THE KSA SONGWRITER A MONTHLY PUBLICATION OF THE KNOXVILLE SONGWRITERS ASSOCIATION. Volume No. 5 Issue No. 5 May, 2011

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1 THE KSA SONGWRITER A MONTHLY PUBLICATION OF THE KNOXVILLE SONGWRITERS ASSOCIATION Volume No. 5 Issue No. 5 May, 2011 Knoxville Songwriters Association P.O. Box 603 Knoxville, TN View the KSA Songwriter online at Founded by Sarah Williams FROM THE PRESIDENT Greetings to all! April was a fairly busy month. Gordon Fritch did and interesting, albeit short workshop for us on April 12 and those in attendance who play guitar picked up a few tips on writing three chord songs. We all appreciate Gordon taking time from his busy schedule to present the workshop. Our featured showcase at Music Row in Maryville took place on April 23. Local radio station WBCR, 1470 AM carried the first two hours of the show live. We had several of our members perform and I had the honor of doing the emcee spot. Gale Horst was the major force behind setting this showcase up with the Music Row folks and we all thank him for his efforts. David Lauver got the opportunity to do a live interview on WBCR on Friday, April 22. The station played songs by David and Art Daniels during the interview and David managed to get in a plug or two for the KSA. Gale Horst, C.D. Johnson, Ira Braden, Carol Ostrom, David Lauver, and Edna Riddick from the KSA performed during the event. Additional performers were Jesse Lewis Band, Eric Spurgeon, Harold Peanut Inman, and Tony Brewer. Members Ira Braden and Carol Ostrom brought their own group of musicians to the show, including long time musician from Clinton Gene Brewer, dobro player Nancy Woofter, and guitarist Wayne Burnette, who operates B & B Music in New Tazewell. Other musicians who backed the singers included David Orr on dobro, Bill Jenkins on doghouse bass, David Bryan on banjo, and Bob Web on guitar. Former KSA President John Condrone was in the audience as was former member Tavo Sera. Herman Lambert also ventured down from Lafollette to attend the show. All in all it was a good showcase in a pleasant atmosphere and hopefully the members who performed got some additional stage experience. We would like to thank Harry Grothjohn, General Manager of WBCR radio for being very accommodating to the KSA. He had top quality digital audio going out of the station from remote equipment that is installed at Music Row. All of the 1 comments that I received from those that listened to the radio broadcast were favorable with a couple of exceptions. We would also like to thank Lowell and Brenda Hamby, the owners of Music Row, for allowing us to bring about this showcase. Member C. D. Johnson received an offer to open a radio program for an artist that was doing a CD release. C. D. accepted the offer and performed live on WBCR for thirty minutes as part of the show. He tells me he got a couple of plugs in for the KSA. Congratulations to David Lauver for winning Song of the Quarter with his song, Perfect Pair, and to Joyce Brown for winning Lyric of the Quarter with her song lyric, Heaven s Only A Thought Away. It s approaching time for election of officers for the coming year. Now is the time to think about which office you are going to seek. We need people running for office that are willing to put in the time and effort that is necessary to make our organization top-notch. If you feel you can make a difference with new ideas or make improvements on old ones please step forward and be a part of shaping the future of the KSA. Till next time... Gene Blair FROM THE EDITOR Did you know you can read the current and past issues of the KSA Songwriter online on the KSA Website? Gale Horst has done wonders with our Website to make it look professional. Adding the KSA Songwriter to the site gives everyone a chance to print off a copy or to refer back to an article in case the copy gets accidentally deleted. Our thanks go out to members C. D. Johnson, Linda Perry, and David Lauver for their contributions of articles and other information that make up this month s issue.

