Songwriting Saboteurs

As songwriters we all have this ongoing battle with our inner critic. Bring him in too soon and you’re done. This guy is the most evil of the saboteurs out there. I like John Brahenys idea that writing is like a trip and you lock the inner critic in the trunk until you get there . In coaching songwriters over the past few years it’s easy to identify the things that sabotage their writing but sometimes harder to see my own.

The voice inside my  head that says ” who’s ever gonna cut this?” before the idea has had time to develop. Sometimes it’s impatience, rewriting is too hard! Or the little things I do to not have to sit down with a blank page . For me the Internet is one of the main culprits. So easy to start a lyric and check last nights baseball score, email, Facebook , Twitter and every device I own hoping some communication is gonna keep me from having to actually… start!

I heard a great story about Winston Churchill and his love for painting . The old boy got pretty good at it later in life but always had trouble tuning out and getting started. Sure he didn’t have the Internet and only had the pesky WW2 thing to distract him ,but he found a simple way to push the voices down. He just threw some paint against the canvas. Simple but once he did that he was in.

There are Saboteurs around every corner , some don’t want you to start , some don’t want you to succeed, self doubt, too much analyzing , too much information , feeling like you have too little information, even too much experience  at times. Always wondered why kids create so fearlessly. Could it be because they don’t know enough to over think it? It’s a great goal to approach writing more like a child and I’m still trying to learn how. They don’t know from Saboteur , I’m betting they can’t even spell it. I can …well…I can now .

What are some things that sabotage your writing?

State Of The Artist and Songwriter

With my blogs and coaching I’m always hoping to inspire, share stories and always, always tell the truth at least as I know it.  The truth is a pretty valuable thing to hear in a business of dreams. So with a backward nod to Clint Eastwood here goes.

“The Ugly”

If you’re an artist or writer and you’re still working a plan based on an outdated model, you have to adapt or die. It’s the ugly truth. Somehow the artist in us wants to be above the businessman and let someone else deal with it. That time is long gone and time to embrace what IS working.  This is not breaking news to most people reading this but I still have lots of writers and artists coming into my coaching with unrealistic goals  like landing a major publishing deal with a big advance . There are a few exceptions but for the most part that hasn’t existed in Nashville or anywhere I know of for a long, long time. Same for a major label deal.

“The Bad”

There are so many really good writers and artists falling by the wayside because nurturing a “baby writer or artist” costs too much these days. It makes perfect sense though. If you’re a publisher or label and the pie has shrunk, you just don’t have the money to gamble with. If you give that big advance how are you going to make it back in an era of free fall music sales? This is why you’ve been reading about things like 360 deals for the past few years as well as seeing projects stay “in house” as much as possible. Reading Bob Lefsetz letter is a good way to stay up with the conversation. He’s read by most industry people as well as artists.

“The Good”

There’s help. Writers, artists, producers, industry pros  and publishers are making themselves available in unique ways these days though workshops, online seminars or, as in my case, coaching . There is some real crap out there, so do your homework, but if you dig you’ll find experts  who have actually done what you want to do and are willing to share.

I’ve  been reading a terrific book called Platform by Michael Hyatt recently and it’s perfect info for any songwriter or artist looking for ways to get noticed. Michael has been the head of Thomas Nelson Publishing here in Nashville dealing mainly in Christian books but has a music business background as well.

One of the things that struck me was a section about turning really good authors away because they weren’t willing to use social media. They want to write and be left alone. Let someone else promote. These writers in his world and in the music world are going unpublished. Michael wrote the book as sort of a “how to” to help them navigate the new model of self-promotion.

The point is there are resources to help you adapt to newer models. Facebook fan pages, blogging and tons of other ways to be heard and create and nurture a fan base. The Internet is your marketing person and you can do it… by yourself and …it works. It’s not near as romantic to think about tweeting and blogging to let people know what you’re creating but none of us wants our music to exist in a vacuum so… we promote and network. We ARE the business and that’s a great thing!

One last note..if you play live go out and do it, everywhere, every night!

A Songwriter's Best Friend

iDoCoach Blog

You’ve got a friend.

You must have one. Your musician buddy, girlfriend, boyfriend, somebody you go to for confirmation or affirmation . Let’s put ‘em to work as your new publisher. The idea is to work on your lyric until you feel it’s the best it can be. You’ve written it as prose first and, if it’s a story type of song , you have a beginning, middle and end. You’ve done all the stuff you know you should…painted a picture with color and detail and you’re “showing not telling”. These are all things I spend tons of  time on in my coaching because they’re huge!

