Professional Documents
Culture Documents
The Australian Songwriter Edition 144
The Australian Songwriter Edition 144
All I can say is that we are over the moon with the
response to the 2019 Competition. A record number of
entries and unprecedented interest all adds up to a hugely
successful Contest. Make no mistake, we have world class
songwriters in this country, and each year the standard just
keeps on improving.
Also, superb songsmith Mike McClellan will be along to talk about his songwriting
and sing his huge hit, Song And Dance Man. Along with a few surprises for our 40th,
the Show will be one not to be missed. Tickets are going like hot cakes, and it is sure
to be a sell-out, so get in as fast as you can. Until then, settle in and catch up on the
October 2019 e-Newsletter, put together once more by Vice Chairman and Editor
Alan Gilmour. Excellent work Alan.
Remember, if you are a Songwriter, you should be a Member of the ASA, and also
our main Sponsors APRA and Wests Ashfield Leagues Club. Catch you on Wednesday
October 30, at Canterbury Hurlstone-Park RSL for the ‘Show Of The Year’.
Denny Burgess
Chairman
Editor’s Message
This month is a catch-up edition covering the last few
months, when we have been busy judging this year’s
contest. On the cover this month, we have the winner of
the 2018 Contemporary/Pop Category, Jemma Siles. We
have an interview with Jemma, as well as other 2018
Category winners, Abbey Gardner, Stephen Kiely and
Roxanne Kiely, and Jacques Gentil. Our monthly ASA
Member Profile features Andrew Cavanagh, plus we have
a profile on The Mentals, the 2019 Inductees into The
Australian Songwriters Hall of Fame. And of course, don’t
miss out on our monthly songwriting blogs from Mark
Cawley and Francesca De Valence.
Alan Gilmour,
Editor and Vice Chairman
2019 Australian Songwriting Contest Top 30 Lists
Congratulations to all those who have made the Top 30 lists in the 2019 Australian
Songwriting Contest in the following 13 songwriting Categories:
• Australia Ballad
• Contemporary Pop/Dance Country
• Folk/Acoustic Instrumental/World Music
• International Lyrics
• Open Rock/Indie
• Songs for Children Spiritual
• Youth
The Top 10s will be announced at the 2019 National Songwriting Awards on 30
October 2019.
Prizes and trophies will be awarded to the winners of each Category, as well
performance opportunities at the 2019 National Songwriting Awards.
The 2019 APRA/ASA Australian Songwriter of the Year will be chosen by the
ASA Board of Directors from the category winners. The 2019 winner will receive a
beautiful trophy plus a cheque for $3,000, courtesy of sponsors, APRA AMCOS.
The ASA Board will also choose the winner of the 2019 Rudy Brandsma Award
For Songwriting Excellence from among all of the ASA members, present at The
National Songwriting Awards, who have submitted songs into the contest and who
have exhibited songwriting excellence in their song entries. The winner will receive a
beautiful Maton acoustic guitar, courtesy of sponsors, Maton Guitars.
Thank you to the following contest platforms for hosting the contest:
The 2019 National Songwriting Awards will be held on 30 October 2019 at the
Canterbury Hurlstone Park RSL Club, the same venue as in the past two years.
Tickets are now available on Eventbrite by following the links on the ASA website at
www.asai.org.au.
The Top 30 lists are set out below. Please note that due to the exceptional quality of
entries this year, some categories have more than 30 songs.
Australia Category
Ballad Category
Folk/Acoustic Category
International Category
Lyrics Category
Rock/Indie Category
Jemma Siles was the winner of the 2018 Contemporary Pop/Dance category with
her song D.A.M.N.
ASA: Welcome Jemma! Can you tell us about your winning song?
Jemma: The title D A M N is a hook. What it stands for is “Don’t Approach Me Now”.
I tried to do a break up song in a very different fashion, rather than the standard
“I’m never going to see you again, I hate you, or its I miss you I love you and I’m
crying all the time.” Whereas I tried to say in the song that yes, I still love you, but
it’s going to take time to work through this in my own way and just let me be me.
ASA: That song was a single release for you wasn’t it? How was it received?
ASA: You also have been doing some touring is that right?
Jemma: My voice, I guess. When I write, I use a keyboard. I use my voice and I use
a little recorder and a mic and that’s it.
ASA: How do you come up with the ideas for your songs and what order do you
write them? Is melody first or lyrics first?
Jemma: It’s different every time with this song it was personal experience, I was
feeling hurt and I wrote it literally in two minutes, I wrote the chorus then the verse.
