Speeding into 2011–performances and recording.

November 8, 2010 in Music, songwriting

My “Start of November 2010” newsletter.


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For the set list: Slam Shut – lyrics, story, and video

October 21, 2010 in Music, songwriting

Story Behind The Song

We added Slam Shut to the set list. I wrote it a few years back and have played it off and on live. In fact, I played it with a house band in Arizona and that is what prompted me to put my band together.

Origins

A couple years ago my son hitchhiked around the US. He chronicles some of that journey and its spiritual impact here. While dropping him at a bus station I saw a young lady getting off or on a bus. Bus stops seem to be hard luck story breeding grounds so, although I only saw the young girl briefly, I started filling in back story.

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Palmdale, Simi Valley, and beyond

October 5, 2010 in Music, songwriting

The latest newsletter is out. It includes:

Upcoming shows at Butler’s Coffee in Palmdale, CA and with the band at Yankee Doodle’s in Simi Valley, CA.
My latest musical obsession – Paul Thorn.
And FREE CD update.

image

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A couple videos from last week’s show

September 28, 2010 in Music, songwriting

We played The Red Cove in Ventura last Thursday. I haven’t had time to process all the video but here are two of them.

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Updates – shows, Jim Pipkin, plus..

September 19, 2010 in Music, Press, social media, songwriting

My latest newsletter went out today.

image WHAT’S INSIDE:
Upcoming shows
– 9/23 – Ventura, CA
– 10/16 – Palmdale, CA

Jim Pipkin’s upcoming show

Demo CD’s being sent out

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The economics of FREE music

August 18, 2010 in Music Business, social media, songwriting

Premise: Music is Cheap! Fans are Priceless!

A couple of days ago I spoke for the LA Chapter of Songsalive! The topic was technology and strategies to treat your music business more like a business. During the workshops, a lot of material was covered but at the Songsalive! meeting and during the tour, a common theme popped up. FREE Samples!

I had just completed a mini-tour involving 5 workshops and 5 performances over 10 days or so. On the way back I stopped back over in Utah and had coffee with my friend Marc. He had hosted a house concert for me to start the tour.

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How to book House Concerts – roll your own

June 29, 2010 in Music, songwriting

I remember when I first read about house concerts. I did a quick search on YouTube and found Kevin Montgomery. Kevin does the “50 States in 50 Days Tour.” 
I reached out to him to find out how he got into the house concert circuit. His answer surprised me a bit at the time but upon reflection and with personal experience, I see his wisdom.

what is a house concert?
free house concert
how-to guide

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Touring – Music, Social Media & Business Workshops, Hosts, and Sponsors

June 22, 2010 in Music, Music Business, Press, social media, songwriting

I am excited to announce the first dates for The Songwriter & Social Media Tour.

I’ll be traveling through various cities both performing music and providing workshops on various technologies and strategies for musicians who wish to both organize and promote their music business.

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Couple songs with my band

June 14, 2010 in Music, songwriting

Here are a couple songs on video from our recent gig at the Simi Valley Town Center Farmer’s Market.

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Behind the Song: American Dream by Matthew Moran

May 23, 2010 in Music, songwriting

American Dream lyrics and music by Songwriter Matt Moran “From East Coast to West, through the soul of the heartland, though I’m in pursuit I know it’s chasing me.”
I wrote the first verse of this song (not the above verse) sometime in 2002 or 2003. The verse would pop up in my head from time to time with a nagging, “you oughtta work on this.”

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