Songwriting: Like A Six Year Old With A Six String

iDoCoach Blog

The Adult

If you’re anything like me, I’m guessing the adult editor in you can really kick your butt from time to time.

Lots of different terms for this guy, but I think of him as the one looking over your shoulder and whispering things like “No one is ever gonna cut this”, “Bad idea”, and my favorite: You have no business in this business"!

Almost every writer or artist I coach has mentioned this. Might be called writer's block, the well's dry, whatever. How do you get past it?

The Kid

Years ago a friend of mine described me during a session as a six-year-old with a six string. I’ll take that. Anything to get to the place of just having fun writing. Sure it gets more serious at some point. You have to have a seamless lyric, a great melody, some structure, and more; but you know what? It all starts with throwing all that out and just having fun.

A six-year-old will take every crayon you give them and just create. I’m always trying to get back to that mentality. A six-year-old is fearless. I want to be fearless when I write. A six-year-old has no editor. I want to have no editor when I start to write. A six-year-old doesn’t care who likes it, who’ll buy it, what will someone think of their talent, how far will this take them, if this new creation will pay the mortgage. Nope. It’s all FUN!

The Deal

Sure we’re adults and all this will creep in and creep us out from time to time. But the ability to just get started like that inner kid is the deal. Might be why it's called "playing" guitar.

Here's to the six-year-old with a six string in all of us…have fun!

Mark Cawley

Nashville, TN

4/24/14

Image: Wikimedia Commons

Hope you'll sign up to follow future blogs at

http://idocoach.com/blog/  

Please be sure and hit the share button!

 

About Mark Cawley

Mark Cawley is a hit U.S. songwriter and musician who coaches other writers and artists to reach their creative and professional goals. During his decades in the music business he has procured a long list of cuts with legendary artists ranging from Tina Turner, Joe Cocker, Chaka Khan and Diana Ross to Wynonna Judd, Kathy Mattea, Russ Taff, Paul Carrack, Will Downing, Tom Scott, Billie Piper, Pop Idol winners and The Spice Girls. To date his songs have been on more than 16 million records. Mark’s resume includes hits on the Pop, Country, R&B, Jazz, and Rock charts and several publishing deals with the likes of Virgin, Windswept Pacific, and Steelworks/Universal. Mark calls on his decades of experience in the publishing world, as an artist on major labels, co-writer with everyone from Eliot Kennedy and Burt Bacharach to Simon Climie and Kye Fleming, composing, and recording to mentor clients around the globe with iDoCoach. He is also a judge for the UK Songwriting Contest, a contributing author to  USA Songwriting, Songwriter Magazine,  , sponsor for the ASA, judge for Belmont University's Commercial Music program and West Coast Songwriter events , a popular blogger and, from time to time, conducts his own workshops including ASCAP, BMI and Sweetwater Sound. Born and raised in Syracuse, NY, Mark has also lived in Boston, L.A., Indianapolis, London, and the last 20 years in Nashville, TN. 

Back To The Songwriter’s Woodshed

The Old Woodshed

In the brief time I attended Berklee in Boston the real jazz guys used to refer to practice as “wood shedding” . What this meant was to kind of go back and really hone in on your skill-set or your “chops”.

Now I’ve been writing a looooong time and it’s easy to fall into a mindset of “been there and done that” and feel like I’m pretty well equipped to work on any type of song. After all I’ve got my toolbox, my go-to tricks and if all else fails, my guitar and rhyming apps:-)

I’ve been coaching songwriters all over the world for a few years now and much of that time is spent on ways to be inspired. I still feel we’re only inspired a small amount of time and the rest of our time is spent digging for things to write about. That’s a whole ‘nother subject for another time. What I wanted to talk about today are the things that have been getting me fired up, out of my own head and into the woodshed.

The New Woodshed

YouTube guitar and keyboard lessons.  A beautiful thing and …they’re free. You can go back to them endlessly and no one sees you get frustrated. You can suck and no one’s keeping score! My favorite these last few weeks is this guy, Justin.  Now I don’t know his last name, I guess I could find out but it really doesn’t matter. It’s his vibe. I don’t want to be intimidated and I don’t want to be exposed as the guy who can’t shred. I just wanna reconnect with the songs that I love. I’m talking about everything from “Heard It Through The Grapevine” to “In My Life”. Sure I learned them as a kid and know them by heart but there’s something about actually having someone take you back through them in a simple inviting way. Like reconnecting with an old friend.

