SATURDAY, JANUARY 31, 2004
Musical Performance
My two brothers and I played at Borders Bookstore last night. besides the general public, we had a pretty good contingency of friends and family. We may have even chased off a few people who come to use the place as if it were a public library. My mother was there disguised as a bag lady where she commenced to empty her pocketbook on the table and go through all her stuff. I used a Marshall mini-amp I had just bought. That thing is only about half as big as a cigar box but sounds like a full size amp. The neat thing is, you can plug in an adapter or play it off the 9 volt battery. My brother Robert has acquired software and will learn how to record our songs. I hope someday we can produce a music CD. I would even like to attempt a music video. I have all these ideas.
Friday, September 18, 2009
My First CD
My Latest Song
My younger brother, Robert set up an appointment for Monday 11-15-2004 at Bird Nest Studio in Covington to record some of my songs. The hourly rate was steep but I figured what the heck, we would probably do three or four songs. I was wrong, we only did one song in nine hours at a cost of $400. Hopefully there's a learning curve involved and we can get more done next time or else I won't be able to afford doing all ten songs of a CD in the studio.
The title of the song we recorded is "Rock Bottom Bar".
I thought it turned out real well. I don't have the greatest singing voice but it is okay and was really enhanced by my brother singing backup. All harmony parts are done by him alone and when he finished I paid him the highest compliment I could bestow on a backup singer: I told him "You sound like the Jordanaires."
When I played the musical interlude on lead guitar it sounded like it needed more so we backed up and played lead again on top of the other. That made it sound like a twelve string guitar or a six string with reverb. The finished recording sounded actually better than I had expected, especially there in the studio. Brother Robert and I are working hard toward having a finished disk of ten of my original songs as soon as possible. Looks like I am going to miss the Christmas market and when I am a vendor at the State Master Gardener conference in Perry Georgia in January. UPDATE: Just finished the second song called "One Good Woman"at a cost of $225. It is the best one so far with more of an old-time rock beat and great piano. Rob, my webmaster, posted a short piece of three songs on my site. Check them out. As with gardening, music is a big part of my life so let me know what you think of these snippets. You can post comments on my guestbook or email me. Down the road I need to decide what to name the album: Basement Boogie, Last Man Standing, One Good Woman or something else. Comments?
11/16/04
My younger brother, Robert set up an appointment for Monday 11-15-2004 at Bird Nest Studio in Covington to record some of my songs. The hourly rate was steep but I figured what the heck, we would probably do three or four songs. I was wrong, we only did one song in nine hours at a cost of $400. Hopefully there's a learning curve involved and we can get more done next time or else I won't be able to afford doing all ten songs of a CD in the studio.
The title of the song we recorded is "Rock Bottom Bar".
I thought it turned out real well. I don't have the greatest singing voice but it is okay and was really enhanced by my brother singing backup. All harmony parts are done by him alone and when he finished I paid him the highest compliment I could bestow on a backup singer: I told him "You sound like the Jordanaires."
When I played the musical interlude on lead guitar it sounded like it needed more so we backed up and played lead again on top of the other. That made it sound like a twelve string guitar or a six string with reverb. The finished recording sounded actually better than I had expected, especially there in the studio. Brother Robert and I are working hard toward having a finished disk of ten of my original songs as soon as possible. Looks like I am going to miss the Christmas market and when I am a vendor at the State Master Gardener conference in Perry Georgia in January. UPDATE: Just finished the second song called "One Good Woman"at a cost of $225. It is the best one so far with more of an old-time rock beat and great piano. Rob, my webmaster, posted a short piece of three songs on my site. Check them out. As with gardening, music is a big part of my life so let me know what you think of these snippets. You can post comments on my guestbook or email me. Down the road I need to decide what to name the album: Basement Boogie, Last Man Standing, One Good Woman or something else. Comments?
11/16/04
Friday, April 17, 2009
I'm Back
©2009 Eddie Rhoades
In November I went to Gulf Shores for their Songwriter Festival. I was there for the kickoff ceremonies and signed up to play. The Emcee that night said I was the only performer people got up and danced to. Following me was a guy named Buzz Kieferand. I'm glad I played first because I'd hate to follow him. I couldn't remember his last name so I kept calling him Buzz Lightyear. He sang the most outlandish funny and bawdy song I've heard with lines like "I want to be a Christmas tree, with that angel on top of me." That same night I also heard Sam Anderson and later Marc-Alan Barnette, both great performers. Look any of those names up on MySpace.com.
No one mentioned providing me a place to stay and I didn't want to be pushy so I spent that first night in my car in the parking lot behind the Silver Moon. It was a pretty cold night plus the parking lot was well lit and I sleep better when it's dark.
Next morning breakfast and lunch was provided at the Silver Moon. The Newcomers (that's me) had a block of time in the afternoon plus there was an open mic directly across the street at the FloraBama Lounge. I signed up for both and was running back and forth to play at my assigned time slot. These events are not always perfect so the old-timers signed up and performed during the Newcomers performance time but there was a time gap before the next scheduled performance so we did finally get to play.
