Think about your songwriting and things that have helped you. We would love you to share ideas on equipment, tool, technique or software etc that you find useful in your songwriting. Your presentation can be as short as a few lines or up to 15 minutes.
Please send Fiona McAllister a note with:
1. Your topic
2. Brief description
3. Projected time required.
Fiona will sort through the ideas and try to put them into some order and contact you if there are duplicates on topics.
Thanks so much for sharing. This is always a great meeting and a great way of learning while we get to know each other better.
Fiona, Angelo & Carl
P.S. Please respect our membership by not presenting sales pitches for personal gain please.
Just a reminder that we have our July meeting tomorrow night (see Meetings page for details).
This month’s main topic is a digest of Odie Blackmon’s recent webcast topic “What the Artist Needs Out of Your Song.” While not all of us endeavor to be commercial writers, Odie brings to light several great perspectives many writers might find useful additions to the toolkit.”
We will also be evaluating the latest #1 Hit “Water” by Brad Paisley. Great and fun song! Come and dissect it with us to identify how to construct your own summertime hit!
Bring your latest song project to share… it doesn’t have to be finished.
Looking forward to some learning, some friendship, some fellowship, and some good music!
As m
ost of you know, Nashville and many other parts of Tennessee were decimated by flooding about a month ago. There have been many local and national fundraisers done to benefit these folks who lost everything. The Rusty Knox Band plus three others are doing a 6 hour concert on June 13th with all proceeds going to The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee (that’s www.cfmt.org, if you can’t make it and want to donate online). This musical day will be from 1-7 on the Davidson Village Green (corner of Concord Rd. and Main St.). The day starts with The Davidson Express, followed by Mike Strauss and his Big Band, Billy Jones and the Pocket and The Rusty Knox Band. Bring a picnic, a blanket, Frisbee, dog, goat (not really) and a desire to hear some really good music. Mark you calendars and come out for great music and a great cause.
I’ll be doing a short set from 1:00-1:30 (or so) as the first band is setting up. Attached is a flier for the event. Please print and post at work or local music store, venue, etc., if at all possible… or just hang in your studio, Rusty’s wife did a great job on the promo 
Thanks so much, and we hope to see you out there — Angelo Melendez
Come and join us for an interesting lesson. Learn why so many songwriters find it really helpful to understand the Nashville numbering system. It helps with writing and communicating with co-writers and demo studios. We’ll review what it is and how it is used and how bands use it daily.
We have several announcements and ideas to run by the group and you’re invited to bring your new songs or an old one that you are ready to improve. We’ll have a great evening — so please join us!
Not one, not two, but THREE select Music Row writers: Brian White, Karyn Williams and Pete Sallis. The workshop kicks off with a family night concert Friday night, March 12th at “The Well“. Doors open @ 7:00 PM, show starts 7:30. Admission is $10 at the door, FREE to paid workshop attendees (children under 12 yrs. old — $5, under 6 yrs. old — FREE).
Workshop attendees will meet at 9:00 AM Saturday morning, March 12th, and the workshop will run to 4:30. Bring a song and lyrics we will have a drawing for afternoon critiques. Fee for workshop and concert is $50/NSAI members, $60/non-members.
To sign up for the workshop, you have three options. Use the convenient PayPal link below, email Fiona McAllister for an address to prepay with a check, or pay cash/check either at the show Friday night or Saturday morning just before the workshop. We are looking forward to seeing you there. Come prepared to laugh and learn and be inspired! These are writers with a lot of depth, understanding and experience to share with us! And Brian is a nut… we’ll have a blast!
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Brian White has written for such artists as Avalon, 4 Him, Point of Grace, Brian Littrell, Selah, The Crabb Family, All Star United,Greg Long, Larnelle Harris, Jaci Velasquez, Cliff Richard, Judy Martin Hess and many others. He is a premier songwriter with the Brentwood-Benson Music Publishing. His writing has earned him 11 #1 songs, as well as two Dove Awards. After 5-albums and 14 years on the road touring, Brian decided to spend more time writing and ministering on a local level and country market.
