Songwriting Duo credits S.A.C. membership for recent Factor demo grant

We’re, Campbell + Green, a husband and wife duo who got serious about writing our own songs just a few years ago. Since then we have been actively educating ourselves on the craft of writing using whatever tools we can find. We’ve recorded a few CDs and are working on another.  We are excited to say we just received word of our first FACTOR demo grant to assist in our work!

We became SAC members (Click Here to view our Songwriters Profile.) in 2010 when we were living in BC. We started out visiting SAC events, SAC Songstage nights and ‘self-medicating’ by learning online, hosting songwriter workshops in our home (Shari Ulrich, Bruce Coughlan, Gregory Hoskins) and from books.

A life changing move occurred in May 2010 when, enticed by wanderlust and music and house prices, we pulled up roots and moved to Nova Scotia. It was a real learning situation getting in to the local community and fixing up our house as a small concert venue and, writing songs! Our writing culminated in our most recent CD ‘East’ which was completed June 2013 featuring 9 original tunes and has some great local players – Jamie Robinson – producer/guitar, Adam Dowling – Drums and Jamie Gatti – bass.

We have, very gratefully, made good use of other SAC resources by attending online seminars, one-on-one mentoring sessions and participating in the “6 songs in 6 weeks” 2014 blogging challenge with Christopher Ward. Part of this challenge included co-writing. We are both novices at co-writing and I, Robert, decided, ‘Why not connect with a proven winner’ and contacted North Easton, (the 2013 blogging champ who was back at it in 2014!). Using Skype and email we wrote an up tempo pop song, “A Simple Life”. North is a real gem and he quickly and skillfully crafted a scratch demo. We really like the tune and I sing it live now at gigs, albeit a tone lower and with a few small changes. We used that initial scratch track as part of a FACTOR application for our ‘demo’ grant and we were  successful in the process and are now eager to get in to the studio to record!

We can honestly say the cost of our SAC membership has been paid back many times over by the ideas, mentoring and education received.

Applying for grants and filling out forms and doing the business side of songwriting can be a real pain and can consume a lot of time however it is actually quite useful in a few ways. It has helped us:

• take stock of what we do, who we are and where we are going and why. – It is easy to lose sight of this when dealing with day to day minutiae in our lives.
• build a portfolio of documents, links and promo. – We now repurpose these for festival, grant and gig submissions. It pays to have at least some level of professionalism in our presentations and even if you don’t have a million dollar video there are lots of low / no cost ways to make things look good.
• develop patience. – You don’t ‘win’ at the ‘submission game’ on the first or even 4^th round. Keep trying.
• gain more self confidence. –  Are we on the right track? As new writers one never really knows and has doubts that what you are doing is good, bad or indifferent. We have to find honest and useful critique (not criticism!) and a positive response on a grant or a good SAC songwriting seminar can not only be educational but also be really uplifting.

You just have to keep plugging away….

Cailin and I are now writing, and rewriting and rewriting and rewriting, our songs and will be in the studio soon. Well, that plus hosting the likes of Valdy & Gary Fjellgaard, “Tillers Folly” and Charlie A’Court In our 70 seat house venue in Dartmouth www.rocamusic.ca

Oh, ya, we are also touring some venues and festivals in New Brunswick, PEI and Nova Scotia this summer  www.CampbellAndGreen.ca, We love meeting other songwriters and invite you to come say hello, connect up and share stories about songwriting and maybe even do some co-writing.

This songwriting thing is a muscle that needs exercise. And co-writing is like having an ‘exercise buddy’. It may even grant you some other rewards… like a FACTOR grant!

Great Experience from a Great Experience – S.A.C. CHALLENGE 2014 Wrap up

by North Easton

Finding a clear spot on a desk filled with scraps of paper and coffee cups is no easy task. Like the mind, the desk is jumbled, messy, begging for simplicity but the rain of chaos keeps crashing down upon it. Anxious eyes scan words on a screen searching for the inspiration that will make a hand reach for that old guitar hanging on the wall and rise to the challenge set before him.

Six songs in six weeks.

When the email came in, I got excited. Hell, I felt like a kid standing in the cereal aisle with the green light to grab whatever I wanted. And each week, like many of my fellow songwriters, I pushed the clock, searched my mind and heart, and managed to come out the other side of the challenge…not only a better songwriter, but I made some friends, found some co-writers and added a few new songs to my existing catalogue.

The challenge within the challenge was finding the time each week to complete a full song to a level that would leave me smiling at the end of the day.

With Christopher Ward steering the ship, and a whole crew of Canadian songwriters aboard, I knew I was in for a pretty cool ride.

Week # 1 had us creating 5 opening lines, song titles and themes that truly inspired us. I draw your attention now to Mr. Matt Gerber. Title: “A perfect world.” An interesting melody gliding over unique chord changes reminiscent of great Beatles songs.

 

In week # 2, our challenge was to grow our antennae. Have a look at the outside world and pull a song from something we saw or witnessed.

