weekendwarriors

Hi All,



I attended a couple of days of the Australian Music Association Conference (http://www.australianmusic.asn.au) in Melbourne last weekend as there was also a National Weekend Warrior Conference with a program of workshops, product clinics, and jams and such. I was basically just observing for Ellaways Music to see if it would be good for our Ellaways Weekend Warriors if we were to be involved. Last year the conference was at the Gold Coast and when we informed our warriors the feedback we received was that the cost was a little prohibitive. Also Ellaways had a Weekend Warrior Concert at South Bank scheduled on the Sunday of the event which pretty much left the Events team and coaches out of the picture. In 2009 it will be on the Gold Coast again and the cost should have halved and be very affordable at $199.00. I think it would be a great weekend for all of us.


I arrived on Saturday morning and after booking in to a hotel and registering for the Conference I was able to attend the vocals workshop with Mick Pealing from “The Stars”. Mick told the attendees, about 20 in all, that his was not a technical seminar but more of an open discussion where we could ask questions and gain an insight into the experiences of a professional vocalist. With this in mind it was pretty interesting to hear Mick’s experiences in touring with the likes of Joe Cocker, etc. There was some discussion about warming up, length of rehearsals and harmonizing. Mick played a tune and had a great range and was a very good singer. While this clinic was on there were also three others so participants could choose to learn about the studio drummer with Peter Maslen, bass groove with Roger McLachlan or guitar tone with Bob Spencer.



I attended a clinic on the songwriting game with Ian James and Bill Page from Mushroom Publishing (http://www.mushroommusic.com.au/) and found myself completely absorbed in the issues discussed. Both of these gentlemen are icons of the music industry with decades of experience under their belt. It was nice to see their display of confidence in their replies to any question asked with no hint of arrogance. I was very impressed. Their clear message was that artists need to have their own great songs. They need to play well and perform at as many venues as possible to get noticed. They receive many CDs from budding artists but take more notice of the references and recommendations of their trusted friends within the industry.



I went along to the Warriors night at Spensers Live Nightclub where Bob Spencer, Victorian WW coach (the Angels, Skyhooks) had his band playing. Damn that man can play a guitar and we were treated to some fantastic music. Mick Pealing (the Stars) was the vocalist and he was on fire. The drummer (Boom Crash Opera) and bass player (LRB) combined very well and the band was very tight indeed. Dodgey (official GM), Daniel (MI Kedron) and Mat (MI Manager Underwood) also thoroughly enjoyed the band. There were a lot of baby boomers in attendance and I can only surmise that the majority were warriors.



On Sunday there were WW band rehearsals and I couldn’t take part because the bands were organised the day before for a light hearted gig on Sunday night. I was flying out that night so I spent the morning looking at all the new music products at the AMAC trade show. In the afternoon I attended the songwriting technique workshop with Brian Cadd and Russell Morris… it was fascinating. Brian said that until the Beatles, most bands and artists didn’t write their own songs. We were treated to some interesting information about early songwriters and their methods and then Brian explained how in Nashville its generally the formulae to begin with the chorus. Barry Gibb from the BeeGees begins with a title then a chorus… Bob Dylan would write his songs on a typewriter first. He felt that co-writing was a great method as many people are either lyricists or tunesmiths. Ironically had seen a piece on the songwriting team of Bernie Taupin and Elton John and boy haven’t they turned out some hits together.



Russell Morris was very open about how he started songwriting. Russell said he wasn’t a good guitar player when he started off and he was rubbished about it often. He tried to work out the chords and melody to a song for the band but when he played it for the band, he had made a lot of errors and they gave him grief. Russell said he was very discouraged and was told to put his guitar aside and just sing. Two things came out of it I gathered. One he decided to write his own songs so that no one could say he had the music wrong and unfortunately he lost confidence in playing and it set him back about ten years. I saw Russell play at Kedron-Wavell RSL Club a couple of years ago and was very impressed by his guitar skills. A lesson for us all, build confidence in fellow band members, don’t wreck it!



Both Brian and Russell commented on collecting ideas, snippets of discussions (where a great lines are often found) and retaining half written songs. Often two of these half written songs can be joined together further down the track. Brian cadd said that in 2 to 3 minutes its impossible to convey the whole story or message of a song but you cangive sign posts and let the listener come up with their own interpretation. He also said to be aware of the powerful words and let them lead the song. Other tips were that the hook is nearly always the title and its good to repeat it at least 5 times. Russell said that the first line can be the title and even if its not, its good to repeat the first line at the end.



There was a bit of discussion on royalties and on sharing royalties with other band members or co-writers. This was really interesting but I don’t want to make a comment that might be incorrect as there are many issues involved. Russell was asked a question about why he didn’t play too many new songs at gigs and he replied that he didn’t when he toured with some others as they preferred to play their old hits. He said when he did his own shows he would play 60% old and 40% new. He’d slip new songs in between his well known songs. The price of fame is similar to the way cover bands try to intoduce their own original songs.



The WW temporary bands rehearsed some more and played a gig that night and there were some jamming and socialising after all of that. I went home on the plane and was quite pleased I had gone. I was happy with the organization of the weekend and congratulate Dom Desisto, the co-ordinator, on his efforts. I’m happy to become involved with the conference next year. I think we should be prepared to book in early and stay near the venue and make a great social weekend out of it. Who else thinks it might be a good thing to get involved in 2009? Let me know. If you have any questions, or feedback to give, please respond by email.



Cheers,

Bob McMahon

SOUNDS GREAT Uncle Bob, booked me in.

BlackMaster

What do ya get for your $200, besides a dollar change?