have you joined the Grammy yet?
www.Grammy.org

Are you going to go to the 50th Grammys?

Here's a list of last years winners and it shows each field and
categories
http://www.grammy.com/GRAMMY_Awards/49th_Show/list.aspx

Can you join the Grammy org as a voting member?
https://www.grammy.com/Recording_Academy/Member_Services/Apply/

you need to be a member to participate in the process and order
tickets

Key Dates:

Oct. 1: Last day to join in order to receive a 1st round voting
ballot

Oct. 17: 1st ballot mailed to voting members

Nov. 7: 1st round of ballots due from voting members

Dec. 1: Ability to purchase GRAMMY telecast tickets begins

Dec. 1: Last day to join in Order to receive a final ballot &
invitation to the telecast

Dec. 6: Press conference announcing nominees for 50th GRAMMY Awards

Dec. 12: Final Ballots mailed to voting members

Jan. 9: Final ballots due from voting members

Feb. 10: 50th Annual GRAMMY Awards

I look forward to meeting y'all in LA at the 50th Annual Grammy
Awards, on Sunday, Feb. 10, 2008.
Save the Date!
In fact at least save Friday Feb 8th - Monday Feb 11th

http://www.grammy.com/Recording_Academy/Chapters/Atlanta/
http://www.grammy.com/Recording_Academy/Chapters/Chicago/
http://www.grammy.com/Recording_Academy/Chapters/Florida/
http://www.grammy.com/Recording_Academy/Chapters/Los_Angeles/
http://www.grammy.com/Recording_Academy/Chapters/Memphis/
http://www.grammy.com/Recording_Academy/Chapters/Nashville/
http://www.grammy.com/Recording_Academy/Chapters/New_York/
http://www.grammy.com/Recording_Academy/Chapters/Pacific_Northwest/
http://www.grammy.com/Recording_Academy/Chapters/Philadelphia/
http://www.grammy.com/Recording_Academy/Chapters/San_Francisco/
http://www.grammy.com/Recording_Academy/Chapters/Texas/
http://www.grammy.com/Recording_Academy/Chapters/Washington_DC/

~ ~ ~ ~ ~
~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Take YOUR Songwriting to the next LEVEL
Drop by

http://www.SongU.com/ifs

Where you can:
+ PITCH your songs
+ Receive Professional critiques
+ Get Mentoring from industry pros
+ Network with talented songwriters at SongU and
TAKE a FREE songwriting course at

http://www.SongU.com/ifs

~ ~ ~ ~ ~
~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Every songwriter should have a songwriting Library
Drop by:
http://astore.amazon.com/ifsande-20
to find what's missing from yours

~ ~ ~ ~ ~
~ ~ ~ ~ ~


Many artists say the INDIE BIBLE
is a wonderful tool for independent artists
drop by
http://www.indiebible.com/swb
to check it out

~ ~ ~ ~ ~
~ ~ ~ ~ ~

SELL downloads of your songs and other creations at:
http://www.payloadz.com/rs/go.asp?rs_id=15854

~ ~ ~ ~ ~
~ ~ ~ ~ ~


Dear IFS Readers,

I hope this email finds you well.

1) Saturday October 6th I will be in Schreveport, LA
instructing at the RED RIVER MUSIC CONFERENCE 2007
emphasis on songwriting and promoting your independent music, on
Saturday, October 6. For more information go to
http://www.myspace.com/rentenmusic
Location: Barnwell Center
Time: 10:00 am - 12:00 pm, 1:00-3:00 pm
workshops on songwriting and promoting yourself as a songwriter.


2) I put "I Think I Think Too Much" up on songramp and it's received
some nice comments
http://www.songramp.com/mod/mps/viewtrack.php?trackid=59062

3) An Australian artist wrote
Hi Ande, I would like to use your song "all of us together" on my
upcoming album. I would be producing 500 copies to start with.
Can you please let me know how much and how i can pay it. Thank-you,
God Bless

4) People are continuing to share my lyric writing tips:
http://songwriter101.com/forum/threads/20898_0_16_0_C/

5) Tommy Byrd performed "My Forever Family" at the
2007 Heart Gallery of Texas Photo Exhibit Premiere and Gala
September 6, 2007
here's a news story featuring the song
http://keyetv.com/topstories/local_story_249225403.html

6) isabel sommerfeld performed Blue Holiday
Live in swedish television.... The liberal party of Sweden had their
yearly meeting and I got the oportunity to sing a few songs. As you
might notice, I'm pretty nervous in the beginning..... But I've
never sang in front a crowd with 1000 politicians and live in tv.
It was AMAZING. =) And people loved your song!
Best, Isabel
http://www.myspace.com/isabelsommerfeld
you can see it
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=702465190

7) sign up for facebook.com at
https://register.facebook.com/r.php?r=102

then send me a friend invite
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=7921551


~ ~ ~ ~ ~
~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Many people want to know how to get work in recording studios.
Follow Alicia's lead on this:
be prepared before a session,
read music well,
arrive early for sessions,
be able to take musical directions,
be adept in many vocal styles,
sing dead solid in tune,
work in concert with other singers,
try to make the vocal producer'
s life easier and finally, be real.
This is the short list of why Alicia Jones is a first-call session
singer in my studio.
from:
http://www.garypowell.com/blogs/
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Advice from GoDaddy

Keep the competition from owning a name that draws customers to them
rather than you.

Promote the different products and services you offer.

Drive more traffic to your Web site.

Enjoy more opportunities to market to - and be listed in - search
engines.

Create distinct advertising strategies that reach different target
markets.

Provide customers more ways to find you when searching the
Internet.

Capture common misspellings of your domain name, instead of sending
visitors to an error page.

Protect your brand and online image from those who may have
unsavory purposes.

~ ~ ~

with this in mind I wrote

I suggest for every songwriter, musician, artist and band should

1) acquire your name, your URL

drop by godaddy.com or a company where you can register URLs and get
your names before someone with the same name does or before an
opportunist does

as an example I own
AndeRasmussen.com
and
AndersRasmussen.com
if you plan on owning your URL for a long time
consider prepaying for many years
also consider other suffixes
ie
.org
.net
.mobi
there's also .name
why let someone else own your name

2) renew it once you have it

3) don't let someone else register your URL for you

4) have an internet address that doesn't depend upon which internet
provider you use
consider
gmail or hotmail or yahoo or aol
if you change providers and email addresses
you may not get the message that you need to renew it

Several friends of mine failed to
acquire their URLs or
renew their URLs
so the following sites are not owned by the individuals and entities
that should own it

ie
http://www.MonteWarden.com
http://www.FoscoeJones.com
http://www.JohnArthurMartinez.com
http://austinsongwritersgroup.org

I also suggest people acquire their names on youtube and myspace and
whereever else makes sense
ie:
http://www.youtube.com/anderasmussen
http://myspace.com/anders


~ ~ ~ ~ ~
~ ~ ~ ~ ~

You might find this thread on JPF interesting
http://www.jpfolks.com/forum/ubbthreads.php?
ubb=showflat&Number=528736

~ ~ ~ ~ ~
~ ~ ~ ~ ~


I attended the Austin Music Foundation event on Monday Aug 27th
Making Money as a Songwriter & Music Publisher
Music Industry Boot Camp
Todd and Jeff Brabec,
authors of Music, Money and Success:
The Insider's Guide to Making Money in the Music Business.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~
~ ~ ~ ~ ~

on Wed, Jun 27, 2007 6:28 pm
Marc-Alan Barnette
started a question answer thread at

http://www.songramp.com/mod/forumpro/showthread.php?thread_id=57759

~ ~ ~ ~ ~
~ ~ ~ ~ ~


The new rhyme site, WikiRhymer is at
www.wikirhymer.com a myspace site:
www.myspace.com/wikirhymer

WikiRhymer is a user-editable wiki-style free on-line rhyming
dictionary that just went on-line check it out!

