tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35422441271682155222012-02-02T11:47:57.818-05:00The Seeds of Song is a blog about and for musicians and songwriters, primarily rock, folk and blues. Based in Smyrna, Georgia.David Pattersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00661789243023896931noreply@blogger.comBlogger731100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3542244127168215522.post-35209830558750348822011-12-25T14:27:00.002-05:002011-12-25T14:34:54.893-05:00

I was let go almost two years ago. Unemployment is so high right now for our nation - they may say we are out of the recession, but if you can't find a job that doesn't help. I wrote this song "Great Recession Christmas" to capture the mood of these times. Please give it a listen, and I would be extremely grateful if you would buy this and share it with your friends. Happy Holidays to all!Buy it

David Pattersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00661789243023896931noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3542244127168215522.post-78884503133307436172011-12-25T13:52:00.001-05:002011-12-25T14:31:29.864-05:00

I have quite a few songs under my belt now, a CD, and I am in the process of learning lots of covers. Recently a bought a small PA system. Now I'd like to start playing out enough so that I can attract fans and also network with more musicians. I plan to approach some nearby taverns and bars and ask them if I could run an open mic on slow nights. I plan to do mostly covers, but I will also mix in

David Pattersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00661789243023896931noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3542244127168215522.post-50425739565872137232011-12-19T22:36:00.004-05:002011-12-20T08:28:21.919-05:00

A few days ago, out of the blue, I received a letter from Hilltop Records, an independent record label in Hollywood. The letter requested that I send my best songs to Hilltop Records and then they would give them a listen and possibly include them on a compilation album. Hilltop Records would pay me royalties on any recordings sold. Well, I was considering sending them a CD, but then I googled

David Pattersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00661789243023896931noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3542244127168215522.post-12740835340487451392011-11-29T11:39:00.001-05:002011-12-20T08:30:28.628-05:00

I'm going to try to make this blog live again. My last post was back in May. Since then so much has happened, The Cowboy Festival at Jim Miller Park, I put out my own CD, Walking in the Morning Rain, and played at Cartersville Pop. I also had a CD release party at Copper Coin Coffeehouse. I see some of my friends who stopped by to see me and one or another of my performances have joined The Seeds

David Pattersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00661789243023896931noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3542244127168215522.post-77941459118613342732011-05-16T15:47:00.000-04:002011-05-16T15:47:57.387-04:00

Last Saturday I had the pleasure to attend a festival to benefit Liberian orphans in Cartersville. The festival was organized by Ernie Palmer and was held on the lovely grounds of Roselawn Museum. I decided to attend because many of my friends were among the performers. It was like a who's who of local songwriters. Many of these songwriters I had met through the Cartersville Songwriters Exchange.

David Pattersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00661789243023896931noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3542244127168215522.post-63071710044208403372011-05-04T20:04:00.000-04:002011-05-04T20:04:31.755-04:00

Our songwriter showcase was a hit last week. A respectable crowd showed to hear myself, Jeff Putnam, Allen Hicks and Cindy Smith play some of our original music. I did O.K. for the most part except for my final song that I flubbed because I forgot the lyrics midway through the second verse. I was very happy to see some of my friends from the Atlanta area in the audience. The staff of Antoninos

David Pattersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00661789243023896931noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3542244127168215522.post-39210560935861902342011-04-21T16:21:00.000-04:002011-04-21T16:21:40.941-04:00

A few month's ago I was going to perform in a Songwriter's Showcase in Cartersville along with fellow songwriters Jeff Putnam, Allen Hicks and Cindy Smith. Unfortunately the event was cancelled the day the event was to take place. Thanks to Randy and Patricia Owens who run the Cartersville Songwriters Exchange, our showcase has been rescheduled and will take place on April 30th at Antinino's

David Pattersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00661789243023896931noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3542244127168215522.post-43300842523256917152011-03-19T09:23:00.000-04:002011-03-19T09:23:34.692-04:00

The Cartersville Songwriter's Exchange hosted a songwriters showcase last night at Antonino's Restaurant featuring four talented local songwriters, Rick McKee, Denise Barker, Jules Bloeth and Randy Owens. The event took place in the room upstairs in Antonino's. It was a very comfortable place in which to enjoy music, with better acoustics and more comfortable chairs than the City Cellar where the

David Pattersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00661789243023896931noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3542244127168215522.post-9003054773226112322011-03-13T10:27:00.000-04:002011-03-13T10:27:21.041-04:00

Last night I got a chance to see Shawn Haney perform at the Mellow Mushroom on Chastain Rd. Shawn is a prolific singer-song who frequently plays at various venues and open mics around metro-Atlanta. Shawn was the entertainment for a three hour block of time. He has an extensive repertoire of covers and original material, and Shawn pulls them off quite well. He has managed to keep his repertoire

David Pattersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00661789243023896931noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3542244127168215522.post-75642177354021576922011-03-04T19:45:00.000-05:002011-03-04T19:45:39.480-05:00

Ok, this is a little bit of a lame post. But it is always fun and maybe has some relevance for those who want to write music that is timeless - what makes some songs or albums stay popular generation after generation? Some of the stuff you love immediately might quickly grow old - maybe the sound is too trendy like eighties synthesizers maybe the lyrics are too closely associated with a very

David Pattersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00661789243023896931noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3542244127168215522.post-56840359528158687102011-02-26T16:33:00.003-05:002011-03-05T11:50:29.017-05:00

Last week's songwriting showcase was cancelled due because of a disagreement with the owner of The City Loft. The Cartersville Songwriters Exchange is meeting at the home of Randy and Patricia Owens for now. The search is on for a meeting place where we can perform our music. If you have an establishment and would like to help out the local talent, please contact us. Visit

David Pattersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00661789243023896931noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3542244127168215522.post-64260078391812414692011-02-19T11:47:00.000-05:002011-02-19T11:47:32.918-05:00

Taken from Indieconnectmagazine.com I find that I really don’t know exactly what I know until I express it, sometimes verbally, but more often via the written word. My compulsion to keep reminding myself of the many things I’ve learned over the course of more than four decades in the music biz (went quick, believe me), has led me to author two published books for songwriters, along with numerous

David Pattersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00661789243023896931noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3542244127168215522.post-74794606493545579012011-02-18T12:27:00.000-05:002011-02-18T12:27:44.390-05:00

I've written a sixties style protest song that I think has pretty decent lyrics and a good chorus. The song actually had its genesis back a few years ago after it became more and more clear that the Iraq war was turning out to be a debacle based upon lies. In its original form it was in a different key and I attempted to make it have a three-four time signature like a waltz. I wasn't too happy

David Pattersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00661789243023896931noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3542244127168215522.post-27604378793122624662011-02-12T11:41:00.000-05:002011-02-12T11:41:42.626-05:00

Last Wednesday evening marked the first Cartersville Songwriters Exchange meeting at Antonino's Italian Grotto in Cartersville. The owners of Antonino's have agreed to let us meet and perform inside the restaurant on Wednesday nights. This has been a slow night for business. We will also be able to hold special events in the upstairs room. Patricia Owens is hard at work trying to make the room

David Pattersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00661789243023896931noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3542244127168215522.post-38409588601843363252011-01-29T15:30:00.001-05:002011-01-29T15:31:27.371-05:00

I was fortunate to attend an elementary school that still taught music. I have fond memories of that class and the songs we sang together. I am also glad that I learned the basics of musical notation. I used to play violin until the 8th grade - I gave it up because of a crappy 7th grade music teacher and lack of inspiration. And also because to my adolescent mind I didn't look very manly

David Pattersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00661789243023896931noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3542244127168215522.post-74188309157214275142011-01-23T23:07:00.004-05:002011-01-23T23:19:23.611-05:00

 This match-up is between two classic rock bands known for their beautiful harmonies.Lyrics - The Beach Boys 5, CSN 5I am calling it a tie here. CSN wrote lyrics that were perfect for late sixties counter culture, emphasizing peace, free love and a breaking from tradition. But The Beach Boys had so many great songs that so perfectly summed up an “endless summer” eternal teenage themes such as

David Pattersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00661789243023896931noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3542244127168215522.post-67273822520191641882011-01-15T12:10:00.005-05:002011-01-15T12:45:39.660-05:00

