I saw Soft Stories up in Blakes in Berkeley November 1. I talked with bassist Sloan Denton and he, drummer Jeremy Robins and Nic Russo agreed to come on the show. I was impressed by their fresh open sound right off. Like a convertible with the top down on the open road. They sang five of their original songs: “Y”, “Toe Touch”, “Haunt Me,” “Devotion” and “Bronze Coat.”

On the show, when I asked about whether their open sound was intentional, Sloan said it was because they have only three instruments, but it’s not that, guys. Sorry! First of all, Soft Stories may have “only” bass, guitar and drums, but they are used in all manner of ways to create different feels and textures. So it feels like there is more instrumentation there than technically there really is. Plus both Nic and Sloan have unusual voices that catch the ear. Poet’s voices that articulate the lyrics in an organic way. They haven’t cultivated coarse rock star voices, though I suspect they could ratchett it up if they wanted do, but it would completely change their sound.

Nic and Sloan harmonize and blend; they use lovely false setto and they also use their voices as percussion like in Haunt Me. Also we all know that three guys can make a lot of sound, in fact a lot of bands specialize in making as much noise as possible. And these guys make some amazing “concert” sounds like at the end of Devotion by Nic where they jam out the song. But in general Soft Stories selects their sounds to match the poetry. They sculpture the sound and match it wonderfully to the words. Their music is very intentionally stripped down but is not self-conscious which is one of the reason it works.

Another reason their music works is that Jeremy Robins is an extremely capable drummer. He shows great control and restraint as he matches the mood of each song, while providing the driving beat that keeps the “convertible” on the road. The novel ways that Nic and Sloan arrange their instrumentation and their vocals might well challenge a less attuned drummer. Rhythms and moods shift quickly and Jeremy keeps it locked down. And Jeremy manages to squeeze a lot of different sounds out of his kit as well, so he brings fresh sounding grooves into the mix as well.

During Toe Touch I could not help but be reminded of the band Picture Atlantic and Nic Bartunek’s false setto and open voicings. Picture Atlantic’s CD Kleos is packed with classical Greek imagery and Sloan uses it with restraint in Toe Touch with his reference to Lethe, the river of Forgetfulness in Greek mythology. I’m sure it’s a matter of taste, but I admire the mining of deep material in the subconscience, in our shared collective conscience and rolling it out for us that both Picture Atlantic and Soft Stories does. Matching music with poetry and then arranging it carefully for us is what sets a band like Soft Stories apart.

Devotion is a complicated song, perhaps the most thought-provoking of the set. Packed with powerful imagery and a beautiful melody line, the song gives way to an unusual and satisfying breakdown at the end. My favorite line of the night: “There is beauty in Devotion but it doesn’t make it right.” The song poses an important question: how does what we devote ourselves to affect us and others? Who thinks about that? Artist do. And that’s why we need them in our lives.

Soft Stories gives their music away at thesoftstories.blogspot.com

Unfortunately, Myspace has started limiting the length of videos. So only the first twenty minutes of the show is available on myspace. The show can be seen in its entirety at http://keylargomusic.blip.tv.

The five young men that comprise the Sacramento Valley-based band Hero’s Last Mission delivered a tight set of five original rocking pop songs at the Media Center Studios, November 6. Brothers and band founders Luis and Lee Hurtado, bassist Quentin “Q” Garcia, drummer Julian Mendoza and Art Padilla on guitar opened with “Everyone Knows,” an uptempo piece sung to the person that everyone knows needs help except that person himself. With Lee’s vocals and Luis’ guitar riffs, HLM expertly builds this song up. Julian establishes the song with solid stick work and is joined by a beautiful solo from Art that pops up throughout the song, tying it all together. The brothers sing a chorus intro in close harmony and then the entire band plays strong cadences with counterpoint from Art and the song is off and running. A great build. The brothers weave amazing harmonies and throw in Luis’ and Art’s very competent guitar riffs for additional voicings. Add to that that each instrumentalist is mic’d for back-up and at any one time we have 10 parts weaving together into a lush sound.

Lee and Luis have the homefield genetic advantage. When the band drops out and the brothers perform a capella duets in songs like “Killin’ Me,” (second on the set list) their harmonies interweave beautifully in the quiet of the studio. And then Luis adds the third voice of his guitar solo to match the tone of the song. Finally the full band comes back in and builds the song back up for a very satisfying conclusion.

Their third song “Gone” is pretty much a signature tune for HLM. It combines all their strongest elements, kickin’ rhythm section, tight harmonies, guitar solos, and a brilliant stroke on the word “Gone”. The last word in the chorus, “Gone” is sung with no instrumentation utilizing their very tight harmonies, so effective and satisfying. The dynamic range of these five is amazing. They can go from hushed to fully amped in seconds. And Lee’s lyrics don’t take a backseat either. They are thoughtful, clever and packed with imagery.

