10, #124 - http://www.scribd.com/SongwritersMonthly


“It doesn’t matter how many friends you have
on facebook or how many numbers are in your
phone because that doesn’t necessarily
indicate that people really know you or that
you really let people in.”
depression and addiction are treatable, Jamie also likes the word, ‘bridge.’ “A lot
not that that makes it any easier, but of times, when you think of a bridge,
that there is a lot of hope in the face of you think of where it ends up, but
it. We believe it starts with people just maybe what’s just as significant is
being willing to let other people meet where it starts. If the majority of people
them in their story. Maybe that’s a are never knocking on the door to the
friend? In other cases maybe it might help they need, how can we help
need to be a professional. The word you facilitate that? How can we invite and
used was ‘conversation,’ and we like encourage people to take that step that
that word because we think it’s a step in is so scary? We’re hopefully able to
the right direction.” meet people where they are.”

Songwriter’s Monthly - May ’10, #124 - http://www.scribd.com/SongwritersMonthly


“Also, people think, ‘Oh, I can’t talk final thought. “We just want people to
about this!’ Or, ‘I’m the only one who know that they are not alone. It’s very
feels this way.’ Or, ‘How would someone basic, the idea that we hope people
respond? Would they judge me?’ But I would have friends. We’re learning that
think we’ve realized that these are it doesn’t matter how many friends you
things that on a certain level, everyone h a v e o n f a c e b o o k o r h o w m a ny
can relate to. We all live with questions numbers are in your phone because
and seasons that are difficult, so maybe that doesn’t necessarily indicate that
we’re all in it together?” people really know you or that you
really let people in. That is very much
When asked, what was about to happen something we have to choose and I
when he stepped on think, like
stage in a college “We all live with counseling, it’s not
auditorium filled e a s y. W e ’ r e n o t
with students and questions and seasons pretending that
people who had
traveled a great
that are difficult, so tomorrow you will
wake up and
distance to hear him maybe we’re all in it schedule coffee with
speak, Jamie three people and
explained that the together?” share the hard
night would take stuff . . . but we
place in basically two parts. First, he believe it’s worth it, your story matters.”
would give a presentation, tell his story
and the story of TWLOHA. Then, he Epilogue: The night turned out to be a
would open it up for questions, which truly miraculous and moving event filled
would probably be more along the lines with tears and people boldly standing
of conversations: meeting people and up in a room full of mostly strangers to
learning their story. take that first step in sharing their
story. Jamie has a gift for really
“A lot of times, we’ll travel with a reaching people where they are in an
musician and a counselor because we honest, open way.
really think it’s a more dynamic night
that way. We love when people can hear “To Write Love on Her Arms is a non-
from other voices and we love having profit movement dedicated to
music in the room. Music is powerful presenting hope and finding help for
and it has this ability to remind people people struggling with depression,
that they are alive and it’s okay to feel addiction, self-injury and suicide.
things. Music is this really special, TWLOHA exists to encourage, inform,
miraculous, hard-to-explain thing that inspire and also to invest directly into
we like to have in the room on so many treatment and recovery.” If you’d like to
levels.” learn more about To Write Love on Her
Arms, please visit:
With the start-time for the event rapidly
approaching, Jamie wanted to offer one http://www.twloha.com

Songwriter’s Monthly - May ’10, #124 - http://www.scribd.com/SongwritersMonthly


musician to be involved with the
project was John Payne (Asia
featuring John Payne).” LaRue
noted. “Not only have I been an
admirer of his work, but I have
known him for years, and he was
on my previous album,
TRANSFORMATION 2012.”

From there she reached out to


Steve Adams (ARZ), Merrill Hale
(ARZ — “a fabulous prog
drummer”), Chris Brown (Ghost
Circus and Roswell Six), Jo DeBoeck
(Beyond the Labyrinth), Svetlan
Raket (former Par Lindh Project),
David Mark Pearce (The Oliver
Wakeman Band) and several other
gifted artist.

The musicians on this album had a


unique opportunity to partake in a
freestyle project where anything
Lisa LaRue was possible. Often, there are
Project 2K9
WORLD CLASS “That was the beauty of
the project, each person
Prog rock keyboardist, Lisa LaRue
recently released an expansive, got to add what they
densely colored album of wide- felt was right for each
sweeping and imaginative tonal particular song.”
landscapes under the name Project
2K9. The work is free-spirited,
progressively-structured and offers passages within the songs which
a multitude of exploding flower are so astoundingly fresh, that you
moments which resonate with a have to give them a double-take
delicious burst of aural scent. because you just cannot believe
what you heard.
As suggested by the title, WORLD
CLASS includes a number of top- Working with such a vast array of
notch performers. “The first talented artists provided a great

