Welcome

TV commercial jingles… 60-70’s rock… folk… heavy metal… punk rock: if musical influences were a sandwich, for singer-songwriter Michael Ash, these styles would be the listed ingredients. And he would, as his favorite quote by Warren Zevon states, “Enjoy every sandwich.”

Unlike modern times, where listeners enjoy a myriad of choices when it comes to media, Michael Ashe grew up in a simpler time when stations and styles were limited. “Growing up we had music in the house and radio in the car. I can remember sitting in the back seat of my Mom and Dad’s Olds listening to 60-70’s rock on the radio while driving to antique shops in rural parts of Illinois with my Mom and Grandmother. There was not a ton of variety in the songs the stations played, so I was able to memorize lyrics, or some warped childhood form of what I thought the lyrics were, then repeat them over and over again each hour as they came on. I can remember singing those songs, and identifying with the ‘hook’ of each song.”

When not listening to the radio, a limited number of TV stations were likewise available. Ashe remembered, “I watched quite a bit of television growing up as well, so the jingles from those commercials were swimming around in my head a lot. To this day I still find myself singing the jingles from toy commercials from the 70’s and early 80’s; whether it was a commercial advertising a cowboy action doll – Dusty, Dusty, Dusty.. riding Nugget, Nugget, Nugget… they’re riding East, riding West, now it’s time to take a rest – or from Empire Carpet- which at the time was only a Chicagoland company.. 588-2300 Empi-i-i-i-ire. Those songs and lyrics were sticky; I still remember them today, so they clearly had an impact.”

Ashe’s extended family also were an influence in the development of his style. “My Uncle Curt was a powerful force in my creative life. He was an amazing artist and painter who introduced me to the Beat poets, R. Crumb, and some incredible songwriters: Bob Dylan, Leonard Cohen, Neil Young, J. J. Cale, and Dave Van Ronk just to name a few. Curt had an amazing record collection, painted all his life, and created an amazing body of work throughout his career. I was very close to Curt. He taught me many things in life.”

Having parents who loved music added another layer to the musical influences and choices of Ashe. “I remember at a very young age dancing to Fleetwood Mac and the Eagles, Doobie Brothers and Allman Brothers with my Mom on the white shag carpet in our living room. I was 6 or 7 and remember being moved by the music such that I would dance around and play air guitar for hours.”

The most logical instrument to learn would have been the one already in his house: a piano. “My mom had a piano, and my Dad played acoustic guitar. I showed an interest and an ear for hammering on some chords on the piano around this time, so my Mother got piano lessons for me. I took piano lessons, but hated it. I always had a love for the guitar, so on my 9th birthday my Dad bought my brother and I a 1966 Fender Musicmaster II which I still have today.”

Ashe also recalled how his family musical experiences shaped him as a writer. “My Dad played folks songs on the guitar and was one of ten kids, so during family gatherings the guitar would come out, and we would sit around and sing, laugh, and tell jokes. I liked the stories that those songs told whether it was Stewball, the Racehorse or Charlie, on the M.T.A. I listened closely to those lyrics and felt them. I knew that music had power to move people, and I understood that at an early age.”

With such an auspicious start, one might imagine that Ashe’s formative years were spent impressing his friends with his musical prowess, but in elementary school, he took a different road. “I started probably by being the class clown in school, making up funny lyrics to popular songs to get my friends to crack-up. This was something I liked to do even as a 4th and 5th grader.” He also added, “I did like to sing in the choir at school and had a music teacher that was really cool. She was ‘hippy-cool’ and had long-haired friends that would play at our seasonal concerts. She took music seriously, was a solid piano player, and wrote original songs that we performed – which I thought was really cool.”

Later, Ashe’s influences broadened to include the music of the changing times. “When I moved to Issaquah, in high school, in the mid 80’s, my brother and I both played guitar and listened to hard rock and metal. I met Blake and Chad Cook who played music and liked metal and punk rock. Chad and I played freshman high school football together, and we both loved the Ramones and became friends. Blake was a hyperactive kid that could play the drums like Animal from the Muppets, so naturally we started a garage band called BOT.”

Using the skills acquired in his early years, Ashe began to compose. “I wrote simple rock riffs and started writing songs at 15. Chad played bass. We had our first performance at a grange hall in Kirkland, where barbershop quartets used to practice and perform, called Skippers (now condos). That was our/my first performance on stage with a band doing our own music.

BOT had some early success and we were industrious kids, making our own tapes, creating the artwork, and selling them at Fallout Records in Seattle. I was DIY in the punk rock spirit. We were written up in Maximum Rock and Roll magazine and were featured on a Northwest Hardcore Compilation album that included the Melvins. That was a really cool thing for a bunch of kids from Issaquah. It really motivated us to perform and write more. The band performed and stayed together through the 90’s even when each of us attended separate colleges. I went to Western Washington University, Chad went to Central, and Blake, Evergreen. When we as a band weren’t able to perform, I started playing open mics with an acoustic guitar and writing songs solo.”

