What motivates songwriters varies widely from artist to artist. But whatever the motivation for starting a songwriting journey, time and experience often transform an initial vision to meet the needs of the writer and the culture. For songwriter Steven Church, the journey started with a desire to impress the world and ended with a desire to change it.
“I wanted to impress,” Church recalled. “I think that was my earliest motivation – impress my mom, my teachers, impress my friends and mostly, impress girls. Learning songs that I heard on the radio was an early focus for me – singing them and eventually learning the chord changes for guitar. I had a good ear and I could recreate a song after just a couple listenings.”
The ability to quickly learn cover songs was helpful in Church’s initial performance outings. “I played in high school at a couple talent shows, covering Billy Joel’s ‘You May Be Right’ among others, and then a song or two of my own.”
Starting to writing his own music and adding it to his performances was inspired by one of his teachers. “My HS art teacher was a fan of the singer-songwriter genre, so (again) wanting to impress him with my prowess, I penned a few originals. Later in college I got shows in the student unions and cafeterias, trying out a mix of originals and covers for bored students on their lunch breaks.”
Church continued, “In Austin, where I sometimes went to college, there was (and is) a vibrant live music scene, so I played out wherever there were willing sets of ears. Did a lot of living-room shows for stoned kids…”
Now fully immersed in writing his own music, Church is an artist who is inspired first by the music and then by the lyric. “I almost always begin with a series of chord progressions and let the song determine whether it’ll be AABA, or AAA or something else. I get the skeleton of the song down – fit it all together like, ‘Okay, here’s the first verse and here’s the build-up to the chorus. The 2nd verse will have this variation on the 1st, and then here comes what might be a solo’, or something like that. Once I have all the parts, I’ll then choose a lyrical ‘feel’ for the piece, a theme or a story-line, etc.”
Church’s lyrical inspiration comes from different sources. “As with most writer/musicians, I’ve been inspired by a variety of life events – forming an identity in adolescence, dealing with the (sometimes hilarious) complexities of personal relationships, witnessing social injustice, seeing other performers truly connect with audiences, and also when I became a father.”
Connection is a theme that is woven throughout Church’s songwriting and performance, and helped him discover that songwriting was what he was supposed to be doing. “Writing and performing was (and is) an outlet and a way to connect with total strangers. And others telling me ‘Hey, that’s a fabulous song’ or ‘You really nailed it with that verse’ prompted me to tell myself ‘Well, let’s do this as more than just a hobby.’ That’s when I knew.”
Church’s journey has not been without struggles, and he states, “For myself – and I’m fully aware that my ordeal isn’t unique – the most challenging aspect of creating a life around this artistry is money. How do I make a livable wage doing what I love full-time? I’ve been unwilling to make the sacrifices – giving up the luxuries and niceties that come with a full-time wage – in order to devote my energies entirely to this craft – and that makes me sad. I wish we lived in a society that rewarded our efforts as musical poets more.”
For young songwriters beginning their own journey, Steve Church has some advice to help start them on the right path from his own experience. “Songwriting and performing is part soul-baring and part entertainment. Write and perform what is honestly you, but also what you would want to hear/see from the audience perspective.” Reflecting on how an audience might receive a song is important because, “If it’s boring and too self-reflective, they’ll probably tell their friends – and if it stirs their senses and truly entertains, they’ll tell their friends not to miss this performer next time he/she’s in town.”
He added, “But if you just want to write songs ‘cause it’s what you need to do, then that’s totally alright too!”
One might think a working songwriter would encourage young writers to explore their instrument or only study other songwriters, but Church offers different counsel. “A few things: read the classics and the Great Poets, mingling that with other writers. Then mimic some of your favorite songsters (YouTube) and have a good rhyming dictionary. There are an infinite number of resources online, of course, too.”
In addition to continuing to write songs, Church has a full music business schedule looming as well. He notes that he will, “Get my website up and running again, gig more, plan another tour (Winter 2017) and finally get into a studio (it’s been 5 years!).”
