DAY - 60

Great day for rock n' roll!  Woke early and headed into Philly for a recording session @ Medicine Man studios with my co-producer and mixing engineer, Chris Zurzolo.  I laid down some vocals for a new
'My Name is August' single called, "The Best That Never Was".  Its sounding awesome!  I'm so psyched for you to hear it!!  Should be releasing the song within the next month or two so stay tuned...

The rest of day has been spent teaching and emailing back and forth with Jason Blume regarding our Nashville recording session.(refer to yesterday)  Everything is coming together beautifully (knock on wood).  It looks like we'll be tracking 2 versions of the song... version 1 will be a pop style demo and version 2 will be a country demo (we're doing this so that we have a broader spectrum of artists we can pitch the song too)

I'm planning on bringing a little video camera to the session so I can post it on here to give you a little insight into how it all goes down.  So exciting...more to come soon!  :)

DAY - 59

Power packed day of rapid fire emailing.... Plans are officially in action for demoing the song we've been writing with pro songwriter, Jason Blume! (refer to day 36)  Looks like the "Sweet Angeline"writers, Liv Devine, Tyler James and I will be making an impromptu trip to Nashville on October 25th to record!  I can't even express how excited I am.  Being part of a true Nashville recording session has been on my list for a while now.  Feeling extremely blessed.  Goodnight.

DAY - 58

About a year ago, I was interviewing for music/entertainment marketing jobs in NYC.  After being rejected from every position I applied for, I decided the corporate world wasn't for me and I would go back to school to get my Master's degree in music and focus on becoming a professional songwriter.  Through the interview process, I met a very successful business man named Marcus Peterzell.  Marcus is currently VP of Marketing for a prestigious entertainment marketing firm in New York.  Before this job, however, Marcus was a player in the music biz.  Among many other positions, he actually happened to be manager for the 'The Cure'!

Tonight I emailed Marcus to try and reconnect... I figured I'd let him know what I was up to, send him some links to my stuff, and see if he could lead me anywhere or to anyone.  Shot in the dark, but who knows??  I think that's the beauty of this blog/project... you'll never know if you don't ask.

Alright, feeling inspired...time to do some writing...

DAY - 57

Nothing like spaghetti dinner Sunday's at Mom's house to end/start the week right. (I know Sunday is technically the first day of the week, however I usually think of Sunday as being the last) Somehow all is right with the world when you have a big plate of pasta and homemade meatballs in front of you.

After dinner, I felt re-charged and ready to research.  Tonight I stumbled across 'Upper 11 Music & Management' and the founder, Tony Meola.  www.upper11.com  After doing some research on the company, I found that they are a subsidiary of Universal Music.  They handle not only management of artists but also publishing and licensing of songs and have had many placements with TV and film.  I got so caught up in the research of the company, I wound up emailing Tony Meola tonight.  Usually, I don't like emailing people on weekends...buuttt... I kinda forgot it was Sunday hah.   Hopefully the email doesn't get lost in his inbox.  ; )

DAY - 56

Thought this was hilarious... :)

Sorry for the delay on this blog.  Yesterday was a great day!  I spent all morning/afternoon writing with pro Nashville songwriter J Fred Knobloch via Skype.  Aahhh the wonders of modern technology.  (Basically saved me a $300 plane ticket! amazing!)  We had a great session and got really far on the new tune.  Really excited about it!  I also spoke with Fred a little about the contracts and, being the wonderful person that he is, he offered to read them over for me and check for any red flags.

So the rest of the weekend will spent looking into these contracts and doing some more research on new people to contact.  If you know someone...send them my way!  mynameisaugust@yahoo.com

More to come. Cheers!

DAY - 55

(Listening to:  Ryan Adams "When The Stars Go Blue" from the album "Gold".  Its raw, its organic, its perfectly unperfect) 

Alright both contracts are in hand (refer to last couple days)...now its time to do some serious reading...

In other news... Today I talked to pro Nashville songwriter J Fred Knobloch today and confirmed our Skype writing session for tomorrow morning!  I'm excited to try and finish up the tune we started.