~ ~ ~ ~ ~
~ ~ ~ ~ ~

RE-WRITING/MASTER CLASS FORMAT
Songwriting Workshop with Pat Pattison
St. Edward’s University
Austin, Tx
October 27th and 28th, 2007

Workshop description: This class will use participants' songs to
demonstrate the rewriting process. We will focus on various issues,
including verse development, productive repetition, phrasing,
effective matching of lyric and melody, structure and prosody. We'll
try to focus particularly on polishing those small bumps that
distract the listener and let a little air escape from the song's
tires.

SONG CRITIQUES: On the afternoon of the 28th, Pat will do song
critiques for workshop participants.

"I took a class with Pat Pattison, a really great teacher... I
learned a lot of stuff in that class, and I still read Writing
Better Lyrics. I've still got it on the tank of my toilet ... I
think it's great." --Grammy winning artist/songwriter John Mayer,
2004”

Pat Pattison is a Professor at Berklee College of Music, where he
teaches Lyric Writing and Poetry. In addition to his three books,
Writing Better Lyrics, The Essential Guide to Lyric Form and
Structure, and The Essential Guide to Rhyming, Pat has developed
three online lyric writing courses for Berklee's online school,
available through www.patpattison.com. He has written over 30
articles for Home & Studio Recording Magazine, and The Performing
Songwriter. Pat continues to present songwriting clinics across the
US, Canada, and the UK. Several of his students have won Grammys, in
addition to John Mayer and Gillian Welch.

Cost? $100 per person. Current Berklee College students and alumni
pay $75.

Added bonus! You bring a friend at full price and you can take 20%
off ($80 for non-Berklee students and $60 for Berklee students!) for
your admission!

Please make checks payable to Pat Pattison. You can make them out to
me, but I’ll just use it for the ever-so-possible Ireland Bicycle
Trip Special Vacation account instead...

Meals/Accommodations: On your own. We may order in for lunch -
depending on the group’s preference. We’re planning on
another "field trip" Saturday night, depending on the quantity of
homework! Last June’s trip to Opal Devine’s was a lot of fun.

Location: Tentatively, St. Edward’s University. Details to follow.

Time: 10 am - 5 pm both days.

Class size: Limited to the first 30 who send a check payable to "Pat
Pattison". No extra points if the check is made payable to Joe. Or
the Grossly Underfunded Ireland Bicycle Trip Special Vacation
account.

Mail checks to: Pat Pattison Workshop, c/o Joe Strouse, P.O. Box
80444 , Austin , Texas 78708-0444

Questions? Contact Joe Strouse @ strousongs@...

~ ~ ~ ~ ~
~ ~ ~ ~ ~

An IFS Reader ASKED

Hi Ande!.

I am trying to find the article at Songu.com that you mentioned, but
I don't know what the title is. Can you let me know?

Also, I noticed that one of your co-writers was Denny Martin!
haha.. I've done workshops with him for almost 5 years. He is
always gigging somewhere in Nashville and a really dedicated guy.
Don't know where he gets all that energy!

Kay

My response was
Drop by http://www.SongU.com/ifs
Hit songwriter and producer, Michele Vice-Maslin, recently stopped
by SongU to share her insights and wisdom about song pitching and
breaking into the music business. Check it out in the "on demand"
section of the SongU.com library.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~
~ ~ ~ ~ ~

"The most beautiful people we have known are those who have known
defeat, known suffering, known struggle, known loss, and have found
their way out of the depths. These persons have an appreciation, a
sensitivity, and an understanding of life that fills them with
compassion, gentleness, and a deep loving concern. Beautiful people
do not just happen."

Elizabeth Kubler Ross, 1926 - 2004
Swiss-born Author and Psychiatrist

~ ~ ~ ~ ~
~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Are You Interested In Being A SongU.com TA?
Since we're heading into the start of the Fall semester at
SongU.com, I'm putting a call out to our members to find people who
might be interested in being a SongU.com Teaching Assistant (TA).
Basically as a TA you'd be attending an online class, recording the
transcript and uploading the transcript to SongU.com. Here's the
detailed scoop below...

What Are The Requirements For Becoming A SongU.com TA?

You must have been a SongU.com member for at least 6 months
You must be able to "cover" at least 2 class periods (e.g., one 2-
week course or two 1-week courses)
You must be able to attend all the classes of the course you are
covering (e.g., you can't just cover one of the weeks in a 4-week
course)
You must be reliable
You must be on a high speed connection
You must already be familiar with using FTP and know how to upload
files/folders using FTP
What Are The Benefits Of Being A SongU.com TA?
You'll have a guaranteed seat in any of the classes you are TA'ing.
And, in addition to helping out the SongU.com community, you earn a
free song evaluation for each class period the you cover. For
example, if you cover a two-week e-Workshop, you would earn 2 free
song evaluations.

If this sounds like you and you're interested in participating, just
send an email to me at:
danny@...

~ ~ ~ ~ ~
~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Are you going to Songposium Week 2007 Is Coming:
Sept. 21 - 29 -- Nashville, TN
The most-anticipated songwriters event of the summer is here. NSAI's
3rd Annual Songposium Week hosts nine full days of industry events -
designed specifically for the songwriter with
Music Business Classes,
Songwriting Classes,
Performances,
Networking and more!
Some of the faculty are:
Nancy Moran, Fett, Susan Tucker, Kim Copeland, Bob Dellaposta, Pat
and Pete Luboff, Barbara Cloyd, Jerry Vandiver, Gracie Hollombe,
Gary Earl, Pamela Phillips Oland, Sara Light, and Danny Arena.
Songposium Classes are Sept. 24-28.
Nightly shows featuring hit songwriters at the famous Bluebird Cafe
For more information: log onto
www.nashvillesongwriters.com.


~ ~ ~ ~ ~
~ ~ ~ ~ ~

A note from Duncan in Arizona:

Andy,

Here's an addendum to rule 19, which comes from catching Seskin
seminars every year since 2001 at the WCSA event in September. These
points were key in improving my songwriting. I'm sure you're aware
of
them, but they bear repeating.