Late that night they had a picking party at the Silver Moon and I stayed up till I guess 2am. I had inquired about a room and they said even though I was invited down I wasn't scheduled to play any of the venues therefore I didn't get a room. So I got a room at the Holiday Inn Express and since I was with the songwriters they gave me a discount.
The next day was a repeat of the last with me running back and forth to play in as many open mics as possible and playing at the newcomers time slot. That night I stayed up playing till 3am and it was so late I spent another night in my car. Well I only slept 3 hours and woke up at 6am and drove back to Marietta.
I spent a couple of nights at home and the wife and I both went back to Gulf Shores. We booked a couple of nights at the Holiday Express as there's no way my wife was going to sleep in the car. Though it was cold, the next morning we got coffee and got in the hot tub outside. It was nice and relaxing. I fixed me a drink about 10 am because, what the hell, I'm on permanent vacation.
On my last performance at the Silver Moon my brother Robert was there and besides doing his own songs he sang backup for me and played conga drums on a couple of fast numbers. I got a big response with my new humorous song "Toss It" and many people came up to me afterwards to tell me how much they enjoyed all my songs. All in all I had a ball and look forward to doing it again next year.
My brother Robert and I keep writing better and better songs. I've gotten standing ovations for some of my performances and Robert has been asked to sing other peoples songs for their demo recordings. He has a great voice. Got to run, I think I will try to catch Aaron Barker at the Swallow at the Hollow in Roswell, Georgia.
In November I went to Gulf Shores for their Songwriter Festival. I was there for the kickoff ceremonies and signed up to play. The Emcee that night said I was the only performer people got up and danced to. Following me was a guy named Buzz Kieferand. I'm glad I played first because I'd hate to follow him. I couldn't remember his last name so I kept calling him Buzz Lightyear. He sang the most outlandish funny and bawdy song I've heard with lines like "I want to be a Christmas tree, with that angel on top of me." That same night I also heard Sam Anderson and later Marc-Alan Barnette, both great performers. Look any of those names up on MySpace.com.
No one mentioned providing me a place to stay and I didn't want to be pushy so I spent that first night in my car in the parking lot behind the Silver Moon. It was a pretty cold night plus the parking lot was well lit and I sleep better when it's dark.
Next morning breakfast and lunch was provided at the Silver Moon. The Newcomers (that's me) had a block of time in the afternoon plus there was an open mic directly across the street at the FloraBama Lounge. I signed up for both and was running back and forth to play at my assigned time slot. These events are not always perfect so the old-timers signed up and performed during the Newcomers performance time but there was a time gap before the next scheduled performance so we did finally get to play.
Late that night they had a picking party at the Silver Moon and I stayed up till I guess 2am. I had inquired about a room and they said even though I was invited down I wasn't scheduled to play any of the venues therefore I didn't get a room. So I got a room at the Holiday Inn Express and since I was with the songwriters they gave me a discount.
The next day was a repeat of the last with me running back and forth to play in as many open mics as possible and playing at the newcomers time slot. That night I stayed up playing till 3am and it was so late I spent another night in my car. Well I only slept 3 hours and woke up at 6am and drove back to Marietta.
I spent a couple of nights at home and the wife and I both went back to Gulf Shores. We booked a couple of nights at the Holiday Express as there's no way my wife was going to sleep in the car. Though it was cold, the next morning we got coffee and got in the hot tub outside. It was nice and relaxing. I fixed me a drink about 10 am because, what the hell, I'm on permanent vacation.
On my last performance at the Silver Moon my brother Robert was there and besides doing his own songs he sang backup for me and played conga drums on a couple of fast numbers. I got a big response with my new humorous song "Toss It" and many people came up to me afterwards to tell me how much they enjoyed all my songs. All in all I had a ball and look forward to doing it again next year.
My brother Robert and I keep writing better and better songs. I've gotten standing ovations for some of my performances and Robert has been asked to sing other peoples songs for their demo recordings. He has a great voice. Got to run, I think I will try to catch Aaron Barker at the Swallow at the Hollow in Roswell, Georgia.
Thursday, March 26, 2009
First Annual Amelia Island Songwriters Festival 2008
By Eddie Rhoades
http://www.airplaydirect.com/eddierhoades
Just about a year ago, I was noodling around on the Internet searching for songwriters conferences. On Dogpile search engine I keyed in Songwriters Festival and up popped two; a dot com in Nashville and a dot org in Ameila Island, Florida. There was not a lot on the dot org web page, just a few lines saying they held weekly songwriter contests for locals but wanted to expand to something bigger and were open for ideas about how to accomplish this.