Unless I am in a writing mood, I rarely write a whole song all at once. I might leave
it and start on another song. I might write a whole bunch and then I’ll pick which one
is my favourite and then I’ll finish it.
I find by not writing the songs all at once and going back to it can often have the
song going in another direction and emotions may have progressed to a new outlook
than when you first started it.
ASA: What other songs do you have in the mix at the moment?
Jemma: I don’t have any out, but I did perform a couple of unreleased songs on
tour and got some good feedback on them.
Jemma: People usually prefer covers because they like the song and they can sing
along. But I have actually got a lot of good feedback from people that can relate to
what I am singing about, and that means a lot to me.
There is a line in one of my songs that says “have you ever been hurt or broken by
somebody close” and when I was performing it, somebody nodded, and my heart
skipped. It was such a good feeling.
ASA: Looking to the future, you are young and you were accomplished enough as a
songwriter to win your category, where do you see yourself going?
Jemma: I think most people would have the same answer on that, but I would love
to do international tours and become Top 100 in the pop charts or something like
that, but it’s not an easy industry.
It would be amazing to achieve all I hope for, but ff not, I love performing for the
fans and I love touring, so I will be happy just to keep doing what I am doing.
ASA Mid North Coast NSW, 28 July 2019, Conservatorium Port Macquarie
We’re very pleased to announce that the 2019 inductees into The Australian
Songwriters Hall of Fame will be Martin Plaza and Greedy Smith from the iconic
band, The Mentals (Mental As Anything).
The Mentals have kept us entertained since 1976 with their well-crafted melodies
and lyrics, with songs such as The Nips Are Getting Bigger and If You Leave Me, Can
I Come Too, Live It Up and Too Many Times.
The bands ironic, satirical and self-deprecating sense of humour, along with its
cleverly composed music, captured Australia’s good time image perfectly, making
them one of Australia’s most popular bands. Put simply they make us smile,
providing us with songs we can sing along to, and recognisable melodies that make
us tap our toes.
The band formed in Sydney in 1976, initially playing to students at parties, pubs and
Uni dances, when they caught the attention of new independent Regular Records.
The band's most popular line-up (which lasted from 1977 to 1999) was Martin Plaza
(Martin Murphy) (vocals and guitar), Reg Mombassa (Chris O'Doherty) (lead guitar
and vocals), his brother Peter 'Yoga Dog' O'Doherty (bass guitar and vocals), Wayne
de Lisle (David Twohill) (drums) and Andrew 'Greedy' Smith (vocals, keyboards and
harmonica).
They were first billed as Mental as Anything on 14 May 1976, after some early party
appearances without a name.
The Band’s current line up Martin Plaza (lead vocals, guitar), Greedy Smith (lead
vocals, keyboards, harmonica), Jacob Cook (drums), Martin Cilia (guitar, vocals) and
James Gillard (bass).
All of the early members were visual artists and have had combined studio displays,
some have had solo studio displays with Mombassa's artwork also used as designs
by the Mambo clothing company, the majority of the group's record covers, posters
and video clips have been designed and created by the band members or their art
school contemporaries.
The group's art school background and visual design skills also made them pioneers
of the music video form in Australia in the late 1970s and early 1980s, and their
videos rank as some of the funniest and most imaginative produced in Australia at
that time.
The Mentals “as they are affectionately known” have had a long & varied career in
music, which has not been without its trials & tragedy but like true musicians they
are still out there creating great music & importantly still making us smile. They have
to be doing something right to endure this long in our affection.
On 27 August 2009, Mental as Anything was inducted into the Australian Recording
Industry Association (ARIA) Hall of Fame.
On the 30th October 2019, Glenn A Baker will induct the group’s songwriters, Martin
Plaza and Greedy Smith into The Australian Songwriters Hall of Fame.
ASA Member Interview: Andrew Cavanagh
Thanks to ASA Regional Co-Ordinator for Cairns QLD, Julia Starr, for this Interview
with ASA Member, Andrew Cavanaugh.
Andrew has supported the ASA Cairns Wax Lyrical since its inception in 2017 and is
the first one to offer advice to new, upcoming songwriters at the popular Elixir Music
Bar, on the second Thursday of the month.
What I like about Andrew is his ability to deliver original songs which speak about
Australian life and the people who live in our country. This is Andrew's trademark
style and his ability to create commercially popular songs, which continue to be
played on national radio stations, is outstanding.