Vary the syllabic structure - if the verse is wordy, start the
chorus
with long drawn out words.

Vary the chord change pattern - if the chords change with every
measure
in the verse, try holding one chord through a couple of measures at
the
beginning of the chorus. (Or the opposite - few chord changes in the
verse; lots of chord changes in the chorus.) This sets up contrast,
and
keeps the listener from getting bored.

Write the melody higher in the chorus - to give contrast and add
excitement

Give the singer a 'money note' in the chorus, a place where the
emotion
of the lyric peaks, and the melody peaks with it. Singers like
Martina
want to belt out a song, they don't want to just sing a bunch of
lyrics
set to a melody.


Rule 31 - imperfect rhymes:

Two syllable rhymes are much more interesting than single syllable
rhymes. In Home Grown Tomatoes, Guy Clark rhymes 'garden' with 'hard
one', but he's a genius.

Another Rule

Payoff. Something needs to happen in the song to make the listener
want
to hear it again. This would be the payoff - the reward the listener
gets for paying attention. Setting up a payoff can be similar to
telling a joke - the story sets up the punch line, but you save the
punch line for the end of the joke. Maybe the payoff is in the
chorus,
in which case the verse would be the setup. If it's a story song,
the
payoff would be at the end of the song, but there still has to be
some
kind of payoff in the chorus to carry the song to the end of the
story.
Basically, after the payoff, it's time to get out of the song.
Otherwise, you're beating a dead horse.

A note on SongU - Their archived seminars are very interesting,
especially 'What's Cole Pitching?' This is a song-plugger playing
songs that have just been picked up by major artists - mainly
written
by that Dallas guy and that Hillary gal - getting cuts with Trace
Adkins/Tim McGraw and Martina/Faith. Gives you an idea of how strong
the competition is.

Best,

Duncan
Tucson AZ

~ ~ ~ ~ ~
~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Do you get
Nashville Muse by Doak Turner, Editor
doakt@...
www.nashvillemuse.com
www.myspace.com/nashvillemuse
http://www.myspace.com/doakmusic

~ ~ ~ ~ ~
~ ~ ~ ~ ~

songu's Spin N' Pitch Congratulates....
July and August were another couple of great months for Spin N'
Pitch as several members either received notes of interest in their
songs and/or had their songs forwarded by the SU screeners. As a
reminder, you can now listen to some of these songs off the special
listening page linked off of "My Pitching".

Congrats to the following members who received notes of interest in
their songs from our publisher guests:

Elizabeth Axford "Christmas in Florida"
Donna Aylor "Change is Constant-Pop"
Matt Dorman "Green Christmas Tree"
Matt Dorman "HOW DID YOU LOVE?"
Bill Ekhoff "Wouldn't That Be Something"
Kent Forward "Christmas Wouldn't Be The Same (Without You)"
Donna Galbraith "Feels Like Home"
Rick Hoverter "Inside His Heart"
Rick Lane "Love's Funny Like That"
Joe Lickteig "Leave it All On The Field"
Todd Klocke "When I get Back From Mexico"
Don Mittan "How 'bout You"
Jeff Moxcey "Dirty Job"
Jeff Moxcey "Heading For The Promised Land"
Jon Philibert "LOVE DOING ITS THING"
Dan Robinson "I'll Tell God You Said Hi"
Kara Smith "When I Breathe"
Kara Smith "LOVE CANNOT LIVE"
James (Jim) Smith "Just A Song"
Mitch Townley "You've Got A Way "
Mitch Townley "Christmas Past"
Mitch Townley "America, Honor God"
Congrats to the following members who received notes of interest in
their songs from our artist/producer guests:

Ed Bentley "Emma's Flowers"
Anthony Campbell "Friday Night"
David Carter "Hot Rod Tractor"
Matt Dorman "Another You"
Rebecca Hosking "BOXING GLOVES"
Steve Hostetler "Don't Miss Saturday Night"
Ryan Hydro "Georgia Genetics (Best of Song U)"
Rick Lane "Dover (Exit Sign)"
Andreas Liekefett "Down South"
Peter Nelson "Throw Me Something Spicy"
James Oliver "You've Given Me A Hand"
Mark Preston "He Made a Man out of Me"
Stuart Rosh "Knee Deep in Clover"
Gary D. Smith "Down to Mexico"
Mike Todd "Hellbent on Havin' Fun "
Ed Williams "Drinking 101"
And a round of applause to the following members who had their songs
forwarded for recent pitches:
Juan Albarran "I Got The Green Light"
Chris Caminiti "DONE"
Matt Dorman "Love'll Do That"
Bill Ekhoff "Wouldn't That Be Something"
Lorna Flowers "Don't Even Think About It"
Kent Forward "It Was You"
Kent Forward "When You Listen"
Steve Hostetler "My Woman on the Line"
Steve Hostetler "A Real Kiss"
Scott Jarman "I Got the Green Light"
Shelley Jacobson "Don't Even Think About It"
Marc Kuchner "I'm Still Growing Up"
Marc Kuchner "Start Now "
Marc Kuchner "Jack Nicholson "
Joe Lickteig "Slip Into Something Mexico (6/8 Demo)"
Joe Lickteig "First Last Kiss"
Christina Meyer "The Way She Makes Me Feel"
Elizabeth Milcarek "Y CHROMOSOME"
Jeff Moxcey "If I Could Kill Your Memory"
Bill Osofsky "My Guns"
Rebecca Peaden "Even the Candles Cried"
Catherine Rushton "Girls Like Fast Cars Too"
Keith Sasser "Redneck Daddy"
Gary D. Smith "Whisper"
James (Jim) Smith "This Red Neck of the Woods"
James (Jim) Smith "Just A Song"
David Swinford "Lacey Mae's Hot Wings"
Mike Todd "Live, Love and Learn"
Mitch Townley "On My Family Tree "
Tina Tufts "TAKE YOU THERE"
Tina Tufts "ALL THE LITTLE THINGS"


~ ~ ~ ~ ~
~ ~ ~ ~ ~

CD Baby's Current Numbers are:
197,267 artists sell their music at CD Baby
3,563,825 CDs sold online to customers
$55,258,384 paid directly to the artists


About MP3 downloads at CD Baby

You're buying each album as a zip file with a folder of all MP3
audio, a big JPG of the album cover, and a text file with the liner
notes.

The MP3 audio files are very high quality, about 200kbps VBR,
encoded using the LAME MP3 encoder on its audiophile settings. Your
MP3s will play on any hardware.

All your MP3 albums are available for download in your CD Baby
account, forever. (They are not refundable, for obvious reasons.)

91% of the entire sales price goes directly to the musician, paid
every week. CD Baby only keeps a 9% cut to pay for bandwidth and
administration.

There is no DRM or tracking on the MP3 files. We trust you to
support independent musicians, and tell your friends to buy a copy,
too.