In the midst of all the writing and organizational tasks that musicians face, Church offers one other insight for our current political and social times. As writers experience the effects of events around them, he encourages them to, “Write songs about how you feel about the events, then get out and play the songs often. Connect with your audiences by observing their responses.”
A further step Church promotes is to “Organize showcases that have themes (race relations, the problems of corporate hegemony, the environment and sustainability, education reform, immigration and basic human rights, etc.), and invite like-minded and passionate writers/performers.”
Finally, Church adds that writers can use their creativity for specific causes that are near and dear to their hearts. “Performing songwriters make great activists – find an organization aligned with your position(s) and write material collaboratively (or on your own) for them.”
Whether he is writing, performing, or working on the business side of his creative life, Steve Church has moved from being an artist who wanted to impress the world to being a writer who wants to use his art to change it. And no matter what he is doing, the words of David Lee Roth continue to inspire.
There are two rules in the music industry. Rule Number One: If it sounds good, it is good. Rule Number Two: (see rule number one) – David Lee Roth
Do you ever get the feeling that you’re not getting what you want from your performances? Or that your audiences aren’t either? If that sounds familiar to you, you can rest assured that you’re not alone.
I’ve taught live performance master classes for many years in a wide variety of settings, and I can tell you that every class is full of people who want to perform their songs in an authentic and compelling way but feel that something is interfering with their ability to do just that.
This common dilemma shows up in my classes in a lot of different ways. Sometimes I’ll see people who don’t know what to do with their nervous energy, and with some tips they begin to feel focused and grounded. Sometimes people will sing their own songs without being certain of what exactly they’re trying to say, and some guided exploration sharpens the picture for them. Sometimes they’re not aware that something’s going on that puts distance between them and the audience, and some supportive direction is all that’s needed to make that connection happen.
What’s great about the master class format is the atmosphere of support and safety that’s created by everyone, whether they are there to participate or to observe. I don’t allow video recording in my classes, because I want participants to feel free to try things and not have to worry that what they’ve done will show up later on YouTube or Facebook. I also ask people to make sure their comments and reactions to each other are positive, because it’s not always easy to get up and take risks in front of our peers, so we need to be generous with each other.
People share with me all the time what they’ve gotten from this experience (as you can see from the sampling of comments below), and even though their feedback is as individual as they are, it all adds up to the same thing: a greater awareness of what it’s possible to experience as a performing songwriter.
You put a lot of effort into crafting your songs, so you might as well come to your gigs with clear intentions and a deep understanding of what you’re sharing. Then your songs – and your audiences – will get the performances they deserve. And so will you.
Some sample comments:
“Under Vicki’s guidance we watched competent performers transform into outstanding performers in a matter of minutes, and when it was our turn to perform she gave us clear direction that instantly increased our audience engagement.” —Graydon James and Laura Spink (Graydon James and The Young Novelists, Toronto)
“To have such a calm and unassuming woman perform such feats of transformation before our eyes was unexpected, and truly amazing. In a matter of minutes, Vicki had musicians’ faces and body language harmonizing with their voice and music. We witnessed first-hand the difference it can make in engaging your audience.” —Crystal Hariu-Damore and Pete Damore (Ordinary Elephant, permanently on tour)
“Vicki displays a vast knowledge of what it means to put on an intriguing show. She knows what makes music interesting to an audience, and it was fascinating to watch artists blossom under her tutelage. She skillfully highlights the traits that define a particular musician or song, and builds on them until the performance becomes the very best that it can be.” —Jenna Leigh Doll and Shelby Doll (The Doll Sisters, Alberta)
“Working with Vicki is inspiring – at times it feels like magic.” —Dan Weber (Vancouver, WA)
“Playing a real song is like keeping a wild animal for a pet: gorgeous and terrifying, it lives in your house, but it is never really yours…” Kristen Hersh - Rat Girl.