Right on the heels of Gone came “Baby, You Are Something,” another solid vehicle for HLM’s talents. This song won 3rd place in the 2009 West Coast Songwriters Song Competition. The band beat out all the other competitors in the Sac Valley Chapter of WCS to compete in the finals. Hero’s Last Mission is the first band in the 40 year history of WCS to place in the Competition. Sara Bareilles is a recent alumna of WCS, by the way.

The band ended their set with another solid rock tune,” I Don’t Know Why.” It is obvious how much all these guys enjoying playing and playing together. Q practically dances when he plays bass and his smile is infectious.

What I really like about HLM is that every band member is “all-in,” committed and emotionally invested. And they all get to sing! The tight harmonies sung by 5 voices are angelic at times, like a rocking Glee Club. Also, all five of the guys are personable, articulate and content. Our culture for some reason likes to promote the idea that musical artists live tormented and angst-riddled lives. These guys put the lie to any of that stereotyping. And what do they like to do in the spare time? Play golf and go wine tasting.

Maybe they’ll set us up with a wine tasting and golf tour with a concert every night! Sounds like fun. I’m in.

LaniGrooves aka Iwalani Venerable is an American Songwriter in the fullest meaning of the phrase. She pulls together different traditions and styles to create her own unique blend of funky indie rock, rhythm & blues, hip hop and rap. I have seen Lani play with as many as 9 players jamming out. In the studio on October 12, she had with her her regular drummer the understated class act Evan Bayless and the quiet and unassuming bass player Manny “Manteka” San Gabriel. Rafielo Baez played hand percussion and Von “Skywalka” Collins joined Lani on vocals in “No Other Life.” Lani lays down a fine patina over all of her songs — a relaxed groove that remains; even in the most challenging themes and lyrics, there’s an open invitation to unwind in her world.

Lani sang 5 songs, Lonely Girl, When I Wake Up, How Long, No Other Life, and Eagle Eye. There’s a recurring theme in her songs: finding the courage to come out of hiding and go for the life you are destined to live. Her poetry and her music trace her own journey so it’s at once personal and universal. Every one of the songs she sang had a rap breakout in the bridge where her strong foundation of poetry just poured out.

Lani says she was deeply influenced by Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes. Comparing the two, however, the influence is primarily in the range of tools they both use for artistic expression and a broader vision of their relationship to life. Lani was a poet first and it’s clear Left Eye’s rap resonated with her.

In several of Lani’s songs like How Long and Eagle Eye, her chord progressions combined with the quiet but insistent rock beat, her syncopated melodies and her poetic lyrics, remind me of what I really love about Patti Smith. Patti was a poet first and coming at music from that direction creates an entirely different vibe. And maybe that’s the source of Lani’s unique sound that resonates for me.

She has chosen great back-up players. They are solid, and it’s obvious that Evan is an accomplished drummer. He matched Lani, phrase and mood, with great sensitivity. Very controlled with great subtlety. Similarly with Manny a good match, locking in easily with Evan and keeping the song rooted, but not a lot of showmanship. The opposite really. And Rafielo the same as well, quietly matching the song with a variety of hand percussion focusing primarily on the conga. Her work with Von was complimentary as well. He rapped the bridge on No Other Life and did some nice call and response with Lani.

Spending anytime with Lani, you come away with the impression that she is a beautiful person inside and out and that she is not done by any means. Check her myspace page and also catch her on blip and our myspace page.

Talking House Productions put together a stellar line up last Sunday night to celebrate the Preview of Luke Franks or the Federalists’ debut CD, The Way We Ran, new from Talking House Records this month.

The show kicked off about 7:30 with up and coming rockin’ folk trio David Luning and the Third Wheels. I have written plenty already in previous blogs about David’s natural gift and his raspy provocative vocal style. Let me just say that his talents were very much in evidence as he and drummer Zak Garn and bass John Luther performed 8 of David’s original songs. David’s lyrical style is conversational, organic and you feel like you know the guy when he’s singing. He can put a song over, and that’s a rare gift. Zak, sensitive percussionist with some nice brushwork and foot tamb, and John’s solid acoustic bass guitar skills kept it all locked down. I think I heard a new one, Did Nothing Wrong, which is more complicated songwriting than David’s earliest stuff — demonstrating David’s continued growth as an artist. David was a recent guest on the Palo Alto-based Cable Access television show. View David’s five song set on blip tv.

Nic Russo, Jeremy Robins & Sloan Denton make up Soft Stories, alternative R&B with a lot of flourishes that kick. I don’t know what it is about these three, but we’re invited to play with them in their musical world. Their music is characterized by an open transparent sound, fun vocal arrangements either in duet or counterpoint with some light false setto tossed in, interesting mix of rhythms, all the while with a solid driving rock beat thundering away delivered by a competent no-nonsense drummer. They’re finding a unique voice, and they are worth monitoring.