He has written songs for Trace Adkins, Neal McCoy, Rodney Atkins and BlackHawk! His hit songs include the Martins #1 2004 Gospel song of the year “The Promise” and Rodney Atkins 2007 Bill board Country #1 song of the year “Watching You.”
Karyn Williams is a recording artist, songwriter, author, marathon runner. A dynamic woman with a powerful life story, is the eldest daughter of Orlando Magic Senior Vice President, Pat Williams. Her international family includes 19 brothers and sisters adopted from all over the world.
Best known for writing and singing “music with a message”, Karyn is a staff writer for Universal Music in Nashville. In 2009, she was featured at events alongside David Foster, Reba McEntire, Josh Groban, Jordin Sparks, Al Roker and Sean & Lee Anne Tuohy (Blindside). She also appeared with such artists as Dolly Parton, Charley Pride, Vince Gill on the record project This Is My America. Her first radio single will release in the Spring of 2010, with a fall tour in the works. Karyn’s book, The Takeaway co-authored with her dad released in 2009 and has taken the country by storm. She has been featured on The 700 Club, Fox & Friends, Good Morning America Radio, The Daily Buzz, TBN, Confident Women Magazine, Sports Illustrated, Reader’s Digest, Good Housekeeping and ESPN Radio.
Pete Sallis, originally from Chicago, moved to Nashville to pursue his passion for music. After attending Belmont University, he hit the road as a drummer for six years playing for many Christian and country artists including Trent Wilmon, Bob Carlilse, and Tim Rushlow to name a few. On the strength of just six songs he wrote by himself, Pete signed a two year publishing deal at Combustion Music with Chris Farren. He currently writes for Brentwood Benson/Universal Music Group. He has had songs recorded by artists like George Canyon (2007 Single Of The Year “Somebody Wrote Love“), Bucky Covington, Rodney Atkins, Melissa Lawson, Charla Corn, and Ty Williams. Pete won a 2007 CCMA Single of the Year with #1 song “Somebody Wrote Love”.
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This month is the quarterly Charlotte NSAI Open Mic at The Well in Pineville, NC. It will be held February 23 at 7:00. This open mic is different from the normal one in that we sign up in advance and get assigned an order of go. This makes it easier for us to invite friends and family to come and catch our performance. So bring a friend and remember to support Susan with an order of one of her tasty drinks.
Please e-mail Fiona McAllister if you want to participate. Come and try out a new song, or polish an old one, or just enjoy the fellowship.
So far the list includes:
1. Joe Reid
2. Bruce Johnson
3. Jonathan Story
4. Angie Medlin
5. Mummer
6. Liz and Dave
7. Carl Dews
8. Fiona McAllister
You don’t need to be a member of NSAI to perform, so come and join us… it will be a great evening!
Members and non-members are invited to come to our Charlotte NSAI meeting this Tuesday night with multiple #1 Nashville songwriter Thom Shepherd visiting us for storytelling, teaching and answering questions via Skype! Hear his story and his songs. Thom is a NUT you will love this visit (FREE for members, $12 for non-members). We are looking forward to seeing everyone for this fun evening!
Thom Shepherd is a songwriter and performer from Nashville, Tennessee, whose songs have been recorded by Tracy Lawrence, George Jones, Trailer Choir, Montgomery Gentry, Pam Tillis, Buddy Jewell, Kevin Fowler, and Cledus T. Judd. He is the writer of the number 1 hit single, “Redneck Yacht Club,” from Craig Morgan’s GOLD certified album “My Kind of Livin’”. His first number one was “Riding with Private Malone,” recorded by David Ball. It won an Achievement Award from the Nashville Songwriters Association, voted on by their members as “the song you wish you had written.” Thom even got to be in the video, playing the title role. The song opened the door for Thom to perform for our troops overseas; he has been on seven tours for Armed Forces Entertainment, bringing his music to servicemen and women in thirteen different countries.