The Wax Lyrical event in Cairns now has over 74 members on Facebook and is
growing every month. Another advantage for Andrew is the generosity of other
players who help each other, at times providing a backing guitar or bass, perhaps, to
his instrument of choice, a Nord keyboard.
After all, why write songs if there is a limited platform to actually perform them? As
songwriters, we know, songs have to be played live, to allow them to breathe, be
heard and be developed into something wonderful which (hopefully) ends up in a
recording studio and released on national radio.
Fortunately for Andrew, his songs are being noticed, recorded and released by artists
like Benn Gunn.
"There are many people who write songs just for their own fulfilment and there's
magic in that" he says. "If you're doing that, just ignore anything I say about
commercial song writing and keep doing your own thing."
If the boot fits, I guess so. Though with all the opportunities now online for songs to
be released, used in films, advertisements, international radio syndicates and played
live to gain annual live performance returns via APRA/AMCOS, I wonder if Andrew is
wearing his own opportunities thin in the commercial market by only having his
songs recorded to be played on a radio station.
Most of the country radio stations in Australia who fervently support our songwriters
and artists are supported by community radio stations, run by brilliant, dedicated
volunteers, true, but after working for years at one myself, the transference of
annual APRA reporting can at times be overlooked, particularly if the majority of
programs in some stations (not all) who appear to be supporting international
artists.
As an artist who has recorded four albums and released songs which have charted,
in my opinion, there's not a lot of return for the songwriter for a number-one hit, if
you consider the time spent writing the song, getting it placed and recorded at a
professional studio, marketing the song, promoting the song, touring the album and
paying for its distribution.
Next, Andrew talked about his song-writing success: "Writing songs at a professional
level is a long apprenticeship. I eventually worked out that it's nearly impossible to
develop your skills unless you take advice from mentor songwriters who have written
hits and I have a lot more experience than some songwriters have."
He continued to say, "As songwriters, it's human nature for us to think the songs
we've put so much emotional energy into are great and hope that these songs are
hits, but that mindset can work against you in a huge way. It's much more important
to focus on developing your song writing skills instead of being obsessed with the
songs you've already written."
I get where his is coming from.
It's important to craft any song to
be the best that it can be and
here is where Andrew gets quite
technical about his songcraft.
Next, Andrew shared his secret which has propelled his career as an up and coming,
successful song maker.
"There were two key tips I've heard over and over again: write up-tempo and write
for the live show. That's really true."
Andrew believes that if we only write ballads, we will never develop skills in writing
up-tempo songs.
"That's a problem, because radio stations, especially commercial radio stations, play
a huge percentage of up-tempo songs."
He continued to say that "The bigger the station's audience, the less ballads are
played." Andrew believes that "releasing great, up-tempo songs is essential if an
artist wants the radio air play that gives them the exposure they need to reach that
larger audience."
It's an interesting analogy. Especially as we now have unlimited online radio stations,
internationally, which market their brand as easy-listening and target at the
increasingly ageing population, who don't mind a good ballad, a tissue and a memory
recalled.
"Once I understood that radio stations want up-tempo songs, I didn't write ballads
for two years. These days, I might write two ballads a year and it has to be a real
killer for me to finish it."
Andrew has been lucky to meet some very successful, inspiring artists during his
song-writing journey.
"I once asked Beccy Cole what kind of songs she'd be most likely to consider
recording from an outside songwriter. She gave it a lot of thought and said "the
hardest song to get is a great, up-tempo song." I told her I only write up-tempo
songs and she said, "You're going to get a lot of cuts, then."
As Regional Co-Ordinator for Cairns, the support and recognition from the ASA has
truly inspired our local songwriters and Wax Lyrical continues to provide the first-
step platform for songwriters to gather, share ideas, get much-needed feedback
from professional, successful songwriters.
Let's just keep writing, growing and making great songs for everyone.
-0-
Stephen Kiely And Roxanne Kiely: 2018 Winners Of The Songs For
Children Category
Stephen Kiely and Roxanne Kiely with young Skye, who was the performer
of the winning song, at the 2018 National Songwriting Awards
ASA: Roxanne Kiely & Stephen Kiely were winners of the Songs for Children
Category with their song, Sometimes a Friend. Welcome again to both of you, you
were a winner last year and are back to win again in 2018 with one of their Busy
Izzy songs.
Stephen: After last year’s song which was a very tempo driven happy and upbeat
song, we wanted to write a song that had a little bit of depth to it, this song was a
real co-write song. I sat at the piano and started to play a melody and came up
with this idea that sometimes a friend is all you need to be, so it was a nice turn
around, because while we do need friends we also need to be a friend.
