Jennifer Cadence
”Sapphire Blues” pop artist Jennifer Cadence is interviewed by SiS Organizer Chris Klimecky. They discuss the origins of her unique pop sound, her new EP “Mr. Universe,” and she gives 5 music business tips all musicians should follow.
Click the play icon above to stream, or click here to download
Click here to read more about this podcast from Chris’s blog archive.
Bill Derry is a musician and songwriter who has been regularly playing live throughout the Pacific Northwest for many years. He says he just “likes to perform” and has many variations with his band, solo, duo, trio, etc. playing a mix of classic rock, folk, and jazz. He has a a very laid back and easy-to-listen-to style - no doubt in part due to his smooth, mellow voice.
He has a CD out with his band, entitled This Old Dog - which you can get at a live show or on iTunes here:
Bill Derry Band - “This Old Dog” on iTunes
There are many places to find and connect with Bill on the web - here are just a few links to get you started:
- Bill’s Website - Bill on Reverbnation - Bill on Facebook
His SiS podcast features a discussion of his history as a songwriter, the CD This Old Dog and what’s next for him both as a performer and recording artist. In addition to the song “Friday Afternoon” that is spun during the podcast, Bill performed 2 new previously unrecorded songs live in the studio. You can find his podcast post by clicking here!
There are many ways to support Songwriters in Seattle - with your time by attending events or volunteering, and financially through the purchase of music or direct donation. Now there is another easy, fun and stylish way to give back to the creative community: Songwriters in Seattle merchandise! We are proud to announce the launch of the official SiS online store at CafePress.com. When buying SiS merchandise, not only are you contributing financially to our cause, but you are publicly showing your support and spreading the word. Let’s have a look at just a few of the wide variety of initial offerings.
First off, we have four design treatments of the logo, the original circle version by Jill Christoffel, The full name/logo/website rectangle by Chris Klimecky, then two cool new shirt designs by Kimberly Newland: the musicians of SiS and the stylized acoustic guitar.
[caption id=“attachment_83” align=“alignnone” width=“300” caption=“Main SiS Circle Logo you know and love”]
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[caption id=“attachment_539” align=“alignnone” width=“300” caption=“Full name/logo/website rectangle”]
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[caption id=“attachment_540” align=“alignnone” width=“284” caption=“SiS Musicians Logo”]
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[caption id=“attachment_541” align=“alignnone” width=“297” caption=“Acoustic Guitar Logo”]
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Within each of these sections of the online store, you’ll find the categories of items you can choose from to focus your search. In the case of Kimberly’s two designs, only men’s and women’s shirt styles are available. Here are a few examples of each:
[caption id=“attachment_546” align=“alignnone” width=“292” caption=“SiS Musicians - Men’s Baseball Jersey”]
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[caption id=“attachment_547” align=“alignnone” width=“272” caption=“SIS Musicians - Jr. Ringer T-Shirt”]
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[caption id=“attachment_550” align=“alignnone” width=“277” caption=“SiS Guitar Logo - Hooded Sweatshirt”]
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[caption id=“attachment_551” align=“alignnone” width=“289” caption=“SiS Guitar Logo - Women’s Dark T-Shirt”]
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The name/logo/website rectangle is designed for promotion and the items associated with it are, too! Magnets, bumper stickers, bags, notecards, buttons, calendars, laptop skins, and more. Here are a few examples of this one in use:
[caption id=“attachment_548” align=“alignnone” width=“300” caption=“Logo/Name/Website - Rectangle Magnet”]
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[caption id=“attachment_549” align=“alignnone” width=“260” caption=“Logo/Name/Website - Shoulder Bag”]
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Last, but certainly not least, is the original circular logo. One of the cool things about this design is that it’s super flexible and looks great on just about anything - and I mean anything! This section of the store has the most to offer, so take a minute and see what might tickle your SiS fancy. Here is just the tip of the iceberg:
[caption id=“attachment_554” align=“alignnone” width=“282” caption=“SiS Circle Logo - Mug”]
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[caption id=“attachment_555” align=“alignnone” width=“237” caption=“SiS Circle Logo - (dark) iPad Case”]
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[caption id=“attachment_556” align=“alignnone” width=“295” caption=“SiS Circle Logo - (dark) Throw Pillow”]
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[caption id=“attachment_557” align=“alignnone” width=“300” caption=“SiS Circle Logo - Modern Wall Clock”]
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So the holidays are coming up - could SiS merchandise fit on your wish list? Maybe there’s an enthusiastic musician you know who would like to display his or her support for the organization in a cool new way? Maybe you’d like to doubly support SiS by purchasing something that you then donate as a contest prize? Or a promotional item that you buy then spread around for the group to use (stickers, magnets, buttons, etc.)? Lastly, if you have ideas for new designs or other products you’d like to see, we are definitely open to expanding this store in the future. Please write to info@songwritersinseattle.com if you’d like to contribute in this way.
