Connecting Songwriters Throughout Northeast Ohio

News & Updates

Volume 2 Issue 1

January 2018

A Note From The Top

Progress And Upgrades

Don Henson, President

As we move into our 15th year, we look toward 2018 as a year of amazing progress. We have a new name - Songwriter Summit - to better reflect the fact that our members come from as far away as West Virginia to be part of the creative environment we foster at our monthly meetings.

We will soon be electing a new board of directors as we seek to add new perspectives and insights into our plans for the coming year.

We expect to see many new and returning members as we move toward a few updated policies and procedures to better meet your expectations.

Let me address a few items that will undergo changes in the new year.

We videotape our meetings to share the "Songwriter Summit Experience" with like-minded individuals, to showcase the talented individuals who make up our organization and to solicit new members. We know that not everyone is comfortable with a newly composed song being broadcast to the world - especially if it is a work-in-progress. If you don’t want to be included, simply mention to our videographer, Bob Sammon, and he'll refrain from shooting footage of your song and he’ll shut the camera down.

In the past we typically asked that if you have a song to present that you bring copies of your lyrics so listeners can follow along. If you are uncomfortable with handing out lyrics, I suggest that all lyric sheets be returned to the composer with notes and suggestions written on them. Many times there are several suggestions to be offered by multiple members, and it can be difficult to remember them all. Returning the sheets with hand-written notes makes it simple for them to read and understand your critique/suggestions.

Do you wonder what is in our treasury and how funds are allocated? Our 2017 treasury report will soon be reconciled and available to any member who would like to review it. Simply to us and the report will be forwarded to you.

And here’s one final reminder. Please remember this group is not my group, it is our group. Become involved and help us become the envy of the songwriting world!

Please Bring Your Saved Acme Fresh Market Receipts To Our January Meeting. It’s Time To Turn Them In. Thanks for your Support!

Your Board At ~~Work~~ Play In December

We’re not all work and no play. Instead of our usual monthly meeting, our December gathering was dedicated to celebrating the holiday season with good food, good company and good music. Orchestrated by Bev Hutchens with open mic sound engineered by Marty Kubilius, the evening was a huge success. Here are just a few of the scenes of merriment you missed if you weren’t part of our festivities. And here’s a short video that nicely captures the evening from soup to nuts.

Elections Planned For January

All members in good standing of Songwriter Summit can vote in our annual elections. With the elections coming up it is important to remind you that you will be voting for members of the Board of Directors. The Board will then elect the officers who will run the day to day operations of the group. We will be electing seven members to the board this year. If you would like to toss your hat into the ring we’d be very happy to have you run. A full list of the candidates will be provided in the near future as a separate mailing. In the meantime, here is a list of the officer positions along with their responsibilities. Take a look and see if you’d be interested in serving.

President:

It shall be the duty of the president to preside over all Board and General Meetings, formulate and distribute agendas for meetings at least two weeks before meeting, ensure that all committees have adequate membership and are functioning in an appropriate manner. The President must be a member in good standing and must have served at least two years on the board in order to qualify to serve as president.

Vice President:

It shall be the duty of the vice-president to assume the duties of the president in the absence of the president, to assist the president with making sure all committees are on target, and to carry out any other duties delegated to the vice-president.

Recording Secretary:

It shall be the duty of the recording

secretary to keep an accurate record of all meetings, providing written accounts of all board and general membership meetings, including attendance log, and to distribute board meeting minutes within a week to all board members.

Corresponding Secretary:

It shall be the duty of the corresponding secretary to provide updates on any correspondence received, act as a community liaison for organizational promotion, and to send emails to all members with meeting reminders, information on new business and elections and to handle any other communication deemed necessary by the board.

Treasurer:

It shall be the duty of the treasurer to keep ongoing records of the organization’s finances, provide an updated list of paid members, to collect dues and to have the petty cash available to make change at all gatherings. The treasurer shall also balance bank statements, see that expenses are paid and deposits are taken to the bank in a timely manner, keep monthly reports updated to announce at the Board Meetings, and file annual tax forms.

Members At Large:

It shall be the duty of the two at-large board members who are the other executive committee members to see to the day-to-day operation of SCSC in concert with the president, the vice-president, the secretary, and the treasurer of SCSC with emphasis on heading specific committees and representing the general membership.

Are You Able To Vote?

As musicians and songwriters, we are prepared to do what is needed to develop our skills. The long hours of practice, the rehearsals, the time spent booking gigs, loading in and out all add up and take their toll. But when a show goes well or a review is positive or a fan asks for a copy of the CD we all recognize that it was the time we put in doing what needed to be done that made the difference. We know that as “paying our dues” and we do it willingly.

Well it’s time for members of Songwriter Summit to pay their dues. Literally. Starting in January annual dues are due and will be collected at the meeting on the 8th. This is not a trivial thing. In fact it’s very important.

Your dues help the organization reach out to the community in many ways and they give you the right - as a voting member in good standing - to select the Board of Directors that will lead us for the next year. We need your support. We need you to vote. And we need you to pay your dues.

Annual membership is $25 with a 20% discount for those with valid student IDs or AARP/Golden Buckeye Cards.

Thanks.

Our New YouTube Channel Is Up and Running!

