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In This Issue
STUDY MUSIC BUSINESS ONLINE INTERNATIONAL SONGERITING COMPETITION LOWER CANADIAN CONTENT FOR RADIO GARY FJELLGAARD CARAGANA WIND BRAINSTORMING & VERSE DEVELOPMENT SO YOU WANT TO WRITE A SONG? LONG JOHN” BALDRY DIES AT AGE 64 
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Cosmic Debris Newsletter Acknowledgements: Publisher/Webmaster - Guy Langlois - cosmic@cvnet.net Graphics Design - Guy Langlois - cosmic@cvnet.net Logo Art Work - Toby Nilsson - tnilsson@telus.net Concept - Barry Newman - Read Story Barry Newman Foundation Monte Nordstrom - mojano@shaw.ca If you have a friend that would like to subscribe to the Cosmic Debris Online Magazine please forward this link: www.cvnet.net/cosmic/subscription.html |
STUDY MUSIC BUSINESS ONLINE WITH BERKLEE COLLEGE OF MUSIC
No matter how good your songs and live shows are, independent
musicians need to have a firm understanding of the music business
to become, and remain, successful. Online music business courses
and certificate programs with Berkleemusic.com, the online
extension school of Berklee College of Music, provides
independent musicians with a detailed view of the music business,
including marketing, promotion, and legal advice, current and
future distribution outlets, and ways to make money through
publishing.
Study online with Berklee's world-renowned faculty from anywhere in the world. Courses and certificate programs in music business, as well as songwriting, guitar, and music production, are enrolling now for the September 15th Fall Semester. For more information contact our admission advisors at Phone: 1-866-BERKLEE or 617-747-2146, or visit the website at: www.berkleemusic.com 
BANDS WANTED
To perform in Nanaimo (150 seats) Victoria (300 seats) and Vancouver (175 seats) on weekends. We provide you with posters (in and out of house), handbills, web support, lights and accommodations (if qualified). You earn door revenues ($3 - $5 cover charge) + opportunity for repeat engagements. Please send bio info to gwen@cambiehostels.com (250 382 7161) for Victoria, to vickie@cambiehostels.com (250 754 5323) for Nanaimo and to melanie@malones.bc.ca (604 684 9977) for Vancouver.
2005 International Songwriting Competition (ISC)The International Songwriting Competition (ISC) is now accepting entries for 2005.One of the largest songwriting competitions in the world, ISC offers entrants a chance to compete for over $100,000 in cash and prizes, including an Overall Grand Prize package of $10,000 (US) in cash and $20,000 in merchandise. Winners benefit from extensive press and publicity, giving exposure and recognition to an international music market of industry professionals and fans. ISC is committed to its mission of helping songwriters and artists gain exposure by offering a unique platform whereby they can compete for $100, 000 in cash and prizes, have their songs heard by a distinguished panel of judges, and get the recognition they deserve for their talents. Deadline for submission is October 14, 2005. Website: www.songwritingcompetition.com Email: isc@songwritingcompetition.com
Lower Canadian Content for Comercial Radio
By now we suspect you've heard or read about the CRTC's recent decision to
grant three subscription/satellite radio licenses for Canada (CHUM/Astral;
CSR/XM; Sirius/Standard Broadcasting/CBC).
