Which Music Conference is right for you?

Having trouble deciding on which conferences to attend? Read a helpful article by Bill Pere on how to choose -- here is the link: http://indieconnectmagazine.com/music-conferences/

CSA - Pro Workshop with Karen Reynolds

On Saturday May 8, 2010, the Connecticut Songwriters Association hosted a PRO workshop with Karen Reynolds, program director of Independent Writers Block Radio out of Knoxville, TN.

Karen is a long time industry veteran who owns her own label; operates a booking/management agency for independent artists; has national credits to her name as producer, publicist and vocalist; teaches songwriting and music business for the University of Tennessee; is a Mentor/Instructor for the Country Music Hall of Fame's prestigious 'Words and Music in Schools' program and is host and program director of Writer's Block, a radio program that airs ONLY independent artists.

Karen is also Vice President of Indiegrrl International Music and Arts Conference and Festival which will be taking place August 19-22, 2010 in Knoxville.

The six hour workshop included a presentation where Karen discussed the 'ins and outs' of writing and pitching songs, creating your own brand, and how to stand out in this highly competitive industry.

The presentation was followed by a pitch session where CSA members were given the opportunity to present songs to Karen as the program director for Independent Writers Block Radio.

It is clear that Karen has a deep routed passion for what she does and a strong desire to guide and support musicians in the development of their skills. Her passion comes through in her presentation style and her endless energy and words of wisdom. I would be remiss if I didn't also mention that she drove 13 hours from Tennessee to be with the CSA songwriting group yesterday.

When a nationally credited singer/songwriter, radio program director, and country music hall of fame program mentor drives 13 hours from Tennessee to sit down for six hours to offer local songwriters the chance to pitch their music, it is truly the opportunity of a lifetime and a credit to Bill Pere and the CT Songwriters Association that she was willing to make the trip.

In Karen's own words: "The Connecticut Songwriters Association is one of the most well known associations of its kind and Bill Pere is very well respected in the music industry, you all have a very valuable resource here and you should use every opportunity to take full advantage of it".

There was a lot of information shared yesterday but I'll highlight a few soundbytes:

If you are serious about getting into the music business:

• Be cut-throat realistic about what you do and your skill level
• Learn how to appropriately book your own gigs (research artists who are like you and find where they are playing and then make direct contact during slowest business hours)
• Learn the business inside and out. Learn about royalties. Know everything about the business.. ."or you will get taken " (this was a particularly passionate sound byte)
• Create your own brand and logo
• Be comfortable with who you are on stage and in your music

If you are sending a song to a radio program director::

• Present the song professionally (no sticky notes)
• Proof your work for grammar and spelling errors
• Include a professional cover letter asking for the song to be writtent
• Package the accompanying disc in a jewel case (easier to be found on a shelf)

If you are a writer and not a performer

• Look for industry calls (Rowfax)
• Enter songwriting competitions and look at the list of judges - recognize the competitions as a way to get exposure for your music. (she suggested the USA and John Lennon competitions)
• Pitch your music to artists who are dedicating themselves
• You can use established "song pitchers" but they are very expensive

It was a great day with lots of information shared. All of the songwriters were talented and the music was amazing.

A few of the songwriters will likely be hearing their songs on Independent Writers Block Radio (congratulations !)

If you missed it, you should look at the upcoming list of workshops that the CSA is hosting so that you don't miss another opportunity like this one.

Through her business, SoundAdvice Musician Services, Karen offers a host of professional services including career consultation, promotional strategy, critique services (which she will do via email) , performance coaching and more. Her radio show plays ONLY music by independent artists

For anyone in the Mass or Southern NH area who would like to get a taste of the CSA programs, you can meet Bill Pere in person at an upcoming workshop in Hingham, MA on June 19, 2010. There are limited spots available and this will be a great day of song craft instruction and professional critique.

