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.

Last night, I finally made it over to one of Anton Schwartz’s House Concerts that he holds several times a year at his loft in Emeryville. I’ve known Anton for years and have a cache of his CDs. He is a sax artist, a composer, arranger and a teacher as well.

Last night, Anton shared the stage with a touring trio out of New York: Sylvia Cuenca on drums, Jared Gold on organ and Ed Cherry on Guitar. The three play as a “package” in New York and consequently effortlessly stay locked in with one another. They bring an organic sound to their arrangements so that even when it sounds like the song might unravel, the trio swings right back in at the last minute and you realize they never lost the thread in the first place. So that makes for some exciting music.

The quartet with Anton as guest front man performed two sets of some originals but mostly covers for about 40+ fans. They opened up with a classic interpretation of Ellington’s In a Sentimental Mood. There was absolutely nothing to complain about and lots to praise. It was a real vehicle for Anton’s lush saxophone, reaching and pulling just the right note and bending it, so reminiscent to me of the great Johnny Hodges. This is a classic Ellington song, deceptively simple yet tricky to make it sound that good.

The second tune was an arrangement of the Beatles’ In My Life. Somehow their jazz arrangement produced a perfect mirror to the original rock ballad. And then the solo section in the middle really broke from the song. Solos were high energy, sometimes at an almost frenetic pace – which ironically fit the arrangement. And I thought, whoa, where is this going and right when I was about to be taken completely out of the dream, they reigned the tune right back for the turnaround. Masterful rendered.

The third piece It Ain’t Necessarily So by the Gershwin brothers showcased Sylvia on drums. I was pretty much stunned by her opening solo, a series of fills that were so cleverly put together that they matched the mood of the song. So that when the band layered in to build the song, the process felt organic and natural. And then Cuenca switched to the more robust sound of standard jazz drums. Anton kept injecting tiny allusions to Wayne Shorter’s Witch Hunt, which was such an entertaining surprise and seamlessly added. At the end of the song, the instruments dropped out and Cuenca circled back to where she had begun. Another nice satisfying “bookend” moment for the listener. By the way, Cuenca taps the side of the cymbal with her perpendicular stick. I was fascinated by how many different sounds she got by “per cussing” all areas of her kit.

The fourth song, Armstrong’s Sleepy Time Down South was a strong vehicle for the entire band, but Jared Gold seemed to steal the song with classic organ style. He plays the Hammond Xk-3 and maintains an excellent left boot bass line on the pedals. He specializes in the laying down chords with thick harmonies. Jared has a fairly expressive face, which is fun to watch. It twists and turns with the chords he is playing. As the soloists took their turns, I experienced another one of those wild-ride sensations that I kept having on and off all night. As a song builds, if it starts to head off in a direction that the audience does not expect, tension is the obvious result. Too much tension and the artists’ bond with the audience can break, but stretch us to the breaking point and then release the tension and the audience really is putty in their hands. That’s what being a pro is all about. Not everyone can build a song that way. These four made it sound simple.

The fifth and sixth songs were two originals by Gold. The Cusp and Times Are Hard on the Boulevard. The Cusp was a ballad that couldn’t quite be a ballad as it was on the cusp. And it was a fun song to listen to. The song breaks loud and almost raucous, but then the soloists each take more reflective turns and your lulled into forgetting the opening, until the band builds it right back up and you’re back where you started. But instead of having song-identity confusion, I was left with thinking, yeh, life’s like that song.

The final song of the first set, Times Are Hard on the Boulevard is a classic cityscape piece. The mood was jazzy funk as each instrument modeled sounds of the city as the song opened with the full band. The solo section took us away from the cacophony of the city to maybe a park or a side street where things aren’t quite so chaotic, and then we turn the corner and we’re back on the boulevard. More great tension, release and tension again.