Songwriter’s Monthly - May ’10, #124 - http://www.scribd.com/SongwritersMonthly


http://www.myspace.com/lisalaruekeyboards
deal of personal excitement for and early performances of ‘Kansas’
Lisa. She recalled how thrilling it — I wanted to be like Steve Walsh!”
was each time she received a new
track to add to the mix. LaRue described her approach to
music, not only as playing by ear,
but playing from her soul or playing
“These are world “by heart.”
class musicians
in my opinion, and There are many marvelous tracks
who am I to tell to relish on this album, but the one
with the most meaning for Lisa is
them what to add?” "Kituwah." “I am a tribal member of
the federally recognized United
“I had no idea what they would be Keetoowah Band of Cherokee
like as each musician was given the Indians, and Kituwah (located in
opportunity to contribute whatever North Carolina) is our Mother Town.
tracks were laid upon their heart. Steve, Merrill and I worked on the
Nothing was changed, added or song and then I sent it to John [to
deleted. These are world class add the bass] and it has received
musicians in my opinion, and who excellent reviews as well as making
am I to tell them what to add?” it into the Broadjam Progressive
Rock Top Ten twice, now.”
“That was the beauty of the
http://www.lisalaruemusic.com/fr_home.cfm

project, each person got to


add what they felt was right
for each particular song. So
receiving their contributions
was like opening Christmas
presents every time!”

In regards to her own musical


background, LaRue informed,
“I started playing by ear when
I was 3 years old, I was
f a s c i n a t e d b y t h e m ov i e
soundtrack C AMELOT — I
loved the orchestration.”

Lisa grew up in Topeka,


Kansas where she was heavily
influenced by the “rehearsals http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?

id=hyTjEIK1pMo&offerid=146261&type=3&subid=0&tmpid
=1826&RD_PARM1=http%253A%252F

%252Fitunes.apple.com%252Fus%252Falbum
%252Fcopper-edge%252Fid338465659%253Fi

%253D338465765%2526uo%253D6%2526partnerId
%253D30

Songwriter’s Monthly - May ’10, #124 - http://www.scribd.com/SongwritersMonthly


Jakob’s Hollow
THE LEGEND OF BOBBY
THE KID

Jakob’s Hollow is a charming


group of individuals who write
and perform endearing, rustic
music that wells up from the
soul and is distilled by the
heart.

The sound is a winsome


combination of nimble
picking, unfaltering bass,
easy-going rhythms and three
distinctive voices.

S t e ve Q u e l e t ’s s e a s o n e d
vocals provide all the comfort
of a stroll along a familiar
dusty trail. In contrast, Eppie with the lines, “There is a face on
Bailey’s tone is crisp and pure like a my ceiling/Delights in telling me I’ll
die before I wake.” Bailey revealed,
“I thought it would be “I wrote the song because there
really is a face on my bedroom
cool to poke fun at ceiling and I thought it would be
having all these cool to poke fun at having all these
negative imaginary negative imaginary 'friends' —
'friends' — which I think which I think many artists have.
But we're creative folk, so I
many artists have.”
thought, ‘Hey, we can just make up
— Eppie Bailey some NEW ones!’”

fresh dew-dappled morning flower. The 16-song album covers a large


Josh Wolf has the formidable task range of situations and emotions
of filling the space in between. from the whimsical “High
Maintenance" to the moving
The opening track, “A Few New “Praying for Dogs.”
Friends,” has an upbeat rhythm, but
the lyrics start rather ominously Josh provides a tender track with

Songwriter’s Monthly - May ’10, #124 - http://www.scribd.com/SongwritersMonthly


http://www.jakobshollow.com
his “Skylah’s Lullaby.” “Skylah is the names and facts about the
actually my niece,” Wolf noted. “The battle. I finally wrote it in 2008.”
lullaby was written out of the
feeling of missing her very much Concerning “Bobby the Kid” Quelet
not long after she was born — she explained, “This song is
is just under two years old.” autobiographical in nature, however
as in most of my songs, it expands
Two of the most impressive songs on the facts to a large extent! I
on the album are “Devil’s Den” and have four brothers and my father
the title track, “The Legend of constructed a train platform for us
Bobby the Kid.” to build our village on. We had
great fun (and a few fights)
“‘Devil’s Den’ was based on a devising ways to derail each other’s
p e r s o n a l e x p e r i e n c e .” S t e v e trains with Lincoln Logs, or any
informed. “When we were very other means we could think of. I
young, my parents took my love train songs, and have written
brothers and I to visit the many, but one day while driving, I
Gettysburg Battlefield and Museum. got to thinking about the idea of a
One battle location called the train song from the perspective of a
Devil's Den made an indelible young engineer and his Lionel train.
impression on us. [As the song It didn't take long to realize that
states] We actually did pick up the train needed robbing badly, and
sticks and pretend they were rifles so ‘Bobby the Kid’ was born!”
and then we pretended to
re-enact the battle while
climbing around the rock
http://www.myspace.com/jakobshollow

formations. Years later I


revisited Gettysburg and
the Devil's Den with my
grandchildren, and what
had escaped me as a
young child became vividly
apparent that day: this was
a particularly gruesome
battle location, that lived
up to it's name.”

