Songsalive! Songsalive! Event Reviews

Guest Speaker, Sandy Kastel, Shares Recording Experiences at Songsalive! Las Vegas Workshop

Mary Lemanski — Wed, 20 Jul 2011 17:48:43 GMT

On July 18th, we had about 12 people attend the Songsalive! Las Vegas workshop. Sandy Kastel gave a fun-filled and outstanding performance on the ins and outs of recording with examples of her personal experience in doing 3 CD’s over the past few years. She gave great feedback to the group once we started the second half of the evening, and everyone had a great time. She was kind enough to give away several CD’s and was a joy to have as a speaker.

NAME OF NEXT EVENT: Las Vegas Workshop
DATE OF NEXT EVENT: Sept. 19, 2011
TIME: 6:00PM – 8:00PM
LOCATION: Sam Ash
COST: $10
SPEAKER: Jamie Hosmer
TOPIC: TBA

Chapter url: http://www.songsalive.org/vegas

Recording Was the Focus of Songsalive! Chicago's July Songwriters Workshop

Mary Lemanski — Thu, 14 Jul 2011 18:00:33 GMT

Songsalive! Chicago's July 9th workshop was very educational. Five people shared their songs with everyone, and they all received quality feedback on their material. Our guest speaker this month was Chicago coordinator, Mary Lemanski. Her topic was “Recording 101 for Songwriters,” and she discussed what an audio engineer does, what to expect in the studio, equipment names and what they do, and various terminology you would hear in the studio. Everyone seemed to learn something new!

NAME OF NEXT EVENT: Showcase
DATE OF NEXT EVENT: July 28, 2011
TIME: 8:00 PM
LOCATION: Heartland Cafe
COST: $5.00
IF SHOWCASE, LIST ARTISTS: Mary Lemanski, Lowell Pries, Daschl

Chapter url: http://www.songsalive.org/chicago

Positive Response by Songwriters to Songsalive! Long Island July Workshop

Mary Lemanski — Mon, 11 Jul 2011 20:37:07 GMT

July 6th was the 3rd workshop for the Long Island Songsalive! Chapter, and it was the BEST and most productive out of all 3 workshops so far. Five people presented a song to be critiqued, and everyone had such a positive response to the workshop. I handed out a 3 page document with certain books I recommend that I’ve read and certain people to check out as well.

NAME OF NEXT EVENT: Workshop
DATE OF NEXT EVENT: Wed, Aug. 3, 2011
TIME: 6:30-8:30PM
LOCATION: Sam Ash
COST: $5 for non-members

Chapter url: http://www.songsalive.org/longisland

Songsalive! Orange County Goes a Little Bit Country at June Workshop

Mary Lemanski — Thu, 07 Jul 2011 01:35:51 GMT

On June 26th, Songsalive! Orange County hosted its monthly workshop. A small meeting this time around, but it was great to see no less than three new faces there. Each of them had some great things to say and some good opinions to present. As only one of the new folks -- General Lee -- brought songs to critique, we took a look at two of his for the sake of compare and contrast. A self-admitted country singer, one of his songs was an over-the-top romantic number with great crossover appeal, and the other was a wall-slamming bit of southern rock. Our host Rod O'Riley kept the theme going by presenting one of his own country songs to finish things up.

NAME OF NEXT EVENT: Songsalive! Orange County Songwriter Showcase
DATE OF NEXT EVENT: 07/19/11 (Tuesday)
TIME: 7:30 pm
LOCATION: Sam Ash Music Store, 14200 Beach Blvd, Westminster, CA 92683
COST: FREE!
SHOWCASE ARTISTS: Our host Rod O'Riley will be performing with his acoustic trio once again. We're also welcoming Michael Vanags, a brand-new -- and very talented -- member of Songsalive.