Last night I got a chance to catch up with my old friend Mike Watson who was playing at Doc's in Smyrna with his band, The Mike Watson Band. Mike is a seasoned musician, who has opened for, or performed with, the Freddy Fender Band, Confederate Railroad, Cheap Trick, Darlene Austin, Hamilton, Joe Frank, and Reynolds, Bill Haley's Comets, Janie Frickie, Melva Montgomery, Allen Frizzell, and Doyle

David Pattersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00661789243023896931noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3542244127168215522.post-42999355943552966382011-01-11T16:25:00.001-05:002011-01-11T17:41:01.031-05:00

This morning I think I finally wrote my first blues song that I am satisfied with. My challenge has always been that I am not in a band and I am not a good enough finger-picker or slide guitar player to pull off that Robert Johnson sound. In addition, it is really hard to make something that has at least somewhat of a fresh sound so that it doesn't sound completely predictable and therefore

David Pattersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00661789243023896931noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3542244127168215522.post-56354210316568848392011-01-09T12:22:00.000-05:002011-01-09T12:22:19.117-05:00

Last night I attended the final Open Mic Mania which was held at The City Loft in Cartersville, Georgia. It was a resounding success! A large and appreciative crowd showed up to see local musicians perform their own original songs and music and stuck around to see who would ultimately win. Twelve songwriters competed in this final Open Mic Mania event. Several members of the Cartersville

David Pattersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00661789243023896931noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3542244127168215522.post-83502115708992855222011-01-06T10:21:00.001-05:002011-01-06T10:43:09.456-05:00

The Cartersville Songwriters exchange will be hosting two songwriter showcases in 2011. The first will be in February and will feature four songwriters, each performing about a half an hours worth of their own material. What a great way for aspiring musicians and songwriters to garner some attention! This event is relatively unique because it differs from a typical open mic in that the music is

David Pattersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00661789243023896931noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3542244127168215522.post-51838204190282065582010-12-31T10:09:00.001-05:002010-12-31T10:19:00.541-05:00

I first found out about "Music After 50" on Facebook. It has been a great resource with interesting and well written articles. Their website is www.musicafter50.com. If you are an avid user of Facebook as I am, I would suggest that you "like" their Facebook page to stay up to date on the latest articles. Although the site is called "Music After 50", the topics of the articles is useful for those

David Pattersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00661789243023896931noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3542244127168215522.post-19563508816841919622010-12-28T18:37:00.004-05:002010-12-28T19:51:08.068-05:00

 On Wednesday, December 22nd, Randy and Patricia Owens hosted a party for the Cartersville Songwriters Exchange at their home in Cartersville. It was a great time! There were probably about ten talented local songwriters there to share food, talk, and of course, to make music. I debuted a Christmas song I had just written, "Great Recession Christmas" and Allen Hicks also delighted us with a

David Pattersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00661789243023896931noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3542244127168215522.post-79321878305109231602010-12-19T12:34:00.000-05:002010-12-19T12:34:26.405-05:00

I have been adding albums to my Amazon store that may be of interest to long-time Rock and Pop music lovers. Check them out. My picks will probably appeal more to people who still like alternative or edgy music, groups such as Rogue Wave, The Shins, Radiohead and These Arms Are Snakes. If your tastes are more pop, check out Broken Bells, Gorillaz and Blondie. Songwriters will appreciate

David Pattersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00661789243023896931noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3542244127168215522.post-56277866896748649682010-12-15T15:19:00.002-05:002010-12-28T18:20:20.464-05:00

Find great deals on TV Speakers. Great brands such as Logitech, Creative Inspire, Jamo and many others. Whether you have a plasma television or an LCD television, you can find speakers for it here: tv speakers.

David Pattersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00661789243023896931noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3542244127168215522.post-84534936721024130472010-12-15T12:23:00.000-05:002010-12-15T12:23:02.243-05:00

Here's a song that I wrote that captures the mood of the nation this Christmas season. Especially for me. I have been unemployed since March. The Santa in this song is so desperate it is implied that he may resort to crime. Your comments are welcome, as are links to your own Christmas Songs. Great Recession Christmas by David Patterson on Thursday, December 9, 2010 at 1:11am Jack Frost is

David Pattersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00661789243023896931noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3542244127168215522.post-55759646398615016332010-07-22T00:18:00.000-04:002010-07-22T00:18:43.448-04:00

The photos below are of everyone who played in the Open Mic Mania except for me. It was a fun night, I'm sorry I left early but Kathy was tired and begging me to take her home to Smyrna so that she wouldn't have too hard of a time waking up to go to work tomorrow.   

David Pattersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00661789243023896931noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3542244127168215522.post-21885656800167181402010-07-15T14:35:00.000-04:002010-07-15T14:35:21.992-04:00

Pearl Jam has released a new video for their song "Amongst the Waves". The video's proceeds will be donated to Conservation International's Marine Program, a program devoted to raising environmental awareness about how valuable our oceans are and encourage humanity to work together to protect and preserve the oceans and the creatures who make the ocean their home. This is a beautiful video with

David Pattersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00661789243023896931noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3542244127168215522.post-8303232347217565872010-07-13T14:57:00.000-04:002010-07-13T14:57:52.387-04:00

According to the Guiness book of World Records the song with the longest title is "I'm a Cranky Old Yank in a Clanky Old Tank on the Streets of Yokohama with My Honolulu Mama Doin' Those Beat-O, Beat-O Flat-On-My-Seat-O, Hirohito Blues," written by Hoagy Carmichael. Hoagy later claimed that the song ends with "Yank" and the rest was added as a joke. A favorite long song title of mine is Pink

David Pattersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00661789243023896931noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3542244127168215522.post-61226362467811811012010-07-04T15:52:00.005-04:002010-07-05T19:29:53.739-04:00

I had the opportunity to meet with some of those involved with the songwriter's website Songramp.com last night. We had a good time talking, sharing beer and barbeque, and of course later out came the guitars. Marc-Alan Barnette, a singer-songwriter from Nashville performed some of his fun, upbeat country songs. He is a seasoned performer and a superb guitarist, and the lyrics of his songs were

David Pattersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00661789243023896931noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3542244127168215522.post-40075272529903728612010-07-01T22:07:00.002-04:002010-07-01T23:09:09.525-04:00

Starting in July, The Cartersville Songwriters Exchange will be hosting Open Mic Mania, a chance for Georgia songwriters to perform and take part in a contest to win prizes that include cash, gift certificates, studio time and CD replication discounts. The winners will be chosen after three rounds of competition to be held over successive months and will by picked by a panel of judges, local/

David Pattersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00661789243023896931noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3542244127168215522.post-9978797327372876302010-06-21T17:38:00.000-04:002010-06-21T17:38:38.767-04:00

As songwriters we have all been there - we sit down to write some new lyrics as the basis for a new song, but then draw a blank. How do you get around this readers? It seems as though that first verse or chorus is the hardest to write. Here are ways that I use to get the creative flow started. 1. Come up with a story to tell. The song "Heartbreak Hotel", written by Tommy Durden and Mae

David Pattersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00661789243023896931noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3542244127168215522.post-84780208025816596452010-06-18T18:33:00.001-04:002010-06-19T10:06:14.382-04:00

Two eighties supergroups vie for this week's songwriters match up. Both groups revitalized rock with a fresh infusion of diverse musical influences - among the first major white bands to have a sound that incorporated ska and reggae. With the exception of the U.K., ska and reggae were little known in the United States. The Police were more of a new-wave band and The Clash was defintely more

David Pattersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00661789243023896931noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3542244127168215522.post-13852951766120273962010-06-15T14:00:00.000-04:002010-06-15T14:00:12.366-04:00

Randy forwarded me a link to a very good blog post this morning. The title of the post is "Four Mistakes That Killed the Record Indstry (sic) Before File Sharing" posted by blogger Jeff Balke. The four mistakes listed in the post are: 1. CD Sales are not the same as record sales 2. Longevity trumps the flavor of the week 3. Destroying the Chain of Distribution is Death 4. Killing the D.J.

David Pattersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00661789243023896931noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3542244127168215522.post-72819797583390176402010-06-11T19:36:00.003-04:002010-06-16T11:27:48.300-04:00

After a one week hiatus, I'm back with the latest songwriter match up between two classic rock guitar gods – Pete Townsend v. Eric Clapton. Who will come out on top as the best songwriter? This weeks match up will differ from my earlier match ups in that I am changing the way I award points for each section – from now on the point total will be split among the two contestants instead of the way

David Pattersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00661789243023896931noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3542244127168215522.post-44554783001278589712010-06-10T22:47:00.000-04:002010-06-10T22:47:14.861-04:00

On Wednesday, The Cartersville Songwriters Exchange met for the first time at The City Loft in historic downtown Cartersville. The owners are very supportive of us and we were waited upon beforehand and had a chance to order some delicious food and drink from The City Cellar, the adjoining restaurant. The founder of the group, Randy Owens, and promoter Chris Hereth addressed us and laid out

David Pattersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00661789243023896931noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3542244127168215522.post-23193886985939897222010-05-29T10:34:00.000-04:002010-05-29T10:34:51.945-04:00

Here are the details I promised to post regarding CSE's new meeting place, courtesy of Chris Hereth. I assume the meeting time will still be 7:30 PM. It looks as though the day of future meetings will be Wednesday. From Chris's post on the CSE Facebook page: Okay folks, it's official! The Cartersville Songwriters Exchange has a new home! Starting on June 9th, the weekly CSE meetings will take

David Pattersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00661789243023896931noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3542244127168215522.post-35942048556202153582010-05-28T16:59:00.001-04:002010-05-28T17:35:41.297-04:00

This week our songwriters challenge pits The Eagles against Creedence Clearwater Revival. I think I was influenced by The Big Lebowski in coming up with this match up. Will I heed The Dude's advice and pick CCR over The Eagles? It's hard to say at this point, but I will try to make a reasonable analysis. Two great bands American rock bands.... Lyrics John Fogerty was the primary songwriter

David Pattersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00661789243023896931noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3542244127168215522.post-64352211955309829942010-05-27T17:52:00.000-04:002010-05-27T17:52:23.078-04:00

According to a conversation I had with Randy, a restaurant owner in Cartersville has agreed to let us start having our meetings in an upstairs room during off hours. From what I understand, he may be interested in having us perform there as well, if we can draw enough customers. This is a very vague post, and I apologize for that - I should have more details in the near future. I am hoping

David Pattersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00661789243023896931noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3542244127168215522.post-28456949442594320152010-05-21T18:04:00.001-04:002010-05-21T18:35:18.595-04:00

This week it's The Doors versus Lou Reed in our songwriter match up - who will come out on top? As I think about these two bands, I can't help but remember from Oliver Stones movie The Doors in which Jim Morrison and company are at a party where Lou Reed and The Velvet Underground are performing. It was implied that The Doors were ambassadors of the psychedelic, consciousness expanding spirit

David Pattersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00661789243023896931noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3542244127168215522.post-83253703700352067822010-05-19T17:51:00.003-04:002010-06-05T22:48:39.105-04:00

Well, this week I took the plunge and bought myself a camcorder - the Sony Bloggie. It cost less than $200 and can record in high definition. With Kathy's help I shot my first music video to promote one of my songs. I may be jumping the gun here because I really need to create a YouTube channel and a website with a shopping cart where people can purchase music (after I have better quality MP3'

David Pattersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00661789243023896931noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3542244127168215522.post-5535043220303710612010-05-14T18:48:00.000-04:002010-05-14T18:48:46.480-04:00

This week's match up is between two more great British bands, The Kinks and The Animals. Both bands formed in the 60's. Ray Davies was the primary lyricist of The Kinks and his songs were known for their observations on English culture, humor and word play. The Animals were basically a blues band that became more and more psychedelic nature over the course of the band's career. Until the mid

David Pattersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00661789243023896931noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3542244127168215522.post-33570946651677946662010-05-10T18:13:00.000-04:002010-05-10T18:13:53.876-04:00

I am a self-taught guitarist - I learned to play by ear and by learning the chords to lots of songs so that I developed a sense for structure and and color. But it is hard to continue to grow sometimes by just trying to learn new chords and doodling around - you find it hard to break out of the same old patterns - and when the same old chord combinations in your musical toolbox no longer can

David Pattersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00661789243023896931noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3542244127168215522.post-47407709358530872082010-05-06T16:08:00.001-04:002010-05-06T18:50:17.497-04:00

This week's songwriter match up pits two seminal British rock bands against one another. The songs of Pink Floyd and Led Zeppelin are mainstays on almost any classic rock station. Of the two, I would say that Pink Floyd was the more avant-garde for their time, focusing heavily on psychedelic lightshows and elaborate stages that were part of their performances. Pink Floyd also put out more

David Pattersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00661789243023896931noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3542244127168215522.post-63422173058999583912010-05-01T11:22:00.001-04:002010-05-01T11:25:58.187-04:00

This week's match up pits two of rock music's most unconventional stars against each other to determine who is the best songwriter. David Bowie, born David Robert Jones, was perhaps the most influential "glam rocker" as the androgynous alter ego Ziggy Stardust and later The Thin White Duke. Elton John's outrageous stage costumes and exuberant uninhibited concerts wowed his fans and he became

David Pattersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00661789243023896931noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3542244127168215522.post-7254355713705841722010-04-27T22:01:00.000-04:002010-04-27T22:01:59.658-04:00

I recently bought a one month membership to Bandmix.com for just under ten dollars.  If I would have opted for a year or three months, it would have been cheaper per month, but I am betting that I will find someone in less than a month to jam with.  There is a fee membership level, but with a free membership you can't even directly message people through Bandmix.  So far I have contacted four

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The first songwriter match up – Chuck Berry v Buddy Holly & The Crickets – has turned out to be quite a challenge. Both were such great pioneers in a number of areas. Buddy Holly was one of the first artists to write their own songs and produce their own music. He was also one of the first to use the recording technique of multi tracking (which had just been invented by Les Paul). Up until

David Pattersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00661789243023896931noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3542244127168215522.post-4840430307258094272010-04-20T10:59:00.004-04:002010-04-20T11:15:59.408-04:00

Billy and Randy Owens have been part of the Georgia music scene since the 1970's. The bands that they have been part of include Fourty Fingers, Sundance and The Apple Corps...and probably a lot more, these are just the ones that I know.As the Owens Brothers, Billy and Randy are available to perform at the usual venues for bands such as clubs as well as private parties. They cover hits from the

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While doing some research on the use of social media, I found a free webinar to attend last week on the site http://www.thesongwriteronline.com/. It was entitled "The Songwriter and Social Media - Putting it all Together." The author is Matthew Moran, who was generous enough to put this together and conduct the webinar free of charge as his way of giving back to the community of songwriters.

David Pattersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00661789243023896931noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3542244127168215522.post-72518448345817678482010-04-15T11:50:00.001-04:002010-04-15T11:52:24.269-04:00

I have rethought how I am going to approach this discussion of what band or artist deserves to be recognized as the best songwriter - there are so many that are just so different that any comparisons might be too much like apples to oranges. Therefore, I looked over my list and came up with the match-ups below as well as how what criteria I will use to determine who is best. See below: -------

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Dear Readers, I thought it might be fun to compare notes on which Rock Bands or solo Artists we think are the best songwriters. To this end, I have compiled a list of some of the biggest names, the legends; I each week I will take two of them and argue the merits of each and choose the band or artist I consider to be superior. I will have to objectify the criteria somehow - some system that

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Lots of my favorite rock songs make use of at least some vocal harmony. At the last meeting of the Cartersville Songwriter's Exchange, I tried working on this with Randy on a couple of his songs. I could get it after he sat down and we figured out the third. Singing in the third of the key of the regular vocal makes for a nice harmony - the third and the fifth all will work for a major key

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The information in this post is from The Book of Useless Information which can be purchased at Amazon.com. The Beatles featured two left-handed members: Paul, whom everyone saw holding his Hoffner bass left-handed, and Ringo, whose left-handedness is at least partially to blame for his "original" drumming style. The Beatles performed their first U.S. concert in Carnegie Hall. The Beatles song

