More Seeger Sessions Disc Problems

Damn! I'm back already, and I've got some bad news and some good news.

But first, if you are wondering what this is all about, read the previous blog entry I made earlier tonight.

Now. In case you haven't caught up with the latest technology, some discs are now being released as a two format, double-sided disc. That is, one side of the disc is recorded as an audio disc, and the other side is recorded in DVD format. Both this recording, and Springsteen's previous album, Devils and Dust have been released in this Dual Disc format.

So. After listening to The Seeger Sessions a couple of times via my computer, I decided to have a look at the DVD content on the disc. I popped the disc out of the CD tray, and put it into the DVD tray. I assumed I would have no problems with this, since the audio side had worked well in the CD player.

And so to the bad news -- I was wrong!

This time all I could hear was constant noise. A bit like the sound of static your TV might make when it is not tuned into a regular channel.

Damn! Now I'm really not happy. I went back to the Root Menu on the DVD and found an Audio Select setting. I clicked on this and was presented with two options. (1)Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround, and (2)PCM Sound. Aha, thought I. Here's what I'm looking for. I could see that the check box next to Dolby Digital was selected. Since I don't have 5.1 Surround connected to my computer, I clicked instead on PCM Sound. Maybe this was the answer.

I was wrong.

In fact, I didn't seem to be able to select PCM Sound. Each time I went back to the Audio Select setting, Dolby Digital was highlighted. Now I'm really starting to get pissed off.

In desperation (and with the volume down low so that I am not driven mad by the sound of static), I did a right click on the DVD splash screen, and a pop-up menu appeared.

Without really knowing what I was doing, or what I was looking for, I check through some of the options on the pop-up menu. Down towards the bottom of the pop-up I could see a heading called, 'Configuration...' (see screen shot). I clicked on that and the Configuration dialog box appeared. Exploring through this I took a closer look at the Audio tab.

I notice that in the Speaker Environment field, the '2 Speaker' option is selected (see screen shot below). On a whim, I select the Use SPDIF option, just to see what it does, and -- Ta! Da!

Finally, there is some good news. The sound is perfect. Don't ask me why -- because I have no idea. Nor do I know what SPDIF means, nor what it does. All I know is, my problem appears to be solved, and I can now watch the DVD component of my new purchase the way it was meant to be viewed.

Oh, and one final piece of good news. I've also played the DVD in a standard DVD player attached to my television, and everything seems to be working fine there as well.

But questions still remain. Surely, it is not unreasonable in this day and age, to expect something as basic as this to work properly, straight out of the box? If a company like SonyBMG can't get this right, what hope have the others? And why not just put two discs in the package: one a standard audio CD, and the other a standard DVD? Do we really need a hybrid product?

SonyBMG must produce these discs for a few cents each anyway, so cost is the least of their concerns. In fact, what they should be concerned about, are the problems I and others (and there *must* be others), are having with this new Dual Disc format.

The advertising states: "One Disc - Two Experiences". However, it's not much good when the experiences we are having with these discs are unhappy ones.

--o0o--

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Seeger Sessions CD Playback Problems

Yesterday, I finally bought my copy of Bruce Springsteen's latest album, We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions.

With great anticipation I put it into the mini-stereo system I have in the kitchen to give it a spin. Just seconds into the first track the laser reading the disc data began skipping all over the place. I tried the second song. The same thing happened.

"What the hell!" thought I. What was going on? I decided my mini-stereo system, which is a few years old now, wasn't up to the job of playing the new CD.

So I put the disc into my large Sony stereo system which sits in my computer room. This sytem is also getting old, but I've never had problems playing anything on it.

Until now.

Once again, I had problems with the disc. This time the laser didn't skip around, but the quality of the sound was atrocious. It was full of crackles and distortion.

By this time, I was beginning to regret my purchase. In deperation I put the disc into the CD player on my computer. At last! The disc finally began to play without any problems. I'm listening to the album as I type this. But my enjoyment of the music has been coloured by the problems I've had with the disc.

Does this mean that I can only listen to the album while I'm sitting at the computer? Surely, everyone who has purchased a copy of Springsteen's new album is not having the same problems I am. Is this a case of 'buyer beware'? Can someone at SonyBMG shed some light on this issue?

