Pure Art, Pure Freedom: News

RIAA Abandoning Mass Lawsuits In Favor Of Backroom 3 Strikes Policy
from the it's-a-step,-but-a-very-small-one dept
It really was just three days ago that we suggested that if the record labels actually wanted anyone to take them seriously concerning their desire to come up with more constructive solutions to the business model challenges they face, they should at least stop suing folks as a gesture of trying something new. The usual recording industry defenders in the comments claimed this was a ridiculous suggestion, but it appears that the RIAA is at least taking a small step in that direction. The Wall Street Journal is reporting that the recording industry (the WSJ mis-labels it "the music industry") is abandoning its strategy of mass lawsuits.

First off, this is a step in the right direction -- and we think it's great that the record labels have agreed to do this, even if it's many, many years too late. And, it's hardly a huge concession. The lawsuits have been an unmitigated disaster. They have done nothing to slow file sharing (in fact, the publicity generated from the lawsuits has often been credited with alerting many people to the possibility). The strategy has also splintered the file sharing space into many, many different players, many of them way underground, unlike in the early days when there were a manageable number of players who could be worked with proactively. It's also done tremendous damage to the brands of the major record labels (Universal, Warner, EMI and Sony) and the RIAA itself -- leading many to swear off buying any of their products. Finally -- and most importantly -- the strategy did absolutely nothing to help musicians adapt to a changing market that was opening up tremendous new opportunities both to spread their music and to profit. So, kudos to the folks at the RIAA for finally realizing how backwards this strategy has been.

The fine print

But, of course, this is the RIAA, so you can rest assured that the details aren't anything to be happy about. In exchange for not filing mass lawsuits, the RIAA has worked out backroom deals with numerous ISPs (brokered by Andrew Cuomo -- who has a history of using baseless threats to get ISPs to censor content they have no legal responsibility to censor). The exact details are a bit sketchy, but it sounds like a variation on the ridiculous three strikes policy that has been (mostly) rejected in Europe as a violation of basic civil rights. Basically, these ISPs will agree to be the RIAA enforcers. Based solely on the RIAA's flimsy evidence, the ISPs will either pass on, or directly email subscribers with, warning letters. Depending on the specifics of the agreement, the users will get one or two more warning letters before the ISP will start limiting their internet access or potentially cutting them off entirely. If you think this sounds suspiciously like what Europe just rejected, you're right.

And, of course, the RIAA still says it may sue those who don't stop file sharing after all of this. They're just backing away from the mass lawsuit filings that they've been doing.

Why this is still a bad deal

Okay, so over the past few weeks, recording industry defenders have said that we were jumping the gun in criticizing a potential plan because it wasn't final. Our point was that since the record labels claim they want a "conversation," these deals shouldn't be negotiated in backrooms not involving substantial stakeholders. So what happened here? Yup, a backroom deal was negotiated without any involvement from users. And it was done under the direction of Andrew Cuomo, who just spent many months browbeating ISPs into agreeing to censor content.

So, hopefully, we won't be told that we're being premature in criticizing this plan -- but somehow I find it unlikely.

This plan is hardly a major concession by the record labels and the RIAA. The lawsuit strategy was a massive failure in almost every facet. Giving them up is hardly a big deal. It's admitting what pretty much everyone else knew from the beginning: that suing your fans and customers is a monumentally dumb move. Ending a brain-dead, self-defeating policy is worthy of kudos, but only for finally recognizing the obvious -- not as some magnanimous gesture.

And in exchange for the RIAA stopping its policy of shooting itself in the foot, we get ISPs making a huge concession themselves, agreeing to become RIAA enforcers, despite the clear safe harbors they have via the DMCA. These ISPs will now be heavily involved in the process of policing their users, increasing their expense, which of course will be passed on to users.

But the biggest problem is the fact that this allows private organizations to judge users without any significant defense on their part. The stories of falsely accused file sharers are widespread at this point. IP address-based evidence is notoriously unreliable. Yet, the RIAA will be basing its notifications on such evidence. Sure, plenty of the IP addresses dug up by the RIAA are probably accurate, but we live in an innocent-until-proven-guilty world, and this does away with that completely.

Also, as the EU noted in rejecting this proposal, the "punishment" hardly fits the crime. These days, an internet connection is a necessity -- and taking it away from people because someone is sharing the gift of music with others not for any sort of commercial gain is totally unbalanced. It takes away an individual's civil and privacy rights, all because the big record labels refuse to recognize that there are other business models out there that already work. And that final point may be the most important. As we noted in explaining why the music tax is a bad idea, none of these moves by the RIAA are actually necessary.

Musicians are figuring out plenty of fantastic business models that work wonders, and many of them actually involve embracing file sharing and using that to help grow their markets. What's wrong with letting those business models establish themselves, without brokering a totally unnecessary backroom deal that will almost certainly harm innocent people thanks to flimsy evidence?

So, yes, we're thrilled that the record labels have finally progressed to the point of realizing that mass lawsuits were a bad idea, but working out a backroom deal for a type of three strikes policy is not a particularly good solution. It's more of the same: trying to prop up an obsolete business model by a private industry unwilling or too stubborn to change with the market. That NY's Attorney General felt this private business model issue should involve his efforts in the midst of a huge financial crisis, including the largest Ponzi scheme ever, makes little sense.

If these are the "new leaf" and "open conversations" the record labels are insisting they're about these days, they've got an awful lot of work to do still.

A lot of people think art is all about inspiration. They think people who accomplish great things are carried there on a magical cloud of divine intervention. It's not true. Inspiration is overrated. "I always thought inspiration was for amateurs," says eminent visual artist Chuck Close, "the rest of us just show up and get to work." Inspiration is the refuge of the undisciplined. Waiting around on the sidelines for inspiration to suddenly strike is a formula for failure.
Of course, inspiration is real and powerful and important, but it does not occur in a vacuum. Before inspiration visits you, three preliminary stages must be crossed. First comes love, then comes thought, then comes hard work. What use is gasoline if you don't have a car to burn it in? Let's build the car, then look for a gas station.
The first step is love. Only do what you love. Don't confuse this with enslavement to base appetites or superficial desires. Instead, give the soul what it is asking for. "Follow your bliss," Joseph Campbell told his students, and don't let anyone or anything throw you off the beam. Following your bliss changes you. And it opens doors you didn't even know were there. In the Bhagavad Gita Krishna told Arjuna, "You become what you love." In other words, love is a particularly effective form of focused consciousness. Thoughts have transformational power.
It's natural for our thoughts to swirl incessantly around the things we care deeply about. That's normal. That's why it's important to care about the right things - true things, real things. When we do, our thoughts become intentions and affirmations and they begin to manifest in the material world. The universe has no choice but to respond to powerfully focused conscious intentions. Thoughts may not manifest in the way you think they will, but they will manifest. "All that we are is the result of what we have thought," said the Buddha in the Dhamapada. "Our life is a product of our mind." It is a grave error to underestimate the capacity of consciousness to construct reality. "Nothing can stop the man with the right mental attitude from achieving his goal," said Thomas Jefferson, "and nothing on earth can help the man with the wrong mental attitude." For Henry Ford it was this simple: "If you think you can or think you can't, you're right."
From thoughts come actions. Actions repeated become habit. And habit constructs character. Our lives are the results of our thoughts and actions. We become what we love, we become what we think, we become what we do. Our choices set into motion complex webs of causation that interface with the lives of countless others and the consciousness of the universe itself - what some people call God. One-pointed love, conscious intention, and disciplined action are an unstoppable force. Cultivating the habit of hard work is the single most important element of success in any endeavor. "Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work," said Thomas Edison. Squeamish about work? Then don't complain about the gulf between you and your dreams.
Stop looking for the magic formula or the right self-help book. You've read enough. You've prayed enough. You've thought enough. Now get to work. "Every habit and faculty is preserved and increased by its corresponding actions," said Epictetus in the first century. "The habit of walking makes us better walkers, regular running makes us better runners." Want to write better songs? Write songs everyday. Want a better gig? You know what to do. Want to break the cycle of addiction? Act like a sober person. Want to overcome fear and cultivate compassion? Ask yourself, what would a courageous, compassionate person do, and then do that. Feel the fear and do it anyway. Aristotle, Judaism, and Confucianism all make this point loud and clear: action precedes internal transformation. Fake it 'til you make it. Act as if. Act as if you were talented, fabulous, gifted, creative, powerful. It's one of life's most delicious paradoxes. Yes, thoughts and intentions give rise to actions and behaviors. But actions and behaviors also shape consciousness. It's a never-ending feedback loop. Thoughts give rise to actions and behaviors in turn transform consciousness. That's how we become what we do.
And, finally, when we fully engage in a life of action, that's when the inspiration hits. Inspiration can never be the goal. Inspiration just happens when we show the universe that we are willing to do our part. We pay our dues. We show up prepared. We do our homework and learn our craft. We demonstrate our readiness in our everyday actions. Writers write, singers sing, lovers love, painters paint, creators create. And in the abundance of our fully-realized commitment, miracles happen. "Genius is one percent inspiration and 99 percent perspiration," said Edison. Stop searching the sky for that bolt of lightning. Keep your eyes on the work in front of you. Let the universe make miracles through the work of your own hands. In the end there's only one thing that delivers us to the life we long for and so richly deserve: hard work.
Peter Bolland is a professor of philosophy and humanities at Southwestern College and singer-songwriter-guitarist of the Coyote Problem. You can complain to him about what you read here at peterbolland@cox.net. www.thecoyoteproblem.com is the ethereal home of the Coyote Problem.

Like all artists, musicians are caught between two conflicting fears. We're afraid no one will come to the show. And we're afraid they will. We can't decide which is worse: failure or success.
We need an audience, but we really want to be alone. We loath the anonymity of failure almost as much as we fear the utter exposure of success.
If you aspire to be anything in this life - a teacher, a butcher, a baker, a candlestick maker, or, God forbid, a singer songwriter - you're going to have to negotiate this paradoxical minefield. Many of us are paralyzed. We don't take the next step because we don't want to get blown up.
But what is it really that's holding us back?
The common assumption is that we fear failure. We don't reach for greatness because we're convinced we'll fall short. We don't want to look stupid. It's so much easier to hold still, risk nothing, and nurture the illusion that we're satisfied with our incompletion. We wear our dissatisfaction like a badge.
But there's another, subtler fear that lurks behind the more obvious one. Fear of failure is one thing. What about fear of success?
Marianne Williamson, in her bestselling book A Return to Love: Reflections on the Principles in a Course in Miracles, wrote very powerfully on this subject. This quote has been circulating the Internet for years. It is often mistakenly attributed to Nelson Mandela. That's because he adapted this passage for his inauguration speech in 1994 when he was elected the first black president of South Africa, a country painfully emerging from the mud of apartheid. Mandela had been imprisoned by the white regime for 27 years. He had a lot of time to think about the big questions. What holds us back? What moves us forward? How can we heal ourselves, heal our nation, and heal the world? One can only speculate about how this passage affected Mandela. As you read it, ask yourself, is this about me? Williamson writes:
Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? [...] Your playing small does not serve the world. There's nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you... And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we're liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.
Our practiced unwillingness to cultivate our own greatness deserves deeper reflection and contemplation than we normally allow. What if she's right? What if the possibility of our wild success is more paralyzing than the possibility of our utter failure? Why do we feed, day after day, on the bitter bread of our own indifference, our own apathy, our own resentment? Why, now, have we given up? Surely the fear of failure is an inadequate explanation.
Where did we get the message that our greatness was threatening to others? Where did we learn the lie that the best way to help other people feel good about themselves was to mute our brilliance? Who told us that we did not deserve love, prosperity, health, and joy? And why did we so readily believe them?
Somehow we confused mastery with arrogance, creative abundance with egotism, brilliance with narcissism. We are right to guard against arrogance, egotism, and narcissism. But we are wrong, dead wrong, to eschew mastery, creative abundance, and brilliance in the name of a distorted notion of humility.
On the contrary, is it not ultimately more egotistical to hide our light for fear of looking foolish? What are we protecting? Real humility would be to get our ego out of the way and honor the gifts we have been so graciously given by the all-knowing mind of the universe - to cultivate the courage and discipline to live fully, fearlessly, and authentically, full speed ahead and damn the torpedoes.
We stare through the bars of our fear-wrought prison; we torture ourselves with doubt, confusion, and false humility. But don't despair. Mandela lived in a literal prison. He was routinely tortured. Yet he ultimately triumphed. Mandela believed in the light, and in the power of ordinary people to be great.
By cultivating our greatness we are better able to serve others. And then the real miracle happens - "as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we're liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others." Far from intimidating others with our light, we inspire them. Cultivating your authentic, creative, generous self is your greatest gift to the world. In fact, it's your obligation and your duty. Not for ego, not for glory, not for fame, and not for money. All those things may or may not happen incidentally. They were never the goal. The real goal is and always has been service. By cultivating your authentic, creative self you are participating in the sustenance of the universe. And we can't do it alone. We need as many people as possible to cultivate their own greatness. Perhaps we are reaching the tipping point as more and more people are liberated from the chains of limited thinking and fearful ignorance. As we awaken to our deeper reality, others are inspired to awaken as well. We serve nothing but our own fear-based ego by playing small. Living our dreams, dreams planted deep within us when the dream of the universe was born, is our sacred duty and honor. Live the life of your dreams. Risk everything. You have nothing to lose but your fear and your egoic confusion. Trust the light. Live big. Live bright. Your soul is crying for it. The time has passed for playing small.
Peter Bolland is a professor of philosophy and humanities at Southwestern College and singer-songwriter-guitarist of the Coyote Problem. You can complain to him about what you read here at peterbolland@cox.net. www.thecoyoteproblem.com is the ethereal home of the Coyote Problem.

