issue 144, october 2019 first published 1979 celebrating ... · • international lyrics • open...
TRANSCRIPT
The Australian Songwriter
Issue 144, October 2019
First published 1979
Celebrating 40 Years (1979 to 2019)
The Magazine of The Australian Songwriters Association Inc.
In This Edition:
On the Cover of the ASA: 2018 Contemporary Pop/Dance Category Winner,
Jemma Siles, Performing At The 2018 National Songwriting Awards
Chairman’s Message
Editor’s Message
The 2019 Australian Songwriting Contest Top 30 Lists
Jemma Siles: 2018 Winner Of The Contemporary Pop/Dance Category
Wax Lyrical Roundup
The Mentals: 2019 Inductees Into The Australian Songwriters Hall Of Fame
ASA Member Profile: Andrew Cavanagh
Stephen Kiely And Roxanne Kiely: 2018 Winners Of The Songs For
Children Category
Sponsors Profiles
Francesca De Valence’s Monthly Songwriting Blog
Abbey Gardner: 2018 Co-Winner Of The Open Category
Jacques Gentil: 2018 Winner Of The Spiritual Category
Members News and Information
Latest Music Releases From ASA Members And Friends
Mark Cawley’s Monthly Songwriting Blog
The Load Out
Official Sponsors of the Australian Songwriting Contest
About Us:
o Aims of the ASA
o History of the Association
o Contact Us
o Patron
o Life Members
o Directors
o Regional Co-Ordinators
o Webmaster
o 2018 APRA/ASA Songwriter of the Year
o 2018 Rudy Brandsma Award Winner
o 2018 PPCA Live Performance Award Winner
o Australian Songwriters Hall of Fame (2004 to 2018)
o Lifetime Achievement Award
o 2018 Australian Songwriting Contest Category Winners
o Songwriters of the Year and Rudy Brandsma Award (1983 to 2018)
Chairman’s Message
Here we go, hold on to your hats! The excitement is
palpable at the ASA National Office right now. From here on
in, to the National Songwriting Awards, people including your Board, are running around trying to make sure that
this year will be the best ever.
All I can say is that we are over the moon with the
response to the 2019 Competition. A record number of entries and unprecedented interest all adds up to a hugely
successful Contest. Make no mistake, we have world class
songwriters in this country, and each year the standard just
keeps on improving.
2019 marks the 40th Anniversary of the Australian
Songwriters Association, so our Awards Night promises to
be exceptional in every regard. We are indeed honoured to have Greedy Smith and Martin Plaza from Mental As Anything as our Australian Songwriters Hall Of Fame
inductees on this special occasion.
Also, superb songsmith Mike McClellan will be along to talk about his songwriting and sing his huge hit, Song And Dance Man. Along with a few surprises for our 40th,
the Show will be one not to be missed. Tickets are going like hot cakes, and it is sure
to be a sell-out, so get in as fast as you can. Until then, settle in and catch up on the
October 2019 e-Newsletter, put together once more by Vice Chairman and Editor
Alan Gilmour. Excellent work Alan.
Remember, if you are a Songwriter, you should be a Member of the ASA, and also
our main Sponsors APRA and Wests Ashfield Leagues Club. Catch you on Wednesday
October 30, at Canterbury Hurlstone-Park RSL for the ‘Show Of The Year’.
Denny Burgess
Chairman
Editor’s Message This month is a catch-up edition covering the last few months, when we have been busy judging this year’s
contest. On the cover this month, we have the winner of
the 2018 Contemporary/Pop Category, Jemma Siles. We
have an interview with Jemma, as well as other 2018 Category winners, Abbey Gardner, Stephen Kiely and
Roxanne Kiely, and Jacques Gentil. Our monthly ASA
Member Profile features Andrew Cavanagh, plus we have
a profile on The Mentals, the 2019 Inductees into The Australian Songwriters Hall of Fame. And of course, don’t
miss out on our monthly songwriting blogs from Mark
Cawley and Francesca De Valence.
Alan Gilmour,
Editor and Vice Chairman
2019 Australian Songwriting Contest Top 30 Lists
Congratulations to all those who have made the Top 30 lists in the 2019 Australian
Songwriting Contest in the following 13 songwriting Categories:
• Australia Ballad
• Contemporary Pop/Dance Country • Folk/Acoustic Instrumental/World Music
• International Lyrics
• Open Rock/Indie
• Songs for Children Spiritual • Youth
The Top 10s will be announced at the 2019 National Songwriting Awards on 30
October 2019.
Prizes and trophies will be awarded to the winners of each Category, as well
performance opportunities at the 2019 National Songwriting Awards.
The 2019 APRA/ASA Australian Songwriter of the Year will be chosen by the
ASA Board of Directors from the category winners. The 2019 winner will receive a
beautiful trophy plus a cheque for $3,000, courtesy of sponsors, APRA AMCOS.
The ASA Board will also choose the winner of the 2019 Rudy Brandsma Award For Songwriting Excellence from among all of the ASA members, present at The
National Songwriting Awards, who have submitted songs into the contest and who
have exhibited songwriting excellence in their song entries. The winner will receive a
beautiful Maton acoustic guitar, courtesy of sponsors, Maton Guitars.
Thank you to the following contest platforms for hosting the contest:
The 2019 National Songwriting Awards will be held on 30 October 2019 at the Canterbury Hurlstone Park RSL Club, the same venue as in the past two years.
Tickets are now available on Eventbrite by following the links on the ASA website at
www.asai.org.au.
See you there!
The Top 30 lists are set out below. Please note that due to the exceptional quality of
entries this year, some categories have more than 30 songs.
Australia Category
Apollo Bay Kieran O'Connell
At Ballarat Max Richards
Bill Robin Levinson
Broken Hearts in Broken Hill Lloyd Back
Crows Stephen Phillip
David Gulpili Keiran Roberts
Down In That Town Johnny Tedesco, David Hyams
Dust To Ashes Sadie Jones, David Jack Penman
Dusty Days And Ice Cold Beer (Australian Christmas) Sani Bolton
Flat Top Russ Zimmer, Ian Cannon
Four Seasons In One Day Julia Marr
Great Courage Thomas Libreri, Tessa Libreri
Heartbreak Land Dave Diprose
Hume Highway Marni Sheehan, Mark Smith
I Don't Know (A Postcard From Port Douglas) Steve Montgomery
I Won't Be Back Steve Montgomery
It's Time For Us To Hear Luke Robinson
Just A Boy On A Mallee Farm Melvyn Moll
King Of This Country Bradley Christmas
Make It Till Christmas Laura-Therese Davis
My Family And Me Thomas Libreri, Tessa Libreri
Nearest Country Pub Stephen Phillip
Never See Their Kind Again John Casey, Henrique Dib
Old Neds Young Offsider Brendan Smoother
One Last Shot Vanessa Craven
Our Australia Terry Bennetts
Our Own Backyard Melanie Gray, Max Jackson, Gina Jeffreys
Pacific Highway Kylie Adams-Collier
Part Of The View David Harrison, David Harrison
Ruby - The Cattle Dog And The Farmer Maria Harkins
Safeway Don Cowling
Salt Of The Earth Jon Davis
Southern Ian Fitzsummons
Such Is Life Geoffrey Bates
The Australia I Know Renee Jonas
The Ballad Of Hawkie Mike Foley
The Ringer Alex Varlow
The Technophobe Stephen Phillip
Theres Gotta Be A Better Way Luke Robinson
To Change Her Mind Steve Montgomery
Two Beers From Anywhere Christopher Haskard
We Are Children Of The Dreaming William Murray
Welcome Home Soldier Pat Deleo
Windale Lloyd Back
Wyndradyne William Murray
Ballad Category
A Man In Need Jourdain Wongtrakun
A Ring Of Roses Randall Olgers, James Higgins
All Over By Christmas Paula Standing
Always By Your Side Katie Hardyman, Mick Evans
Be Myself Skii Harvey
Beautiful Silence Antonio Corea,
David Carter, Myelin Carter, Tori Rae Davies, Jason Forsyth, Iona Grace, Donna Mathews
Behind The Seen Brendan Smoother
Call My Name Joe Cannon
December Child Donna Dyson, Craig Allister Young
Don't You Try To Say Goodbye Jacques Gentil, Michael Zammit
Everything But Time Damien Hosken, Stacy Hogan
Everytime I Fall Mark Crocker
Exactly How I Feel Keri McInerney, Ross Williams
Family Liz Tripodi
Frightened Helen Mottee
Healing Lips Tony King
Hole In My Heart Pat Deleo
I Don't Know (A Postcard From Port Douglas) Steve Montgomery
I Don't Want To Wait Anirban Banerjee
I Really Love You Pat Deleo
It Can Be Beautiful Daryl Johnson, Charles Pennell
Jigsaw Ricky Muscat James Leigh & Vince Leigh
Just Makes Sense Keiran Roberts
Lay Me Down Thomas Libreri
Look Away Thomas Libreri, John Donaldson, Tessa Libreri
Love Gets The Better Of Me Rick Hart
Make Love To Me Melissa Robertson
No Fear Tiffany Gow
One Button At A Time Lola Brinton, Jen Mize, Clinton Wilson
One More Day Helen Townsend
Paper Heart Darren Jaynoy
Pretty Tears Leanne Sutton
Surrender Mark Crocker, Celeste Newman
Tender Moment Paula Punch
The Beauty Within Adrienne Morgan
The Deepest Kind of Love Lloyd Back
The Old Ghost Road Steve Montgomery
The People's Commissioner, Lenny Sunshine Matthew Sertori
The Space Dave 'Tot' O'Brien
The Touch Of Your Wings Samantha Mooney
The White Lady Plays With Your Mind Andrew Lavers
Theres Gotta Be A Better Way Luke Robinson
This Is Not The Same Matt Coleman
Time Machine Robert Cini
Torn Apart Jason Greenwood
Vitruvian Man Ben Ford-Davies, Nigel Grummet, Ronnie Taheny
When It All Comes Down To Love Jacques Gentil
You Will Let Me Go Christopher Orchard
You're Not Alone Kieran O'Connell
Contemporary Pop/Dance Category
Baby Baby Damien Hosken