After refreshments at the break and some mingling with the musicians, the audience settled in for the second set which opened with The Spirit Speaks, an original song by Ed Cherry the guitarist. This mellow song ushered in a complete change in mood. I felt myself physically relax. The ballad was a wonderful vehicle for Cherry who plays a custom made electric guitar that has many acoustic features. At the break, I had asked him about the guitar. He said he had it made to his specifications by guitar builder Victor Baker in Philadelphia. To match Cherry’s lush picked and strummed melody, Cuenca used mostly jazz fills and organist Gold played laid back accent chords. It was a low-key trio piece. Just lovely.

The next song was a none-too-conventional but still satisfying rendering of Jobim’s Brigas Nunca Mais. Cuenca really drove the truck on this one, which was good because each player was playing his part on the edge. The entire song for me was another one of those moments of building the tension up and up until I wonder if they’ve taken it so far, they can’t recover. And right when I think they’re driving the song right off the cliff, they rein in and change direction back to the safety of the lush opening. Very satisfying.

The quartet then played the musical opposite of Brigas Nunca Mais, Moonlight in Vermont by Karl Suessdorf. Cherry opened the song with a quiet lush guitar solo, soon joined by Anton for a mellow duet suitable for a church, then Cuenca’s brushes creep in and the ever-animated Gold slides in gently and we have a full sound of possibly one of the loveliest melodies in the repertoire. Anton and Cherry swing back and forth in a call and response. Then the song builds with the organ pulling the load and then release back down to Anton and Cherry taking us out together. A lovely moment that gave me chills.

The next song was a playful, original song by Josh Gold. Splat strings together quite cleverly a series of disjointed melodic segments into a unified theme which then gives us a clear central rising note in which all members pull together to create that sense of take-off. The “splat”. Just a fun song to listen to. And the musicians made it look fun to play.

The final song Time’s Up, another original by Gold featured Cuenca. Which is good because it’s another high energy fast pace piece that requires a stern drummer. The gate opened on this one, all four horses went flying, kicking up the mud and churning their way out of the gate. Anton tossed in a bar of Fascinating Rhythm which was quite whimsical, because this song has a fascinating rhythm. You get a brief respite in the middle and just when you start to relax, un uh, it’s time to race for the wild finish.

Time’s Up segued right into some classic blues, which was a nice way to sew a button on the evening. We opened with a song that showcased what Anton is famous for – lush thoughtful tones that bend magically but never break.

The really GOOD NEWS is that you can catch this quartet TOMORROW, Sunday, September 20 at the Pink House at 2 pm in Saratoga.

I better get this posted and bulletined so a few of you can have a chance to hustle on down there.

Find out more about Anton and Sylvia Cuenca and Jared Gold and Ed Cherry on their websites.

If you love songwriting, Saturday at the West Coast SongwritersConference is a little like speed dating.

Scott and I attended the Saturday session of the conference today, heldat Foothill College. We had two one-on-ones where we were raked overthe coals, praised, loved and judged all at the same time. Yes, anindustry pro will tell you what he or she loves, hates, what works andwhat doesn’t work for him or her. And you have to decide if it feelsright or not. What your response will be. You show your songs, getfeedback, attend classes on making “it” stronger — whatever your “it”is, there’s a seminar on it… lyrics, melody, hooks, performancecomportment, marketing, co-writing, you name it. And you get to hearsongwriter/artists performing their stuff live in the FC quad all daylong. And you can catch an interview with an industry legend. Andthen at the end of it all, you go and hear some of the bestsongwriters singing their own work. The Sunset Concert is theemotional climax of the day.

Executive Director Ian Crombie opened the evening for us and thankedthe usual suspects board members and volunteers. Then he was given aspontaneous standing ovation when board member Tami Mulcahy crooned a”thank you Ian,” from the audience. Ian really needs to work on hisability to accept praise. He is way too eager to deflect it on tosomeone else so while I’m on that subject…

Ian and Joanie Crombie are fast becoming living legends. They are theheart of WCS and have pretty much set the tone of the love affair I andothers are having with WCS. They are generous to a fault with theirtime. Ian’s quiet professionalism and visionary leadership has beenthe primary driving force behind WCS since the amazing Silvershersfounded the organization 30 years ago.