2 And now, on with the show... A HOUSE DIVIDED By C. D. Johnson First of all let me apologize to Abraham Lincoln for plagiarizing his historic line to use in my title. However, there are times when men and women are thrown into situations that tend to lead to conflict. This in turn brings out the underlying protective nature that is inherent in all humans. It's not that this is a bad thing. I've heard it said many times before, "If you don't stand for something you'll fall for anything." I personally believe that it goes back to the caveman instinct (the fight or flight gene) that we all share. That is, when a human being perceives danger in any form his brain is called on to quickly determine a course of action. This was a great reflex to have back when just walking down to the local watering hole could get you eaten by any number of carnivorous creatures. (Sort of like a midnight stroll thru Central Park.) However, in today s environment we as individuals are rarely called on to fight or flee for our lives. Thank God, because I'd probably take the wrong path and wind up as some predators dinner. It seems to me that in today s world our knee jerk reaction to any change in the normal way of always doing things is perceived by our minds as a personal affront. Our first response is usually anger. On a personal note when I was younger there were times when I found this emotion very difficult to control. And it actually caused me a heap more trouble than the actual event that preceded my outburst. As I grew older I began to realize almost every event I'd let anger me as a young adult had been avoidable. I found that problems can be solved thru compromise and a willingness to listen to every side before letting my knee jerk reaction set the stage for a fight or flight showdown. To me, ( my opinion is not to be confused with facts of any kind) is that most individuals involved with writing songs whether for pleasure or as a means of monetary support are endowed with an innate sense of fairness and the ability to see all sides of a situation. I'm sure my last statement will meet with tad bit of opposition. After all, most of the songwriters I know picture themselves as crusaders of truth standing alone against the evils of the world. To the opposition, I would counter by saying that the universal appeal and acceptance a songwriter seeks is not accomplished by using tunnel vision or the reluctance to rewrite a chorus, bridge or verse that just ain't working. Without knowing it, most songwriters possess the ability to actually save a house of cards before it becomes a House Divided if they will take a look at what they are doing from a different perspective. THINGS OF INTEREST PLAY FOR PUBLISHERS WORKSHOPS SCHEDULE FOR 2011: June (Application period April 11 - May 16, notifications sent May 20th) October (Application period Aug 8 - Sept 12, notifications sent Sept 16) For additional info: barbara@barbaracloyd.com EAST COAST SONGWRITERS CONFERENCE JUNE 2011 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 17, 18, East Coast Songwriters Conference Set for Winston- Salem WINSTON-SALEM, NC (March 1, 2011) The Community Arts Café, in partnership with the local chapter of the Nashville Songwriters Association International will present the first annual East Coast Songwriters Conference (ECSC), scheduled for June 18, 19 and 20, 2011 at the Community Arts Café s facility, located at 411 West Fourth Street in downtown Winston-Salem. The conference will provide attendees with a weekend full of valuable resources for honing the craft of songwriting including workshops, seminars, showcases and opportunities for recording demos and pitching songs to publishers. Current confirmed guest artists and speakers include Byron Hill, Marc-Alan Barnette, Rich Fagan, Pennt Dionne, Donna Hughes, Pat & Pete Luboff, Sherrill Blackman, Doak Turner, Kristy Jackson and Mitch Snow. Additional instructors and artists TBA. Early registration for the conference is $175 and ends on April 31st. Registration after April 31st and before May 31st is $199. Registration after May 31st is $225. Conference passes may be purchased at The Community Arts Café s Gallery of the Arts or by calling More information to follow and at website: Contact Jim Tedder with The Community Arts Café at or editor@communityartscafe.com Contact Linne Black with NSAI at or linneblack@aol.com ENJOY JAM WITH YOUR MORNING COFFEE AT MARYVILLE S EVERETT SENIOR CENTER If you re an early riser or more importantly, an early picker and singer here s an opportunity to play your songs before an appreciative audience. The Everett Senior Center, 702 Burchfield Street in Maryville, hosts live music performances on the second Wednesday morning of each month. Sign up at 8:30 a.m. for your time to perform between 9 and 11 a.m. You re also welcome to drop by to hear some good music. Word has it there are awesome musicians among the center s regular crowd. 2