The tragedy of loss is one of the hardest things we as human beings can ever go through. Knowing that we won’t see that familiar smile from someone we knew and loved is haunting, and it follows us for our entire lives. Sharing the pain of that experience is something that some people never have the ability to do. When I heard Lynn Mantles week #2 song, I stopped. My heart slowed down. I felt the pain in her voice and the memories in her lyrics. This is songwriting in its truest form…emotional and impossible to contain. Thank you for sharing Lynn.

 

Week #3 had us thinking outside of the box. Switching it all up for us. “Just Go With It” by Jesse Weeks…is a great example of a song not following all the rules of songwriting. Not only does it have some extremely unique instrument choices, the chord progression and lyrics leave me hanging on every corner of it waiting to see what comes by next.

 

In Week #4 we were challenged with spinning a cliche in a different direction. Taking the obvious and making it much less so. In all the blogs I read and songs I listened to that week, it was Allister Bradley who caught my attention. Not only for his song…or his brilliant voice…or the way he tickles the ivories, but his blog captured what the challenge was all about. A great job. I am providing a link here to his blog and you can play his song “It’s a Thin Line” from there.

 

Week # 5 and the world is spinning. Some of us were not only charged, excited and slightly overwhelmed by the challenge, but this was a week where we were able to let go of what was building up inside our heads. The subconscious.

From the first week when I heard Scott’s introduction song up on the SAC Facebook site, I knew this guy had something pretty cool. Great voice, some great guitar skills, good feel and some interesting perspective on songwriting.

 

We closed everything out in a collaborative effort in Week #6. In that experience, my limits were tested, I opened my mind to others ways of working and learned more than I thought I would in this challenge. Thanks to my co-writers, Robert Campbell, Kristine St. Pierre and most certainly Rosanne Baker Thornley. Rosanne truly pushed me the hardest to expand my horizons…and after our sessions over skype, we had a song that would carry itself further than this challenge and into the eyes and lives of many more people.

 

As a songwriter who thrives on the heart and the honesty of a great song, this experience has not only made me a better writer, but has given me a new outlook on the landscape of Canadian Songwriters. Thank you Songwriters Association of Canada, and Lily Cheng for doing what you do.

Till next time
North Easton

The Challenge – Week 6 – Collaboration

Congratulations you’ve made it to the sixth challenge.   Most of you know that no songwriter is an island.  Collaboration is not just a buzzword.  You would have a hard time finding any top 10 songs with only one songwriter.  In fact, some songs have over 10 names attached to its creation.  Furthermore, collaborating is also an important part of building your network.  Please watch the video below to find out the collaboration story behind a song that was eventually recorded by the Backstreet Boys.

This week’s challenge:
By now you’ve gotten the opportunity to listen to songs from the other participants in the challenge.  Connect with those whom you feel compliment your skills and style.  In groups of 2 or more, collaborate on a song.   You can decide if you will do it in real time via Skype or by sending tracks and lyrics to each other via email.  Please blog about your experience, the highlights and the challenges.
Deadline:  April 1st (it’s not a joke).
Please post the following:
1.  The names of the people with whom you collaborated.
2.  A link to a blog about your experience.
3.  SoundCloud link to your song.

The Challenge – Week 5 – Trusting the subconscious

Are you ready for Week 5?  Only 2 more challenges to go.  This week we will explore trusting the subconscious.

Every writer has had the experience of coming up with a good idea and having no idea where it came from. We might try to recapture the magic by wearing the lucky t-shirt or using the magic pen, but is there a way to tap into that vast reservoir of ideas that live below the surface of the conscious? You can try stream-of-consciousness writing where you write, without stopping, judging or editing until you run out of ideas or your hand gets tired.

This week’s challenge:
Watch the video below.  Then, for the next five days, spend at least 10 minutes (or until your hands get tired) writing from your stream of consciousness.  At the end of the week, review what you have written and look for at least 5 ideas that could become songs.  Choose one to bring to fruition.

Deadline:  Tuesday, March 25
Please post the following:
1.  The theme you chose to write about.
2.  Your blog link.
3.  Your SoundCloud Link.

The Challenge – Week 4 – Rock The Cliché

How did it feel to leave your familiar structures and move your songwriting to uncharted territory?  Hopefully last week’s challenge broadened your approach.  This week we’re going to look inside the box by examining how to Rock The Cliché.

Songwriters are a restless lot. We get bored easily and sometimes abandon things too quickly, perhaps leaving behind some good ideas. We also have a love/hate relationship with clichés. They can sound tired and shopworn or tried and true, depending on the circumstances and how lazy we feel. In this segment, one of the best-loved songwriters of all time weighs in on not avoiding the obvious.

Watch the following video, then pick 10 cliches and brainstorm ways each could be interpreted from a different perspective.

Pick one to expand into a song.

Deadline: March 17
Please post the following:
1. Which cliche you chose to use.
2. A link to your blog.
3. A link to your song.

The Challenge – Week 2 – Grow your antennae!

Image used under Creative Commons License. Some rights reserved by twicepix

by Christopher Ward

Hope you enjoyed week 1 of the S.A.C. Songwriting & Blogging Challenge 2014.  I look forward to hearing some of the songs that were written.  Let’s move on to week 2 which is about growing a songwriter’s antennae.