So after Ian’s opening remarks, Ian introduced the winning artists ofthis year’s West Coast Songwriters Competition FINALS to sing theirwinning songs.

First up was fourth-placed Emily Rose with her amazing country ballad,I Still Leave the Light On. Great imagery, hooky and with a passionatedelivery. Very satisfying song.

Next was second place Sam Cosio. Sam has a really intimate electricguitar style replete with slow chromatic bass lines, played like anacoustic guitar. And his songs, particularly the placing song, Pour Mea Glass are performed in Sam’s signature style. There is somethingintimate, stark and cryptic about Sam’s music. It’s stand outdifferent.

Next up was Michael McNevin, the writer and performer of this year’s #1hit song: Scarecrow. He’ll take the song to an unexpected yetsatisfying resolution. The story line is simply elegant. The narratorcompares himself to a scarecrow and his lover to a bird who alights onhim. She flies fast while he watches the corn crow. Some unusualmajor triad color chords give it a unique sound. Simple but amazing. He also performed a wonderful country ballad, This Town’s Gonna Changeabout modernization coming to a one-horse town. Lovely. Poignant. Mike was accompanied by a stand-up bass player who also sang harmony. Mike has the talent and the words and the music and the arrangement andperforms with heart. That’s what makes you #1.

Next up was the band, HERO’S LAST MISSION. These five young men whotook 3rd place at the competition — Lee Hurtado his brother LuisHurtado, Quentin Garcia, Art Padilla and Julian Mendoza — have got themagic mix. For a rock band, they play a very transparent style. Thereare two acoustic guitars and close a capella harmonies and yet theyrock. They sang their award winning Baby You are Something and alsoanother “hit” Gone. And they are so tight. The sound is very clean. I got a chance to talk with them during the day. They are really niceguys, too.

After the four top placers performed, Ian handed over the baton to hitsongwriter and industry luminary Andre Pessis with his inimitable,refreshingly almost politically correct patter. Andre alternatelyintroduced and roasted WCS “lifers” who kindly performed for ustonight.

Co-Founder of WCS Michael Silversher kicked it off for us with I AmThe Wind, currently placed in a children’s science show on PBS. Hebrilliantly, parodied Bob Dylan in the second verse. You HAD to bethere. He also sang Mathew Street, an homage to the roots of theBeatles inspired by Michael’s visit to Liverpool. His performance andthe song were moving and timely as the Beatles new video game andre-mastered releases hit the market.

1000 Songwriting Ideas author, Lisa Aschmann, led the audience in asong she has recently placed with Rikki Scaggs. The chorus is perfectfor a round. So we all got to sing Ricky Scaggs future hit. How coolis that. Lisa then sang her beautiful Healing in the Hands of Time.Both songs have an emotional core that is so raw it hurts. That’sgood songwriting.

Foothills College professor and songwriter Jim Bruno was up next. Hedelivered his song about regret called We Were Blind, a movingmishandled relationship song and an heartbreak song using theCalifornia Rain as a metaphor for heartache.

Monica Pasqual of the band Blame Sally sang two personal songs from herupcoming solo album. La Tierra in mi Sangre (The Earth is in myBlood) about her Spanish roots and Terrified a song she wrote at a darkperiod in her life struggling with a loved one’s chronic illness. Monica drew tears tonight.

George Merrill then gave us two songs, accompanying himself on piano:Climbing a charged and intimate song dealing with anticipated recoveryfrom despair: Waiting for a Star to Fall was the hit that pretty muchput George on the map. And guess what, it still delivers with the samefreshness and impact it did upon release, a true hit. And George’sdelivery was emotional, personal and engaging. The entire row infront of me either had their eyes shut, heads nodding to the beat orwere furiously dabbing at their eyes with sleeves.