When we started to record it, we bought our granddaughter Skye in to sing it, and
she just did a fantastic job vocally for an eight year old and at the time she didn’t
have her front teeth so she had that beautiful child sound.
Roxanne: Skye has a lot of empathy, so she really felt the song.
Because Buzzy Izzy is all about
empowering her friend, the whole
series is all about friendship fun and
healthy food, Izzy likes to empower
her friends and it’s all about being
inclusive and not exclusive to all her
friends regardless of all their different
personalities and no matter what goes
wrong in their life.
In saying that with a little irony maybe, the songs will be available on Spotify and
the books available on Kindle and are available from Busy Izzy.com all with parents’
permission of course.
Roxanne: We also have two schools that have included the Busy Izzy books along
with the songs as part of their curriculum which is very exciting for us, and because
the books promote healthy no sugar foods and sends a positive message to kids that
they can still have fun without having devices and also what the true meaning of
friendship is all about, all done in fun stories and songs that kids can relate to.
Stephen: The ASA has really been a springboard for us and winning the awards has
really helped the whole product so much, we are so grateful.
ASA: It’s always our pleasure to acknowledge good songwriting, continued good luck
with all that you are doing.
Sponsors Profiles:
1. Major Sponsor: Wests Ashfield Leagues Club
A premier entertainment and dining venue, and home of Wests Tigers and Wests
Magpies Rugby League teams, Wests Ashfield is an excellent place to visit in
Sydney’s inner west.
Not only supporting a host of local sporting and youth-related activities, the Club lifts
itself above the rest by also being a “Patron of the Arts”, as demonstrated by its
incredible ongoing sponsorship of the ASA.
All music lovers are encouraged to return the favour by becoming members of Wests
Ashfield and, at very least, indulging yourself by enjoying some of the culinary
delights the Club has on offer.
The Club is located in Sydney’s inner west, at 115 Liverpool Road Ashfield, and
provides great dining restaurants, great coffee, and regular community activities for
members and friends. Check out the website at www.westsashfield.com.au.
The ASA is a not-for-profit organization, and relies on the support of its generous
sponsors, its members and its other fundraising activities.
If you write music, you should become a member of APRA AMCOS. It’s free to join,
and once you do, APRA AMCOS can help you make money from your music. Become
part of a collective community of 100,000 songwriters!
4. Songuard
7. The Code
8. Vagabond Cruises
13.Maton Guitars
Maton has been a premier Australian musical
instrument maker since 1946.
Study music and performing arts at Griffith, and you’ll learn in an environment that
will enable you to flourish. Our award-winning teachers are dedicated to producing
polished music professionals of the highest calibre. Relevant, cutting-edge courses
allow students to tailor their studies to suit their interests and aspirations.
16.Kix Country
18. QMusic
QMusic is Queensland's music industry
development association and has been
transforming music industry careers since
1995.
Best known internationally for our signature event, BIGSOUND, QMusic also offers
an extensive and free professional development program throughout Queensland,
and a grants program funded by Arts Queensland.
QMusic also stages the annual Queensland Music Awards to celebrate everything
that makes Queensland music great. QMusic works closely with government at all
levels, to ensure a thriving Australian music industry, and sustains partnerships with
corporate and philanthropic partners who want to support the future of Australian
music.
www.
20. Ashton
The fully equipped turnkey recording studio boasts two large acoustically designed
studio rooms, providing clients with an exceptional creative space and a chance to
record with an unrivalled collection of top quality gear. The services available include
live recording, mixing and production, with access to on-site services including the
legendary Black Pearl mobile studio van.
You are the songwriter that I meet the most. I meet you at networking or professional
development events or you ‘like’ my #wildestcreativedreams posts on social media and
perhaps you share a little about how you really want be writing songs and playing your
songs and recording and releasing your songs - but you don’t have the time. You start your
comment with: “I wish I had the time to…” or “When I have the time to…”
That knowing and acknowledgement of the real limitation of time is frustrating and feels
like a dead end. You know you can’t make more time magically appear. And you know
you’re not improving in your songwriting, cause how can you when you’re not doing
anything? And that half-written album just sits there, unfinished.
So instead you dream about all the things you will do when you have more time - when the
kids leave home, or when you can afford to work less hours or when you retire. Because
then you’ll have all the time.
Or will you?
Let’s look at the facts. There are 168 hours per week and everyone has the same amount
of hours, right? And in that time you need to fit in all your responsibilities. But you also
need to fit into that time everything that you want for your life, like the things that you
desire and dream about.