I also did some research on a monthly song pitching session in NYC called SPONY. www.sponyonline.com  SPONY hosts song pitching sessions every month.  The way it works is they get together a panel of 'esteemed' industry folks who are looking for songs and/or songwriters.  As a songwriter you can register to attend for a nominal fee and you get to pitch one song to the panel.  If they like what they hear, they'll ask for a copy...if not, they'll simply pass.  There seems to be a lot of success stories through this event and I've heard through the grapevine that its pretty legit.  I missed this month's session so now I'm waiting to hear when the October session will be.  I'm thinking I can possibly turn this into a little networking trip to New York.  ASCAP head quarters is also in NYC so I can try to schedule a meeting with someone at ASCAP as well.  More to come on this...

DAY - 54

Well, after yesterday, a little part of me wanted to chill out and take a break from networking for the day...but then, a bigger part of me spoke up and said, "Hell no, you lazy '....'  you have 311 days left, no breaks!"  I guess I can't argue with myself...

So today I emailed Kevin Mac.  Kevin is a songwriter and performer who is making a big name for himself in Virginia Beach.  My cousin, Heather, actually sent me a message with his contact info, telling me I should try to connect with him.  So I did.  Thanks Heather! :)   I sent Kevin an email letting him know that I'm trying to connect with people who are pursuing common goals and to email me back if he wasn't interested in collaborating, co-writing or trying to help each other out.

Also, I went to Philly today to meet up with my long time friend, mixing engineer/producer, Chris Zurzolo.  Chris and I started sorting through songs that I'm recording for the next 'My Name is August' release, trying to figure out which song we want to release next as a single. (I spend so much time these days writing songs for other people, it feels good sometimes to work on my own stuff)  Stay tuned :)

***Other news from yesterday...   I emailed Dave Trotter from Studio 51 Music back letting him know I was definitely interested in talking further in detail and to send the documents/contract over so I can look everything over.  I will also be calling HD Music Now tonight to discuss further about the single-song publishing deal for 'Cupcakes & Wine'.   When/If something happens.. I'll let you know!!

DAY - 53

Holy Sh#*! HUGE Day.  I just checked my email tonight and received not only 1 but 2 pieces of amazing news!  I submitted a song to musicxray.com (Refer to Day 51) two days ago for a listing regarding songs for Kellie Pickler.  Just got an email saying our song 'Cupcakes & Wine' was SELECTED!  This means me and my 'Sweet Angeline' co-writers will be offered an exclusive single-song publishing deal with 'HD Music Now'.  Crazy news!!  This is exactly what they said...

"Nice song! I don't think its right for Kellie Pickler, but possibly some others...The Band Perry, Miranda Lambert, etc... Please get in touch and we will send over the documents, thanks!"

And... if that wasn't cool enough, I also got an email back tonight from music publisher and owner of Studio 51 Music, Dave Trotter. (Refer to Day 35) Dave said that he really liked the songs that I sent over and would like to talk in further detail about a potential publishing deal with his company / licensing of my songs for TV & Film!

Yes, this is all incredible news and something to be REALLY excited about, however, in the music industry, not all deals are right for every artist or song. A lot has to be considered and discussed before jumping into any decisions... but don't get me wrong...my girlfriend and I are dancing around our apartment right now : )  Stay tuned!

DAY - 52

Well, yesterday I exhausted all my ideas to try and get "Cupcakes & Wine" to Kellie Pickler. Today, I had one more idea.  I decided to ask J Fred Knobloch (pro songwriter I've been writing with) if he happened to have any connections to her camp.. (i.e. A&R, Management, ect.)   I figure J Fred is really respected in Nashville and has been a contributing member to scene for so long that he may know a way to get through.  Keeping my fingers crossed.

Hi Kellie, if you're reading, I have your next HIT single!  Contact me... mynameisaugust@yahoo.com  :)

DAY - 51

I've decided to stop wasting 2 days per weekend doing research on making contacts.  I only have 365 days to make an impact and I don't want to waste 2 days a week just doing "research"!  So unless I have something lined up for networking on Saturday and/or Sunday I'm just going to spend 1 day researching for the coming week and save 1 day for an extra networking day.   That being said, today I logged on to Music X Ray.com and found a brand new listing... Kellie Pickler is looking for songs for her new record....

Country artist, Kellie Pickler is in need of songs. She wants songs that are written from a position of strength. Nothing that makes her sound needy...No "doormat" songs. The lyrics have to be STELLAR and the music has to move YOU!! Selected artists will be offered an exclusive single-song publishing contract for a period of 6 months. If a placement is secured on the album, the term becomes perpetuity. Please be very selective about what you pitch and thanks!!