On August 18, 1963 Jean-Luc Poirot set out of Boston Harbor in a fully stocked 32-foot schooner, intent on sailing solo around the world. He was never heard from again. Twenty years later, in 1983, a merchant vessel blew off course in a storm near Malaysia and spotted a signal fire on a tiny, uninhabited island out in the middle of nowhere. Drawing closer they saw a man with a very long beard jumping up and down on the beach. It was Jean-Luc Poirot.
The captain of the merchant vessel and a few of his men dropped a skiff into the water and ferried over to the island. They landed and stepped out onto the beach where Jean-Luc stood in disbelief, tears of joy streaming down his face. As the men helped Jean-Luc gather up his meager belongings to take back to the ship, the captain noticed that Jean had built three beautiful huts from driftwood and palm fronds, decorated with shells and strands of betel nut and dried flowers. The captain was very impressed.
"What is that building there?" the captain asked, pointing to the first shelter.
"That's my house," Jean said proudly.
"What's that second building?" the captain asked.
"That's my church," Jean said, a hushed sense of reverence coming into his voice.
"Then what's that third building?" asked the captain.
"Oh," Jean said, "that's the church I used to go to."
I have to laugh every time I hear that story. Many of us have "churches we used to go to." And some of us, if we ever went at all, stopped going to church a long time ago.
About 50 percent of Americans attend a weekly worship service of some kind – a mosque, a synagogue, or a church. That number is much lower in Europe, especially northern Europe where in some countries it hovers well below 10 percent. And like Jean-Luc, most church goers are not attending the church they used to go to.
In the nineteenth century American Christianity began to split into nearly infinite variety. Buffeted by wave after wave of immigration and a steady stream of new ideas and practices, American religion became as fractured as American individualism. Alternate spiritualities spread like fire through the dry and desiccated theologies of our forefathers. By the twentieth century the transformation was complete. We became a nation of seekers. A new paradigm of religion as an individual path of discovery replaced the old paradigm of religion as a socially binding tribal affiliation. The gale force winds of religious freedom had blown down all the doors. Our individualism and commercial consciousness turned spirituality into a marketplace and each of us into shoppers.
Many of us call ourselves "spiritual," not "religious." We are no longer fed by the old institutions and rituals, preferring instead the direct experience of spirit in manifold forms. We know that the God of our understanding, and the God that surpasses all understanding, is bigger than any church. That's what makes Jean-Luc's story so funny.
Some of us feel the sacred presence in nature, and as we walk alone in the woods or on a lake shore we sense an infinite expanse no scripture or doctrine could convey. As Krishna says in the Bhagavad Gita, "scriptures are of little use to the illumined man or woman who sees the Lord everywhere."
Some of us broke down the walls of our perceptual prisons with drugs. Like Carlos Castaneda, and usually without the tutelage of a Don Juan, we roamed the desert stoned out of our minds, seeing the world with new eyes and riding waves of consciousness to distant shores and back again. Then, after time, the drugs themselves became a prison, dulling our sensibilities and driving us deeper and deeper into lonely lives of isolation. We grew small and hunkered down into the long night, a beer in one hand, a bong in the other, caught up in the pseudo-rapture of our own egotistic fear, craving, and resentment until the only thing we really cared about was the next buzz. Sometimes you need medicine. And then you get sick from the medicine.
Some of us uncovered our spirituality in recovery. In church basements and cafes, AA and NA and other 12-step movements presented a new vision of freedom, a vision the ego has no chance of understanding. Laying bare the mechanics of our compulsions, we learned that it is only through surrender of the ego that real joy emerges. The discursive mind chafes against the illogic of gaining power by admitting powerlessness, but through direct experience we came to understand.
Some of us found the truth in organized religion. Faith communities centered around a specific scriptural tradition gave us the necessary framework within which we could experience the divine. We all remember Dylan's born-again phase. Sometimes a powerful theology and, more important, the community that embodies it draws us into its loving embrace. At its best, this approach heals us and softens us into our deeper humanity. At its worst, this approach leads to provincial or even bigoted thinking and the delusion that one's religion is better than all the others. As Joseph Campbell quipped when asked to define mythology, "Mythology is other people's religion."
Some of us find our joy in service. Through the attainment of professional mastery we cultivate skills that enable us to be of use to others. We become doctors and lawyers and writers and musicians and builders and counselors and creators of all kinds. We use our work to experience the depth of our connection to the source energy that runs through all things. In a life of duty and service we feel a vast, divine presence gently wresting the reins away from our fading ego.
Some of us draw profound sustenance from a life of study. We read great books by poets and philosophers and geniuses of all disciplines and through their polished lenses we come to see a little farther and deeper than before. Religious experience is not always about leaving the intellect behind. "The mind is indeed our prison," the Maitri Upanishad says, "but the mind is also our liberator."
Mohandas Gandhi was asked by a journalist once to sum up his philosophy in three words. "Renounce and enjoy," he said, quoting the Isha Upanishad. Surrender the ego, give up attachment to this outcome or that outcome, release all petty desires, learn to love the world and all the imperfect people in it just the way they are. But stay fully engaged, vitally alive, and completely committed to the creative path you have been given. Grow your business, write your book, heal the wounded, plant an orchard, harvest the fruit. Make something beautiful out of the seeds you have been given. Then give it away. You will be paid in full in ways your ego can never even imagine.
You might not need the preacher's sermon or the theologian's doctrinal argument. You might not need the ancient scriptural passage. You might not need the sacred ritual or the solemn hymn. Each of these are spokes of the great wheel, and all spokes lead to the center. But none of them contains or fully expresses the mystery of the center. "We shape clay into a vessel," Laozi writes in the Daodejing, "but it is the emptiness within that holds whatever we want." We grow attached to the outer forms of things – our doctrines, our churches, our ideas – and we forget the treasure those forms were made to hold. Emerson remarked, "I like the silent church before the service begins better than any preaching," and we know exactly what he meant. Out of the depths of our own being, heard only in silence, we hear the one wordless voice, the voice that speaks to each of us in our own language. As we walk our paths, sometimes alone, sometimes together, sometimes in song, sometimes in silence, we finally realize that in all our restless seeking not one of our steps leads away from the truth. Your true church is right where you are.
Peter Bolland is a professor of philosophy and humanities at Southwestern College and singer-songwriter-guitarist of the Coyote Problem. You can complain to him about what you read here at peterbolland@cox.net. www.thecoyoteproblem.com is the ethereal home of the Coyote Problem.

Follow this link to see the Brandon Rice video on the KUSI Website.
http://www.emailthis.clickability.com/et/emailThis?clickMap=viewThis&etMailToID=460179446

"Music is spiritual – the music business is not." — Van Morrison
In the music world, as in any artistic arena, there is an uneasy relationship between creativity and commerce. For music to reach an audience both sides of the equation need to be vibrant and effective. You need musicians to write and perform music of singular power. You also need businessmen and women to deliver it to the public. In the indie world, these two opposites must often reside in the same person. It's a problem.
Mastering music and mastering business are two very different things. But to succeed in music, you must do both. Like so many other important growth processes, it's an inside job. The left hemisphere of the brain with its penchant for details, facts, logic, language, strategy and planning is naturally in conflict with the right hemisphere of the brain with its penchant for feelings, symbols, images, big-picture thinking, imagination, fantasy and meaning. The trick is to get these two halves of the brain to shake hands and start working together. Separately they're strong. Together they can take over the world.
I know a lot of brilliant musicians who are terrible at business, and a lot of masters of business who can't hum a tune. Integrating these two energies is vitally important. The skill needed to wrest a melody from the ether and adorn it with lyrics is entirely different from the skill needed to balance a budget. The skill needed to stand on stage and take the room over the rainbow is utterly incompatible with the skill needed to juggle dozens of schedules, artists, vendors and city, county, state and federal regulations while running a successful event.
Sometimes a band's lack of business acumen manifests itself as resentment against other acts who've mastered some of the subtler sides of business management. It's always easier to bitterly envy another's success than take a long hard look at your own self-sabotage. San Diego has an unbelievably vibrant music scene, but it's a tough town too. It's often said there are more bands than people. Competition can be fierce. Hard feelings are unavoidable. Hopefully they'll heal. Sometimes they don't.
When you're just a kid coming up with a guitar in your hands and stars in your eyes, you really don't see all of this coming. You're just caught by the spell music casts and you want to stir up as much magic as possible. You write songs, hone your craft, start bands, nurture relationships, build fans bases and knock on every door you can find. Everywhere you go you meet allies and angels who spur you on your way. And the occasional adversary.
You play so many free gigs you lose count. You give it all away. You say yes to this benefit concert and that benefit concert, afraid that if you say no they'll stop calling. You say yes to unpaid festival gigs year after year hoping they'll lead to something bigger. Paying yourself last becomes a habit. You're just grateful someone's paying any attention to you at all. Then one day you look around at everyone else working the festival. The sound guy is getting paid. The caterer is getting paid. The vendors are getting paid. The security guards are getting paid. The graphics designers are getting paid. The printer is getting paid. The radio station is getting paid. The guy picking up the trash is getting paid. Everybody is getting paid except you. Everybody knows that musicians just want to play, right? They'll do it for nothing, or so the prevailing wisdom goes. When is it going to be your turn? It might be time to shake that left brain awake. Don't be afraid to contend that your contribution to the event is worth a couple of bucks too.
On the other hand, club owners, concert promoters, record companies, the media and the countless business interests that surround them are, in most cases, hanging by a thread. These are tough times. Bands aren't the only ones struggling. In the consciousness of desperation the finer points of our humanity whither. If business needs to be more sensitive to the needs of musicians, then musicians need to be more aware of the brutal realities businesses operate in every day.
The caustic truths of the music business corrode the delicate web that music spins, a web that connects us all together in one vibrant whole. The necessary competition for attention pits friends against each other and erodes the natural, inherent camaraderie that all musicians have. Miscommunications and misunderstandings pit artists and businesses against each other. On the worst days you want to give up. But the joy of music always pulls you back and heals all wounds. Everything is forgiven. Don't blame the players, blame the game.
All of us on both sides of the equation, the musicians (the people who create music) and the promoters and club owners and talent buyers and radio people and print journalists and vendors have one thing in common. We all love and believe in the power of music to change lives for the better. Each of us brings our heart and talent and commitment to the job everyday, the job of spreading the unparalleled soul-quenching power of music to a thirsty world. We all want the same thing. We want great music to flourish. And we want to feel like we're a part of that never-ending beautiful parade. But can we make a profit and still remain mindful of each other? Can we find a way to create events that honor and respect the unique contributions each of us bring? We need each other. None of us can do this alone. Music and business do not have to exist in conflict with one another. We don't need to reform the system or write any new laws. We simply need to remember who we really are. We are spiritual beings having a human experience. Let's make music the right way. Let's prove Van Morrison wrong.
Peter Bolland is a professor of philosophy and humanities at Southwestern College and singer-songwriter-guitarist of the Coyote Problem. You can complain to him about what you read here at peterbolland@cox.net. www.thecoyoteproblem.com is the ethereal home of the Coyote Problem.