Bill Pere "The Songcrafters Coloringbook" and Songwriters Retreat

Bill Pere is an internationally published songwriter, recording artist and songwriting coach. Author of the internationally acclaimed "Song crafters' Coloring Book" and One of the Top 50 Innovators and Guiding Lights of the Music Industry, as named by Music Connection Magazine

Bill has had 13 Top-Ten Songs on various Indie charts for more than 120 consecutive weeks, is an IMC Indie Artist of the Year ,President, CT Songwriting Academy , Executive Director, CT Songwriters Association ,Official Judge and Critic for several national and international songwriting/performance competitions, Founder, L.U.N.C.H. (Local United Network for Combating Hunger) and an official Connecticut State Troubadour.

Bill will be conducting a songwriting workshop on June 19th in Hingham Mass Please continue reading below for my feedback on his class and also a link to the registration page for this event.

I purchased Bill’s book online and was immediately impressed. What I found between the pages was a sense of reassurance that as a songwriter, I can do anything I want with my music and it won’t be “wrong” but that there are also choices to be made about my songs in order to craft them so that they are most appealing to the broadest possible audience. What Bill teaches is insight into this decision making process so that songwriters can make informed choices with an understanding of the expected outcome.

I have never been captivated by a textbook like I was by this one and when I saw that Bill was conducting a weekend songwriters retreat in Connecticut, I knew this was an event I definitely wanted to attend.

The weekend was everything I had hoped for and more. The group was small (12 songwriters all at varying levels) The setting was beautiful Camp Wightman in Stonington, CT. The course followed the text (and beyond) and also included several critique sessions where direct constructive feedback was given to each individual songwriter about their own work.

It was a “bonus” and a surprise to me that Bill’s wife Kay is also an accomplished artist who has a wide reputation as one of the premier vocal instructors in the Northeast. Kay conducted several sessions during the weekend including vocal coaching and a workshop on what she has dubbed the “Creative Compass” (designed to outline the cyclical nature of the creative process). She and Bill together also conducted a very interesting session on the selection of vowel and consonant sounds for songs. Kay was a highlight of the weekend and the two of them together are an incredible teaching pair.

Throughout the course, Bill instructed us on what he calls “The Seven Foundations of Effective and Successful Songwriting” those being”:

1. Trying to write the best possible song you can is like an Olympic Athlete striving to do his or her personal best
2. A song represents a collection of interrelated choices, some conscious, some instinctive. The more conscious and informed choices you can make, the more control you have over the result, an approach he calls “EWO” or “Eyes –Wide-Open” songwriting
3. The factors (parameters) which affect the overall perception, acceptance and reaction to a song are like faders in a mixing board, all contributing to a final blend
4. A songwriter presenting a song to a listener is a social interaction, like a conversation between two strangers where all the relevant social conventions and expectations apply
5. The difference between creativity and craft is analogous to bringing forth valuable raw material from a mine, and then refining it to a state of purity, beauty and utility.
6. There are three phases in the life of a song from initial inspiration to professional recording and performance: Creation, Realization, and Proliferation, each requiring specific roles and skill sets
7. If you write about something that is important to you and you want to share it, then your task as a songwriter is not to allow each listener to take away his or her own personal truth, but to have them take away a personalized version of your truth.

©Bill Pere 2009 The Song crafters Coloringbook

We had the privilege of performing our own songs for the group and receiving direct critique from Bill. This was the part of the session that I had the most angst about before leaving home (particularly because I have not written many songs or shared them with others). The critique session quickly became one of my favorite parts of the weekend as Bill and Kay created a very safe environment in which to receive constructive feedback. Bill emphasized that there will always be someone who will like any song, but also, that all songs can be improved to appeal to a larger audience.

Good songs deserve to be worked on and good audiences deserve to hear songs which have been crafted with thoughtfulness and effort. The feedback was not about right or wrong, but rather about choices and a desire to improve. As it turns out, my songs need a lot of work, but I’m grateful that I have received the feedback and I now have some knowledge with which to move forward and make improvements with my own "EWO" – I have done some work since and the songs are better (Bill was right!)