Pacific Northwest singer/songwriter Erin Jordan, inspired by this favorite quote, has sought that “real song” through the eyes of a poet first and then tamed the words with piano and guitar. Jordan remembered, “When I was in high school the two things I really liked to do and felt I was good at were singing and writing poetry and short stories.” But even before then, Erin was drawn into her own musical world by songs of mystery. “I remember being very affected by music during my childhood. One of my first memories of really liking a song was hearing “Rhiannon” by Fleetwood Mac in the car when I was six or seven and imagining that the song was being sung by a witch. I had no idea what Stevie Nicks really looked like! I also remember hearing “50 Ways to Leave Your Lover” by Paul Simon when I was nine and having the song stuck in my head for weeks. I thought it was super creepy!”
Like many other songwriters, family influence was instrumental in her development as a writer. “My dad listened to a lot of music I still really like – Cat Stevens, Van Morrison, Tom Waits, The Doors, and a lot of classical music. I was also involved in school musicals and community theatre starting at an early age and loved show-tunes, so I would say I had a lot of positive early life experiences that helped me form the relationship I have with music today. As a result, she reflected, “I realized I really wanted to write my own songs when I was a senior in high school.”
This writing muse, however, was blocked by the lack of an instrument. “I had a strong desire to write my own songs, but my earlier stints with piano lessons and flute had not worked out so well. I really wanted to learn to play guitar. There was a guitar class at my school, but all the ‘punk rock guys’ took it, and my silly high school self was too intimidated to take it. I was very shy and really lacked self-confidence. I knew I would figure the whole ‘how to become a singer-songwriter’ thing out when I went to college.”
In what would become a self-fulling prophecy, Jordan did in fact begin her songwriting career in college as her dreams of playing guitar came to fruition. “I met a kindred spirit a week into my freshman year who helped me pick out my first guitar at the local pawn shop and taught me how to play it. Playing guitar came very naturally to me, and I soon started writing my first songs and playing them at open mics in my college town.”
Surprisingly, her new skills on guitar positively affected her previous lack of success on piano. “I majored in Music Education, and passing a piano proficiency exam was a graduation requirement. So I had to learn piano whether I liked it or not! Learning piano the second time around was much easier since I understood how chord structure worked from playing guitar and taking some music theory classes.”
Erin’s shyness and lack of self-confidence that hampered her high school experience were challenged head-on after her graduation from college. Armed with her newfound instrumental and songwriting skills, she began performing seriously in Chicago. “I played a lot of open mics – which was great for getting over stage-fright and meeting other musicians to play with. I started playing at bars and coffee shops in Chicago, solo and as part of a duo.”
Deepening her skills as a performer, she expanded into becoming an open mic host at “a dive bar called The Inner Town Pub. Having to perform an opening set every week and run the PA for everyone really helped to boost my confidence as performer and member of my music community. On the weekends, I went and played in other towns in the Midwest. I played at a lot at Border’s Books. I have since dropped almost all of those songs from my repertoire, but those early days of ‘being a musician’ were a really magical and exciting time.”
Now fully immersed in her career as a music educator, songwriter, and mother to two children, Jordan’s songwriting process has evolved from those early times of magic and mystery. “My writing pace is very slow these days because I have two young children. I try to go out to my practice space in the garage and work a few nights a week after they go to sleep, but if I don’t it is not a big deal. I never force a song or try to write when I am uninspired.”
Though Erin’s love of words is expressed in her passion for poetry, instrumentation has moved to the front stage of the writing process. “My songs generally start with music first. I write an instrumental part on guitar or piano. Sometimes lyrics come right away and sometimes I have to put the instrumental part on the back burner to simmer until I am inspired to write the lyrics that are a match for that song. I try to always carry my journal with me so that when the muse visits at an inconvenient time, I can at least write down my ideas. I also have a mental list of topics or characters I want to explore.”
Like many creatives, Jordan shares a love of creating but not so much a love for the business end of the music industry. “I am naturally an introvert, so dealing with the business end – booking shows, promoting the shows, selling merch, collecting the money, asking people to sign my email list – has always been hard for me.”
In addition, because Erin is a storyteller, finding venues that encourage listening from the audience is a struggle. “I am really into lyrics and love the storytelling aspect of songwriting. That said, not everyone wants to hear your story. Some people at the bar want to drink and talk to their friends. Some people at the coffee shop want to do whatever they are doing on their laptop. I have always found it to be challenging to keep on playing and trying to make the connection with people under all circumstances. I guess that’s why I’ve learned a lot of covers to slip in. Lure them back in with “Wild Horses”… I know I am going in the right direction when I looked out and see people who are engaged and talk to them after the show.”