Thank you so much for your continued support - we hope you enjoy the SiS online store!
Michael “The Wanz” Wansley
R&B/Hip Hop/Soul artist Michael “The Wanz” Wansley is interviewed by SiS Organizer Chris Klimecky. They discuss his long musical history in Seattle, his new songwriting and production process, and his evolution as a musician.
Click the play icon above to stream, or click here to download
Click here to read more about this podcast from Chris’s blog archive.
I would like to start off our little coaching session with a tip that is crucial for good song development. It’s sad but true that many songwriters ignore this skill I am about to tell you resulting in underdeveloped songs. It’s also a skill that’s not easy…I suppose that’s why many overlook it. Here it goes!
It use to be popular for two individuals - a lyricist and a music composer - to work separately for the same goal. Some famous examples are Oscar Hammerstein and Richard Rogers, or George and Ira Gershwin. Each had a skill that complemented the other. One was good with words and the other melody and music. These two skills required an assortment of tools the writers would use to put together a polished song. The point I am making is today it is common for one person to do both jobs requiring an understanding of both processes - blending lyrics with melody.
Tools of Songwriting: What this means is those things you know or techniques you learn that makes a song sound good. That is put as simply as I can. There are lots of tools to learn, but the good news is the more you learn the easier the job gets.
Let me introduce to you the process of choosing the right music to match the words of a song. This skill is sometimes called “prosody” - a big word that simply means using the right music to enhance and give depth to specific words in a song. Its the strength and function of music to embellish words - to create the emotion and put some life into them - learn to choose the right tones and length of tones to enhance the words. This is when you put on your composer hat and be cognizant of choosing the right music or melody - catching the mood of the words of the song you are writing. In the simplest form let me describe the use of music to enhance the lyrics of a song. A good example is a song you are familiar with, I’m sure. That way I know you can hear the melody that I’m describing. “Somewhere over the Rainbow” - so do you have the melody in your mind?
Somewhere over the Rainbow way up high
I want you to notice the arc of the melody as you sing…Some…Where (Up high) over the rainbow…(this follows a musical arc…like a rainbow - you can picture it)…way… (is the other side of the arc down lower) “up high” (…up has a little lift to it as well). What would it be like if you ended “up high” with it going down low? It would give a different meaning to what the lyric writer wanted. Now say the phrase in a monotone voice. In other words just speak it without up and down emphasis. That would be quite a dull song wouldn’t it? So what tool did the composer use? Pitch…the up and down dimension of music used to perfection following the arc of the rainbow placing emphasis or spotlighting very important parts of the lyrical phrase. Also, the length of tone given to each word or syllable in a word is carefully chosen. For example: the composer did not linger on the word “the.” Correctly, the emphasis is on “Somewhere…(it’s prolonged)…and…“rainbow” (it’s split with each part of the word extended giving it punctuation). Then of course “up high” lifts at the end of the phrase. Now for a very important part of the lesson: Highlight the important words in your lyrical phrase with these powerful tools. The success of this song is understandably credited to the detail given to blending melody with lyric in such a masterly fashion.
Now to top this lesson off is to mention the hardest part of songwriting that I know. Let’s say you developed a melody with the first verse; emphasis is on the right words and the lifts all make sense. You have a dynamic first verse. Now the second verse you’re typically stuck with the same melody but you have to say something different. Here is where a skilled writer creates a well written song. The writer must choose the right words to follow the melody with all its dynamics in place, emphasizing or spotlighting the proper content of the new and different lyrics of the second verse. Warning! Do not end up spotlighting words or parts of phrases that have lesser value or you will end up with a weak second verse. Give careful thought to make sure emphasis is not on words like “the” or “is”…You don’t want to give listeners any reason to lose interest in your song at any point. This requires more skill but if you do it - carry it through and don’t be lazy - your songs will have an incredibly polished appeal to them.
This could be a difficult lesson that may take years to master. Many say it’s not that important but the masters of the craft take all these tools painstakingly into account when writing their songs. This lesson is intended to introduce this tool - not to master it overnight. Be aware of it and use it when writing your next tune.