Whats In It For Me?

Here’s the benefit for us as writers. It’s tactile, hands on. We know these songs but when you spend an hour actually playing them again, seeing how they were put together it’s really eye opening. I’m spending a couple of hours every day with some of my past. It’s inspiring and...it’s starting to make its way into my writing…today.

There are a million videos out there and I’m trying them all. Some are a waste of time but others are time well spent. 

Reconnect, go back to move forward and head to the woodshed!

-Mark Cawley

3/14/14

Nashville , TN

Pic: Goggle Images

Hope you'll sign up to follow future blogs at 

http://idocoach.com/blog/  

Please be sure and hit the share button!

About: 

Mark Cawley's songs have appeared on more than 15 million records. Over a career based in LA, London, and Nashville his songs have been recorded by an incredibly diverse range of artists. From Tina Turner, Joe Cocker, Wynonna, Diana Ross and Chaka Khan to The Spice Girls, Tom Scott, Kathy Mattea, Paul Carrack, Will Downing and Pop Idol winners in the UK. He has had #1 records in the UK and throughout Europe as well as cuts in Country, Jazz & R & B. His groundbreaking website Song Journey created with Hall of Fame writer Kye Fleming was the first to mentor writers from around the world one-on-one online. He is currently writing and publishing as well as helping writers and artists worldwide with a one-on-one co-active coaching service, iDoCoach.

Mark Cawley of iDoCoach.com

Songwriting: Staying Connected For Life

I was asked to submit an article for the USA Songwriting Competition's site last month and wrote about the 'backyard connection'; finding people to work/write with in your area.

It got me thinking about all the people who are still in my life (professional and personal) that started with the smallest of connections. So many of these have proven to be the gift that keeps on giving. Quite a few friends I made in the beginning of my career are friends to this day, and continue to be important connections in my songwriting and artist world.

We Have Contact

At the time I doubt I gave much thought to growing old with these folks, I don't think that's on anyone's radar when you're out to conquer the world. But looking through my contact list today I'm seeing lots of them. I've connected with my favorite teacher from High School Jim Rose through Facebook. Jim has recommended  my coaching to some local musicians.There's Nic Marcy who I did the miles with in one of my first bands in upstate New York . He's in Austin teaching drums. Bob Terry is another great friend who I've stayed up with over the years. He now works with Yamaha Drums and does workshops all over the world including recent ones with another old friend, Kenny Aronoff. Bob also sends me clients. There's the guys in Faith Band who I shared a lot of stages and many of my Malcolm Gladwell '10,000 hours' with. 

And the C's

I talk with John Cooper pretty often. He was the sound man for Faith Band. He now mixes the Boss all around the world. John also introduced me to Wynonna Judd. Wy cut a song of mine. One of my good buddies, Bob Britt played on my home demos years ago. Bob and John Cooper eventually worked together with Wynonna. I send my coaching clients to Bob these days for his demo production. We re-connected.

Then theres Torquil Creevy, who I first met in England as an artist signed to Riva Records. Torquil moved on to Miles Copeland's publishing company and offered me a deal when he got there. This led to attending Miles's writer retreats in the south of France and those contacts led to meeting some wonderful writers who are in my contacts still. Torquil and I are friends to this day. He introduced me to Kipper, who went on to produce for Sting. Kipper came to Nashville and wrote with me for Wynonna Judd. We've been friends for more than 25 years now. Torquil also introduced me to Nick Battle at Windswept Pacific Music, who signed me and got some of my best cuts. Building my case here.

Piper And Beckham and Spice!

Nick introduced me to Eliot Kennedy, one of my best friends and who I've written some of my favorite songs with (including a number one called "Day And Night" by Billie Piper). Eliot has always been generous with his connections including introducing me to Bryan Adams, the Spice Girls and even David Beckham. Eliot is still the first person I get in touch with if I'm excited about an artist or development project.