Every album in our Digital Distribution program is available for
download on cdbaby.com. Since we are one of the largest distributors
of music to Apple iTunes and other great retailers, we don't think
of cdbaby.com as competition, but rather a direct factory outlet.

Any questions or problems, please contact CD Baby, and we'll be glad
to help.

http://cdbaby.com/mp3

Here's some more info CDBaby shared

Derek at CD Baby on Tuesday September 04 2007 @ 09:21AM PDT


For those that are into numbers, here's some random stats from
August 2007:

Total number of albums in CD Baby:
194,385

How many of those have ever sold a CD:
170,379

Percentage of artists who have sold a CD:
87%

Total number of albums in Digital Distribution:
129,014

How many of those have ever earned digital income:
123,168

Percentage of Digital Distribution artists who have earned digital
income:
95%

How many artists sold a CD from January to June 2007:
101,648

How many artists had a CD sold in July 2007:
35,701

How many received payments in July 2007:
21,764

How many received two weekly payments in July 2007:
3245

How many received three weekly payments in July 2007:
1282

How many received four weekly payments in July 2007:
513

Here are the scary ones:

How many artists account for 25% of our total sales volume?
280 = 0.1%

How many artists account for 50% of our total sales volume?
1879 = 1%

How many artists account for 90% of our total sales volume?
23,504 = 12%

See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pareto_principle
It seems our 80/20 rule is actually 90/12

~ ~ ~ ~ ~
~ ~ ~ ~ ~

john Arthur martinez's home made of stone is nearing completion

The CastleRock Construction crews work diligently from sunup to
sundown to meet the deadline for completion of our Home Made of
Stone. Our architect, Marley Porter, suggested we call it
a "liveline" instead of a "deadline." The exterior looks both
artistic and welcoming beneath the four ancient oaks in our front
yard. You'll love the colors. We've used recycled lumber for the
upstairs addition, refurbished metal cabinets made by the Geneva
Company in Switzerland in the 1963's, and the old garage doors once
targeted for the landfill have been converted to beautiful wooden
gates. Needless to say we're eager to move in.



More of you told Bette that
October 13 best fits your schedule for the
Home Made of Stone Open House
so that's the date. Mark it down and let Bette, my fan club
president know if you are coming. We'll have an open house from
3 to 5 P.M. then the fans who
RSVP will share a handmade meal prepared by Yvonna and my sister, my
mom and my tias, and my buds and brother-in law manning the bar-b-
que pits. Afterward we'll all head to the Uptown Theatre for the
Blakely-Martinez CD Release Concert, and a Birthday Bash for Bette!
We'll be celebrating the 30th Anniversary of her 39th Birthday ;o)

--much amor! jam, Yvonna & Bette (RSVP: jamfans@...)

~ ~ ~ ~ ~
~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Byrd and Street are excited that they were asked to be a part of the
first ever
WEBB HOUSE CONCERTS which will be in
South Austin (near William Cannon and S. First) on
Sunday evening at
7 pm
Sept. 23.
It's a chance for us to do some of our story songs and some new
songs that will be on our next CD.
IFS Reader Donna Frost is performing too. She's a wonderful singer
and songwriter from Tennessee. There will be a song circle
afterward. It's going to be great! So, bring your guitars.
Seating is very limited! Email:
webbhouseconcerts@...

~ ~ ~ ~ ~
~ ~ ~ ~ ~

We've been working hard here at the Super Pal Universe
Headquarters to bring you a band o' plenty...that's
right, there are now 5 teens that make up the band,
Super Pal Universe, and you can read all about what is
happening with the kids, the tv show-to-be, our
appearances, how your kids can submit "Kid Vids" for
the site, our coloring book, and the new non-profit
arm of SPU called Change 4 Change that will be giving
out grants!... gosh, gobs galore and lots
more...
http://www.superpaluniverse.com

~ ~ ~ ~ ~
~ ~ ~ ~ ~

SEPTEMBER 29, Saturday, Houston, TX...
TWO EVENTS, a
CLASS and A CONCERT:
1 - 4 pm
Songwriting Workshop with Sara
$150 per person
Wanting to expand on your song or creative writing?
Come take an intimate workshop with Sara! This three
hour class will include creativity exercises,
songwriting instruction and personal one-on-one time
as students write a new song, which you will be able
to share with a live audience at Sara's house concert
later that evening. Workshop fee includes free
admission to the evening concert....
Materials/handouts provided by Sara.
6:30 pm potluck (optional)
8:00 Sara Hickman performs,
$15 (for concert only)
Bruce's Loft House Concerts
2305 Nicholson St,
Houston, TX 77008
713-501-7131

~ ~ ~ ~ ~
~ ~ ~ ~ ~

fertitta and mcclintock will be in Beaumont Texas on
November 23rd at the
LOGON CAFE the DAY after Thanksgiving

They are also looking to do for a house concert or show in Houston
and Austin. They are doing well on their tour and have a single out
to College Radio and AC

www.fertittaandmcclintock.com
www.myspace.com/fertittaandmcclintock

~ ~ ~ ~ ~
~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The Indie Musician's dilemma

Here's the question: How does the independent musician balance the
time needed to create with the time needed to promote?

If you are an indie musician you love making music, you live for it,
in fact. It's what you do. It gives you great joy. But to be
successful (aka make money) you need to spend lots of time promoting
yourself and your music. And there's the rub, as they say.

Back in the old days if a musician had a following and was playing
in
clubs and having some local success they had the chance of being
"discovered" and signed to a record label. The label then would then
put up the money to record you and when the album was finished their
promotion machine would kick into high gear and get your face and
music out to the world. Nice deal. Of course we all know about the
onerous trade-offs that were written into those horrible record
contracts and how many musicians were screwed out of money because
they had signed away their rights. But the signed musicians were
known to the public and could make a living by touring at least.

Nowadays everything has changed. We as independent musicians have so
many fabulous tools at our disposal: inexpensive digital recording,
sites like CD BABY and I-Tunes, internet networking sites like
MYSpace and Facebook, webzines to review your music, online
databases
for clubs, film and TV connections and the list goes on and on.
Major
labels are crumbling and virtually clueless as to how to grab the
attention and sell the music. Labels are no longer the only game in
town.

That's been a very good thing and a very bad thing for us indies. We
have our independence (yay!!) but we also have the responsibility to
sell ourselves to the world. No one else is going to do it for us.
Artists are historically pretty bad at promoting themselves. They
tend to be very good at creating - that's what they love to do - but
in order to be able to continue to do the creative work they need to
learn the skills of self-promotion. Or get a day job and content
themselves with doing their music in semi-obscurity.

So do you spend your time creating your music or promoting your
music? It's a difficult trade-off. Some people subscribe to the
50/50
rule. Half of your time goes to each activity. Some choose to focus
more on one than the other.

