Open Mic Mania, Cartersville 07-21-2010

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.

 

 

Pearl Jam's New Video for "Amongst the Waves" - Oil Spill Video

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 lots of great camerawork that captures the beauty of the ocean from above and below and also features video of surfers and others having fun on the wave. It ends with video of the oil spill and of the clean up efforts. So please watch the video, enjoy the music and think about the message. Eddie Vedder is a songwriter who has the gift of being able to write songs that have a socially relevant message without coming across as being preachy. So enjoy the video. Enough said.

Pearl Jam Oceans from Pearl Jam on Vimeo.

Songs with the Longest Titles

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 Floyd's "Several Species of Small Furry Animals Gathered Together in a Cave and Grooving With A Pict" from the album Ummagumma.

There is another song by a Swedish Group, Rednex, which is longer than "I'm a Cranky Old Yank etc" - I don't know why it isn't listed as the longest song by the Guiness book of World Records. The title of that song is "The Sad But True Story Of Ray Mingus, The Lumberjack Of Bulk Rock City, And His Never Slacking Stribe In Exploiting The So Far Undiscovered Areas Of The Intention To Bodily Intercourse From The Opposite Species Of His Kind, During Intake Of All The Mental Condition That Could Be Derived From Fermentation." By Rednex.

Songwriting Tips From Last Night's "Guitar Pull"

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 captivating and often full of wit. Mark and some of my friends from the Cartersville Songwriters Exchange who were also there traded stories about performing at various open mics in Nashville. Mark gave us some good tips regarding the art of songwriting. I think the key one was keep the listener wanting more by throwing in variation musically or by telling a story that makes the listener curious about how it will end. He suggested that lyrics should have a conversational feel about them that draws you in. Mark also suggested staying away from some things that people may be trying to escape from - such as depressing topical news events such as how bad the economy has been lately or the oil spill. Too many of the people at Nashville open mics according to Mark go on and on about some topic in a preachy kind of manner or seem to only be able to write depressing songs. Then we had the opportunity to play some of our songs and get feedback. I'd like to thank Denise for inviting me and Jules for being such a wonderful hostess and sharing her beautiful home with us for a few hours. And also for the wonderful Brunswick stew and barbeque. Pictures of the event are posted in my Flickr slideshow below.

 

North Georgia Open Mic Hosted by Cartersville Songwriters Exchange

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/regional music industry representatives. The criteria upon which performers will base their decisions are stage presence, vocal ability, crowd participation, and overall talent. Performers may only perform their own original material.

If you are a songwriter, this is a great opportunity for you to get exposure and network with fellow musicians. The first Open Mic Mania will be held on July 21st at The City Loft in historic downtown Cartersville. The contest will be begin at 7:00 PM. The entry fee for the monthly Open Mic Mania contests is $10 per performer. The entry fee is waived for Cartersville Songwriters Exchange members.

For more information about rules and how to register please visit http://www.openmicmania.com.