Chapter url: http://www.songsalive.org/orangecounty

Never a Dull Moment at the Songsalive! Orange County Showcase

Mary Lemanski — Fri, 24 Jun 2011 21:13:48 GMT

Welcoming the new and the... old? Familiar, familiar! This month the Orange County Chapter of Songsalive! welcomed two seasoned performers, one returning and one brand new. First up was Roz Esposito, whom we saw at the Songalive! Winter Holiday show at the The Mint and said "We have GOT to get this lady down to OC!". She didn't disappoint, performing heart-felt songs on guitar and piano and engaging the audience with her wit and her personal connections in between songs. Loved it. Next up was Mike V and his band, returning for another set of bluesy bluster songs -- with Mike out in front on a classic hollow-body electric guitar. But the band switched things up, with everybody trading instruments and everybody getting a chance to sing lead on the songs they wrote. Never a dull moment!

NAME OF NEXT EVENT: Monthly Songwriting Workshop and Critique
DATE OF NEXT EVENT: Sunday, June 26th, 2011
TIME: 7:00 - 9:30 pm
LOCATION: Spires Restaurant, Westminster, California
COST: Free to Songsalive! members, $10.00 for non-members
Hosted by Rod O'Riley. Subject: "The OC Music Scene"

Chapter url: http://www.songsalive.org/orangecounty

Songsalive! Las Vegas Guest Speaker, Mike Candito, Talks the Business of Songwriting

Mary Lemanski — Wed, 22 Jun 2011 16:47:39 GMT

On June 20th, Songsalive! Las Vegas hosted an incredible workshop at Sam Ash. Our guest speaker, Mike Candito was fabulous with sharing his insight on how to approach songwriting as a true business. He shared some of his personal experience he had had in the past when it comes to selling your music to other performers, and he did a wonderful job giving feedback to the songwriters that presented their songs. Everyone got to present and we ended right on time, as usual. Sam Ash’s staff was very accommodating and helpful!

NAME OF NEXT EVENT: Las Vegas Workshop
DATE OF NEXT EVENT: July 18, 2011
TIME: 6:00PM – 8:00PM
LOCATION: Sam Ash
COST: $10
SPEAKER: Sandy Kastel
TOPIC: Don’t Tell Me I Can’t! Finding Your Voice as a Songwriter

Chapter url: http://www.songsalive.org/vegas

Mastering Engineer, Collin Jordan, Guest Speaker at Songsalive! Chicago Workshop

Mary Lemanski — Thu, 16 Jun 2011 16:00:03 GMT

On June 11th, Songsalive! Chicago hosted another fantastic workshop at the Beat Kitchen. Eight people shared their songs for critique. The quality of the songs was very high, and everyone received some great feedback on their writing. Our guest speaker this month was mastering engineer, Collin Jordan from The Boiler Room: Full Service Music Mastering. He talked about “Mastering for the Independent Musician.” He discussed the various stages of getting a song from start to CD, and he talked about how mastering fits into the process. He explained what a mastering engineer does, and he encouraged everyone to try mastering their own songs on their home recording equipment to better understand how mastering works. Lots of people had some great questions, which Collin answered with great knowledge. He was an incredible speaker, and it was a very educational workshop!

NAME OF NEXT EVENT: Workshop
DATE OF NEXT EVENT: July 9, 2011
TIME: 11:30 AM
LOCATION: Beat Kitchen
COST: $5.00
GUEST SPEAKER & TOPIC: Mary Lemanski will talk about "Recording 101 for Songwriters."

Chapter url: http://www.songsalive.org/chicago

Songsalive! Los Angeles Kicks Off the Summer with a Spectacular Showcase

Mary Lemanski — Tue, 07 Jun 2011 15:15:55 GMT

The Los Angeles Songsalive! showcase at Hallenbecks on June 3rd was a great way to bring in summer. This was an evening featuring wonderful original songs from Dean Dobbins, Joe Hamilton, Siobhan, and Julie Chadwick. This showcase is known for quality. Comments posted on our Meetup page (www.meetup.com/songsalive): "Extraordinary! The talent was UNBELIEVABLE! I kept shaking my head asking myself is this really happening? Best concert I've ever been to but without the crowds, parking hassles or ticketmaster "service" charge.…" And also: "Wow, they set the high bar way up there talent wise! Very friendly and welcoming too. Real professionals. Like getting a backstage pass to a party where you don't belong but everybody treats you like you do. Nice." . The audience stayed to the end and there was a big buzz in the room at the end of the evening. This is what a Community of Song is all about!

