CHAPTER 2: NASHVILLE - The purpose of this blog is to network with at least 1 music industry professional every business day for 365 days with the goal of "making it" as a songwriter/recording artist. Below I will document my efforts, successes, failures and lessons learned daily. Stay tuned!
Monday, June 23, 2014
Wednesday, June 18, 2014
DAY - 214-216
Good week so far. I had a great writing session yesterday with Cheyenne Medders. We finished up the song we started a few weeks ago. I LOVE how it turned it out. The song has a unique title, ton of fresh imagery in the lyrics and is set to some non-stop energetic music and melodies. Cheyenne is a super-talented writer/artist and he happens to be a pretty bad ass producer so he's going to be demoing the song at his studio here in Nashville. Can't wait!
Over the past couple days, I've decided to start follow ups. I've met a bunch of fantastic music professionals since I've been living here and I need to make sure I stay on their radars. Monday, I reached out to VP at ASCAP LeAnn Phelan. I asked LeAnn for a meeting to come by and play her some new music! Yesterday, I reached out to Jeff Skaggs at Kobalt Music Publishing. I told Jeff about the recent Chase Likens cut. (Caught In A Storm) I said, I have a ton of new music and I'd like to play a few songs for him. We shall see.
Today, I'm going to J Fred Knobloch's studio to mix our new song!
Lesson learned: Every now and then I'll post a lesson I've learned along the journey. It may not be helpful for everyone, but this is something I found really helps me.
I've begun to treat my writing sessions like a sporting event...
First, what does every athlete do before he hits the field? Warm-up! I've started doing the same. Before every session, I do what I like to call "pre-writing". What does that mean? For me, pre-writing is like writing exercises. For example, I'll pick a topic at random and start writing about it using all the five senses. Every sentence I write I'll try to describe what I see using fresh imagery. To make it even harder, I'll try to rhyme every sentence or every other sentence. (I didn't make that one up, google Brent Baxter "Diving In") Another exercise I'll do is with the guitar. I'll start playing a chord progression and making up melody and lyrics on the spot. No over thinking...just let it rip! This exercise helps me open up the channels of creative flow. (I did create that one) There's another exercise I like that Brent Baxter has on his blog manvsrow.com called word prompts. He posts a new one every Thursday. Check it out! If the writing session I'm going to is to finish up a song that has already been started, I will do all the things above, then take out the song, re-fresh and start building new ideas to bring to the session.
Second, No athlete goes onto the field and sits there like a lump. They run out, fired up and raring to go! Likewise, I make sure I bring a ton of energy to each session. I'm pumped to be doing what I love. I'm excited to have a writing session and work with talented people to create something from scratch. I'm going to show it! I'm bringing energy in the room. Even if my day sucks up to that point, I'm leaving the worries at the door and bringing the positive vibes into the room. Even if I come away with a crappy song, I'm gonna have a blast writing it!
Cheers!
Over the past couple days, I've decided to start follow ups. I've met a bunch of fantastic music professionals since I've been living here and I need to make sure I stay on their radars. Monday, I reached out to VP at ASCAP LeAnn Phelan. I asked LeAnn for a meeting to come by and play her some new music! Yesterday, I reached out to Jeff Skaggs at Kobalt Music Publishing. I told Jeff about the recent Chase Likens cut. (Caught In A Storm) I said, I have a ton of new music and I'd like to play a few songs for him. We shall see.
Today, I'm going to J Fred Knobloch's studio to mix our new song!
Lesson learned: Every now and then I'll post a lesson I've learned along the journey. It may not be helpful for everyone, but this is something I found really helps me.
I've begun to treat my writing sessions like a sporting event...