Thanks to everyone who downloaded "Tied Up In You". I had over 5000 downloads yesterday, which is totally awesome. Ringtones are still FREE and available at this link:
http://www.myxer.com/BRANDONRICE/

Feel like summer passed you by? It's not too late. There are still plenty of prime time summer days stretched out ahead of you. But you're going to have to make the first move. Here are 15 things guaranteed to jump start your summer.
Go barefoot
We all love our many shoes and flip-flops, but once in a while leave them behind and feel the curve of the earth beneath your feet. Cool grass, white sidewalks, wet sand, smooth pebbles, that brown dirt path down to the lake – don't let your shoes get in the way of these things.
Drink water from a garden hose
Some well-meaning health department wonk probably warned you not to, but "health" has many meanings. What about soul-health? We lost a little of our moxie when we put down the hose and picked up the pomegranate flavored vitamin water. Next time you're thirsty, step outside, grab that hose, and crank it up. I don't know why, but it's liberating. And free.
Go swimming in the ocean, in a lake, in a river, and in a swimming pool. Repeat.
Let your body slip under the water and remember, if not consciously then at least at the cellular level, the first nine months of life when you floated blissfully in embryonic fluid. Drift downstream and feel what it's like to fly. Oceans, lakes, rivers, and pools all have their different flavors, literally and figuratively. Make sure you hit them all. Do whatever it takes. Make it happen. If you only do one of the things on this list, make this the one.
Fall asleep in the shade under a tree
The blue sky light speckles beyond the leaves. Shapes without names. A thousand shades of green. The simple Being of a tree. Rootedness. The way it lives its whole life in one place, satisfied, purposeful, full of grace. If you let go of your incessant thinking and do this right, you will feel the earth turning beneath you in space as you slip into unconsciousness.
Hike the backcountry
Head for the hills and move under your own power over fields and streams, the way we moved for hundreds of thousands of years before we invented those confounded bicycles and automobiles. Feel the machinations of your routinized life dissolve and reconfigure into more natural shapes. Get reacquainted with your mother earth.
Make sandwiches and show up at a good friend's workplace and kidnap them for lunch
Chance meetings and surprises are the sweet spots of life. As far as I know, there's no rule against orchestrating these chance meetings just a little. Show up at your friend's work with a picnic and whisk them away on an urban adventure. (Spouses, lovers, and exes are also prime targets). An egg salad sandwich, potato chips, and a crisp pickle on a bench overlooking the San Diego River can do wonders for a mid-week slump.
Wander around on foot downtown with no agenda for four hours
Get out of that glass and steel bubble called your car and see the city at eye level at three miles an hour. Stumble onto bookstores and cafes and Greek restaurants you didn't know about. Get a little lost. Look up. Make friends with architecture. Marvel at what busy humans have accomplished. Feel vicariously proud.
Rent a kayak and paddle around
Summer is the time when even novices are welcome, even expected, on the water. Take a sailing lesson, rent a row boat on a lake, or paddle a kayak out through the surf at La Jolla Shores and explore the sea caves at the base of the cliffs. The sound of water lapping on a hull needs to be fresh in your mind if you know what's good for you. You'll kick yourself for not doing this sooner.
Go to a library and read poetry
Sure, newspapers and websites and magazines and novels are all important, of course they are, but don't forget where it all begins. Nothing celebrates the power of language like poetry. Language is our best attempt to get a handle on the wild and winsome energies of the universe, and poetry is language distilled down to its most potent essentials. Good poets are magicians who wring the cosmos like a rain-soaked bandana and paint the page with its mercurial drops. Rapt in their shamanic spell we see with new eyes the transcendent, blessed ordinariness of our own lives. Then come the cleansing tears.
Pick up an instrument you don't know how to play and try to make music with it
Caught in a rut of tedious proficiency? Tired of being so damned good at everything? Return to what Zen Buddhism calls "the beginner's mind." Make god-awful music on an instrument you know nothing about. Drop your ego, stop assessing everything, and let your childlike fumblings wrest something new from the uncarved block, the field of pure potentiality that practiced artifice obscures.
Write a nine page letter to an old friend
Don't think too much about what you're going to write. Just start. Around page four you'll start getting to the good stuff. You know what I mean. You might not even have to send it.
Visit a sacred place
I know, every place is sacred. But some places are more sacred than others. Find an ashram, a meditation garden, a labyrinth, a monastery, a church, a temple, a mosque – but go there when it's empty. Emerson said, "I like the silent church before the service begins better than any preaching." Sit still a while. Get out of your head. Slip into the space between thoughts, between words. Let the wooly-eared theologians wrangle doctrine out in the parking lot.
Walk in the desert at night
Don't fall off a cliff or stumble into a bed of cholla, but there's nothing quite as cleansing as hot desert wind in the dark. Blood warm gusts swirl out of the sky like the breath of God, thick with the smell of stone and moonlight. Stars hang like sparks in the indigo between the mountains. Wonderful things begin happening to your skin and your muscle tissue and your troubled mind – a deep, profound stillness seeps into you like a drop of ink in water and your heart begins to beat in time with the rhythm of the earth's deepest dream.
Go to a farmers market and buy some summer fruit
Buy some ugly little organic white peaches that flood your mouth with the fragrant flavor of river-fed orchards and blue summer skies and dew on the sage and poppies and lavender and bright Monarch wings and the morning star all distilled down into a fuzzy little ball that fits in the palm of your hand. Miracles come in small packages. Buy some for your neighbors and leave them on their porch. Refuse to take credit.
Get out of town for three days
Drive at least two hours (preferably more) in any direction and stay there a while. Hit the hotel pool. Get some sun. Read the local paper with an anthropologist's eye. Watch the worst local TV news you can find. Make fun of the weatherman's hair. Read maps and learn the names of new places. Make frothy drinks in the blender. Eat tacos. Watch old movies. It doesn't take much to see that all our problems don't amount to a hill of beans in this crazy world. Catch up on your sleep. Feel your so-called real life slip back into due proportion. Feel the swelling of your self-importance recede. Let summer unwind you and leave you calm and collected, held by sensible boundaries, home at last in right-sized dreams. We do good work. We do important things. People are counting on us. But for now, let summer take you over. Live your life as if it were precious and brief and incomparably sweet. It is.
Peter Bolland is a professor of philosophy and humanities at Southwestern College and singer-songwriter-guitarist of the Coyote Problem. You can complain to him about what you read here at peterbolland@cox.net. www.thecoyoteproblem.com is the ethereal home of the Coyote Problem.

2008 Tin Pan South Performer Highlights



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Walt Aldridge

Walt Aldridge, has exercised his musical skills in Muscle Shoals and Nashville for more than thirty years. Billboard magazine named Aldridge one of the Top Ten Country Songwriters of the year twice based on the strength of his chart activity. His song "No Getting Over Me" was named one of ASCAP's most performed country songs. "Holding Her and Loving You" was named Song of the Year by NSAI. His work spans a wide spectrum, including artists as diverse as Lou Reed, Peter Cetera and Blessid Union of Souls. Traditional country acts from Conway Twitty to Reba McEntire have also found success with Aldridge's songs. Recently he produced and co-wrote "I Loved Her First", a number one chart topper for Lofton Creek Records act, Heartland.






Pat Alger

After over 40 years as a professional songwriter, Pat Alger has had many things to celebrate, as his songs have been recorded by a wide variety of artists in different genres including; The Everly Brothers, Brenda Lee, Peter, Paul & Mary, Nanci Griffith ("Once in a Very Blue Moon" and "Lone Star State of Mind"), Dolly Parton, Livingston, James Taylor, Kathy Mattea (“Goin’ Gone” and “She Came From Fort Worth”), Hal Ketchum and Garth Brooks (“The Thunder Rolls” and “Unanswered Prayers”). As an artist he has recorded 3 solo albums, and as a writer he has had over 20 chart hits including 8 No.1’s. Pat was the NSAI Songwriter of the year in 1991 and ASCAP Songwriter of the Year in 1992 and most recently a 2006 nominee for the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame.







Harley Allen

The songs of Harley Allen are well known to country music lovers, with cuts recorded by some of the biggest names in country music. Harley is the recipient of numerous BMI Awards, including BMI Songwriter of the Year in 2005, two ACM awards and three GRAMMYS. Two of those GRAMMYS were for his vocal work on the “O’ Brother Where Art Thou” soundtrack which made quite an impression on the musical world. The son of Bluegrass legend Red Allen, Harley has made his special blending of bluegrass with country into some of the most unforgettable songs in music history. Alan Jackson claims that Harley “is the real deal.” Some of Harley’s cuts include “I’ll Wait For You” and “If Nobody Believed In You” (Joe Nichols), “My Last Name” (Dierks Bentley), “Spread A Little Love Around” and “A Simple Life” (Ricky Skaggs) and “Between The Devil And Me” (Alan Jackson). Harley’s song, “The Little Girl,” recorded by John Michael Montgomery, stayed at #1 for four weeks on Country Singles Charts. “The Baby” recorded by Blake Shelton spent three weeks at the top of the country charts and “Awful Beautiful Life”, co-written and recorded by Darryl Worley, spent two weeks at #1 on the R&R Charts.






Bart Allmand

Bart Allmand was born and raised in Holdrege, Nebraska. In 1987, Bart moved to Nashville to attend Belmont University and to obtain a job in the music industry. He began his career at 16th Avenue Records working in promotion, covering secondary markets. Because of his love of playing music, Bart formed a rock band called Asfault Jungle with several friends and played over 100 shows a year. Soon he was hired by RCA as Mid-West Promotion Manager. In 1994, Bart formed 3rd Coast Entertainment, a promotion and marketing group. After three years, he was offered a great opportunity to start up Monument Records as National Director of Promotion. At Monument the highlight of his record promotion career came when he was instrumental in breaking one of Country's top acts, the Dixie Chicks. Hit songwriter Jeffrey Steele encouraged Bart to pursue his lifelong dream of being a songwriter. In 2003, Bart signed his first publishing deal with Windswept Publishing. Before he signed publishing deal, Bart got his first cut with Brooks & Dunn titled "You Cant Take The Honky Tonk Out Of The Girl." This was his first demo, hold, cut and single. In September 2006, Bart had his first #1 song with Steve Holy's "Brand New Girlfriend."






AM

Songwriter, Perfromer, Producer- "Gone Away", "Old Song" and "Temporary One." Movies and television shows are where you may have first heard AM's music. With an unprecedented 46 song placements to date including HBO's "Big Love", ABC's "Men In Trees", and MTV's "The Hills" AM had every song placed from his debut album "Troubled Times". Released on Defend Music in 2006 "Troubled Times" was voted one of iTunes Top 20 "Best Indie Albums" and was a personal favorite of Los Angeles tastemaker and KCRW DJ Nic Harcourt. Voted "Best Singer/Songwriter of the Year" at the LA Weekly Music Awards AM recently finished up a 45 city US tour in support of "Soul Variations", the newest release and will continue to promote the release in 2008 both in the US and Europe. AM also recently scored his first film "Man Maid" along with Tom Hiel (Swimming with Sharks, The Practice) and has just written and produced a new duets project entitled "Side by Side - Duets EP Vol. 1" which was mixed by Charles Newman (Magnetic Fields).






Al Anderson

NRBQ legend Al Anderson grew up in Windsor, Conn., the son of a bass-playing father and piano-playing / teaching mother. After some 20 years writing and performing in NRBQ, Al began spending time in Nashville writing songs with writers such as John Hiatt. In 1993 – a year that saw Al voted one of the "Top 100 Guitarists of the 20th Century" by Musician magazine – Al and Carlene Carter wrote her smash single "Every Little Thing." From there, Al's songs have appeared frequently on the charts thanks to hits such as "All You Ever Do Is Bring Me Down" by the Mavericks, "Big Deal" by LeAnn Rimes, "Next Big Thing" by Vince Gill, "Powerful Thing" by Trisha Yearwood, "Should’ve Asked Her Faster" by Ty England, "Somethin' In The Water" by Jeffrey Steele, "The Cowboy In Me" by Tim McGraw and "Unbelievable" by Diamond Rio.





Lynn Anderson

Lynn Anderson was a consistent hit maker and one of Country music's leading ladies throughout the 1970s. Her signature tune as an artist, "(I Never Promised You A) Rose Garden," topped the Country and Pop charts around the world in 1970, becoming one of the biggest-selling records in Country music history. Her sophisticated image and Countrypolitan sound helped her to become one of the first female Country artists to achieve mass crossover appeal. Billboard currently ranks Lynn among the Top 10 most successful female Country artists for all-time record sales. In 1971, she won a Grammy Award for Best Female Country Vocal Performance. She continued to have major success on the Country charts and national television, regularly appearing alongside such legendary stars as Dean Martin and Bob Hope. She served as an ambassador for country music, broadening its appeal and taking it to new levels. In 1974, Anderson became the first female country performer to win an American Music Award for Favorite Female Vocalist. In a career that spans over four decades, Lynn has racked up eight #1 records, 18 Top 10s, over 50 Top 40 hits and 17 Gold albums.