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I just found this on craigslist. ---------------------------------------- CALLING ALL SONGWRITERS and MUSICIANS OPEN MIC AND AUDITIONS ZUCCA BAR & PIZZERIA 2860 ATLANTA RD SMYRNA, GEORGIA 30080 EVERY THURSDAY 8:30PM TIL 12:00PM Attention Musicians, Bands (Country, Rock, and Jazz) A JAM PRODUCTION is now holding Open Mic and Auditions for a touring recording artist and reviewing talent

David Pattersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00661789243023896931noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3542244127168215522.post-44962244201821201002010-04-01T21:48:00.006-04:002010-04-01T22:01:55.103-04:00

Songwriting isn't easy, but great songwriters know the power of metaphor, alliteration, imagery and symbolism. Below are some of my favorite lyrics to serve as examples of these devices. METAPHOR - a figure of speech in which an expression is used to refer to something that it does not literally denote in order to suggest a similarity. "There's a bad moon on the rise" - John Fogerty of

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It is rather ironic, but even though I have just created this blog on songwriting this month, at the present time I think that I am more inclined to spend time becoming a better player than writing more songs. One reason for this is that I think I could be better inspired if I could play more complex and interesting chord progressions. The songs I write are usually only four or five chords

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Yesterday was the second meeting of the Cartersville Songwriters Exchange, founded by Randy Owens. Even though just Randy, his brother Billy Owens and I were the only ones who showed up, it was a good meeting. We all have strong original material and we got a chance to bounce ideas off of each other and play our songs. Still there are doubts - will people pay to hear unfamiliar songs? Can we

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According to Paul McCartney, the working title of his song "Yesterday" was "Scrambled Eggs". Paul had heard the melody in a dream, and the next morning he sat down at the piano to make sure he could get something down before he forgot it. The original working lyrics were as below: Scrambled eggs Have an omelette with some Muenster cheese Put your dishes in the wash bin please So I can clean

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It's Wednesday afternoon. I am not feeling much like working on that website I am supposed to finish to market my website design and graphic design talents, and Kathy is wanting us to take a day trip because it is a beautiful sunny day. She says rain is forecast for tomorrow, so why not put off sitting in front of the computer until tomorrow? I suppose I can at the very least write a new post.

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Is the most powerful music find its roots in personal suffering? Artists as renowned as Eric Clapton felt that they needed to suffer to play the blues with authenticity. I sometimes think that it might be a little absurd for me to sing about stuff like heroin withdrawal or being beat down by the man when I have always had a roof over my head and food on the table and really have led a safe,

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For what it is worth, here are some equipment recommendations. I have a Dean acoustic-electric guitar which I am very happy with. The sound is rich, it is easy to play, it looks good and it has a built in electronic tuner. I bought it last summer for less than $600, the most I have ever paid for an acoustic, but well worth it. It was tricky to find where to put new batteries in for the

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I did a search on Songwriting Contests 2010 in order to share the results with my followers. It seems there are quite a number of sites that claim that to promote your songs by distributing them on feeds and archiving them in databases that are accessed by producers and musicians. But what happens if you send your song in and it is stolen outright? Is it foolish to even consider sites like

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Poetry and lyrics... they have much in common, but there are also important differences between the two. Most of it stems from differences in delivery. Poetry must appeal to a reader while musical lyrics have to appeal to a listener. Some of the best rock songs have lyrics that are too simplistic to stand on their own as poems, but when these same words are sang by a talented vocalist in a

David Pattersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00661789243023896931noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3542244127168215522.post-29772882773912872732010-03-12T15:33:00.003-05:002010-03-12T15:36:32.107-05:00

More upcoming events for musicians and songwriters. March 16th - Submission Deadline for MUSIC 101 - Building the Beat: http://www.bmi.com/events/entry/547457 March 19th - Submission Deadline for the BMI Unsigned Urban Showcase: http://www.bmi.com/events/entry/540683 March 31st - Next Fresh Thing (LA) - details to be posted soon April 1st - BMI Rock Showcase (ATL) - details to be posted soon

David Pattersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00661789243023896931noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3542244127168215522.post-20711174739904418202010-03-10T22:27:00.002-05:002010-03-11T00:12:29.998-05:00