Big Girl Pants Kerrie Garside
Black James Hampton
Blame It On The wine Renee Jonas, Marika Hallendy-Mallon, Pawit Kelly, Lucy LeBlanc
Cutting Corners Angus Brill Reed
Dance To the World Damien Hosken, Stacy Hogan
Empty Sea Matt Coleman
Fall Into Pieces David King
Falling For Your Love Damien Hosken
Frequency Anna van Riel
Galaxy Love Keiran Roberts
Gone Angus Brill Reed
Hot Chocolate Kisses Steve Montgomery
I Am Not Fine Dale Randolph
I'm Here Patricia Troisi, Michael Zammit
Just Say You're Gay Pat Deleo
La Potenza Di Ora Antonio Corea
Last Summer Steve Montgomery
Light Me Up Jemma Siles
Metro Daniel Maguire
Mixed Signals Niamh Watson
Now Or Never Elisa Kate
One Button At A Time Lola Brinton, Jen Mize, Clinton Wilson
Perfect Ricky Muscat James Leigh & Vince Leigh
Planned Accidents Never Happen Matthew Sertori
Please Don't Turn Away Elizabeth Usher
Possibilities Jade Goodge
Rise Leea Nanos, Seb Mont Holdinghausen
Safe And Sound Jazzy Dale, Robby De Sa
Shiny Eyes Pat Deleo
Sick And Tired Zoe Tracas
Something Like Love Lucy Parle
The Boy and His Beast Jade Goodge
The Future Is Now Maddison Cash, Matt Bronleewee, Jess Gates
The Moment Dene Menzel, Dene Menzel, David Small
The Old You Lavinia Tosev, Michael Delorenzis, Michael Paynter
The River Mark Hulsman
Time Machine Jacques Gentil
Truth Donna Dyson, Tyrone Noonan
Turn Over And Over Paula Punch
Twilight Highway Abbey Gardner, Natassa Costi, Chris Gabriel, Bianca Meier, Nicholas Shea
Two Weeks Celeste Kate Polson
Who Does She Think She Is Mark Crocker, Paul Tan
You Bring Me Love Chris McKimm, Kim Waddell
Country Category
A Hundred Years Too Late Melvyn Moll
Ain't No Friend Of Mine Lucy Pace
Anchored Down In Tequila Town Spencer Kelly, Stacy Hogan
Back To You Jason Greenwood, John Greenwood
Backbone Michelle Walker, Rick Nash
Bad Hair Day Roxanne Kiely, Allan Caswell
Beautiful Silence Antonio Corea,
David Carter, Myelin Carter, Tori Rae Davies, Jason Forsyth, Iona Grace, Donna Mathews
Bill Robin Levinson
Blame It On The wine Renee Jonas, Marika Hallendy-Mallon, Pawit Kelly, Lucy LeBlanc
Cheat On Me Cathy Dobson
Dancing With You Damien Hosken
Dive In Deep Samantha Mooney
Driving Hungry Nick Charles, Mick Pealing
Following My Heart Malureen Kane
Forevermore Spencer Kelly
Friend Of Mine Samantha Mooney
God Only Knows John Blok
Gypsy Girl Brendan Smoother
Hangin' In The Air Chris Murphy
Happy Anniversary To Me Sani Bolton
Hippy Cowgirl Wendy Ford
Homeward Call Michelle Walker
Honky Tonk Bar In The City Anthony Quinsee
Houlies Ukelele Robert Knox
Hours In A Day Thomas Libreri, Tessa Libreri
I Can't Stop Joseph Proia
I Saw Mumma Crying Cheryl Anderson
If You Only Knew Steve Montgomery
It's Not Quite A Ghost Town Brian Stitt
Little Country Life Melissa Robertson
Little Liar Noeleen Smith
Marking Time (Words We Never Say) Steve Montgomery
Meant To Be Souly Us, Kate Appleyard, Ben Mawdsley
Misty River Morning Jack Viljoen
My Bet's On Love Melanie Gray, Max Jackson, Gina Jeffreys
One Button At A Time Lola Brinton, Jen Mize, Clinton Wilson
Route 63 Korey Livy, Drew McAlister
Sad Love Spencer Kelly
Simple Times Michael Wilks
Somewhere That You're Meant To Be Harrison Harper
Take Me Home Damien Hosken
Texarkana Rick Hart
The Bouquet Khristian Mizzi
The Killing Season Lucille Lucille
The Last Of His Kind Cathy Dobson
The Old Ghost Road Steve Montgomery
The Thing I Like Best About You Thomas Libreri
There Ain't No Last Train Bronwyn Gordon
Travelling With You Lloyd Back
Turn The Key Brian Heywood
Valparaiso (The Stories It Could Tell) Steve Montgomery
Welcome Home Soldier Pat Deleo
Where We Stand Julie Prowse
Folk/Acoustic Category
20 Seconds Of Your Time Heath Watts
Always Be Jane Garrett
Anzac Hero Korey Livy, Will Arnold, Drew McAlister
Barry And Adrienne Kym Watling
Believing In Love Again Molly Ash
Chasing My Tail Talitha Power
Different Road Robert Cini
Every Part Of Me Donna Dyson, Damien Leith
Family Liz Tripodi
Feelings In My Pocket Anirban Banerjee
Following The Rails Ben Thomas
Getting Over You Paula Punch
Healing Lips Tony King
Hole In My Heart Jeff Gibson
Houlie's Ukelele Robert Knox
I Do Melissa Saunders
I Found You Wendy Ford, Claudia De Rossi
I'll Be With You Thomas Libreri
Is This The End? Pat Deleo
It Cost Us Everything Broni Lisle
Jealous Lucy Parle
Just Down The Hall Lola Brinton, Kevin Bennett
Later On In Life Love Marni Sheehan
Leaving The Harbour Sadie Jones, David Jack Penman
Lost Horizon Paula Punch
Love Like A River Melissa Robertson
Mandalay Steven Standing
Marking Time (Words We Never Say) Steve Montgomery
Maybe Tonight Matt Coleman
Nepean Renee Bufton
Nine Times Undergound Catherine Russell, Hugh McGinlay
Not Just A House Melvyn Moll
One-Life Stand Jon Davis
O'Reillys Lament Bernadette O'Neill
Possibilities Jade Goodge
Regrettown Fergus Maximus
Say You Want Me Lucy McKinnon
Stuff Brian Stitt
The Heavenly Brew Jeff Browne
The Last Of His Kind Cathy Dobson
The Ringer Alex Varlow
Theres Gotta Be A Better Way Luke Robinson
This War Kerrie Garside, Andrew Church
Too Young For Sorrow Louise Antonas
Torn Apart Jason Greenwood
Unbroken Susie Hurley
Valparaiso (The Stories It Could Tell) Steve Montgomery
Verandah Sadie Jones, David Jack Penman
Way Back Home Melissa Robertson
When You Lose Someone You Love Steve Montgomery
Write My Own Emma Dykes
You Belong Lavinia Tosev
Zack's Song Lucy Parle
Instrumental/World Music Category
Absent Sky (For Mum) Lee Simon
Any Colour You Like David Brinsmead
Astral Voices Jim Ottaway
Banquet On The Moon Bo Li
Beg N Borrow Keri McInerney
Carousel Rag Tom Anderson
Christmas Time Is Here (Instrumental) Damien Hosken Jack & Philip Setton
Conquest Keiran Roberts
Dancing In The Rain Ray Saunders
Drama Allan Pan
Firestorm Allan Pan
Forbidden Dance Vanessa Craven
Future 2020 Jill Riddiford
How Do I Paint You Jacques Gentil, Jean Rebeiro
I'm Alive Hana Vuko, John Hollywood
Kuragg Kbir Thomas Libreri
Minute Rag Tom Anderson
Mysterious Podcast Theme Lucie Tiger O'Connor
O Warriors! Kiran Biswa
Our Child's Eyes Raymond Clarke
Rotations Keiran Roberts
Shelly Beach Electro Andrew Lavers
Spreading Wings Of Light Manjia Luo
Streets Of Morocco Katie Hardyman, John Waters
Submarine Sri Pishey
The New Rivals Robbie Bostock
Therefore I Am Bill Canty
Turning Into Monuments Trent Jansz, Trent Jansz
Waves Lee Simon
When The Desert Flowers Bloom Peter Salata
International Category
All The Kings Are Dead Adrian Bishop
Always By Your Side Katie Hardyman, Mick Evans
Angel Is A Devil Michael McGee, Mervin Butch Paulson, Angel Pontier
Beam Me Up Scotty Michael McGee, Mervin Butch Paulson, Angel Pontier
Blame It On The Wine Renee Jonas, Marika Hallendy-Mallon,
Pawit Kelly, Lucy LeBlanc
Broken Tiffany Gow
Cosmetic Queen Michael McGee, Mervin Butch Paulson
Crawfish Shuffle Vince Guzetta
December Child Donna Dyson, Craig Allister Young
Dive In Deep Samantha Mooney
Every Part Of Me Donna Dyson, Damien Leith
Everything But Time Damien Hosken, Stacy Hogan
Feelings In My Pocket Anirban Banerjee
Galaxy Love Keiran Roberts
I Wish You Were Here Candice Bennett
I'm Leaving Now - Goodbye John Greenwood
In This Town Samantha Mooney
Is This The End? Pat Deleo
La Potenza Di Ora Antonio Corea
Longnecks, Rednecks, And Good Old Country Boys Michael McGee,
Mervin Butch Paulson, Angel Pontier
Lucky Day (feat. Christine McHoes) Jordan Spivack
My Man In Red Renee Jonas, Elizabeth Usher
Never Get Over You Tiffany Gow
Night In The City Jozsef Terek, Jozsef Terek
Not As Real Adrian Strickland
Olive Tree Kevin Taylor
Sidewalk Damien Hosken
Standing In Line John Blok
Tasal Tal Kulhadd Patricia Troisi, Michael Zammit
The Boy From Boarding School Pat Deleo
The Cat's Meow John Greenwood
There Is A Part of Me Damien Hosken
This Titanic Jacques Gentil
Tread Gently Tony Bogan, Stewart Peters
Vulnerable Guy Kevin Taylor
You Lift Me Up Anirban Banerjee
Lyrics Category
A Place called old Memories Carmelo Cacciola
A Progressives Prayer Luke Robinson
Afraid of the Dark John Walsh
All The Kings Are Dead Adrian Bishop
Angels Sing at Night Katelyn Newlands
Becoming Me John Walsh
Dark Horse Simon Berger
December Child Donna Dyson
Doctor, I Shouldn't Complain Steve Montgomery
Drought Steve Montgomery, Peter Ryan
Gentleman Angie Thornton
I Don't Know Angie Thornton
I Don't Know (A postcard from Port Douglas) Steve Montgomery
I Won't Be Back Steve Montgomery
I'd Do Anything I Could To Change Her Mind Steve Montgomery
Isn’t It A Shame Daniel Higgins, David Edwin Carter, Merelyn Ruth Carter
KicknBack Catrina McCaghern
Landward Ho - The Addiction Song Dave 'Tot' O'Brien
No Name 18 Michelle Morgan
One Day Ray Alferink
One-Life Stand Jon Davis
Oodnadatta In The Rain Raymond Smith
Postcards Cill Van Der Velden
Ruby Steve Montgomery
Salt of the Earth Jon Davis
Shooting Arrows Damien Hosken, Stacy Hogan
Song Of The Kelpies Kathleen V. McLennan, Scott Cameron
Stories Of US Daniel Higgins, David Edwin Carter
Surely There's A Price Tony Lyons
Thank You For Your Service Someone Said Robert McIntosh
The Broken Soldier Carmelo Cacciola
The Last Song Steve Montgomery
The Old Ghost Road Steve Montgomery
The Pearly Gates Bridge Lola Brinton
The Silence Denise Silk
There's No Place For A Uke On Halloween Elizabeth Usher
They Told Me This Is Africa Helen Mottee