Jessica Andrews

Having taken control of her life and career, Jessica Andrews is pursuing her musical passions with singular intensity. "Some people still think of me as Rosemary's granddaughter, the 17-year-old girl who had a hit with 'Who I Am,'" she observes, "but that was four years ago. I've changed a lot since then, and now my goal is to let people know how much deeper I can go and how much more there is to me." Indeed, much has changed for Andrews since she launched her career with her 1999 debut album Heart Shaped World. While still a precocious, big-voiced teenager, she achieved a major chart breakthrough with 2001's Who I Am before expanding her musical reach with 2003's Now. In addition to winning the Academy Of Country Music's Top New Female Vocalist award, she's scored a series of memorable hits, including the #1 Country smash "Who I Am," and shared stages with the likes of Tim McGraw, Faith Hill and Trisha Yearwood. For her latest CD, Ain’t That Life, Andrews has co-writen six of the 13 songs and also co-produced the album with renowned producer James Stroud. "It’s so rewarding to hear the end result of something that you’ve put your whole self into, and I wouldn't want to change anything about it," she says. "Of course, I want it to be a success, but when all is said and done, what matters to me is that I've made music that I'm ultimately proud of. And hopefully other people will love it as much as I do."






Tony Arata

Georgia native Tony Arata was born in Savannah and grew up on nearby Tybee Island. Since moving to Nashville in 1986, he has had multiple songs (and Number 1 hits) recorded by Patty Loveless (“Here I Am”), Emmylou Harris (“I Hear A Call”), Bonnie Raitt (“So Close”), Garth Brooks (”The Dance”), Lee Roy Parnell (“You Can’t Get There From Here”), Delbert McClinton, Clay Walker (“Dreaming With My Eyes Open”), Reba McEntire (“This Is My Prayer For You”) and Trisha Yearwood (“Fairytale”). “The Dance” received a Grammy and CMA nomination for country song of the year.






Lisa Aschmann

From Jazz to Bluegrass or Soup to Nuts, Lisa Aschmann is an eclectic and prolific songwriter. She's had cuts by such diverse artists as Diamond Rio, Collin Raye, Aiofe Clancy, Art Garfunkel, Aaron Neville, Grace Griffith, Don Jones and Alice Newman, Wayfaring Stranger and Valerie Smith. With her co-writer, Joel Evans, she's had over 30 TV and film placements, including Numb3rs, Bones, The West Wing, The Young and the Restless, JAG, Providence and The Perfect Man. "A Dozen Roses Ago," "What Are The Chances of That? " and "Until It Happens To You" are some of those often-used film cues.






Billy Austin

Billy Austin is the co-writer of the Wreckers' #1 hit "Leave The Pieces." He believes the best way to predict the future is to create it. Even after much success in the songwriting business, Billy experienced that writing songs for big publishing companies on Music Row meant very little security and stability. He thought it would be great to own a publishing company that would be a haven where songwriters could be part of a real and stable creative family. In 2003 Billy took the idea and made it a reality, thus Platinum Pen Publishing was born.




Sherrie Austin

Sherrie Austin wrote “Streets of Heaven,” a heart-wrenching plea from a mother talking with God about the fate of her sick child, Austin knew she had her song. The “how” was a slightly bewildering but powerful re-examination of her career and her reasons for becoming an artist in the first place. Album Following A Feeling was a vanity project for Austin. She cut ‘Jolene,’ the Dolly Parton song, because she wanted to show where her roots were. Country roots do grow in Australia. Austin won her first Country Music Award in Tamworth, Australia. The award ceremony was in a tin shed. There was actually a sign that said ‘Livestock to the left, Artist entrance to the right.’ And you can’t get more country than that. A writing appointment with Al Casha and Paul Duncan led to the song “Streets of Heaven,” her biggest song to date.






Gary Baker

Gary Baker refuses to rest on his laurels. The multi-talented singer, songwriter and producer from Muscle Shoals, Alabama, prefers focusing on future projects and fresh musical horizons, even though he’s earned a Grammy Award and created two of the music industry’s best-selling crossover hits, including “I Swear” (co-written with Frank J. Myers) sung by John Michael Montgomery, which spent four weeks on the country charts at No. 1 and subsequently on the pop charts for eleven more weeks at No. 1 when “I Swear” was covered again by All-4-One. Few songwriters experience a success of the “I Swear” magnitude even once in their career. Baker, however, recaptured that songwriting magic when he and Myers collaborated with Richie McDonald, on a second musical masterpiece called “I’m Already There.” Released in 2001, Lonestar’s “I’m Already There” single remained No. 1 on the country charts for seven weeks before crossing as a Top 5 pop smash. Alabama’s chart-topping “Once Upon a Lifetime” marked his first No. 1 hit as a songwriter. Baker has been honored by the Country Radio Music Awards, the Country Music Awards, the Academy of Country Music Awards, American Songwriter Magazine, the American Music Awards, NSAI, ASCAP and the Alabama Music Hall of Fame.






Victoria Banks

It's a long way to the Grand Ole Opry stage from Muskoka, Canada, where Victoria spent the long winters of her childhood listening to her Dad's collection of antique phonograph records. Now a staff songwriter for Sony/ATV Nashville, she's collaborated with artists from Gretchen Wilson to Jessica Simpson and has penned songs for many more. She's had songs featured in TV and movies, toured as a backup singer and acoustic guitar player for Pam Tillis, headlined music festivals in Toronto and Belfast, shared the stage with Jamie O'Neal, Billy Kerrington and the supergroup Alabama, won the Unisong and USA International Songwriting Competitions, and earned ASCAP and SOCAN awards for her solo-written Sara Evans hit "Saints & Angels".








Aaron Barker

Aaron Barker was born in San Antonio, Texas, and began his musical career in a variety band at the age of thirteen. He soon began playing with original melodies and lyrics hoping to create his own songs. His first attempt, "Baby Blue," was recorded by George Strait and went to Billboard's #1. A long talk with his father later inspired him to craft "Love Without End, Amen." The result was another #1 hit for George Strait, lasting 5 weeks on the Billboard charts. After an unsuccessful recording deal with Atlantic Records, Aaron returned to writing success with George Strait ("Easy Come, Easy Go", "I'd Like To Have That One Back"). Aaron has also had cuts by Clay Walker("Watch This", "You're Beginning To Get To Me"), Neal McCoy ("Love Happens Like That"), Aaron Tippin ("I'm Leavin'") and Lonestar ("What About Now").






Marc-Alan Barnette

After a move to Nashville in 1988, Marc-Alan scored a cut with Shelby Lynne his first night in town. He has had success in Nashville as a writer, several publishing deals, and cuts by John Berry and David Ball, (“Too Much Blood in My Alcohol Level”). He has co-written with the best and along with his former back-up singers “The Kinleys,” he has opened shows for Charlie Daniels, Garth Brooks, Ricochet, and Patty Loveless. Besides writing and performing, Marc-Alan also has a passion for mentoring and coaching writers through workshops and seminar programs that he has created all over the US.






Sally Barris

Sally Barris is originally from Chaska, Minnesota. Her father, the late Charles Barris, was a lap steel player and taught her to play Ukulele around age five, when he discovered her love for singing and music. After high school, Sally literally stumbled onto bluegrass music. In search of a record, Sally walked into the Homestead Pickin’ Parlor in Minneapolis where there happened to be a jam session going on. When asked to sing, Sally belted out “I Fall to Pieces” and was immediately adopted by the group of pickers. They sent her home with a stack of bluegrass records and thus began her acoustic music education. One year later, Sally was lead singer and guitar player with Northern Hospitality, a progressive new grass band featuring some of Sally’s original songs. Northern Hospitality won first place at the Telluride Bluegrass festival and toured the Midwest and Europe. A growing passion for songwriting lured Sally to Nashville. Once there it did not take long for Sally’s songs to get noticed and she was signed to Wrensong Publishing, where she currently writes. Sally has had songs recorded by Leann Womack (“ Some Things I Know”), Kathy Mattea (“ The Innocent Years”), Martina McBride (“ Reluctant Daughter”) and John Michael Montgomery (“My Christmas Wish”). Barris has two records Reluctant Daughter (We -1999) and the recently released, Little Voice (Roll Tape and Sing Records) that Sally put out on her own label.






Cory Batten

It's a long road from Tucson, AZ., to the streets of Nashville, but Cory Batten made that journey seem quick. A skillful writer/co writer Batten has scored cuts on artists Chris Young, Getting You Home ; Crystal Shawanda, You Can Let Go ; Julie Roberts and Andy Griggs both recorded, If You Had Called Yesterday ; Blaine Larsen, I Don't Know What She Said; Rhonda Vincent, Is the Grass Any Bluer; and Brooks & Dunn, Down By the River . Batten has consistently proven himself as both a songwriter and performer. An accomplished musician, Batten is proficient on both guitar and piano, and as a singer, he's mastered a four octave vocal range. Cory Batten is ...A Tin Pan South must see .







Casey Beathard

When Casey Beathard was growing up in Northern Virginia, it was assumed he would follow in his family’s athletic footsteps (His father, Bobby, served most recently as GM of the San Diego Chargers). But Casey caught the songwriting bug while attending Elon College in North Carolina and hasn’t looked back since. He signed with Acuff Rose Publishing in 1998 and the artists who have cut his songs read like a who’s who of country music. Casey’s singles include: Kenny Chesney’s “I Will Stand” and “No Shirt, No Shoes, No Problems”, Clay Davidson’s “I Can’t Lie To Me” and “Sometimes”, Gary Allan’s “Right Where I Need To Be”, Aaron Tippin’s “Where The Stars And Stripes And The Eagle Fly”, Tracy Lawrence’s “Life Don’t Have To Be So Hard”, Tracy Byrd’s “Ten Rounds With Jose Cuervo” and “Drinkin’ Bone”, Trace Adkin’s “Hot Mama”, Billy Currington’s “Walk A Little Straighter” and Jeff Bates’ “The Love Song”.





Marc Beeson

This Illinois native cut his teeth playing bars throughout the Southwest during his late teens and early twenties. After a stint in Los Angeles he moved to Nashville. Marc recorded two solo projects for Warner Bros. and BNA before fronting the band Burnin' Day Light on Curb Records. As a songwriter he has had songs recorded by Reba McEntire, Kenny Rogers, Martina McBride, Peter Cetera, Diamond Rio, Collin Raye, and Chicago, as well as many others. The song "When She Cries," recorded by Restless Heart, won both ASCAP Country and Pop Song of the Year awards. Marc currently writes for My Good Girl Music/Sony ATV Music Publishing.








Rick Beresford

Rick Beresford, a native of Wellesley Mass, is a staff songwriter for ZMG Music Group in Nashville, TN, and has songs recorded by such artists as George Jones (“If Drinkin Don’t Kill Me”), Don Williams, Mickey Gilley, the Everly Brothers, John Conlee, BJ Thomas and Brenda Lee. With two BMI Awards, Canadian Humanitarian Award and a Music City News Award to his credit, Rick also teaches commercial songwriting at Belmont University, the NSAI Song Camps and the Kerrville Folk Festival Song School. Rick has been privately coaching songwriters, lecturing and teaching since 1985.







Dave Berg

Cal IV songwriter Dave Berg comes by his title as Billboard's #1 Hot Country Songwriter in an honest way - honest songs and honest hard work. It is no surprise that NSAI named him Songwriter of the Year, having penned Number One Hits for Keith Urban, Rodney Atkins and Emerson Drive in recent months. Dave is the newest recipient of the Country Music Association's coveted Triple Play Award for achieving three number one singles within a twelve-month period. His breakout run began in 2004 when his hit, "Somebody" performed by Reba McEntire reached the number one spot. Then in 2006, Dave celebrated a four-week number one for Rodney Atkins' "If You're Going Through Hell (Before The Devil Even Knows)." The hit was honored as ASCAP's 2007 Country Song of the Year, the R&R/Billboard 2006 Country Single of the Year, and received song and single nominations at the Academy of Country Music Awards and the Billboard Music Awards, respectively. Shortly thereafter, Keith Urban's recording of "Stupid Boy" climbed to number one on Music Row's Breakout chart, earning Dave a nomination for CMA's Song of the Year Award. Other current and recent singles include Emerson Drive's number one hit, "Moments," Rodney Atkins latest number one, "These Are My People," current top-twenty singles for Chris Cagle - "What Kind Of Gone," and Bucky Covington - "It's Good To Be Us," debut singles for two of Country Music's rising stars, Sarah Buxton's "Innocence," and Emily West's "Rocks In Your Shoes," and Blake Shelton's recent top 15 single "Don't Make Me."









Stephen Bishop

Stephen Bishop is known as the writer/performer of hits such as “Save It For A Rainy Day” and “On And On.” He sang the hit theme “It Might Be You” from the movie Tootsie. He also wrote or sang songs for 13 other films, including Animal House and White Nights (“Separate Lives"). His songs have been recorded by artists such as Phil Collins, Eric Clapton, Barbra Streisand, Art Garfunkel, Steve Perry, Stephanie Mills, Kenny Loggins, Johnny Mathis, Phoebe Snow, David Crosby, The Four Tops, Aswad and Pavarotti. Stephen has been nominated for two Grammys and an Oscar. His newest album is an acoustic guitar-vocal solo album titled Yardwork.