The third band, Soft White Sixties, channels 60s R&B beautifully, but brings it up to us with melodies that are current, fresh and with a rolling lyrical movement. Octavio Genera, Aaron Ferguson, Ryan Noble, Joey Bustos and Aaron Eisenberg piled it on with three, (were there three guitars?) plus bass, and a set of keys with a punky rocky drummer pounded it out for us. They would get the dance band award of the evening perhaps. However, for me they were not balanced for the room and the vocals were overpowered. Having a weakness for lyrics, I like to hear enough of them to follow the song — which was not possible for me Sunday night — except in the lovely ballad I’d Rather Lie. The lead vocal has very compelling voice and he connects well with the audience. I hope to hear a CD from them someday. Any plans for a CD, guys?

Personable Luke Franks took the stage with the Federalists, Jason Roysdon on Guitar, Ruben Rios on Drums, and Aaron Schmidt on Bass. Luke played guitar and sang us through 15 highly differentiated solid songs, shapeshifting easily from indie pop to rock country. Their clean and polished sound was stand-out without sounding affected or self-conscious. I’ll attribute that balance to Luke’s down-to-earth personality (I spoke with him after his set), some excellent production work and of course caring enough to practice to that sweet tightness. Luke’s songs are well-structured and have great hooks and twists, with unusual story lines that I could get. So they gave us good arrangements, solid musicianship and melodies with gotcha choruses. What else? Luke’s got another one of those wonder voices. What is it about it? Conversational, relaxed, mellifluous, smooth like good coffee and rich without artifice. If I heard Benjamin and Bonnie and Over It’s Over played every hour on the radio tomorrow, I would not be surprised. Excellent song-crafting there.

I gather the band used to be “The Federalists”, but with some personnel changes due to the rigors of touring, and with Luke stepping up as the lead vocalist and the principal songwriter, the name change seemed the way to go and kicks in with this CD.

The band kicks off its November Western tour with a show on November 12 in Portland, Oregon. They’ll be back in town on Thanksgiving weekend for their official CD release party at the Rickshaw with Dizzy Balloon on November 28.

David Luning was our first guest in the Studio after our summer hiatus. Interviewing David under the lights and in front of the cameras felt pretty much like being in my own living room. He has an easy going, laid back personality that masks the smart, talented, and I’ll stop short of saying shrewd, songwriter underneath. He’s engaging. His original music is entertaining and plumbs intriguing depths. His singing voice has a riveting growling catch in it. And he’s found a couple of solid musicians to play with.

David has a background in the blues, classical piano, theater/show/film music, and hip-hop. He was attending college at Berklee in Boston, finding the weather abysmal when he came under the influence of two folk musicians he met there. And that’s when he did an about face and threw himself wholely into folk music. He wrote a couple of songs while back East and came back here to his hometown of Forestville to ply his trade in the folk circuit. And this was all just last year. I say all this by way of explaining that all this musical background has informed his folk music, so instead of getting a straight-forward derivative sound, you get some traditional-sounding songs with some heavy layering to it. There isn’t a trace of hip hop in his songs, or is there?

David opened the show with My Baby Blues on Wheels his homage to the broken down truck that he loves. That’s just a perfect fun-loving country song. His lyrics are amusing, conversational and draw you in for a confidential chat.

He introduced the Third Wheels. John Luther, recently moved from New York, played a plugged-in, acoustic bass guitar which meshed well with David’s acoustic guitar. Zach Garn played a variety of percussion treats including a homemade foot tambourine. It was a bit of a shock to learn the Third Wheels didn’t exist two months ago. John and David met by chance, John decided not to return to New York, but to throw his lot Iin with David. And Zach whom David met through friends meshes well with the two guitarists. They sound like they’ve been playing together all their young lives.

John is just a solid, dependable bass player that sneaks in a few interesting and suitable licks here and there just to keep us all on our toes. Zach plays a kit that is low and close so you never see him reach for anything, so his work feels organic and loose. Excellent brush work here and there, matching David’s songs nicely.

So David and the Third Wheels went through four more of David’s songs: Humble Apologizin’, Always Gonna Be That Way, Northern California (which David performed solo) and Whiskey Bottle.

David’s songs are characterized by clever lyrics that turn around nicely: In My Baby Blues, the singer describes possibly the world’s worst truck in the verses, but in the chorus and as the song builds, you realize the singer loves his truck. The irony of Humble Apologizin’ is that the singer is apologizin’ like crazy “for the things I said when I was drunk”, but as eloquent and as appealing as his entreaties are, you just know instinctively no one’s accepting his “humble apologizin.” In Always Gonna Be That Way, there is no way this guy is ever going to find love, it’s “always gonna be that way,” and then surprise he meets someone who seems to love him and he prays that it’s “always gonna be that way.” Clever twists and turns in the lyric and just solid melodies. Singable, memorable and familiar but not stock.