I'll have to come back in a day or two and write a review of the album when I'm in a better frame of mind. And if I have any new information about my playback problems I will let you know.

On This Day in...

1971: Bob Dylan appears at George Harrison's Concert for Bangladesh at Madison Square Garden. Oh, and the No.1 on the charts is James Taylor's "You've Got a Friend." 1968: At Abbey Road, the Beatles record "Hey Jude." 1964: Martha & the Vandellas release "Dancing in the Street."

--o0o--

Quote of The Day...

Design is not just what it looks like and feels like. Design is how it works. ~ Steve Jobs (1955 - )

--o0o--

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Movie Mania: Once Upon a Time in The West

Tagline: There were three men in her life. One to take her... one to love her... and one to kill her.

The Western. Has there ever been a wider canvas for a director and a group of actors to paint their collective masterpiece than the American West? From western comedies like Blazing Saddles and Cat Ballou, to graphic depictions of violence and life in the old west, such as Clint Eastwood's Unforgiven, Sam Peckinpah's The Wild Bunch, and one of my all time favourites, Sergio Leone's western masterpiece, Once Upon a Time in The West, the western has stood the test of time as a genre that refuses to go away, and which continues to be reinvented through modern films like The Proposition, and the television drama, Deadwood.

For me, Once Upon a Time in The West never dates. However that was not always the case. I remember first seeing the film in London, during the 1970s. My memory of it was that it was incredibly long and slow. I don't think I liked it all that much at the time, because of those two factors. Maybe I was tired and not in the right frame of mind on the night I went to see this movie.

Thankfully, when I got to see the film again years later -- on video -- I remember liking it a whole lot more. On subsequent viewings (and I watch it at least once a year -- as I did again last night), I fell completely in love with this wonderful film.

There are so many things to like about Once Upon a Time in The West, that it is hard to know where to start.

• The great cinematography by Tonino Delli Colli
• The stunning score by Ennio Morricone (surely a masterpiece of composition in its own right)
• The great performances from the main actors, Claudia Cardinale, Charles Bronson, Jason Robards, and the brilliant Henry Fonda
• The brilliant costume designs of Antonella Pompei and Carlo Simi
• And of course, the masterful direction of Sergio Leone

If you have never seen Once Upon a Time in The West, you are missing one of the best opening sequences you are ever likely to see in any movie. There is virtually no dialogue; just a collage of sounds and images that quite frankly defy description. Trying to explain in words, what takes place on screen, would take all the joy and excitement out of discovering for yourself, probably the most stylish opening ten minutes of cinema I have ever seen.

But in the end, this tells you nothing.

• You have to slow yourself right down before you see this film...
• If you are in a hurry to go out or do something else - do not watch this film
• If you are tired and filling in time before you go to bed - do not watch this film
• If you are a slave to action, and the super fast editing of modern cinema - do not watch this film
• If your attention in the movie is constantly being interrupted by children, pets, telephones or other distractions - do not watch this film

You have to immerse yourself in this movie, not once, but over and over again. Every time I watch this film I discover new things in it. I notice details that have escaped me time and again on previous viewings, and I am blown away by the attention to detail that Leone and his team clearly lavished on this film.

But this still doesn't tell you anything about the movie. This comment by Keith Loh on the Internet Movie Database site, provides a good summary of the film: "A mysterious stranger with a harmonica joins forces with a notorious desperado to protect a beautiful widow from a ruthless assassin working for the railroad..." That's it in a nutshell, but of course there is much more to the story than this.

The 'mysterious stranger' is Harmonica, played by Charles Bronson, while Jason Robards is the 'notorious desperado', Cheyenne. Claudia Cardinale is Jill, the 'beautiful widow', and Henry Fonda, as Frank the 'ruthless assassin', plays against type in his only film role as a villian.
And what a villian he makes!

I can well remember the shock I got from seeing Fonda in this role, especially when he first appears in the movie -- a scene that I will not spoil by outlining here. Suffice to say, if you are a movie buff who remembers Henry Fonda in some of his greatest on-screen roles (as Tom Joad in The Grapes of Wrath, for instance), you will be shocked by the character he plays here.