Kent Blazy

In 1982, sooner than expected, Gary Morris took Headed for a Heartache to number 5 on the charts. In the years that followed other artists, such as The Forrester Sisters, T. Graham Brown, Donna Fargo and Moe Bandy recorded Kent’s tunes. In 1987, Kent was introduced to a new demo singer by Bob Doyle, then with ASCAP, soon to be the manager for this emerging talent, Garth Brooks. Garth became Kent’s most requested demo singer and Bob Doyle also advised, “Garth writes a little bit too.” The first song Garth and Kent penned together was If Tomorrow Never Comes which became the first number one song for both. Four more captured the number one slot: "Somewhere Other Than the Night," "Ain’t Goin’ Down (‘Til the Sun Comes Up)," "It’s Midnight Cinderella," and "She’s Gonna Make It." Garth’s newest CD, The Lost Sessions, includes another Kent and Garth song, "For a Minute There," written for their fathers. Kent’s songwriting continues with established writing partnerships, as well as developing partnerships with new writers and artists. Many of his crafted works continue to be recorded by artists such as Diamond Rio, Kenny Chesney, Terry Clark, Clay Walker, Patty Loveless, Julie Roberts, Andy Griggs and Blaine Larsen, a new recording artist on RCA.






Blue Mother Tupelo

PASTE magazine wrote about Blue Mother Tupelo following The Americana Folk Festival in October 2006, stating "Blue Mother Tupelo is quite possibly the best husband and wife duo you've never heard of." Micol and Ricky Davis (Blue Mother Tupelo) have written with John Scott Sherrill and Craig Fuller, recorded with Mindy Smith and performed all over the south and mid-west. Their rendition of Paul Anka's, "Put Your Head On My Shoulder" is on the movie and soundtrack for DALTRY CALHOUN (Miramax, 2005). "Home," written by Micol & Ricky, is on Clarksdale, Mississippi's Habitat For Humanity CD alongside Delaney Bramlett and Alvin "Youngblood" Hart. BMT is honored to be invited to perform on the BMI stage at the upcoming Austin City Limits Festival in Austin, Texas.






Steve Bogard

Steve Bogard's music career began at twelve years of age fronting his first band in Tampa, Florida. By the age of nineteen, Bogard had a top 20 R&B hit on James Carr, "Freedom Train," and two cuts on A&M records' soulful star Rita Coolidge. While in Memphis, Bogard played guitar, sang backgrounds, and toured extensively with both Charlie Rich and Jerry Lee Lewis. He was drawn to Nashville, when in 1981, an eleven-year-old Bogard song, "Touch Me with Magic" became a BMI award-winning top ten hit for Marty Robbins. Bogard has written eight number one country songs among eighteen ASCAP or BMI award winners including George Strait's, "Carried Away” and “Carrying Your Love with Me," Rascal Flatts' career breaker, "Prayin' For Daylight," and this year’s #1’s for Jack Ingram, “Wherever You Are,” and Grammy nominee for Country Song of the Year, Dierks Bently’s “Every Mile A Memory.” His co-written second single on Dierks is the title cut “Long Trip Alone.” Additional artists recording Bogard songs include Tim McGraw, Kenny Chesney, Reba, Patty Loveless, Restless Heart, Blackhawk, Clay Walker, Lonestar, Alabama, Tanya Tucker, The Oak Ridge Boys, Diamond Rio and Steve Wariner. Total sales of albums, CD's
and cassettes containing Steve Bogard songs are over seventy million units.






Kaci Bolls

With her lyrical flare and fire-red hair Kaci Bolls has definitely turned up the flame on her music career. Originally from Murray, a small town in Kentucky, Kaci began singing a-cappella music at a very young age. As the daughter of a Church of Christ Minister, she learned to explore power and mystery of the human voice as its own instrument. Kaci made the move to Nashville and soon became an in-demand demo singer. Her vocal stamp has been put on songs that have been cut by well-known artists such as Carrie Underwood, LeAnn Rimes, Sara Evans, Julie Roberts, and Julianne Hough. As a songwriter in her own right, Kaci has just received her first cut by Laura Bryna on her recent 2008 Equity Records Release. She is currently writing for Roots Three Music in Nashville.








Butterfly Boucher

What you hear on the debut release is Butterfly throughout – aside from a bit of cello and some drum tracks on "Can You See the Lights?," "Never Let It Go" and "Soulback," which were tracked live while she answered on bass – she played every instrument on the album and arranged it from start to finish. It was the same demos that she brought to Interscope for her initial meetings that became the versions of the songs that eventually graced her album. In the end, scores of instruments found their way onto the master tapes: guitars, drums, bass, piano, vibes, organ, mellotron, toy piano (on "Soul Back"), Field Organ, banjo, and various percussion (including planks of wood, a tympani, a steel wheel, and a hammer (on "Busy"). Butterfly is immediate, melodic and altogether memorable an her songs examine the often overlooked details of life's rich pageantry. Flutterby from Butterfly Boucher. Don't let it pass you by.






Ronnie Bowman

Ronnie Bowman is a household name in the Bluegrass community. With the release of an additional four albums as a member of the Lonesome River Band , Ronnie also recorded four solo projects. He has been awarded IBMA Male Vocalist of the Year in 1995, 1998, and 1999, has twice earned the IBMA song of the Year award ("Three Rusty Nails", and "Cold Virginia Night"), and was awarded the IBMA Gospel Performance of the Year award for "Three Rusty Nails". As a songwriter Ronnie has earned a great deal of respect not only among Bluegrass professionals, but also in Country Music. Both Brooks & Dunn , and Kenny Chesney have brought Ronnie Bowman originals to #1, and Lee Ann Womack has also included a song by Ronnie on the multi-platinum selling album I Hope You Dance.





Eric Brace

California native Eric Brace played in a college Bluegrass band in Boston (Mystic Valley Mountaineers) long ago, where he jammed with a young Bela Fleck. Eric later ran Top Records, an Indie Rock label in Washington, D.C., in the late '80s, releasing an EP of his band B-Time, as well as works by bands like Frontier Theory, Carnival of Souls, Sleep of Reason and Young Caucasians. He played bass with Kevin Johnson & the Linemen in the early '90s. Today, Eric, the former staff writer for The Washington Post is frontman for Last Train Home. While Roots-Rock is the heart of the band's sound, don't overlook the Country, Swing, Bluegrass, Blues, Folk, Mariachi, Punk, Pop and Tin Pan Alley influences you'll find if you lend this band an ear. What began as a part-time band in Washington, D.C., back in 1997 has developed into an acclaimed full-time touring unit based out of Nashville.





Bobby Braddock

Bobby Braddock grew up in Florida, traveled the South as a rock 'n' roll musician, and became a songwriter in Nashville in the mid-1960s. Many of his songs, such as "D.I.V.O.R.C.E," "Golden Ring," "He Stopped Loving Her Today," "Time Marches On," and "I Wanna Talk About Me" are country music standards. In 2001, he embarked on a new career as a producer, discovering singer Blake Shelton and making several number one records with him.








Lee Brice

Lee Brice grew in up rural Sumter, South Carolina and played college football at Clemson University. In 2001 he was signed by Curb Music Publishing and Curb/Asylum Records. Lee is being produced by Doug Johnson and has recently finished his debut album for Curb/Asylum Records to be released by mid-2007. He has collaborated with some of Nashville’s finest songwriters including Walt Wilkins, Bob Dipero, Marv Green, Casey Beathard, Billy Montana, Tim Nichols, Kerry Kurt Philips, Sharon Vaughn, Craig Wiseman, Bobby Tomberlin, Kylie Sackley, Bill Anderson, and Kyle Jacobs. Brice has cuts by rock group Sister Hazel, Keith Gattis and Jason Aldean.






Roger Brown

Roger moved to Nashville in late 1982, and by 1985 had his first major recording, Fool, Fool Heart, by Tanya Tucker. Since then, Roger has been a professional writer with a long list of recordings by artists as diverse as Barbra Streisand, Tammy Wynette, George Strait, and Nanci Griffith. Other artists who have recorded his tunes include Trace Adkin, Kenny Chesney, Patty Loveless, Randy Travis, and many others. He was nominated for a Tony Award in 2002 for his two songs which were featured in the Broadway show "Urban Cowboy - The Musical", and has had compositions featured on numerous gold & platinum albums, as well as major motion pictures such as "A Fire In The Sky" and "Red Rock West". In 1996, he was signed as an artist by Decca Records, and released the critically acclaimed mini-CD "Roger Brown & Swing City".






T. Graham Brown

There is only one T. Graham Brown, His "T-Ness" and that uniqueness has made him one of the most enduringly popular singers performing today. He is a journeyman and songwriter whose blue-eyed soul sound defies musical boundaries. He has penned several hit country songs and has garnered ten Top-Ten hits, a CMA Award and a long list of national radio and television ads. When T. Graham Brown arrived in Nashville from his native Athens, Georgia in 1982, he quickly found work as a studio singer making demonstration tapes. Having such a unique sound, he was quickly signed to Capitol Records. His first single release, "I Tell It Like It Used To Be" stymied country radio but they played it anyway and it became a hit. He followed it with "Hell And High Water," "Come As You Were" and "Darlene." All became huge country hits and T. Graham Brown and his incredible band, affectionally known as the Rack Of Spam, hit the road and haven't looked back since. And the hits kept on coming."Brilliant Conversationalist" not only scored on the country charts but its accompanying video garnered airplay on VH-1. His version of Otis Redding's "Dock Of The Bay" became a hit in Germany while "Rock It, Billy" was a success in England. He was nominated for Country Music Association Awards in 1987, 1989 and1990 and won in 1992 for the Vocal Event of the Year with George Jones and others on "I Don't Need Your Rocking chair." In 1998, T. Grahm Brown's single "Wine Into Water" not only inspired the lives of countless individuals but went all the way to the top of the Christian Country Music chart and was awarded the number one independent music video of the year.






Deanna Bryant

Deanna Bryant grew up on a farm on the outskirts of Childress, Texas, a state with a rich musical heritage that crosses both decades and genres. She spent much of her time as a child performing, but after high school Deanna chose university life over the honkytonks, pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in accounting. Following her college graduation, Deanna worked as a corporate accountant and later as a financial planner for professional athletes. Songwriting, however, was never far from her mind or heart. After her first visit to Nashville, Deana fell in love with the town’s eclectic songwriting community before making it her home in 1994. Since becoming a member of Nashville’s most artistic community, she has had cuts with artists including Terri Clark, Deana Carter, and Randy Travis. Reba McEntire took her song "Forever Love" to the top of the charts and Clay Davidson’s recording of her song "Unconditional" was nominated for the Country Music Association Song of the Year in 2001. Deanna currently resides in Nashville and is a songwriter for Island Bound Music.






Cindy Bullens

During her career, Cindy Bullens has enjoyed two Grammy nominations, six albums, a stint as singer in Elton John's band, three songs on a multi-million-selling soundtrack, a Broadway show collaboration, solid radio airplay and multiple tours across the U.S. and Europe. "When people ask me what I do, I say I'm a rock and roller," Bullens notes. "I've said that from the beginning, and I still say it today. Many people consider me a singer-songwriter in the category of John Hiatt, Lucinda Williams and Steve Earle, and I'm very proud to be in their company."






Tim Buppert

Since his move to Nashville in July of 91’ Tim Buppert has not only become a successful songwriter but also one of Nashville’s most sought after demo singers. He has also performed on albums for Trisha Yearwood, Michael Peterson, Paul Brandt, Anita Cochran and Kevin Sharp and Meredith Edwards. You might also recognize Buppert’s voice on jingles for Pepsi, Luvs diapers, TNN and many more. As a songwriter, Tim has had cuts by Trisha Yearwood, The Wiggins, Continental Divide, Perfect Stranger and hit singles by Yankee Grey (“Another Nine Minutes”) and the #1 “She’s Sure Taking It Well” by Kevin Sharp (which was also the #5 song of 1997 according to R&R magazine and is included in ASCAP’s top 50 songs of the 90’s).






Daryl Burgess

Daryl Burgess’s most recent cuts include Van Zant and Trace Adkins. The latest single was Trick Pony’s “The Bride”. A Vancouver Canada native, Daryl has had cuts by Mark Chesnutt (“This Heartache Never Sleeps”), Patty Loveless (“Where I’m Bound”), T. Graham Brown (“Never In A Million Tears”), Alicia Elliott (“I’m Diggin It”) and Jamie O’Neal (“Sanctuary”). Up and coming artists Joanna Cotton and Jimmy Stewart will feature Daryl’s songs on their albums this year. Daryl has also won numerous awards including a Juno in Canada for songs like “Stay” and “Just Came Back” (to Say Good-Bye) by Collin James and “Big Wheel” and “New Frontier” by Aaron Pritchett. Daryl resides in Nashville, TN.