As a writer now performing as a solo act, Ashe’s writing process has developed. “It’s certainly changed over the years, but much like the circular themes from those TV commercials, it often starts with a phrase. This can be a musical phrase, a little riff/run on the guitar that I scat nonsense to until words start forming, or a quote or soundbite I hear on NPR in the morning that gets me thinking. I have notebooks, old envelopes, and scraps of paper that I scribble lyrics on. These ideas or themes sometimes go nowhere, they sometimes take months to develop, or in those great flashes, come together while I have my guitar in hand.”

Within that process, though, a thread continues to be woven that part of the fabric of his early years: storytelling. “I try to convey the story and feeling in the song with simplicity in mind. I’m typically sharing my music in small places, so there should be an intimacy to the music. I will try to write from an honest place, a feeling, or a landscape that conveys an emotion or strikes a memory.”

Like many artists, Ashe pulls inspiration often from his own life, in difficult times as well as times of beauty. “There was a time when I didn’t write, or hardly wrote at all. When I got divorced and really went through difficult times, I relied on my music and writing to help me heal, mourn, and push through. This pain and loss is something that we all feel, as are the lessons and insight we gain from living through those experiences. Learning, growth, new beginnings, joy, and loss are part of the human experience. Good honest music and songs are able to get at those themes and draw people in. I try to do that with lyrical phrasing and with melody in my writing.”

But it is not just the painful experiences of life that inspire Ashe. “I’m inspired by lots of things – the beauty of the natural world especially here in the Northwest. I, like many, am disgusted with the direction that our country is headed and the complete insanity of our leadership. I’m inspired by stories of justice being served, and believe deeply in honor, compassion, and equality. I’m inspired by the common, and oftentimes painful, experience of being human, by love and friendship.”

Like his father before him, Ashe has also had an influence on his own son, who inspires him as well. “I’m certainly inspired by my son Rowan who is an incredible musician, writer, and producer. He is 17 and is already a heavyweight. Everyone should check out Rowan Skye on YouTube.”

Self-reflective and transparent about his own challenges, Ashe’s struggles are mostly internal. “I’m impatient and I’m my own worst critic. I think most human beings are, by the way, but as a writer I found that forcing an idea usually results in a throw-away song. It’s challenging when you want to produce and feel like the content is missing. Learning to be patient as a writer is a big challenge.” He has found somewhat of a fix for this, however. “When I hit those writing blocks I will typically learn someone else’s song or push myself to learn a new chord progression. I listen to more music when I’m blocked as well.”

Beyond the writing process, Michael Ashe expressed some instrumental hurdles as well. “I’ve never considered myself to be a great guitar player. I’m a good rhythm guy, and I think I have a style or sound that is mine, which is great – but I strive to understand the instrument better. Perhaps one day I’ll be able to play Eruption like Eddie Van Halen.”

While Ashe’s youth was spent in a simpler time, the current times have changed to the extent that, “As an unsigned musician, it’s a challenge to play places around Seattle. In the 90’s we (BOT) played all the time in Seattle because there were live music venues that offered places to play. You even got paid in those days! Although I’m not playing hard rock/grunge or punk anymore, it’s a challenge to find places to play outside of open mics. I think that’s a function of the times and the internet pulling on people’s attention span. Additionally, there is just a lot of music out there. It’s very difficult to cut through the clutter and/or even be heard.”

Songwriters who are just starting out, however, will find that the advice Ashe gives is the same as what he himself practices: “Keep it simple, keep it honest. There is beauty in simplicity. Nobody has ever hummed an Yngwie Malmsteen song. Write as much as you can, and hone your craft. I’d also suggest playing out as much as possible.”

Ashe has also found that Songwriters in Seattle has also been a major factor in his development as an artist. “I’ve found the community of SiS to be inspiring and welcoming in so many ways. There have been events in people’s homes – casual meet-ups where folks can share ideas and songs. It’s been a great experience, and I’ve met some really great, talented people. Had it not been for SiS, I may well have only been playing music to the spiders in my basement.”

Though the current times are rife with digital production options for artists, Ashe’s next project will harken back to the sounds of his youth. “I’m really interested in the idea of a seven-inch. Vinyl is popular again, and I love the old punk rock seven-inch with four songs on it and plenty of room for artwork. I’ve struck up a friendship with Michael Connolly who owns Empty Sea Studios here in Seattle. Michael is just a great person, with an excellent ear and is a multi-instrumentalist and producer. I recorded a record, Autumn Road, there in 2015 and had a really great experience with Michael. That’s next.”

Like one of his favorite writers, Ashe has been “enjoying every sandwich” along his musical journey and evolution. Ashe remembered, “I loved Warren Zevon’s sense of humor and irony. I wasn’t really familiar with Warren Zevon’s work outside of ‘Werewolves of London’ until I met Jill Gross, my partner-in-crime and fantastic singer who sings with me on Autumn Road. I watched a documentary years ago of the making of his last album while he was in the last stages of battling cancer and heard this quote during a late interview on Letterman.”

For singer-songwriter Michael Ashe, that “Enjoy every sandwich” philosophy of Zevon permeates his lyrics and music. “As I get older, I think it’s important to feel those moments and understand where you are, who you are with, and what you are experiencing, and enjoy them. I don’t think I appreciated them as much as I do now.” Now, with the soul of a poet and a guitar to express the words, he is sharing those moments with the Pacific Northwest Community so we too can enjoy every musical meal.

https://www.facebook.com/michaelashemusic/
http://www.michaelashemusic.com

How many of us struggle to be completely free of self incrimination as we forge our own paths as writers and song artists?