Music As Character
There is another aspect of this film that must be commented on here, and that is the music. Without the magnificent score by long-time Leone collaborator, Ennio Morricone, I believe this movie would not have the immense impact it does.

Every major character has their own musical theme in this film, and each musical theme is as distinctive as the characters are. As each character is introduced during the film, their theme music is also played for the first time. Charles Bronson as Harmonica, has a theme which, as you might expect, features the harmonica, one of the smallest of musical instruments. Claudia Cardinale, as the widow Jill, has one of the most hauntingly beautiful themes I've ever heard on film, and Jason Robards, whose character, Cheyenne provides most of the comedic elements in the film has a theme which makes extensive playful use of the banjo. And finally, there's Frank, Henry Fonda's character. His theme features the Morricone trademark sound of heavy electric guitars and other contemporary instrumentation.

Each of these themes is woven into the soundtrack of Once Upon a Time in The West so perfectly, that it comes as no surprise to learn that much of the music was written and recorded before shooting had even begun. In fact, some of the scenes appear to have been choreographed to match the music, rather than the music having to match the action taking place on screen.

If you have never seen this film, do yourself a favour and rent or buy it as soon as possible. Turn the lights down low, disconnect the phone, open up a packet of crisps, and settle in for one of the greatest westerns ever made -- Once Upon a Time in The West.

Once Upon a Time in The West (1968)
Main Credits
Director: Sergio Leone
Writing credits: Dario Argento, Bernardo Bertolucci, and Sergio Leone
Screenplay: Sergio Leone & Sergio Donati

Principal Cast Henry Fonda .... Frank Claudia Cardinale .... Jill McBain Jason Robards .... Cheyenne Charles Bronson .... Harmonica Gabriele Ferzetti .... Morton Paolo Stoppa .... Sam Keenan Wynn .... Sheriff/Auctioneer) Frank Wolff .... Brett McBain Note: You can purchase a Two-Disc Special Edition of Once Upon a Time in The West from Amazon.Com by clicking on the links to the left. This has some great extras, and is a bargain at the current price.

Producers: Bino Cicogna (Executive Producer), and Fulvio Morsella (Producer)
Original Music: Ennio Morricone
Cinematography: Tonino Delli Colli
Film Editing: Nino Baragli
Production Design: Carlo Simi
Costume Design: Antonella Pompei and Carlo Simi

Internet Links
~ Internet Movie Database entry for Once Upon a Time in The West
~ Wikipedia entry for Sergio Leone
~ A good Sergio Leone tribute site: Fistful of Leone

Quote of The Day...

Talk low, talk slow, and don't talk too much. ~ John Wayne (1907 - 1979), Advice on acting

--o0o--

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This I Believe

When I was young, just a child really, I believed in God. Didn't everyone? With my childlike sense of wonder, it made perfect sense. Mere mortals could not possible create the vast world of beauty, excitement and great diversity I saw around me. As I grew older, into adolescence and adulthood, I was graced with the knowledge that only the arrogance of youth could foster. God was dead. Jesus was a mystic; a healer; a charismatic leader of men, yes, but the Son of God? No.

I took great delight in challenging the faithful to explain some of the many inconsistencies in the Bible. God created Adam and Eve. They had two sons, Cain and Abel. Cain killed Abel and was banished from the Garden of Eden. He 'took' a wife and … "Hold on," I would laugh triumphantly, "If God created Adam and Eve and they had two sons, where did Cain's wife come from?" Over the years I took perverse delight as I watched a succession of Christian believers try to explain the answer to that one.

Years passed, and my working career eventually took me to a job in a hospital caring for people with cancer. I watched many patients, both children and adults, fight and triumph; fight and lose; give up and die; and some who even gave up and yet still survived. There was no rhyme or reason to each story of triumph or tragedy. It didn't matter if you were rich or poor, old or young, or 'black, white or brindle', cancer knew no favorites.