Billy Burnette

Billy Burnette, born in Memphis Tennessee, is the heritage of classic American music. The son of rock-a-billy pioneer Dorsey Burnette, who with his brother Johnny, blazed the trail for the birth of rock and roll with the Rock N'Roll Trio. Billy recorded his first record for Dot records at the age of seven, and by the time he was eleven was touring the world with Brenda Lee. In 1985 Billy was nominated best new country male vocalist. In 1987 Billy joined Fleetwood Mac and spent about nine years as part of one of the world's biggest rock bands. Billy has cuts on Fleetwood Mac, Bette Midler, Rod Stewart, Ray Charles, Greg Allman, Roy Orbison, Jerry Lee Lewis, The Everly Brothers, Cher, Tammy Wynette, Faith Hill, Del McCoury Band, George Strait, and many more. Billy has also acted in six movies to date including Saturday Night Special, Addams Family Reunion, and Not Like Us.





Gary Burr

In the country world, Gary Burr has been named Songwriter of the Year for both ASCAP and the Nashville Songwriters Association International thanks to his success with over thirty radio airplay awards and a dozen #1 hits. He has also received over twenty of ASCAP’s recognition awards for radio play activity, and CDs featuring his songs have sold more than 50 million units world-wide. He most recently climbed the charts with LeAnn Rimes’ “Nothin’ ‘Bout Love Makes Sense”. In the pop world Gary had a number one pop and Latin hit with Ricky Martin and Christina Aguilera’s “Nobody Wants to be Lonely”. He has been featured on Carole King’s Living Room tour and co-wrote Ringo Starr’s last album Ringorama. Burr’s new album due is out in the spring of ‘07. Gary also wrote the first singles for American Idol winners Kelly Clarkson and Clay Aiken.






Sarah Buxton

2008 ACM Nominated Female Vocalist Sarah Buxton spent several years working in Nashville as a songwriter before Keith Urban's version of her song "Stupid Boy" hit the Top Ten on Billboard's country singles chart (2006). Sarah was backing vocalist for the likes of Kenny Rogers, John Corbett, and Cowboy Troy before embarking on her solo career. A native of Lawrence, KS, who moved to Nashville in her late teens to attend Belmont University, Buxton had the usual travails, including local gigs & a brief marriage, before possessing cuts by JoDee Messina, Charter’s Chord, Jim Brickman, & Sara Evans. Earning respect from Nashville’s most prolific songwriters & producers was reflected by 2 Top 20 singles as a solo artist. An appealingly raspy singing voice akin to Stevie Nicks, Buxton is signed to Lyric Street Records, the country imprint of Disney's Hollywood Records division.






Shawn Camp

Some careers can be described with a couple of words, but Shawn Camp's isn't one of them. A bold and distinctive singer? Yes. A songwriter who's provided material to artists from Ralph Stanley to Del McCoury to Garth Brooks to Brooks & Dunn? Yes. A multi-instrumentalist who's played with everyone from Yonder Mountain String Band and Alan Jackson to the Osborne Brothers and John Prine? Yes. Camp's music sprawls across the lines that divide Country, Americana, Bluegrass and Roots Rock. Born and raised in Arkansas, Camp was spotted by the Grand Ole Opry's Osborne Brothers at an Iowa festival when he was 20. Camp then moved to Nashville in 1987 to play fiddle with the legendary Bluegrass act, and over the next few years, he lived the life of a sideman, touring for short runs and long stretches alike with Country stars and newcomers ranging from the Burch Sisters to Jerry Reed to Alan Jackson to Trisha Yearwood. Before long, Camp became a prolific songwriter, too. His first cut came in 1991 with "Fallin' Never Felt So Good." Since then, his catalog has grown steadily and so has his list of songs recorded by major Country artists, including "Two Piña Coladas" by Garth Brooks, "How Long Gone" by Brooks & Dunn and "Would You Go With Me" by Josh Turner.





Chuck Cannon

Chuck was a solo performer for several years before moving to Nashville in 1984 to attend Belmont University where he studied Music Business and Finance. In 1988 he met producer Marshall Morgan, who signed him as a staff songwriter to Taste Auction Music. In 1992 Chuck opened Wacissa River Music, Inc. He also served as President of the Nashville Songwriter's Association International (NSAI, 2001-2003). He still serves on the Board and Legislative Committees.
Recent honors include BMI's 8 Million-Air Awards for the Academy of Country Music's 1993 Song of the Year and international hit, "I Love The Way You Love Me," and #1 hit for 5 weeks, "How Do You Like Me Now," written with country artist Toby Keith, and "Dream Walkin'." Chuck also received BMI's Million-Air award for the #1 hit, "Me Too" written with Toby Keith.








Marla Cannon-Goodman

Born in Melrose Park, Illinois, and raised in Kingston Springs, Tennessee, Marla Cannon-Goodman is a second-generation hit songwriter. As a child, Marla had a front seat for country music history as she watched her father, Buddy Cannon, shepherd the careers of new and legendary artists as a producer, songwriter and record label executive. And since her first cut by Sammy Kershaw in 1996, she has been making country music history herself, with songs recorded by artists such as George Strait, Eddie Arnold, Eric Church, Mindy Smith and Kenny Chesney, to name a few. With her number one smashes “The Fool” for Lee Ann Womack and Tracy Byrd’s “Ten Rounds with Jose Cuervo,” and her most recent hit “Don’t Make Me” for Blake Shelton, Marla has become a beloved and respected hit maker on
Music Row.





Rick Carnes

During the Stax/Volt, “Soul Music” boom in Memphis in the '60s, Rick found himself playing in an R&B band at every chicken joint and frat house in the southeastern United States. Determined not to have his career shortened by nerve deafness, or a stray bullet, he enrolled in Memphis State University where he hid in the library for six years. Two degrees and thousands of dollars later, he left school totally prepared for life in the 16th Century. It wasn’t long before Rick’s career options narrowed to teaching school, playing guitar or hanging wallpaper. Making what he determined at the time as “the obvious choice,” he began a marvelously successful career as a wallpaper hanger. It was during this time that Rick met his future bride, Janis. Their brilliant future in wallpaper seemed assured until Rick discovered that Janis had a beautiful voice and he hit upon a plan to capture fame and glory. They would start a duet; write several hit songs; sell millions of albums; parley the fame into a political career for Rick – possibly running for president. Somewhere along the way they ended up in Nashville (since 1978), and in 1983, Rick wrote Reba McEntire’s first #1 hit "I Can’t Even Get The Blues No More." That was followed three Top 10 hits for the Whites: "You Put The Blue In Me," "Hangin’ Around" and "Pins And Needles." In addition to cuts by artists as Conway Twitty, Loretta Lynn, Lacy J. Dalton, Johnny Rodriguez, Janie Fricke, Ronnie McDowell, T.G. Sheppard and Pam Tillis, Rick paired with Steve Wariner to co-write "Longneck Bottle" by Garth Brooks and the Brooks-Wariner duet "Burnin’ The Roadhouse Down."





Vickie Carrico

Upon moving to Nashville some years ago, Carrico has been working not only as a solo artist, but also as a studio singer and as a background vocalist for any number of different acts. She’s lent her voice to albums by a diverse group of artists, from ZZ Top and Don McLean to Lee Greenwood and Patty Loveless. Carrico has also toured the world as a background singer with a number of artists including Dottie West, Sam Moore and Brenda Lee in addition to touring as an artist in her own right. Carrico has appeared in music videos with the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Steve Wariner and Hoyt Axton, and has performed on television shows including Solid Gold, American Magazine, as well as HBO Specials and Public Television's "Rock and Roll Graffiti. Shes sung on jingles for, among others, Ford Trucks and the Los Angeles Lakers. Never Been Hurt is Carrico’s first full length CD; she wrote about half of the material for the project, while the rest was chosen from among her favorite classic blues and R&B songs.






Wayne Carson

Wayne Carson is a Denver native who made his way to Nashville in 1962. Four years later, he celebrated his first #1 record when Eddy Arnold took "Somebody Like Me" to the top of the charts. From there, more hits followed: Mel Tillis' "Who's Julie" in 1969, Conway Twitty's #1 "I See The Want To In Your Eyes" in 1974, Gary Stewart's #1 "She's Actin' Single (I'm Drinkin' Doubles)" in 1975, the Conway Twitty-Loretta Lynn duet "The Letter" in 1976, and Conway Twitty's #1 "The Clown" in 1982. Also that year, Wayne scored a Willie Nelson classic – "Always On My Mind," which in 1982 earned Grammys for Song of the Year and Best Country Song. The song also earned NSAI's 1982 Song of the Year, the ACM's 1982 Single of the Year and the CMA's 1982 Single of the Year. In addition, "Always On My Mind" was named Song of the Year for the CMA in both 1982 and 1983. Wayne was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1997.




Scooter Carusoe

Scooter Carusoe was SESAC’s 2005 Country Songwriter of the Year. His songwriting credits include Kenny Chesney's "Anything But Mine" and Carter's Chord's "Young Love."




Lisa Carver

On a great day, Lisa Carver is a storyteller in the vein of Kristofferson and Tom Waits, breathing life into and out of characters that inhabit songs of love, heartache, longing, cheating, and murder. On a good day, Carver is one of the lucky ones getting to earn a living making up songs with the other creative souls on Nashville's famed Music Row. Carver's songs have been been cut by artists ranging from Tim McGraw, Reba, Julie Roberts, Shelly Fairchild, Thom Bresh, Willie Nelson and Tanya Tucker, to four cuts on Sugarland's new album.






Todd Cerney

Detroit native Todd Cerney has been living and working in Nashville since 1974. His song "Good Morning Beautiful" was # 1 on the Country charts for five weeks and appeared in the Jennifer Lopez film Angel Eyes. Todd was a Grammy nominee in the Best Country Song category for Restless Heart's "I'll Still Be Loving You," which was named ASCAP's Country Song of the Year in 1987. He has had songs recorded by Lynyrd Skynyrd, Bad English, Eddie Money, Cheap Trick, Loverboy, The Four Tops, Aretha Franklin, Martika, The Cover Girls, Lita Ford, Joy Lynn White, Ty Herndon, The Purify Brothers, Phoebe Snow, Giant, Levon Helm, Jason And The Scorchers, Little Anthony, Bill Medley, Twiggy, John Anderson, Brigette Nielson, David Hasselhoff, Sylvia, The Kendalls, The Whites and many more.





David Chamberlain

David Chamberlain came to Nashville from Texas in the middle 70's with his wife, Jean, and their two children, Elizabeth and Michael. David's songs have been recorded by artists such as George Strait ("Am I Blue " and "What's Going On In Your World" – ASCAP's 1991 Country Song of the Year), Tanya Tucker ("Without You [What Do I Do With Me]"), Keith Whitley ("Hard Act To Follow"), Johnny Paycheck ("From Cotton To Satin") and Charley Pride ("Have I Got Some Blues For You"), as well as by Gene Watson, Tammy Wynette, Conway Twitty, Dottie West, Donna Fargo, Billie Jo Spears, Sammi Smith, Larry Boone, Margo Smith and Barbara Fairchild. David is currently writing with some of the best up and coming new writers plus several of Nashville's top writers. You can hear some of his music at www.DavidChamberlainSongs.com.






Corinne Chapman

Corinne Chapman grew up in rural Twin Peaks, a Southern California mountain community. She grew up listening to Marty Robins and Janis Joplin while her mother exposed her to great poets and authors. As a political science major at Stanford University, she would often comment, "If you can tell me the difference between entertainers and politicians, I may consider a change." After signing a publishing deal with Zavitson Music Group in 2006, she got her first cut, 'Just Drive' by Jo Dee Messina for her upcoming album. She is featured in a television pilot "Secrets of the Heart - Songwriters in the Round" and will be touring with her band in 2008.






Stephanie Chapman

Stephanie Chapman’s music falls happily into that category which contains many of Nashville’s most talented misfits. She is both and artist and a songwriter whose songs have proven their adaptability by finding homes with iconic artists such as Bonnie Raitt and Trisha Yearwood. As an artist Stephanie thrives in the border-less territory of the true singer/songwriter; she counts both music industry execs and her peers among fans, not to mention those fans outside of Music Row who simply appreciate a well-written, meaningful song. In 2008 Stephanie will release an independent album produced by her husband, Nathan Chapman [Taylor Swift] and critically acclaimed Ray Kennedy [Lucinda Williams, Steve Earle]. Look for her album This Song Is To You in late spring and listen for her latest cuts on albums by hip, new Arista group JYPSI and Capitol Record’s Eric Church. This is only the beginning for an artist who is quickly becoming a favorite. For music and info please visit myspace.com/stephaniechapmanmusic.