Speaking for myself, and for others I know, continuing the process of writing and learning is a key element to growing our deeper artistic selves, that marvelous thing we feel compelled to do. Yet, simultaneously, we put ourselves out there again and again wondering if we’ve got it ‘right’, if our message is getting across, taking a win here, a loss there, perhaps finding a sweet spot in the hearts of our audience. Everything we can take in to help us in this process, is exactly what the Songwriters in Seattle Learning Series is all about.

On October 8, 2017, Songwriters in Seattle will be presenting a special Learning Series Workshop featuring Freebo. If you’re similar in age to yours truly, you’ll recognize his name as having played, recorded, and toured with folks such as Bonnie Raitt, Crosby Stills & Nash, Neil Young, and many other artists we know and love. And he’s a well known folk songwriter in his own right, being recognized as Best Folk Artist of 2007 by the Los Angeles Music Awards. Why, he’s even appeared on The Muppet Show; a claim to fame that’s amazing all on its own.

This hybrid workshop will cover various topics of songwriting, arrangement, and performance. He provides specific tools and hints, all within the context of honoring your own special gifts as a writer. As he explains, “In a world of judgement and criticism, we are filled with the voices of others telling us how to be. In this workshop, I help you to find your own voice, figuratively and literally.”

He’ll have you play a verse and a chorus of your song, show you what’s working, what’s not working, and will suggest helpful ideas on how to make your song better without changing its inherent essence. He may suggest ideas to use alternative chords, solidify the structure, address stage fright, preparation, tools, timing, and pace. How do you communicate and reach your audience? You become one with them!

To get a better sense, here’s some great feedback from other artists who’ve attended Freebo’s Song Doctor workshops:

“The Sunday workshop transcended something therapeutic, it became a spiritual journey for me. I have never attended a songwriters workshop that has induced such interpersonal and introspective reflections encouraging each of us to acknowledge and honor one’s creative self.”
Phillip Beasley
Memphis Songwriters Association

“First of all, I want to say, what a marvelous experience I had. I love the casual feeling and openness you created for us. Telling your story up front opened the door for all of us to walk in and safely share ours. Talking about creative oppressors really encouraged us to put aside our egos and focus on the song!”
Bob Bost

So I hope as many of our members as possible take advantage of this great learning experience. RSVP on the meetup event page now and save your spot.

Seating is limited!

What has been your songwriting journey?

Girls, unrequited love, heartbreak, and misery put me where I am today, lol! Same as many songwriters, I think. Seriously though, I got into music when I was around 10 and I always paid attention to the lyrics, even when I had no idea what they meant. I still do, and still often have no idea what they mean. Sometimes words just have a good flow or sound good together. It’s the same with my own songwriting sometimes.

I first just started writing my feelings about girls when I was around 14 or so. For me, it was pretty much always unrequited so it made for good songwriting fodder. My writing my feelings always took the form of verses. I started on guitar around the same time also, so I tried to put chords to lyrics and vice versa. For me, songs always started with lyrics, because I knew how to speak. Guitar was still pretty hard for me. It still can be. I wrote two or three hundred songs in my teens. I still have all of them. They are awful.

Years later, I realized that writing all those horrible songs was just me learning how to write songs. Once I caught a good one, I knew the difference. Then the good ones started coming more frequently. Then, I was off and running. I still had trouble sometimes figuring out if a song was good or bad (still do now, sometimes), but as the years have gone by, I have built up a body of work of good songs. I have over 100 in my “Good Songs” folder in my computer, and that is probably a little generous. Some of them might not be that great, but I have a lot of good ones. Well over 50.

I’ve written a few different ways, but it almost always starts with a phrase or an idea just popping into my head. I’ve tried a couple of songwriting workshops with prompts and games, and so far I’m completely unsuccessful in that realm. I find some of the SiS song circle critiques helpful and woodshedding with one close friend, Tom Humphreys, who just joined SiS.

I once read an interview with Tom Petty who said he’d be listening to the radio in the car or something and start singing his own words to the song’s melody. Then when he has a guitar he’ll try and figure it out and invariably get it wrong. Then he has his own song. I’ve done that a lot. Keith Richards talks about just having his antenna up to receive them; that they are just floating around in the air and it’s up to us to be open to receive them, like a gift. That makes a lot of sense to me.

I still go long streaks without writing any songs. I can’t really force myself to write a song, but when I start one, I almost always have to finish it in the first sitting. I can go back and edit or revise or rewrite later, but I have this idea that I’ll lose it if I don’t take it when it comes, or that I’ll lose interest in it, so I just sit down and write it. That’s not always a good thing. You have to write lines that you know aren’t very good and you’ll have to go back and change later. I have lines in songs over 20 years old that still irk me. Now, I’m better at going back and finding better lines.