Other personal challenges affect her songwriting life as well. “Right now, having a family, being a music teacher, and still writing and playing shows is definitely a balancing act, but I make it work.” And there is an upside to being a mom and a working songwriter. Jordan reflected, “I know I am doing something right when my six-year-old requests a song and then interrogates me about what the lyrics mean for 15 minutes. Kids are always honest.”
As life has changed for her personally, Jordan has also evolved as a songwriter. Initially, Erin’s songs were more personal. “I used to write more based on personal experience, but I have to say, I’ve gotten bored with myself over the years! I really like writing from the perspective of a character. Of course, there is always a piece of me in that character – a big piece of me.”
Now she is inspired by characters in history. “I love infamous characters, because there is a little piece of them in all of us. Some people I’ve written songs about have been Tonya Harding and Joan Vollmer, the wife of William S. Burroughs who died in a tragic game of William Tell. I am also inspired by mythology and novels I’ve read.”
As for her future endeavors, “For the past six years I have been working on a song cycle based on Greek Mythology. I would like to finish that and record it. I have also been working on writing a musical based on the story of Echo and Narcissus that contains some of the songs in the song cycle. I am a music teacher with Seattle Public Schools, so it would be great to workshop it at a local high school since it is such a teenage story.”
As a songwriter and as someone who works with young musicians as a career, Jordan’s advice to would be songwriters is simple and straightforward. “Write what you want to – develop your own style by doing what seems right to you. Songwriting is a great break from having to follow rules all day!”
But that process does not happen in a vacuum. Erin has found that her best resource is “going to open mics and meeting other musicians. There are plenty of people in every local music community who are great resources on performing, booking shows, touring… anything you’d want to know. There are lots of people in Songwriters in Seattle who could tell you anything you want to know!”
Whether tackling poetry, a song, a musical, or any project that comes her way, Jordan has not let the second half of her favorite quote from Rat Girl deter her from her vision. It reads, “It is an honor to stand next to this Beast, and at the same time, you know it can kill you.” Jordan has stared down that Beast, and she is still standing, fearless and prolific, drawn to the mystery, the myth, and the poetry of the human experience.
Imagine two floors of a major hotel reverberating with a variety of “unplugged” music flowing out of rooms and down the hallways in an ever-shifting scene until the wee hours of the morning. Then imagine a hotel conference room turned into a first class performance venue with artists chosen from a pool of some of the best local and national, and in some cases, international artists. In October, this is what will transpire at the Hyatt Regency in Bellevue at the 2017 FAR-West Folk Alliance Conference, and on that Official Showcase stage will be a longtime member of SiS and the Pacific Northwest songwriting community: Larry Murante.
According to Bill Lippe, a member of the FAR-West selection team, “Each applicant for an Official Showcase submitted three videos of live performances that were evaluated by judges from a variety of backgrounds, including folk DJs, house concert presenters, venue bookers, seasoned musicians, and music aficionados. Artists were rated for musicianship, vocal ability, song choice, performance quality, and audience rapport. Larry, one of the most respected singer-songwriters in the Pacific Northwest, is one of twelve acts chosen for an Official Showcase from a large pool of talented applicants.”
Murante, who had previously been chosen for FAR-West official showcases both nationally and internationally, is well aware of the benefits of being chosen. “Getting an official showcase gives one an opportunity to get in front of a lot of regional folks who might not ever get a chance to see you up close and personal through a large PA system on a large stage.”
Long known for his songwriting craft and performance skills, it is his storytelling that captures listeners. In his biography it is noted that, “Though his songs are cleanly structured, he rarely writes himself into a tight formal box, and you can feel his narrator’s eye moving across the landscape like a great, kind-hearted novelist who stops to probe gently into each of his characters and their desires (sometimes his own) before moving on to the next scene.”