Steven Curtis Chapman

After a stint as a pre-med student at Georgetown College, Kentucky native Steven Curtis Chapman eventually made his way to Nashville to pursue a career in music. During those initial years, he performed in a music show at Opryland USA while honing his songwriting skills. One of Chapman's songs, "Built To Last," was recorded by The Imperials and opened the door to a songwriting deal with Sparrow Records. In 1987, Chapman released his first album, First Hand, which included the song "Weak Days" that hit #2 on the Contemporary Christian Music chart. In 1988, he followed with his second album, Real Life Conversations, which yielded four more hits, including the #1 song "His Eyes" that earned a 1989 Dove Award for Contemporary Recorded Song of the Year from the Gospel Music Association. That same year, Chapman earned a Dove for Songwriter of the Year, an award he would receive again in 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1997 and 1998. In 1993, his song "The Great Adventure" would earn a Dove for Song of the Year. Other self-penned songs include "Be Still And Know," "Dive," "Fingerprints Of God," "Free," "Go There With You," "Great Expectations," "Here In The Real World," "His Strength Is Perfect," "I Will Not Go Quietly," "Let Us Pray," "Not Home Yet," "Sometimes He Comes In The Clouds," "Speechless" and "The Invitation." To date, Chapman's music has earned him a staggering 51 Dove Awards and five Grammy Awards, as well as NSAI's Songwriter/Artist of the Year in 1999.Chapman recently completed This Moment, his compelling 16th studio album and first new project in more than three years.





Andy Childs

A native of Memphis, Tennessee, Andy Childs scored several chart singles and music videos with his debut RCA album in the 1990's. After touring solo for several years, Andy and 4 other veteran musicians formed the country-rock super-group SIXWIRE. Sixwire's Warner Brothers album, for which Andy
co-wrote most of the songs, debuted in the Top 30 in 2002, and featured two hit singles and music videos. In the fall of 2007, Sixwire was featured on American Idol's The Next Great American Band on Fox, where they came in 2nd place out of over 10,000 band submissions. In addition, Sixwire is the featured band on the upcoming CMT show 'Can You Duet'. Sixwire is also currently recording a new CD project. Andy Childs tours throughout the year, both solo and with Sixwire. In addition to Sixwire, Andy's songs have been recorded by Blackhawk, George Canyon, Chris Cagle, and other American and international recording artists.






AJ & Cleve Clark

Brothers AJ Clark and Cleve Clark are two-thirds of the band Alvarado Road Show. Along with their nephew/drummer Brandon Trey, they have been performing together literally since they were kids. Lately, they have been in the middle of producing several projects which include Alvarado Road Show's "Long Haul Cowboy" project, a solo project for songwriter Mentor Williams entitled, "Just Another Songwriter" and also a duet project for Mentor Williams & Lynn Anderson all set for release in 2008. AJ and Cleve have developed a reputation as songwriters through their collaborations with friends and writers including Steve Wariner, Frank Myers, Rick Carnes, Bart Allmand, Tom Douglas, Kim Williams and of course Mentor Williams. Watch for big things to happen this year for AJ and Cleve!






Rodney Clawson

Rodney Clawson is from rural Gruver, Texas, population 1,000. The son of a Texas farmer, Rodney has carried on the family tradition of maintaining the family's 3,000 acre farm. In 1997, Rodney started making trips to Nashville to develop his songwriting gifts. The combination of energy and talent in this new venture began to pay off both financially and professionally. Clawson started to get songs recorded by Nashville artists. His song "Sweet Southern Comfort," co-written with Brad Crisler, was recorded by Nashville Star winner Buddy Jewell and was one of the Top 10 Most Performed Songs of 2004, according to Billboard magazine. Clawson and Crisler landed another hit with "I Can't Be Your Friend" with the group Rushlow. Clawson has also had songs recorded by Faith Hill, Gary Allan, Phil Vassar, Neal McCoy, Jason Aldean, Chris Cagle, Tracy Byrd and Big & Rich. Clawson's song "In My Blood," has become the official song for Preserving Rural America, an organization committed to the preservation of family farms.





Ashley Cleveland

In a music scene overpopulated by breathy girls and melismatic vamps, Ashley Cleveland is that rare thing -- a woman who sings like a woman. Yes, she can roar and wail with maximum soul wattage, but she can also be soft, tender, sly, wistful, open-hearted, melancholy, wise, seductive, wry -- all those facets that make a vocalist deep and compelling. Beyond her own career, Cleveland is also one of Nashville's most in-demand session singers, having performed on over three hundred albums. A spokesperson for SHARE (Songs of Hope And Recovery for Everyone), she regularly performs at national events focused on addiction recovery. Cleveland recently won her third Grammy Award for her seventh album, Before the Daylight's Shot .





Thad Cockrell

Just as a soul takes a journey while passing through each day of life, such is the case for Thad Cockrell and his musical career. What was originally intended as a demo and not to be put into national distribution, his first release, "Stack of Dreams" (Miles of Music Recordings), was recorded at a formidable pace and received a strong international response from critics. His follow up album and debut on Yep Roc Records, "Warmth and Beauty," would only continue to shine an effervescent ray of light on Thad's uncanny songwriting and harmonious tenor vocals. It's been said his songs are mere collections that reverberate with the kind of passion that is seldom found nowadays. A lifetime's journey, refined by observation and experience, has brought him to his newest offering "To Be Loved," which instantly captures the heart and soul of all who hear it. Musically and stylistically it entices a broad range of listeners, allowing him to share his passion of music with any listening ear.






Jeff Cohen

New York based songwriter Jeff Cohen has had Top-Ten hits with Big and Rich (“Holy Water”) and Evan and Jaron (“Crazy For This Girl”) plus songs recorded by Josh Groban, Sugarland (“April Showers”), Macy Gray, Nick Lachey (“Alone”)Mandy Moore, Spin Doctors, Ronan Tynan and Teitur, to name a few. His songs have been produced by David Foster, Peter Asdeanher, Byron Gallimore, Paul Worley, Gregg Wattenberg, Rupert Hine, Jon Fields and Matt Wallace. He has had songs featured in such movies as Stuart Little 2 (Sony), Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants (Warner Bros), Aquamarine (20 th Century Fox) and My Super Ex-Girlfriend (20 thCentury Fox). His band, Pancho's Lament, has had over 75 TV placements including the themes for Jack and Jill (WB) and I Married A Princess (Lifetime).






Jim Collins

2007 is beginning with a bang for Jim Collins, one of Nashville’s premier and most consistent hit makers. Jim’s latest hit, “It Just Comes Natural” has screamed up the charts and is poised to reach the top. Another recent single from 2006, “I Don’t Feel Like Loving You Today,” performed by Gretchen Wilson, has been nominated for a Grammy for Best Country Song. Jim’s other singles making their way up the radio airwaves include “Nothing To Prove” performed by Lonestar, “I Got More,” the debut single from Cole Deggs And The Lonesome, and “Take It All Out On Me” recorded by Mark Wills. A native Texan, Jim has had a continuous stream of singles on the chart such as “Love Working On You” performed by John Michael Montgomery, “Hands of a Workin’ Man” recorded by Ty Herndon, the Kenny Chesney smash “She Thinks My Tractor’s Sexy,” the number one hit “Yes” from Chad Brock and “Then They Do” recorded by Trace Adkins. In 2002, Jim’s smash “The Good Stuff,” recorded by Kenny Chesney was number one for seven weeks on the Billboard chart and was named Billboard’s Country Song of the Year, ASCAP Song of the Year and the Academy of Country Music Single of the Year. Jim’s songs have also been recorded by such artists as Tim McGraw, Keith Urban, Trisha Yearwood, Josh Gracin, Dwight Yoakam, Mark Chesnutt and Kenny Rogers, to name a few.



Jessi Colter

As a teen, Jessi Colter's musical talent impressed Rockabilly guitar star Duane Eddy, who produced her 1961 single "Lonesome Road." The two married in 1963. She wrote some songs for him, as well as "No Sign Of The Living" for Dottie West. In 1967, Eddy and Colter recorded the duet "Guitar On My Mind" but divorced the following year. After marrying Waylon Jennings in 1969, Colter notched a sizable Country and Pop hit in 1975 with the self-penned "I'm Not Lisa." That was followed a year later by the success of Wanted! The Outlaws, a collaboration with Jennings, Willie Nelson and Tompall Glaser – the first Nashville album to sell a million copies. Her best-known duets with Jennings are "Suspicious Minds" and her soothing composition "Storms Never Last." In the '90s, she began writing and performing children's music and sang on Jennings' live album in 2000, two years before he died. She added a new version of "Storms Never Last" to a Jennings tribute album in 2003. That same year, Capitol Records released the retrospective The Very Best of Jessi Colter: An Outlaw ... A Lady.






Tommy Conners

Tommy Conners is a native Texas born and raised in the north side of Houston. He got his first guitar at the age of eleven and learned to play listening to Hank Williams and Beatles records. At the age of twelve he started performing around the Houston area and at the age of eighteen he hit the road with his guitar playing bars and dance halls all over Texas and south Louisiana. He started writing songs in the early 80's and in 1987 encouraged by Bob Montgomery and Mickey Newbury he packed up and moved to Nashville. His talent as a country songwriter has garnered him cuts with Willie Nelson, John Michael Montgomery, Ty Herndon, Trace Adkins, Patty Loveless, Shannon Brown, Diamond Rio, Ricky Skaggs Bobby Pinson, Travis Tritt, Carolina Rain, Chris Ledoux, Neil McCoy, Kenny Rogers and many others.






Roger Cook

Roger Cook is a native of Bristol, England, who, upon
leaving the Pop group The Kestrels, teamed with co-writer
Roger Greenaway. Together, they became one of the most successful songwriting duos in Popular music by creating some 70 Top 30 hits, including classics such as The Hollies' "Long Cool Woman In A Black Dress," The Fortunes' "Here Comes That Rainy Day Feelin' Again," and The New Seekers' "I'd Like To Teach The World To Sing" (which also became the theme song for a series of long-running Coca Cola commercials). In the early 1970s, Roger twice earned England's Songwriter of the Year Award. Since making the move to the United States in the mid-'70s, Roger has enjoyed hits by Country artists such as Crystal Gayle ("Talking In Your Sleep" – BMI Country Song of the Year), Don Williams ("I Believe In You" and "Love Is On A Roll") and George Strait ("One Night At A Time" and "I Just Wanna Dance With You"). Roger was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1997.






Peter Cooper

Peter Cooper is a touring singer-songwriter and instrumentalist who has played on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, The Late Show with David Letterman and Prairie Home Companion. His songs have been praised by the New York Times, USA Today, the Los Angeles Times and the Wall Street Journal. Cooper has opened numerous tour dates for Todd Snider (and collaborated with Snider, singing harmonies, playing bass and co-writing a song on Snider's brilliant The Devil You Know album). He recently completed a full-length studio album that includes contributions from Snider, Emmylou Harris, Bill Lloyd, Jason Ringenberg, steel guitar legend Lloyd Green and other luminaries. Cooper is best known to Nashvillians as a music journalist for the Tennessean.





Rob Crosby

Born and raised in Sumter, South Carolina, a small town 80 miles from the coast, Rob moved to Nashville in the late eighties. He has scored hits as both a writer and an artist. His number one and top ten songs are "Concrete Angel" (Martina McBride ), "She's More" (Andy Griggs) "Holdin' a Good Hand" (Lee Greenwood ), "She's a Natural", "Burnin' For You" and "Love Will Bring Her Around" (Rob Crosby). Other artists who have covered Crosby’s songs include Paul Simon , Restless Heart , Ricochet , Lila McCann , Blackhawk , Ty Herndon , The Wilkinsons , Darryl Worley , The Osmond Brothers and triple-platinum European artist Ilse DeLange, among others.




Greg Crowe

Raised in the heart of the Mississippi Delta, Greg Crowe brings a compelling blend of blues, rock, and country to Music City. Crowe’s successes as a songwriter include “Lonely And Gone” (Montgomery Gentry), “Don’t Send The Invitation” (Adam Gregory) and “Little Did I Know” (Sammy Kershaw), among others. He also wrote,
sang and produced the official song for The Tennessee Titans Radio Network, “We’re Fired Up,” and was nominated as a producer for European country music album of the year. In addition, his skills have been put to use in many television commercials. Crowe is currently a staff writer at Ash Street Music and works with top artists and songwriters in the rock and country genre.

www.gregcrowe.com




Rodney Crowell

Electrifying songwriter and recording artist Rodney Crowell has a GRAMMY, an ASCAP Lifetime Achievement Award, a “Can’t Miss Star” accolade from Rolling Stone, and a Nashville Songwriter’s Hall of Fame Induction under his belt. With 11 solo records and a greatest hits package in circulation, Crowell is often credited for the rise in popularity of New Traditional country music during the mid-1980s.