Co-writers And The Stones

Some of my favorite co-writers and friends were introduced to me by another connection. Most writers I know are good like that. Kye Fleming introduced me to Nashville, I connected Kye with Brenda Russell, we wrote "Dancing In My Dreams" for Tina Turner. Countless connections that have lasted through the years. Brenda even introduced me to Lisa Fischer--who introduced me to the Stones. 'Connection' is one of my favorite Stones songs, but I'm going off here...

Lets Stay In Touch

I'm coming to the point, I promise: It's just as important to stay in touch with your connections as it is to make them in the beginning. Cultivate the friendships, touch base from time to time. Keep your info updated. You never know where one of your old friends will land in this business, and someone you shared a moment with years ago can easily re-enter your universe. 

I'm not suggesting you 'work' your contacts as much as work at keeping them. Along with your family and your talent, they're the most valuable asset you have!

-Mark Cawley

2/4/14

Nashville , TN

Pic: Goggle Images

Hope you'll sign up to follow future blogs at 

http://idocoach.com/blog/  

Please be sure and hit the share button!

About: 

Mark Cawley's songs have appeared on more than 15 million records. Over a career based in LA, London, and Nashville his songs have been recorded by an incredibly diverse range of artists. From Tina Turner, Joe Cocker, Wynonna, Diana Ross and Chaka Khan to The Spice Girls, Tom Scott, Kathy Mattea, Paul Carrack, Will Downing and Pop Idol winners in the UK. He has had #1 records in the UK and throughout Europe as well as cuts in Country, Jazz & R & B. His groundbreaking website Song Journey created with Hall of Fame writer Kye Fleming was the first to mentor writers from around the world one-on-one online. He is currently writing and publishing as well as helping writers and artists worldwide with a one-on-one co-active coaching service, iDoCoach.

Songwriting: The Backyard Connection

Proud to be asked to write another article for the USA Songwriting Competition site. Great people! This first appeared as an article on their site on Jan 23, 2014.
http://www.songwriting.net/blog/bid/204648/Songwriting-Tip-The-Backyard-Connection?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_content=3543424

If you've been writing songs for awhile you have to have heard someone preach about the value of networking and getting connected.

Pretty much a given, you can create in a vacuum but you can't grow there.You may be all alone in your room and in your head when you create but to get that song (and you as a writer) in front of people it takes more people. More people means connecting and more connecting. Takes a village to raise a hit. Where to start?

Scour the village!

What does that look like for a beginning writer or a writer living outside of a major music center? It takes some digging on your part. For instance, I coach songwriters from all over the US and beyond these days and many live in places like Indiana, just to pick one. I urge them to look for a local resource first. If you write lyrics but don't play an instrument see if you can connect with someone who's a good player. If you're a songwriter but don't have production skills look for someone around you who's making magic in the basement. Grow together.

One of my favorite ways to connect in these cases is to, in the words of John Hiatt "pull my pony up and hitch my wagon to your star". Is there someone you've heard in a local club? Online? At church? Who's a diamond in the rough? Connect with them. So many writers made a career of working with an unsigned artist and as the artist gained attention, as good ones tend to do, the songwriter’s name was attached. I'm not just suggesting you pitch your songs to this budding artist but suggest you offer to co-write. Get them invested in the song and as they rise so will you. Not every artist we know and love came from LA, New York or London. Some of them came from small towns and for the sake of my point, the pride of Seymour, Indiana, John Mellencamp.

I Was Born In A Small Town

I know John a bit from my days of playing in Indiana and most of the people connected to him in the beginning were all local players. The guys I saw in the local bars where the same ones I saw years later at the LA Forum. Some of his earliest hits were co-written with a local lyricist named George Green. John worked with what he had around him.

Sure the odds go up if you move to one of the cities I mentioned and put yourself out there but in the meantime make the most of what's right in your backyard. Might seem like a small connection but it just might be the one to hitch your pony to. Oh yeah, one more Hoosier...John Hiatt.