First, what does every athlete do before he hits the field? Warm-up! I've started doing the same. Before every session, I do what I like to call "pre-writing". What does that mean? For me, pre-writing is like writing exercises. For example, I'll pick a topic at random and start writing about it using all the five senses. Every sentence I write I'll try to describe what I see using fresh imagery. To make it even harder, I'll try to rhyme every sentence or every other sentence. (I didn't make that one up, google Brent Baxter "Diving In") Another exercise I'll do is with the guitar. I'll start playing a chord progression and making up melody and lyrics on the spot. No over thinking...just let it rip! This exercise helps me open up the channels of creative flow. (I did create that one) There's another exercise I like that Brent Baxter has on his blog manvsrow.com called word prompts. He posts a new one every Thursday. Check it out! If the writing session I'm going to is to finish up a song that has already been started, I will do all the things above, then take out the song, re-fresh and start building new ideas to bring to the session.
Second, No athlete goes onto the field and sits there like a lump. They run out, fired up and raring to go! Likewise, I make sure I bring a ton of energy to each session. I'm pumped to be doing what I love. I'm excited to have a writing session and work with talented people to create something from scratch. I'm going to show it! I'm bringing energy in the room. Even if my day sucks up to that point, I'm leaving the worries at the door and bringing the positive vibes into the room. Even if I come away with a crappy song, I'm gonna have a blast writing it!
Cheers!
Friday, June 13, 2014
DAY - 212+213
Happy Friday the 13th! I hear there's going to be a full moon tonight as well. :)
Two great back to back writing sessions to close out the week. Yesterday, I was at Demolition Music Publishing writing with Jon D'Agostino and new co-writer, James Breedwell. Jon and I started a new idea about a week ago and decided to show James. James loved the chorus immediately and we ended up banging out the whole thing in less than 3 hours. Looking forward to making some final tweaks on this and seeing where it goes! After the session, I gave Jon a lift around music row as he dropped off pitch CDs to A&R reps at various major labels. Totally awesome because at least 2 or 3 of the songs we wrote together were on those CDs! Fingers crossed!!
Today, I met Randy Finchum at SESAC. We finished up the song we started last week and did a quick recording. Randy has a friend who was just signed to a record deal at Average Joe Records. I can't remember the artist's name but he is currently looking for songs and Randy thinks our tune would make a great pitch. Once again...fingers crossed!
Just got word this morning that "Caught In a Storm" is starting to climb the charts! It got picked up by a bunch of new stations this week and has really begun gaining momentum. Please do me a favor and request, Chase Likens - Caught In A Storm at your local country station!! More to come...stay tuned!
Have a great weekend!
Two great back to back writing sessions to close out the week. Yesterday, I was at Demolition Music Publishing writing with Jon D'Agostino and new co-writer, James Breedwell. Jon and I started a new idea about a week ago and decided to show James. James loved the chorus immediately and we ended up banging out the whole thing in less than 3 hours. Looking forward to making some final tweaks on this and seeing where it goes! After the session, I gave Jon a lift around music row as he dropped off pitch CDs to A&R reps at various major labels. Totally awesome because at least 2 or 3 of the songs we wrote together were on those CDs! Fingers crossed!!
Today, I met Randy Finchum at SESAC. We finished up the song we started last week and did a quick recording. Randy has a friend who was just signed to a record deal at Average Joe Records. I can't remember the artist's name but he is currently looking for songs and Randy thinks our tune would make a great pitch. Once again...fingers crossed!
Just got word this morning that "Caught In a Storm" is starting to climb the charts! It got picked up by a bunch of new stations this week and has really begun gaining momentum. Please do me a favor and request, Chase Likens - Caught In A Storm at your local country station!! More to come...stay tuned!
Have a great weekend!
Wednesday, June 11, 2014
DAY - 209-212
I have to start by apologizing for the delay in posts. I thank God for how busy I am lately, but I'm realizing I need to do a better job of time management. So here I am, sitting at the kitchen table at 7am, getting caught up. Ahead of me is another busy day. Starting off writing at Demolition Music Publishing with Jon D'Agostino and Adam Searan, then off to another writing session with new co-writer and country artist, Derek Frank, then teaching lessons at School of Rock until 8pm.
The past 3 days have been a fantastic musical blur. I've been tying up loose ends on songs, producing a new demo, and writing new stuff that I'm really excited about. All the while, keeping up and making new connections.