Touched By Grace Jacques Gentil
Trust in the Universe Katelyn Newlands
Valparaiso (The Stories It Could Tell) Steve Montgomery
With Empty hands John O'Shaughnessy
Open Category
A Ring Of Roses Randall Olgers, James Higgins
All The Kings Are Dead Adrian Bishop
Always By Your Side Katie Hardyman, Mick Evans
Baby Baby Damien Hosken
Beautiful Tonight Chris Murphy
Behind The Seen Brendan Smoother
Black James Hampton
Blame It On The wine Renee Jonas, Marika Hallendy-Mallon, Pawit Kelly, Lucy LeBlanc
Breathe Kelly Hamilton
Broken Tiffany Gow
Calm Before The Storm Lucy Burke
Chasing Dreams Rhonda (Rhonnie) Tant, Darrel Beasant
Cheat On Me Cathy Dobson
Cold Bones Julia Marr
December Child Donna Dyson, Craig Allister Young
Diamonds Michelle Walker
Don Cowling Don Cowling
Don't You Try To Say Goodbye Jacques Gentil, Michael Zammit
Feelings In My Pocket Anirban Banerjee
Friend of Mine Samantha Mooney
Give Love At Christmas Anna van Riel, Kath Bee
Good News Bad News Paul Owen, Lawrie Minson, Shelley Minson
Healing Lips Tony King
Heavy Weather Marni Sheehan
Hostess With The Mostest Sue Duchesne Roxanne Kiely, Stephen Kiely
Houlie's Ukelele Robert Knox
I Don't Know (A Postcard From Port Douglas) Steve Montgomery
I'm All That You Need Jourdain Wongtrakun
I'm Leaving Now - Goodbye John Greenwood
Imagination (Take Me There) Joanna Treweek
Jackson Kate Lush
Just Down The Hall Lola Brinton, Kevin Bennett
Looking Through The Eyes Of A Child Heath Watts
Love Left Behind Stephen Kiely, John Clement, Roxanne Kiely, Lara Nakhle
Midnight Promises Steve Montgomery
No Regrets John Blok
Nostalgia Blues Steven Standing
Pistol In Her Pocket Renee Jonas
Recipe Helen Mottee
Rose Of Jericho Neil Davies, Neil Davies
Second Thoughts Steven Standing
Slice Of Heaven Thomas Libreri
So Cruel Skii Harvey
Some People Aren't What They Seem Tony Bogan, Stewart Peters
Spider Jason Maynard
Stardust Abbey Gardner,
Natassa Costi, Chris Gabriel, Bianca Meier, Nicholas Shea
Sunny Side Of The Hill Julie Prowse
The Boy And The Candyman Mark Hulsman
The Last Of His Kind Cathy Dobson
Ukulele Boogie Woogie Elizabeth Usher
Valparaiso (The Stories It Could Tell) Steve Montgomery
Vitruvian Man Ben Ford-Davies, Nigel Grummet, Ronnie Taheny
We Don't Wanna Work No More Antonio Corea
Welcome Home Soldier Pat Deleo
When It All Comes Down To Love Jacques Gentil
When You're In Love With Another Girl's Guy Steve Montgomery
Zack's Song Lucy Parle
Rock/Indie Category
A Good Day Paula Standing
Better Than High Sani Bolton
Borrowed Time (The War Of The Rodents) Steve Montgomery
Burn And Die Skii Harvey
Changing Pictures Thomas Libreri, Tessa Libreri
Cheat On Me Cathy Dobson
Colour Thief Darren Jaynoy
Crucified By Tears Stephen Kiely
Don't Rock The Boat Stephen Kermode
Driving Hungry Nick Charles, Mick Pealing
Dry River Bed Cathy Dobson
Dyin' To Live David Hinds, Lyn Hinds
Full Moon Rising Paula Punch
Gypsy Girl Brendan Smoother
I Said No To The Drugs Esme Macdonald
I'm Gone Daniel Maguire
Last Man Standing Matt Coleman
Letting Go John Blok
Little Rebellion Steven Standing
Misery Matthew Sertori, Matthew Tighe
Moving Like A Candle In The Wind Damien Hosken, Stacy Hogan
Never Get Over You Tiffany Gow
No Fear Tiffany Gow
Numb Tiffany Gow
Porcelain Soul Casey Newbold-Kerr, Joel Marmion
Remind Me Of You Emma Gekas
Ride With Me Richard Lynam
Rollin' My Blues Away Jacques Gentil
Shooting Arrows Damien Hosken, Stacy Hogan
Silvia Kelly Hamilton
Talk Me Around Euan Mitchell
The Old You Lavinia Tosev, Michael Delorenzis, Michael Paynter
The Owl Peter Greenland, Glenn Keating, Phil Luces
The Time Has Come Dave 'Tot' O'Brien
Trouble Maker Lucie Tiger O'Connor
Truth Donna Dyson, Tyrone Noonan
Walk All Over Me Lucy McKinnon
Walking Out The Door Adrienne Morgan
Waves David Hinds, Lyn Hinds
We Don't Wanna Work No More Antonio Corea
When We Say Goodbye Korey Livy, Brendan Livy
Who's Been Sleeping In My Bed Mark Crocker, Paul Tan, Kelly Woodhams
Wild Wildflower Melissa Robertson
Winds Elizabeth Usher, Shaun Black, Tauese Tofa, Jessie Wilson
You Lift Me Up Anirban Banerjee
Songs For Children Category
Christmas Time Is Here Damien Hosken
Dinosaur Stomp Stacy-Ann Tierney
Don't Be Bossy, Bobby Stephen Kiely, Roxanne Kiely
G String Lloyd Back
Gifts For Santa Donna Dyson, Craig Allister Young
Goodnight Donna Dyson
Heaven In You Damien Hosken
How Do You Feel Today? Dez Staunton, Vanessa Staunton
I'm A Pteranodon Stacy-Ann Tierney
I'm Just A Vegetable Paul Vella
It's Breakfast Time Kevin Mahoney, Kevin Mahoney
Let's Step Back in Time Stacy-Ann Tierney
Make A Scary Face Donna Dyson, Craig Allister Young
My 26 BFF's Stephen Kiely, Roxanne Kiely
Newly Truly Stephen Kiely, Roxanne Kiely
Nigel Alex Varlow
Official Protectors Of The Planet Keren Godfrey
Potatoes Yo! Kerrie Garside, Mary Harrison
Roar Like A Tyrannosaur Stacy-Ann Tierney
Say Hello Koala Bear Heath Watts
So In Love Luci Tonner
Stinky Toad John Greenwood
Talkative Tess Stephen Kiely, Roxanne Kiely
The Best Time Of The Year Robin Levinson
The Dinosaur Dance Stacy-Ann Tierney
The Dodo Walk Nicholas Beauman
The Santa Claus Song Damien Hosken
There Are Times Dez Staunton, Vanessa Staunton
Three Tomcats Lawrence Goodwin
Throw Out The Grain Anna van Riel
Trees In Our Town Catherine Russell
Ukulele Boogie Woogie Elizabeth Usher
Wacky Families Dez Staunton, Vanessa Staunton
Welcome To Nix And Nax Stephen Kiely, Roxanne Kiely
Who, What, Where, When, How And Why Stephen Kiely, Roxanne Kiely
Spiritual Category
Number One City Of Angels Carlos Guerreiro
A Universal Prayer Andrew Lavers
Angel Melissa Robertson
Big Girl Pants Kerrie Garside
Blinded Mind (Bartimaeus' Song) Jacques Gentil
Boxes Helen Mottee
Dreaming Thomas Libreri
Empty Sea Matt Coleman
Healing Lips Tony King
Heaven Hold You Matt Coleman
Hole In His Heart Pat Deleo
How Wonderful is Your Love Olivia Corish
I Wasn't Meant To Melissa Robertson
I Will Love Him Hana Vuko, John Hollywood
I'm Coming Home Korey Livy
In Your Loving Arms Melissa Robertson
It's Ok To Not Be Ok Shirley Lynn, Alan Roy Scott
Keepers Of The Faith (Owed To George Pell) Steve Montgomery
Life Goes On Tony Bogan, Stewart Peters
Lift Your Hands Liz Tripodi, Abbey Slattery
People Need To Know (Acapella) Jacques Gentil
Promised Land Damien Hosken
Shine Your Light (Song For Tom) Rick Hart
Shiny Eyes Pat Deleo
Suddenly Thomas Libreri, C & Tessa Libreri
Surrender Liesl OHalloran
That's How Heaven Works Jacques Gentil, Lloyd M Clarke
The Boy From Boarding School Pat Deleo
The One Tiffany Gow
The Touch Of Your Wings Samantha Mooney
Till My Love Is Gone Jacques Gentil
Time Steve Montgomery
Two Dogs Melissa Saunders
When I Fall Cill Van Der Velden, Alita Fahey
When It All Comes Down To Love Jacques Gentil
When Loved Ones Are Near Kylie Adams-Collier
When That Old Rock Above Me Rolls Jacques Gentil
When You Lose Someone You Love Steve Montgomery
Where There's Light Anthony Frizzell
You Can Run Anthony Frizzell
Youth Category
Alive Larissa Lock, Will Edwards, Josh Rogers
All Or Nothing Delta Charlesworth
Apocolyptic Jaidyn Edwards
Be You ANGUS Brill Reed
Bed Of Roses Demie Bagnato
Better Place Jazzy Dale
Broken Road Lavinia Tosev
Fall Into Fears Lyla Digrazia
Fire In Freo Prison Tex Holmes
Gone Angus Brill Reed
Ground Up Jessica Newton, Emanuele Mamo
If Looks Could Kill Delta Charlesworth
I'm Alright Jayda D'Agostino
Instinct Angelica Del Bono, Emanuele Mamo
Invisible Hayley Hughes
Mixed Signals Niamh Watson
Never Change Faye Nikakis
No Time Georgia Elizabeth, Emanuele Mamo
Nth Degree Angus Brill Reed
Outta My Mind (For Love) Dennis Comino
Rise Leea Nanos, Seb Mont Holdinghausen
Small Stuff ANGUS Brill Reed
So Beautiful Zoe Tracas
So Over You Chelsea McGarry, Chelsea McGarry
Some Place Better Bianca Schembri
Something Like Love Lucy Parle
Take Me Back Jade Reaburn
Talking To Our Memories James Newell
Tattoo Jaidyn Edwards
Thinking Of You Jessica Pocev
Three Sixty Lavinia Tosev, Bianca Schembri
Too Much To Pray Hannah Dun
Two Dimensions Demie Bagnato
Unbreakable Mikayla Abdo
Won't Bring Me Down Demie Bagnato, Isabelle De Agostino, Carla Nisbet
You Belong Lavinia Tosev
Zack's Song Lucy Parle
Jemma Siles: 2018 Winner Of The Contemporary Pop/Dance Category
Jemma Siles was the winner of the 2018 Contemporary Pop/Dance category with
her song D.A.M.N.
ASA: Welcome Jemma! Can you tell us about your winning song?
Jemma: The title D A M N is a hook. What it stands for is “Don’t Approach Me Now”.
I tried to do a break up song in a very different fashion, rather than the standard “I’m never going to see you again, I hate you, or its I miss you I love you and I’m
crying all the time.” Whereas I tried to say in the song that yes, I still love you, but
it’s going to take time to work through this in my own way and just let me be me.
ASA: That song was a single release for you wasn’t it? How was it received?
Jemma: Good, I think. I got a lot of feedback.
ASA: You also have been doing some touring is that right?
Jemma: Yes, I am from Melbourne, so I perform there. I have been to Sydney,
Perth and Brisbane.
ASA: Where did you perform in those cities?
Jemma: At all different venues. It was fun and exciting.
ASA: Do you have a band or are you a solo performer?
Jemma: I am a solo performer.
ASA: What is your instrument of choice?
