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| April 2003 Guild Tidings The official Publication of The International Songwriters Guild Volume 8, No. 4 NEXT MEETING 5:00 PM Sunday, April 6th, 2003 The International Songwriter's Guild meets the first Sunday of every month at the Central Florida Musician's Union building at 3020 East Robinson (at the extreme east end of Robinson less than a block from Herndon Airport). Songwriters, composers, performers, publishers, and the curious are encouraged to join us. Non-members are invited to attend a meeting or two to get a feel for our group and what we do. Officers: President/Treasurer Russ Robinson (407) 851-5328 Vice President/Member Reception Matthew Griffin (407) 903-1212 Membership Coordinator Susan Foster-Trewick (407) 679-4017 Web Consultant Asli Walker (407) 359-0506 President's Letter Dear Members, Sooner or later, if you haven�t already done so, you�ll write a tribute to someone you know or have known personally that you admire. Think of it as a keepsake, one to the memory of a deceased father, for instance. This could be a song of confession or admiration. Such a song could be worth a small fortune in therapy! I just got a notice from Nashville regarding a new contest for lyrics. I�ll check it out and give information at the next meeting. We have lots of members looking for someone to put music to their words. So perhaps you might be the one needing to send your lyrics in to this contest. Maybe one of you can bring in lyrics regarding April or springtime to the meeting Sunday. Last year I asked for a springtime song I would have introduced at a live show I performed. I had Lauren Chapin, the singer, who was a little girl on a TV show (Father Knows Best with Robert Young). No one submitted one, so I wrote one for her called Comes The Springtime. I�d love to have songs of yours for future use, not only for springtime but for all seasons. I have one or two songs that I just change the lyrics to suit the season or occasion. I will give an example on the blackboard at Sunday�s meeting. I�m looking forward to seeing all of you Sunday. Bring in your tapes so we can critique your latest work. We�ve had some good songs here recently and I want to congratulate those who are in there pitching. See you at the meeting! Best ever, Russ Robinson The Miracle of Harry Potter By Matt Griffin Every once in a while, I take the license provided me as editor of this humble publication and write about some creative endeavor not strictly related to songwriting. This is one of those months. Friends, I can�t help myself! The Harry Potter phenomenon is about to take over the world again. On June 21st, J. K. Rowling (rhymes with bowling) is releasing the fifth book in her amazing series about the boy wizard-in-training; it�s entitled Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. My wife and kids are pumped up for it, and if anything I�m more excited than they are. My co-workers think I�m several doughnuts short of a dozen. I mean, why�s a 43-year-old computer geek getting all worked up over a children�s book? My answer is always the same: obviously you haven�t read the books! Oh, I enjoyed the movies, too; they were well made and maintained the spirit and energy of the stories. But you cannot imagine the richness of the saga if you haven�t read Rowling�s words. Rowling conceived the Harry Potter tale as a series of 7 books. The follow-on books are not mere sequels; they are the continuation of a complex storyline. For anyone who has spent the last 10 years in a monastery, Harry Potter is a not-so-normal child who discovers on his 11th birthday that he is, in fact, a wizard. He gets sent to the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry for seven years of training (thus seven books, one per year). Harry�s life is somehow linked to that of Lord Voldemort, the dark wizard who everyone greatly fears. One of the many subtle ideas in the series is that as Harry learns more about his evil foil, he learns more about his original wizard family and also himself. As I say, the story is complex; my few lines cannot convey the many intricacies of the plot. So what is the �miracle� of my title? Before Harry Potter, I would have considered it inconceivable that a book or books could capture the imagination of my entire family. I can tell you exactly what will happen in June because it�s what happens with every HP release. We will buy the book on the first day it�s available, then read the book as a family every night after dinner till it�s done. The suspense is killing me already! How could this happen? How could a book so intrigue my kids that they willingly give up their video game and TV habits for a couple of weeks? How is it possible that my wife and I seize on any shred of HP news in print, TV, or web and read it aloud to all? How could a book due out in months trigger excited conversation at my dinner table? To me it�s nothing short of a miracle, a wonderful, delirious miracle. There are too few real joys in this world. My family and I have found one, and no one is going to spoil it for us, or for me. Getting Copyright Forms You can order registration forms from the Library of Congress, Washington, DC 20559, or call them at (202) 707-9100 and leave your name, address, and how many forms you want on the answering machine, and they will be mailed to you. You can also request an "original music complete information packet" KIT #105, which tells you about the Performing Arts (PA) form and includes a blank form for you to fill out. The forms are free for the asking; however, there is a copyright registration fee of $30.00. You can also download the PA form from the Library of Congress web site on the internet. The site contains all instructions for downloading the form, as well as a source for free software that will allow you to view and print the form and instructions for filling it out and filing it. Remember, the form must be printed on both sides of a single piece of paper. They will not accept multiple pages. The web address is: http://lcweb.loc.gov/copyright/forms Reprinted with permission of AFM Local 47, Hollywood, CA. Place your classified ad or gig announcement here! Free to ISG members as always! Just get your text to Matt by the print deadline (usually the Friday 16 days prior to the monthly meeting); email is best ([email protected]). ISG Bulletin Board Printing services for Guild Tidings are graciously provided by Printing USA, 4732 South Orange Blossom Trail (just south of Holden), Orlando. Phone: (407) 857-7468. Custom CD Cover Art � Full color paintings, black & white illustrations to computer-edited photos with half-tone for photocopying. Prices start at $25. Call John Martello at (407) 293-1739 or email: [email protected]. Omega Ltd. Productions 3415 Silverwood Drive Pine Hills, FL 32808-2847 SusieCool will be hosting an open mic at Yalaha Bakery on Saturday April 19th, 1:30 to 4 PM. Food, drinks, beer, and coffee will be available. The event is free and outdoors. Yalaha Bakery, 8210 County Road 48, Yalaha, FL 34797, (352) 324-3366. See the website http://susiecoolsongs.com for details We're always looking for material for the newsletter. If you have any information that you would like to see added to the newsletter, please see Matt Griffin at the meetings, or you can email him at [email protected]. Please keep your articles brief and to the point. Print deadline for the newsletter is approximately two weeks prior to the monthly meeting. Classified advertising may be placed free of charge to members in good standing in the ISG. For more information on display advertising and/or classified advertising for non-members, please call Russ or Matt or email: [email protected] We're always looking for new faces and new music. Come to a meeting and check us out! Welcome new member Phil Clemente. MARCH TOP FIVE Winners of last month�s evaluation session (members only) (1) When I�m With You Valerie Nager (2) Faith Bill Vontobel (3) Waiting Right Here Patricia Locke (4) It Don�t Matter Too Much to Me Angie LaVelle (5) Libre L. Luis Garcia � 2003 ISG http://www.geocities.com/i_s_g_2000 |