Testimony - '09 Road Rally Rocks Solid!

[ullali]

Nov 17, 2009, 8:31am, anne wrote:Great posts, both Skyko AND Ulla - I too am still on that rally buzz, and this was my 4th rally : ) I love to see when people 'get it' and realize that it is truly an amazing and authentic event that has one purpose - to help you succeed in music. THANK YOU Anne! ....I don't know how anyone could NOT get it, if they ever attended a Rally. Awesome event and people for sure! I want MORE!!!...Hope to meet you next year Anne!

[jay10music]

I had the pleasure of having a nice lunch with Sky and Lucy last week. Two incredibly nice people who are clearly destined to become successful Michael

[skyko]

Both Keile and I are humbled by the gracious way in which we were received. It is our pleasure to help out in any way, shape or forum . . (sorry, couldn't resist the pun). Peace!Sky & Lucy Keile

[neil]

This is so cool! I am still glowing as a result of this conference and it's a month later. I really thought about why during Thanksgiving week and decided to post my thanks today. Then I see posts from the three people that we had nice conversations with in the registration line! Yo Bette, Skyko and Kiele!

I went to the rally with my 15 year old daughter. We had an incredible experience. I'll quickly summarize, not to bore you but as my way to give thanks to this great organization, it's leaders and the members.

My first experience was emailing Taxi asking questions about what to expect and how to prepare for the mentor one on one meeting. I wanted to be prepared and not waste the mentors time, but I also figured that the taxi office would be crazy busy preparing for the conference and I didn't want to be bugging them so I wasn't sure I should email them. Well I did and the quick and supportive responses really set the tone for the entire experience.

Our time in line at registration was also great. We waited before getting in line because we didn't have a specific mentor in mind - we had many and my daughter had homework to do and I had to go through the schedule and figure out what talks we would attend. When we went down in line it was still out in the parking lot but it moved FAST! You taxi types have this thing nailed! The atmosphere was so positive and supportive and it was great meeting people like Skyko, Kiele and Bette in the line. Everyone was so kind to my daughter, she really felt comfortable and enjoyed it.

My daughter and I write together. (How cool is that!) While we have both been writing all of our lives we are just starting out - all of you Taxi members know what I mean! As a result, we thought we would really focus on the songwriting sessions. We went to as many as the schedule would allow. We went to classes with Dan Kimpel, Ralph Murphy, Jai Josefs, Jason Blume, Dude McLean, Robin Frederick. We were unable to go to the class with John Braheny - but I bought his book! I also took the vocal recording class with Ronan Chris Murphy. All speakers were world class. They were not just knowledgeable, they also were great at presenting that knowledge. None of the classes were a bore. Our focus on songwriting meant that we missed a lot of the business classes and the ballroom talks. That's ok because we frankly aren't ready for the business stuff anyway. We have to refine our songwriting first and the wide variety of classes meant that the conference could meet the needs of veterans like Skyko or people starting out like my daughter and me. How much new information did I get from these classes? I took 19 pages of notes!

We had our one on one mentor session with Mandi Martin. She was very kind. She gave us a great songwriting structure and production critique. She, and later Jason Blume, emphasized the importance of getting a rough demo your songs critiqued by a professional before spending a large amount of time and money recording a song before it is ready. This is really good advice and really hit home with me as I have a ton of songs but only have a few recorded (and critiqued) because I was taking too much time to record before the song was ready. Now I know that these professional writers can critique rough demos and help you refine your song and I plan to submit as many of them as I can to them and to Taxi custom critiques. I couldn't believe the critiques and positive suggestions that Jai Josefs could give to some of the songwriters in his second class after listening to really rough demos. These people have an incredible ability to see past the rough edges of a demo into the heart of a song and really help the writer. Unbelievable.

There was one thread that ran through all of the presenters that I saw. They really, really loved a good song. It was obvious that this is what drove them to be in the business and it was contagious. These people were the real deal and it was a joy to be around them. It was a great lesson for my daughter.

Like Skyko, I have had experiences with some of the weasels and sharks in the music business. There weren't any at the convention. Not in class, not at the mentor lunch, not in the ballroom or in the book store. It was just a group of great people who loved music. There is no doubt in my mind that Michael and his crew screens out the weasels and I cannot thank him and all of the people involved in this organization enough. I always thought of Taxi as Taxi University as I thought of it as a great way to develop our songwriting abilities. I am now confident that if I am ever so fortunate to have my work forwarded and I need a some business advice that I can trust that Taxi won't throw me to a shark. What a great organization, what a great group of people. I really can't thank all of you enough! Now I know where I am going and how to get there. It's going to take a lot of work but it sure is easier if you have a gameplan. That is what the rally gave me.

See you all next year!

Neil

[Bad Monkey]

great story,
being my first rally I didn't know what to expect either.everyone ,no matter what level, was treated with respect and the entire staff was friendly and helpful with even the stupidist questions, late into the night. I, for one, can't wait till the next one.Good luck to you and I look forward to listening to your tunes.