Got Nothing Against the big Town

In defense of the writers and artists that make the big leap to a major market, most of the ones I know worked hard at making and keeping connections. One of my favorite illustrations would be the number of them that offered to sing demos for songwriters, sometimes cheap, hoping that as the writers song gets heard someone will discover the singer. In my first few years in Nashville it was common for me to call some of these folks like Gretchen Wilson, Brett James, Clay Davidson, Ruby Amanfu and Neil Thrasher to sing a demo for me. Worked out pretty well for me and for them.

No matter how you get your break, you never stop connecting on any level in this business you've chosen.

-Mark Cawley

iDoCoach

Nashville , TN

Hope you'll sign up to follow future blogs at 

http://idocoach.com/blog/  

Please be sure and hit the share button!

Picture: Goggle Images

"Small Town" lyrics: John Mellencamp

John Hiatt quote from his song "Real Fine Love" 

About: 

Mark Cawley's songs have appeared on more than 15 million records. Over a career based in LA, London, and Nashville his songs have been recorded by an incredibly diverse range of artists. From Tina Turner, Joe Cocker, Wynonna, Diana Ross and Chaka Khan to The Spice Girls, Tom Scott, Kathy Mattea, Paul Carrack, Will Downing and Pop Idol winners in the UK. He has had #1 records in the UK and throughout Europe as well as cuts in Country, Jazz & R & B. His groundbreaking website Song Journey created with Hall of Fame writer Kye Fleming was the first to mentor writers from around the world one-on-one online. He is currently writing and publishing as well as helping writers and artists worldwide with a one-on-one co-active coaching service, iDoCoach.

How To Make A Fortune In Songwriting

Fortune (noun): Chance or luck as an external, arbitrary force affecting human affairs.

Synonyms: chance, accident, coincidence, serendipity, destiny, fortuity, providence, happenstance, luck, (esp. good luck).

Example: "This astounding piece of good fortune that has befallen me."

I've had some very good years as a songwriter and some generous record and publishing deals. But the older I get, the more I'm thinking about these other definitions of “fortune”. As you can guess, I'm not talking about money here as much as the things that happen in life. The experiences that build your real fortune.

My Fortune

I've been fortunate enough to grow up in an era of life-changing music. To witness the Beatles, to turn on a transistor radio ( you may have to look this one up ) and hear Smokey Robinson followed by Roy Orbison followed by The Beach Boys. To see Jimi Hendrix and Chicago, The Faces, and Elton from the beginning . Thanks to an old friend and amazing writer, Shelly Peiken for writing a piece last week that sent me down this road.

Fortunate to share a stage with Fleetwood Mac, The Doobie Brothers, The Allman Brothers, Hall and Oates, Peter Frampton and many more in my days with The Faith Band.

Fortunate to meet the Stones, Sting, Wynonna and so many artists that I admire.

Fortunate to work with some gifted songwriters, producers and publishers that helped me to improve my craft.

Fortunate to have lifelong friendships with creative people I'm still in awe of.

Fortunate enough to hear an idea I shared actually sung by the voices in my head and the artists in my early dreams. Tina Turner, Joe Cocker, Diana Ross, and Chaka Khan are a few that make up my fortune.

Fortunate to see a couple #1 records and to write with current artists.

Fortunate to realize a dream of writing songs in all different styles of music and have them actually connect.

Fortunate to have songwriting take me places in the world I never thought I'd see. Especially 20 some trips to London over the years, a place I love more than any other.

Fortunate to have family and people in my life to help keep all of the above in perspective. This one is HUGE!

Most recently, fortunate to be able to coach and encourage writers and artists and have them feel I’ve shared something worth passing on.

Check list

Chance, accident, coincidence, serendipity, destiny, fortuity, providence, happenstance. Yep.

Luck, fate, destiny, predestination, the stars, serendipity, karma, kismet. Check!

All of these things went into building my fortune.

As Benjamin Desrali said, “Diligence is the mother of good fortune”.

I've worked hard at it but so many good things happened as a result of chance, coincidence, providence and luck. Right place, right time, stars aligned, and my personal favorite: answered prayers.

Your Fortune?

If you're networking, social, or old school, if  you've ever written a song that connected with another human being... you're making your fortune as far as I'm concerned. Show up, build relationships and it starts to grow.

May fortune smile on your songs and your life in 2014!

How would you define your fortune?

