THE ALBUM COLLECTION, Wynonna (1992)

This week in my look at some of the albums that have inspired me or are among my all-time favorites, I turn the time machine back to the year I graduated high school – 1992. By this time, I had already been working in Country Radio for about two years, and one of the most requested songs at the station where I worked was “She Is His Only Need,” the first solo single from Wynonna. Her solo debut was one of the most-anticipated...

The Pitch, The Swing, The Home Run

Last night Bill and I watched “The Babe,” a movie starring John Goodman as Babe Ruth. Bill and I love baseball and movies about baseball. I love the story of Babe Ruth who beats the odds and became the best of the best. I love his quote, “Every strike brings me closer to a home run.” I think that’s good advice for songwriters. We write lots of songs, taking a good swing at them, if you will, trying to make them great. Sometimes, we miss. But eventually, with lots of hard work and practice, a home run comes...

Country Stars Stretch Conventions of Concert Stage Design

As anyone can attest after attending a major Country artist’s show, live stage production is phenomenally complex and sophisticated, a many-headed monster with lots of moving parts that take an army of personnel to control. Aesthetics, logistics and economics are the drivers of production design, so regardless of the visions any particular tour wants to explore, these key considerations apply to bringing those visions to life. Production is a Team Effort. From concept to implementation, production design involves...

On Becoming an Artist

So… your mother thinks you sing just like Taylor Swift and are cuter than Justin Bieber, and your grandma has agreed to give you the money she was going to put towards your college fund to spend on a guitar. You’re on your way to stardom. How hard can it be? Write a few songs; buy a cool outfit; record a Youtube video and you’re launched. I won’t say it can’t happen. Sounds like a dream; A dream without a plan and little chance of success. If you are truly a good singer and if you want a career singing, you need to...

THE ALBUM COLLECTION, Live In London, Ricky Skaggs (1985)

I hope that you are enjoying this series of articles about some of the albums that hold a special place in my collection. This one definitely takes me back. In the mid 1980s, there was no Country artist any cooler than Ricky Skaggs. Older fans loved him because he was very respectful of the past, including such classics as “Crying My Heart Out Over You” and “Uncle Pen” as singles. Younger fans – like me, admired him because he made them sound like current songs, inspiring us to go back and seek out...

Why Singing Exercises Are a Must for Songwriters

I'm pleased to be invited to contribute to the Songwriters Connection. You're songwriters, so I'm going to make an assumption that you all have a strong interest in singing to some degree. My articles will be geared toward the singer in you which should, in turn, help make you a better equipped songwriter. Are singing exercises really mandatory for everyone? No, they are not. They are only mandatory if you want to present your songs well or become a successful singer with a long and important career. Sure, some...

How to Deal with the Stresses and Anxieties in the Music Industry

Stress and anxiety are very common in today’s music industry. As a result, here is a list of techniques that a person can use to help manage the daily stresses and anxieties of their music industry profession. Sometimes, we get stressed when everything happens all at once. When this happens, a person should take a deep breath and try to find something to do for a few minutes to get their mind off of the problem. A person could take a walk, listen to some music, read the newspaper or do an activity that will give them...

Bluetree - Kingdom Marks Brand New Start For Band

For most bands, it’s a mark that you’ve officially “made it” when you’ve got a hit radio single, plenty of positive press and a jam-packed tour schedule where nomadic living is essentially the new normal. but for the Belfast, Ireland-based band Bluetree, best known for their stirring reminder that God’s light still shines, even in the darkest of places—like Thailand’s Red Light district where “God of This City” was born—living the so-called “dream” was nothing but a giant step backward. If anything, they felt unsettled, uninspired...

THE ALBUM COLLECTION, There’s More Where That Came From, Lee Ann Womack (2005)

I appreciate the comments I have gotten from you regarding this new series I have done spotlighting some of my favorite albums in my collection. There’s something about music and its’ healing power, or at the very least – something about it that leaves a memory with you. This week, I want to turn back the hands of time to a day during the latter part of 2004. One of my best friends had called me one night and said that I needed to take a listen to a new song from Lee Ann Womack. OK, first of all – listening to a...

Seeking Songwriting Success: Three Ways Follow-Through Pays Off

Talent is a wonderful thing. On some level, we’ve all got it. However, what separates the success stories from the tragically unrecognized geniuses is what you do after the inspiration is over. Songwriting is art. Like all art, songs require a healthy dose of inspiration, which is nearly impossible to predict or control. In that way, the spark that results in the creation of a song is a gift but the rest of the process is nothing more (or less) than good, old-fashioned work. By following through in a variety of different...

Stagecoach 2012: Palomino Proves The Place To Be

Chris Isaak serenades the crowd while strolling through the Palomino tent a few songs into his set Saturday at Stagecoach 2012. Those Stagecoach-goers who staked spots at the Mane Stage on Saturday to party their brains out really missed some great music happening elsewhere on the Empire Polo Field. From the early-afternoon sounds of Carlsbad singer/fiddler Sara Watkins to an inspired set from comeback kids the Mavericks, there were all kinds of memorable turns inside the Palomino and Mustang...

Lorraine Jordan - Balancing Business and Bluegrass

Lorraine Jordan has been setting the stage and raising the bar of women in business and bluegrass ever since she started driving a school bus to pay her way through college. Today Jordan is on top of the world with success of her latest album Back to My Roots, currently climbing the bluegrass charts, but she has even bigger goals in mind. "I hope to be even more successful, as a business woman and a bluegrass performer in 2012," shares Jordan. "So from the time I crawl out of bed, until I get back into bed, I am in ...

Music and Magic

Music is one of the most important things in my life. I can't imagine a life without playing music, it's one of the gifts I'm most grateful for. I know that many of us....most, even....who have devoted our lives to making music made that decision because we had to. There was never any question for me: it was a calling, and I've never heard a great musician say otherwise. I do believe, though, that anyone can (and in my opinion as an educator, should) learn to make music in some form, no matter how simple. It's one of the great...

How to Use Internet Trends to Market Your Band

If you use the Internet frequently, chances are that you’ve been noticing a few things on the rise: meme images or animated .gif’s, certain types of videos, infographics, etc. Why not use these viral trends and put your own spin on it to create fun, engaging, easy-to-share content with your fans? Memes: Meme images have exploded online, especially in geek culture. These images have spread to billions, each with their own take of the images, from “Y U NO” guy to the ever so lovable Nyan cat. You can create your ...