My 'Sweet Angeline' co-writers and I wrote this song that has Kellie Pickler written ALL over it!  We've actually been told by Dale Bobo (Major Music Publisher) that the song would be PERFECT for Kellie Pickler.  The only problem is... is it doesn't exactly fit what this listing is asking for.   This is usually grounds for getting your song returned, but I decided to send it in anyway. We'll see what they say...no harm no foul right?  


If you want to check out the song I'm talking about go to... www.sweetangelinemusic.com  (its on the music page)  its called  "Cupcakes & Wine" 

DAY - 50

Wow...50 Days!  Time goes by fast.  Today was a productive day.  I got together with my Sweet Angeline co-writers, Tyler and Liv, and we added the finishing touches to a brand new song and started making a demo today.  Hope to have at least an acoustic version up online for listening by next week :)

Well, I got an email back from Alex Torrez at Torrez Music Group (Refer Day - 46).  He said his schedule is too crazy busy to add any writers or catalogs at this time, but to forward him stuff through Musicxray when the opportunity arises.  Not the best scenario, but at least he wrote me back hah!  I wrote him back, thanking him for his time and let him know I will definitely keep a look out for the opportunities and hope to work together in the future.  TGIF let's have some fun!

Day - 49

Today I emailed pro songwriter, Brian White.  Brian White is an awesome hit songwriter with 13 number 1 hits in the Christian market and also a number 1 in the country market called "Watching You" recorded by Rodney Atkins.  www.brianwhitesongwriter.com

I came across his info because he is going to be a guest speaker and panelist at the Texas Songwriters Cruise.  I stumbled across his website and noticed he had a contact page so I decided to email him.  I figured I'd throw a line out, introduce myself.  He says on his site that he offers song critiques so I asked if he'd be interested in critiquing one of mine.  (I was thinking about sending over that upbeat, funny song that Eric and I just finished) I'm hoping this could be a decent ice breaker for possible future collaborations.

DAY - 48

So you'd assume by the amount of time I spend in Starbucks that I actually like their coffee.  And, you know, for a while I think I used to make myself believe that I did. Well, recently, it dawned on me... I really don't like Starbucks normal cup of coffee.  But I found a solution today...its called the Americano. Basically, its a few shots of espresso and hot water. It costs about the same as a cup of joe but tastes SO much better!  Apologies for this side note, but I had to vent, just in case anyone else shares my love of Starbucks but aversion to their coffee :)

Anyway,  Today I constructed a well thought out email and sent it to Lisa Johnson from Razor and Tie music publishing.  I sent Lisa an email a while back (refer to Day 6) but she never responded, so today I decided to write a better email and follow up.  Razor and Tie publishing is a cutting edge publishing company in NYC that is securing big cuts for their writers!  check it out... www.razorandtiemusicpublishing.com

I want to get a meeting with someone from Razor and Tie to review some of my catalog.  I met Lisa about a year ago in LA so I'm hoping she can help me get a foot in the door.  We shall see!

DAY - 47

Looonnngg day.  This is the first time all day I'm getting a chance to sit and chill.  Let's see, so a lot happened today....

 8am....Worked on a rough recording of the song we've been writing with Jason Blume so we could all sit back and listen to it as whole, see if it needs any tweaks or changes.

10am... Had a writing/recording session with my good friend and co-writer, Eric Schwank.  We got down a bare bones, rough recording of a beautiful new song Eric wrote.  So far Eric and I have about 4 or 5 new tunes we're planning to get professionally recorded in the next 2 months. yay!

3-10pm... Filled with classes and teaching private guitar/piano lessons.

I was able to jump online a couple times today.   Went over some pitching strategies with Jason Blume, regarding artists we might envision performing the song.   I heard back from Dana Parish...she's actually performing a show at the Tin Angel in Philly on Thursday!  Also, I ran into pro songwriter Scot Sax (He actually teaches a songwriting class at my school University of the Arts) and he let me know about a workshop he's running at his studio on Sunday's called "Songwriter Sunday's"... he invited me to join next Sunday or the following...add that to the list of something I can do networking-related on a Sunday!  : )

Goodnight y'all

DAY - 46

Hanging in Starbucks just doing some research on Torrez Music Group.  They manage bands and artists, but the founder of the company, Alex Torrez, is so well connected he pitches songs to major label artists, record labels and producers.  Apparently, they just had some success pitching a song to Carrie Underwood!   So anyway,  I found some contact info on the website and decided to reach out.  I wrote an email politely asking if they would like to review some of my song catalog.  We'll see what happens.