Most writers starting out don’t have the luxury of having a publisher to bounce ideas off. A good publisher can be the voice of reason. The one who really can tell you if those pants make your butt look big :-)!!

We all get attached to our ideas but can tend to think what’s in our head is on the page when in fact it’s where we tend to disconnect the quickest . So…what I ask writers to do is to take the lyric to someone they trust, don’ t hype them, don’t even tell them anything other than you’d like them to read the lyric and tell you what it’s about. Simple. You’re not asking for a critique , you’re just hoping they can tell you what the idea is. If they come back to you with a few different ideas, confused about characters, situations or messages then chances are you’ve lost the plot.

A friend can act as your publisher or even better, the average listener. Did they get what you’re trying to say? My favorite example of boiling an idea down came from a book about screenwriting. Producers are notorious for wanting the pitch to be as short as possible. The writers of Alien got a green light by telling the studio it was ” Jaws on a spaceship ” . If your friend can tell you your lyric is about Jaws on a spaceship you’re writing with clarity. Look back to classic songs like ”Strawberry Wine” to see how a lyric can be one persons story but make you think of your own. Written so seamless and clear that you know it’s about one thing ( in this case)  losing your innocence .

Not enough for you to know what it’s about…you want everybody to know. You may not have a publisher yet but ain’t it good to know you’ve got a friend . Use ‘em!

Hey Songwriter…”Ya Gotta Move…Yourself!!”

Mark Cawley iDoCoach.com

One of the most valuable lessons I learned over years  writing for artists, writing with artists and taking direction from my publisher was to not study too hard.

I learned this the hard way! I’ll go way back for some examples. I was writing for a major publisher during the 90’s, and I knew that part of my job was to stay current. I would shoot for the biggest artists of the day and usually had a heads up on direction from my publisher, other writers and even producers.

I’ve always loved great singers and found it easy to hear their voice in my head when I was working on something to pitch for them. Rod Stewart, Tina Turner, Joe Cocker, Aretha Franklin, Wynonna, Chaka Khan…I was a channeling fool. For years cuts were coming along but the ones I really wanted were eluding me. I would listen to everything they’d done, groove, key, subject matter and try to nail something I could hear them doing. What I didn’t think about is a really, really great artist isn’t looking for “something that sounds just like them”.

During these years I can’t tell you how many songs were put on hold by the powers that be thinking the song ( and demo) sounded exactly like their artist. At the 11th hour something would usually go amiss. You may have been there. Everything looks perfect, time to start spending the money you’re going to see…nothing to it, I’ve done my homework, my 10,000 hours and damn it…I deserve it!

As you know you need a thick skin and crazy confidence to take the rejection this career will hand out so I would grieve for a time and then jump back in. Then a funny thing happened….

As I was writing for the market I was also getting with better and better co-writers. We had the same war stories but if we wrote long enough we would eventually say let’s forget it and just write what we want, something that we can walk away and say “ I don’t care if this ever get’s cut. Then one did.

In a short period of time Tina, Joe, Chaka and Wynonna cut songs that didn’t sound remotely like ones written “for” them. All songs I was proud of. Sometimes it was a creative publisher who had the imagination to hear a song as the next step for an artist even when all the powers that be said they were nuts for sending them a song so different than what was being asked for. Sometimes it was using one of those people in my network, whatever it took to get the artist to hear it.

So the big lesson for me was a true artist is trying to move forward, not repeat themselves. They want to be challenged and they want to challenge a listener or fan. Usually they don’t know what form that will take until they hear it but if the song moved you first maybe you can move them and hopefully they can move a few million other people and then…you can take that to the bank!

“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 worldwide with a one-on-one co-active coaching service, iDoCoach. In addition he is a judge for this years UK Songwriting Contest, a contributing writer to the US Songwriting Competition , a popular songwriting blogger and from time to time, conducts his own workshops.”

Meet The New Head Of Development…The Songwriter!

Staff deals are an endangered species. Some writers are still heading to Nashville, the last true hope for being heard as a writer and a few still land a publishing deal. It just may look different than they imagined. A tip that will serve you well: If you make the trip, be prepared for finding an alternate source of income while you wait. Your job? Find the bad puns in the last sentence.