We have serious concerns about the low level of Canadian Content requirements placed on the two U.S.-based services. Essentially, a total of 10% CanCon (1 Canadian channel for every 9 U.S. channels) with a minimum of eight Canadian channels has been mandated by the CRTC. There is also no requirement to play any Canadian music beyond the eight designated CanCon channels on these services. You can also expect anywhere up to six minutes of commercials on various channels. Not only does this decision limit the ability for a truly Canadian alternative to launch, it will lead to calls for decreased Canadian content on commercial radio stations who will now have to compete with new US based satellite radio services. It all amounts to a total disregard of the Canadian Broadcasting Act. While advocates may welcome the variety of choice these services provide in the short-term, we ask you to seriously consider the long-term implications to this country's artistic and cultural sovereignty. The fact is - the CRTC had a truly made-in-Canada choice: CHUM's application is in accordance to existing Canadian Content regulations with the majority of channels operating at a minimum of 35% Canadian Content and commercial free. Further, you as an indie artist will benefit directly from CHUM's New Music Channel which will operate at a Canadian Content level of 45% and will be programmed in format blocks that will be cross-promoted on all of the other channels on the service. There will also be a dedicated, 100% Indie Channel which will also be programmed in format blocks and cross-promoted across the entire service. Several groups in the music and arts sector have appealed this decision to the Federal Cabinet. You too can have your voice heard! If you are passionate about Canadian music and the need to maintain existing Canadian Content levels on ALL subscription/satellite services we need you to tell the Canadian government right away. Should you wish to participate please let us know and we'll send you a template of a letter immediately which you can use to build your own. We'll also provide B.C. Member Of Parliament contact info. For more information contact: Vel. Omazic CHUM Subscription Radio Canada (905) 763-7804 Website: http://www.chum.ca Email: velomazic@sympatico.ca
Gary Fjellgaard
CD Review - Caragana Wind
By Guy Langlois - May 2005 On Caragana Wind, Gary Fjellgaard gives us thirteen cowboy songs about the prairies, trains, horses and a Mexican senorita thrown in for good measure. This album takes us back to the days of the "Cowboy's Lament". Malecon is a fun song, more of a satire. The background vocals by Linda Kidder put the song over the top with her faux Mexican accent. Gary provides some very nice finger style acoustic guitar playing on Mexican Moon and the title track Caragana Wind. Gary's voice may be a bit rough around the edges at times but it suits this style of music just fine. There is honesty in his delivery of the vocals that just works and when he hits those high falsetto notes on Steel Horse Lullaby, he sounds like Marty Robbins. With all the glitzy music that is coming out of Nashville these days it is refreshing to hear something that takes us back to the roots of this genre of music. The production of the CD is excellent, kudos to Jerry Paquette at Raincoast Studio in Nanaimo, BC. All the acoustic instruments come through clear and pristine. There are a few notable guest artists on this album. Nathan Tinkam, originally from the "Undertaking Daddies", lays down some tasty Lap Steel and Dobro on By The Sea. Nolan Murray from "Tiller's Folly" plays some sweet mandolin and fiddle throughout the CD. Ken Lister, from the "Hugh Fraser Quintet" provides a solid bass foundation for these tunes. If you have a yearning for "Old Time Cowboy Lullabies" check out Gary Fjellgaard's Caragana Wind. Check out Gary's website for more information on his music and his tour schedule at: www.fjellgaard.bc.ca. Email: gary@fjellgaard.bc.ca
“Brainstorming and Verse Development”
Songwriting Weekend Workshop with Pat Pattison
Saturday, August 27 and Sunday, August 28, 2005 Saturday – 9:30 am to 4:00 pm (Registration is from 9:30 am to 10:00 am on Saturday) Sunday – 10:00 am to 4:00 pm Vancouver Community College – King Edward Campus 1155 East Broadway, Vancouver, BC (Entrance is on Glen St.—1 block N. of Broadway & 1 block W. of Clark Dr.), Fee: $125 - (ask about sliding scale for students) For SAC Members: $100 for tickets purchased in advance (up to Friday, August 26) To Register email Esther Sarlo: esther.spokensoftly@telus.net Please include: -- Your name and Phone number -- Email address -- Postal address including postal code For more information: Contact Esther @ 604.253.3039 Course Content - “Brainstorming and Verse Development”: Brainstorming: Techniques for unearthing ideas • Object Writing • Metaphor • Worksheets • Rhyming dictionary and thesaurus Verse Development: Strategies for advancing your ideas from section to section • Point of View • Tense • Re-colouring repetition • Neutralizing tense and Point of View in a chorus or refrain Note: As part of the Sunday, August 28th session, Pat will critique individual songs written by course participants—in lottery order, as time permits. Pat Pattison - Biography Pat Pattison teaches lyric writing and song writing at the prestigious Berklee College of Music in Boston http://.berkleemusic.com. For thirty years he has been honing his craft, co-writing with some of the best songwriters in the business and inspiring students to become great writers. Pat is the author of Writing Better Lyrics, The Essential Guide to Rhyming and The Essential Guide to Lyric Form and Structure. He has also written three online lyric writing courses available for credit through Berklee College of Music. For more information, go to http://patpattison.com and click on the home page. "You know, it’s almost like going to your tool shed—this is what I can use. It’s like (football coach) John Madden said: ‘These are all the plays I can run.’ The more plays you learn to run, the more you have when you sit down and you go, ‘How do I take this idea and get it to somewhere else?’ I still read that book, Writing Better Lyrics. I’ve got it on the tank of my toilet. I think it’s great!" - John Mayer at a clinic at the Berklee Performance Centre, Sept. 17, 2004
SO YOU WANT TO WRITE A SONG?