Northern California is a lovely ballad of homesickness and (possibly) regret about screwing up once you leave the protection of home: “You gave me my wings and I stupidly fell from the weight of the halo.” A universal experience of coming of age beautifully expressed.

The final song Whiskey Bottle is a pretty straightforward country-esque song. The singer is proposing to the Whiskey Bottle since all the women he’s known and he painstakingly (and hilariously) lists them one by one and why they had all walked out on him. It’s such a simple idea! Why hasn’t anyone proposed to a whiskey bottle before in a song?

So the show wrapped and we were able to spend a little more time with the band. All three guys are very natural and down to earth. Which makes listening to David’s music all the more enjoyable — because of the men behind it.

David Luning will be opening for the Federalists’ CD release party on November 1 at Blakes in Berkeley.

You can see David Luning’s American Songwriter appearance on our blip tv channel. The show is currently running on Wednesday and Friday night on Comcast Channel 27 in the Midpeninsula at 9 pm.

Wow, there’s always good food to be had in downtown Palo Alto, but is there always good music? Last night, there was a feast of sounds. Scott and I got out into it early and stayed late.

Songwriter/Artist David Luning opened the United Nations Associations 12th Annual Film Festival “busking” at the Aquarius Theater. He appeared by arrangement with West Coast Songwriters. (If you need music for your event, call them first!) He sang his usual fare of folksy-blues and gave us a new one last night. David was our guest on American Songwriter a few weeks back and his “episode” is now playing on Comcast Channel 27 in the Midpeninsula. Click here for show times! You can also catch the show on out blip.tv channel.

We ran over to Junoon to the kick-off reception for UNAFF, and there was multi-instrumentalist Jesse Norfleet playing the drums in a trio performing standards from the Jazz repetoire. Jesse is a gifted musician and a gifted television producer and director as well. He was formerly the programming manager at the Media Center. Now in addition to managing, booking and performing in bands, Jesse works with teens getting them ready for college at College Track.

So then we ran back to catch the last few moments of David’s gig. And then we were over to Jungle Copy on High Street. The heppest copy shop around. They host regular open mics and if you organize yourself a show you can book it there. Per Se’s Emily Gibbons opened with a lovely acoustic set of her originals. Joining her on harmony was Nick Giordano of Picture Atlantic. Unfortunately we missed indie screamo band The Bridge who were up next because we wanted to meet Joanie and Ian Crombie of WCS and Allison and John Williams also of WCS (Ali was working publicity for UNAFF and her husband was snapping the pictures at the Aquarius) at the Rose and Crown for a quick one. After downing some Welsh Rabbit and a Murphy’s we rushed back to Jungle Copy and caught emerging band Playground Adventure. They were pretty good. It was their second gig. I think I caught some interesting lyrics. Their songs to me sounded a bit similar which was okay since it was basically a very cool sound, rich, lush and loud. In the future, I’ll be looking for the way they use their signature sound and branch out and build on that.

Next up was the surprise of the night (for me). For those who are already familiar with the band Sister Crayon, they may have been surprised in a negative way. Lead vocals Terra Lopez’s mic cut out every time the keyboards kicked in. She ended up running her mic through a guitar amp and carried on. I think they were disappointed with the sound, but I wasn’t since I hadn’t heard them before. So Terra adjusts her own voice in real time through some effects processing. They’ve got a sensitive keyboardist Genaro with a stack of synths, and a solid drummer, Nicholas who looked like he was beating his drumkit to a pulp. Dani, the fourth member plays a drum pad and a Korg Synth, creating smooth back-up harmonies and counterpoints. A highly processed sound in clean real time. Startling and fresh. So I’ll be watching Sister Crayon you bet.

And next up, what can I say, Picture Atlantic just delivers – even when Ryan had to bail due to illness for part of a song, and I found out from Patrick that they are all battling the crud. So they delivered a great set, despite illness. They added a new guitarist since they were on American Songwriter last Spring. Grant is a fairly energetic fellow who is able to play his part in a variety of poses, including with his back to the floor. Lead singer Nick’s energetic elasticity is organic. His naturalism just reels you in. I can’t say enough about these guys. Nick’s incredible range and beautiful sustained false setto is amazing. And he is still creating strong original music which the band delivers in tight ethereal rock – if that isn’t an oxymoron. By the way, the band recently lost their euphonium which I totally miss. So if you know someone who’s got one of these old school instruments lying around in their attic, have them contact Brian. He’d love to have it.