Your real job, especially if you live outside a music center, is to find a way to get your songs heard. I coach writers and artists from as far away as Melbourne, London, Indianapolis and even a client in Warsaw, Poland which got me thinking about this topic yesterday. A new friend and client has begun developing a young artist and we spent a Skype session talking about the benefits and pitfalls but I want to focus on what artist development means to a songwriter.

If you’re a performing artist/writer you’ve upped the odds of someone hearing you and your songs. Many successful writers have risen from the ashes after the artist path crashed and burned.. but ..let’s suppose you’re not a artist/performer.

Find one. Hitch your wagon to a rising star.

You can find them in any town in the world. Look for one that will grow along with you. Find one you like as well as believe in. Co-write with them even if they don’t see themselves as a writer. Always more attractive to a listener (and one of the 3 major labels we’re down to) to know an artist has something to say. In past years I would be invited to write with a new signing and the first thing I would do is talk with them. Sometimes for days. What are they interested in? Listen to their language. What motivates them to go for it? Sometimes it may just be a good line that comes out, sometimes a story or a rough idea that you get to help craft. It’s worth the time and investment for you both.

How? At the very least the artist is out there showcasing and people are hearing songs you’re a part of. At the very best, someone views you as an integral part of the artist’s future. Maybe you end up producing the songs you co-write and nothing will get you closer to getting your songs on a project than helping create it. The artist becomes successful and you become successful and… in demand. You’re asked to work with more budding artists and bring “that thing you do.”

Maybe you don’t have production skills. Then find someone who does and build a team.

Lastly I would recommend  a development contract. Sometimes in life you have to bring in the law. Get a good entertainment attorney to help craft a fair deal for you and the artist. If you find you’re doing the heavy lifting, creating tracks, hiring players maybe even using your contacts, make sure you stand to be compensated if not rewarded. Make it fair for the artist as well. No one sided deals, you hope to have a relationship so I would even plan for the fact that maybe you don’t get there and they’ll need to move on. Make it a fair amount of time for you to give it everything you’ve got but allow the artist to still pursue their career if you’re not the right fit. If they move on without you, provide for being reimbursed. All about trust, just like all of the relationships you’ll have as a writer, co-writer, publisher, producer or “head of development”.

Songwriting Inspiration: Looking Forward To Looking Back

Moving forward took me back. Before I go all Yogi Berra on you I’ll explain a bit. 2011 was my first full year of coaching writers and artists. I worked with ones from 16 to 65, from Nashville to Melbourne. All different levels and all different measures of success..and I loved it. I loved it not only for the relationships and the excitement of seeing a light go on or a song get cut but also for finding out what makes me tick as a creative person.

To constantly challenge creative folk I had to first challenge myself. I had to think outside the box and remember how the box was built. If it didn’t inspire me at some point how was I going to inspire someone else? Thought it might be fun as 2012 started to think of the things that “got me” in 2011. Stayed with books and music even though movies are a constant source of material.

Books, always…some old, some new.

The Creative Habit by Twyla Tharp. I’ve adapted (nice word for stolen) some  of her great exercises to spark creativity.

Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson. Like looking behind the curtain but it didn’t change the magic. Did more to shape how we create and enjoy than anyone in my lifetime. Made me think about the term “fearless” as it applies to an artist.

Life by Keith Richard . Favorite music bio and an amazing rock and roll survivor story.

11/22/63 by Stephan King. Never realized how much soul he has. Like a time machine 50’s and 60’s love story. Worked to illustrate how you paint a picture with color and detail. Just like a good lyric.

Moonlight Mile, but really anything by Dennis Lehane. Easy to tell he’s a big music fan, same as Stephen King. Think he’d have a great second career in Nashville :-)!

How to Think Like Leonardo da Vinci by Michael J Gelb Older book but new to me. Skip some of the writing and try the exercises. Good creative stuff to stretch you.

Music. Who didn’t feel inspired by Adele? Everything great about the music business.

Miranda Lambert for Country. Song choices and especially her side project. She’s putting it all out there. Also like The Civil Wars and Need To Breathe.

I was blown away by the recent Kennedy Center Honors show with Yo Yo Ma. Pure genius and joy! One incredible artist with no boundaries.