Right when I was ready to throw in the towel, consummate songster SteveSeskin took the stage, after surviving Andre’s ongoing playful ribbing. Steve can really put over a song. He sang a killer break-up songthat he recently co-wrote. The hook lyric was “My love for you isn’tgoing to die before I do.” I heard that line and I was going for theKleenex. And then Steve sang another poignant song about taking abreak to find yourself after a relationship ends. An upliftingheartbreak song? Yep, this is it.

The evening wrapped with Ian’s closing remarks. I was pretty sure Iknew what a hit song was when I left the auditorium. So I ask myselfthe question that I’m sure others in the audience were askingthemselves: Do I have what it takes to follow through and take mysongs to the next level? I don’t know if I’m a hit-maker, but after aday with WCS, I feel inspired to try.

As a member of West Coast Songwriters and co- manager of the East Bay Song Competition for WCS, I was excited to attend the FINALS for the annual song competition held Monday night at the new Freight and Salvage in Berkeley – which by the way is gorgeous with amazing acoustics. The ten competitors had all won best song of the year in the WCS chapters in which they had previously competed. Winners came together from Hollywood to Portland and the chapters in between to sing and play for us.

The Master of Ceremonies was artist/songwriter Greg Lamboy. He’s a dynamic member of the WCS board and he’s head of all the Song Competitions. WCS executive director Ian Crombie gave a short address. We are still so proud that Ian was named one of the “top fifty innovators, iconoclasts, groundbreakers and guiding lights of 2008″ in the December 17th issue of Rolling Stone magazine. After Ian spoke, Greg ushered to the stage one of the night’s judges, award-winning songwriter Steve Seskin. Steve kicked it off for us by singing three original songs. Steve delivers with such impact and is always inspiring to listen to. The other judges were indie producer and engineer Michael Rosen and Thom Maslow internet entrepreneur, founder of music-based start-up Yormo.com.

After Steve got the crowd warmed up, one by one the songwriters came up and sang for us. It was not an easy choice for the judges. It sure was not easy for me as I listened to what sounded like potential hit song after potential hit song.

The judges did make their choice, however –

The winning song was “Scarecrow” written and performed by the Bay Area’s own Michael McNevin who had competed and won in the East Bay Competition held on August 1 at the old Freight. 2nd place went to Hollywood’s Sam Cosio for his song “Pour Me A Glass.” And 3rd Place went to Hero’s Last Mission, a band from Sacramento for their song “Baby You Are Something.”

On any given night, any song could have won; that’s why we have three judges from different areas of the business and they have to come to consensus.

The other competitors were:
Woody Hawkins who won in Manteca for “Deception.”
Andrew Solomon who won in Martinez for “Leap of Faith”.
Mark Keller who won in Petaluma for “To Be Gone”
Dan Weber who won in Portland for “That’s What Midnight is For”
Liz Riley & Sia Mozaffari who won in Saratoga for “Wake Up In Love”
Julia Bordenaro who won in Sebastapol for “Know Who You’ve Become”
Emily Rose who won in San Francisco for “Just to Let You Know”

In the audience, I noticed many of the usual suspects – board members of WCS, teachers and coaches, WCS faculty, WCS faithful and fans. It was quite a surprise for me to run into Steve Suen, owner of both Biscuits and Blues and The Union Room in San Francisco. The last time I saw him he judged for one of the East Bay Competitions earlier in the year. I was even more surprised to learn that Steven joined WCS and will be coming to the conference next weekend at Foothill College.

Steven liked what he saw at the Freight when he was a judge for WCS and now he’s looking to strengthen his connection to local songwriter/artists and bands performing original songs. That’s the kind of organization WCS is, you just get drawn in by the amazing talent of its members and by the truly good guys that run the front. Top down, starting with Ian Crombie, Joanie Crombie and a great board of directors presided over by Michale Edell, WCS is THE supporting organization for regional songwriters (and now) bands to get critical feedback and access.

It was a great night for WCS and I am looking forward to the Conference September 12 and 13 at Foothill College. Check out the WCS website for more details.

See the winning song on the West Coast Songwriters Youtube Channel.