On your list of priorities, how high on your list are these desires? If you want your dreams
to be a reality, they need to come somewhere very closely after family, health and making
money. And if it’s not, ask yourself why it’s not.
But you can choose now to start getting on a path to living the life you want. And you can
do that with just 1 hour per week to start. But that’s up to you to carve it out.
I started making time for my songwriting almost 5 years ago. I started a new habit in my
week - this was the beginning of I Heart Songwriting Club. I would carve out one hour
every single week and force myself to finish it, even if it was shit, just so I could move
forward. And I had a group of other songwriters who were also doing the same, holding me
accountable to that process, and I was holding them accountable.
But before that, before five years ago, I would struggle to write songs. And it was a big
struggle. I’d hit a wall about fifteen minutes into the songwriting practice. The first fifteen
mins would be fine, yep that’s working, yep yep yep. Then suddenly, nup. That’s crap.
Nope, that’s crap too. Then every idea was crap. And then I’d walk away.
I started using “time” as the reason I wasn’t writing. I was too busy in my teaching, I had
a full social calendar, I even started a masters degree (!) and I had to do x, y, z.
But really what I was doing was not carving time out for my songwriting practice, because
I was avoiding or delaying, more to the point, writing the shitty songs I had to write
through in order to write the great ones.
Since I started my new habit five years ago, I’ve written 257 finished songs in one hour
and about 100 more songs. So about 350 songs in five years. Not bad for about one hour
of work every week.
Not only have I written these songs, and had the practice of working through ALL (and I
mean ALL) the creative blocks that have come up, which in itself was a huge personal
development journey and a growth I’m so grateful for, but these songs have also shaped
my career. These are the best songs I’ve written as yet.
So dear songwriter who doesn’t have time, I know how much you dream about this and
desire this, so I’m going to make it simple for you. I’m going to assign you one activity so
that you can be getting on a path NOW to be living your wildest creative dreams - and
write songs - a lot of songs, great songs, better songs. Songs that will shape your career
and build momentum and artistic direction for you.
You’re going to start by carving out 1 hour in your week. Put that 1 hour in your calendar.
Call it “Songwriting Practice”. It could be Tuesday at 5pm or Saturday at 10pm. It doesn’t
matter when it is. Schedule it and set an alarm and a reminder. Treat it like you would a
hair appointment, a doctor’s appointment, a meeting. It’s non-negotiable. You will be
there, you will show up and nothing else goes in that time. So find a baby-sitter and find a
way to make it happen.
And when that time arrives, you show up and do the work. And I will tell you, that if you
show up and do the work, it will get done. And I’m also going to tell you, if you don’t do
the work, nothing will happen.
So, do the work. Struggle. But know it’s only 1 hour you have to struggle for and then you
have 167 hours in your week to do everything else. Then do it again next week. And then
again. And before too long you’ll have 10 new songs. Then 20, then 50…
Sam Buckingham was the fifth songwriter to ever join the club, almost five years ago. Now
she says:
“Writing with I Heart Songwriting Club has become one of the most important
parts of my creative practice. It pushes me to set aside dedicated weekly time to
developing my craft, and the feedback and community support makes the process
so much less isolating.
If you're sick of waiting to become the songwriter you've always wanted to be and it's time
to just start doing that now, join our club and be supported and guided to write songs like
never before.
Telling yourself you don’t have time is just a story. Don’t you want to create a new story?
You DO have time for this and when you do it, you’re going to feel amazing. Can I be
honest with you? And I say this with love, you’re playing a game with yourself when you
say you don’t have time, but you’re the only one you’re fooling.
Do you really want to be living your wildest creative dreams? Cause if you really want this,
you can live this.
Francesca xo
PS. Loved this? Want more? Email me for my complimentary Songwriter’s Toolkit and I will
fast track the kit to your inbox and give you some really cool ways you can start using it
today francesca@iheartsongwritingclub.com
About Francesca:
Francesca has supported artists including Jimmy Webb, her music can be heard on
ABC radio around Australia. She writes for Songwriting Magazine UK, has a
fortnightly ABC Radio songwriting segment and facilitates songwriting workshops
nationally and internationally for PROs including APRA AMCOS & IMRO. When she's
not on the road running workshops, making music and speaking, Francesca can be
found in her hometown of Brisbane or her creative hub in Paris - eating baguettes
and writing songs in French language.