- Jane Eamon 2005
"Words are but the signs of ideas" ~Samuel Johnson First of all, I want to say thank you to Teena Clipston and everyone who judged, voted, came out, supported…for the awards I was given at this year's Scorpion Awards show. I was stunned, speechless, (a rarity for me) and totally touched by it all. Thank you. It makes all this hard work, worth the work. And I want to say congratulations to everyone who won, were nominated or just make original music in this Valley. We are all winners. Enough said, on to this month's column… Can you write a standout first verse? Can you, off the cuff, come up with a compelling draw-you-in story line that will knock someone's socks off? Does that feel like a challenge? I've been playing a game of late, trying to write outstanding first verses that will instantly grab the listener and propel them into my story. It's hard, harder than I've ever done before. Even starting with a good idea, I can't always come up with something fresh and attention getting to say about it. It's that opening statement that's a killer. I have a friend who writes the most amazing first verses...he can take a line and form it into four lines of spellbinding intensity that instantly has me wanting to hear the rest of the song. Me, I start with an idea, a title, a chorus, a line and work backwards from there. I have to really think about what I'm going to say to interest my listener. So how to do it? Start with a title. It may be just a working title, but start with an idea in a title format. Now write your first verse. Grab the listener's attention. Start strong and establish who, what, when and where. Throw the listener right into the middle of the action. Here's an example from Roger Gabriel, a local songwriter for his song, "Week or Two", I got a window with a view of grey skiesThe thing I like about this is instantly I can see this guy in a room looking out the window at grey skies, missing his girl who's been gone about a week or two. See how easily that sets up the song? Now this song could be about anything…. it could be sad, happy, it could be a lot of things. But we're instantly drawn into the story line. Piece of cake? What do you do after you get that great first verse? That's a good topic for a future column. Best advice? Get a great chorus next. Give the listener the point of your song. Keep them interested with a great hook, a strong melody and something they'll remember and the foundation of great commercial songs, a tuneful catch that reverberates in the listener's mind for days and days. Here's a challenge, if you want to send me your first verses, I'll publish the best of them in next month's column. Just send to janeeamon@shaw.ca Until next month, keep writing!!! Jane Eamon is a prolific songwriter/performer in the Okanagan Valley. Winner of several awards for writing, she is currently planning CD#3. Check out her website at www.janeandgord.com
BRITISH BLUES LEGEND |
July 22, 2005 – Vancouver, BC – British R&B singer "Long John" Baldry, born John William Baldry, 64, passed away at the Vancouver General Hospital, in Vancouver, British Columbia last night (July 21) at 10:30 PM PST after fighting a chest infection for the past four months. He left behind two siblings Margaret and Roger, as well as long-time friend and partner Felix ("Oz") Rexach.
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Guy Langlois Publisher/Webmaster Cosmic Debris Musicians Magazine