Jemma: My voice, I guess. When I write, I use a keyboard. I use my voice and I use
a little recorder and a mic and that’s it.
ASA: How do you come up with the ideas for your songs and what order do you
write them? Is melody first or lyrics first?
Jemma: It’s different every time with this song it was personal experience, I was
feeling hurt and I wrote it literally in two minutes, I wrote the chorus then the verse.
Unless I am in a writing mood, I rarely write a whole song all at once. I might leave it and start on another song. I might write a whole bunch and then I’ll pick which one
is my favourite and then I’ll finish it.
I find by not writing the songs all at once and going back to it can often have the
song going in another direction and emotions may have progressed to a new outlook than when you first started it.
ASA: What other songs do you have in the mix at the moment?
Jemma: I don’t have any out, but I did perform a couple of unreleased songs on
tour and got some good feedback on them.
ASA: How do audiences react to your original songs versus covers?
Jemma: People usually prefer covers because they like the song and they can sing
along. But I have actually got a lot of good feedback from people that can relate to
what I am singing about, and that means a lot to me.
There is a line in one of my songs that says “have you ever been hurt or broken by
somebody close” and when I was performing it, somebody nodded, and my heart
skipped. It was such a good feeling.
ASA: Isn’t it nice when you touch somebody.
Jemma: Yes, it does and that’s why I do this.
ASA: Looking to the future, you are young and you were accomplished enough as a
songwriter to win your category, where do you see yourself going?
Jemma: I think most people would have the same answer on that, but I would love to do international tours and become Top 100 in the pop charts or something like
that, but it’s not an easy industry.
It would be amazing to achieve all I hope for, but ff not, I love performing for the
fans and I love touring, so I will be happy just to keep doing what I am doing.
ASA: All the best for you career Jemma.
Jemma: Thank you for having me.
Wax Lyrical Roundup
ASA Mid North Coast NSW, 28 July 2019, Conservatorium Port Macquarie
ASA Perth WA, 19 September 2019, Perth WA
ASA Gippsland VIC, 25 July 2019, Flanagans Irish Bar, Traralgon VIC
ASA Melbourne VIC, 30 July 2019, Sound System Studios Bar, Sunbury VIC.
ASA Central Coast NSW, 19 August 2019, Magenta Shores Resort
ASA Northern Rivers NSW, 18 July 2019, East Lismore Bowling Club
ASA Sunshine Coast QLD, 30 July 2019, Sweethearts Café Eudlo QLD
ASA Yarra Valley VIC, 19 Sept 2019, Cunningham’s Hotel, Yarra Junction
ASA Sunshine Coast QLD, 23 August 2019, Sweethearts Café Eudlo QLD
ASA Canberra ACT, 21 July 2019, Boardwalk Bar Belconnen ACT
ASA Newcastle NSW, 9 September 2019, Carrington Bowling Club
ASA Canberra ACT, 18 August 2019, Boardwalk Bar Belconnen ACT
ASA Gippsland VIC, 25 July 2019, Flanagans Irish Bar, Traralgon VIC
ASA Cairns QLD, 12 September 2019, Elixir Music Bar
ASA Newcastle NSW, 12 August 2019, Carrington Bowling Club
ASA Cairns QLD, 8 August 2019, Elixir Music Bar Cairns QLD
ASA Melbourne VIC, 13 Aug 2019, Sound System Studios Bar, Sunbury VIC
ASA Melbourne VIC, 4 Sept 2019, Sound System Studios Bar, Sunbury VIC
ASA Melbourne VIC, 28 Aug 2019, Sound System Studios Bar, Sunbury VIC
2019 Inductees Into The Australian Songwriters Hall Of Fame: Greedy
Smith And Martin Plaza of The Mentals
We’re very pleased to announce that the 2019 inductees into The Australian
Songwriters Hall of Fame will be Martin Plaza and Greedy Smith from the iconic
band, The Mentals (Mental As Anything).
The Mentals have kept us entertained since 1976 with their well-crafted melodies and lyrics, with songs such as The Nips Are Getting Bigger and If You Leave Me, Can
I Come Too, Live It Up and Too Many Times.
The bands ironic, satirical and self-deprecating sense of humour, along with its cleverly composed music, captured Australia’s good time image perfectly, making
them one of Australia’s most popular bands. Put simply they make us smile,
providing us with songs we can sing along to, and recognisable melodies that make
us tap our toes.
The band formed in Sydney in 1976, initially playing to students at parties, pubs and
Uni dances, when they caught the attention of new independent Regular Records.
The band's most popular line-up (which lasted from 1977 to 1999) was Martin Plaza
(Martin Murphy) (vocals and guitar), Reg Mombassa (Chris O'Doherty) (lead guitar
and vocals), his brother Peter 'Yoga Dog' O'Doherty (bass guitar and vocals), Wayne
de Lisle (David Twohill) (drums) and Andrew 'Greedy' Smith (vocals, keyboards and
harmonica).
They were first billed as Mental as Anything on 14 May 1976, after some early party
appearances without a name.
The Band’s current line up Martin Plaza (lead vocals, guitar), Greedy Smith (lead
vocals, keyboards, harmonica), Jacob Cook (drums), Martin Cilia (guitar, vocals) and
James Gillard (bass).
All of the early members were visual artists and have had combined studio displays, some have had solo studio displays with Mombassa's artwork also used as designs
by the Mambo clothing company, the majority of the group's record covers, posters
and video clips have been designed and created by the band members or their art
school contemporaries.
The group's art school background and visual design skills also made them pioneers
of the music video form in Australia in the late 1970s and early 1980s, and their
videos rank as some of the funniest and most imaginative produced in Australia at that time.
The Mentals “as they are affectionately known” have had a long & varied career in
music, which has not been without its trials & tragedy but like true musicians they are still out there creating great music & importantly still making us smile. They have
to be doing something right to endure this long in our affection.
On 27 August 2009, Mental as Anything was inducted into the Australian Recording
Industry Association (ARIA) Hall of Fame.
On the 30th October 2019, Glenn A Baker will induct the group’s songwriters, Martin
Plaza and Greedy Smith into The Australian Songwriters Hall of Fame.
ASA Member Interview: Andrew Cavanagh
Thanks to ASA Regional Co-Ordinator for Cairns QLD, Julia Starr, for this Interview
with ASA Member, Andrew Cavanaugh.
I recently interviewed ASA Member, Andrew Cavanagh, a local Cairn's songwriter, and asked him about his recent and ongoing success with his number 1 country
charts hit, Only in Australia, released by popular artist, Benn Gunn. Living in the Far
North of Australia, born and bred in tropical Queensland, continues to inspire this
driven and dedicated craftsman of the sung word.
Andrew has supported the ASA Cairns Wax Lyrical since its inception in 2017 and is
the first one to offer advice to new, upcoming songwriters at the popular Elixir Music
Bar, on the second Thursday of the month.
What I like about Andrew is his ability to deliver original songs which speak about
Australian life and the people who live in our country. This is Andrew's trademark
style and his ability to create commercially popular songs, which continue to be
played on national radio stations, is outstanding.
Andrew explained his purpose and motivations around songwriting. "Firstly,
everything I do around writing songs is aimed at a commercial market. My mission is
based around getting a song played on the radio or to move an audience in a live show."
Andrew Cavanagh is possibly the most serious, focused songwriter I've met in the thirty years I've written, performed and recorded. He is absolutely hell-bent on
honing and perfecting his craft and has enjoyed the platform that Wax Lyrical
provides to present his new songs, get feedback and share ideas with other writers.
The Wax Lyrical event in Cairns now has over 74 members on Facebook and is
growing every month. Another advantage for Andrew is the generosity of other
players who help each other, at times providing a backing guitar or bass, perhaps, to
his instrument of choice, a Nord keyboard.
After all, why write songs if there is a limited platform to actually perform them? As
songwriters, we know, songs have to be played live, to allow them to breathe, be
heard and be developed into something wonderful which (hopefully) ends up in a recording studio and released on national radio.
Fortunately for Andrew, his songs are being noticed, recorded and released by artists
like Benn Gunn.
"There are many people who write songs just for their own fulfilment and there's
magic in that" he says. "If you're doing that, just ignore anything I say about
commercial song writing and keep doing your own thing."
If the boot fits, I guess so. Though with all the opportunities now online for songs to
be released, used in films, advertisements, international radio syndicates and played
live to gain annual live performance returns via APRA/AMCOS, I wonder if Andrew is
wearing his own opportunities thin in the commercial market by only having his songs recorded to be played on a radio station.
Most of the country radio stations in Australia who fervently support our songwriters
and artists are supported by community radio stations, run by brilliant, dedicated
volunteers, true, but after working for years at one myself, the transference of annual APRA reporting can at times be overlooked, particularly if the majority of
programs in some stations (not all) who appear to be supporting international
artists.
As an artist who has recorded four albums and released songs which have charted,
in my opinion, there's not a lot of return for the songwriter for a number-one hit, if
you consider the time spent writing the song, getting it placed and recorded at a
professional studio, marketing the song, promoting the song, touring the album and paying for its distribution.
Next, Andrew talked about his song-writing success: "Writing songs at a professional
level is a long apprenticeship. I eventually worked out that it's nearly impossible to develop your skills unless you take advice from mentor songwriters who have written
hits and I have a lot more experience than some songwriters have."
He continued to say, "As songwriters, it's human nature for us to think the songs
we've put so much emotional energy into are great and hope that these songs are hits, but that mindset can work against you in a huge way. It's much more important
to focus on developing your song writing skills instead of being obsessed with the
songs you've already written."
I get where his is coming from.
It's important to craft any song to be the best that it can be and
here is where Andrew gets quite
technical about his songcraft.
"The songs you will write after
learning from professionals for 3
or 4 years will likely eclipse
anything you might have written in the past.
I learned from many hit-
songwriters who were kind enough to share their knowledge
with me and there are common
elements in the songs radio likes to play. There are also piles of reasons why radio
stations and DJ's won't play a song."
Next, Andrew shared his secret which has propelled his career as an up and coming,
successful song maker.
"There were two key tips I've heard over and over again: write up-tempo and write for the live show. That's really true."
Andrew believes that if we only write ballads, we will never develop skills in writing
up-tempo songs.
"That's a problem, because radio stations, especially commercial radio stations, play
a huge percentage of up-tempo songs."
He continued to say that "The bigger the station's audience, the less ballads are played." Andrew believes that "releasing great, up-tempo songs is essential if an
artist wants the radio air play that gives them the exposure they need to reach that
larger audience."
It's an interesting analogy. Especially as we now have unlimited online radio stations,
internationally, which market their brand as easy-listening and target at the
increasingly ageing population, who don't mind a good ballad, a tissue and a memory
recalled.
Andrew gave up writing ballads.
"Once I understood that radio stations want up-tempo songs, I didn't write ballads for two years. These days, I might write two ballads a year and it has to be a real
killer for me to finish it."
Andrew has been lucky to meet some very successful, inspiring artists during his
song-writing journey.
"I once asked Beccy Cole what kind of songs she'd be most likely to consider
recording from an outside songwriter. She gave it a lot of thought and said "the
hardest song to get is a great, up-tempo song." I told her I only write up-tempo
songs and she said, "You're going to get a lot of cuts, then."
In her infinite, wonderful wisdom, Beccy was right.