Scott and I ran over to the Red Rock in Mountain View on October 9 to catch the Friday line up upstairs. The show kicked off with Paige Gibbons of the band Per Se. She did a solo act with her guitar because her sister Emily has gone off to college and her friend Rachel (sister of Nick of the amazing-ready-to-break-any-second band Picture Atlantic btw) was busy with another event. Paige enjoys singing the close harmonies with Emily and Rachel that are Per Se’s signature sound. However, Paige is fine on her own. She started off a little tentatively but then warmed up as she realized that the crowd was predisposed to like her — after all we’re there to hear acoustic originals. She sang 5 songs, written mostly by herself. And she covered an Ingrid Michaelson songs, “What if?” Which was not a surprise because Michaelson’s influence is subtley woven through many of the sounds we heard from Paige, particularly the song, “Here to Stay.” Paige is going for that fresh, cursive, unencumbered sound. Her lyrics are intriguing and paint wonderful images: “I wonder what you were thinking when your knees hit the bathroom floor” from the song “Cellophane” was nicely placed and evocative. Her voice is lovely and she can sustain high notes which actually strengthen the longer she holds them. She has a natural gift to be sure. However, she is one of many fine young singers who have come up through the Gunn High School choral program under the direction of the dynamic William Liberatore. A quick shout out to “Billy”. You can learn more about Per Se at their myspace page.

After Paige sang Vincent Do with Tommy Finn took the spotlight. Both on vocals and guitar. They sang six songs leading off with Vincent’s “You Are Free” followed by a few more of Vincent’s songs. Tommy sang “Change Your Mind” and then a couple more songs, finishing up with “Fade Out.” I’ve seen Vincent a few times now, and each time I’m impressed with how quickly he is developing his own style and he’s just a great guitarist. He has a calming, steady way about him even when he is singing about stressful, troubling topics. Great groove.

Last up was Kevin Sullivan aka Westwood and Willow, an American Songwriter alumnus. His brother Sean of the band Pericardium backed him up on electric guitar, providing counterpoint to Kevin’s acoustic set. Kevin seems to be cranking out songs at breakneck pace. He delivered a seven song set, five of which I hadn’t heard, and I flatter myself I’m following the guy. The new songs all have Kevin’s signature rolling verses that come back to strong choruses. And he packs every song with double duty lyrics that take you down with him into his world of heavy but hopeful introspection. I like Kevin’s music because he’s not afraid to make you a bit uncomfortable or to tip his hand. He draws you in right beside him: “I’m down and out-I’m on the edge about-I cannot stand to see anybody happy… I don’t have the will to cry… just sleep tonight.” Does Kevin use the word “depressed” ever in the song? Very nicely done. He performed a fun little ditty inspired by a trip into the heartland where the outside world isn’t welcome. After getting an unexplained punch in the chest by someone who may not have completely understood the singer, Kevin sings in the chorus: “Nobody thinks straight. Why would I do that?” There is something very resonant about the way he delivers that line and the story he paints of the singer’s adventure. Other lyrics that jumped out at me: “The light will turn green”; “I can make trouble out of anything” and then “the ground is closer than you think.” This last example was in the final song of the evening which is a painful peek into troubling adolescent years. Kevin is daring in his honesty and is a gifted guitarist and vocalist into the bargain. His almost stacatto vocal style is offset by a lovely false setto which he seems to using more and more. The falset setto was lovely in the “green light” song.

You can check out Kevin’s American Songwriter show of course on our myspace page and on our blip tv channel.

A lot of folks have been asking me about West Coast Songwriters. I wrote an article about the organization’s September Conference for the October Newsletter. That article is extracted from this article… it will give you a feel about what it’s like go into total immersion with a bunch of songwriters for two days.

For songwriters who are looking for marketing leads, partners to collaborate with and tips on improving their craft, the West Coast Songwriters conference offers all of these things plus a large dose of inspiration — and sometimes an opportunity for deep reflection and soul searching! Held annually the second weekend in September at Foothill College in Los Altos Hills, California, the conference kicked off at Cibo Restaurant on El Camino in Palo Alto Friday night September 11. No host bar and dinner gave us all a chance to get reacquainted from last year, meet new folks and bend the old elbow with the many distinguished guests who fly in from all over the country or drive in from the greater Bay Area to serve as our faculty and mentors for the weekend. Most of the out of town guests were staying at the Creekside Inn, which is right there next to Cibo. And a few spilled over into other establishments along Palo Alto’s Motel Row. After Cibo shut down, there was the usual sneaking off to hotel rooms for the late night sing-alongs and song sharings.

So the conference itself lasted all day Saturday and Sunday with the wonderful Sunset concert Saturday night. My writing partner (that would be Scott)and I screened about 8 songs to industry pros for feedback and sat in on lots of song screenings. I found the judges respectful but also realistic as to the present commercial value of the songs they heard. That’s one thing you have to ask yourself over and over again. How commercial do you want to be? Who are writing for? Yourself or a larger market? Should you talk to pros if what you really want to do is write songs and play for yourself and your friends?

My favorite screening experience was with Nashville-based song plugger Penny Dionne. She listened to my song “Crazy Girl” in which I thought I was conveying the story of a beautiful rebel girl that everyone called crazy, but that the singer was secretly “crazy” about. Penny asked me, “What kind of crazy are we talking here? Shopping cart crazy? What’s she like exactly?” I stared down at my lyrics and realized they did not convey what I saw in my head. I had to laugh. Sometimes we are so close to our work we can’t see that we’re painting with the wrong words or with inadequate words. In fact upon careful review, I realized a lot of my lyrics needed to be punched up and clarified. Thanks, Penny!