Sometimes I write to the rhyme. I don’t like getting stuck in that because it’s the easy way out and doesn’t always suit the song. I also try to show not tell, but sometimes I end up doing the opposite and have to go back and fix it later. I have a problem with mixed metaphors sometimes too. My friend, Tom, always points those out! I basically want to write an expressive 2.5 – 4 minutes worth of a song that sounds good and makes sense. I use very basic chords and structures. I write bridges, but not often. When I challenge myself to use a funky chord, it usually ends up feeling like I’m forcing it and then my brain just takes me back to 1,4,5 (chords in relation to the key) because it always sounds so good. That’s why it’s so common. I throw in a minor to mix things up when it suits the song. I also have a very limited singing voice and one that’s not the most pleasing to everyone, so that often influences my melodies, keys, and chords.

Most of my songs are about me or people (usually women) that I know. Occasionally, I’ve written fiction, or a factual song about someone else (like Captain Cooke). I’d like to get better at fiction and true story songs about people other than me, but every human life is an endless wealth of song ideas. We’re so multi-faceted and always growing and changing. I still pride myself on not writing too many love or relationship songs. I do write them and have written good ones, but there’s so much to write songs about. I really listen for that also when I listen to other songwriters. I like to hear songs about lots of different subjects.

I have lots of my songs, and another 20 on the way, at www.braintwang.bandcamp.com. All except the ones from Armadillo Borealis (my first band) are home recorded, and all but three of those were recorded by me.

 

What led you to become a host of an open mic?

This is an easy one. I just started thinking about all the SiS showcases around town. There isn’t one in Ballard and I thought “I could do that!” I knew the venue. Grumpy’s has hosted all my guitar student recitals so I figured they’d be open to hosting the showcases. I started thinking about a time and day that would not conflict with all the other SiS showcases. Also, Grumpy’s schedules shows on Friday and Saturday nights from 7 – 9, so I knew it couldn’t be on one of those nights regardless of clashing with other showcases. I figured this is a good way to get at least one small show in a month and also give songwriters another venue to play in a different part of town (spread ‘em out all over town, ya know) at a very different time and on a different day when people sometimes don’t have much going on.

 

What have been some of the unexpected benefits of taking on this role?

Meeting and hearing new songwriters, and connecting with them, and making new friends that could always lead to more, like a musical collaboration. It just feels good to be a part of something, a part of the community, part of a group of songwriters. I’ve also become more open minded about other people’s songs and about other music genres. As a guitar teacher, you have to like everything, even though I have historically been pretty narrow minded musically. As I train myself to appreciate more and more music, that appreciation becomes more and more sincere. When hosting songwriters, I want to like everyone’s material, so my appreciation for them and their songs becomes more and more sincere as I “fake it till I make it.” It may not be something I’d put on the stereo at home, but I can really see and appreciate lots more aspects of people’s songs now. It’s the same at a song circle critique. I try to find something positive (and still sincere) to say about every song.

 

What skills does someone need to become a host?

I think you need to be really welcoming. You need to be able to put people at ease. You can do that by being friendly and organized. I always send out a welcome email a week or so before the show telling them what to expect, when to show up, what equipment Grumpy’s supplies and asking what they need and how many people are performing with them, if any. I try not to talk at all during their set. I sit front and center and listen with eye contact and smiles to let them know they have support in the audience. In my email to them, I ask them to be prepared to stay through the whole show to support all the songwriters. Finally, I’m always early and prepared.

 

Why might you encourage someone else to give this a try?

It’s fun and you never know what you might get out of it or who you might meet or what connections or friendships you’ll make. We can always use more, good, supportive, and listening venues for songwriters. There are way more songwriters than venues and showcases. The more, the merrier!

Do you ever get the feeling that you’re not getting what you want from your performances? Or that your audiences aren’t either? If that sounds familiar to you, you can rest assured that you’re not alone.

I’ve taught live performance master classes for many years in a wide variety of settings, and I can tell you that every class is full of people who want to perform their songs in an authentic and compelling way but feel that something is interfering with their ability to do just that.

This common dilemma shows up in my classes in a lot of different ways. Sometimes I’ll see people who don’t know what to do with their nervous energy, and with some tips they begin to feel focused and grounded. Sometimes people will sing their own songs without being certain of what exactly they’re trying to say, and some guided exploration sharpens the picture for them. Sometimes they’re not aware that something’s going on that puts distance between them and the audience, and some supportive direction is all that’s needed to make that connection happen.

What’s great about the master class format is the atmosphere of support and safety that’s created by everyone, whether they are there to participate or to observe. I don’t allow video recording in my classes, because I want participants to feel free to try things and not have to worry that what they’ve done will show up later on YouTube or Facebook. I also ask people to make sure their comments and reactions to each other are positive, because it’s not always easy to get up and take risks in front of our peers, so we need to be generous with each other.

People share with me all the time what they’ve gotten from this experience (as you can see from the sampling of comments below), and even though their feedback is as individual as they are, it all adds up to the same thing: a greater awareness of what it’s possible to experience as a performing songwriter.

You put a lot of effort into crafting your songs, so you might as well come to your gigs with clear intentions and a deep understanding of what you’re sharing. Then your songs – and your audiences – will get the performances they deserve. And so will you.

