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!
Thursday, May 29, 2014
DAY- 201-203
Fantastic couple of days! Check out Chase Likens' lyric video for "Caught In A Storm" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BoK35zZsBYc The song is being picked up and played by stations all over the country. Everyday I hear about another station that's starting to play it. Fingers crossed I hear it randomly in the car one day. I've always fantasized about that moment...the one in which you hear your song on a major radio station for the first time while driving in the car. Have you ever seen "That Thing You Do" with Tom Hanks!? There's a scene in that movie that depicts exactly what I'm talking about. Even if I'm not the artist singing the song, it's just as special for me to know a song I wrote is touching so many other people.
Brief overview of the week...
Had a KILLER demo session at Jason Garner productions yesterday. AJ Engstrom came in to sing a song I wrote with Jon D'Agostino and Adam Searan of Demolition Music Publishing. Jon, Adam and I wrote the song in Key West, literally while hanging on the beach, riding scooters, and getting ready in the room. I'm not kidding about writing while riding scooters. We seriously we're writing at every stoplight we hit. Lol!
Today, I'm heading over to hit songwriter, J Fred Knobloch's studio to record vocals on a new song we wrote. It's a tug-on-your-heart-strings, love in jeopardy, type song in the vein of Cassadee Pope's "Wasting All These Tears". We're having the super-talented, Molly Hunt record the vocals. Can't wait!
I'm heading right now. Stay tuned for more!
Brief overview of the week...
Had a KILLER demo session at Jason Garner productions yesterday. AJ Engstrom came in to sing a song I wrote with Jon D'Agostino and Adam Searan of Demolition Music Publishing. Jon, Adam and I wrote the song in Key West, literally while hanging on the beach, riding scooters, and getting ready in the room. I'm not kidding about writing while riding scooters. We seriously we're writing at every stoplight we hit. Lol!
Today, I'm heading over to hit songwriter, J Fred Knobloch's studio to record vocals on a new song we wrote. It's a tug-on-your-heart-strings, love in jeopardy, type song in the vein of Cassadee Pope's "Wasting All These Tears". We're having the super-talented, Molly Hunt record the vocals. Can't wait!
I'm heading right now. Stay tuned for more!
Saturday, May 24, 2014
DAY - 200
What an awesome week! I capped it off with a writing session in the heart of music row at Demolition Music Publishing. The session was with writer and president, Jon D'Agostino and for the first time, Jason Eustice. Jason was one of the first writer's signed to Demolition. He's an incredible singer and a fantastic songwriter. If you ever get the chance to check him out... do it! In no time at all, we made some great head way on a killer new song. Good feeling about this one.
The show at Belcourt Taps last night was amazing! Big props to Shane Barrett Music LLC and Proverbs 12:10 Animal Rescue for organizing the event! Scot and Suzie Sax, Thomas Tillman, Jason Eustice, Adam Searan and Jane Bach played to a packed house and shared some killer new music.
Can't unveil too many details, but I got the word last night that a couple of my new songs are being pitched to some major artists. Fingers crossed we get some BIG bites. Stay tuned!
Hope you have a great Memorial Day weekend!
Cheers!
Thursday, May 22, 2014
DAY - 197-199
The past few days have been a whirlwind of meeting new people and making new music! On Tuesday, I wrote a new song with Kirk Penney and Vanessa Bransan. Yesterday, I wrote another one by myself and this morning I finished a killer new pop song with Molly Hunt and Cheyenne Medders. Definitely a productive week so far!
The writer's night on Monday was a blast! (Refer to DAY - 196) It was the first time I played Belcourt Taps. It's really cool little venue with good drinks and great sound! It was awesome to play along side Alex Seier, Justing Trimble and Lance Carpenter. (who all shared some amazing songs) Not to mention, we had a sweet crowd who came out to catch the show! Here are some pics...
Speaking of Belcourt Taps, that's exactly where I'll be tonight! I'm not playing tonight, but I'm going to support the Proverbs 12:10 Animal Rescue Benefit. The night will be hosted by Nashville song plugger/publisher, Shane Barrett Music and a lot of my co-writers will be performing including, Scot Sax, Adam Searan, and Jason Eustice. Also performing tonight is Scot's wife Suzie Sax, hit songwriter, Jane Bach as well as Thomas Tillman of SB21 Music. Definitely going to be a great night of music and networking.
More to come. Stay tuned!!