My songwriting partner (that would be Scott) and I attended our two twenty minute one-on-ones (a steal at $20 extra each) with two industry pros who alternatively raked us over the coals, loved us, critiqued us, “inquisitioned” us and inspired us. We loved their valuable insight. And smarted a little, too. Another Nashville-based song plugger Antoinette Oleson listened through our CD of original “country” style songs. Her main criticism was that the lyrics weren’t bold enough, didn’t paint strong enough pictures. But she loved our hooks and thought we had some wonderful melodies and themes. But again, the melodies here and there sagged, and she gave great suggestions. And she praised our wisdom in not having paid for demos when the songs were clearly not ready. I didn’t want to hear the songs were not ready, but I also didn’t come there for the “soft pedal” either.

We then went 9 rounds with Jason Brawner who works with young artists to develop their talent. He ticked through our daughter’s catalog of original songs. He said the timbre of her voice was her strongest asset. And he could point out where in the songs it was present and was strongest. He pointed out that several songs needed to be sung in a lower key to capture that timbre. And he said why parts of the songs were not commercial but he also pointed out what was working. He suggested she work with a seasoned songwriter to craft them like Steve Seskin. He also gave us the name of two local producers who he thought could work with her in the studio to give her a great production. And he also shared with us the kind of commitment it would take on her part to get to the next level. Realistically she could do it, but she’d have to have a single mindedness of purpose. And maybe she’s not ready to go “all in”. It takes going “all in”. Jason gave us so much to think about, and again no sugar pill.

When I happened to run into Steven Seskin later, I talked to him about our meeting with Jason and Steve immediately took our daughter’s CD. That’s the networking part of the conference!

In addition to screenings and one-on-ones, we also took classes on making “it” stronger. It being things like lyrics, melody, hooks, performance comportment, marketing, co-writing, you name it. Performance coach Steve Memel took volunteers from the audience and had them sing a bit of their song. After working with them on technique, magically their performance was stronger within just a few minutes. Things like opening your eyes, picking one person to sing to in the audience per lyric line, tricks on getting past your mistakes so that you don’t lose focus, making sure you are comfortable, that the mike is placed right, realizing the audience isn’t going to be aware of a mistake unless you make a face or get distracted. Steve was truly amazing.

I poked my head in on one of the business sessions and one on the nuts and bolts of song writing. I caught one of the interviews with an industry legend – Mike Pinder of the Moody Blues and then had dinner with a mixed group of peers and mentors. One of the appealing things about the WCS conference is that it is small and intimate and that you have access to the people you want to meet. Furthermore the conference is located in the beautiful hills so there is a relaxed vacation atmosphere that you couldn’t quite duplicate if you were in the middle of LA.

Just walking around for two days with other songwriters was inspirational. Spending that much time with people who are so like me and doing what I am doing was affirming, like coming home. Listening to the songwriter/artists performing their own work live in the quad all day long plus the lunchtime concerts added to that feeling of songwriting immersion that can really feed your soul deep down if you are open to it.

Finally new this year was the band showcases where bands performing original songs could get a long session with engineers, producers and other professionals, and get critical feedback. Bands doing original music have found a place in WCS as evidenced by the presence of Hero’s Last Welcome on the Sunset Concert stage.

I was grateful to sit down and relax at the Sunset Concert Saturday night after feeling “plugged in” all day as I ran around trying not to miss anything.

Executive Director Ian Crombie opened the evening for us and was given a spontaneous standing ovation when board member Tami Mulcahy crooned a “thank you Ian,” from the audience. So after Ian tried to deflect any praise away from himself as quickly as possible as is his way, he introduced the winning artists of this year’s West Coast Songwriters Competition FINALS to sing their a couple of songs including their winning song.

First up was fourth-placed Emily Rose with her amazing country ballad, I Still Leave the Light On. Next was second place Sam Cosio with his intimate electric guitar singing his placing song Pour Me a Glass. Next up was Michael McNevin, the writer and performer of this year’s #1 hit song: Scarecrow. Last was the band, HERO’S LAST MISSION. Lee Hurtado his brother Luis Hurtado, Quentin Garcia, Art Padilla and Julian Mendoza took third place with Luis’s original song Baby You are Something.

After the four top placers performed, Ian handed over the mic to hit songwriter and industry luminary Andre Pessis with his inimitable, refreshingly almost politically correct patter. Andre alternately introduced and roasted the “lifers” of WCS who kindly performed for us that night.

We were treated to performances by a string of hitmakers, starting with WCS co-founder Michael Silversher, and then we heard 1000 Songwriting Ideas author Lisa Aschmann, Foothills College professor and songwriter Jim Bruno, Monica Pasqual of the band Blame Sally, George Merrill of Boy Meets Girl Music and finally the amazing Steve Seskin. Each one of these performances passed the give-me-chills test.