-Mark Cawley

iDoCoach

Nashville , TN

Hope you'll sign up to follow future blogs at 

http://idocoach.com/blog/  

Please be sure and hit the share button!

Mark Cawley of iDoCoach

About: 

Mark Cawley's songs have appeared on more than 15 million records. Over a career based in LA, London, and Nashville his songs have been recorded by an incredibly diverse range of artists. From Tina Turner, Joe Cocker, Wynonna, Diana Ross and Chaka Khan to The Spice Girls, Tom Scott, Kathy Mattea, Paul Carrack, Will Downing and Pop Idol winners in the UK. He has had #1 records in the UK and throughout Europe as well as cuts in Country, Jazz & R & B. His groundbreaking website Song Journey created with Hall of Fame writer Kye Fleming was the first to mentor writers from around the world one-on-one online. He is currently writing and publishing as well as helping writers and artists worldwide with a one-on-one co-active coaching service, iDoCoach.

The Gift Of Songwriting...Wrap It Up!

IDoCoach

The Joy

Look at the joy on this guy’s face! Meet my soon-to-be-one-year-old-Grandson, Scout. Aside from the obvious reason for me to love him is the fact that he is learning to love presents. I love presents. The difference  is he's at the age where the wrapping is just as much fun as the gift inside.

Got me thinking about how I view not only my own songs but everything I listen to.

The Wrapping

I still love a good pop record and now more than ever it seems to have more to do with the wrapping. Production can create  a guilty pleasure  or ear candy and songwriting purists can turn their nose up at "Blurred Lines", "Roar" and this year’s ever present "Get Lucky" but...so what? Sure the wrapping can tend to be better than the gift when it comes to production verses song value here but isn't that what you loved about pop music when you first heard it? 

The Gift

I know as a songwriter the more experience I get the more discerning my taste in music.

I studied the best writers, read every book about songwriting I could lay my hands on and went along with the theory that a great song is only a great song if it can be played in its simplest form and still work.

I became less interested in the wrapping and more focused on the gift inside. Living in Nashville the past bunch of years it's easy to start thinking 3 chords and the truth is the only way. Another way of saying I was becoming, at times, more song snob and less Scout. 

The Point

Well I'm rediscovering more and more the pure pleasure in the packaging of the music I grew up with and what’s on the radio now. Sure some of those songs would still be great played on a Martin at the Bluebird but for every James Taylor and Carole King I have Chic and well...most of the 80’s. I’m taking pleasure again in those songs that moved more butt than brain and hey… Nile Rodgers is bringing back the Chic with “Get Lucky”. So I’m smilin’.

And More Joy

Me and Scout are digging the packaging. Wrap it up…I’ll take it.

Merry Christmas and Happy Hoilidays!

Mark Cawley

Nashville, Tennesse

12/11/13

Update: Here's Scout , Dec 2017 and a link to the Billboard Pop hits this week

Scout 2017

Hope you'll sign up to follow future blogs at

http://idocoach.com/blog/  

Please be sure and hit the share button on Facebook if you'd like to pass this on

Dedicating all my blogs in 2013 to the memory of John Braheny. I still ask every songwriter or artist I coach to pickup his book before we start talking. 

There is also a college scholarship in John's name, through the California Copyright Conference (John was a past president)...here's the link:

http://www.theccc.org/scholarship

About: 

Mark Cawley's songs have appeared on more than 15 million records. Over a career based in LA, London, and Nashville his songs have been recorded by an incredibly diverse range of artists. From Tina Turner, Joe Cocker, Wynonna, Diana Ross and Chaka Khan to The Spice Girls, Tom Scott, Kathy Mattea, Paul Carrack, Will Downing and Pop Idol winners in the UK. He has had #1 records in the UK and throughout Europe as well as cuts in Country, Jazz & R & B. His groundbreaking website Song Journey created with Hall of Fame writer Kye Fleming was the first to mentor writers from around the world one-on-one online. He is currently writing and publishing as well as helping writers and artists worldwide with a one-on-one co-active coaching service, iDoCoach.