The writer's night on Monday was a blast! (Refer to DAY - 196) It was the first time I played Belcourt Taps. It's really cool little venue with good drinks and great sound! It was awesome to play along side Alex Seier, Justing Trimble and Lance Carpenter. (who all shared some amazing songs) Not to mention, we had a sweet crowd who came out to catch the show! Here are some pics...
Speaking of Belcourt Taps, that's exactly where I'll be tonight! I'm not playing tonight, but I'm going to support the Proverbs 12:10 Animal Rescue Benefit. The night will be hosted by Nashville song plugger/publisher, Shane Barrett Music and a lot of my co-writers will be performing including, Scot Sax, Adam Searan, and Jason Eustice. Also performing tonight is Scot's wife Suzie Sax, hit songwriter, Jane Bach as well as Thomas Tillman of SB21 Music. Definitely going to be a great night of music and networking.
More to come. Stay tuned!!
Monday, May 19, 2014
DAY - 196
I'm looking forward to playing tonight at Belcourt Taps in Nashville!! The writer's round is from 9:30-11pm. If you're in town, come hang! I'll be sharing the round with Alex Seier, Justin Trimble and Lance Carpenter. Promises to be a great night of music! I'm pumped to play some new tunes and meet some new people.
I'm going to practice!
I'm going to practice!
Friday, May 16, 2014
DAY - 195
Happy Friday! And a beautiful Friday it is. Just capped off a productive week with a killer writing session with the amazing, Scot Sax. Scot and I cranked out a new tune...full song and demo track ....in a little over 2 hours. No joke! Scot works fast. Great energy and good vibes makes for some really cool music. Look forward to posting the finished product when we're done!
The Bronze Radio Return show last night was absolutely killer! Again, if you've never seen or heard these guys you NEED to check 'em out! www.bronzeradioreturn.com
In other news, I was just invited to play a very cool writer's night! New co-writer, Alex Seier (refer to yesterday) put together an evening of super-talented writer's to perform at Belcourt Taps in Nashville and he invited me to join! The show is at 9:30pm this Monday night and it's featuring Alex Seier, Justin Trimble, Lance Carpenter and myself. I've heard all of these writers/artists play and trust me, it's going to be an awesome night of future hits! If you're in town, come hang!
Have a great weekend!
The Bronze Radio Return show last night was absolutely killer! Again, if you've never seen or heard these guys you NEED to check 'em out! www.bronzeradioreturn.com
In other news, I was just invited to play a very cool writer's night! New co-writer, Alex Seier (refer to yesterday) put together an evening of super-talented writer's to perform at Belcourt Taps in Nashville and he invited me to join! The show is at 9:30pm this Monday night and it's featuring Alex Seier, Justin Trimble, Lance Carpenter and myself. I've heard all of these writers/artists play and trust me, it's going to be an awesome night of future hits! If you're in town, come hang!
Have a great weekend!
Thursday, May 15, 2014
DAY - 193+194
Great couple days of music! Apologies for the laundry list. I'm in a bit of a hurry!
1) Wrapped up a brand new demo, courtesy of Jason Garner Productions. A super-fun, rockin'-good-time of a song I wrote with Jon D'Agostino. I can't express how pumped I am about it. Can't wait to post for your listening pleasure and start pitching.
2) Went to Soulshine last night in Midtown to see Chase Likens perform a showcase for William Morris Agency. He played "Caught In A Storm" to packed house and they LOVED it!! It was pretty surreal. "Caught In A Storm" hits iTunes on May 21st. Just saying ;)
3) Had a great writing session today with new co-writer, Alex Seier. Alex is a very talented artist and songwriter. We had a killer write today. Looking forward to working again soon! Check out Alex's stuff www.alexseier.com
4) Tonight, Sue and I are going to see our good friends, Bronze Radio Return rock the Exit/In. Having had 50 placements of their music in TV and Film this past year, the boys are killing it!! Can't wait to see the show and catch up. If you've never seen or heard Bronze Radio Return. Check them out!!
www.bronzeradioreturn.com
1) Wrapped up a brand new demo, courtesy of Jason Garner Productions. A super-fun, rockin'-good-time of a song I wrote with Jon D'Agostino. I can't express how pumped I am about it. Can't wait to post for your listening pleasure and start pitching.