NAME OF NEXT EVENT: Los Angeles Songsalive Showcase at Hallenbecks
DATE OF NEXT EVENT: July 1, 2011
TIME: 7:30PM
LOCATION: Hallenbecks
COST: $8
SHOWCASE ARTIST: Shane Carther Thomas

Chapter url: http://www.songsalive.org/losangeles

Bay Area Local Artists Show Off Their Songwriting Skills at Songsalive! San Francisco Showcase

Mary Lemanski — Mon, 06 Jun 2011 19:58:43 GMT

Songalive! is running a San Francisco showcase series every first Thursday of the month, currently held at Velo Rouge Cafe in San Francisco, CA hosted by local artist Katie Garibaldi, which features Songsalive! members performing outstanding original acoustic music. The most recent showcase took place on June 2nd, and featured two Bay Area local artists Miriam Speyer and Essence. Miriam wooed the listeners with her soothing and rhythmic folk-y jazz acoustic songs. Essence played songs off her albums, including some acoustic pop gems as well as a children's song she wrote inspired by her son.

NAME OF NEXT EVENT: San Francisco Songsalive! Showcase
DATE OF NEXT EVENT: July 7, 2011
TIME: 7-9 PM

LOCATION: Velo Rouge Cafe in San Francisco, CA

COST: Free. Donations are encouraged for the performing artists.

SHOWCASE ARTISTS: Jon Moldover and Rebecca Parks

Chapter url: http://www.songsalive.org/sanfrancisco

Songsalive! Long Island Workshop Hopes to Bond Together the Local Songwriting Community

Mary Lemanski — Sat, 04 Jun 2011 15:16:26 GMT

On Wednesday, June 1st, the second Songsalive! workshop on Long Island, NY was received very well by the people that attended. We spent the entire workshop on song critiques and just talking about the music industry. Everyone there had a very positive response from the information being shared and from the song critiques we did. Looking forward to building up the songwriting community on Long Island even more in the upcoming months!

NAME OF NEXT EVENT: Songsalive! Long Island, NY
DATE OF NEXT EVENT: Wed, July 6, 2011
TIME: 6:30-8:30PM
LOCATION: Sam Ash
COST: $5 for non-members

Chapter url: http://www.songsalive.org/longisland

Great Songwriting is the Focus at Songsalive! Orange County May Workshop

Mary Lemanski — Fri, 03 Jun 2011 13:48:35 GMT

New faces this month at our monthly Songwriting Workshop on May 29th here in the County of Orange. And good songwriters too! Always a great combination. Our friend R.D. Girard started things off with a great ballsy number of working-man folk-rock. Then new member Doug Hansen presented a lively love song about a couple trying to stay focused on one another. Kevin Buckel, also a new member, showed us a recording he made of a great acoustic song about, well, writing songs! Craig Smetana read another one of his lyrics, this time a rousing patriotic number inspired by the events of September 11, 2001. And then Rod O'Riley finished things off with another one of his goofy political songs. As some of the members had said they worked well with lyrics, but needed help with music, and others there said exactly the opposite, we spent the latter part of the evening working together on songs!

NAME OF NEXT EVENT: Songsalive! Orange County Songwriter Showcase
DATE OF NEXT EVENT: 06/21/11 (Tuesday)
TIME: 7:30 pm
LOCATION: Sam Ash Music Store, 14200 Beach Blvd, Westminster, CA 92683
COST: FREE!
SHOWCASE ARTISTS: We're welcoming Mike Vascellaro back to our stage again. Plus, Roz Esposito will be joining us for the first time.

Chapter url: http://www.songsalive.org/orangecounty

Songwriters Shine at Songsalive! Chicago Showcase

Mary Lemanski — Tue, 31 May 2011 23:14:03 GMT

On May 26th, the Chicago chapter of Songsalive! held their second showcase at the Heartland Cafe. We had three incredible songwriters perform. Victoria Fuller and The Brushmen started the show off with a fantastic jazz/blues/pop/rock set. Jess Yoakum and The Locals performed next, playing beautiful folk rock melodies with true-to-life lyrics. Joe Nelson and The Full Nelsons ended the night with a phenomenal set of alternative rock. Amazing showcase!

