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“
...So when the moon is yellow, And the sky is cool,
If passion is always kind, How can love be cruel?...”
J.D. Souther
I went to Nashville for Tin Pan South again this year;
headed down towards the I-65 with my excellent co-writing
friends, Helena Kameka & Kristi Magraw. We saw &
heard some great songs from the likes of Annie Tate,
Jedd Hughes, Carolyn Dawn Johnson but the best show
of all was Friday night with Rodney Crowell, Shawn Colvin
& J.D. Souther. Wow! Incredible: amazing songs,
beautiful singing & guitar-playing, (Shawn plays
mighty fine). One of the best shows I’ve ever
been to.
It was exciting to win First Place in the Blues Category
of The
International Songwriting Competition “The
Honey I Want” is a song I’m really
proud of and Betty
& The Bobs have just recorded a fine version
of it. They’ll be releasing their CD sometime
very soon.
I
attended Songposium (a Songwriters Association of Canada
event) on March 12th which was very enlightening. Ralph
Murphy (VP of ASCAP Nashville) gave a riveting seminar
on Songwriting Tips, John Capek taught us about the
importance of melodic hooks & Jodie Ferneyhough
led us through a maze of publishing information. Later,
Lisa DalBello joined the others for a panel that critiqued
a number of song demos from the participants. They gave
solid advice & insightful comments. So glad I attended
(with two more excellent co-writing friends, Janet MacEwen
& George Axon).
Also
participated in The PowerSong Co-Writing Workshop weekend
(another SAC event) March 19th & 20th, led by Stan
Meissner & Warren Pash. It was an invigorating weekend,
writing with people I had just met and with some I knew
rather well (Helena K. was there as well & we wrote
a song with Eugene Williams, “I Just Wanna Dance”,
that we think is really good).
My
gorgeous cat & companion of nearly 15 years, Wynton,
died in early January. This was a very great loss and
it’s taken a long time to accept that I have no
animal company in my house with me (except for the occasional
rat!).
Most
of my time these days is spent writing & co-writing,
completing & demo-ing songs and I’m really
enjoying myself. It feels like spring is right around
this grey Toronto corner & I’m ready to rock!
What
I’m listening to:
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Wynonna
– Collection
I’ve been teaching myself “No One Else
On Earth” ‘cause it’s such a cool
tune & fun to play and sing. “Only Love”
is beautiful and, of course, “Girls With Guitars”
is mandatory. |
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U2
– How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb
“Hello, hello, I’m in a place called
vertigo”, that’s me.............. |
What
I’m reading:
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“Driving
Over Lemons” – Chris Stewart
One naive Brit’s adventure’s buying
a home in the South of Spain; lots of sheep-shearing
and wine drinking! |
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“Shake
Hands With The Devil” – Lgen Roméo
Dallaire
I’ve just started reading his painful story.
I was in Bosnia in 1995, singing for the Canadian
UN Peacekeepers and I remember how depressing it
was to be in a land where people are killing each
other & how frustrating it was for the soldiers
trying to maintain a sense of peace. |
What
I’m watching on The Big Screen:
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“Closer”
Excellent cast, a lot of eye candy (Clive Owen),
stage script not so well adapted for film, great
direction (Mike Nicholls).
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“Ray"
Engrossing story of the man & Jamie Foxx is
simply incredible. |
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“Sideways"
“Sideways” put a fantastic ensemble
cast together with a unique story, add some grapes
that have been refined, keep it believable &
voila! a fine bordeaux to be consumed right now.
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