 

Some sample comments:

“Under Vicki’s guidance we watched competent performers transform into outstanding performers in a matter of minutes, and when it was our turn to perform she gave us clear direction that instantly increased our audience engagement.”
—Graydon James and Laura Spink (Graydon James and The Young Novelists, Toronto)

“To have such a calm and unassuming woman perform such feats of transformation before our eyes was unexpected, and truly amazing. In a matter of minutes, Vicki had musicians’ faces and body language harmonizing with their voice and music. We witnessed first-hand the difference it can make in engaging your audience.”
—Crystal Hariu-Damore and Pete Damore (Ordinary Elephant, permanently on tour)

“Vicki displays a vast knowledge of what it means to put on an intriguing show. She knows what makes music interesting to an audience, and it was fascinating to watch artists blossom under her tutelage. She skillfully highlights the traits that define a particular musician or song, and builds on them until the performance becomes the very best that it can be.”
—Jenna Leigh Doll and Shelby Doll (The Doll Sisters, Alberta)

“Working with Vicki is inspiring – at times it feels like magic.”
—Dan Weber (Vancouver, WA)

 

“Playing a real song is like keeping a wild animal for a pet: gorgeous and terrifying, it lives in your house, but it is never really yours…” Kristen Hersh – Rat Girl.

Pacific Northwest singer/songwriter Erin Jordan, inspired by this favorite quote, has sought that “real song” through the eyes of a poet first and then tamed the words with piano and guitar. Jordan remembered, “When I was in high school the two things I really liked to do and felt I was good at were singing and writing poetry and short stories.” But even before then, Erin was drawn into her own musical world by songs of mystery. “I remember being very affected by music during my childhood. One of my first memories of really liking a song was hearing “Rhiannon” by Fleetwood Mac in the car when I was six or seven and imagining that the song was being sung by a witch. I had no idea what Stevie Nicks really looked like! I also remember hearing “50 Ways to Leave Your Lover” by Paul Simon when I was nine and having the song stuck in my head for weeks. I thought it was super creepy!”

Like many other songwriters, family influence was instrumental in her development as a writer. “My dad listened to a lot of music I still really like – Cat Stevens, Van Morrison, Tom Waits, The Doors, and a lot of classical music. I was also involved in school musicals and community theatre starting at an early age and loved show-tunes, so I would say I had a lot of positive early life experiences that helped me form the relationship I have with music today. As a result, she reflected, “I realized I really wanted to write my own songs when I was a senior in high school.”

This writing muse, however, was blocked by the lack of an instrument. “I had a strong desire to write my own songs, but my earlier stints with piano lessons and flute had not worked out so well. I really wanted to learn to play guitar. There was a guitar class at my school, but all the ‘punk rock guys’ took it, and my silly high school self was too intimidated to take it. I was very shy and really lacked self-confidence. I knew I would figure the whole ‘how to become a singer-songwriter’ thing out when I went to college.”

In what would become a self-fulling prophecy, Jordan did in fact begin her songwriting career in college as her dreams of playing guitar came to fruition. “I met a kindred spirit a week into my freshman year who helped me pick out my first guitar at the local pawn shop and taught me how to play it. Playing guitar came very naturally to me, and I soon started writing my first songs and playing them at open mics in my college town.”

Surprisingly, her new skills on guitar positively affected her previous lack of success on piano. “I majored in Music Education, and passing a piano proficiency exam was a graduation requirement. So I had to learn piano whether I liked it or not! Learning piano the second time around was much easier since I understood how chord structure worked from playing guitar and taking some music theory classes.”

Erin’s shyness and lack of self-confidence that hampered her high school experience were challenged head-on after her graduation from college. Armed with her newfound instrumental and songwriting skills, she began performing seriously in Chicago. “I played a lot of open mics – which was great for getting over stage-fright and meeting other musicians to play with. I started playing at bars and coffee shops in Chicago, solo and as part of a duo.”

Deepening her skills as a performer, she expanded into becoming an open mic host at “a dive bar called The Inner Town Pub. Having to perform an opening set every week and run the PA for everyone really helped to boost my confidence as performer and member of my music community. On the weekends, I went and played in other towns in the Midwest. I played at a lot at Border’s Books. I have since dropped almost all of those songs from my repertoire, but those early days of ‘being a musician’ were a really magical and exciting time.”

Now fully immersed in her career as a music educator, songwriter, and mother to two children, Jordan’s songwriting process has evolved from those early times of magic and mystery. “My writing pace is very slow these days because I have two young children. I try to go out to my practice space in the garage and work a few nights a week after they go to sleep, but if I don’t it is not a big deal. I never force a song or try to write when I am uninspired.”

Though Erin’s love of words is expressed in her passion for poetry, instrumentation has moved to the front stage of the writing process. “My songs generally start with music first. I write an instrumental part on guitar or piano. Sometimes lyrics come right away and sometimes I have to put the instrumental part on the back burner to simmer until I am inspired to write the lyrics that are a match for that song. I try to always carry my journal with me so that when the muse visits at an inconvenient time, I can at least write down my ideas. I also have a mental list of topics or characters I want to explore.”

Like many creatives, Jordan shares a love of creating but not so much a love for the business end of the music industry. “I am naturally an introvert, so dealing with the business end – booking shows, promoting the shows, selling merch, collecting the money, asking people to sign my email list – has always been hard for me.”