Mark Cawley of iDoCoach.com

5 Great Musical Reasons For The Season

“Doesn't matter if you discover it decades later, what enters your ears stops you in your tracks. You can't believe how good it sounds, how it makes you feel. And that's what we're in search of. This greatness.”                                                                                       Bob Lefsetz

Thank you ( falettinme be mice elf again)

Sly And The Family Stone

Greatness

I’m thankful for greatness of any kind. We may define it differently; we might recognize right away or find it down the line. It shapes us and molds us. It influences the choices we make, the things we love and the life we lead.

It’s Thanksgiving time here in the U.S. and a time we all count our blessings. Thought it was a good time to be thankful for the music that set me on a path I’m still on. Hard to choose five but here it goes.

1)  Motown. Started in ’59. Smokey, The Supremes, The Four Tops, Martha Reeves and The Vandellas, the Temptations and on and on. Songs of Holland, Dozier and Holland. In those days these songs were played right on the radio alongside the stuff your parents listened to but it wasn’t your parents music, not even close. Soul.

2) The Beatles. I can’t begin to count the songwriters and musicians I know who tell the same story. Ed Sullivan, Feb 9th, 1964, the next day we were all combing our hair down on the bus and saving for Rickenbackers and Hofners. Our world was never the same. My Dad watched it with me and was dying laughing when he said “ these guys will be gone in 2 weeks”! Sorry Dad, wrong.

3) Everything else after the Beatles for the next few years. The British Invasion, The California Sound, Joni Mitchell and Bob Dylan to name a few.

4) Jazz. Parker, Coltrane, Miles and Mingus. These guys are the Mount Rushmore of cool and opened up all kinds of possibilities for melody. This was the kind of greatest that I found way down the line but is a huge part of my being.

5) Steve Jobs. Love him or loathe him, he reinvented the way we listen to music. He loved music and envisioned a time when we could take all of our favorite songs with us. Everywhere, all the time. Some people equate his Apple to that other one in the Garden Of Eden. Like it led to a musical wilderness. Most can’t remember a time before the iPod. Me, I’m grateful for his greatness.

Who’s on your list?

Happy Thanksgiving to all the songwriters, musicians and music lovers… let’s be thankful and celebrate greatness wherever we find it!

Mark Cawley

Nashville

11/26/13

Photo: Goggle Images

Hope you'll sign up to follow future blogs at 

http://idocoach.com/blog/  

Please be sure and hit the share button on Facebook if you'd like to pass this on

Dedicating all my blogs this year to the memory of John Braheny. I still ask every songwriter or artist I coach to pick

up his book before we start talking. 

There is also a college scholarship in John's name, through the California Copyright Conference (John was a past president)...here's the link:

http://www.theccc.org/scholarship

Image: Google Images

About: 

Mark Cawley's songs have appeared on more than 15 million records. Over a career based in LA, London, and Nashville his songs have been recorded by an incredibly diverse range of artists. From Tina Turner, Joe Cocker, Wynonna, Diana Ross and Chaka Khan to The Spice Girls, Tom Scott, Kathy Mattea, Paul Carrack, Will Downing and Pop Idol winners in the UK. He has had #1 records in the UK and throughout Europe as well as cuts in Country, Jazz & R & B. His groundbreaking website Song Journey created with Hall of Fame writer Kye Fleming was the first to mentor writers from around the world one-on-one online. He is currently writing and publishing as well as helping writers and artists worldwide with a one-on-one co-active coaching service, iDoCoach.

Mark Cawley of iDoCoach

How To Give Up Songwriting...Gracefully

One of the best things I ever did for my songwriting was to give it up. 

A little backstory: It was around 2005. My dear friend and Hall of Fame songwriter Kye Fleming and I had been working with songwriters through an online mentoring service we had created called SongJourney for a few years. Chris Ogelsby had helped us pitch our little business to American Idol. We were to be the folks who would work with contestants on their songwriting, including a new songwriting competition they were planning to add to the already huge show. Many meetings later Chris was able to get it in front of Simon Fuller for the final go ahead. Simon went ahead....and said 'no'. It was a crushing blow at the time.

I had ended my publishing deals with Universal - Steelworks music in the UK to focus on this new venture. Kye was less interested in writing as well, so we were faced with a huge "What now?" moment. 

Giving it up

Kye went on to some new ventures and I went into a funk. A very, very loooong funk.