Monday, I wrote with Vince Constantino. This was our second writing session and we totally knocked one out of the park! It's a female pop or even pop/country song that just sticks like glue the minute you hear it. I'm really looking forward to demoing this one. What a great way to kick off the week!
And to follow it up, I had another killer session yesterday with Tammy Jacobs and Jason Eustice. Tammy writes for AWMG publishing and Jason writes for Demolition Music publishing and they're both super-talented songwriters and great people! I had the idea to set up this session about a month ago. Tammy is a fantastic lyricist and Jason has killer melody ideas so I knew the three of us would collaborate on something special. We did! We wrote a fully finished, well-developed, up tempo, love song with a twist... in about 2 hours! Then, gave ourselves a pat on the back and scheduled another session for next week. :)
Last night, my wife Sue and I met Vince Constantino and 4 other songwriter/artists out for dinner. We picked the spot (The Smiling Elephant) and Vince got a crew of really cool folks together. Great times talking music and music business over Pad Thai and steamed dumplings. After dinner, we were off to Midtown where we met up with our good friends from Bronze Radio Return. They got into town last night and have a few days off before playing Tennessee's biggest music festival, Bonnaroo! If you're going to be at Bonnaroo, check these guys out. They're an amazing band with totally awesome music that makes you want to get up and shake your ass! This year alone, they've had 50+ songs on TV and Film. Including major adds like Behr Paint, Blue Moon, Olive Garden, PGA Tour, etc. Trust me, catch these guys before they're so big you can't get tickets! www.bronzeradioreturn.com
That's all for now, I have to get moving to my first session. Cheers!
The past 3 days have been a fantastic musical blur. I've been tying up loose ends on songs, producing a new demo, and writing new stuff that I'm really excited about. All the while, keeping up and making new connections.
Monday, I wrote with Vince Constantino. This was our second writing session and we totally knocked one out of the park! It's a female pop or even pop/country song that just sticks like glue the minute you hear it. I'm really looking forward to demoing this one. What a great way to kick off the week!
And to follow it up, I had another killer session yesterday with Tammy Jacobs and Jason Eustice. Tammy writes for AWMG publishing and Jason writes for Demolition Music publishing and they're both super-talented songwriters and great people! I had the idea to set up this session about a month ago. Tammy is a fantastic lyricist and Jason has killer melody ideas so I knew the three of us would collaborate on something special. We did! We wrote a fully finished, well-developed, up tempo, love song with a twist... in about 2 hours! Then, gave ourselves a pat on the back and scheduled another session for next week. :)
Last night, my wife Sue and I met Vince Constantino and 4 other songwriter/artists out for dinner. We picked the spot (The Smiling Elephant) and Vince got a crew of really cool folks together. Great times talking music and music business over Pad Thai and steamed dumplings. After dinner, we were off to Midtown where we met up with our good friends from Bronze Radio Return. They got into town last night and have a few days off before playing Tennessee's biggest music festival, Bonnaroo! If you're going to be at Bonnaroo, check these guys out. They're an amazing band with totally awesome music that makes you want to get up and shake your ass! This year alone, they've had 50+ songs on TV and Film. Including major adds like Behr Paint, Blue Moon, Olive Garden, PGA Tour, etc. Trust me, catch these guys before they're so big you can't get tickets! www.bronzeradioreturn.com
That's all for now, I have to get moving to my first session. Cheers!
Thursday, June 5, 2014
DAY - 207+208
Two great writing sessions back to back! Yesterday, I wrote with first time co-writer, Randy Finchum and today I wrote with Cheyenne Medders.
Randy and I were introduced by through Jon D'Agostino. Jon suggested we write together because he thought it'd be a good collaboration. He was right! Randy and I got together at SESAC on music row. We connected immediately and hit one out of the park! We're a few lines short of a future hit so we scheduled another session at SESAC to finish.
I've worked with Cheyenne a few times and every session I'm impressed with his talent and ability. We started a really kick ass idea that he brought to the table today and scheduled another session to finish it up. Looking forward to it!
As promised, here's 3 new demos that I've just started pitching this week!
