SONGWRITER EVENTS - A Department of Songwriters Notes

Events from Dallas Songwriters Association about the craft and business of songwriting worldwide for all levels of songwriters whether as a tradesman or hobbyist.

Saturday, February 18, 2012

ASCAP "I Create Music" EXPO • April 19-21, 2012


ASCAP "I Create Music" EXPO • April 19-21, 2012
Renaissance Hollywood Hotel • Los Angeles, CA
Discount Pricing Available - The EXPO Experience - Feedback Panels Still Open
Submit for EXPO Feedback PanelsThe ASCAP EXPO is just two months away! Discount Pricing is still in effect and will allow you to submit to our EXPO Feedback Panels and iStandard Showcase mentioned below. Details about submitting to the Attendee Showcase will be announced soon.Register now and be a part of the EXPO! Featuring nearly 200 top-notch panelists, performers and industry professionals, the EXPO provides a great opportunity to gain knowledge and feedback, while networking with industry professionals, for three days. Our initial list of panelists will be announced very soon. Watch our video and get a feel for the ASCAP EXPO!

Saturday, February 4, 2012

Dallas Chick Singer Night at the House of Blues last Sunday of Each Month


Ten gals will perform at each show. Some of them are songwriters, but others are on the hunt for good songs. I thought we could connect the two groups somehow. 

The next show is on Sunday, February 26th at House of Blues (restaurant stage) at 6:30pm. There will be a raffle with some great prizes - Container Store closet makeover, HOB concert tix, round of golf, among other chick prizes (purses, jewelry, boutique gift card, etc).

The show is hosted by Lisa Apple.

Free Local Music Tours--February 15


On Wednesday Afternoon, February 15, we will host three music-related Walking Tours in the downtown area.  For any who previously registered for the Wednesday afternoon pre-conference workshop mentioned in my last e-mail, please note:  that event has been cancelled due to insufficient enrollment.  You will receive a reimbursement from the national organization for that part of your fees.  We would invite you to consider joining us for one of the afternoon tours.
Individuals registered for the MLA conference will have the first option for all of these tours, but most of these can accommodate enough people that some spaces may be available for local music lovers.  After the first of February I will send you information on how to sign up for any available spaces.  For now I thought I'd let you know what will be included in the tours, so you can mark your calendars and consider which tour group you might like to join.

 
Organ Crawl           
Dallas boasts a number of significant instruments, including some within walking distance of the Fairmont. We will visit three sites (four organs) for this year’s Organ Crawl:
            The magnificent Lay Family Organ at the Meyerson Symphony Center. Tour led by DSO organist Mary Preston.
 
The historic instrument and carillon tower at theCathedral Shrine of the Virgin of GuadalupeTour led by Brian D. Bentley, Director of Music Ministry, and Cathedral Organist Corey Candler.
 
Two very fine mechanical-action instruments at First Presbyterian Church. Tour led by organist Thomas Froehlich.
 
12:15   Meet in hotel lobby
12:30   Meyerson (includes brief demonstration concert)
 1:45   Walk to Cathedral
 2:00   Cathedral
 3:00   Walk to First Presbyterian
 3:30   First Presbyterian
 4:30   Walk back to hotel
 
 
Dallas Arts District                                            
The product of thirty years of dreaming and building, the Dallas Arts District is the largest contiguous arts area in the nation, spanning 68 acres and 19 blocks. It has been called the most significant arts building project since the construction of New York’s Lincoln Center
 
It was the intention of the district’s planners that the district would not only be a home for the arts, but would itself be a collection of art works. The district comprises thirteen architecturally and historically significant buildings, making Dallas the only city in the world with buildings designed by four Pritzker Prize winning architects in one block.
 
Our tour will provide an insider’s view of three anchor buildings (including the two newest additions to the district) dedicated to music and theater: 
            Winspear Opera House, designed by Spencer de Grey of Foster & Partners, home of the Dallas Opera. Tour led by Jennifer Schuder, Chief Marketing Officer/Director of Community Outreach.
 
            Wyly Theatre, designed by Rem KoolhaasHome of the Dallas Theater Center. Tour led by a representative of the AT&T Performing Arts Center.
 
            Meyerson Symphony Center, designed by architect I.M. Pei and acoustician Russell Johnson. Home of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra. Tour led by Melanie Armstrong, Meyerson House Manager, and DSO Chief Librarian Karen Schnackenberg.
 
12:15   Meet in hotel lobby, walk to Meyerson
12:30   Meyerson (includes brief demonstration concert, orchestra library)
 2:00   Winspear and Wyly
 4:00   Return to hotel
 
 
Dallas Public Library and 508 Park Avenue  
Bluesman Robert Johnson (1911-38) recorded only twenty-nine songs in his brief career, in 1936 and ’37. That small repertoire, however, was powerfully influential, shaping the future work of such major pop, rock, and blues stars as the Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, Eric Clapton, the Allman Brothers, and Led Zeppelin.
 