Finally, the last exercise of the weekend was a collaboration project. This was the perfect ending to the perfect weekend. One of the things that we discussed is that because a song is a form of communication. In order to write a song that reaches the largest audience, there needs to be input from people with different communication styles. Bill used the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (registered trademark of Consulting Psychologists Press Palo Alto, CA) to pair us up with our opposites and sent us off to write a song. It was VERY interesting, and VERY fun. I never thought that I would be able to collaborate on a song, but this exercise opened my eyes to collaboration and I’m looking forward to the opportunity to do more of it.

After reading his book and attending his workshop, I have a great respect for Bill Pere as an artist and a teacher.

While following up with Bill he mentioned that he conducts day-long workshops regionally and I jumped at the opportunity to work with him to arrange a workshop in Massachusetts. We very quickly put together a session which is scheduled for June 19th in Hingham, MA

You can reserve a spot here: http://songwritingworkshop.eventbrite.com . The event is $55.00 for advance registration or $65.00 at the door (you will need to contact me to verify available space if you intend to pay at the door)

If you’d like to learn more about Bill Pere or purchase his book you can visit his website: www.BillPere.com and the book www.songcrafterscoloringbook.com

Cayamo 2010 - Scythian sets the bar high for new artists

Cayamo 2010 "A Journey Through Song" on a cruise ship from Miami to Belize departed February 21, 2010 to the sail-away sounds of Washington DC based SCYTHIAN.



Prior to this performance, I had only heard one song by Scythian (as provided on the pre-sailing artist sampler CD). Based on that song, I had decided that this was a "good Irish band worth seeing".



Little did I know that I was going to be treated to a foot stomping, hip swingong, raucous, Irish, Cajun, Country band with a Middle Eastern Flair.



The two lead singers are brothers of Ukrainian heritage and the drummers father is from Jordan. They perform a variety of genres and make amazing use of accordian, fiddle (sometimes 2 fiddles at once) guitar, bass, drums and even a washboard. Scythian is the first hot find onboard - CHECK THEM OUT!

Artist Profile: CAROLYN WATERS

The first time I heard Carolyn Waters sing was in July 2009 during Summer Acoustic Music Week (SAMW) at Geneva Point Center (Lake Winnipesaukee, NH). I know that I will never forget that moment, it was “Unforgettable”.

The scene was a small chapel which serves as the SAMW concert hall during the week. In the audience were a group of our fellow SAMW students. On the stage, there was Carolyn, who sat unassumingly on a metal folding chair, hands casually at her side with a music stand in front of her, accompanied on stage by fellow students with instruments (guitar, mandolin, violin, bass)

As we were waiting for her performance to start, the usual “student to student” chatter was going on around me. I didn’t fully hear her introduce herself, but I thought she might have mentioned that she wrote the song she was about to sing (not unusual at SAMW) I confess, she didn’t have 100% of my full attention, until, that is, she opened her mouth and started singing.

As soon as the music started, I experienced what can only be described as a head turning, jaw dropping moment. Carolyn’s voice hit me like a wave – a very big, very good kind of wave, the kind that makes you feel like you are floating away to someplace really nice and you never want to come back.

Her voice is soulfully resonant, full and deep and gripping. She was singing a song called “Slipping Away” and I found myself turning to everyone near me whispering... “did she say she WROTE this song? .. SERIOUSLY?” The song was every bit as beautiful as the voice behind it. I will never forget that moment.

A few weeks ago, Carolyn released her first CD. I was fortunate enough to attend her release party and to hear her sing live for the second time. I purchased her CD and it has now taken its rightful place as a staple in my “drive to work” collection.