Abbey Gardner: 2018 Co-Winner Of The Open Category
ASA: Abbey Gardner was the Co-winner of the Open category in the 2018 song
contest with her song, War Child. We had the opportunity to have a chat with her,
Welcome Abbey! Can you tell us a bit about your song?
Abbey: I wrote the song when I was a bit younger and I was in situations where I
feel a bit demeaned and dismissed by being a young girl in some industry situations,
I wrote it so that it might empower other young girls in a similar situation.
ASA: Is that a theme you often write about? Or is it just this particular song?
Abbey: I think it comes up a lot in my songs, not so much as a main focus of a song
but more as an underlying message in songs, I like to have a message about
standing strong in whom you are.
ASA: How do go about your songwriting? Is it melody or lyrics that come first, or
does it come all at once?
Abbey: Normally I write some chords that I like, it depends on my mood whether
it’s sombre or upbeat, but usually I start with chords & I scat over a melody with
some random words, then I write the lyrics afterwards depending on the feel of the
song.
Abbey: Hundreds! I have been writing since I was about eleven and it’s been just
nonstop.
ASA: Do you have them
professionally recorded or is it
just a home created.
ASA: You can tell me a few of them if it’s hard to pick just one
Abbey: “The Neighbour”, an American band has had a huge influence on my sound
and a lot of my lyrical content since I was about fourteen, as well as Passenger, aka
Mike Rosenberg with my songwriting. In my softer songs I take a lot of influence
from him.
ASA: Most of the time when I ask that question the answer comes back Taylor Swift.
Abbey: Maybe mine would have been when I was younger, but I grew out of it.
ASA: looking to the future you’re young and potentially have a career ahead of you,
what would you like to do with your singing and songwriting?
ASA: What sort of reactions do you get to your original songs compared with covers
when you play live?
Abbey: It’s always a nice sort of encouragement when I play my originals and at a
cover gig when I’m asked to play an original, it’s a nice feeling to know my songs
have connected to some people.
ASA: Thank you for chatting with us, we look forward to watching your career grow.
Jacques Gentil: 2018 Winner Of The Spiritual Category
Jacques Gentil was the winner of the Spiritual category in the 2018 song contest
with his song A Million and One Ways to Die.
ASA: Well it wouldn’t be an ASA award night without Jacques winning a category
and 2018 he has once again won the spiritual category, Welcome back.
ASA: You seem to have a mortgage on the spiritual category, year after year you
seem to win it, how do you manage to do that?
Jacques: I don’t know how to answer that, but I will try, before winning I prayed,
and that seemed to work last year so I did it again, I asked, and I received. Faith is
one thing but at the same time it’s no point in asking if you are not prepared to work
for it, and I do work hard. I work at learning the tools and then I apply them.
They have to want to write and my role is to teach them how, and as part of the
course I produce their work with a top producer, so I train them and they end up
with a finished product they can be proud to show to the music industry.
Jacques: I have a shelf, which is starting to get a bit crowded so I will probably
have to extend it.
ASA: Jacques was Songwriter of the year a few years back, so he does have quite a
few in his collection.
Jacques: I also won the UK Songwriting Contest in the Christian category last year a
month after I won at ASA, with a song called People Need to Know. It was also short
listed in the ASA contest.
ASA: Thanks Jacques it’s been a pleasure having a chat with you again.
Members News and Information
1. Songwriters Meeting Point
ASA Member, Liz Connolly, is a vocalist, lyricist and songwriter, looking for a Gold
Coast or Northern NSW based songwriting partner who can help write/co-write
guitar/piano accompaniments to her songs.
Liz has half a dozen songs in a variety of styles (pop, rock, folk, ballads), that she
has completed or semi-completed using electronic songwriting tools.
In 2014, her song "Don't be Afraid" was short listed for the ASA song writing
competition Contemporary Pop/Dance Category but didn’t progress any further. Liz
can be contacted at lizconnollymusic@gmail.com or 0409345133.
Willy57 is a lyricist who is looking for someone to write melodies to his lyrics. If you
are interested, Willy can be contacted at willy57@optusnet.com.au.
Spencer Kelly writes “I've been writing songs for years but it's only in the past 6
years that I've been getting Stacy Hogan at Writers Paradise studio to produce them.
Have been on the lookout for a great co-writer / lyricist as I tend to get a bit tired of
my own lyrics - I've got a lot of great backing tracks/melodies I've written and
demo'd (100+), but haven't developed further, so if you know of a good writer who
might be interested, I can be contacted at spencerwho@yahoo.com.