“As songwriters, we have no idea how our songs are going to affect people,” says Thom; “I met a soldier in Qatar who was on leave from Baghdad, and he told me he joined the military because of Private Malone. He asked me how that made me feel and I said Responsible! Then when we went to get our picture taken, he showed me the shattered LCD screen of his digital camera – shattered because it was in his shirt pocket behind his flack jacket when he took a round from an AK47. That camera saved his life. That is powerful stuff.”
Thom was born in St. Louis, Missouri and spent his high school and college years in Stephens City, Virginia. He is a graduate of George Mason University and moved to Nashville in 1993. He is a two time cancer survivor, and a full time songwriter and performer. He is co-owner of a publishing venture called The Bourbon Street Music Company, and co-president of RedneckYachtClub.com, a website that sells merchandise relating to the song and the boating lifestyle.
6:30 Open up and sign in. We will open up a little earlier so folk can chat and visit. So we can leave on time as a courtesy to those locking up.
* Members please check your name on the member roster.
* Visitors fill out the vistor form and questionaire. We are really glad you joined us!
* Non-members who have visited more than twice, place $12 fee in provided envelope with your name in box.
* If you have a song for critique:
o bring 30 copies of the lyrics
o place a lyric sheet in the box by the door
o sign the release provided.
* Susan provides coffee and latte’s, water, soda’s for a donation. Please support her and be generous. We really appreciate her letting us use the facility.
7:00 Start with business:
1. Planning session, Spring workshop with Brian White. We are VERY excited to have someone of this caliber here with us!
2. 2010 budget, brainstorm fund raising ideas.
3. Open mic sign ups.
7:30 Skype session with multiple #1 hit songwriter Thom Shepherd. He is an informative and fun guy. A writer and performer with key to repeat success
8:30 Question and answer session with Thom
8:45 Break
9:00 Song Critiques — Some great music!
1. Active members first
2. Then paying guests
3. First and/or Second time guest
10:00 Special thanks to Susan for hosting our meetings. Please come early to socialize and prepare to leave promptly so she can close up.
We had the privilege of honoring Steve Simpson at our first meeting of 2010. Aside from being a world class writer, Steve is a wonderful person who so effectively served as coordinator for the Charlotte chapter for over 5-years. During the meeting, the group brainstormed on what Steve means to us, using snips from his songs, and personal perspective. While some had prepared short poems or limericks prior to the meeting, others crafted on the fly, and we shared these words of appreciation and admiration with Steve.
Then, Steve, who [ahem] knew nothing of our plan to honor him individually, closed the ceremony with his own poignant stanza:
We’re not hitting golf balls and talking ‘bout the weather,
We’re sharing secret pieces of our souls when we’re together,
We take a fear, a joy, a love and pass it ‘round the room,
And trust each other not to laugh or pass it on too soon,
We know each other very well, the deepest, darkest parts,
That’s how I know this room is filled with very special hearts,
You can have your bosom buddies, confidants and next of kin,
But they can’t hold a candle to my songwriter friends.
May these words carry us into 2010 and inspire our journeys as writers and artists, and may we say again, “thank you Steve Simpson!”
We are going to blast off into 2010 with our first meeting of the year at the Well in Pineville this coming Tuesday night at 7:00. Check out www.the-well.org for directions. We have a lot to cover, and a lot of fun planned for this meeting!
We want to welcome Carl Dews as a new Coordinator for the group! Carl is in Nashville this week so we will “deal” with him at the next meeting.
We will start the year with a review of the 2009 song of the year: “In Color” performed by Jamey Johnson, written by Jamey Johnson, Lee Thomas Miller, and James Otto. (The Charlotte members to went to Tin Pan South last year saw Lee Thomas Miller.) It is a killer song we will play it and dissect it and learn from the best of 2009. But we can’t take long because…
The main focus of our meeting is to plan what YOU want to do in 2010. We’ll take a moment to reflect on our writing goals and what our group could do as a whole, to help each other as developing individuals. The coordinators have met and come up with a list of possibilities. We will review last years goals, and achievements, this years possibilities, and come up with a plan.
Song critiques to follow. Remember, it is the song not the performance. .. and have fun!
Take care and we hope to see you all at the meeting.
Fiona, Angelo and Carl