During my early years doing this work I would ask myself, 'How can God do this to people?' If God is a God of love, and we are all God's children, how can He deal such a deadly hand to his own offspring? The answer, if any answer is possible, is that no 'One' is responsible for any of the heartache and pain we experience to some degree, on an almost daily basis. Maybe the T-shirt writers are correct when they proclaim that 'Sh!t Happens!' Life is like that. Sometimes we win, and sometimes we lose. Sometimes despite our best efforts; despite the best medical attention that money can buy; despite the prayers and offerings of the faithful, sh!t still happens.

'Once upon a time…' I believed in many things. I believed with a type of fundamentalist certainty that only the ignorant can have. Does God exist? Is there a Heaven and Hell? Does intelligent life exist on other planets? Is this all there is? I don't know. In a way it doesn't matter. We are here, now, and we had better make the best of it. Like T. S. Eliot I believe; "The last temptation is the greatest treason: To do the right deed for the wrong reason."

We should do good, not because we want to earn a place in 'heaven'; not because we don't want to be reincarnated as a flea on a dogs back; and not because we have to. We should do good because we can. Because to do otherwise just adds to the misery in the world.

I believe that we should all act as if this is the only life we have. Why leave a legacy of hate and fear when we can just as easily leave a gift of love, peace and happiness? Why leave a barren landscape of uprooted trees and brown earth, when we could just as easily leave a multicolored landscape of tall trees, long grasses, flowering blossoms, and soaring birds? Why waste precious hours complaining about neighbors, immigrants, this or that 'ism', or any of the many other such human prejudices? If we expended as many hours, and as much energy learning to live with each other as we do fighting each other, our lives would be much happier and our streets much safer.

I believe we all have a story to tell, and that your story is just as true for you as my story is for me. I may not laugh or cry in the same places you do in your story, and you may not agree with the ending of mine, but I am happy to listen to, and share yours if you'll do the same for me. Maybe then we can reach some understanding of our place in the world and the magic we can bring to it. Note: You can purchase a collection of essays under the theme This I Believe buy following the link on the left directly to Amazon.Com

--o0o--

Quote of The Day...

Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities. ~ Voltaire (1694 - 1778)

--o0o--

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What Are The Odds?

Life is strange. Very strange. This is one of those Random Acts of Kindness stories that defies logic, given the extraordinary series of coincidences it involves.

So there I was, driving a bus load of elderly people home from a respite program I am involved in. This program is for elderly clients with a Greek heritage. I myself, have a Greek background, so I speak the language very well. Half way through the journey, I dropped off one of the female passengers. As I was reversing out of her driveway, I noticed a couple of elderly women standing at the end of the drive on the footpath.

It briefly crossed my mind that they may have been Jehovah's Witnesses, doing the rounds of the neighbourhood, looking for converts. Or maybe the lady I had just dropped off was about to get a couple of visitors. As I reversed down the drive to the street, one of the women approached the mini-bus. I wound down the window, and that's when this journey really began to get weird.

It transpired that this woman, I'll refer to her as Female A, had seen the other woman, Female B, looking a bit lost and confused just up the street. Female B, it seems, had gone to visit a friend at number 35, only to find that her friend was not home. Since no-one was home, and since she had just travelled across town via taxi to visit her absent friend, she had no way of contact family, friends, or another taxi to take her home.

Female A, saw Female B from her home and thought she should offer assistance (Random Act of Kindness #1). For some reason they wondered down the street towards number 21, where my client lived, and arrived there just as I turned up to drop my client off.

"Does a Greek woman live here?" asked Female A. Yes, I replied, and then proceeded to listen to her story, which I've just told you, dear reader. But get this. Female B, the woman who is slightly lost and confused, turns out to be Greek herself!

What are the odds?

We now have another brief conversation where she also tells me her story. However, since she doesn't know the woman I had just brought home, I told her there was no point talking to her about her plight.

Well, what's a man to do? Leave her there to fend for herself? Call a taxi for her, and let the taxi drive her back across town to her home?

Since I would end up back in town after dropping off all my passengers, I decided I would save her some money, and give her a lift into town (Random Act of Kindness #2). So thanking Female A, for taking the time to help Female B, I put our new passenger in the mini-bus, and continue our journey.

