For the country writers:

[sgs4u]

Nov 11, 2008, 7:23pm, cameron wrote: Somewhere, I believe a Bill Gates or Michael Laskow type has figured out how songs are going to be promoted and distributed in the future and is positioning himself to be the new Messiah of music.CamI think you're referring to me, Cam, but hardly anyone knows yet. How'd you find out? And you can bet I'll be teaching it around here. The rest of your post was as wonderful to read as it was to meet you. my sincere pleasure

[jchitty]

Wow, good thoughts by Cam, Squiddy and Claire...glad I could make you laugh, Matt. I'll hang in there, Claire, and thanks....you've always been a big inspiration to me. If nothing else, I get some of my best songs out of struggle, so I just keep working when I get discouraged.....that's a good tonic for frustration....just writin' more songs and hopefully learning more as well. Squiddy's right about finding other sources as well....you folks made excellent posts.Wish I could have seen Sherrill Blackman speak, Cam.

[matthoggard]

Squids, thanks for all the wonderful comments. Im more frustrated that I let my job get in the way for the last five years. Time lost you know.Maybe we can make it up.The few months Ive been here have been a wealth of knowledge and understanding. You guys are awesome. Youve learnt me good! M~

[squids]

Well, it wasn't time lost though, sweepea. It takes quite a while to grow a very good songwriter and some of that isn't spent writin', it's spent livin'. I get that all y'all must write songs with stories (do not get me started on that! ) but really, how much emotion can you write into a story you heard from someone else about a story they heard from someone else without sometimes writin' a really wrenching example from your own life? We all gotta live. And no matta what Steve says, we all gotta eat.

[mojobone]

Traditional music is currently developing an entirely new audience that has little to do with Nashville. From Hank III to Southern Culture On The Skids to The Bottle Rockets and groups on the Chicago scene like the Henhouse Prowlers, there's lots of great traditionally oriented music to be found, for those that are looking.I just watched the CMAs earlier tonight and heard maybe four songs that I would describe as country; I'd say things are as bad as they should ever be allowed to get and the pendulum's due to swing the other way, but change generally comes to Nashville, not from it, to paraphrase Barack Obama. I think the kind of change that hit the rock biz with the rise of the Seattle sound and what was then called alternative rock will at some point smack Nashville upside the head, but in the meantime, I ain't holdin' my breath. I jes' keep pickin and grinnin'.

[jchitty]

Nov 13, 2008, 12:01am, mojobone wrote:Traditional music is currently developing an entirely new audience that has little to do with Nashville. From Hank III to Southern Culture On The Skids to The Bottle Rockets and groups on the Chicago scene like the Henhouse Prowlers, there's lots of great traditionally oriented music to be found, for those that are looking.I just watched the CMAs earlier tonight and heard maybe four songs that I would describe as country; I'd say things are as bad as they should ever be allowed to get and the pendulum's due to swing the other way, but change generally comes to Nashville, not from it, to paraphrase Barack Obama. I think the kind of change that hit the rock biz with the rise of the Seattle sound and what was then called alternative rock will at some point smack Nashville upside the head, but in the meantime, I ain't holdin' my breath. I jes' keep pickin and grinnin'. I totally agree here, Mojo. Some of the best country/bluegrass/Americana acts are ones you don't hear on commercial radio much. My favorite group right now is The Old Crow Medicine Show. I saw them in concert, and people were dancing out in the isles, yelling, cheering, etc....the place was so packed, I thought they'd have to call the fire marshall in. It was the best concert I've seen in years....well, except for Keb 'Mo.I see this as a trend too....one that may revive country music as we know it if it ever goes commercial....although in the end, it will become watered down too.

[jchitty]

Nov 12, 2008, 9:46pm, ontariolightning wrote:I've been at this since 2003, everday, reading songs, listening to songs, listening to badly written songs and then listening to better written songs, learned to stay away from cliche lines, which was hard, pretty much have been at it everyday for almost 5 years, the thing is I've maybe written one or two songs about my life, It's hard for me to do that so i make most of it upbut I believe through hard and dedicated work you can do anythingThey say it's hard to get a cut in Nashville only to discourage youIf you believe that honestly you don't have itJust my opinion, but it all starts with one songI like your thoughts about hard work and dedication. I think that's what it all boils down to....getting up every day and writing a line or two if you can. Pretty soon, you'll have another finished song. It also boils down to some luck too as far as getting a cut, being at the right place at the right time...the stars do have to line up. But in the meantime, hard work and perseverance will pay off when the time comes. And believing in yourself is key as you say...no matter how warm and fuzzy that may sound. And of course, it's about having some talent...but talent's like clay...it's raw and can be molded into something substantial as long as you continue to hone your craft.

[cameron]

Nov 14, 2008, 5:46am, jchitty wrote: I think that's what it all boils down to....getting up every day and writing a line or two if you can. Pretty soon, you'll have another finished song. Taxi has definitely helped me improve the quality of my songs, but it's also stifling my creativity. The problem I'm having right now is I find myself screening all my songs a bit too critically. This "following the rules" BS can be a pain in the ass. I have about six songs underway right now, most of which I'm losing interest in because I think they're not good enough.

[squids]

((((((((((((Cam))))))))))))))))))))) Big hugs, sweepea. Been there too. Betta days ahead honey. PMd ya.

[sgs4u]

Nov 14, 2008, 8:03pm, cameron wrote:Taxi has definitely helped me improve the quality of my songs, but it's also stifling my creativity. The problem I'm having right now is I find myself screening all my songs a bit too critically. This "following the rules" BS can be a pain in the ass. I have about six songs underway right now, most of which I'm losing interest in because I think they're not good enough. Hey Cam. There are a lot of people who have lived thru the feelings you're talking about here, including me. It sucks, the whole second guessing yourself thing. OTOH, how can anyone learn what they don't know until they realize there's more to learn? It's much faster learning like that, than assuming we know everything we need to know, and then hitting that wall. You're already past that stage. Whew! Once the ego is thoroughly smashed, rewrites are easier & faster and the songs end up being better. You're doing fine man, it's just part of the process. At least I sure hope it is... I'm almost positive... I think.