Here's the thing I've noticed - musicians are getting much better at
promotion because they are spending more and more time promoting
themselves. But is the music suffering? I think one could make a
case
that it is. It's really hard to find that perfect balance between
creating and promoting and it probably varies from week to week for
most people. It comes down to a personal decision in the end.

In some ways I miss the bad old days. Because it sure would be nice
to find a devoted manager or agent to help with the endless
promotional work so we musicians could get back to doing what we do
best - making great music that moves people.

Derrik Jordan
http://www.derrikjordan.com
~Positive pop and globally-conscious soul~

~ ~ ~ ~ ~
~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Singer Searching for Songs

August 9, 2007

As some of you may know, I have begun embarking on my latest
project - my very first album!

I've selected about 50% of the material for my record, but am still
looking for some great songs. This is where YOU come in. If you have
material you'd like to share with me and have me consider for the
album - send the mp3s my way to: lisa@....

Thanks so much! And keep on writin'!

http://www.LisaChristineMusic.com
drop by:
http://www.lisachristinemusic.com/music.html
and have a listen to her vocals so you pitch her appropriate songs

Email links to:
lisa@...

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~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Note from an IFS Reader

Ande, if you get a chance, check out: www.devinriley.com You might
have a song for her. Stay busy, it obviously agrees with you.
Congrats on all the cuts. That's
Great ! Nelson.
www.billyharner.com The CD is near completion. I wrote " Break It
To My Heart " and " Change Of Faith ". Two were written by Joe
South, and one by Gamble & Huff. Pretty good company. Went out and
bought a new guitar. I've learned a lot from your newsletters and
it's starting to pay off. Thank's Ande. Warm Regards, your fan,
Nelson Trout.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~
~ ~ ~ ~ ~

know anything about

joe quaranto

Connections! Pitch to ETNC's, Joe Quaranto. ANY GENRE. MALE OR
FEMALE. Full professionally demoed hit songs a la Top 40 Radio
(CHR), Pop, Pop/Rock, Pop/R&B, Dance, Urban, Cutting edge tracks
and/or music. UPDATE: Looking for CHRISTMAS SONGS through August 30,
2007. Also will accept hit radio-friendly commercial country,
alternative genres, and lyrics. This is an ongoing pitch, so you
will have 2 chances EACH MONTH to pitch your best. SU-ers: Please
listen to Joe's excellent talk in the "on-demand" transcript section
of Library before pitching, where you can hear songs from his
catalog, and find out exactly what he's looking for!



Interviewed by Doug Minnick

Where did you grow up?

I grew up in Toronto and have been here my whole life.

How did you get started in the music business?

Originally I was the general manager of a 500-seat nightclub. I used
to book all of the rock acts there in the late '80s. Then I saw that
there was a new scene starting overseas. It was a dance craze. I
started hanging out around the few clubs that were starting to spin.
They were very small ones. I met up with a couple of deejays that
were into it, and I started to manage them. I got them a radio show
playing all this new dance music that nobody knew. And it just blew
up. Not only on the radio, but in the clubs.

From there I was offered a position to go on the radio myself as a
deejay. They were running out of deejays playing this dance music. I
took them up on it, and I had one of the top rated shows in the
Toronto area for eight years. During that time period, I was still
doing the clubs, and I was also consulting for record labels. I'd
tell them the hot product that was coming out from the U.K. and
Europe. I also helped with touring all of those acts as soon as we
got them a hit here. I was basically breaking them on my radio show,
so that's why I was getting all of the new music as soon as it was
coming out, many times even before it was even on vinyl or CD. All
of the managers of the groups knew that I was playing this stuff, so
I would actually get a CDR copy sometimes. What was really nice
about it all was that I was the only deejay on the station that was
allowed to program his own show. While the rest of them were
following a regular playlist of I guess the Top-40, I would come on
at 10 pm, and I was playing all of this cool stuff from overseas
that nobody had heard. We were breaking records, like, nightly.

Then I moved into producing some tracks myself, starting around 1992
or 1993. I'd do just a few tracks a year. It just kept growing. Now
we do more and more and more. Most of our stuff I do for overseas.
Plus we have now a bunch of really good writers and vocalists that
we put on projects, and we also got into managing a bunch of acts.

What does it mean that you do stuff for overseas? Do you do one-song
projects for the dance market? Are you putting together artist
projects?

Over in Europe and the U.K., they really are not totally interested
in artist projects at the beginning. Over there, they still have a
very vibrant singles market and they can sell a ton of singles,
unlike America or Canada. A top selling single over in those areas
can sell well over a million singles. Whereas, we know a top-selling
single over here will do nowhere near those numbers. You can get by
with just doing a single project for over there, with various
remixes, which is released on vinyl, and then on CD-5�"or CD
single, as we call it. If it's a hit, then the label will always
come back and ask for a follow-up single, which we'll do. If you get
a second hit out of that artist, often they will ask for an album.
But again, it's really not a necessary thing, because they can make
enough selling singles. Compilations over there are a massive part
of the business too. If you have a top single, you can sell a lot on
vinyl or CD singles, and then they just comp the hell out of it.

How are the singles marketed? Is it totally a club phenomenon, or is
there some radio involved?

There is a lot of radio involved. They normally try to start them in
the clubs, just build up the hype. Then they're taken to radio. If
you start to get a little bit of a radio hit, even if it's only a
single, often they will shoot a video for that particular single
just to help break it in Europe. I think that a lot of times we in
the U.S. and Canada forget how large that market is over there.
Basically, the audience over in the U.K. and Europe is actually much
larger than the North American audience.

Is there a difference from country to country in terms of what they
listen to?

Absolutely. For example, in the U.K. they like their house music
very smooth. They like what we call "disco house," which is just
like a filtered disco or a house beat that has got a little bit of
disco happening behind it. Also over there is what we call "two-
step," which is very big. One of the artists that broke over here in
America that has got a bit of a two-step feel is Craig David. It
doesn't go all the way, but actually the hit that broke him as an
artist was done with a fellow by the name of Artful Dodger. Craig
was the featured vocalist on a track called "Rewind." It was a
massive hit over in the U.K., and that was a total two-step track.
That's what brought him the attention as an artist. Then you start
to move into Germany. Germany likes it either two ways. They like a
little bit more pop in their project. I sometimes even say that they
like a little bit of cheese. Or they also like it with what they
call the German techno. To me, it's just a four-on-the-floor dance
beat that is a little harder than the older dance style. It's very
uptempo. Germany loves that. Those are the two major markets over
there, so they are the two I always try to look after first. Then we
do remixes for the other markets�"what I call the secondary
markets.

You mentioned that you have writers on staff. How many writers do
you have?

I've got about 15 writers that I can call on for any project,
whether it be pop, pop/R&B, dance, dance/pop, house... Most of them
only write lyrics and melody. For most of the projects that we get
involved in, we'll get a bare track of music that needs three
elements. It needs lyrics and melody written for it. Then it needs a
vocal. Then it gets sent back to the producer who basically finishes
off the project.