“I had wanted to write the


song for years before I
finally did all of the
research to piece together http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?

id=hyTjEIK1pMo&offerid=146261&type=3&subid=0&tmpid
=1826&RD_PARM1=http%253A%252F

%252Fitunes.apple.com%252Fus%252Falbum
%252Fempty-handed%252Fid318388454%253Fi

%253D318390359%2526uo%253D6%2526partnerId
%253D30

Songwriter’s Monthly - May ’10, #124 - http://www.scribd.com/SongwritersMonthly


ITEMS OF INTEREST
N a shv il le SongWr it ers Fes ti val
The 8th Annual Nashville SongWriters Festival on
Music Row will take place June 4-6, 2010. The Festival is
several music happenings in one: part live original music
performances, part teaching conference, part networking
opportunity and part gathering of friends.

For information on attending, performing or even


volunteering, visit: www.SongWritersFestival.com

T ex a s S o ngw ri ters Cru i se


“Treat yourself — and your career — to a combination Caribbean Cruise and
Songwriting Conference that brings aspiring songwriters together with some of
the biggest publishers, hit songwriters, and music industry pro's in the business.
In this, our 5th year of putting on this event, we will be sailing from Galveston
Texas with ports of call in Cozumel Mexico and Progresso Yucatan. Oct 11th to
Oct 16th 2010.” For more information, visit: www.txsongwriterscruise.com

Ber u R evu e Show


Beru Revue has been called the greatest rock band in Philadelphia and on April
24th, at one of their only 3 annual performances, the band exceeded the hype.
With tight supercharged rock and a stage show complete with costume changes
and props, the band performed almost three hours of original music! For more
information on this one-of-a-kind musical experience, click Here.

http://www.indievenuebible.com/main.htmhttp://www.indievenuebible.com/main.htm http://
www.indievenuebible.com/main.htmhttp://www.indievenuebible.com/main.htmhttp://
www.indievenuebible.com/main.htmhttp://www.indievenuebible.com/main.htmhttp://
www.indievenuebible.com/main.htmhttp://www.indievenuebible.com/main.htmhttp://
www.indievenuebible.com/main.htm

Songwriter’s Monthly - May. ’10, #124 http://www.scribd.com/SongwritersMonthly


ITEMS OF INTEREST
Artist, Abby Ahmad
[Apr. ’10 Cover
story], recently
wrapped up a
successful month
long showcase at
New York’s famed
venue, The Living
Room. Abby’s latest
release is the
masterful album
entitled CURRICULUM.

Ab b y A hmad
www.abbyahmad.net
www.myspace.com/abbyahmad

Songwriter’s Monthly - May. ’10, #124 http://www.scribd.com/SongwritersMonthly


Previously . . .
http://www.scribd.com/doc/21725699/SM-Oct-09-118

For those who missed earlier issues of Songwriter’s Monthly,


just click on the cover of your choice pictured below.

http://www.scribd.com/ http://www.scribd.com/
Songwriter’s Monthly $ongwri%r&'
http://www.scribd.com/ (ongwri)r*+
http://www.scribd.com/
doc/29169883/ doc/27263949/ doc/25772977/ doc/24378688/SM-
Songwriter-s-Monthly- Songwriter-s-Monthly- !on"l#
Songwriter-s-Monthly- !on#l$
D,osanne
e c - Cash,
09-120http://
!arty Paris,
A p r - 1 0 - 1 2 3 - F e b - 1 0 - 1 2 2 - Jan-10-121-Issue www.scribd.com/doc/
'eru Revue,
I s s u e h t t p : / / I s s u e h t t p : / / http://www.scribd.com/ 2%isa4Lisa,
378688/SM-
'illy Idol,
www.scribd.com/doc/ www.scribd.com/doc/ doc/257729 7Parks,
Abby 7/ D&olida$
ec-09-120http://
Jason Castro,
29169883/Songwriter- 27263949/Songwriter- Songwriter-s-Monthly- Local Natives, www.scribd.com/doc/
!emorie+

s-Monthly-Apr-10-123- s-Monthly-Feb-10-122-
Featuring: J a n - 1 0 - 1 2 1Craig- I sKallman:
sue 2& Mor"
4378688/SM-
Sarah DeLeo, Atlantic Records CEO,
I s s u h t t p : / / I s s u e h t tFerrick,
Melissa p : / / http://www.scribd.com/
& Much, Much More Dec-09-120http://
www.scribd.com/doc/
Paige Nichols,
www.scribd.com/doc/ dFeaturing:
oc/25772977/ Featuring:
www.scribd.com/doc/
29169883/Songwriter- Beth Thornley
27263949/Songwriter- Arika Kane
Songwriter-s-Monthly- Brigitte Zarie
24378688/SM-
s-Monthly-Apr-10-123- s-Monthly-Feb-10-122-
http://www.scribd.com/SongwritersMonthly Feb. ’10, #122
Jan-10-121-Issue
http://www.scribd.com/SongwritersMonthly Jan. ’10, #121