Austin Cunningham

Early on in his career, Texas native Austin Cunningham carved out a place for himself on Music Row as a songwriter. Austin has had songs recorded by Martina McBride , Dolly Parton, Wynonna, Chris Knight, and Del McCoury , among others. He has songs on feature film soundtracks including Ashley Judd's Where the Heart Is , and the Richard Gere/Winona Ryder film, Autumn in New York . Austin is also the recipient of the coveted Johnny Mercer Award for " Emerging American Songwriters ". Although writing is his first passion, he also is a successful touring artist, blazing a trail with live shows on the Texas music scene and throughout the Southeast. Austin has recorded three independent albums: Let That Poor Boy Sing, Where I Come From, and Music In the Money Biz




Melissa Cussik

At 28 years old, Melissa Cusick has made a name for herself as a compelling vocalist, an honest songwriter and a captivating performer. She has lent her voice and songs to a number of independent records and can be heard singing background vocals on JoDee Messina's upcoming record. Most recently, Melissa has been featured as a singer and narrator for a dozen or more audio books for children.





Ben Cyllus

Ben Cyllus’ independently released debut “Cinnamon Matinee” was recorded in Detroit at the famed White Room Studios, known for its organic vibe and vintage gear. The result is a collection of songs that is immediately enticing and exudes a charming, casual confidence. Elegant and powerful arrangements are brought to life with solid grooves, deftly layered instrumentation and lyrics that take seemingly common phrases and turn them on end, providing a new range of perspectives. Miles of Music proclaims “With hushed beauty, Cyllus let’s free soothingly mellow, yet ac

Channel Twelve25's concept is simple: provide a casual place where musicians can record themselves without the formal, methodical hindrances of "going into the studio." Yet, this concept isn't new. In fact, it dates back to the origins of rock 'n' roll itself. Don't believe me? Open up the Gospel of Rock and leaf back through the pages to the Genesis section where you'll find that tale of a young guy from Tupelo who walked into a Memphis studio, laid down seven hard-earned dollars, and cut a record for his mama.

The truth is that the early days of popular music, especially after World War II, were filled with "do it yourself" studios that allowed you to record yourself. Sometimes, you even had guys like Sam Phillips and Scotty Moore just lounging around with nothing better to do than help you up your production values.

It wasn't until the music industry became a megalomaniacal institution during the '60s that access to recording was stripped from the common people and allotted to the domain of A&R guys who doled out fame and power (and studio access) with peculiar, little spoons they wore around their necks.

During the indie movement of the '80s and early '90s things softened up a bit as boutique record labels popped up, promising a break from those A&R guys. Coincidently, this indie movement corresponded with the micro-brew revolution. So, the names of beers and the names of these small labels suddenly sounded very similar. The names were usually primed with tons of indie attitude. You'd get Eye Socket Records that could be interchanged with Eye Socket Ale, Steaming Turd Records with Steaming Turd Stout (a beer was best drunk European style, i.e., warm), and so on.

Today, we have the home recording revolution in which anyone with a futon can sit on it and lay down tracks on the PC while checking craigslist.com for free, gently worn sofas.

But, what hasn't resurged until Channel Twelve25 is this idea of the friendly neighborhood recording studio where average kids can stop by and lay down some tracks without spending a fortune and pre-booking millennialesque blocks of studio time.

Actually, Channel Twelve25's business is threefold. Besides the friendly, neighborhood studio, there's a music academy. There's also an actual on-line "channel," very similar to a traditional TV station, that's still in the works.

The company is the brainchild of Steve and Odie Goward. The Gowards met while playing in bands, he a bass player, she a drummer. They married in 1986, went on to raise a family, but always harbored this idea of a business that would combine their love of the arts and their dedication to young people.

Besides his forte as a musician, Steve was a writing major in college and has written a number of unpublished novels and screenplays. He was able to parlay this talent into video scripting when the couple owned a video production company in the early-'90s. Their specialty was athletes and promotional videos and they counted former Padre Steve Garvey and NBA great and Helix High alum Bill Walton as their clients. Yet, Steve Goward was also longing to reach further mundane commercial writing.

At the same time, the Gowards were raising a daughter and getting involved with several youth groups. Given the need they saw for positive activities for kids, Steve and Odie soon hatched their dream: a youth-oriented hangout where young people could interact in a safe, drug-free environment while artistically expressing themselves. Yet, while many youth-oriented businesses were created by aging executives with time-worn stereotypes of what kids wanted, the Gowards sought to create a business that not only acknowledged the changing attitudes of Generation Y but involved Gen Y in the development of the business model. For this, they consulted their daughter, her friends, and the many young people they met along the way.

This dream idled for years until 2006 when Steve decided to buy Mike Fenton's Muzik Muzik store in downtown El Cajon. Fenton, himself no stranger to the San Diego music scene, got started in the mid-'70s with Musician's Supply, an innovative guitar and gear retailer that lent its model to what would later become the national chain of Guitar Center. Musician's Supply was the site of many parking lot sales that served as beer keg-inspired jam sessions by local bands and wet tee shirt contests. In fact, this writer, then a 14-year-old kid with a 20-inch bike for transportation learned what "skin to win" meant at one such Musician's Supply event.

After Musician's Supply sold to Guitar Center, Fenton – his rock 'n' roll pedigree intact – ran a string of guitar stores before settling in the downtown El Cajon location in the 1990s.

And, this is what Steve and Odie walked into when they bought Muzik Muzik. "Mike had many regulars and knew how to retail guitars," Steve said. But, soon Steve realized that what Fenton had created wasn't exactly what he wanted to continue. "Mike had lots of young people coming around the store but so did any number of guitar shops including Guitar Center. There wasn't anything truly unique."

So, Steve and Odie's dream began to coalesce with Muzik Muzik's rock 'n' rock reputation. Suddenly Channel Twelve25 was born.

"Suddenly" might not be the right word because it actually took 18 grueling months of design, construction, and permit hurdles. They also took over another retail space adjacent to the old Muzik Muzik But, in March 2008, Channel Twelve 25 finally opened its doors.

Bands and artists have a number of options and can record both audio and video tracks on the soundstage. The stage is surrounded by a floor area where up to 150 people can stand or sit. So, recording in front of an audience, especially when creating a concert video, is within the realm of possibilities. Artists have the choice of renting out the room to record in. Or, they can use it to promote their own showcases. In these situations, Channel Twelve25 can assist with promotion.

The room is fully functional and production-ready with a state-of-the-art PA, four monitor mix and any number of mic setups. All recordings undergo a post-production remix. For video work, there are three cameras in the room, two stationary and one floating. A standard 3-camera edit is included with all video work. And, Channel Twelve25 can provide additional mixing and editing to suit larger budgets.

Given all of this, a band or artist can produce a decently mixed video or audio starting around $500. Right now there is a 1-2 week turnaround.

In addition, Channel Twelve25 offers Open Mics on Tuesday evenings, which are video and audio recorded. So, the performers can walk away with a recording of themselves for a lot less.

The music academy is a training ground for people who want to get up on stage. Channel Twelve25 offers standard guitar, keyboard, and vocal lessons like one might find in local music stores. "However, our lessons are performance based," says Steve. Instead of plugging away at arpeggios in a cramped practice cubicle, students are encouraged to get up and jam with other students. "We can start with just one chord and get a vamp going," Steve adds. "Then we put someone on drums, someone on bass, and pretty soon, we have a band jamming together."

These jam sessions, along with individual student performances, can be recorded easily so that the kids can watch and listen to themselves in order to improve as musicians and performers. They also allow students to play within an ensemble context giving them early opportunities to interact with others.

In addition to performance-based lessons, Channel Twelve25 offers multi-media lessons in writing, recording, and arranging. It also offers internships to college students who are pursuing careers in the media arts.

The actual "channel" is taking a little longer to roll out than previously expected. As Odie Goward states: "The channel was part of the original dream." And, it is an integral part of Channel Twelve25's identity. The Gowards are sure the channel will be up and running by the end of the summer. When it is fully developed, the channel will be artistically directed by the 12 to 25 demographic, the core age group that gave the business its name. Functioning like a TV station but on-line, the channel will feature programming such as sitcoms written and performed by young people. It will also have entertainment sites, movie reviews, and tips on where to find things kids are interested in, "like the best burrito," Steve adds. There will also be on-line meeting places, called "garages," where musicians can go to find each other and gigs in their local areas. "We might get to the point where 'virtual bands' can form on-line," Steve says, "bands that meet on-line and record digitally without ever actually meeting each other."

Besides the Gowards, there has been a core of key people who have helped get Channel Twelve25 off the ground. Blake Lindquist, a 23-year-old wiz kid, works as sound engineer and director of the music academy. Artist Thom Guerra has emblazoned both the interior and exterior of the business with custom paintings and murals that capture Channel Twelve25's rock 'n' roll vibe. And, Kyle Rainey, son of Beat Farmer Jerry Rainey and an original employee from Fenton's Muzik Muzik before and after that transition, who helps out with sound set up, especially for downtown El Cajon's Concerts on the Green, an event sponsored by Channel Twelve25.

In the short three months since it opened, Channel Twelve25 has hosted the School of Rock, the San Diego Song Writers Guild, a concert for Diabetes awareness, and a host of other rock, Goth, and even avant-garde performances. This is in addition to the Tuesday Open Mics that are open to all. In the near future, such luminaries as Mike Keneally and Trails and Rails will be playing shows or recording in the venue. And, of course, the Summer Concerts on the Green will bring an array of talent to the grassy knoll right across the street.

But, as the client list grows and established acts come through the door to gig and record, the question still remains: When will that next kid from Tupelo walk in, throw down his or her hard-earned, truck drivin' dollars, and say, "I wanna record a song for my mama…thank you very much."

It was along about 1969 that I first became more than aware of U Utah Phillips. Now I had heard of Bruce Phillips some time before that from an old Prestige International long-play record that I had picked up from time to time, which Rosalie Sorrels had written the notes for, and I'd seen that he was a songwriter and singer from Utah (he had a song on a old Limelighter's LP about a mule that I'd heard). However, in 1969, or maybe it was 1970, Rosalie Sorrells was at the San Diego Folk Festival and she was singing songs written by this guy U Utah Phillips (who called himself "the Golden Voice of the Great Southwest" and "A Rumor in his Own Time"). She told me that I really ought to have him down to one of my festivals, which I did in 1970. This wasn't the same old Bruce Phillips from the Prestige record. This was a guy who'd seen a lot of life, his own and other people's, and had a unique way of telling you about it. I'd have to say that Utah played a major role in my own outlook toward music, politics, and what a festival should be. I didn't always agree with him, but the ideas I got from him and the folks he led me to were always worthwhile. It was a long road Utah had travelled before I met him, which led to the performer and character San Diego audiences knew and loved.

Phillips, the son of Labor organizers, was born in 1935 (I'm not sure where). He went to Korea with the U. S. Army in the late '40s and returned from that conflict with serious problems that face many veterans still today. However, in the '50s they didn't really have any apparatus that dealt with extended exposure to human misery and he returned largely a broken man, both financially and in mind and body. With little or no help from the country that sent him to war Phillips, destitute and homeless, took to the bottle and to the rails. He drifted, riding the rails, across the country for over 10 years, until he finally got off a freight in Salt Lake City and made his way to the Joe Hill House, a homeless shelter run by anarchist Ammon Hennacy, a member of the Catholic Worker Movement. The house was named after the legendary labor activist and Union songwriter for the Industrial Workers of the World (or the IWW aka Wobblies) who had been killed by Utah authorities who "framed him on a murder charge" in the early part of the last century.

Hennacy gave Bruce a job at the Joe Hill House, which led to work as an archivist for the state of Utah. I assume it was during these years he became acquainted with Sorrells and other folksingers from Utah (particularly during those years he would later dub "the Great Folk Scare of the Early '60s"). In 1968 he ran for the U.S. Senate on the Peace and Freedom Party ticket (it's always been a wonder to me that there were enough Peace and Freedom Party members in Utah to get him on the ballot), but of course he didn't win. To make matters worse, Bruce was seen by the Democrats as splitting the ticket enough to get the Republicans back in, so not only was he out of a job he was also blacklisted from state government employment. So it was back to being homeless and drifting again.

This time it was the folk community that was his contact with the real world and he wound up in Saratoga Springs, New York, courtesy of the U.S. rails, where a fine lady named Lena Spencer ran a coffeehouse (folk club) called Cafe Lena. Lena took Bruce in and gave him time and space to learn his craft (playing guitar, telling stories, generally entertaining folks while at the same time telling them things they really ought to know), and getting him in front of folks to play it. It wasn't long until Utah Phillips was born and not very long afterward that Utah played in San Diego for the first time.

Other people began to perform his songs – "Starlight on the Rails," "Goodnight-Loving Trail," and "Green Rolling Hills of West Virginia" for examp