In addition, because Erin is a storyteller, finding venues that encourage listening from the audience is a struggle. “I am really into lyrics and love the storytelling aspect of songwriting. That said, not everyone wants to hear your story. Some people at the bar want to drink and talk to their friends. Some people at the coffee shop want to do whatever they are doing on their laptop. I have always found it to be challenging to keep on playing and trying to make the connection with people under all circumstances. I guess that’s why I’ve learned a lot of covers to slip in. Lure them back in with “Wild Horses”… I know I am going in the right direction when I looked out and see people who are engaged and talk to them after the show.”

Other personal challenges affect her songwriting life as well. “Right now, having a family, being a music teacher, and still writing and playing shows is definitely a balancing act, but I make it work.” And there is an upside to being a mom and a working songwriter. Jordan reflected, “I know I am doing something right when my six-year-old requests a song and then interrogates me about what the lyrics mean for 15 minutes. Kids are always honest.”

As life has changed for her personally, Jordan has also evolved as a songwriter. Initially, Erin’s songs were more personal. “I used to write more based on personal experience, but I have to say, I’ve gotten bored with myself over the years! I really like writing from the perspective of a character. Of course, there is always a piece of me in that character – a big piece of me.”

Now she is inspired by characters in history. “I love infamous characters, because there is a little piece of them in all of us. Some people I’ve written songs about have been Tonya Harding and Joan Vollmer, the wife of William S. Burroughs who died in a tragic game of William Tell. I am also inspired by mythology and novels I’ve read.”

As for her future endeavors, “For the past six years I have been working on a song cycle based on Greek Mythology. I would like to finish that and record it. I have also been working on writing a musical based on the story of Echo and Narcissus that contains some of the songs in the song cycle. I am a music teacher with Seattle Public Schools, so it would be great to workshop it at a local high school since it is such a teenage story.”

As a songwriter and as someone who works with young musicians as a career, Jordan’s advice to would be songwriters is simple and straightforward. “Write what you want to – develop your own style by doing what seems right to you. Songwriting is a great break from having to follow rules all day!”

But that process does not happen in a vacuum. Erin has found that her best resource is “going to open mics and meeting other musicians. There are plenty of people in every local music community who are great resources on performing, booking shows, touring… anything you’d want to know. There are lots of people in Songwriters in Seattle who could tell you anything you want to know!”

Whether tackling poetry, a song, a musical, or any project that comes her way, Jordan has not let the second half of her favorite quote from Rat Girl deter her from her vision. It reads, “It is an honor to stand next to this Beast, and at the same time, you know it can kill you.” Jordan has stared down that Beast, and she is still standing, fearless and prolific, drawn to the mystery, the myth, and the poetry of the human experience.

Imagine two floors of a major hotel reverberating with a variety of “unplugged” music flowing out of rooms and down the hallways in an ever-shifting scene until the wee hours of the morning. Then imagine a hotel conference room turned into a first class performance venue with artists chosen from a pool of some of the best local and national, and in some cases, international artists. In October, this is what will transpire at the Hyatt Regency in Bellevue at the 2017 FAR-West Folk Alliance Conference, and on that Official Showcase stage will be a longtime member of SiS and the Pacific Northwest songwriting community: Larry Murante.

According to Bill Lippe, a member of the FAR-West selection team, “Each applicant for an Official Showcase submitted three videos of live performances that were evaluated by judges from a variety of backgrounds, including folk DJs, house concert presenters, venue bookers, seasoned musicians, and music aficionados. Artists were rated for musicianship, vocal ability, song choice, performance quality, and audience rapport. Larry, one of the most respected singer-songwriters in the Pacific Northwest, is one of twelve acts chosen for an Official Showcase from a large pool of talented applicants.”

Murante, who had previously been chosen for FAR-West official showcases both nationally and internationally, is well aware of the benefits of being chosen. “Getting an official showcase gives one an opportunity to get in front of a lot of regional folks who might not ever get a chance to see you up close and personal through a large PA system on a large stage.”

Long known for his songwriting craft and performance skills, it is his storytelling that captures listeners. In his biography it is noted that, “Though his songs are cleanly structured, he rarely writes himself into a tight formal box, and you can feel his narrator’s eye moving across the landscape like a great, kind-hearted novelist who stops to probe gently into each of his characters and their desires (sometimes his own) before moving on to the next scene.”

This love of storytelling began with his exposure to an emerging genre in music: the singer-songwriter. “I was in high school in the early ’70’s when the singer songwriter genre first got started with James Taylor, CSNY, Jackson Browne, Bonnie Raitt, Elton John and Bernie Taupin, The Eagles, John Prine, and others who were writing songs about their personal experiences in a very profound way.”

He reflected, “My writing today is still very influenced by that period. I really didn’t start writing my own songs until about a decade later when I first starting following artists like Shawn Colvin, Greg Browne, John Gorka, and David Wilcox. To see them carry an audience all by themselves with just their voice and their guitar was pure poetry to me and made me want to be a better writer, a better player, and a better entertainer. This new form of performance was sort of like a cross between comedy, acting, and musicianship all wrapped up into one neat little package. I was hooked…”

As a writer, Murante’s songwriting process borders on a spiritual experience. “Writing songs is always a cathartic journey for me, because I tend to write about personal experiences, or people I know. Songwriting forces me to think deeply about what I’m writing about and puts a laser focus onto things. I learn a great deal while I am writing because I am often times researching a topic, or a person as I’m writing. Songwriting is as close to mediation as I get and it’s a very ‘Zen’ sort of thing for me to do.”