The best lyricists are the most observant ones. No matter what they’re doing – riding the bus, eating breakfast, reading the paper – their writer brains are always ticking and when an idea presents itself, they don’t let it get away. As an assignment in honing your powers of observation, head out into the day with your antennae up – on your own, cell phone out of sight – and let an idea find you. It could be a sign in a window, a bit of overheard conversation, a headline.

After watching the video below, spend 10 minutes a day for the next 5 days in 5 different places, i.e. subway, take-out counter, coffee shop, etc., and turn on your antennae.  Jot down some song ideas based on each of those 10 minutes.  Then, at the end of the week, choose your favourite and write a song.

Deadline is March 3 – Please post the following in the comments below:
1.  Link to your blog
2.  SoundCloud recording of your song.

Your Song Needs a Deadline

Christopher Ward is a busy person.  When’s he’s not on the set of Instant Star, he’s busy co-writing as well as serving on the board of the Songwriters Association of Canada.  How does he find the time and headspace to finish the songs he’s working on?  He has discovered the importance of deadlines and wrote a guest blog for us on this subject, which he submitted before the deadline.

In his words…

I hate the idea of writing a song in a rush. Something in me resists the notion of any deadline for the creative process to work its wonders. But is that the voice of the perfectionist or the procrastinator-in-chief speaking? The artistic side abides by the ‘No song before its time’ idea but the pragmatist understands that deadlines are a reality and sometimes… the kick in the pants that forces me to work through fatigue, distraction and sloth to start, and most importantly finish a song.

I’ve seen a lot of young writers paralyzed in the face of actually putting down the guitar, cutting the ribbon and saying, “I now declare this song complete!”. Minus those words, the song can still get better, become perfect and remain above criticism from its creator or others. I remember this feeling well.

So, many choruses under the bridge later, I’m here to say I love a deadline! I create them for myself by setting up writing appointments for which I always come prepared with beginnings of songs and then follow-up dates where something has to be completed.

I’m not a big fan of the so-called ‘writing camps’ which are very popular but I’ve taken part in many of them and organized a few. Some of my most productive co-writing relationships have started there. For the Epitome Pictures show ‘Instant Star’, I helped assemble a team of nine songwriters; we’d meet at the Epitome office on Monday morning with the producers, writers and other creative people to get direction for upcoming episodes. Then, off to write in rotating groups of 3 for a week, at the end of which we’d present our songs at a Friday night party at the producers’ home. There was no obligation to finish every song but you knew the script writers would be mentally casting the songs as they heard them at the party so you wouldn’t want to miss that opportunity. Resistant as I may have been, I wrote some of my best songs at those sessions. ‘There’s Us’, written with Rob Wells, was used in Instant Star, and later cut by the Backstreet Boys.

I interviewed Lamont Dozier of the legendary Motown writing team of Holland, Dozier & Holland (‘Stop In The Name Of Love’, ‘How Sweet It Is’). He told me that Berry Gordy ran Motown like the assembly line that had previously been his workplace. If you were late for the Monday morning meeting, you were out of luck. At the meeting, the writers were told who needed a song and knew that competition and a deadline were part of the deal.

So, why don’t you try giving yourself one and see what happens! Good luck.

S.A.C. New Website Summer Bash – a Great Success

A night of music and schmoozing was a great way to cap the annual Songwriters Association of Canada AGM, as well as officially launch the new website.

The night began with an informal game of “Name that Canadian Tune.”  Contestants included Jim Vallance and Christopher Ward as a few notes were played from tunes including “A New Day Has Come,” “If You Could Read My Mind,” and “Black Velvet.”  It was a close contest, but Jim Vallance won – identifying 10 of the 14 tracks that were played.  Christopher Ward tied for second with 9 points.

As the crowd warmed up, it was time to symbolically launch the website.  Eddie Schwartz, President of the S.A.C., led the way alongside fellow board members with an Easy button in hand.  The room shook with rocket noises as the crowd counted down to launch.  As the button was pressed, live streaming began of the event via the website thanks to Jeff Butler from Indiepipe.com.  Members who couldn’t make it to the King Edwards Hotel were able to share the magic of the evening online.

The party continued with a short video presentation highlighting the many new features now available online – including SongPitch.ca – a microsite where members can pitch their songs directly to music supervisors and the S.A.C. Online Song Assessment service – where members can get feedback on their tunes from professional and established songwriters.

Of course, the most important component of an S.A.C. New Website Summer Bash was the music.  Amy Campbell won the first ever S.A.C. Online Song Request Contest to open for Justin Rutledge.  She proved herself worthy of the prize, bringing an intimacy and intensity to the room.  Justin Rutledge came on as the Featured Performer, one month into the release of his latest album.  He wooed the crowd with songs that sang like stories.  It was clear that everyone was mesmerized.

The evening continued with an open mic that reflected the talent and diversity of the S.A.C.’s membership.  Allister Bradley ended the night with a catchy tune entitled, “I win,” – and truly it was a winning night for the S.A.C. and all those who attended.