One of those periods when writing didn't seem like a good idea. Everything had a 'been there, done that' feel, and the joy had gone out of it.

I promise I'm getting to the point here: I gave up. I felt like I didn't  have anything to say as a writer and nothing to add to the current music scene so I just stopped paying attention. You're a writer if you're reading this, so you know we tend to live in our heads much of the time. But this went on for quite a while.

Graceworks

One day my wife came to me with the suggestion I get out of my head and into my car and go volunteer. What a scary concept! Actually talk with strangers about things that have nothing to do with music but everything to do with life. I ended up at an amazing organization in Franklin, Tennessee called Graceworks. This led to a few years of working with people who came in the door in some pretty serious need. Everything from flood relief to just keeping the lights on one more month, and always: food. 

This was about as far away from American Idol as I was gonna get. Nobody I counseled cared about who I'd written songs for or hung with in the past. Real world, real concerns. Then a weird thing happened. I started writing. Just once in awhile, and slowly. Picking up a guitar when I felt moved. Sometimes by someone I had met on Wednesday morning at Graceworks, or maybe just feeling blessed to have something I loved. They were looking for hope and I guess I was, too.

Getting it back

Sure it's called the music business for a reason, but the business can make you crazy and can seem like the only thing that matters. Giving it up, giving it away, and letting it go for awhile until I learned what a blessing it is to be able to create...it made it that much better. It made it a deeper experience. I wrote songs for my daughters, my wife, someone I just met. I heard new stories, gained new perspectives, and just started writing from a new place. And..I got it back.

Flash forward to late 2013 and I'm happy to say  I've been coaching songwriters and artists successfully for almost 3 years and I love it! 

Mark Cawley of iDoCoach

-Mark

Nashville, Tennessee 

11/14/13

Hope you'll sign up to follow future blogs at 

http://idocoach.com/blog/  

Dedicating all my blogs this year to the memory of John Braheny. I still ask every songwriter or artist I coach to pick

up his book before we start talking. 

There is also a college scholarship in John's name, through the California Copyright Conference (John was a past president)...here's the link:

http://www.theccc.org/scholarship

Image: Google Images

About: 

Mark Cawley's songs have appeared on more than 15 million records. Over a career based in LA, London, and Nashville his songs have been recorded by an incredibly diverse range of artists. From Tina Turner, Joe Cocker, Wynonna, Diana Ross and Chaka Khan to The Spice Girls, Tom Scott, Kathy Mattea, Paul Carrack, Will Downing and Pop Idol winners in the UK. He has had #1 records in the UK and throughout Europe as well as cuts in Country, Jazz & R & B. His groundbreaking website Song Journey created with Hall of Fame writer Kye Fleming was the first to mentor writers from around the world one-on-one online. He is currently writing and publishing as well as helping writers and artists worldwiide with a one-on-one co-active coaching service, iDoCoach.

Scared Straight Songwriting...Happy Halloween!

No better time than Halloween to write about the things that scare songwriters and artists the most. I have to back up a minute and say one of my favorite things about coaching is the one on one, digging deeper part. We always seem to get around to things that go bump in the night.

Ever wake up wondering if you’ll ever write another song? If you’re really any good? Will you ever get a cut? Will you ever get another cut (this usually comes the night after you get your first one), and do you have any business thinking you belong in this one?

Yeah? Me too.

Even when I’ve gotten past some of the things that used to put me in night-sweats, some new goblin comes along.

I’ve been doing it long enough to be able to look back and know most of the things that scared the crap outta me never came to pass. Maybe they even helped me push to get better. Kinda fun to be scared at least for a minute, gets your blood going. Sometimes for me it’s been going to see another writer and walking away sure that I’m trick-or-treating in the emperor's new clothes. “That guy's the real deal--and I’m naked!”  But that's another dream; it’s a lot less scary the next morning when you get on with writing something new. 

One of my favorite quotes ever came from John Hiatt. In an interview he was talking about the fear that in the past had haunted his songwriting. He finally told himself, “What's the worst that could happen…they put me in songwriter jail?"