The influences of other art forms are ever present in the songs stylings of Murante. “Other writers inspire me as well and not just songwriters, but prose writers and poets, even painters, sculptors, playwrights, and especially nature. Visiting Pennsylvania where I grew up and lived up to 1982 and seeing my family and friends there have also inspired many a song.”

A lifelong love of observation and learning is evident when listening to Murante’s music, but his listeners are also drawn to his stage presence. Perhaps that is because Murante works on his performance skills as passionately as his songwriting. “As a performer, I’m constantly learning the nuances of performing, using dynamics, using silence, telling a succinct story in my introductions, reading the crowd, relaxing on stage and having fun. Like learning guitar, there is no end to the learning curve of performing and songwriting.”

With the FAR-West Conference so close to home, Pacific Northwest songwriters have a unique opportunity to perhaps attend for the first time, and Murante has some advice for those who are thinking about attending. “The conference is a challenge in many ways, especially if this is your first one. It takes some preparation getting your promotional materials ready, deciding what kind of advertising you will do, how many showcases you will partake in, etc.”

However, self-promotion is not the goal of the FAR-West experience. Murante added, “It’s good to be prepared, but don’t spend all your time and energy promoting yourself. The best advice I’ve ever been given concerning the conference is to make as many connections as possible with people, not only venues, but with other musicians and vendors of all stripes. These connections have served me well over the years and just knowing someone in another state where you are planning a tour could make all the difference in the world.”

Private Guerilla Showcase Rooms are another essential part of the FAR-West experience, which happen from 10:30 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. every night in a variety of rooms throughout the two floors. Murante advises, “There is lots to be learned from watching other acts perform and talking with elder music industry folks who’ve been at it much longer than you. Don’t get discouraged if you don’t have a large audience at your gorilla showcase.”

Murante speaks from his own experience, “Some of the best connections I’ve made at FAR-West were with that one person who popped into my empty showcase room and stayed for the duration. I once did a showcase where Rosalie Sorrels and Cloud Moss (Producer of the Kate Wolf Festival) were the only people in the audience. Yes, I was nervous!”

Larry Murante is an artist whose music has resonated with listeners around the globe. According to a Victory Music Review, he has “…a beautiful, smoky, full-bodied voice, and he’s known everywhere he goes for his vocal command and soulful, expressive delivery.” This October, that voice and those compelling performance skills will be deservedly featured on the mainstage at FAR-West. It is a performance you will not want to miss.

 

Learn more about Larry Murante:

Grand Prize Winner – John Lennon Songwriting Contest
Winner – West Coast Songwriters Song Contest
Two-time Newfolk Finalist – Kerrville Folk Festival
…and 25 more regional, national, and international awards for songwriting and performance

Larry Murante’s Official Website
Larry Murante on Facebook
Larry Murante on Reverbnation
Larry Murante on Twitter
Larry Murante on Youtube

 

Learn more about FAR-West Folk Alliance:

This regional conference offers an affordable, intimate, and interactive way for acoustic artists and presenters to focus on the folk community in the western region of the US and Canada. We welcome a wide variety of styles, levels, and disciplines, encouraging musical and cultural diversity and excellence.

Sign up:
http://www.far-west.org/far-west-2017.html

 

In case you don’t know, we local singer-songwriters have a terrific opportunity coming up in October. The Western Folk Alliance is holding their yearly singer-songwriter conference here in Seattle, and Songwriters in Seattle will have it’s own performance showcase this year! We are hoping to display as many of our own performers as there are slots available, but you need to register to perform.

The showcase will be open three nights during the conference, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday from 10:30 PM – 2:00 AM and we can have 7 people perform each night. Yes, it’s late. But you’d be surprised how when there, everyone’s enjoying so much music , performing and/or popping into various showcases, that it feels like a wonderful nightly music party. Each room has snacks, and a theme.

The conference is for musicians wanting to be seen, venue operators looking for musicians to book, people wanting to learn how to hold house concerts, or to book ones for an already established venue, etc. It’s also for songwriters wanting to bump up their game. Additionally, this year one of our own SiS member, Larry Murante, will be featured in an official juried showcase at the conference.  (Stay tuned for Char Seawell’s interview with him in our September issue).

This event is regional for the Western US and occurs yearly in rotation in Southern California, Northern California, Oregon, and Washington state. It occurred in Bellevue last year (Hyatt Regency – also home to the Wintergrass festival), and this is it’s last appearance here for a while to come. As someone completely new to this event who attended for the first time last year, I can tell you without reservation that it inspired me to improve my songwriting craft tenfold, plus has afforded me the chance to get to know many more talented folks within our songwriting community; both in SiS and out there on their own.