So you create the beats and the basic track. Do you do that
personally, or do you have producers that do that for you or with
you?

On my own productions, I do them. But on some of the other projects
that we get in, there are collaborations. Collaboration is very big
overseas. Everybody collaborates with each other. There are some
brilliant producers over there that are just tremendous at writing
music. But they don't know how to write lyrics and melody, and/or
they don't have vocalists to complete the project. That's where a
lot of times I come in. They will call and say that they have this
great music piece, but they need vocals on there. They'll send over
the bare track, and then I'll try to find who I think is the best
girl, or guy�"although it's 90-percent female�"to put a vocal on
that track for them.

How do you find the writers and singers that you work with?

Good question. Basically they find me, for the most part. A lot of
it is word of mouth, just people who know other people and they
say, "I think you need to give Joe a call." Vocalists are the same
way. I know a lot of them from the old days of dance who are still
singing on projects. New ones just find me, or I hear about them, or
someone will say, "I saw this girl the other day, and she sounds
absolutely amazing, and she's not doing anything." I'll say, "Get me
her info. I want to hear what she sounds like. I want to see what
she looks like." Even though we all like to say that looks aren't
important, they areimportant in this business. Even in dance music.
You can get away with it a little bit on the house projects, but on
the dance that is going to be in the clubs playing towards teens and
people in their early 20's, the image and the look are still very
important. I'm always on the lookout for top vocalists all over the
world constantly. Sometimes someone will just send me a package and
say, "Have a listen to my voice." It can come from various areas.

When you're talking about licensing a record overseas, do record
companies go strictly on the sound of the record, or do they like to
see if the record has some sort of a buzz going already?

They don't need a buzz. Over there, the A&R guys can hear a hit the
second they hear it. That's a difference between the North American
market and the overseas market that I really enjoy. Over here, the
A&R people are very slow to react to things. Over there, I can just
send a record over to the right A&R person. After my years of
dealing with them, I know who will sign what type of record. I know
what their ears are like. I always try to tailor what I send to the
person. I send it to who I know is going to be interested. When they
hear a record in Europe, that's it. Either they want it, or they
don't want it. Hype doesn't mean anything to them, especially over
in Germany where I think they have the smartest A&R guys in the
world. They'll hear a track, and then they'll pick up the phone and
say, "We want to license this record." That's all there is to it.

How is a licensing deal like that structured, in broad strokes?

With licensing�"and this is just to put it in its simplistic
form�"basically, you're not signing a record deal. You're not
signing an artist. You are basically renting them a piece of music
for an agreed upon amount of time. Most of the deals that come from
overseas are licensed for three or five years. The odd one can be
longer, but that's very rare. You're licensing a track that they can
release, and they can put on compilations. They can do pretty much
whatever they want with it in their given territory�"which is
always part of the contract as well�"for that stated period of
time. At the end of that time, you now re-own that track. If that
original label wants to come back five years later and use it on a
compilation again, they have to re-license that track from you.
Licensing is very cool.

If a track does start working, then a label might start talking to
you about doing more songs with the artist?

All of the deals are usually structured this way: They take the
first one, then they have an option for a second single. Sometimes
there is an option for a third single, and an option for an album.
If the first one turns into a hit, you send them over the second
one. That's exactly what it is, an option. If they take it, then the
next option kicks in. Sometimes the label will hear the second one
and they'll think, this track isn't for us. Now you're free to take
that second track to any other label. You can take it to their
competitor across the road and license it to them. So often if you
look overseas, you will sometimes see a first single by an artist on
one label, and the second single on a different label. All that
means is that the first label didn't pick up the option on the
second single for whatever reason.

If it starts to blow up, then the artist will have to go over and
start making personal appearances and press. Is that a factor from
the beginning?

It's not necessary at the beginning, but once it starts to build,
than yes, they want you over there to do some P.A.s, to do some
promotion, possibly a video if they think it's going to be a big
enough record. And of course they want you to get out and perform in
the clubs. If people see you and they hear the song, the line of
thinking is, now those people are going to go out and buy your
product. So absolutely, if it's a hit, you have to be prepared at
some point that you're going to have to go over there. You'll
possibly spend a few months touring and building it into a bigger
hit.

How does one develop a career as a remixer or a deejay? How do you
start? As a remixer, how do you get access to tracks to remix?

It's very difficult. Basically, you've got to start at the bottom.
Or it's who you know. It's that simple. No guy starting out is going
to get the top artists' tracks. It's just not going to happen. I
mean I'm fortunate that I have access to some of the largest
artists, especially overseas. We're often offered the remixes to do.
At the beginning of your career, you're going to end up doing tracks
for practically nothing until you get your name out there and start
to build up your name. It's better actually to start producing your
own tracks. If you have a hit, now you have a name, and the other
name acts will want you to produce or to remix for them.

Try to collaborate also, which is great to do. That's a good thing
about the dance industry, although it hasn't taken effect over here
yet. I find that on the American side, everyone tries to stay to
themselves for the most part. Overseas, there is a lot of
collaboration. They'll bring in remixers and writers from other
projects. Sometimes there are vocalists that are on three, four, or
five projects at the same time. Sometimes they may not be using
their name on every project, but this is what I mean by
collaboration�"it's always looking for the best talent out there
and what will make your record a hit.

What do you look for in new talent? What is it that you listen for
that gets your attention?

If it's a vocal track, the first thing I'm listening for is the
vocalist on the track. If it's an instrumental track, I'm looking
for top quality production. To compete overseas, the production has
to just be absolutely brilliant and amazing. Also I look for
somebody who has their own sound. I don't want them to sound like
somebody else, which is important to me. I want someone who can be a
little bit original. To me, those are the important qualities.

With vocalists, especially in dance and house, I'm always looking
for that diva sound, like a Martha Wash or Jocelyn Brown. Tremendous
voices on these two women. Unfortunately, there are not a lot of
these kinds of singers coming up over here on this side of the
ocean. At least not that I'm finding. They are all being developed
overseas.

What about remakes, or covers, of older songs? Is there much call
for that in dance music?

Yes, that is another thing that is very, very big overseas. They
like covers of classics. Actually, they don't even have to be covers
of classics. They love covers, period. So sometimes when I say be
original, that's sometimes difficult. But you can make an old record
sound original. For example, we just did a remake with George Duke
on his classic hit "Brazilian Love Affair." Now we redid this song
in such a way that it has given a whole new sound to the record, a
whole new life to it. It doesn't sound like the original, but yet
George is on there. He delivered just a tremendous performance. The
nicest thing was when George called me and said, "Joe I love this
record. What you guys did to this is amazing. It's different, but
yet you kept the feel and the integrity of the song."

Another one we just did for Europe is a dance cover of the Eminem
song "Without Me," which isn't even a classic yet. It's basically a
hip-hop rap song, and we did it very, very uptempo. We didn't use
Eminem's vocals on there of course, because the price to clear a
sample would be out of this world. We were fortunate that we had a
vocalist who sounded very much like Eminem. He could do the same
type of delivery and could do the same type of rap. So we built that
into a whole new dance track that again gives the song a whole
different feel that can be played in clubs.