Andrew co-wrote every song on Benn Gunn's Only in Australia
album. With five singles released
from that, so far three of those
songs have charted, with the title track, Only in Australia, reaching
number one and this track has
broken a record for the longest
run in the current country singles chart.
Other tracks include We Can Be
Mates, I Got The Boat, We're
From New South Wales and I'm a Queenslander. All are
memorable, catchy, up-tempo
songs.
"My advice to any songwriter or
artist is to write more up-tempo
songs. It's the best advice you can
give to write successfully and get hits," he said.
(Let's hope no one tells Coldplay, Sam Smith or Tom Walker...)
As Regional Co-Ordinator for Cairns, the support and recognition from the ASA has
truly inspired our local songwriters and Wax Lyrical continues to provide the first-step platform for songwriters to gather, share ideas, get much-needed feedback
from professional, successful songwriters.
But more importantly, it serves to provide kindness and support to build a community of united, talented composers to produce new works in any genre, style,
tempo and for whatever purpose the song has been written, whether it is for a
commercial release, which Andrew passionately aims for, or for a film, a live show, a
theatre production or even a cabaret.
Let's just keep writing, growing and making great songs for everyone.
Thanks to Julia Starr, Australian Songwriters Association Regional Co-Ordinator for Cairns QLD, for this article on Andrew.
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Stephen Kiely And Roxanne Kiely: 2018 Winners Of The Songs For
Children Category
Stephen Kiely and Roxanne Kiely with young Skye, who was the performer
of the winning song, at the 2018 National Songwriting Awards
ASA: Roxanne Kiely & Stephen Kiely were winners of the Songs for Children
Category with their song, Sometimes a Friend. Welcome again to both of you, you
were a winner last year and are back to win again in 2018 with one of their Busy Izzy songs.
Stephen: We feel very fortunate to be here again.
ASA: Can you tell us about your song?
Stephen: After last year’s song which was a very tempo driven happy and upbeat
song, we wanted to write a song that had a little bit of depth to it, this song was a
real co-write song. I sat at the piano and started to play a melody and came up with this idea that sometimes a friend is all you need to be, so it was a nice turn
around, because while we do need friends we also need to be a friend.
When we started to record it, we bought our granddaughter Skye in to sing it, and she just did a fantastic job vocally for an eight year old and at the time she didn’t
have her front teeth so she had that beautiful child sound.
Roxanne: Skye has a lot of empathy, so she really felt the song.
Because Buzzy Izzy is all about
empowering her friend, the whole series is all about friendship fun and
healthy food, Izzy likes to empower
her friends and it’s all about being
inclusive and not exclusive to all her friends regardless of all their different
personalities and no matter what goes
wrong in their life.
We also now have a stage show based
on the series featuring all the Busy
Izzy regular characters
ASA: That’s exciting! Tell us about
that.
Stephen: Well we took snippets of
stories from the three books and we incorporated them with one of the
twenty songs we have written, so we
have highs and lows going on with the
kids within the show giving you an overall story.
The things we like to promote with
the series are things that parents tend to be concerned about these
days; such as time spent digital
devices and getting kids outside and interested in the sort of things we grew up
doing as kids minus electronic devices.
In saying that with a little irony maybe, the songs will be available on Spotify and
the books available on Kindle and are available from Busy Izzy.com all with parents’
permission of course.
Roxanne: We also have two schools that have included the Busy Izzy books along
with the songs as part of their curriculum which is very exciting for us, and because
the books promote healthy no sugar foods and sends a positive message to kids that
they can still have fun without having devices and also what the true meaning of friendship is all about, all done in fun stories and songs that kids can relate to.
Stephen: The ASA has really been a springboard for us and winning the awards has
really helped the whole product so much, we are so grateful.
ASA: It’s always our pleasure to acknowledge good songwriting, continued good luck
with all that you are doing.
Sponsors Profiles:
1. Major Sponsor: Wests Ashfield Leagues Club
Thanks to major sponsor, the Wests Ashfield Club.
A premier entertainment and dining venue, and home of Wests Tigers and Wests
Magpies Rugby League teams, Wests Ashfield is an excellent place to visit in
Sydney’s inner west.
Not only supporting a host of local sporting and youth-related activities, the Club lifts
itself above the rest by also being a “Patron of the Arts”, as demonstrated by its incredible ongoing sponsorship of the ASA.
All music lovers are encouraged to return the favour by becoming members of Wests
Ashfield and, at very least, indulging yourself by enjoying some of the culinary
delights the Club has on offer.
The Club is located in Sydney’s inner west, at 115 Liverpool Road Ashfield, and
provides great dining restaurants, great coffee, and regular community activities for
members and friends. Check out the website at www.westsashfield.com.au.
Join the Club for Melbourne Cup in The Lounge.
2. Major Sponsor: APRA AMCOS
APRA AMCOS is a major sponsor of the ASA, and
provides generous support,
including prize money of
$3,000 annually to the APRA/ASA Songwriter of the
Year, which last year, was
Anirban Banerjee.
The ASA would like to thank
APRA AMCOS for its continuing
support, to assist make ASA
activities, such as the Australian Songwriting Contest
and the National Songwriting
Awards possible each year.
The ASA is a not-for-profit organization, and relies on the support of its generous
sponsors, its members and its other fundraising activities.
If you write music, you should become a member of APRA AMCOS. It’s free to join, and once you do, APRA AMCOS can help you make money from your music. Become
part of a collective community of 100,000 songwriters!
APRA AMCOS announces 2019 Professional Development Awards Winners
Congratulations to the 2019
winners of the APRA AMCOC
PDAs.
Held every two years,
the PDAs exist to support
emerging songwriters and
composers across a variety of genres and categories by
providing a cash award and
recognition at a pivotal stage
in their respective career.
The winners for the 2019 APRA PDAs:
Angie McMahon – Popular Contemporary
Ecca Vandal – Popular Contemporary
Mojo Juju – Popular Contemporary
Deline Briscoe – Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
Amanda Cole – Art Music
Imogen Clark - Country
Beatrice Lewis – Dance/Electronic
Pru Montin – Film and Television
Niran Dasika – Jazz
3. MasterWriter
MasterWriter is the most powerful suite of
songwriting tools ever assembled in one program. It is
the #1 bestselling software for songwriters and is used
by some of the most successful songwriters in the business.
Its vast array of reference dictionaries, songwriting
tools, and organizational features make it an essential software for every songwriter. In a profession where
good is rarely good enough, MasterWriter will help you
to consistently create the exceptional.
For more information, go to www.masterwriter.com.
4. Songuard
A songwriter’s worst nightmare would be
to wake up and hear a hit by someone else
using their melody or lyric and claiming it
as their own. Don’t let this happen to you.
The essential evidence in the event of an
infringement is proving the date of creation. Registering your song with Songuard
gives you proof of the date of creation in the same way a US Copyright does, for a fraction of the cost. The cost to register your song with Songuard is only $3.95.
For more information, go to www.songuard.com.
5. Sydney Theatre Company
Sydney Theatre Company (STC) has
been a major force in Australian drama
since its establishment in 1978. The
Company presents an annual season of
diverse productions at its own venues at
The Wharf and nearby Roslyn Packer
Theatre at Walsh Bay, and as the
resident theatre company of the Sydney Opera House. The current Artistic Director is
Kip Williams, who was appointed in 2016.
STC offers audiences an eclectic program of Australian plays, interpretations of the
classic repertoire and the best of new international writing. It seeks to produce theatre of the highest standard that consistently illuminates, entertains and
challenges. It is committed to the engagement between the imagination of its artists
and its audiences and the development of the theatrical art-form.
Go to www. For more information.
6. Taronga Western Plains Zoo Dubbo
Taronga Western Plains Zoo, formerly known
as (and still commonly referred to as) Western
Plains Zoo and commonly known as Dubbo Zoo,
is a large zoo near Dubbo, New South Wales.
The zoo is run by the Taronga Conservation Society (formerly Zoological Parks Board of New
South Wales), along with Taronga Zoo Sydney.
Western Plains Zoo is located on the Newell
Highway in west Dubbo about 4 km from the city.
For further information, go https://taronga.org.au/dubbo-zoo.
7. The Code
Katcha Live Studio has been operating for ten years in the Sydney suburb of West Ryde,
since 2009. It is run by husband and wife
team, Cha Samaraweera and Kat Ferguson.
“We opened and dedicated to teach for one reason and one reason only: "To get you
performing live. Whether it’s in front of your
family, friends or other audiences we want to
see you perform in confidence. The bottom line is to be able to perform in front of many with
confidence and entertainment skills. It does
not matter how old or young you are, you
need to be able to do this if you want to learn an instrument.”
For more information, go to www.katchamusic.com.
8. Vagabond Cruises
With over three decades experience, Vagabond Cruises is one of Sydney
Harbour's longest established cruise
companies!
“As a family run business, we deliver a wide range of convenient and all-inclusive
packages including live entertainment lunch
and dinner cruises, private functions for any
personal or formal occasion such as weddings, receptions, corporate events, harbour transfers, school formals, university parties
and formals, birthdays, hens and bucks parties and much, much more!”
Further information may be found on www.vagabond.com.au.
9. PaintballBookingOffice.Com
Love paintball? Then look no further than Paintball Booking Office.
Paintball Booking Office is an international organization for paint ballers, with 22
locations around Australia.
For further information, go to www.paintballbookingoffice.com.
10. Loving Earth
Loving Earth is a well-established
Australian producer of raw and organic
food with a strong focus on chocolate.
Great care is taken with ingredient
sourcing. Their cacao (which is used to
make their chocolate and their cacao powder) is sourced directly from the growers in
the Ashaninka community in Peru, where cacao originated. It is this direct trade and
ensures the ethics behind the ingredients in a market where fair trade comes heavily
in to play.
For more information, go to www.lovingearth.net.
11. James North Productions, Brisbane QLD
James North is an award-winning
Australian musician, producer,
recording and mix engineer who works with local, national and international
acts in his boutique studio environment
in Brisbane.
James also contributes to recordings
when required as a session grade
guitarist, bass player, piano/keyboard
player and drummer. He is also a
professional songwriter, arranger and composer and these skills are used daily in the production process.
For further information, visit www.jamesnorthproductions.com.au.
12. Magesongs
Magesongs School of Songwriting
has mentored over a thousand
songwriters since 2002 some of whom
have achieved various successes and opportunities, staffing for record labels,
APRA, signed to labels, music
publishers, while others forming
successful bands enjoying a solo performing career.
Many of Magesongs students have made the top 10 finalists at the ASA Awards,
some have been first prizes winners, and three (3) of them have taken home the
prestigious APRA/ASA Songwriter of the Year Award besides Jacques Gentil himself,
their mentor.
Jacques has run workshops around major Australian cities mentoring thousands of
songwriters as well as via his Magesongs live web-conferencing portal. His
songwriting philosophy is based on applying the tools and techniques that’s proven
to have worked for successful songwriters over the past decades. With an eye and
ear for detail, Jacques knows what can make or break a song. His own songwriting talent has given him the opportunity to collaborate with hit songwriters such as Joe
Dolce, Grammy award winners Diane Warren and Joey Kibble (Take 6) amongst
others.