Also, sent an email to J Fred Knobloch, still trying to set up our Skype writing session...can't wait because the song is turning out really cool!

DAY - 45

Alright, now I'm feeling sick again... thought I kicked this thing early but the reading on the Thermometer proves me wrong.  Anyway, I've been fighting through it and doing some research today.  I came across a pretty cool contact. Kyra Larock, is a music manager.  Having worked for a ton of big music companies (19 entertainment, MTV, Artista Records) she has many connections to well-established artists.  That being said, Kyra also handles pitching songs to artists who are recording new albums... for example Adam Lambert, Britney Spears, Leona Lewis, etc.  I'm planning on reaching out to Kyra when I have a really strong and well-produced POP demo to pitch.  I have a couple songs in mind, but don't have the right recordings yet.

I also revisited the Music X Ray site and submitted to an opportunity to Torrez Music Group looking for songs to pitch to Tim McGraw.  I submitted a new song called "Love Takes Work" check it out http://mynameisaugust.bandcamp.com/track/love-takes-work-demo

I will also be trying to find some other connections into Torrez Music Group.

DAY - 44

Sorry for the delay in yesterday's blog entry.  If you've been keeping up, I did actually catch a cold.  Loaded up on multi-vitamins and fluids and I'm feeling much better today.  I was actually supposed to play a gig in West Chester starting at 10pm last night but thank God it got cancelled. (Due to a boxing match)  I'm usually not happy about a gig getting cancelled, but trying to get through a 3 hour night of music while being sick is torture.

Anyway, I'll be making up for lost time today.  I'll be researching double the contacts to try and connect with this coming week. Stay tuned for another post later today :)

Oh and btw, I downloaded Skype...its amazing!  I know its been around for a while now but I never jumped on board.  I have to say, for songwriters, its an incredible tool for co-writing sessions when you can't be in the same room. Not to mention, the file sharing capabilities.   I highly recommend it. Cheers!

DAY - 43

I got an email from my good friend and co-writer Eric Schwank today with some lyric revisions to an old song I wrote.  Absolutely loved the new ideas so we jumped on Skype and just added finishing touches.  So many songs to record, so little time!

Today I emailed an amazing songwriter and long-time family friend, Dana Parish, to reconnect.  If you've never heard Dana, please check her out...she's amazing!  www.danaparish.com  Dana has had incredible success as a songwriter and as an artist.  I reached out to her today to say hi and to see if she'd be interested in doing a song collaboration.

Starting to feel like I'm getting a cold...not cool.

DAY - 42

Woke up super early this morning because I realized today was the last day to register for the Texas Songwriter's Cruise song contest.  Check it out... www.txsongwriterscruise.com .  While cruising the beautiful Caribbean, a crew of pro songwriters and industry folks hold workshops, panels and performances. Basically, I'd be stuck on a ship with EVERYONE I want to know! What more could you ask for?!  So this morning I submitted a couple songs to the contest.  The winner gets to cruise and attend everything for free!  This is worth over $1,000 in value.

I've heard so many stories of no name songwriters finding success through this cruise.  Think about it, everyone that has the ability to help your career is within the confines of a cruise ship!  The competition of this contest is pretty fierce so wish me luck and say a prayer :)

DAY - 41

Long day...need sleep.  Lets see, started off the day with a little writing. Then,  I emailed yet another contact from EMI music publishing.  Thus far, no one has responded on the EMI front.  Also, worked on some re-writes with the song we're doing with Jason Blume. I think I pulled the trigger a bit early yesterday when I said it was done. (always have to make time for re-writes)


Also, started researching some music networking events in New York City.  The big apple is a hop, skip, and a jump away from me so to head up for a day or so is not bad at all. (except for the traffic)  Found a couple cool events that happen monthly.  Also, there's another ASCAP headquarters right in the city that I have yet to take advantage of...I smell a NYC networking trip in the near future.  Enough hiding behind the computer screen, sending emails... I need to get out there, shake things up, get in people's faces!

Stay tuned :)