NAME OF NEXT EVENT: Workshop
DATE OF NEXT EVENT: June 11, 2011
TIME: 11:30 AM - 2:00 PM
LOCATION: Beat Kitchen
COST: $5.00
GUEST SPEAKER: Collin Jordan of The Boiler Room Music Mastering
TOPIC: “Mastering for the Independent Musician”

Chapter url: http://www.songsalive.org/chicago

A Wonderful Evening of Music at the Placer County Songsalive! Showcase

Mary Lemanski — Fri, 27 May 2011 14:52:20 GMT

At the May 19th Songsalive! Placer County Showcase, 10 people were in attendance. Michael Gregory did his usual 4-5 songs and an explanation of the Songsalive! benefits. Matthew J. Doughty and Chad Benzel played a set of their songs, accompanying each other. Michael Gregory backed them up on the box cajun. A wonderful night of music!

EVENT: Songsalive! Showcase
DATE OF NEXT EVENT: Thursday, June 16, 2011
TIME: 7:00 pm
LOCATION: Tsuda’s Deli, 103 Sacramento St, Auburn, CA
COST: $5.00 suggested donation

Chapter url: www.songsalive.org/placercounty

Valuable Songwriting Tips from Cat Cohen at Songsalive! Las Vegas Workshop

Mary Lemanski — Thu, 26 May 2011 15:32:27 GMT

At the Songsalive! Las Vegas Workshop on Monday, May 16th, we had about 6 people attend, 5 out of 6 were members. Cat Cohen did a brief presentation and gave us some valuable tips on songwriting. Cat was kind enough to give each performer some intense and helpful feedback on their songs. We had just enough time to hear each song and the night was over. It was a exceptionally good clinic on how to write great songs!

NAME OF NEXT EVENT: Las Vegas Workshop
DATE OF NEXT EVENT: June 20, 2011
TIME: 6:00PM – 8:00PM
LOCATION: Sam Ash
COST: $10
SPEAKER: Mike Candito
TOPIC: Survival Skills in the Music Industry

Chapter url: http://www.songsalive.org/vegas

Stellar Songwriting Showcased by Songsalive! Orange County

Mary Lemanski — Thu, 19 May 2011 20:34:02 GMT

Once again Songsalive Orange County welcomed back two performers who had graced our stage before. This time, it was the lady and her producer -- who happens to be a mean singer-songwriter himself! Thomas Hornig started off the evening with his graceful tenor and high-energy songs (if rather sad -- his words!). Then it was time for Jennifer Quiroz, playing guitar and giving us all of her soft and utterly lovely voice. Thomas produced Jennifer's first EP, and both of them showcased songs they had worked on together. Jennifer also made note of her upcoming show at the Roxy in Hollywood, where Thomas will be playing drums. The crowd ate it all up.

NAME OF NEXT EVENT: Monthly Songwriting Workshop and Critique
DATE OF NEXT EVENT: Sunday, May 29th, 2011
TIME: 7:00 - 9:30 pm
LOCATION: Spires Restaurant, Westminster, California
COST: Free to Songsalive! members, $10.00 for non-members
Hosted by Rod O'Riley. Subject: "Band or Solo?"

Chapter url: http://www.songsalive.org/orangecounty

Educational Songsalive! L.A. Workshop Wows with Guest Speaker, Joe Solo

Mary Lemanski — Tue, 17 May 2011 20:22:44 GMT

The May 2011 LA Workshop with Producer/Songwriter Joe Solo was a smash hit! We had a large group of attendees with many familiar faces but many new ones too. Joe gave us great information balanced between the creative and the business sides of music. Joe is the producer who developed Macy Gray and who has written and placed hit songs in music, film, television, and advertizing. He stressed the importance of dynamics in song production, that a great song is a pyramid with the song vocals and lyrics at the top supported by everything else, in building a song that is, "Undeniable". He also stressed the importance of networking and relationships in building your music career. A music supervisor who attended for the first time said that this was the best songwriter's workshop he has been to in Los Angeles because of the high level of the discussion and the educational nature of it all. Songsalive! rocks!