His webinar classes of 20 sessions cover both the songwriting and business aspect of a songwriter’s career, including homework while writing one song throughout the
entire course under Jacques guidance, to finally be produced in studio. If your song
has never brought you any success, why not also join the ranks of Magesongs
achievers and make a difference.
New live webinar classes starting soon.
Book now: 0417 585 767 [email protected]
Website: www.magesongs.com
P.O. Box 239, Hampton Park, VIC, 3976, Australia
13. Maton Guitars
Maton has been a premier Australian musical
instrument maker since 1946.
Maton manufactures acoustic guitars, electric
guitars, ukuleles and accessories. All Maton
instruments are hand crafted in Australia from
sustainably sourced Australian timbers.
Maton is a sponsor of the ASA, and each year,
it presents one of its beautiful acoustic guitars
as the prize for the winner of the Rudy Brandsma Award For Songwriting Excellence.
For more information: www.maton.com.au.
14. Vocal Art Studios
Established in 2003, VAS is Australia's
Award Singing & Music School and the only
Australian Partners of The Institute of
Contemporary Music Performance in Europe
as well as the leading trainers and exam
centre for Rockschool in Australia.
All Levels and Ages from Beginners to Professionals; Children, Teens and Adults.
For more information: www.vocalartstudios.com.
15. Griffith University Queensland Conservatorium
Queensland Conservatorium is one of Australia’s leading music and performing arts
schools, offering a wide variety of specialist degrees, from classical music, jazz,
opera, popular music to musical theatre, acting and music education.
Study music and performing arts at Griffith, and you’ll learn in an environment that
will enable you to flourish. Our award-winning teachers are dedicated to producing
polished music professionals of the highest calibre. Relevant, cutting-edge courses
allow students to tailor their studies to suit their interests and aspirations.
Contact the University at www.griffith.edu.au.
16. Kix Country
If you’re a country music fan, The KIX
Country radio network is the one for you.
Broadcasting throughout Regional Australia,
KIX gives you an exceptional music choice
that you can listen to at work, at home, or
heading down the highway. So, keep it
country and turn on to KIX.
For more information, go to www.kixcountry.com.au.
17. Hal Leonard Australia
Hal Leonard Australia is part of the Hal
Leonard Corporation, which is known
internationally as the world leader in the
print music industry. Hal Leonard sells some
of the best-known music from some of the
best known Australian and International
artists. www.halleonard.com.au.
18. QMusic
QMusic is Queensland's music industry
development association and has been
transforming music industry careers since
1995.
Best known internationally for our signature event, BIGSOUND, QMusic also offers an extensive and free professional development program throughout Queensland,
and a grants program funded by Arts Queensland.
QMusic also stages the annual Queensland Music Awards to celebrate everything that makes Queensland music great. QMusic works closely with government at all
levels, to ensure a thriving Australian music industry, and sustains partnerships with
corporate and philanthropic partners who want to support the future of Australian
music.
19. Christian Fox Accountants
Christian Fox Accountants undertake all
types of accountancy work, including
Income Tax Return preparation.
They are located at 8 Ingleburn Road
Ingleburn NSW 2565 and can be contacted
on (02) 9829 3111.
So, if you need assistance with accounting,
please contact Christian Fox Accountants.
www.
20. Ashton
Ashton musical instruments are designed in
Australia for Australian musicians.
Products include acoustic guitars, classical
guitars, electric guitars, drums, ukuleles
and accessories.
With over twenty years of experience,
Ashton’s aim is to design reliable, quality
equipment at affordable prices, in
conjunction with industry experts.
For further information go to the web site:
www.ashtonmusic.com.
21. Black Pearl Studios
Black Pearl Studios offers its clients a truly unique recording experience in a
state-of-the-art environment. The studio
was designed with the help of world-class
theoretical acousticians and environmental sound specialists and constructed in
Melbourne by qualified Victorian builders.
The project was completed in January 2012,
and since has steadily carved a reputation as a studio of the highest calibre, with a
gear list that would attract the envy of the
famous Abby Road.
The fully equipped turnkey recording studio boasts two large acoustically designed
studio rooms, providing clients with an exceptional creative space and a chance to
record with an unrivalled collection of top quality gear. The services available include
live recording, mixing and production, with access to on-site services including the
legendary Black Pearl mobile studio van.
Black Pearl Studios
9/21 Capella Crescent, Moorabbin, VIC, 3189
Contact: (03) 9939 7209; 0417 356 026 Website: www.blackpearlstudios.com.au
22. Rhythms Magazine
Rhythms Magazine is Australia’s only
national roots music magazine.
Established in 1992, Rhythms Magazine has
been reporting on all things blues and roots
for 27 years, making it one of Australia’s
longest running music publications.
Rhythms covers Blues, Rock, Americana,
Folk, Country, soul, R&B, jazz and world
music - and most points in between.
Each edition features in depth interviews,
and contributions by artists as well as
boasting some of the best music writers in
the world.
For more information, go to the website
awww.rhythms.com.au.
Francesca De Valence’s Monthly Songwriting Blog
Dear Songwriter Who Doesn't Have Time,
You are the songwriter that I meet the most. I meet you at networking or professional development events or you ‘like’ my #wildestcreativedreams posts on social media and
perhaps you share a little about how you really want be writing songs and playing your
songs and recording and releasing your songs - but you don’t have the time. You start your
comment with: “I wish I had the time to…” or “When I have the time to…”
That knowing and acknowledgement of the real limitation of time is frustrating and feels
like a dead end. You know you can’t make more time magically appear. And you know
you’re not improving in your songwriting, cause how can you when you’re not doing
anything? And that half-written album just sits there, unfinished.
So instead you dream about all the things you will do when you have more time - when the
kids leave home, or when you can afford to work less hours or when you retire. Because
then you’ll have all the time.
Or will you?
Let’s look at the facts. There are 168 hours per week and everyone has the same amount
of hours, right? And in that time you need to fit in all your responsibilities. But you also need to fit into that time everything that you want for your life, like the things that you
desire and dream about.
On your list of priorities, how high on your list are these desires? If you want your dreams to be a reality, they need to come somewhere very closely after family, health and making
money. And if it’s not, ask yourself why it’s not.
I work with hundreds and hundreds of songwriters - in coaching, workshops, mentoring or my I Heart Songwriting Club group - and time is what people say is there biggest struggle.
And here’s a big reality check, unless you carve out time for the life you want to live, you
literally won’t be living it - ever!
But you can choose now to start getting on a path to living the life you want. And you can
do that with just 1 hour per week to start. But that’s up to you to carve it out.
I started making time for my songwriting almost 5 years ago. I started a new habit in my
week - this was the beginning of I Heart Songwriting Club. I would carve out one hour
every single week and force myself to finish it, even if it was shit, just so I could move
forward. And I had a group of other songwriters who were also doing the same, holding me accountable to that process, and I was holding them accountable.
But before that, before five years ago, I would struggle to write songs. And it was a big
struggle. I’d hit a wall about fifteen minutes into the songwriting practice. The first fifteen mins would be fine, yep that’s working, yep yep yep. Then suddenly, nup. That’s crap.
Nope, that’s crap too. Then every idea was crap. And then I’d walk away.
I started using “time” as the reason I wasn’t writing. I was too busy in my teaching, I had
a full social calendar, I even started a masters degree (!) and I had to do x, y, z.
Can you relate to this?
But really what I was doing was not carving time out for my songwriting practice, because
I was avoiding or delaying, more to the point, writing the shitty songs I had to write
through in order to write the great ones.
Since I started my new habit five years ago, I’ve written 257 finished songs in one hour
and about 100 more songs. So about 350 songs in five years. Not bad for about one hour
of work every week.
Not only have I written these songs, and had the practice of working through ALL (and I mean ALL) the creative blocks that have come up, which in itself was a huge personal
development journey and a growth I’m so grateful for, but these songs have also shaped
my career. These are the best songs I’ve written as yet.
So dear songwriter who doesn’t have time, I know how much you dream about this and
desire this, so I’m going to make it simple for you. I’m going to assign you one activity so
that you can be getting on a path NOW to be living your wildest creative dreams - and
write songs - a lot of songs, great songs, better songs. Songs that will shape your career and build momentum and artistic direction for you.
You’re going to start by carving out 1 hour in your week. Put that 1 hour in your calendar.
Call it “Songwriting Practice”. It could be Tuesday at 5pm or Saturday at 10pm. It doesn’t matter when it is. Schedule it and set an alarm and a reminder. Treat it like you would a
hair appointment, a doctor’s appointment, a meeting. It’s non-negotiable. You will be
there, you will show up and nothing else goes in that time. So find a baby-sitter and find a
way to make it happen.
And when that time arrives, you show up and do the work. And I will tell you, that if you
show up and do the work, it will get done. And I’m also going to tell you, if you don’t do
the work, nothing will happen.
So, do the work. Struggle. But know it’s only 1 hour you have to struggle for and then you
have 167 hours in your week to do everything else. Then do it again next week. And then again. And before too long you’ll have 10 new songs. Then 20, then 50…
For added accountability, challenges and community, I highly recommend I Heart
Songwriting Club. A totally online songwriting club. It’s the club I formed for me and my friends so that we would become the songwriters we dreamt of being - which we are living.
Sam Buckingham was the fifth songwriter to ever join the club, almost five years ago. Now
she says:
“Writing with I Heart Songwriting Club has become one of the most important
parts of my creative practice. It pushes me to set aside dedicated weekly time to
developing my craft, and the feedback and community support makes the process so much less isolating.
Sharing my songs and hearing my groups submissions each week inspires me to
expand my creativity and express myself more fully through song. The personal
and career implications for this are huge - I feel like I’m finally beginning to reach my true potential as an artist.”
If you're sick of waiting to become the songwriter you've always wanted to be and it's time
to just start doing that now, join our club and be supported and guided to write songs like never before.
Join I Heart Songwriting Club Now
And receive 20% off your first 10-week term in I Heart Songwriting Club with the code ASA2019!
Telling yourself you don’t have time is just a story. Don’t you want to create a new story? You DO have time for this and when you do it, you’re going to feel amazing. Can I be
honest with you? And I say this with love, you’re playing a game with yourself when you
say you don’t have time, but you’re the only one you’re fooling.
Do you really want to be living your wildest creative dreams? Cause if you really want this,
you can live this.
Here’s to living your wildest creative dreams!
Francesca xo
PS. Loved this? Want more? Email me for my complimentary Songwriter’s Toolkit and I will fast track the kit to your inbox and give you some really cool ways you can start using it
today [email protected]
About Francesca:
Francesca de Valence is an Australian artist, award-winning songwriter, international
speaker and coach, and founder of I Heart Songwriting Club, helping emerging singer-songwriters inspire their way to success in a music career they love. She has
been acknowledged by the Los Angeles Music Awards with an International
Songwriter of the Year Award and also holds an Australian Songwriting Award.
Francesca has supported artists including Jimmy Webb, her music can be heard on
ABC radio around Australia. She writes for Songwriting Magazine UK, has a
fortnightly ABC Radio songwriting segment and facilitates songwriting workshops
nationally and internationally for PROs including APRA AMCOS & IMRO. When she's
not on the road running workshops, making music and speaking, Francesca can be found in her hometown of Brisbane or her creative hub in Paris - eating baguettes
and writing songs in French language.