Did you use his tracks or start from scratch?

We started from scratch. We did it as a cover, but as a dance house
cover. The only element that we really used from his original music
is what I call that cheesy little sax sound. Other than that, we did
all new beats, all new music underneath it, and of course at a much
higher tempo. I believe we did it at 136 bpm, where the original is
only about 95 bpm. We're wrapping it up right now, doing the final
couple of mixes. Already we have a tremendous amount of interest in
the track from Europe. Overseas, those tracks sell well. We have a
hit going on overseas right now with "Billie Jean." Massive. I'm
just about to embark on a few other old club songs from the '80s.
These were all massive hits originally overseas where they all sold
millions of records. But you have to remember, overseas there is a
whole new generation who has never heard these records. They were
only 9, or 10, or 11 when these records came out. They weren't in
the clubs, so they don't know these records.

What advice would you give to an aspiring dance producer or remixer?

Keep on producing. Try to keep your sound original. Come up with
high quality songs and productions.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~
~ ~ ~ ~ ~

SONGS FROM THE SOUL OF SERVICE
http://www.songssoulservice.org

OPEN FOR SUBMISSIONS - DEADLINE DECEMBER 31 - see website
for details


BUY 2006 Winners CD TODAY - A handsome product that we are
very proud of . DSA appreciates the work of the SSS committee and
especially Ross Vick, Jose Volante and Annie Cornelius for the hours
of dedication to this project. DSA also owes a big "thank you" for
conceiving and directing this entire project which seemed the
impossible dream at the beginning. Get your CD with a donation
either online at
http://www.songssoulservice.org
or by mail please send a donation (includes tax and shipping and
handling) to:
Songs From the Soul of Service CD
Dallas Songwriters Association
3630 Harry Hines Blvd. Bx 20
Dallas, Tx 75219


Give a Soulnote Donation of $15 a get a CD
Give a Dotted Soulnote Donation of $30 and get a CD & a t-shirt

The Dallas Songwriter's Association is proud to announce the second
SONGS FROM THE SOUL OF SERVICE contest is now in progress. Open to
active duty men and women, this contest results in the winning songs
in eight catagories being featured on a professionally mastered CD.

For more information, go to www.songssoulservice.org, or see some of
the winners from last year in a Pentagon produced 3-part piece on
YouTube, www.youtube.com/watch?v=b6TnAZ2zKF8 .

Please forward this e-mail to all the active duty personnel you know.

Annie Cornelius
Songs from the Soul of Service coordinator

~ ~ ~ ~ ~
~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Check out Terri Hendrix's video
If I Had a Daughter
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jgVeDyAGCdY


Anyone going to
The 8th Annual Southwest Regional Folk Alliance Conference will be
in
Austin Texas at the
Woodward Hotel and Conference Center on
Oct 4 � Oct 7, 2007
http://www.swrfa.com

~ ~ ~ ~ ~
~ ~ ~ ~ ~

IN NYC

HOW TO MAKE A GREAT DEMO
with
NEIL HERMAN and RICH FABRIZIO

Thursday, 9/27/07, 6-9 PM
at BMI, 320 W. 57th Street (8th/9th Aves.).

Among the topics to be covered are:
the different types of demos (songwriter "scratch" demos, publishing
demos, artist demos, film/TV demos, piano/vocal and guitar/vocal
demos)
pre-production planning
creating basic tracks
overdubbing
getting a great vocal sound
recording acoustic and electric guitars
getting a killer drum sound
mixing
mastering
**Get the answers to the FAQ's on demo recording**
**Hear examples of great demos and bad demos**
**Witness a hands-on recording session of a verse and chorus of one
attendee's song (chosen at random)**

Neil and Rich each own their own recording studios, have been
session musicians on many demo and album projects and have worked in
all genres of music and in various recording formats. Neil is also
a staff songwriter with a Nashville publishing company (and now owns
his own publishing company) and Rich is a Berklee School of Music
graduate, ran the pro-audio division at Guitar Center and currently
works for Yamaha in promoting their music equipment and products.

$10 - NSAI or BMI members
$20 - all others
Please RSVP to stonepulse@... with your name and phone number.
To fulfill BMI's building security requirements, you MUST RSVP to
attend.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~
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I'd like to make you aware of exciting opportunities from the GRAMMY
Foundation®. We’re asking you to encourage high school teachers
and students in your area to visit www.GRAMMYintheSchools.com and
participate.

GIBSON/BALDWIN GRAMMY® JAZZ ENSEMBLES
Thirty high school singers and instrumentalists (public, private,
parochial, home schooled, etc.) are selected and receive an all
expenses paid trip to the 50th GRAMMY Awards in Los Angeles,
February 2 through February 11. Selectees are eligible for more than
$2 million in scholarships from College Partners, perform in
GRAMMY® Week events, record a CD and attend the GRAMMYs.

EACH applicant and their school will receive a FREE subscription to
SmartMusic® (www.smartmusic.com)

GRAMMY® SIGNATURE SCHOOLS
Underserved music departments can receive cash grants based on need
through the Enterprise Award! As the GRAMMY® Award signifies
excellence in recording, Signature Schools also honors outstanding
public high school music programs as well as, guitar/piano programs
through the Gibson Grant. Receive $1,000 to $20,000 in cash grants!

ACT NOW!!!! Apply for Jazz Ensembles & Signature Schools at
www.GRAMMYintheSchools.com. Deadline: October 22nd. Contact me
directly (800.423.2017 �" david@...). NO QUESTION IS TOO
SMALL!

GRAMMY Camp®
An interactive residential summer music experience about careers in
the music industry - held in Los Angeles, California. This program
focuses on many aspects of commercial music with instruction by
GRAMMY® winners and industry specialists. Multiple Career Tracks
are explored including Audio Engineering; Film Scoring; Music
Production; Music Journalism and more.

Applications for Camp available at www.GRAMMYintheSchools.com:
October 1st.

Signature Schools & Jazz Ensembles are approved and/or supported by:
The National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP)
The International Association for Jazz Education (IAJE).
The National Association for Music Education (MENC)

Thank you,
David R. Sears
Senior Director, Education Programs
The GRAMMY Foundation

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~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Hi, If you are a Christian songwriter, you should check out this
seminar: WRITE ABOUT JESUS
"Write About Jesus" is a complete resource for Christian
songwriters. Their mission is to equip and inspire the Christian
songwriting community. Learn from some of the most successful
writers in Christian music today at their 2007 workshop, October 18,
19 and 20, in St. Charles, Missouri.
The Write About Jesus Workshop is the perfect opportunity to learn
from some of the most successful writers in Christian music today!
Their small student-to-clinican ratio means you'll get plenty of
personal attention during classes, in connection groups, even at
meals. The atmosphere is warm and welcoming, and the pace is intense
and inspiring.
Click this link for more info. Write About Jesus Info
Visit their website at: www.writeaboutjesus.com
God bless YOU in your music mission and keep knocking them alive!
Keith Mohr
President
www.indieheaven.com
Discover the New Music INDIE-STRY!