Now this lady is completely flabbergasted to find she is sharing the bus with four other elderly Greeks, and clearly overjoyed at her luck. As I head off to my next set down point, the lady just happens to mention that her son lives in the suburb of Lockleys.

"But this is Lockleys," I say.

"I know," she says, and tells me her son lives on White Street.

What are the odds?

But where was White Street? And how was I going to find it? Now, it transpires that on this day, of all days, I had to pick up a client from her daughters house. An address I had not previously been to. So before picking up the mini-bus early in the morning, I made sure I took the Street Directory out of my car, and put it in the mini-bus -- since I knew I would be needing it. However, on any other day I would not have had the Street Directory with me.

What are the odds?

I pull into the curb, grab the Directory, and look up White Street, Lockleys. Incredibly, it is probably only a kilometre or so down the road.

What are the odds?

I find White Street, and the thought crosses my mind, that maybe her son won't be home. But never mind, I ask the woman for the number of her son's house. She doesn't know the street number, but apparently the house is a double-story red bricked home -- the only one on the street.

I drive virtually right down to the end of White Street, and sure enough, there is the double-storied red bricked house. I pull up directly in front of the house, and as I do so, I see a young woman standing in the front yard.

"There's my daughter-in-law", cries our new friend, as I try to get the young woman's attention.

What are the odds?

I get out of the bus, and call the daughter-in-law over, explaining in 50 words or less that I have her mother-in-law in the vehicle with me! Well, what was I going to say? It was far too complicated and bizarre a story to explain in detail, so I let our surprise passenger out, and figure she can tell the story at her leisure.

And so, showering us profusely with Thank You's, kisses, and tears we turn her over into the hands of her daughter-in-law, and presumably her son, and take our leave.

But what are the odds?

Somedays, the Gods just happen to be looking in the right direction, and take care of everything -- just like they are meant to. Thank you... thank you...

--o0o--

P.S., Check out The Random Acts Of Kindness Foundation website for lots of inspirational stories that involve people helping people in positive ways all over the world.

--o0o--

Quote of The Day...

No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted. ~ Aesop (620 BC - 560 BC), The Lion and the Mouse

--o0o--

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See Springsteen in Concert -- Free!

Say, how would you like to see Bruce Springsteen in concert -- for free?

Well, you can -- sort of, because "Bruce Springsteen just got back from a journey across the U.S. with the Seeger Sessions Band, and he's brought you a souvenir from every city."

That's right, all you have to do is head over to American OnLine (AOL), and you can view video footage of 18 songs from 18 concerts, recorded by The Boss during his recent tour through the US, promoting his latest album, We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions.

Just follow this link... and work your way through the video clips.

Among the great songs featured on the site are Pay Me My Money Down, The Erie Canal, Mrs McGrath, and of course, We Shall Overcome. Springsteen has infused the songs with new life, and with exciting arrangements that feature a wide range of instrumentation, including banjo, accordion, violins, a brass section, and a host of other instruments played by a group of extremely talented musicians.

Just in case you haven't yet caught up with the news, Bruce Springsteen's latest album is a collection of traditional folk songs recorded and made popular by Pete Seeger. Bruce had the idea for recording a full album of traditional songs, after he contributed a couple of songs to a Pete Seeger tribute album some years ago.

The new recordings, with their wonderful arrangements are a joy to listen to, and will almost certainly be responsible for introducing some classic folk songs to a whole new audience. Personally, I can't wait to buy the concert footage on DVD.

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Free Folk Compilation Albums

Woven Wheat Whispers is an on-line music distribution service based in Britain. To help promote the music of the performers registered with Woven Wheat Whispers, they have put together several compilation 'albums' which can be freely downloaded from their website. Here's part of what they say on the site...

"To spread the word further about our great artists we now releasing a series of free download compilations. These will be made available for a limited period after which they will be replaced by the next compilation in the series. Each compilation will cover a specific genre or theme and some will be released at times of year which relate to the music. We hope that over the course of the series every artist in WWW will be featured."