Abbey Gardner: 2018 Co-Winner Of The Open Category
ASA: Abbey Gardner was the Co-winner of the Open category in the 2018 song
contest with her song, War Child. We had the opportunity to have a chat with her,
Welcome Abbey! Can you tell us a bit about your song?
Abbey: I wrote the song when I was a bit younger and I was in situations where I
feel a bit demeaned and dismissed by being a young girl in some industry situations,
I wrote it so that it might empower other young girls in a similar situation.
ASA: Is that a theme you often write about? Or is it just this particular song?
Abbey: I think it comes up a lot in my songs, not so much as a main focus of a song but more as an underlying message in songs, I like to have a message about
standing strong in whom you are.
ASA: How do go about your songwriting? Is it melody or lyrics that come first, or
does it come all at once?
Abbey: Normally I write some chords that I like, it depends on my mood whether
it’s sombre or upbeat, but usually I start with chords & I scat over a melody with
some random words, then I write the lyrics afterwards depending on the feel of the song.
ASA: How many songs have you written?
Abbey: Hundreds! I have been writing since I was about eleven and it’s been just
nonstop.
ASA: Do you have them professionally recorded or is it
just a home created.
Abbey: I have had a few recorded, I released an EP in
2015 and released a couple of
singles since, and War Child
was one of them, and I also do some of my demos in my
bedroom.
ASA: Who is your major influence in your songwriting &
your singing?
Photo: The 2018 Open Category Winners and Presenter.
Abbey: That’s a hard question!
ASA: You can tell me a few of them if it’s hard to pick just one
Abbey: “The Neighbour”, an American band has had a huge influence on my sound
and a lot of my lyrical content since I was about fourteen, as well as Passenger, aka
Mike Rosenberg with my songwriting. In my softer songs I take a lot of influence
from him.
ASA: Most of the time when I ask that question the answer comes back Taylor Swift.
Abbey: Maybe mine would have been when I was younger, but I grew out of it.
ASA: looking to the future you’re young and potentially have a career ahead of you,
what would you like to do with your singing and songwriting?
Abbey: My favourite part of being a singer songwriter is performing, I really love playing gigs with my backing band, and I would love to continue to play live and
keep writing and producing
ASA: What sort of reactions do you get to your original songs compared with covers when you play live?
Abbey: It’s always a nice sort of encouragement when I play my originals and at a
cover gig when I’m asked to play an original, it’s a nice feeling to know my songs have connected to some people.
ASA: Thank you for chatting with us, we look forward to watching your career grow.
Jacques Gentil: 2018 Winner Of The Spiritual Category
Jacques Gentil was the winner of the Spiritual category in the 2018 song contest
with his song A Million and One Ways to Die.
ASA: Well it wouldn’t be an ASA award night without Jacques winning a category
and 2018 he has once again won the spiritual category, Welcome back.
Jacques: Thank you I’m excited.
ASA: You seem to have a mortgage on the spiritual category, year after year you
seem to win it, how do you manage to do that?
Jacques: I don’t know how to answer that, but I will try, before winning I prayed,
and that seemed to work last year so I did it again, I asked, and I received. Faith is
one thing but at the same time it’s no point in asking if you are not prepared to work
for it, and I do work hard. I work at learning the tools and then I apply them.
It is no luck that I am winning. I prepare myself by using things in my songs that I
know the judges will like, for e.g. A Million and One Ways to Die. I got given that
idea from someone I work with to use as a title. I looked at it and I thought it was a
great title and I went to work at making it into a song about society today. To his surprise, within a short time, I had it written. That’s what I mean about being
prepared and having the tools and techniques how to write, it allows you to get
straight to work from your to do list.
All the hit songs you hear on the radio
have a formula such as where the hook is where the title falls in the song. It’s a
formula I repeat over and over to my
students and many of them have been
winners in the contest, so it does work.
I am also competitive. I don’t like losing
and if I don’t win, I come back even
harder for a rematch. You have to be competitive, that’s what all the songs
that are played on the radio do, they
are competing for number one spot.
ASA: Can you tell us a bit about your
songwriting school, Magesongs?
Jacques: I started in 2002 with a
group of twelve students. Since then things have worked well for me and the
students.
I run a twenty week course about two hours a session where we get into
techniques and tips, we also do
collaborations, through the course I get
the students to write one song with the guidance I give them and at the end of
the course the student has to have successfully written a song with their own
inspiration.
They have to want to write and my role is to teach them how, and as part of the course I produce their work with a top producer, so I train them and they end up
with a finished product they can be proud to show to the music industry.
ASA: How can those aspiring songwriters contact you?
Jacques: I have a website www.magesongs.com. I have a group of students I am
preparing for next year contest so it’s going to be great.
ASA: You must have a cabinet full of trophies at home by now.
Jacques: I have a shelf, which is starting to get a bit crowded so I will probably
have to extend it.
ASA: Jacques was Songwriter of the year a few years back, so he does have quite a
few in his collection.
Jacques: I also won the UK Songwriting Contest in the Christian category last year a month after I won at ASA, with a song called People Need to Know. It was also short
listed in the ASA contest.
ASA: Thanks Jacques it’s been a pleasure having a chat with you again.
Members News and Information
1. Songwriters Meeting Point
Perth WA lyricist, Patrick McMurray, is
looking to pursue musical collaboration
with like-minded composers. Patrick can
be contacted at
ASA member, Donna Hotz, is a lyricist
who is seeking a composer to help
create songs from her lyrics. If you can
help, please contact Donna on
Sydney songwriter, Bob Brown is
looking for a co-writer. His musical likes are “ballads/ country/ country rock/ guitar instrumental, but I'm open to whatever
project.” “I've been in the Top 30 of ASA but never cracked it further in.” Bob has
sent us some recordings which we are happy to pass on to anyone who is interested.
Bob can be contacted on [email protected].
ASA Member, Liz Connolly, is a vocalist, lyricist and songwriter, looking for a Gold
Coast or Northern NSW based songwriting partner who can help write/co-write
guitar/piano accompaniments to her songs.
Liz has half a dozen songs in a variety of styles (pop, rock, folk, ballads), that she
has completed or semi-completed using electronic songwriting tools.
In 2014, her song "Don't be Afraid" was short listed for the ASA song writing
competition Contemporary Pop/Dance Category but didn’t progress any further. Liz
can be contacted at [email protected] or 0409345133.
Willy57 is a lyricist who is looking for someone to write melodies to his lyrics. If you
are interested, Willy can be contacted at [email protected].
Spencer Kelly writes “I've been writing songs for years but it's only in the past 6
years that I've been getting Stacy Hogan at Writers Paradise studio to produce them.
Have been on the lookout for a great co-writer / lyricist as I tend to get a bit tired of
my own lyrics - I've got a lot of great backing tracks/melodies I've written and
demo'd (100+), but haven't developed further, so if you know of a good writer who
might be interested, I can be contacted at [email protected].
Looking for somebody? Contact us on [email protected].
2. Congratulations to Destiny Band Oz
ASA members, Thomas and Tessa Libreri (Destiny Band Oz) have
won the International Band of the
Year, 2019 International Singer
Songwriter Association Awards held in
Atlanta USA.
This is no mean feat with hundreds of
nominees vying for positions in the
various categories!
The Gippsland-based Destiny Band Oz
was nominated in nine categories of
the International section and made it
through as finalists in six of those categories, winning the Band
of the Year category.
Thanks go to all who nominated
Destiny Band Oz (Thomas and Tessa are very humbled by the support) and they
extend their congratulations to all the winners, finalists and the organizers.
Unfortunately, Thomas and Tessa were unable to attend the gala ceremony to accept
the award but a lovely twelve-inch high, solid crystal obelisk will be arriving in the
mail shortly. So, this trophy, (along with Destiny Band Oz's other recent awards: the
2018 Gold Medallion Media Award for Band or Duo, the 2018 TICMA National Country Band of the Year, Akademia Music Award (USA) and three International Clouzine
Music Awards 2018-2019) will be going straight to the pool room!
Lately, Thomas and Tessa have been keeping busy gigging, writing and recording
their own music, as well as other people's songs! So, Tessa would also like to take this opportunity to thank all the radio presenters who have been playing the duet, I'll
Be Home Soon, which country balladeer, Gary Ellis asked her to record with him for
his new album.
It has made Number 3 on the Country Songs Top 40 Australian Airplay chart,
Number 7 on an independent USA chart and is currently Number 5 on the Tasmanian
chart.
Tessa was also asked by songwriter and Diamondback Records boss, Glenn
Erickson, to record one of his compositions which will be released in October 2019,
while Destiny Band Oz are touring Tasmanian venues on their October Tassie Tour
with solo artist, Garry Hunt. Venues are on the Facebook Gig Page).
There is no music without the music makers,
nor dreams without the dreamers.
New Music Releases From ASA Members And Friends
If you have any new music releases, let us know and we’ll feature them here.
Mark Cawley’s Monthly Songwriting Blog
HOW TO WRITE A KILLER MELODY
The following is adapted from Song Journey.
If you’re a songwriter, I’m going to share a hard truth with you.
Do you know how the average listener learns your song? Chorus melody.
That person in the car wants to hear something they can sing. Not the whole
song, not your well-crafted lyric, not your infectious track…they want to sing
something now!
Once they have the chorus melody in their head, it’s about the title.
Think of it this way. You call your best friend and say, “Hey, I just heard the
coolest song.” He says, “Yeah? Sing it to me.” You sing a bit of the melody, and then he asks the title of the song so he can learn it, too.
If he gets it, he may focus on what it’s actually saying in the chorus. If he digs
deeper, he goes for the verses and the other parts. It’s all about the chorus—in
this case, the chorus melody. Most listeners will never get past the singing-the-
chorus stage.
You want to make it one of those ear worms, a “can’t get it out of my head”
melody. Doesn’t matter if you write music first, lyrics first, or write to tracks, no
matter.
The Melody Is Still King.
How do you write a killer melody? Let’s look at some strategies that might help. Create an Environment of Freedom
One of my favourite tools for melody is to create away from the guitar, my main
instrument. I might sit in my studio and play keyboards, might start with a drum loop to get in a groove and go from there to laying down a chord change. I’ll start
singing something over the changes, and it may even feel pretty good.
I’ll record it just in case, but what I really love to do is record those chord
changes and get away from my studio. I know the act of creating a melody might come from doing it while you’re playing, but for me, singing it over the changes
I’ve recorded away from an instrument gives me more freedom to experiment
with my melody.
Anytime you can create an environment of freedom with your melody, instead of
being part of a performance, can only be great. Just starting your melody from
some note other than the root of your chord can create a more interesting
melody.
If the root note of your chord is a C and you sing a seventh over that to start,
you’ve already created some tension and made the melody more interesting.
Another method to creating interesting melodies is to pick up an unfamiliar instrument. In short, don’t be afraid to suck. Play like a kid and see where it
takes you.
If you get out of your comfort zone, you can’t rely on your usual tricks, and you just might find some melodic magic. That’s why I like to move away from my
guitar.
Deconstruct Hit Melodies
Deconstructing melodies is a good shortcut to making your own great ones. Take
a current song and spend some time making notes, asking yourself these
questions:
• Where does the melody start out?
• What’s the highest note?
• Is there tension and release in the melody?
• Where does it show up?
I’ve even picked a melody out on guitar and visualized it as a box or a graph:
• Where is the lowest note in the melody?
• Where is the highest?