3 Free Recording Classes Start May 7 at Guitar Center Guitar Center is offering free Recording Made Easy classes at every store every Saturday at 10:00 a.m., beginning May 7. Knoxville s Guitar Center is located at 8917 Towne & Country Circle, next door to the Best Buy and Staples stores. The shopping center is between Kingston Pike and I-40, near the Cedar Bluff exit. Guitar Center s announcement says that the permanent imprinting of sound, inspiration, and musical thoughts has never been easier than with the use of Apple Mac computers and the GarageBand program. The in-store classes are not technical support sessions, but workshops designed to help participants take your ideas from basic tracks to finished songs in four user-friendly classes. Each week s class on the basics of computer recording will feature a brief in-depth look at a specific area of recording and a question and answer session. The classes will be repeated in sequence each month. Here s the workshop schedule for the remainder of May and what you will learn: Week 3 (May 21) Effects -Working with compression -Working with eq -Working with reverb -Working with guitar amp and pedal software Week 4 (May 28) Mixing and Publishing -Preparing a mix -Automation -Mixdown / Publishing For more information: TENNESSEE COUNTY GOSPEL ASSOCIATION SHOWCASE Tennessee-Country Gospel-Association The TCGMA is proud to announce a showcase at "Lake Winnepesaukah" in Chattanooga, TN. - July 24th one of the most fun theme parks in the south. If you wish to perform, sign up now. Read our profile pic for all the details. JOHN CONDRONE JULY PICNIC IN THE PARK I am planning a 4th of July Louisville Point Park Pavilion (3272 Cox Road, Louisville, TN) from 12 pm -? We are inviting all songwriter friends to join us. We'll have songwriters in the round setup...fun & games...etc. The park has volleyball, softball, swimming area, boat launch, restroom facilities, children's area, grill available, etc. No alcohol permitted! Asking everyone to bring covered dish & drinks! Hope to see you there! OUT AND ABOUT NORTH By Gene Blair Tri-State Talent at LMU The Tri-State Talent Contest at LMU is over. Thank Goodness! It was fun being a judge but eleven weeks plus one for auditions was a little much. Candace Oslonian was the big winner with first place. Savannah Faith came in second and Alexandria Brock third. Mitchell York took fourth place. Winnings were $1,000, $750, $500, and $250. All of the contestants were talented and were really good sports right up to the end. It was a good experience to sit in as a judge and watch these young talents develop confidence and improve their talents as the weeks passed. SuperTwang Lost Its Twang 1 st Annual SuperTwang came to Norris Lake on May 11 and by May 14 the plug had been pulled because the promoters could not pay the workers or the entertainers. Break even was around 15,000 people and the attendance was only around 3,000. Word is that Jimmie Van Zant went ahead and played for the crowd that was there, stating that they would go ahead and do it for the fans since they were already there, which was a nice gesture on their part. So, it looks like there is not going to be another Bonnaroo in this part of Tennessee, at least not in the near future. For further details: MerleFest Gale Horst tells me he and his wife attended Merle Fest in North Carolina. A long drive for one day of bluegrass and mountain music but he said they enjoyed it. Town and Country Pat Graham has purchased the Town and Country Music property in Speedwell. Word is that nothing is going to be changed so Jim Poindexter and his wife Linda will be playing as usual with Joyce Arrington singing backup. We were there on Saturday night and the crowd was sizeable but seemed to clear out early, around 10 o clock. Ed Bell, part of the Thursday night band at the Lafollette Senior Center was there and played keyboard throughout the evening. 3

4 Big Valley Barn The Big Valley Barn had a good crowd on Friday night. Link Byrge and the Scrapyard Band, along with the guest singers were featured. Keith Lambert had the night off and Link brought in a lead guitarist (also played pedal steel) that could absolutely wear out a Tellicaster in one evening. All I got was that his name was Travis and he was from New Market, TN. He was nothing short of good. Link and Tracy Byrge invite you to a PIG ROAST BIG VALLEY BARN MAY 21, P.M. TILL 10 P.M. Pig and hot dogs furnished Bring a covered dish No admission fee Outside stage Featuring a couple of local Bluegrass Bands performing during the pig feast and Kubil Hopper and the Knock-Abouts will be performing from 7 till 10 p.m. Open mic available if you want to sing You must furnish your own chair and soft drink or water Link has emphasized that there will be absolutely no alcohol allowed on the premises! Map and directions can be found at Folks, this will be a fun event so please plan on attending. Link and Tracy are doing a great job in providing a place out at Norris on Friday and Saturday nights to go listen to music and dance. It s a unique and fun place to go on the weekend where you can mingle with friends and have a good time. And where else can you find a once-a-year opportunity to get a day and evening of quality entertainment plus a free meal for just the cost of a covered dish? The Senior Citizens Center in Lafollette is the place to be for a good Thursday night country show (7-9:30) with Kubil Hopper, Link Byrge, Keith Lambert, Junior Dyson, and Ed Bell making up the house band. Herschel Turner, Ken Irwin, Ira Braden, Glen Parker, Herman