Unfortunately, Thomas and Tessa were unable to attend the gala ceremony to accept
the award but a lovely twelve-inch high, solid crystal obelisk will be arriving in the
mail shortly. So, this trophy, (along with Destiny Band Oz's other recent awards: the
2018 Gold Medallion Media Award for Band or Duo, the 2018 TICMA National Country
Band of the Year, Akademia Music Award (USA) and three International Clouzine
Music Awards 2018-2019) will be going straight to the pool room!
Lately, Thomas and Tessa have been keeping busy gigging, writing and recording
their own music, as well as other people's songs! So, Tessa would also like to take
this opportunity to thank all the radio presenters who have been playing the duet, I'll
Be Home Soon, which country balladeer, Gary Ellis asked her to record with him for
his new album.
It has made Number 3 on the Country Songs Top 40 Australian Airplay chart,
Number 7 on an independent USA chart and is currently Number 5 on the Tasmanian
chart.
Tessa was also asked by songwriter and Diamondback Records boss, Glenn
Erickson, to record one of his compositions which will be released in October 2019,
while Destiny Band Oz are touring Tasmanian venues on their October Tassie Tour
with solo artist, Garry Hunt. Venues are on the Facebook Gig Page).
Do you know how the average listener learns your song? Chorus melody.
That person in the car wants to hear something they can sing. Not the whole
song, not your well-crafted lyric, not your infectious track…they want to sing
something now!
Once they have the chorus melody in their head, it’s about the title.
Think of it this way. You call your best friend and say, “Hey, I just heard the
coolest song.” He says, “Yeah? Sing it to me.” You sing a bit of the melody, and
then he asks the title of the song so he can learn it, too.
If he gets it, he may focus on what it’s actually saying in the chorus. If he digs
deeper, he goes for the verses and the other parts. It’s all about the chorus—in
this case, the chorus melody. Most listeners will never get past the singing-the-
chorus stage.
You want to make it one of those ear worms, a “can’t get it out of my head”
melody. Doesn’t matter if you write music first, lyrics first, or write to tracks, no
matter.
How do you write a killer melody? Let’s look at some strategies that might help.
Create an Environment of Freedom
One of my favourite tools for melody is to create away from the guitar, my main
instrument. I might sit in my studio and play keyboards, might start with a drum
loop to get in a groove and go from there to laying down a chord change. I’ll start
singing something over the changes, and it may even feel pretty good.
I’ll record it just in case, but what I really love to do is record those chord
changes and get away from my studio. I know the act of creating a melody might
come from doing it while you’re playing, but for me, singing it over the changes
I’ve recorded away from an instrument gives me more freedom to experiment
with my melody.
Anytime you can create an environment of freedom with your melody, instead of
being part of a performance, can only be great. Just starting your melody from
some note other than the root of your chord can create a more interesting
melody.
If the root note of your chord is a C and you sing a seventh over that t o start,
you’ve already created some tension and made the melody more interesting.
If you get out of your comfort zone, you can’t rely on your usual tricks, and you
just might find some melodic magic. That’s why I like to move away from my
guitar.
Deconstructing melodies is a good shortcut to making your own great ones. Take
a current song and spend some time making notes, asking yourself these
questions:
Visualizing the melody is a good tool that doesn’t require a theory background.
Once you have a melody in mind for the verse and chorus, try flipping them. Is
your chorus melody really a stronger verse melody? Is your bridge melody a cool
chorus melody? Might be worth a cut-and-paste just to see.
At the end of the day, make sure you can’t get the melody out of your head. Can
you sing it in the car, on a walk? My favourite test is if someone who has been in
the general vicinity while you’re creating it starts singing it. Second best is when
you play it for someone and later on you hear them humming it.
I coach quite a few lyricists and not all have a knack for melody. I get them to
write a lyric to an existing, familiar melody. It can give structure for them so that
at the end of the day they have a lyric. Inspired by an existing song but not
connected to it. With apologies to John Lennon and Elton John, “whatever gets
you through the write.”
So how can you come away with something fresh, interesting, and impossible for
someone to get out of their head? I’ll pick my top five to focus on.
1. Rhythm
Nothing gets more boring than hearing the same melodic rhythm throughout the
whole song. There are some things you can try, from doubling up the number of
notes in the chorus to trying the opposite. Short notes in the verse, long notes in
the chorus, halftime in the bridge, stops, builds, anything to mix it up.
2. Length of Phrase
Similar to the rhythm fixes in that you want to mix it up. If every melodic section
has the same number of lines and words per line, it’s going to get old quick. Try
tapping out the words and make sure your sections are not all the same.
