Did you make it out for Scott Sean White on Tuesday? Feel like you have the real picture now on what it takes to be taken seriously in Nashville? Scott is a straight shooter, and he is willingly and strategically paying his dues in Music City, twice a month, three days at a time.
If you don’t know who he is, you should look up Scott on ReverbNation. As Barbe told me after the meeting while a few of us were at Adairs having a beer and a burger. “Scott is a really good looking guy, and he’s a great singer, a great musician, and he writes great songs. It makes you wonder what they are looking for in Nashville.”
Scott opened some eyes on Tuesday. For seven years he’s been making trips to Nashville, having writing sessions with 2 or 3 people, then hitting all the industry events he can make in the evening. He’s finally becoming a familiar face.
Nashville is a closed town. You can ignore Scott’s advice—heck, you can stop reading now if you want—but if you’re smart, and you are, you’ll learn from someone else’s experiences. Because Scott is so passionate about songwriting and songwriters, he desperately wants to share what he’s learned so that aspiring Nashville writers can avoid his mistakes.
A word of advice that I think I can finally follow is “do it here,” and by here, I mean Nashville. Cut your demos in Nashville. Have a lawyer in Nashville. At Adairs someone complimented Roger on his haircut. Someone else said “Should have cut it in Nashville.”
It’s a closed town. You’ve got to be patient and persistent to be accepted, and it doesn’t hurt to be good-looking, talented and tall.
We also heard some from next month’s speaker, Marty Rendleman. She has some great stories to tell about her days with LeAnn Rimes and others from Dallas who broke big. She’s also got a new book. You won’t want to miss the July meeting, the last 2nd Tuesday meeting we’ll have before we take our August break.
Julie Jean, Lisa, Karyna and I traveled to the Texas Hill country earlier this month to provide two hours of music for the Great Castell Kayak Race on the Llano River. We had a blast. Thanks to friend and member Jerialice Arsenault for inviting us. Hope to be back this fall to collect on the free time at River Sound Studio.
What a year we’ve had. Each 2nd Tuesday we double our attendance from a year ago, and we’ve delivered great programs. Our 3rd Thursday Open Mic at Dunn Bros, Addison, is popping, and tonight we expect talented new member Paul Cataldi to perform again. Allen Larson plans to be there. Last month we competed with a Mavs/Thunder playoff game, and we had perhaps the most fun ever. This time we compete with the Mav’s parade, (Yay Mavs!), but also with Guy Clark at Poor David’s. Do what you have to do, but those who come will find Roger on sound and me playing host, and we will be giggin’!
Monday is 3rd Monday at Tino’s. If you haven’t been out to this song swap, put it on your calendar. We start at 7 and go ‘til 9.
Maybe you’ve heard about the cool Beth Nielsen-Chapman workshop July 16 at Love & War, Plano. Not only is she the hit writer for Faith Hill, but she’s also been covered by Bonnie Raitt and Willie Nelson. A neat twist is a little contest she’s having among those who attend. Could lead to some stage time later in the evening. You’ll find the details under the 'workshops' tab.
Speaking of songs and critiques, we are going to implement a rule for 2nd Tuesdays. Part of our 2nd Tuesday success is that we get double digit song submissions for critiques. We had 12 last time and had to return money and songs to an unlucky few, me included. We ran out of time.
So be forewarned: We are capping submissions at 10. It is first come, first serve. If you want a song critiqued, especially by someone like Scott or Marty, come at 6:30 and get signed in.
Some people love rules. I don’t. I love to bend ‘em. So, I’m sorry to impose this rule, but delighted that so many want to be heard every month.
Consider this excellent plan: Write a good song. Bring it to a song swap. Sing it at an open mic, then submit it for a 2nd Tuesday critique. Then write another good song.
See you tonight,
Buck
PS—Our friend and DSA member Tim DeLaughter and Polyphonic Spree are performing at the Dallas Art Museum tomorrow night.
Kick off the summer with our annual Summer Block Partyfeaturing a free outdoor concert by The Polyphonic Spree Friday, June 17th from 6:00 p.m.- midnight. The Dallas Museum of Art, Crow Collection of Asian Art, and Nasher Sculpture Center will host concerts, films, performances, tours of all three museums, and more! For a complete schedule of Late Night events visit DallasMuseumofArt.org/Events/LateNights.
PSS---Here’s a little blurb on Marty: What do LeAnn Rimes, Mikaila, and American Idol finalist Kristy Lee Cook have in common? Marty Rendleman.
Marty Rendleman has over 25 years experience in the music business and Is probably the only person to ever take two 9-yr olds and a 14-yr old to major-label contracts, two in country, one in pop. Want to hear more? See you next month.