2) Went to Soulshine last night in Midtown to see Chase Likens perform a showcase for William Morris Agency. He played "Caught In A Storm" to packed house and they LOVED it!! It was pretty surreal. "Caught In A Storm" hits iTunes on May 21st. Just saying ;)
3) Had a great writing session today with new co-writer, Alex Seier. Alex is a very talented artist and songwriter. We had a killer write today. Looking forward to working again soon! Check out Alex's stuff www.alexseier.com
4) Tonight, Sue and I are going to see our good friends, Bronze Radio Return rock the Exit/In. Having had 50 placements of their music in TV and Film this past year, the boys are killing it!! Can't wait to see the show and catch up. If you've never seen or heard Bronze Radio Return. Check them out!!
www.bronzeradioreturn.com
Tuesday, May 13, 2014
DAY - 188-192
The Key West Songwriter's Festival was awesome! I went down with Demolition Music Publishing President/writer, Jon D'Agostino and DMP writer, Adam Searan. Not only did we have an absolute blast, but we wrote two new future hits ;) and met a ton of talented writers and industry folks. What an amazing little adventure. BIG thanks to Jon and Demolition Music Publishing for making the trip incredible. Over the next week, I'll be following up with all the new contacts and cool people I met. I've realized that the "follow up" is just as important as the initial introduction.
Had an awesome write today with artist/songwriter Vanessa Bransan. We started and finished a killer bluesy, r&b, type country song in about an hour! Looking forward to demoing this one soon.
Crazy busy week ahead. More to come. Stay tuned!
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| Jon D'Agostino, Adam Searan, Me |
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| View from the writer's room (aka Southernmost Hotel) |
Had an awesome write today with artist/songwriter Vanessa Bransan. We started and finished a killer bluesy, r&b, type country song in about an hour! Looking forward to demoing this one soon.
Crazy busy week ahead. More to come. Stay tuned!
Tuesday, May 6, 2014
DAY - 187
Running last minute errands and getting everything ready for Key West. My flight leaves at 8am and gets in at 3pm. 7 hours total! So many layovers :(
Just wanted to leave a message if you're checking in daily... I might not be posting updates while I'm there. However, I'll be sure to post a big update in detail when I get back.
Stay tuned and have a great rest of the week!
Just wanted to leave a message if you're checking in daily... I might not be posting updates while I'm there. However, I'll be sure to post a big update in detail when I get back.
Stay tuned and have a great rest of the week!
Monday, May 5, 2014
DAY - 186
What a beautiful Monday. 80 degrees and almost no humidity!
(Shameless plug alert)
Despite the amazing weather, "Caught In A Storm" hits country radio stations and iTunes TODAY!! :) Call in and request, "Chase Likens' new single, Caught In A Storm"!
I'm not subbing today and I don't start teaching at School Of Rock until 4:15pm so I figured I'd take advantage of the time to do some decent networking. I did a bit of research this morning and stumbled across a publishing company I was not aware of. I found Zavitson Music Group (ZMG) owned and operated by president, Russ Zavitson. The publishing company has a stable of great writers and has had recent cuts by Thompson Square, Rodney Atkins, Chris Young, Dierks Bentley and Reba McEntire. Today, I reached out to the VP of Creative, Eric Hurt. I was especially interested in the company when I read that ZMG is expanding into TV/Film, Pop and Rock markets. Eric is the talented individual responsible for heading up this expansion. Needless to say, he's someone I personally would love to connect with.
In other news:
The Lifetime Network began airing "A Daughter's Nightmare" this past weekend, featuring my song, "Must Be Saying Yes"! (written with Kirk Penney)
(Shameless plug alert)
Despite the amazing weather, "Caught In A Storm" hits country radio stations and iTunes TODAY!! :) Call in and request, "Chase Likens' new single, Caught In A Storm"!
I'm not subbing today and I don't start teaching at School Of Rock until 4:15pm so I figured I'd take advantage of the time to do some decent networking. I did a bit of research this morning and stumbled across a publishing company I was not aware of. I found Zavitson Music Group (ZMG) owned and operated by president, Russ Zavitson. The publishing company has a stable of great writers and has had recent cuts by Thompson Square, Rodney Atkins, Chris Young, Dierks Bentley and Reba McEntire. Today, I reached out to the VP of Creative, Eric Hurt. I was especially interested in the company when I read that ZMG is expanding into TV/Film, Pop and Rock markets. Eric is the talented individual responsible for heading up this expansion. Needless to say, he's someone I personally would love to connect with.
In other news:
The Lifetime Network began airing "A Daughter's Nightmare" this past weekend, featuring my song, "Must Be Saying Yes"! (written with Kirk Penney)
Friday, May 2, 2014
DAY - 185
Happy Friday!