I blogged about the entire concert on my “American Songwriter Show” myspace page, if you want more details.

The second day we were back for breakfast and coffee in the quad. And then at 10 am Sunday it all began again – more classes, screenings, one-on-ones and sitting in on interviews with industry luminaries. By Sunday I was feeling pretty much like everyone there was in my extended family. I was swapping business cards, CDs and checking out possible co-writers to bring in to strengthen our songs, particularly the lyrics!

The day and the conference wrapped with an intimate concert featuring Steve Seskin with Jim Photoglo. They sang their original songs and took a few audience requests. Jim’s rendition of his and Gary Burr’s “Silence is King Around Here” had the room in pin drop mode and the audience sang along with Steve’s “This is My Day.”

The WCS conference signaled the end of the WCS season with the presentation of the winning songs in that year’s song competition. But the Conference really was only the beginning as just around the corner, the next season of competitions begins. And all the other events that WCS puts on in support of the craft of songwriting start up as well — song screenings, Works-In-Progress, master classes, etc. So when I left the conference I didn’t feel it was over, I felt it was just another beginning for me. But I wasn’t ready to write a song. I was exhausted and encouraged and discouraged. So I went right home and wrote a song with Scott, called “If I Had to Write a Song Tonight I’d Cry.” You can listen to it on our Key Largo Music Myspace Page. We had a lot of fun writing it.

Scott and I went up to San Francisco to meet with David Luning and his band last night to discuss the upcoming taping of American Songwriter this Tuesday at the Media Center. David will be the guest artist for our 20th show.

After our meeting on the sidewalk outside the Brainwash Cafe on Folsom we ducked into catch the last three songs of Todd Haemmerle’s set. I’ve seen Todd before and always enjoy his open string finger-pick style and his mellow soothing voice. He treated us to a world premier of his new song, an upbeat love song Come On Out.. And he covered Fleetwood Mac’s Landslide and then ended with Hard to Dream. You can listen to Todd on his myspace page.

David was up next. I’ve only seen him solo with his acoustic guitar but he has recently acquired a band: John Luther on bass and Zach Garn on drums. They played a thirteen song set made up mostly of David’s originals with a few covers through in. David hits the usual themes of heartbreak, bad luck and drowning it all in alcohol. But David masters the fun side of heartbreak and loneliness. That’s what I really love about his unique folkyblues with rock elements – there’s always an upside, even if it’s only the fact that the singer is so painfully aware of his misery that it feels alive and thrilling to be connected to it. His flirtation with self-awareness is very different from self-consciousness – of which he appears to be refreshingly devoid.

David is relaxed and natural before a mic. He tells strong stories and paints vivid pictures with his lyrics. His patter between songs draws you in and you’re carried through a window into David’s world. His song have strong hooks, are wonderfully melodic, and natural phrasing. His voice has an unusual timbre, rich and sonorous but with a little catch in it, that really sets it apart, gives it an emotional edge.

And the band sounds really established. For being just a few months old, they are tight with solid arrangements. John plays an amped acoustic hollowed-body bass guitar. I never saw one of those before so that was something new. And I must say it goes great with David’s acoustic guitar. Zach on drums was really pro at using the full spectrum without overpowering the acoustic feel of the set. His liberal use of brushes, a tambourine on his foot! And some shakers were nicely blended in as well.

So David sang some songs we can look forward to hearing on Tuesday night. His current “hits” include Humble Apologizing, My Baby Blues on Wheels, Northern California, Whiskey Bottle, American Nightmare and Waiting Room. Most of them can be heard on his myspace page. He also did a moving rendition of Steve Earle’s Ben McCullough among the handful of covers he did.

After David and the band’s set, Kevin Beadles took the stage with John Foster on vocals and guitar. I got to hear Mrs. Jones Cadillac, a really hilarious song, but had to leave before he got too far into the set. Kevin’s got a real mellifluous flowing voice that he uses well with his cursive wrap around lyric lines. I saw Kevin (and David coincidentally) at the West Coast Songwriters Conference a few weeks back. I got to hear some of his music then in some of the screenings. And I got to see Kevin work with performance coach Steve Memel during one of Steve’s sessions. Kevin is a dynamic performer and is well worth listening to and watching, too and he writes entertaining upbeat music to boot.

Scott and I ran up to SF to catch Greg’s CD release party held at the Union Room last night, September 26. We know Greg through West Coast Songwriters. In addition to everything else he’s got going, Greg’s in charge of the monthly Song Competitions that are held in our 10 chapters. I co-manage the Berkeley Competition held the 3rd Monday of the month in Berkeley.

