TAXI Nashville/Country Panel June 8th, 2009

[adrienne]

Jun 1, 2009, 3:17pm, claire wrote:ooh, lots of good stuff to read. before I get into it, though, all of youse who are calling it "country and western" or "c/w" have got to stop doing that... ClaireLove that Claire! I was thinking the same thing

[cameron]

OK kids, don't make me stop this taxi...Personally I like both types, country AND western.And to those who think a song has to be as good as "The Chair" or "The Dance" or ""I Love This Bar" to get cut in Nashville... I have some really mediocre country albums I'd like you to listen to.And Mark, I understand your frustration, but the big reason out-of-towners don't get equal time in Nashville is that 99% of the stuff we submit is crap. If it was your job to find songs for your next album, are you going to go to the people who are in the business who you know and can rely on to give you decent material or some guy in Maine who you never heard of? If you go there with GREAT songs, and spend enough time to get to know people and for them to get to know your music, you will get noticed. It's the Nashville filter system, and it's been in place for years. It's evolved, out of necessity imho, to separate the cream from the crap.Cam

[ontariolightning]

once you're established as a hit songwriter you can write as many flops as you want and country artists will still sing them but if you are not established as a hit songwriter they do have to be killerso I was told!

[cameron]

I'm sure there's some truth to that. When you're Craig Wiseman or Jeffrey Steele, people will come to you first to see what you've got. Of course, a few flops and they'll be back on the bench with the rest of us.

[heinsite]

thanks Aub, no hard feelings at all--and damn i wish i had some of your intellect, and ALL of your hair! (really...)now Claire--what do you REALLY think?....maybe it's good you aren't going, i have a feeling that asking them questions--though very good points--would be like a turd in a punchbowl...LOL. but there seems to be many strong folks going, so maybe somebody will pose those thoughts.... and you sly one you, that question to Mark, now that's really not a question...this thread has been fun in many ways. but it may be time to move on? all you folks tell us how it went, heck, it's in a week!all the best,warren

[claire]

LOL - Warren, I think that categorizing Nashville as the center of the inbred universe is not realistic. I can't imagine that doors and arms are flung wide open to no-name newcomer songwriters in LA or NY any more than they're opened in Nashville. It's only common sense (and business sense) to want to work with successful people. I'd rather write with someone I know and who I know is a good writer than use what little time and money and energy I have to seek out people I don't know. Of course that wasn't a question and of course I don't believe that throwing money at Taxi is useless if you write country. I just get tired of hearing people complain that nobody but the established writers can make it here. Not one successful country writer, not Rivers or Craig or Jeffrey or Keith Urban or anyone else who's an A-list writer today, walked into Nashville and was an immediate success. They all struggled to get their music accepted but they kept at it and believed in the dream and even if they were ready to give up, they didn't. They worked their craft every day, not three times a year on a trip to Nashville. They moved here. They networked here. They made a life here. I doubt they slept their way to the top. The way to become an established writer is to keep writing great stuff and eventually it kicks in and people are complaining that only folks like you are able to get cuts in Nashville. Sweet!Now move on and have a blast in Incest City.Claire

[jchitty]

Reading this section of the thread, I think of "The Blues Brothers, " and that line...."we have both types of music here, Country AND Western. " (or some line like that)Yeah, don't use the term country/western while in Nashville....they will think you are inbred.

[claire]

Yeah, don't use the term country/western while in Nashville....they will think you are inbred.LOL! I think the term went out somewhere right before Loretta Lynn was born...

[mojobone]

Yeah, they all thought Loretta was real cute in the goofy hat and fringed skirt-then she opened her mouth to sing. Fact is, I still do both kinds and Nashville will kiss my a$$ before I'll ever stop. (and probably not, even then) I really don't give a flying fig if they do think I'm an ignorant inbred hillbilly, it's my music, not theirs. I mean this in the nicest way possible, but between this thread and that "Red Light" song, I'm beginnin' to think Nashville could use a good dose of me. If you'll have me, I'm comin' and I'm bringin' Cooter, he's the best writer I know.

[tedsingingfox]

Allright, Reverend...Why is it you don't like "Red Light"? For the sake of this thread, you probably ought to reply on that other one.Ted