Today, I spent my free time scheduling meetings/writes for next week and the following as well as planning out the itinerary for the BMI Key West songwriter's festival. So many amazing shows, so little time! That many talented people playing at one time in one place is crazy! My co-writer, Jon D'Agostino sent me the show itinerary and it's staggering. Jon and I have a skype write later today so we'll probably solidify some plans.
Hope you have a fun/relaxing weekend ahead of you. More to come. Stay tuned!
Today, I spent my free time scheduling meetings/writes for next week and the following as well as planning out the itinerary for the BMI Key West songwriter's festival. So many amazing shows, so little time! That many talented people playing at one time in one place is crazy! My co-writer, Jon D'Agostino sent me the show itinerary and it's staggering. Jon and I have a skype write later today so we'll probably solidify some plans.
Hope you have a fun/relaxing weekend ahead of you. More to come. Stay tuned!
Thursday, May 1, 2014
DAY - 184
Today, I reached out to Celia Froehlig, VP or Publishing at Black River Entertainment. I have been in touch with Celia since last March and I drop her a line every now and then to stay on the radar. I sent her an email today to say hi and give an update. Black River is both a label and publishing company. On the label side, they have artists such as Kellie Pickler and Craig Morgan, and on the publishing side they have some great writers, including Josh Osbourne (Merry Go 'Round, Come Over, Drunk Last Night, etc.)
That's pretty much all I have time for today. Off to teach at Pro Music Academy. Stay tuned!
That's pretty much all I have time for today. Off to teach at Pro Music Academy. Stay tuned!
Wednesday, April 30, 2014
DAY - 183
In transit...from subbing to teaching at School of Rock. I'm presently taking advantage of an hour break to get some networking done. Still pumped from getting the official word that Case Likens is releasing "Caught In A Storm"! The national radio debut is May 5th. Please do me a HUGE favor and call in to your local country station and request it on Cinco de Mayo! Here's a preview of Chase singing the song! https://soundcloud.com/chaselikensofficial/caught-in-a-storm-preview
Today, I reached out to the Creative Director at Kobalt Music Publishing, Jeff Skaggs. I emailed Jeff about a year ago and he sent me a nice response letting me know to stay in touch. It's been a while since I've dropped him a line so I decided to do so today. Kobalt is an international music publisher with offices all over. They handle all types of music and are working with many successful artists such as Katy Perry, Ke$ha, Demi Lovato...just to name a few. I sent Jeff some new material, both Pop and Country.
Today, I reached out to the Creative Director at Kobalt Music Publishing, Jeff Skaggs. I emailed Jeff about a year ago and he sent me a nice response letting me know to stay in touch. It's been a while since I've dropped him a line so I decided to do so today. Kobalt is an international music publisher with offices all over. They handle all types of music and are working with many successful artists such as Katy Perry, Ke$ha, Demi Lovato...just to name a few. I sent Jeff some new material, both Pop and Country.
Tuesday, April 29, 2014
DAY - 181+182
I have some exciting news to reveal! Remember I said I was getting a song cut?? (refer to DAY - 170) Well, the word is out! American Idol finalist and new country artist, Chase Likens officially recorded "Caught In A Storm" and he's releasing it as his first single on Nashville radio. Woo hoo!!! :) Fingers crossed and prayers said that Chase takes it straight to the top of the charts! Follow the link above to check out the demo we pitched him. The song was written with co-writer and President of Demolition Music Publishing, Jon D'Agostino as well as young and talented artist/songwriter, Abigail Nyman. So pumped. Let's keep the momentum!
Speaking of keeping the momentum...I'm going to Key West next week for the Key West Songwriter's Festival, hosted by BMI! Even though, I'm an ASCAP writer, Jon D'Agostino invited me to join him and Demolition Music Pub songwriter, Adam Searan for the trip. 3 nonstop days of writing, networking and checking out shows. Nashville's best will be there, songwriter's and industry folks alike. Needless to say, I couldn't turn it down. I leave next Wednesday...can't wait!
Speaking of keeping the momentum...I'm going to Key West next week for the Key West Songwriter's Festival, hosted by BMI! Even though, I'm an ASCAP writer, Jon D'Agostino invited me to join him and Demolition Music Pub songwriter, Adam Searan for the trip. 3 nonstop days of writing, networking and checking out shows. Nashville's best will be there, songwriter's and industry folks alike. Needless to say, I couldn't turn it down. I leave next Wednesday...can't wait!
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