Tonight for the 2nd week in a row I packed up the guitar and drove to REV coffeehouse on Spring Road in Smyrna. I got there earlier than last time and got my name on the board right off the bat, which was a good thing because there were only a couple of spots left. Each time I come back to REV it seems to get better - it was especially cool that the first performer covered some of my favorites

David Pattersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00661789243023896931noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3542244127168215522.post-58081399806309606972010-03-09T18:14:00.000-05:002010-03-09T18:14:07.951-05:00

Come and hear from some of the industry's leading songwriters. This panel will also include an in-depth Q&A session.   Moderated By:  Catherine Brewton, VP, Writer-Publisher Relations BMI   Friday, April 16th, 2010 from 3:00pm-5:00pm   Georgia State Alumni Hall 30 Courtland St Atlanta, GA 30303 You must RSVP to http://rsvp.bmi.com/music101/ by April 9th Space is limited, so

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Several years ago I had written a song about an image on a tarot card - building a short narrative based on that picture.  I came up with some chords and a melody, but it just wasn't working - the chord structure wasn't quite right, and I had a hard time singing the melody.  Just recently though it all fell in to place.  I hadn't thought about making that song for years but for some reason the

David Pattersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00661789243023896931noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3542244127168215522.post-28851783302026986292010-03-07T11:16:00.000-05:002010-03-07T11:16:42.551-05:00

I had a fun and productive time at the first meeting of the Cartersville Songwriters Exchange.  Hosted by organizer Randy Owens, of the Owens Brothers.  We agreed to meet once a week and to exchange MP3s to help us work out material at home.  Our goal is to create a compilation CD and perhaps to sell it at performances.  One we have some songs down, we will look for paying gigs.  And we'd also

David Pattersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00661789243023896931noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3542244127168215522.post-73982868792998144582010-03-06T07:31:00.005-05:002010-03-06T07:37:07.132-05:00

I heard this story on 92.9 dave FM. Michael Franti of  the group Spear was staying at Woody Harrelson's house while Harrelson was away filming.  Franti was in the shower when an idea for a melody came to him - and he was able to to come up with lyrics as well.  To make sure he got his ideas down before he might forget them, the first thing he did when he emerged from the shower was to write them

David Pattersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00661789243023896931noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3542244127168215522.post-23101896675216902010-03-05T08:45:00.001-05:002010-03-05T08:47:36.294-05:00

I am trying to figure out home to assemble the least expensive but reasonably effective home recording setup. I bought a very cheap omni microphone that uses a USB connection to hook up to the computer.  The software I am using is Audacity.  My friend Jim Wunderlich, owner of Orbital Sounds studio recommended this microphone for home recording: You might want to check out the Sampson C01U

David Pattersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00661789243023896931noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3542244127168215522.post-84245139912637383182010-03-04T06:19:00.000-05:002010-03-04T06:19:52.779-05:00

Finally got the courage up to do my first open mike in years.  Kathy and I went to REV's open mike.  We were there at almost 8:00 PM, the posted start time, and the sign-up board for performers was already full.  There was a lot of decent talent last night, it's good to know that I live in an area where people appreciate local performers.  REV is run by some really nice people, and the coffee and

David Pattersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00661789243023896931noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3542244127168215522.post-90068005006920605302010-03-03T13:01:00.008-05:002010-04-20T12:08:40.810-04:00

 Local Services 

David Pattersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00661789243023896931noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3542244127168215522.post-8078774127222132502010-03-03T09:19:00.001-05:002010-03-04T15:27:23.652-05:00

Creative types often have to take rather odd jobs in order to pay the bills while waiting for someone to recognize their talents.  Maybe this could be the subject of a future song, lol.  Or maybe not. Well you have to pay the bills... in roughly chronological order: Ice Cream Truck Vendor Intelligence Operations Specialist USAF Summer Help Wood County Phone Company Graphics, Agricultural

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Being between jobs can be both frightening and liberating. I am a songwriter / guitarist / harmonica player and I am creating this blog in order to help promote myself and others in the North Metro Atlanta area who love to make music and perform. Until yesterday I was working for a media company in downtown Atlanta - yesterday I was fired. I will be getting a month's severance pay and

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