Lambert, The R Girls quartet, and several other singers take the stage on various Thursday nights at open mic to provide a good mix of country entertainment for the audience. The center is located in downtown Lafollette. They have a large dance floor for line dancing and two-stepping and also offer line dancing instruction on Tuesday mornings. No booze, no drugs, no smoking. The food consists of snacks and homemade cake and cookies. Coffee is donation only. Open to the public. Cover charge is $ The following information concerns local and close-in venues that you might want to visit if you are in the mood for some good music and an evening of entertainment or if you want to just strut your own stuff in front of an open mic. Andy Maiden and The Silver Clouds perform every Saturday night at the Nashville Connection on Highway 63 west of Harrogate from 7:00 p.m. until 10:30 p.m. They are now live on WNTT radio at 1250 AM for the 8-10 p.m. portion of the show. Open mic is available and there is always someone who wants to take the stage and sing. No alcohol, no drugs, no smoking (outside smoking is allowed.) Theatre style seats near the stage are comfortable. Décor is all music and country related. Dance floor for line dancing and two-stepping. Cover is $6. Hot dogs, popcorn, soft drinks, and a bottomless coffee are available. Check out their Website Several links to other performer s websites are also available through this website. Town and Country Music is located on Highway 63 about 6 miles east of Lafollette. Jim Poindexter, from Harlan, KY on guitar and vocals, Jim s wife Linda on keyboard, and their friends, including Herschel Turner and Ken Irwin, play and sing Friday and Saturday nights, 7:00 p.m. till 11:00 p.m. Joyce Arrington handles the backup and harmony and does a right good job of it. The band plays a mix of music. Plenty of Line dancing and two-stepping for those that chose to do so. If you are into traditional country music this is the place to be. Open mic is available if you want to participate. No booze, no drugs, no smoking (outside smoking is allowed). Cover is $5. Sandwiches, soft drinks, and a bottomless coffee are available. Big Valley Barn, Norris, Exit 122 off I-75, east to Bethel Road turn right, then right on Mountain Road. The Barn offers dancing and country music every Friday and Saturday night. No alcohol, drugs, or smoking allowed. Link Byrge and The Scrapyard Band perform on Friday nights and Kubil Hopper performs with his band, The Knock-a-bouts on Saturday nights. Open mic for all their singing friends to have a chance to sing and or play with the band. Go to for a photo and video tour of the facility. 8 p.m. till 11 p.m. $5 cover charge, snacks, soft drinks, great hotdogs with Link s special chili, and coffee are available. 4

5 We have heard through the grapevine that the music at the Community Center in Norris is no longer. We also heard that the Jamboree at Powell is no longer in operation. Don t believe all you read in this newsletter, check it out for yourself, might save you a trip to find no one there. Other venues for weekend country, gospel, and bluegrass music include Judy s Barn at Maynardville, and Ciderville at Powell. RESOURCES Wolf Valley Productions is a one-man operation but this one man can do wonders for your songs. The studio belongs to Michael de Bills, an experienced artist, songwriter, author, producer, musician, arranger, vocalist, ASCAP member, and all around nice guy who can put your songs into a professional format for you to enjoy or send out as demos. Michael produces quality work out of his studio located in the basement of his home northeast of Andersonville at 459 Mill Creek Road. Cell Phone number is Leigh Ann Cox: Guitar, Bass, Banjo, and Dobro. Graduate of Belmont University in Nashville with a degree in Commercial Music/Music Business. Graduate of the School for the Performing Arts in Chillicothe, Ohio, and former staff writer and picker in Nashville. Leigh Ann works out of Broadway Sound in Fountain City DUES REMINDER Questions about membership and due date of annual dues should be directed to any of the Officers shown below. OFFICERS President: Vice President: Treasurer: Secretary: Membership Dir.: Education Dir.: Publicity Dir.: Newsletter: Directors at Large: D. E. Gene Blair C. D. Johnson John Morris Anna Morris Joyce Brown No number David Haley Lauver Linda Perry Gene Blair cell Gale Horst George Boley No number Ira Braden Art Daniells Please keep your annual dues up to date in order to continue receiving member benefits, including The KSA Songwriter and the free workshops during the year. The annual dues of $40 is a real bargain if you consider that it will cost you $10 as a non-member to attend each of the workshops. Note: Closing date to submit material for the June issue of the KSA Songwriter is April 27, The following words of wisdom from a professional might be of benefit to an amateur songwriter when he or she dismisses or fails to recognize the importance of the lyric component of a song. Troy Gentry of Montgomery Gentry, at a BMI awards ceremony, pointed out that "Integrity of the lyrics," has always been the keystone in selecting songs to record. 5

6 Knoxville Songwriters Association P. O. Box 603 Knoxville, TN