	The first album, A Poet and a One Man Band, covers singer songwriters from the UK. Judging by the names alongside the 14 songs listed on the cover, all the performers are males. Dave Gibb, Steve Robinson, and Jon Wood, may not be household names, but they do represent the new crop of folk performers coming out of Britain. Download this album here...
	The second compilation, Her Voice Rang Through The Years features female folk singers. Amongst the fifteen artists represented here are Katie Cavanaugh, Lorraine Jordan, and Pavla Milkova. Download this album here...
	And as if that isn't enough, in July, Woven Wheat... released a 15 song third compilation called, The West Was In Their Heart, featuring music made in, or inspired by the USA. It includes performers such as Derek Brimstone, Jack Hudson, and Ken Nicol. Interestingly, Mary Smith is the sole female on this album. Download this album here...

Well, there they are -- three albums full of traditional and contemporary folk songs, and they are yours for free.

Woven Wheat... and the performers who have made their music available through these free compilations, obviously hope you will like their music enough to want to purchase a full album from one or more of the artists represented here.

The least you can do is download the freebies, and give them a listen -- which is exactly what I'm doing right now.

NOTE: Each song is recorded as a high quality 192K bits/second MP3. Each compilation ranges between 75-85 Mbytes in size. Be warned, if you only have a dialup connection, you can expect to spend hours downloading each album.

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Songs That Stop Me In My Tracks: Bailero

I was listening to ABC-FM during the week, and heard Margaret Throsby play a selection of Joseph Canteloube's Songs of The Auvergne. If ever there was a man who must have been touched by God, it was Canteloube, especially while composing the Songs of The Auvergne. If you have any doubts about that -- then take a listen to the most famous of all the songs in the collection, Bailero.

This song moves me to tears -- literally. When I play it on my computer, as I am doing now while I write this, I put the song on repeat, and let it wash over me time and again, until finally I have to turn it off, because I am afraid that if I don't, I will cease to love this song as much as I do, or because I'm scared that I will become bored with it, and quite frankly, that would be unforgivable.

The version you can listen to here is sung by Frederica Von Stade. I don't know if this is regarded as the definative interpretation of the song, but it sounds fine to me.

I have also heard Dame Kiri Te Kanawa sing the song and remember it as being absolutely stunning. The interesting thing is, I have no idea what the song is about, and quite frankly I'm not all that bothered about finding out. It is enough to enjoy the glorious melody, and the sublime beauty of the singing. Click the link on the left to buy a double CD collection of Dame Kiri Te Kanawa singing the complete Songs of The Auvergne song cycle.

Hearing the song on radio again, reminded me that it's about time I bought a recording with the full collection of songs, so that I can appreciate them in their entirety, the way they were meant to be enjoyed.

ABC Classic FM...

Wikipedia entry for Canteloube...

Quote of The Day...

Music is a discipline, and a mistress of order and good manners, she makes the people milder and gentler, more moral and more reasonable. ~ Martin Luther (1483-1546)

--o0o--

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The 23rd Mid Atlantic Song Contest

YOU WILL HAVE to be quick to take advantage of this one...

The 23rd Mid Atlantic Song Contest is in full swing and is a worldwide contest. It is a non-profit contest designed by the Songwriters' Association of Washington to encourage songwriting among all levels of the music industry. For those of you who missed the news, the revised deadline is August 1st.

CATEGORIES
Contemporary Folk & Acoustic,
R&B/Rap/Hiphop/Dance/Urban/Go-Go,
Rock/Alternative,
Adult Contemporary/Soft Rock,
Country/Bluegrass,
Gospel/Inspirational/Christian,
Vocal Jazz/Blues,
Pop,
Children's, and
Open (novelty, seasonal, theater, art song, etc),

PLUS three NEW categories
*World
**Celtic/New Age
***Instrumental
(all instrumental works should be submitted to this category). There is also an additional $200 Young Artist award for 21s and under (yes, that's 21 and under), to be judged from that pool of entries exclusively.

USEFUL PRIZES!
$1000 (one thousand bucks), plus full North American Folk Music & Dance Alliance conference package for the songwriter--including registration, Performance Alley showcase and a year long FA membership (transferable to next winner if you can't go),
1 yr TAXI membership,
1 year SAW membership,
A copy of Songwriters Market,
Gift Certificate for CD Mastering.
Live performance of your song at the Gala Awards Ceremony to be held in the Greater Washington DC area later this year.