• How do the notes in between relate to those highs and lows?
Visualizing the melody is a good tool that doesn’t require a theory background.
Test Your Melody
Once you have a melody in mind for the verse and chorus, try flipping them. Is
your chorus melody really a stronger verse melody? Is your bridge melody a cool chorus melody? Might be worth a cut-and-paste just to see.
At the end of the day, make sure you can’t get the melody out of your head. Can
you sing it in the car, on a walk? My favourite test is if someone who has been in
the general vicinity while you’re creating it starts singing it. Second best is when you play it for someone and later on you hear them humming it.
I coach quite a few lyricists and not all have a knack for melody. I get them to
write a lyric to an existing, familiar melody. It can give structure for them so that at the end of the day they have a lyric. Inspired by an existing song but not
connected to it. With apologies to John Lennon and Elton John, “whatever gets
you through the write.”
Tips for Creating Something Fresh
So how can you come away with something fresh, interesting, and impossible for
someone to get out of their head? I’ll pick my top five to focus on.
1. Rhythm
Nothing gets more boring than hearing the same melodic rhythm throughout the
whole song. There are some things you can try, from doubling up the number of notes in the chorus to trying the opposite. Short notes in the verse, long notes in
the chorus, halftime in the bridge, stops, builds, anything to mix it up.
2. Length of Phrase
Similar to the rhythm fixes in that you want to mix it up. If every melodic section
has the same number of lines and words per line, it’s going to get old quick. Try
tapping out the words and make sure your sections are not all the same.
3. Range
Another place your melody can bog down is the range, or lack of range. One of
the reasons we respond to some songs and singers is the emotion they put into the melody. If your melody is rooted in one area throughout, it’s hard to get it to
take off.
There are a million hits that feature the same chord changes from verse to chorus
with the chorus being an octave up. Instant drama. Range can also serve to create moments in your melody. Think of singers such as Whitney Houston,
Aretha Franklin, and those times the melody takes you to new heights in the
song.
4. Your Comfort Zone
Learn to leave it. For me, this means trying different instruments, different
tunings, but most importantly, listening to music that’s different than what I’m working on.
For instance, if you write rock, listen to classical, jazz, country, opera…You’ll be
surprised by how much will creep into your melodies. I’m not talking about sitting down and dissecting every style of music. Just let it seep in. You are your
influences.
The wider your influences, the more chances of blending them into something
unique.
5. Subconscious
Don’t sit down and say, “This melody fits here because of the chord change,” or “This is just how I do it.” Take some time to let that subconscious in. That’s
where it can go from being “nice” to being magical. It’s also one of the ways your
voice as a writer comes in.
One simple trick: record your melody at any stage and just let it loop. At home,
in the car, running errands. Just give it time to be the best it can be.
For more advice on writing a killer melody, you can find Song Journey on
Amazon.
-0-
Mark Cawley is a hit songwriter who coaches other writers around the globe through his one-on-one, online service iDocoach.com.
His songs have been on more than 16 million records with cuts ranging from Tina
Turner to Wynonna Judd to The Spice Girls.
His book, Song Journey, was released in April 2019 and went to #1 in 6
categories on Amazon. Mark is a judge for the UK Songwriting Contest, Nashville
Rising Star, Belmont University’s Commercial Music program, and West Coast Songwriter events.
He’s also a contributing author to USA Songwriting and Songwriter Magazine, a
sponsor for the Australian Songwriting Association, and a mentor for The
Songwriting Academy UK. Born and raised in Syracuse, New York, Mark now resides in Nashville, Tennessee.
The Load Out
Official Sponsors of the Australian Songwriting Contest
About Us
The Australian Songwriters Association Inc. is a national, not-for-profit,
member organization, dedicated to the support of songwriters and their
art, by providing avenues for encouragement and education of developing Australian songwriters, and recognition and promotion of our
accomplished members.
Aims of the Association
To celebrate the art of songwriting;
To assist and encourage developing Australian songwriters;
To provide information and general advice to members;
To create performance opportunities for members;
To aid the professional development of members;
To enable members to meet and/or exchange ideas and information;
To facilitate member transition into the established music industry;
To facilitate delivery of member services at a National, State and Regional level;
To salute our best songwriters at major industry events such as our National Songwriting Awards Night.
History of the ASA
The Association was founded in Melbourne VIC in August 1979 by the late Tom Louch (1932-2009) and the late Rudy Brandsma (1944-1983), who saw the need for an
organisation that would bring Australian songwriters together.
Today, the Association has a vibrant membership Australia-wide and enjoys an established and respected role within the music industry.
The ASA’s membership is diverse and embraces and explores all genres of music.
Contact Us
Mail: Locked Bag 18/178 Newtown NSW 2042 Australia
Phone/Fax: (02) 9516 4960
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.asai.org.au
Facebook: www.facebook.com/asamusicians www.facebook.com/australiansongwritersassociation
Youtube: www.youtube.com/austsongwriters
Patron: Glenn A Baker
Life Members: Tom Louch, Rudy Brandsma, Russell Zimmer, Dominic Crea,
Marie Murphy, Colleen Zulian, Alex Bialocki, Rob Fairbairn, Brian Henderson Ward and Kieran Roberts.
Directors:
Denny Burgess Chairman
Alan Gilmour Vice Chairman, Public Officer, Financial Officer, Online Content
Manager and Editor of The Australian Songwriter Magazine
Clare Burgess Director, Chief Executive Officer and Secretary
Gary Luck Director and Manager of Regional Co-Ordinators
Regional Co-Ordinators
Ana Key Canberra ACT [email protected]
Angelo Pash Adelaide SA [email protected]
Brian Ward Melbourne VIC [email protected]
Brendan Smoother Northern Rivers NSW [email protected]
Chris Fisher Northern Rivers NSW [email protected]
Garry Bagnell Gold Coast QLD [email protected]
Hugh Brown Brisbane QLD [email protected]
Jack Sim Mid North Coast NSW [email protected]
Jane Cornes-Maclean Perth WA [email protected]
Jo Dunning Blue Mountains NSW [email protected]
Julia Marr Cairns & Tablelands QLD [email protected]
Kerrie Garside Sunshine Coast QLD [email protected]
Lisa Sutton Dalby QLD [email protected]
Maria Harkins Gippsland VIC [email protected]
Matt Sertori Hobart TAS [email protected]
Melinda J Wells Wide Bay Burnett QLD [email protected]
Paul Vella Central Coast NSW [email protected]
Russell Neale Sydney NSW [email protected]
Sandy Bennett Newcastle NSW [email protected]
Wendy J Barnes Yarra Valley VIC [email protected]
Webmaster:
Dean Mackin, F1 Internet Services, (0409 240 660)
2018 APRA/ASA Australian Songwriter of the Year
Anirban Banerjee (ACT)
2018 Rudy Brandsma Award Winner
Lola Brinton (NSW)
2018 PPCA Live Performance Award Winner
Ricky Muscat (VIC)
Australian Songwriters Hall Of Fame:
2018: Iva Davies (Icehouse)
2017: Vikki Thorn, Donna Simpson & Josh Cunningham (The Waifs)
2016: Andrew Farris and Michael Hutchence (INXS)
2015: Johnny Young
2014: Kate Ceberano
2013: Garth Porter (Sherbet)
2012: Don Walker (Cold Chisel)
2011: Steve Kilbey (The Church)
2010: Richard Clapton
2009: Ross Wilson (Daddy Cool, Mondo Rock)
2008: Doc Neeson, John Brewster & Rick Brewster (The Angels)
2007: Brian Cadd
2006: Glenn Shorrock, Beeb Birtles & Graeham Goble (Little River Band)
2005: Russell Morris
2004: Harry Vanda, George Young & Stevie Wright (The Easybeats)
Lifetime Achievement Award
2017: Christine Anu, for her work as a Songwriter in the Music Industry for First
Nations Peoples
2018 Australian Songwriting Contest Award Winners:
Stephen Phillip (QLD) (Australia Category)
Anirban Banerjee (ACT) (Ballad Category- Joint)
Ricky Muscat (VIC) (Ballad Category- Joint)
Jemma Siles (VIC) (Contemporary Pop/Dance Category)
Stephanie Wade (VIC) (Country Category)
Lucy Parle (NSW) (Folk/Acoustic Category)
Tom Anderson (NSW) (Instrumental Category)
Anirban Banerjee (ACT) (International Category)
Kieran Roberts (ACT) & Katelyn Newlands (WA) (Lyrics Category)
Kerrie Garside (QLD) (Open Category- Joint)
Abbey Gardner (NSW) (Open Category- Joint)
Antonio Corea (WA) (Rock/Indie Category)
Stephen Kiely & Roxanne Kiely (NSW) (Songs For Children Category)
Jacques Gentil (VIC) (Spiritual Category)
Kaitlyn Thomas (VIC) (Youth Category)
Australian Songwriters Of The Year & Rudy Brandsma Award Winners
The title of Songwriter/ Song of the Year was first awarded in 1980, following the
establishment of the ASA in late 1979. The Rudy Brandsma Award was first
awarded in 1983, following the passing of ASA co-founder, Rudy Brandsma.
Songwriters Of The Year Rudy Brandsma Award Winners
2018 Anirban Banerjee Lola Brinton
2017
2016
Steve Montgomery
Donna Dyson & Damien Leith
Samantha Mooney
Alex Tobin 2015 Karen Guymer George Begbie
2014 Rick Hart Robert McIntosh
2013 Jacques Gentil Dani Karis
2012 Andrew Winton Melia & Nerida Naughton 2011 Brian Chapman Katie Hardyman
2010 Kate Rowe Karen Guymer
2009 Tony King Kate Lush
2008 Jason Campbell-Smith Jo-Kelly Stephenson
2007 Simon Shapiro Brenda-Lee Heathcote 2006 Emma Joleen Daniel Arvidson
2005 Michael Maher K’Crasher
2004 Trish Delaney-Brown Callee Mann
2003 Contest Not Held Contest Not Held 2002 Kyls Burtland Sara Downs
2001 Helen Mottee Keith Armitage
2000 Andrew Horabin Tomino Speciale
1999 Alf Tuohy Mike Kidd 1998 Kyls Burtland Not Known
1997 Xanthe Littlemore Michael Waugh
1996 Mark Crocker Felicity Hunt
1995 Rob Pippan Sharon Bothe
1994 Danny Hooper & Steve Cole Nigel Foote 1993 Not Known Billy Dettmer
1992 Not Known John Cooney
1991 Not Known Not Known
1990 Ian Paulin Jane Robertson 1989 Steve Wade Not Known
1988 Steve Wade Steve Wade
1987 Not Known Not Known
1986 Rob Stambulic Stu Storm 1985 Ross Nicholson & John Coco Steve Wade
1984 Not Known Debbie Bignell & Tony Stark
1983 Chris Lamech & Debbie Bignell Chris Lamech & Debbie Bignell
1982 Not Known N/a 1981 Not Known N/a
1980 Not Known N/a
1979 Commenced in 1980 Commenced in 1983
This publication is © 2019 by The Australian Songwriters Association Inc.,
ABN 12 140 838 710, and may not be re-used without permission. The views expressed in this magazine are the views of the writers and may not
necessarily reflect the views of the ASA. The ASA acknowledges and thanks
all sources from which information for this magazine has been obtained.