I am honored to present an interview with Carolyn Waters below which I found as inspiring as her voice and her songwriting:

Music Berserker: Can you describe your vocal history? When did you start singing? When did you first realize that you have a very special voice? When was the first time you sang in public?

CW: I remember always wanting to sing, even as a very young child. At ages six or seven I remember putting on shows for family members with plastic beach buckets as drums singing songs that I heard on the radio and tv. But it was not something that was nutured or encouraged. I was often teased openly and laughed at by family members whenever I opened my mouth to sing and it soon became something I was careful not to do in public or within the earshot of others. So it became something that I did when I was alone, behind closed doors, in the shower, when noone was home because if at anytime someone in the family heard me it would lead to more laughter and ridicule.

People often ask me if I sang in a choir growing up and I did, sort of. I spent many of my choir years mouthing the words silently as others sang around me. I loved being surrounded by the power and vibrancy of the voices and would carry that home where I would sing those songs alone. In my final year with the choir I was finally ‘outed’ when a young man said to me in front of the chior ‘you never sing, you only mouth the words’. So then I felt that I had to sing with the chior, but I felt relative safety in the numbers.

Once I grew up, I continued to sing privately and on occasion a friend would hear a piece here or there and say ‘that sounded good’ but I never believed it nor wanted to explore it further. It was always in my home where I would really sing. When I began to date my husband he would hear me now and again and when we decided to get married he asked if I would sing at our wedding. It was something I wanted to do for him, but the thought of singing before all of the people who had laughed at me throughout my younger years made it seem like an impossibility. However, to explore the idea, I decided to take a voice class at a local adult education center and there I met Lorraine Hammond.

Meeting Lorraine changed my life. It was within the safety of her class that I first found my true voice. I sang in front of people I did not know for the first times in her classes and she led me to SAMW, which is where I first sang publicly from a stage for the first time. It was a scary, horrifying and amazing experience (made possible only by the support of those around me at the time).

Music Berserker: Do you train with a vocal coach?

CW: I have been training with a vocal coach from the time I enrolled in Lorraine’s class. She said I should come to SAMW to meet Charles Williams, which of course I did. From that time I have been consistently training with someone. Either Lorraine or Charles and locally with Ephriam Hererra, a vocal coach in Framinigham, Ma.

In all, I’ve been studying for about nine years and I feel that I am still very much a student.

Music Berserker: Can you talk a little more about your mentors? Describe how they have influenced your musical career?

CW: Well of course I would start with Lorraine Hammond. She was the very first person who said to me “you can, you are special, and you have something”. She was there with me on stage the first time I performed publicly, I took my first song writing class with her, and she played on my CD. She constantly amazes me as a person. Just last year she finished her Masters degree. She shows that there is always something to reach for, always something to accomplish. She is very much a role model and has given me very specific advice over the years which I have listened to and acted on.

With every step I take forward musically, with every accomplishment, Lorraine is sure to be mixed in there somewhere.

Another mentor would be Charles Williams. He is an incredibly vital person and like Lorraine a soul I connected with immediately. Over the years he has advised, guided, taught me and helped to put me on the path I am currently traveling.

And although to numerous to list here, there have been endless other SAMW folks who have given me guidance, advise and a push when needed.

Music Berserker: Can you describe your approach to songwriting? Do you play an instrument or do you write using your voice only? What inspires you, what is your process?

CW: My approach to songwriting is hard to describe. I think it is more of a subconcious process for me in that I don’t sit down with pen and paper and say ok, it’s time to write. It doesn’t work that way for me although sometimes I wish it did.

I don’t play an instrument either, so I can’t sit and noodle until I stumble onto something. But I do think that I am working on bits and pieces of songs subconsciously all of the time and when these bits and pieces float to the surface, they are ready to be realized.

As I said I don’t play an instrument and I don’t do music notation of any kind which means I usually race to a phone or recording device and record the bits and pieces. I can then sit down and pretty much follow the process through to the end. There are times when things are not ready to be realized, so there is plenty of stuff still floating around waiting to be worked out.