Second overall prize is $500,
Third overall prize is $250,
Both of these also get TAXI and SAW memberships and swag.

Prizes are awarded to the first and second place (gold and silver) winners in each category.

SPECIAL OFFER
Folk Alliance has generously offered their member rate to those who enter the contest and register for Folk Alliance's Memphis conference in 2007 (www.folk.org). This is truly a contest for beginning, emerging and advanced songwriters!

Category winners can perform their winning songs at the Awards Gala in the autumn, with the three top winners being announced that night.

HOW MANY ENTRIES
You can enter your song(s) in as many categories as you believe are applicable, but each is a separate entry. This is a blind contest, no judges will be given information on contestants until after the conclusion of the judging (not even panel leaders know). Everyone has an equal chance.

QUALIFY?
The big qualifier is that you can't have made $5,000(US) in royalties or be on the staff of a publishing company in the last year, but do read the other rules anyway. The judges are from all walks of the music industry, from music labels to writers, to venue bookers, to DJs, and yes - people have gotten some swell gigs out of winning this contest but that's not something we have any control over.

ENTER
1) by mail postmarked August 1, 2006
2) by our website -- now prepared to take your entry directly and
3) Sonicbids. All of these can be accessed via our website here...

The gate is open, get your entries in! There are plenty of prizes for excellent songs. Please pass this along to anyone you think might be interested in songwriting recognition and a blind professional critique of their songs.

ENTRY FEES
Non SAW members...
1-5 Songs: $22 per song
6-10 Songs: $20 per song
11-15 Songs: $18 per song

CONTACT
Contest Director, at masc@saw.org with any questions.

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Songs For Change Competition

Songs For Change is a call to songwriters old and new to put into words and music their observations of what's going on in the world today; to write songs that reflect our times; indeed songs which have the power to change our world.

This website is a forum for writers to submit their songs, listen to what others have created and to discuss music, politics etc on the forums. It's a virtual community for songwriters! So get writing, submit your song to the Songs For Change website, and while you are there, listen to what others have sent in.

Competition
Songs For Change has set up a competition in collaboration with Word Power, When the World Said No to War, and Edinburgh's Peace & Justice Centre. They are looking for a new peace anthem. Some of the songs submitted to the competition will be chosen for performance in late 2006, and the winning song will appear on a compilation CD of anti-war songs called Not In Our Name, to be released by Greentrax (Scotland's largest folk label) in early 2007. There will be workshops too (most likely based in Edinburgh, Scotland) open to participants to learn more about songwriting and the history of topical song.

Some of the artists who support the project: Odetta, Eliza Gilkyson, Roy Bailey, Carol Laula, Karine Polwart, Rory McLeod, Jez Lowe, David Rovics...

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Welcome to Honouring The Muse

Welcome to my new blog spot, Honouring The Muse.

After dabbling at blogging at various locations, I've finally worked out how to add a blog to my own site and in future I will concentrate my blogging activities here.

Here's what Wikipedia, the online encyclopedia has to say in its introduction to Blogging...

BLOG: A weblog, which is usually shortened to blog, is a type of website where entries are made (such as in a journal or diary), displayed in a reverse chronological order. Blogs often provide commentary or news on a particular subject, such as food, politics, or local news; some function as more personal online diaries. A typical blog combines text, images, and links to other blogs, web pages, and other media related to its topic. Most blogs are primarily textual although many focus on photographs, videos or audio. The word blog can also be used as a verb, meaning adding an entry to a blog. Read the full entry here...

Blogging has become an internet phenomenon which has taken off over the last few years, giving voice to millions of people around the world. Each blog is as unique as the person writing it. In fact, many authors maintain several blogs at the same time, each focussing on a different topic or area of interest.

One of the great things about blogging is that it gives you, the reader, an opportunity to carry out a conversation of sorts with me, the author, by allowing you to add comments to anything I post. It is my sincere hope that you will join with me in this venture, and that together we can learn more about each other and the world around us.

Jim Lesses

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