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Steve Seskin Fall 2007 Schedule


Greetings!

I just got back from New York where I was part of a wonderful show
for PBS called, Tribute: A Concert Honoring the Teachers of America,
which celebrates educators for the incredible job they do with the
children of America. It was an honor to be included in this show,
which will also feature Peter Paul and Mary, Judy Collins, Odetta,
Tom Paxton and Christine Lavin, as well as appearances by Bill
Cosby, Rosie O'Donnell, Cynthia Nixon and Elmo from Sesame Street.
Each of them appeared in person or filmed a segment with a teacher
who changed their lives. It was quite touching. It will air in New
York on October 4 (8 PM on Channel 13/WNET) and will be on
nationally after that as part of the Great Performances series. I
got to sing three songs, including "Don't Laugh At Me," which I sang
with Peter and Paul. I sang Mary's part because she is still
recovering from leukemia. (She is doing quite well by the way.) It
was a thrill to fill in for her. The school program centered around
Don't Laugh At Me continues to grow in its effort to foster a
culture of respect and kindness in our schools. I'm proud to be a
part of it. For more info about the program and my school
performances go to operation respect.org or www.steveseskin.com

I'm hard at work on a new book for Ten Speed Press featuring 12 of
the songs I've written with kids in schools. It will be coming out
in the fall of 2008. It will be an illustrated children's book with
a CD of all the songs, sung by the kids (with me chiming in as
well). It will also include a how-to section to provide kids with
the tools to jump-start their creativity and write a song of their
own. The world needs more music, especially these days.

Speaking of music: my friend and frequent co-writer Christine Kane
will be at the Freight and Salvage in Berkeley, California on Sept
22. If you haven't seen her before, do yourself a favor and go. For
more info go to www.christinekane.com

I'm doing a few shows this fall, as well as some songwriting
workshops and a lot of school performances (which are not open to
the general public). I will also be doing a Northern California tour
with Craig Carothers and Don Henry in early January. We'll be doing
a songwriting workshop as well. Also, on January 19 & 20 is the 4th
annual Steve Seskin Songwriting Seminar in Nashville, Tennessee.
Details about these dates and more in the next newsletter. Following
is a list of my upcoming performances. As always, thanks for your
support. Take care.....



Tuesday - Friday, September 25 - 28 - Songposium in Nashville,
Tennessee. I'll be teaching for the NSAI all week. For an exact
schedule go to www.nashvillesongwriters.com

Thursday, September 27 - Early show at the Bluebird Cafe in
Nashville, Tennessee with Amanda Green, Jason Blume and Karen Taylor
Good. The show starts at 6:30 PM. For more info go to
www.bluebirdcafe.com

Friday, September 28 - House Concert in Asheville, North Carolina.
The show starts at 8 PM. For more info contact Kelle at
kolwyler@...

Saturday & Sunday, September 29 & 30 - Songwriting Seminar in
Asheville, North Carolina. This is a two day seminar with lectures
and critiques. For more info contact Kelle at kolwyler@...

Tuesday, October 2 - The Bieroc Cafe in McCook, Nebraska. I'll be
doing a solo concert. For details go to www.bieroccafe.com

Wednesday, October 3 - school shows in McCook, Nebraska.

Thursday & Friday, October 4 & 5 - school shows in Grand Island,
Nebraska.

Sunday, October 7 - House Concert in Holdredge, Nebraska. Please
email Tim at rehmsworld@... for reservations

Monday, October 8 - school shows in Holdredge, Nebraska.

Saturday, October 13 - Bluebird Cafe On the Mountain concert series
in Nashville, Tennessee. I'll be in the round with Allen Shamblin
and Chuck Jones. Check www.bluebirdcafe.com for more details

Thursday, October 18 - school shows in Des Moines, Iowa.

Friday, October 19 - The Lighthouse Coffeehouse Concert Series in
Des Moines, Iowa. Email Scott at Lighthouse4501@... for more info

Saturday, October 20 - Songwriting Workshop in Des Moines, Iowa.
This will be an all-day workshop covering facets of lyrics and
melody writing. There will also be critiques of the participants'
songs. For more info email Mary at mary@...

Monday - Friday, October 22 - 26 - one week of school shows in Walla
Walla, Washington. There will also be a concert open to the public
on Thursday night, October 25. Check www.steveseskin.com for details.

Saturday, November 3 - A rare bay area appearance at Mission Coffee
House in Fremont, California. Sponsored by Brask House Concerts.
Tickets are only $10 at the door. The show starts at 7 PM. For
more info go to www.braskhouseconcerts.com or call 510-651-9406.

Monday - Friday, November 5 - 16 - two weeks of school shows in
Wabash, Indiana. I will be also be performing at the Honeywell
Center in Wabash on Friday night, November 16. For more info go to
www.honeywellcenter.com

You have been sent this e-mail because you or someone else requested
that your address be added to our gigs e-mail list. If you wish to
be removed from this list, please let us know and we will remove
your address. We maintain the list only to notify people who want
to know about Steve's concerts and career development. Thanks!

~ ~ ~ ~ ~
~ ~ ~ ~ ~

congrats to my friend and cowriter Donna Aylor who was featured in
Songwriters Connection

Meet Member - Donna Aylor


Songwriter/Publisher-BMI
Voting Member of NARAS (Grammy) Austin Songwriters Group, Dallas
Songwriters Association, SongU.com
Songs signed with several Nashville publishers, International
publishers, and one song signed to Sony
Feature film song placement : "Yard Sale"
Indie Short Film song placement : "Swimming to the Moon"
TV credits: Oxygen Cable Network: series "Good Girls Don't" and
Jerry Lewis Telethon-Los Angeles
30 Independent artist cuts including Nashville Star finalists Sheila
Marshall and John Arthur Martinez
Song placed with award winning Christian artist Sienna on her
CD "Steps" (Siennamusic.com)
And Heather Wilkins.net upcoming CD to be released in Sept.
Song placed on upcoming reality series "30 Days Til I'm Famous"
Song Contest Awards:
Dallas Songwriters Association-Grand Prize winner 2001 & 1st Runner
Up Grand Prize 2005
Austin Songwriters Group 1st place Country song 2005 & 1999
Austin Songwriters Group 1st place Inspirational Song 2005
Austin Songwriters Group 1st place Pop song-2000
ASCAP Texas Songwriting contest-1st place- 2002
San Diego Guild- 1st place Country song 2000
Northern California Songwriters 1st place Country song 2000
CMT/NSAI contest / 3 honorable mentions
http://www.myspace.com/donnaaylor
www.songu.com/members/daylor


Write On!

Ande