In recent years, Dallas’s 508 Park Avenue has become famous as one of the only two locations where Robert Johnson recorded. The 1929 Art Deco building and adjoining warehouse served as the local offices of Brunswick and Vocalion Records and distribution center for Warner Brothers Film Exchange. Offices sometimes served as makeshift recording studios, not only for Johnson, but for other groundbreaking performers such as Bob Wills and his Texas Playboys, the Stamps QuartetW. Lee O'Daniel and his Hillbilly Boys, the Crystal Springs Ramblers, and the Light Crust Doughboys. In recognition of the site’s heritage, it was here that in 2004 Eric Clapton recorded Sessions for Robert J. and Me and Mr. Johnson. Tour led by Bruce Buchanon, Associate Pastor of Community Ministries at First Presbyterian Church.
 
Dallas’s J. Erik Jonsson Central Library is the second-largest public library building in the country. It houses a downtown branch; a state-of-the-art Children’s Center; and extensive circulating and reference collections, as well as significant archival collections on its research floors. It is also home to a remarkable collection of contemporary art pieces, which the library has collected since its inception in 1901. 
 
The tour will include an overview of the entire building as well as a more in-depth look at theFine Arts Division. In addition to its impressive circulating and reference collections, the Fine Arts Division houses significant archival materials related to local music organizations such as the Dallas Opera, the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, the Dallas Theater Center, and others. The library has also commissioned several important musical works in its history, including Milhaud’s Symphony No. 11, Ginastera’s Third String Quartet, and Gunther Schuller’s First Symphony. Manuscripts of these works and other musical treasures from the library and other local collections will be on display in honor of MLA’s annual meeting.
 
The tour will also pass near other Dallas landmarks along the walk to and from the Fairmont. The famous Neiman Marcus chain is a Dallas original, and its flagship store is still a shopper’s mecca in downtown. The luxurious Adolphus Hotel was the creation
of beer baron Adolphus Busch. Opened in 1912, the Adolphus is probably the only hotel in the country with a Steinway grand piano almost as famous as the hotel itself. You’ll find part of the story on-line, but we’ll save a local secret for the tour! Other points of interest along the way include the Magnolia Building (which will explain all the Pegasus statues and symbols you’ll see around the city); the Aristocrat Hotel (now Indigo), Conrad Hilton's second hotel, but the first to actually bear his name; the historic Majestic Theater; and the Dallas Grand Hotel, originally the 1956 Statler Hilton, known for its unique architecture, a Y-shaped tower supported by an innovative cantilevered structural system. Adjacent to the Grand is the site of the original Dallas Public Library, a gift from steel baron Andrew Carnegie. The second library building, designed by Dallas’s most famous architect, George Dahl, still stands on the site today. Tour led by MLA member Tina Murdock, Assistant Manager, Fine Arts and Humanities Divisions.
 
1:00     Meet in hotel lobby, walk to 508 Park Avenue
1:30     508 Park
2:15     Walk to library
2:30     Dallas Public Library
4:00     Walk back to hotel

Songwriter's Performance Workshop - Feb. 05-12, 2012


Unlike “fantasy” rock camps, this is the “real deal” for singer-songwriters who wish to explore their creative selves. During this Six-Day Intensive workshop, Jim Messina will work with singer-songwriters to help them learn new ways to find the words to express their emotions and feelings in lyrical terms.
Created and facilitated by Jim Messina, the week begins with the first few days focused primarily on songwriting. By mid-week, participants begin working on performing their own songs in preparation for the workshop’s Saturday evening concert. On the eve of the sixth day, attending songwriters will perform their original songs and poems in front of a live concert audience staying at the Alisal Guest Ranch.
 DOWNLOAD FULL PRESS RELEASE
When:
Where:

Workshop Tuition:
Special Rate:

Workshop Accomodations:
February 5 - 12, 2012
The Alisal Guest Ranch and Resort
1054 Alisal Road
Solvang, CA 93463
$3,000  per participant
$4,000 for "Writing partners" or "Performing Duos"/shared double room rate is available.
The stay at Alisal is $255 per night for single; $355 per night for double rooms, which includes accommodation in a deluxe room and all meals daily. Call 800.4.ALISAL or email reservations@alisal.com.
For Enrollment: Call (805) 686-1862
To Contact The Workshop by Emailinfo@swpworkshop.com
or  DOWNLOAD THE SONGWRITING WORKSHOP PACKAGE (.pdf)

For workshop accommodations: Call The Alisal: (800) 425-4725 Email: reservations@alisal.com