I get very inspired by music, musicians, poets, paintings and all things creative. I usually carry a book around with me to note down interesting phrases, thoughts or things that catch me. I am especially inspired when I am surrounded by good, intense sound/music. It opens doors for me.

And of course at every opportunity I take a class or workshop with songwriters I idenify with and admire. Kate Campbell and Bob Franke would top that list. Nothing can replace learning the ins and outs of songwriting from those who know.

Because I am still trying to understand fully what makes a great song, I go back at every opportunity to learn more.

Music Berserker: How many songs did you write before you felt that you had the selection you wanted for your first CD?

CW: I’m relatively new to song writing, having written my first song in 2006. So at the time I started this particular CD, I had written only 20 songs. With the exception of “Count Me In’ and “Lorraine’s Song”, which were among the first songs I wrote, the other songs on this CD were written roughly between 2007 and 2009. When I sat down to consider songs, I started with personal favorites and/or songs that I thought were good enough to put out there. Many of these were written, work shopped and/or performed at SAMW so I got a sense of what worked and what didn’t.

Music Berserker: Can you talk about the process of producing your first CD? How did you start the process, how long did it take? Was it full of ups and downs and challenges or did you find it a smooth path?

CW: I had wanted to record a CD for quite some time and in fact had begun to record a CD of covers in 2006. I had to stop this process due to some medical issues and during a long illness and recovery period, I began to write songs in earnest.

In early 2009, when I had sufficiently recovered, I again began to think about recording but I found myself in a very different place creatively and emotionally. Instead of covers, I felt the need to explore the development and recording of my own songs.

This sent me off on a different path and once that was decided it was a relatively straightforward process. Because of SAMW I had met and performed with a number of wonderful musicians over the years, who when I asked, came together and helped me bring my visions of my songs to life. Nineteen musicians in all helped in the making of this CD.

I was also introduced and worked with a great producer/engineer, Steve Rapson of Solo Performer Studio, who also worked hard with me to bring my vision to life. In all, it took about six months from the time I first step foot into the studio until I was sending the master off to be replicated.

In truth, I think the most difficult part of the process was the decision to open myself up and to put myself out there.

Music Berserker: What is your personal favorite song on the CD? What did it feel like to hear your song on the radio for the first time? Have doors been opened for new opportunities since the release of your CD?

CW: My own personal favorite is “Slipping Away” I had a wonderful experience in the studio recording this song with Sally Sisto and Trish English. I love the three part harmony and still remember how we gathered around one microphone arm-in arm as we laid those tracks. I think for me that the feeling of support, togetherness and love that was in the room came through on the recording and although the song itself is sad, the experience of recording it was not.

It was amazing to hear myself on the radio for the first time. It was hard to believe that that song and that voice came out of me. It was a very humbling experience and then of course I wanted to hear it again.

Yes, there have been more doors opened. I’ve been invited to play at a number of different venues since the cd. I’m very happy with this development as it, along with any radio play, allows me to get my music out there to wider audiences. It has also allowed me, through performing, more of an opportunity to hear personally how my music resonates and makes a difference with others. I hope to do much more of that in the future.

Music Berserker: What is your next goal?

CW: Learn more, write more and perform more. Hope to develop and play to larger audiences. Promote this cd to the best of my ability and see where it goes. Any advice is always welcome.

Music Berserker: is there anything else you want people to know about you?

CW: The best is yet to come…

Music Berserker: Carolyn, we’ll be looking forward to that!

To keep up with Carolyn, learn more about (or purchase) her music or to follow her personal blog you can visit her website : www.CarolynWatersMusic.com

Her CD “Count Me In” is also available for purchase online for individual downloads or the full album on both CD Baby and Dig Station:

http://cdbaby.com/cd/CarolynWaters

http://www.digstation.com/AlbumDetails.aspx?albumID=ALB000042801