At the very end of the year I kept being reminded of music of different eras and how fun it would have been to be writing “way back back when”. Oliver, Sound Of Music, Fiddler On The Roof, Wizard Of Oz and Peter Pan to name a few. Just amazing wordplay and melody. Thanks to my friend Lydia for posting this the other day. Old friend Paul Carrack doing “Moon River” . This is what I’m talking about!

What “did it” for you as a writer or artist last year?

Songwriting “Take It To The Bridge”…Please!

The bridge is falling down and I’m bummed! I understand the philosophy, we’re in a sound bite, short attention span place right now with most everything. No one wants to invest the time in listening to a whole record, an EP is about right. I get it, but it’s such a classic songwriting tool I hate to see it go the way of the album. It’s hard to find one on country radio for the past few years, don’t bore us, get us to the chorus…. and keep us there seems to be the rule.

In my coaching it comes up at least once with new writers wanting to know what the difference between the bridge and the rest of the song is. Do I need one? If I write it where does it go? How long should it be?

The easy version is that the bridge should be a departure from the other elements of the song. My friend John Braheny put it as well as anyone when he said the song is a journey along the main road, the super highway and the bridge is the exit or detour we take to get a different view along the way. Great while you’re there and it always leads you back to the main highway. Good bridges are usually another hook in a song. Just check out most Beatle songs. “Life is very short and there’s no time….” from “We Can Work It Out”, or the bridge in “She’s Leaving Home” sometime. Just as memorable as the chorus is and…one more hook.

We should be talking about a new melody, new meter, chord changes, rhythm, not too long maybe four/eight lines and a place to introduce new info lyrically. They really work well in songs that have lot’s of repetition in the chorus. Gives the listener a break and something new before you haul ‘em back to the big hook. Almost always happen after the second chorus and usually doesn’t contain the chorus lyric. Not every song needs it but I’m hearing more and more that could use it. It’s just a beautiful thing when it surprises you and shows you the cool old part of town before you get back on the highway.

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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.

Some Love For The Uncut Songwriter

iDoCoach Blog

Last Tuesday night I was invited to be on the judge’s panel for Puckett’s “rising star” program here in Franklin, Tennessee. Haven’t done one of these types of events in a long time and wanted to share some thoughts. On this night we were judging the song, not the artist. Puckett’s, along with the Bluebird and a few others, do a great job of showcasing and supporting new writers and established ones.

You may have heard the old advice that “If songwriting isn’t the first thought you have in the morning and the last one you have at night, if you can’t “not write” you’re probably in the wrong line of dreams.”

True enough for the pros but the other night got me thinking about the ones that aren’t beating a path to Nashville to be a star or may never get their song heard. Too busy raising a family, working a job, chasing a new dream but still have the need to say something. I talked with a few of those the other night and went away inspired.

It’s painful to watch the artist or writer who is putting it all out there and all of us are left with …“what the hell are they thinking?”  We’ve all seen ‘em; my wife could never watch American Idol with me for that very reason – it’s too uncomfortable. True, you might see that one truly gifted, touched-by- the-hand-of-God type talent and the world hopefully rewards them. For those few there are thousands of kids and kids-at-heart that pick up a guitar, or play a little bit of piano, write a lyric and find a vehicle to let someone know what’s in their heart. Maybe it’s for their family, girlfriend, church or maybe just for themselves. Probably not gonna be a household name or a song you hear in the car but the experience is the reward. It really doesn’t get any better than when you do the work and finish the song, trust me.

I coach writers and artists from all over the world these days and I love it. I love the ones getting songs cut or indie projects released online but I also love the ones who are doing it just to be able to express themselves, learn the craft and be the best writer they can be. They can “not do it” but they do it ‘cause they love the process. They’re not wannabes, they’re songwriters.

Mark Cawley

Nashville. Tennessee

Image: Shutterstock

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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, Nashville Rising Star, 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.Born and raised in Syracuse, NY, Mark has also lived in Boston, L.A., Indianapolis, London, and the last 20 years in Nashville, TN. 

The Well Mannered Songwriter

In the past I’ve written blogs about what goes on in a co-writing session and touched on some of the etiquette involved. I know the title of this blog may sound a little fussy and, as artists, we’re allowed to be unpredictable and a bit ill-mannered but I’ve never read much about the common sense that should go into creating a co-writing relationship. Manners are huge!