Funny thing about songwriters and especially most artists I’ve worked with is that behind the “look at me” side can be some wicked fear. We can be crazy confident on the outside but really we want everyone to love our song, voice, or whatever our focus is. I know I’ve told myself many times that the song is its own reward--even if no one ever hears it, that's ok as long as it kills me and I can’t stop playing it. I lied. I want to write songs that move people…lots of people. Always have. Thats a thrill worth being scared for.

Mark

Nashville Tennessee

10/30/13

P.S. Just saw this blog by Seth Godin this morning, check it out!

Hope you'll sign up to follow future blogs at 

http://idocoach.com/blog/  

Dedicating all my blogs this year to the memory of John Braheny. I still ask every songwriter or artist I coach to pick

up his book before we start talking. 

There is also a college scholarship in John's name, through the California Copyright Conference (John was a past president)...here's the link:

http://www.theccc.org/scholarship

Image: Google Images

About: 

Mark Cawley's songs have appeared on more than 15 million records. Over a career based in LA, London, and Nashville his songs have been recorded by an incredibly diverse range of artists. From Tina Turner, Joe Cocker, Wynonna, Diana Ross and Chaka Kahn to The Spice Girls, Tom Scott, Kathy Mattea, Paul Carrack, Will Downing and Pop Idol winners in the UK. He has had #1 records in the UK and throughout Europe as well as cuts in Country, Jazz & R & B. His groundbreaking website Song Journey created with Hall of Fame writer Kye Fleming was the first to mentor writers from around the world one-on-one online. He is currently writing and publishing as well as helping writers and artists worldwiide with a one-on-one co-active coaching service, iDoCoach.

7 Songwriters You Need To Know

Lot's of rhyme here but not much reason to my list, just who I like today. Some are better known than others, some off the radar, terrific writers all. Just my 2 cents and a few links. Check these out and let me know some of your favorites.

1. Bill Withers "Ain’t No Sunshine", "Grandmas Hands", "Lean On Me" but still gets overlooked. He had a run of some amazing songs and so different. Never painting by the numbers stuff, just writing what he lived. Great documentary about him awhile back.
2. Matraca Berg   "Strawberry Wine", "Wrong Side Of Memphis", she’s never been a secret in Nashville. Check out her solo albums. One of those writers that didn’t become a country star but she helped make a few.
3. Max Martin  The man behind the pop curtain. He’s been making pop hits since the mid 90’s. Too many guilty pleasures to mention. Check out his discography
4.  Hoagy Carmichael Going waaaay back to the 30’s. Beautiful melodies, come on..”Stardust” and “Georgia On My MInd”? Gorgeous.
5. Dave Barnes Getting more and more well known especially since “God Gave Me You”. I have to confess I’m not always a fan of contemporary Christian music but he reminds me at times of some of my favorite pop melody writers like Glenn Tilbrook and Neil Finn.
6. Dawes ( Taylor Goldsmith). Really good songwriting in the mold of the Laurel Canyon era. Check out “A Little Bit Of Everything” sometime.
7.  Tristan Prettyman cool pop singer songwriter. Still play the “Hello” album for a smile. 

Mark

Nashville Tennessee

Hope you'll sign up to follow future blogs at 

http://idocoach.com/blog/  

About: 

Mark Cawley's songs have appeared on more than 15 million records. Over a career based in LA, London, and Nashville his songs have been recorded by an incredibly diverse range of artists. From Tina Turner, Joe Cocker, Wynonna, Diana Ross and Chaka Kahn to The Spice Girls, Tom Scott, Kathy Mattea, Paul Carrack, Will Downing and Pop Idol winners in the UK. He has had #1 records in the UK and throughout Europe as well as cuts in Country, Jazz & R & B. His groundbreaking website Song Journey created with Hall of Fame writer Kye Fleming was the first to mentor writers from around the world one-on-one online. He is currently writing and publishing as well as helping writers and artists in the US, UK, Australia and all around the world with a one-on-one co-active coaching service, iDoCoach.

Dedicating all my blogs this year to the memory of John Braheny. I still ask every songwriter or artist I coach to pick up his book before we start talking. 

There is also a college scholarship in John's name, through the California Copyright Conference (John was a past president)...here's the link:

http://www.theccc.org/scholarship

Image: Google Images