This love of storytelling began with his exposure to an emerging genre in music: the singer-songwriter. “I was in high school in the early ‘70’s when the singer songwriter genre first got started with James Taylor, CSNY, Jackson Browne, Bonnie Raitt, Elton John and Bernie Taupin, The Eagles, John Prine, and others who were writing songs about their personal experiences in a very profound way.”
He reflected, “My writing today is still very influenced by that period. I really didn’t start writing my own songs until about a decade later when I first starting following artists like Shawn Colvin, Greg Browne, John Gorka, and David Wilcox. To see them carry an audience all by themselves with just their voice and their guitar was pure poetry to me and made me want to be a better writer, a better player, and a better entertainer. This new form of performance was sort of like a cross between comedy, acting, and musicianship all wrapped up into one neat little package. I was hooked…”
As a writer, Murante’s songwriting process borders on a spiritual experience. “Writing songs is always a cathartic journey for me, because I tend to write about personal experiences, or people I know. Songwriting forces me to think deeply about what I’m writing about and puts a laser focus onto things. I learn a great deal while I am writing because I am often times researching a topic, or a person as I’m writing. Songwriting is as close to mediation as I get and it’s a very ‘Zen’ sort of thing for me to do.”
The influences of other art forms are ever present in the songs stylings of Murante. “Other writers inspire me as well and not just songwriters, but prose writers and poets, even painters, sculptors, playwrights, and especially nature. Visiting Pennsylvania where I grew up and lived up to 1982 and seeing my family and friends there have also inspired many a song.”
A lifelong love of observation and learning is evident when listening to Murante’s music, but his listeners are also drawn to his stage presence. Perhaps that is because Murante works on his performance skills as passionately as his songwriting. “As a performer, I’m constantly learning the nuances of performing, using dynamics, using silence, telling a succinct story in my introductions, reading the crowd, relaxing on stage and having fun. Like learning guitar, there is no end to the learning curve of performing and songwriting.”
With the FAR-West Conference so close to home, Pacific Northwest songwriters have a unique opportunity to perhaps attend for the first time, and Murante has some advice for those who are thinking about attending. “The conference is a challenge in many ways, especially if this is your first one. It takes some preparation getting your promotional materials ready, deciding what kind of advertising you will do, how many showcases you will partake in, etc.”
However, self-promotion is not the goal of the FAR-West experience. Murante added, “It’s good to be prepared, but don’t spend all your time and energy promoting yourself. The best advice I’ve ever been given concerning the conference is to make as many connections as possible with people, not only venues, but with other musicians and vendors of all stripes. These connections have served me well over the years and just knowing someone in another state where you are planning a tour could make all the difference in the world.”
Private Guerilla Showcase Rooms are another essential part of the FAR-West experience, which happen from 10:30 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. every night in a variety of rooms throughout the two floors. Murante advises, “There is lots to be learned from watching other acts perform and talking with elder music industry folks who’ve been at it much longer than you. Don’t get discouraged if you don’t have a large audience at your gorilla showcase.”
Murante speaks from his own experience, “Some of the best connections I’ve made at FAR-West were with that one person who popped into my empty showcase room and stayed for the duration. I once did a showcase where Rosalie Sorrels and Cloud Moss (Producer of the Kate Wolf Festival) were the only people in the audience. Yes, I was nervous!”
Larry Murante is an artist whose music has resonated with listeners around the globe. According to a Victory Music Review, he has “…a beautiful, smoky, full-bodied voice, and he’s known everywhere he goes for his vocal command and soulful, expressive delivery.” This October, that voice and those compelling performance skills will be deservedly featured on the mainstage at FAR-West. It is a performance you will not want to miss.
Learn more about Larry Murante:
Grand Prize Winner - John Lennon Songwriting ContestWinner - West Coast Songwriters Song ContestTwo-time Newfolk Finalist - Kerrville Folk Festival …and 25 more regional, national, and international awards for songwriting and performance
This regional conference offers an affordable, intimate, and interactive way for acoustic artists and presenters to focus on the folk community in the western region of the US and Canada. We welcome a wide variety of styles, levels, and disciplines, encouraging musical and cultural diversity and excellence.