NAME OF NEXT EVENT: LA Workshop
DATE OF NEXT EVENT: June 19, 2011
TIME: 12:00 noon sharp!
LOCATION: The Finnish Center
COST: members free, $10 non-members
SPEAKER: Chad Greer
TOPIC: The Perfect Pitch

Chapter url: www.songsalive.org/losangeles

Songsalive! Chicago Hosts Enlightening Workshop with Guest Speaker, Don Medina

Mary Lemanski — Mon, 16 May 2011 22:17:34 GMT

On May 14th, the Chicago chapter of Songsalive! hosted a phenomenal workshop at the Beat Kitchen. Four people had their songs critiqued. Everyone gave positive feedback and great pointers on how to make the songs even better. Our guest speaker this month was engineer/producer, Don Medina, who spoke about “Preparing for and Creating an Atmosphere for a Successful Recording.” He talked about getting as much preparation done at home before you go in to a professional studio. He also talked about what a good producer can do for your recording. He answered everyone's questions, and shared with us his music industry insight and experience. He was an excellent speaker, and it was a very informative workshop!

NAME OF NEXT EVENT: Showcase
DATE OF NEXT EVENT: May 26, 2011
TIME: 8:00 PM
LOCATION: Heartland Cafe
COST: $5.00
FEATURED ARTISTS: Victoria Fuller, Jess Yoakum, and Joe Nelson

Chapter url: http://www.songsalive.org/chicago

Songsalive! Los Angeles Showcase Creating a Buzz

Mary Lemanski — Tue, 10 May 2011 11:12:46 GMT

The Los Angeles Songsalive! showcase at Hallenbecks on May 6th. was an outstanding night of music featuring Ernest Troost, Amy Englehardt, and Zachary Procost. This was an evening featuring wonderful original songs from seasoned artists. This showcase is becoming known for artists to premiere brand new songs for their first public performance. The venue was packed with a warm and appreciative audience, and included a major television executive. There were too many amazing moments to list - as each artist left the house spellbound with their music. The audience stayed to the end, and there was a big buzz in the room at the end of the evening.

NAME OF NEXT EVENT: Los Angeles Songsalive Showcase at Hallenbecks

DATE OF NEXT EVENT: June 3, 2011

TIME: 7:30PM

LOCATION: Hallenbecks

COST: $8

Chapter url: http://www.songsalive.org/losangeles

Outstanding Acoustic Songsalive! Showcase in San Francisco

Mary Lemanski — Mon, 09 May 2011 17:25:59 GMT

Songalive! is running a San Francisco showcase series every first Thursday of the month, currently held at Velo Rouge Cafe in San Francisco, CA, hosted by local artist Katie Garibaldi, which features Songsalive! members performing outstanding original acoustic music. The most recent showcase took place on May 5th, Cinco de Mayo, and saw another full-house turn-out! The showcase featured Bay Area-based and touring singer/songwriter, Jesse Brewster, backed by Allyson Paige on backup vocals. Jesse sang and played acoustic guitar in a perfectly delectable performance featuring songs off his new album "Wrecking Ball at the Concert Hall."

NAME OF NEXT EVENT: San Francisco Songsalive! Showcase
DATE OF NEXT EVENT: June 2, 2011
TIME: 7-9 PM

LOCATION: Velo Rouge Cafe in San Francisco, CA

COST: Free. Donations are encouraged for the performing artists.

Chapter url: http://www.songsalive.org/sanfrancisco

Songsalive! Workshop Off to a Fantastic Start in Long Island, NY

Mary Lemanski — Fri, 06 May 2011 23:15:47 GMT

The first Songsalive! Long Island, NY workshop on Wednesday, May 4th was a huge success! Everyone who attended had a very positive response from the information being shared and from our guest speaker, Paul Andrejack, who talked about marketing & promotions for musicians.

NAME OF NEXT EVENT:
DATE OF NEXT EVENT: Wed, June 1, 2011
TIME: 6:30-8:30PM
LOCATION: Sam Ash
COST: $5 for non-members

Chapter url: http://www.songsalive.org/longisland