Dec-09-120
http://www.scribd.com/SongwritersMonthly Dec. ’09, #120

Issu Issue
Apr. ’10 Feb. ’10 Jan. ’10 Dec. ’09
Featuring: Abby Featuring: Beth Featuring: Arika Fe a t u r i n g :
Ahmad, Cathy Thornley, Paige Kane, Jason B r i g i t t e Za r i e ,
Wa g n e r, L a u r a Nichols, Melissa Castro, Local Lisa Lisa, Beru
B e l l B u n d y, Ferrick, Sarah Natives, Abby Revue, Marty
Straight No DeLeo, Ryan Pa r k s , At l a n t i c Paris, Billy Idol,
C h a s e r, J a m i e Hammer, Little Records’ CEO, Ro s a n n e C a s h ,
Lynn Noon, Mic Boots, Winston Wallace Collins, and more!
Etiquette and Gay, Haldjas, and and more!
more! more!

,ongwri-r./
http://www.scribd.com/ !ongwri"r#$
h t t p : / / &ongwri'r("
http://www.scribd.com/doc/
2 0 3 9 3 7 3 5 / S M -
#ongwri&r'(
http://www.scribd.com/
doc/22977118/SM- d o c / 1 9 5 0 6 1,on"l-04/SM-
&on'l(
Nov-09-119http:// (on)l*
www.scribd.com/doc/
21725699/SM- )on*l$
Sept-09-117bhttp://
S e p t - 0 9 - 1 1 7 a T#pecial
a wEdi$o%
ny-
www.scribd.com/doc/
www.scribd.com/doc/ H e a t h h t t p : / /
Oct-09-118http:// 2 0 3 9 3 7 3 5 / S M -
2 2 9 7 7 1 1)eaturin* 8/SM- www.scribd.com/doc/
www.scribd.com/doc/
+& Sept-09-117bhttp://
N o v - 0 9 - 1 1 %ndy9 h t tChas"
p:// 1 9 5 0 6 1 !awny 0 4 / Hea"
S M -
21725699/SM- www.scribd.com/doc/
www.scribd.com/doc/ 'ostmark$ Sept-09-117aTawny-
of: Oct-09-118http:// 2 0 3 9 3 7 3 5 / S M -
H e a t h h t t p : / /
22977118/SM- Sept-09-117 #melda
b h t tMa$
p://
#rookvi$" www.scribd.com/doc/ w w w)oun*y
. s c r i b d .Swee"ear+
com/doc/
Nov-09-119http:// 21725699/SM- w w w .&moldering
scribd.com Hot!
/doc/
1 9 5 0 6 1 0 4 / S M -
www.scribd.com/doc/
!lus: Serena Ryder, Mark Wayn
" O'lus:
c t -Black
0 9 - Gold,
1 1 8Janet
http Robin,
:// 2 !eona
0 3 Lewi"
9 3 7 3 5 / S M -
Sept-09-117aTawny-
2+lasmire,
297 7 1Katia
Mishon, 1 8& Mor
/ "S M - %icky, The Drums & Mor & Sept-09-117b Jeremy Green%
www.scribd.com/doc/ http://blogs.myspace.com/songwritersmonthly Sept. ’09, #117b
Heathh
Nov-09-119
http://www.scribd.com/SongwritersMonthly Nov. ’09, #119 http://blogs.myspace.com/songwritersmonthly Oct. ’09, #118 http://blogs.myspace.com/songwritersmonthly Sept. ’09, #117a

21725699/SM-
Oct-09-118
Nov. ’09 Oct. ’09 Sept. ’09 Sept. ’09
Featuring: Andy Featuring: The Featuring: Imelda Special Edition:
Chase, Katia, Postmarks, Black May, Leona Lewis, Fe a t u r i n g :
S e r e n a R y d e r, Gold, Nicky, Janet Jeremy Greene, Country/Pop
Mark Wayne Robin, Miss Issa, Pop Tarts, and a r t i s t Ta w n y
Glasmire, Mishon, The Drums, and Elizabeth and the Heath.
and more! Lantana. Catapult.

Songwriter’s Monthly - Apr. ’10, #124 http://www.scribd.com/SongwritersMonthly

S-ar putea să vă placă și