In case you don’t know, we local singer-songwriters have a terrific opportunity coming up in October. The Western Folk Alliance is holding their yearly singer-songwriter conference here in Seattle, and Songwriters in Seattle will have it’s own performance showcase this year! We are hoping to display as many of our own performers as there are slots available, but you need to register to perform.
The showcase will be open three nights during the conference, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday from 10:30 PM - 2:00 AM and we can have 7 people perform each night. Yes, it’s late. But you’d be surprised how when there, everyone’s enjoying so much music , performing and/or popping into various showcases, that it feels like a wonderful nightly music party. Each room has snacks, and a theme.
The conference is for musicians wanting to be seen, venue operators looking for musicians to book, people wanting to learn how to hold house concerts, or to book ones for an already established venue, etc. It’s also for songwriters wanting to bump up their game. Additionally, this year one of our own SiS member, Larry Murante, will be featured in an official juried showcase at the conference. (Stay tuned for Char Seawell’s interview with him in our September issue).
This event is regional for the Western US and occurs yearly in rotation in Southern California, Northern California, Oregon, and Washington state. It occurred in Bellevue last year (Hyatt Regency - also home to the Wintergrass festival), and this is it’s last appearance here for a while to come. As someone completely new to this event who attended for the first time last year, I can tell you without reservation that it inspired me to improve my songwriting craft tenfold, plus has afforded me the chance to get to know many more talented folks within our songwriting community; both in SiS and out there on their own.
There are panels, workshops, a banquet, other meals, official showcases in a ballroom, and the infamous ‘guerrilla showcases’ which take place in private hotel rooms that line two hallways worth. These are hosted performance showcases which ANY registrant can apply to play in. As purely an audience person last year, I will tell you that attending these felt reminiscent of what Tin Pan Alley must have sounded like in the days of Gershwin; beautiful original music coming out of one doorway after another, though in this case, the tones were a lot more dulcet than the bright pianos being pounded on back then.
Recently I interviewed Joel Tepp, a well-known music presence we’re lucky to have in our community, who’s been involved in Far West for a number of years, and is now serving on the board. Perhaps something you read here will give you an idea why I strongly encourage our members to register and come out for this. **
AG: Joel, when did you start attending FAR-West? JT: My first conference was in 2006 in Sacramento and I haven’t missed one since.
AG: What makes it worth your while to go? JT: I go to see my old friends, meet new ones, and learn about all manner of relevant information which applies to my life as a musician. I hear new acts and meet venue operators who can afford me performance opportunities throughout the Western US. While I don’t go specifically to make a return on my registration, every year I’ve gotten far more income from future work than the cost of attending. This may or may not be the same for everyone but I’ve also learned new things, tried new songs, and most importantly, become inspired to put more into the musical part of my life. The financial payback is just icing on the cake. I meet artists from other cities who help me book venues when I play in their towns, I get hired by these same people when they travel to Puget Sound and want local music backup. I attended a songwriters panel in 2008. Each writer had gold record cuts and some had Grammy wins on their resume. This one event encouraged me in my more recent journey as a writer of my own songs and solo performer. Hearing these top tier songwriters talk about their own insecurities and processes for overcoming them, held tremendous credibility and inspiration for me.
AG: What are some specific opportunities that FAR-West attendance has brought to you? JT: I served on a panel the first year and, as a result, was approached by two artists who wanted me to play with them. One of them took me as an accompanist to a summer festival in Alaska; one of the best road trips of my life! And, by the way, she got THAT gig from a connection she made at that year’s conference. Other people have met new songwriting partners, teachers and coaches to help them hone their craft, and new music friends. It’s also just plain FUN. I go every year because it reminds me of all the things I loved about overnight summer camp when I was a kid. It’s an event where I go to recharge my music batteries, to be seen for who I am, and to rediscover my inspiration to feel compelled to create this kind of acoustic music.
Our Songwriters in Seattle showcase room is being co-hosted by myself, Audrey Goodman, and Susan Elliot, a long time SIS member. If you’d like to play in our SIS showcase after you register, please write to Susan ASAP at: colin.elliott98021@comcast.net.