Anyway, Greg has a big heart and makes big-hearted rock indie/alternative music. It’s hard to stay still when Greg fires up his band. Joining him were Dan Buch on drums, JoJo Styles on electric guitar and “Mr. Blyss” on bass. Mr. Blyss’s real name is a fine hoity
toity sounding same with a “the third” after it so he just goes by Mr. Blyss.

Greg is an excellent acoustic guitarstician (that’s my new word, I’m coining it today). He plays all over the place from rhythm-driving rock to delicately picked chords and counterpoints and harmonics. Also Greg’s voice soars, is just plain beautiful to listen to, and his range is incredible. His voice sounds very commercial – in a superb way and yet he makes music that is personal and intimate. He delivers each song with emotional impact.

And the band was just outstanding. JoJo could probably deliver a solo show playing every lick in the repetoire and then some for electric guitar enthusiasts. Dan Buch is just fun to watch. He’s an unobtrusive drummer in that he doesn’t have a lot of upper body machinations going on but the arms and legs are pretty much flying at cartoon pace. And I love it when he stands up to give us the tops of the cymbals so delicately tapped as to almost qualify as another form of percussion. And Mr. Blyss comes with the entire ackage ranging from the slow plucked bass to a driving running bass and then pulling off melodies and melodic grooves while playing the bass. I couldn’t quite figure off how he played the bass line and then through in a few riffs here and there all the while keeping the bass going.

Greg and the band took us on a musical oddysey across 15 songs from his three CDs: Every Drop of Good, Lift and his latest a four song EP, Where You Are. And he mixed them up nicely so that transitions felt smooth even when the songs were polar opposites in style and groove. A lot of the transition is helped along by Greg’s personal style and just great “patter” between songs. He helps you move from the last song and set expectations for the next. I haven’t seen it done better.

The show opened with “Mantra” from Lift. Greg offered up solo guitar and vocals before being joined by the full band who rolled in like a wall. There wasn’t a crack in the sound, very tight. And that’s how they played all night and they had wonderful arrangements and voicings.

The second song “Wally’s Backstage Cafe” from the first CD sounded unusual and at the same time familiar — it was rocking boogie woogie that really swung. You could have danced a bunch of different styles from across three generations to that song. Just fun to listen to and experience.

I can’t go over every song however:

The third song “Reason for the Rhyme” has a great message as do most of Greg’s song. Why do we do things that are hard and offer no “earthly” reward? Because we love doing those things. That’s my poor paraphrasing of a lovely ballad. In this song JoJo offered up some pretty amazing counterpoint melodies.

The fourth song, “Quiet Voice”, off the new EP, is a song of encouragement to make a change. It starts off with Greg’s vocal and guitar solo with the band coming in. The song just builds and builds to a quiet explosion. Very nicely done. Some great lyrics: “If you
change your mind, they might have to too” was very nicely built to and succinctly put.

The fifth song, “Where To”, is also off the new EP. It’s a semi-autobiographical song about not knowing where you’re going but knowing that what really matters is who you are sharing the trip with. A lovely ballad.

Then Mr. Blyss kicked off song number six with a running bass and the rest of the band joined in with a great funky groove. “Your World” is a great “join hands” song. I looked around the room and I felt that others felt it too. Greg is charismatic and he invites you to share his vision. A night of Greg songs is like opening up a window in a tiny room and seeing out to the big beautiful world beyond.

Uh oh, I’m talking about each song… okay… We heard a couple more songs “Lightning in a Bottle” and “Fate” (both from Lift; both strong songs) and then another new one off the new EP – “Always Been You”. This song incorporates simple snippets of nursery rhymes and some great background counterpoint by Jo Jo and such a simple arrangment. A
romantic song quietly and elegantly delivered.

Next up, “Let it Go” from Lift was next. I have to mention this song because it has a great hooky chorus that just soars and is so satisfying.

Then we had a little change in pace: “One in Million” rocks out. It’s like a love bomb. A
lot of people would give anything to be loved the way the song expresses love. Everything pulls toward the message. Arrangement and message a perfect match.
Next in “Phantoms”, Jo Jo got to open with a pretty classic sounding rock solo with liberal use of the wammy bar and distortion effects. Fun!

Then “Kerosene” offered up another change. Greg opened up pickin out the harmonics on the acoustic while singing the opening lines and then the build. And Don on drums drives the band in. A great arrangement with some pulsing grooves.

Our evening closed after a few more songs. And people were genuinely bummed the show was over. The Union Room was about as full as I have seen it. Of course I’ve only been there an average of once a fortnight lately. Steve is building The Union Room’s reputation as a destination club for Indie bands. He is ALWAYS looking for talent, so if your band or if you’re a solo act and you haven’t sent him your cd. Steve is a very nice guy and doesn’t bite.

And if you don’t know Greg, check him out on CD baby and his website. He is very nice as well nd ahe doesn’t bite either. His music will make you sit back and think if you’re in that mood to catch up with the lyrics or you can just cruise a long and enjoy a very smooth ride.