I like stories better than facts and figures so here’s one of many I could tell to illustrate my point. Years ago I was living outside of Nashville with a very cool home studio, feeling at the top of my game and, through the hard work of my publisher, Windswept Pacific, some great writers were knocking on my door.

I have to back up a bit and say this whole process of putting songwriters together is pretty much like dating. The publisher is the Yetta that says “You two HAVE to meet! You’ll make gorgeous kids and live happily ever after.” Some publishers are better Yettas than others, that’s one of the reasons they get where they get.

So….on this day a writer came a looooong way to get to Nashville and I was one of a few “hot” writers they “had to meet”. This stuff makes me as nervous as a first date and so I did what I could do. Prepared.

I had studied the other writer’s cuts, had a starter idea or two, Kathy had lunch figured out. Then . . . our session time came . . . and went. Came and went again . . . finally just went. 10 am turned into 11 turned into 12:30pm  turned to 1 turned to me driving the neighborhood to see if he was lost, dropped his cell phone into the Harpeth River or drove far enough into the country to hear the banjo theme from Deliverance and wasn’t coming’ back.

By the time he  ( and his wife) made it to my door I was a jilted lover. I was over it. I know he’d written some great songs but I was feeling like chopped liver. I showed him around, walked him back upstairs thanked him for coming and showed him the door. Kathy was mortified; she’s better, kinder and gentler than me and  wanted to make sure they were fed etc. but all hope of coming up with the perfect match had gone.  Yetta had left the building. Might have been my loss but I’ll never know.

I guess it comes down to respect. We’re all trying hard to be great at this and it takes a lot of heart. When it seems like someone isn’t seeing yours, it doesn’t matter how much he or she has. Just my two cents.

Looking back I wish I had been more patient, more forgiving or even more career minded but I still hold to the idea of craft and manners and bringing something to the table and showing up for dinner…ON TIME !!!!

Song-righting Wrongs Or Happy Accidents?

If you’ve written songs long enough you’re gonna get stuck. I’m not talking about writers block as much as boring yourself blind. Lot’s of tricks for the musician side, open tunings, capoing, pick up an unfamiliar instrument and don’t be afraid to suck…really. All of these tricks have opened up melodies for me and I’m convinced it’s about getting back to playing and creating like a kid. Harder to do as you get further away from that inner child. But if you don’t know the rules you’re not worrying about breaking ‘em. I know I’m gonna hear from the folks who believe you have to know the rules before you can break ‘em and I understand that argument, believe me.

I have to say guitar is my comfort zone and I’ve written a bunch of songs using the stuff  I picked up from the guys who really know how to play but …I’ve written some of my best stuff on keyboard where my inner kid just hunts and pecks like crazy until something happens.

I never worried too much about why it works, just one of those things you’re afraid to stare at in case it disappears. All of this to set up the story of my finest keyboard hour. I had co-written a song called “Dancing In My Dreams” years ago with my buddies Kye Fleming and Brenda Russell, both of whom can coax a diamond out of a litter box. I’m not knocking training but some people are just gifted. I had written the music on a keyboard.

So…I get a call one day that this famous fusion band is going to cut a version of the song. Household names all – even if you’re not a Jazz freak. I was told to expect a call from the keyboard player to discuss the finer points of the keyboard voicing in the chorus. If I knew the finer points I might have been nervous but ignorance is bliss and I picked up the phone. He asked me about one chord in the song. One chord that he was scratching his head over because the voicing sounded “odd”. I thought odd was cool. One guy’s odd is anothers “wrong” I found out. He asked me to hold the phone and play the chord. “That’s just wrong” led to giving me a short theory lesson. I countered with “yeh but it’s something that made the chord change unique and well..cool” and I stood by it. I still don’t think it was a mistake, I think it was a little magic. Ok, maybe it was luck but it was born out of the spirit of playing until something moved me. Some writers call them happy accidents.

They never did the song. Maybe my made up voicing struck the wrong kind of chord. Didn’t bother me then and doesn’t bother me now. I’ll take the heart over the head and those rare happy accidents over a perfectly executed passage any time. Think we’re all hoping for magic and it seems to happen when we’re not lookin’, at least for me. Still rather hear the scratches in the vinyl than the MP3 version, may not be perfect but I put them there.

Oh and the song…Tina Turner did it on an album that sold 6 million. She said the song was the centerpiece of the record for her and THAT WAS COOL!