In addition to our new public image and name change we’re premiering a brand new YouTube channel featuring everything from past performances to monthly meeting videos, tech talks and more. We’ve conveniently broken the content down into playlists in each of the important categories so that finding the

video you’re looking for will be easier than ever.

If you had subscribed to our original channel please check out the new one here and be sure to click on the subscribe button to get all the updates as we post new videos in the future.

Cleveland Classic Debuts In Akron

Brent Kirby To Host 10 x 3 At Jilly's

Modeled after Songwriter Showcases he played in Nashville, Brent Kirby started his 10x3 at Brother’s Lounge in Cleveland in June of 2011. Starting January 3rd he will be hosting a twice monthly 10x3 at Jilly’s Music Room, 111 North Main in Akron. Featuring ten preselected acts, the evening is all about home grown music. Each performer must do two originals while the third song can be either original or a cover. Music starts at 8 PM and wraps by about 11.

Brent says, “It’s about connecting people, which is why I think the Akron/Cleveland kinship is so important.” He will be at Jilly’s on the first and third Wednesday of each month. Those interested in performing can get in touch with Brent by email.

Area Sightings

SCSC Members can be found all over the area performing, teaching and sharing their music. You could be listed here!

Add your next gig or event to our calendar. Send your information to the .

The first Monday of January happens to fall on the First. Discretion being the better part of valor, it is our considered opinion that a meeting that night would not be well attended. So we plan on moving the gathering from the first Monday to the second Monday, January 8th. We hope you will be able to join us that evening at the Elks club starting at 7 PM. We look forward to seeing you.

Here’s a thought: if you have a friend or two who might be interested in being part of the Songwriter Summit experience bring them along. We always welcome new faces and fresh talent.

If you are so inclined, remember to bring copies of your lyrics so the other members can follow along as you perform. Twenty copies usually does the trick.

The Rationale Behind Our Monthly Videos

Bob Sammon

If you’ve been to one of our meetings in the last year or so one of the things you might have noticed is me sitting behind a video camera - or two…or three - recording the songs being presented and capturing the comments of those giving notes to the performers. Within a day or so of the meeting the edited video gets posted to YouTube, noted on our Facebook page and otherwise tossed into the electronic morass that is the Internet.

There is a really simple reason I go through the exercise of recording, editing and posting each month. Songwriter Summit is a unique collection of creative individuals and the combination of originality and talent really needs to be noted, archived and broadcast. By doing just that it is my hope that the individual members get some of the recognition they deserve and that our organization becomes better known throughout northeast Ohio and beyond. What’s good for the individual members can also be good for the group and it has been my hope from the beginning of this adventure that by presenting a professional image of what we do and how we do it we can entice and invite other creators of music to join in our efforts thus strengthening what we do and expanding Songwriter Summit at the same time.

Of course there are potential issues with my methods and I have tried to address those with the release document that is available in the form of the monthly signup sheet that lets those who are presenting songs to opt out of the video. As Don stated above, that has been problematic for some and so I’m planning on changing the process from opt out to opt in.

Starting with our very next meeting I will not record anyone’s song unless specifically asked to do so. That’s an easy fix on my part and should bring some comfort to those presenting a song they are still working on and don’t want to launch into the world just yet or one that hasn’t been protected with copyright to their satisfaction. Those who do want to be recorded will still have the option to have their efforts left out of the video if they are not happy with a particular performance. That part of the release will remain the same.

It should also be noted that when I edit the video I do include the performers copyright on screen when I identify the singer and the song title. That does provide some modicum of protection for the creative work.

The bottom line is that I will still produce a video of the monthly meeting and include anyone who wants their music to be part of the production. And the overall intent will still be to promote Songwriter Summit and carry our message into the world to showcase the talent that is in our group and attempt to build our image and membership by demonstrating what great songwriting is all about.

Thinking Outside the Pop Music Box

Being exposed to commercial radio tends to lull us into a sense of complacency. When we hear a song from a popular artist - in any genre, actually - we can be forgiven for thinking that that is the way the song is “supposed” to sound. But that limits creativity and, for those who rely on cover songs, it can paint them into a box. Take a few moments to watch this video and maybe, just maybe, you’ll find a way to leave that box behind.

Music As History and Commentary

Our members cover a number of different genres and styles across the entire musical spectrum. A while back Mike Bunn and Bill Foster appeared as part of one of our annual showcases and performed an original song in the tradition of “Wasn’t That A Mighty Storm” that documented the 1900 Galveston hurricane. Their song, linked here, is the contemporary story of Katrina. Take a listen to “Louisiana” recorded in 2007.

Grace Notes

Our Next Meeting...

We meet next on January 8th at the B.P.O.E (Elks) at 2555 State Road in Cuyahoga Falls at 7:00 PM. If you are presenting a song please bring 20 copies for distribution to the other attendees. You do not need to be a member to attend a meeting or bring us a song.

Visit Our Website

While you’re browsing the web drop in on our site for member lists, open mic suggestions, and so much more. You can find it right here.

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What would you like to see us cover in The Bridge? Would you be interested in writing for us once in a while? Do you have an event you’d like to have published to share with our membership and the others who read our publication each month? If so just drop us a note. Like what you see? Catch a mistake? Let us know. We’ve set up a special email address that goes directly to those responsible for compiling this newsletter each month. It’s the best way to . We look forward to your input, comments and suggestions.