3. Range
Another place your melody can bog down is the range, or lack of range. One of
the reasons we respond to some songs and singers is the emotion they put into
the melody. If your melody is rooted in one area throughout, it’s hard to get it to
take off.
There are a million hits that feature the same chord changes from verse to chorus
with the chorus being an octave up. Instant drama. Range can also serve to
create moments in your melody. Think of singers such as Whitney Houston,
Aretha Franklin, and those times the melody takes you to new heights in the
song.
Learn to leave it. For me, this means trying different instruments, different
tunings, but most importantly, listening to music that’s different than what I’m
working on.
For instance, if you write rock, listen to classical, jazz, country, opera…You’ll be
surprised by how much will creep into your melodies. I’m not talking about sitting
down and dissecting every style of music. Just let it seep in. You are your
influences.
The wider your influences, the more chances of blending them into something
unique.
5. Subconscious
Don’t sit down and say, “This melody fits here because of the chord change,” or
“This is just how I do it.” Take some time to let that subconscious in. That’s
where it can go from being “nice” to being magical. It’s also one of the ways your
voice as a writer comes in.
One simple trick: record your melody at any stage and just let it loop. At home,
in the car, running errands. Just give it time to be the best it can be.
For more advice on writing a killer melody, you can find Song Journey on
Amazon.
-0-
Mark Cawley is a hit songwriter who coaches other writers around the globe
through his one-on-one, online service iDocoach.com.
His songs have been on more than 16 million records with cuts ranging from Tina
Turner to Wynonna Judd to The Spice Girls.
His book, Song Journey, was released in April 2019 and went to #1 in 6
categories on Amazon. Mark is a judge for the UK Songwriting Contest, Nashville
Rising Star, Belmont University’s Commercial Music program, and West Coast
Songwriter events.
The ASA’s membership is diverse and embraces and explores all genres of music.
Contact Us
Mail: Locked Bag 18/178 Newtown NSW 2042 Australia
Phone/Fax: (02) 9516 4960
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The title of Songwriter/ Song of the Year was first awarded in 1980, following the
establishment of the ASA in late 1979. The Rudy Brandsma Award was first
awarded in 1983, following the passing of ASA co-founder, Rudy Brandsma.
Songwriters Of The Year Rudy Brandsma Award Winners
2018 Anirban Banerjee Lola Brinton
2017 Steve Montgomery Samantha Mooney
2016 Donna Dyson & Damien Leith Alex Tobin
2015 Karen Guymer George Begbie
2014 Rick Hart Robert McIntosh
2013 Jacques Gentil Dani Karis
2012 Andrew Winton Melia & Nerida Naughton
2011 Brian Chapman Katie Hardyman
2010 Kate Rowe Karen Guymer
2009 Tony King Kate Lush
2008 Jason Campbell-Smith Jo-Kelly Stephenson
2007 Simon Shapiro Brenda-Lee Heathcote
2006 Emma Joleen Daniel Arvidson
2005 Michael Maher K’Crasher
2004 Trish Delaney-Brown Callee Mann
2003 Contest Not Held Contest Not Held
2002 Kyls Burtland Sara Downs
2001 Helen Mottee Keith Armitage
2000 Andrew Horabin Tomino Speciale
1999 Alf Tuohy Mike Kidd
1998 Kyls Burtland Not Known
1997 Xanthe Littlemore Michael Waugh
1996 Mark Crocker Felicity Hunt
1995 Rob Pippan Sharon Bothe
1994 Danny Hooper & Steve Cole Nigel Foote
1993 Not Known Billy Dettmer
1992 Not Known John Cooney
1991 Not Known Not Known
1990 Ian Paulin Jane Robertson
1989 Steve Wade Not Known
1988 Steve Wade Steve Wade
1987 Not Known Not Known
1986 Rob Stambulic Stu Storm
1985 Ross Nicholson & John Coco Steve Wade
1984 Not Known Debbie Bignell & Tony Stark
1983 Chris Lamech & Debbie Bignell Chris Lamech & Debbie Bignell
1982 Not Known N/a
1981 Not Known N/a
1980 Not Known N/a
1979 Commenced in 1980 Commenced in 1983
This publication is © 2019 by The Australian Songwriters Association Inc.,
ABN 12 140 838 710, and may not be re-used without permission. The
views expressed in this magazine are the views of the writers and may not
necessarily reflect the views of the ASA. The ASA acknowledges and thanks
all sources from which information for this magazine has been obtained.