My Happy Hour: written by Michael August and Jon D'Agostino
I Could Write A Book: written by Michael August and Scot Sax
Young & Stupid: written by Michael August, Jon D'Agostino and Adam Searan
Hope you enjoy!
Randy and I were introduced by through Jon D'Agostino. Jon suggested we write together because he thought it'd be a good collaboration. He was right! Randy and I got together at SESAC on music row. We connected immediately and hit one out of the park! We're a few lines short of a future hit so we scheduled another session at SESAC to finish.
I've worked with Cheyenne a few times and every session I'm impressed with his talent and ability. We started a really kick ass idea that he brought to the table today and scheduled another session to finish it up. Looking forward to it!
As promised, here's 3 new demos that I've just started pitching this week!
My Happy Hour: written by Michael August and Jon D'Agostino
I Could Write A Book: written by Michael August and Scot Sax
Young & Stupid: written by Michael August, Jon D'Agostino and Adam Searan
Hope you enjoy!
Tuesday, June 3, 2014
DAY - 206
Last night, Sue and I went to Whiskey Jam to kick off CMA week here in Nashville! Some great bands and artists performed. My favorite of the night was a new act called, Brothers Osborne. Check out their latest single, "Rum". I also really dug Jukebox Mafia. Looking forward to catching some more shows this week as Music City lives up to its name!
Got my musical fill for the day. I had an AMAZING writing session with Scot and Suzie Sax. We started and finished a beautiful song this morning/afternoon. The best part is, this song literally came out of no where. We started with one idea and wrote our way into something totally different and special. Not only did we finish a new song, but Scot surprised me with a brand new demo of the song we wrote a few weeks ago. He had the incredible, Becky Bliss from the band, Barnaby Bright sing the demo. She absolutely nailed it and Scot totally captured the simple magic of the song with his production. What a way to start the day! (I'll post this demo with a couple other new ones this week)
To top it off, just got an email from co-writer, Jon D'Agostino in which he forwarded me an email from a radio program director in Iowa. Here's what it said...
Woo hoo! Let's hope he's right!!
Got my musical fill for the day. I had an AMAZING writing session with Scot and Suzie Sax. We started and finished a beautiful song this morning/afternoon. The best part is, this song literally came out of no where. We started with one idea and wrote our way into something totally different and special. Not only did we finish a new song, but Scot surprised me with a brand new demo of the song we wrote a few weeks ago. He had the incredible, Becky Bliss from the band, Barnaby Bright sing the demo. She absolutely nailed it and Scot totally captured the simple magic of the song with his production. What a way to start the day! (I'll post this demo with a couple other new ones this week)
To top it off, just got an email from co-writer, Jon D'Agostino in which he forwarded me an email from a radio program director in Iowa. Here's what it said...
Chase Likens – Caught In A Storm – There are some songs that jump up and say “I’m a big ol’ hit, “Caught In A Storm” is one of them.Drew KirbyProgram Director/ Morning Show101.7 The Bull - (KBKB-FM) Burlington, IaHost / Producer/ Program DirectorHook and Hunt Radio
Woo hoo! Let's hope he's right!!
Monday, June 2, 2014
DAY - 204+205
Hope you had a great weekend! Sue and I had an awesome time on Saturday celebrating her birthday. Being that we are total foodies, I decided that I'd take her on a surprise Nashville food crawl! I planned the crawl based on new local hot spots that we haven't tried. I also picked places that are locally famous for something specific. We went to 8 places starting at 3pm and finished around 11pm. We had a blast and yes, we're totally stuffed by the end of the tour. If you're in Nashville or coming to Nashville here's a list of the places we went. They were all incredible!
Well - Coffee House
Hattie B's - Hot Chicken
Samurai Sushi - Sushi
Jackalope - Nashville brewery
Legato Gelato - Gelato
Smiling Elephant - Thai *best Pad Thai I've ever had!!
Pinewood Social - *tried the Coffee Soda
Husk - Southern
Friday was pretty relaxed day. Did a little pitching and started working on a new song idea I'm writing with Jon D'Agostino. Today, I had a final mix session at Jason Garner Productions for 2 new songs! I'll be posting this week so stay tuned!
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