There are panels, workshops, a banquet, other meals, official showcases in a ballroom, and the infamous ‘guerrilla showcases’ which take place in private hotel rooms that line two hallways worth. These are hosted performance showcases which ANY registrant can apply to play in. As purely an audience person last year, I will tell you that attending these felt reminiscent of what Tin Pan Alley must have sounded like in the days of Gershwin; beautiful original music coming out of one doorway after another, though in this case, the tones were a lot more dulcet than the bright pianos being pounded on back then.

Recently I interviewed Joel Tepp, a well-known music presence we’re lucky to have in our community, who’s been involved in Far West for a number of years, and is now serving on the board. Perhaps something you read here will give you an idea why I strongly encourage our members to register and come out for this. **

AG: Joel, when did you start attending FAR-West?
JT: My first conference was in 2006 in Sacramento and I haven’t missed one since.

AG: What makes it worth your while to go?
JT: I go to see my old friends, meet new ones, and learn about all manner of relevant information which applies to my life as a musician. I hear new acts and meet venue operators who can afford me performance opportunities throughout the Western US.
While I don’t go specifically to make a return on my registration, every year I’ve gotten far more income from future work than the cost of attending. This may or may not be the same for everyone but I’ve also learned new things, tried new songs, and most importantly, become inspired to put more into the musical part of my life. The financial payback is just icing on the cake.
I meet artists from other cities who help me book venues when I play in their towns, I get hired by these same people when they travel to Puget Sound and want local music backup. I attended a songwriters panel in 2008. Each writer had gold record cuts and some had Grammy wins on their resume. This one event encouraged me in my more recent journey as a writer of my own songs and solo performer. Hearing these top tier songwriters talk about their own insecurities and processes for overcoming them, held tremendous credibility and inspiration for me.

AG: What are some specific opportunities that FAR-West attendance has brought to you?
JT: I served on a panel the first year and, as a result, was approached by two artists who wanted me to play with them. One of them took me as an accompanist to a summer festival in Alaska; one of the best road trips of my life! And, by the way, she got THAT gig from a connection she made at that year’s conference.
Other people have met new songwriting partners, teachers and coaches to help them hone their craft, and new music friends. It’s also just plain FUN. I go every year because it reminds me of all the things I loved about overnight summer camp when I was a kid. It’s an event where I go to recharge my music batteries, to be seen for who I am, and to rediscover my inspiration to feel compelled to create this kind of acoustic music.

Our Songwriters in Seattle showcase room is being co-hosted by myself, Audrey Goodman, and Susan Elliot, a long time SIS member. If you’d like to play in our SIS showcase after you register, please write to Susan ASAP at: colin.elliott98021@comcast.net.

Any other questions, feel free to write me at: music2835@gmail.com.

** there are volunteer opportunities which can result in a rebate of a fair chunk of the fees too.

NOTE FROM EDITOR: This article is an opinion piece written by our own board member, David Guilbault. It does not represent the opinions of our organization as a whole and is meant to inspire thought and discussion. A companion piece, a response, has been submitted by another board member, Todd Christoffel. It is our sincere hope that you will read both pieces and then respond via email to info@songwritersinseattle.com. Lucid responses may be published. 

 

Lennon and McCartney are liars. They wrote, “I give you all my love.” Really? All your love? Can anyone give all their love? Don’t people love their kids? Or pizza? Or golf? Or macramé?

The Temptations sang “You’re My Everything.” Really? Don’t some people cherish their motorcycles, or their wardrobes, or their accomplishments? If so, then the heartthrob of that song is not the writer’s everything.

The Everly Brothers sang one of my favorite songs, written by the brilliant Felice and Boudleaux Bryant, called “Devoted to You.” Um, I don’t think so. Don’t most people spend an awful lot of their time devoted to their work? These songwriters are not telling the truth.

Songwriters tell of giving their souls to their loved ones. Well, if there is such a thing as a soul, it can’t be given, or shared. So, nope. That’s a lie. Lyricists proclaim their affection for their darling one “till the end of time.” Yet, half of marriages end in divorce. Again, the songwriter is untruthful. Songs about the heart are often fantasies, and usually demonstrably false.

Songs about heartbreak, on the other hand, are almost always painfully true. Maybe that’s why I am drawn to break-up songs and not romantic songs. I choose truth over fiction.

The Bryant’s also wrote one of the most honest songs about love, called “Love Hurts.” It starts with these lines:

Love hurts, love scars
Love wounds, and mars
Any heart, not tough
Or strong, enough
To take a lot of pain
Take a lot of pain
Love is like a cloud
Holds a lot of rain
Love hurts, ooh ooh love hurts

This is the truth, laid bare. I invite you to listen to it sung by Gram Parsons and Emmylou Harris from Gram’s “Return of the Grievous Angel” album. Their performance almost always brings me to tears. This is lyrical honesty.

Certainly, as a colleague who reviewed this column before publication noted, songwriters, like all artists, are allowed poetic license. And the artistic expressions of The Beatles, The Temptations, and the Everly Brothers, like all musicians, are likely not meant to be taken literally. So, maybe it’s a bit harsh to label them as liars. On, the other hand, I can’t think of any Dylan songs with similar sentiments.

So, what is truth in songwriting? What love songs strike you as heartfelt and true? How about your own love songs? Are they honest? I’d ‘love’ to hear what you think. Let’s talk about it.

Read Todd Christoffel’s response…