I emailed the link given and received a response from Joe Warwick asking me to call him. I gave him a call we talked for 30 minutes or more about how to host a songwriters festival on a national basis. I had not been involved in hosting a festival but I had attended the Frank Brown International Songwriters Festival in Gulf Shores for several years and was scheduled for one in Nashville plus the Durango Festival was also coming up for the first time in the East. The very first idea suggested was for him to contact BMI & NSAI and they would tell him exactly how to do it and would step up and help a lot with the logistics and preparations but there would be plenty left for Joe to do. We also discussed lining up local sponsors like the Chamber of Commerce, radio stations and local businesses plus anything related to music or beer & liquor (sponsors). I explained how the Frank Brown International Songwriter's Festival lines up venues all over town instead of just one location where attendees might overwhelm the one location. I gave him contact information for Reneda Cross who heads up FBISF. Joe said he would consider all suggestions and that he intended to go to Key West to observe how their festival was run.
Joe explained how the local songwriter's guild met weekly at the Frisky Mermaid Bar which is inside the Florida House Hotel he runs and how they always had a theme to write their songs about.
Everyone would write and perform songs about these theme topics. I didn't think that would be a good idea because it seemed limiting. Of course I was completely wrong. If you're simply going to perform, then play anything you want providing it's original, but if there is a contest you do need guidelines. Joe had great ideas about the themes such as: drinking, guitar, Island life, and several more. All these festival are a lot alike but there is always something different about each one and I think Joe’s idea of themes and cash prizes sets it apart from others.
The event ran from Wednesday August 27th thorough Sunday August 31st - Labor Day weekend. I didn't arrive until Friday so I had missed the "Drinking" category contest - too bad because I had a great song for that. I did enter two contests and did not win either. I didn't even place. So much for putting "Contest Winner" on my resume' But as Jason Blume said, "These contests are fun but don't be discouraged if you don't win, it's no reflection on your talent," Even he had placed last in an international contest in England many years ago but never lost faith in his songwriting ability. I can guarantee you I will be attending Jason’s workshop next year.
Even though I didn't win, there were times between programs where I was able to perform several of my best songs at the different venues. I had a lot of fun acting as emcee and telling jokes. Anyone could have done this as they asked for volunteers to fill the time gaps between judging. No one else volunteered so I jumped at this opportunity.
BMI sent some of their big-name songwriters down for several showcase performances. I spoke to Mike Geiger who was born and raised in Fernandina Beach, Florida and now resides in Nashville. He commented that this festival ran smoother than most he'd seen, especially since it was the first time for it. John Wiggins was there, he's the guy who wrote "Tequila Makes Her Clothes Fall Off" which he performed at Whacky Davey's. I would like to point out that these professionals are all very approachable. I spoke to one of these professionals and promptly forgot his name only to later see him several times and he always called me by name - how embarrassing. I got to see him perform at a venue and he began playing this fantastic lead guitar and it dawned on me his name is Chuck Jones and I had seen him play in Georgia at a place called Swallow at the Hollow performing along with Chuck Cannon.
Every year I attend songwriter festivals in Nashville, Gulf Shores, and Asheville. Now I will be adding Amelia Island, Florida to that list. These four events are wonderful places to meet and hang out with other musicians who play their original songs, plus you get to showcase your songs, have lots of fun (party), and make new friends. It’s living the dream.
email Joe Warwick at getfrisky@friskymermaid.com or go to http://www.friskymermaid.com and sign up for their mailing list to be notified about the next Songwriter Festival.
http://www.airplaydirect.com/eddierhoades
Just about a year ago, I was noodling around on the Internet searching for songwriters conferences. On Dogpile search engine I keyed in Songwriters Festival and up popped two; a dot com in Nashville and a dot org in Ameila Island, Florida. There was not a lot on the dot org web page, just a few lines saying they held weekly songwriter contests for locals but wanted to expand to something bigger and were open for ideas about how to accomplish this.
I emailed the link given and received a response from Joe Warwick asking me to call him. I gave him a call we talked for 30 minutes or more about how to host a songwriters festival on a national basis. I had not been involved in hosting a festival but I had attended the Frank Brown International Songwriters Festival in Gulf Shores for several years and was scheduled for one in Nashville plus the Durango Festival was also coming up for the first time in the East. The very first idea suggested was for him to contact BMI & NSAI and they would tell him exactly how to do it and would step up and help a lot with the logistics and preparations but there would be plenty left for Joe to do. We also discussed lining up local sponsors like the Chamber of Commerce, radio stations and local businesses plus anything related to music or beer & liquor (sponsors). I explained how the Frank Brown International Songwriter's Festival lines up venues all over town instead of just one location where attendees might overwhelm the one location. I gave him contact information for Reneda Cross who heads up FBISF. Joe said he would consider all suggestions and that he intended to go to Key West to observe how their festival was run.
Joe explained how the local songwriter's guild met weekly at the Frisky Mermaid Bar which is inside the Florida House Hotel he runs and how they always had a theme to write their songs about.
Everyone would write and perform songs about these theme topics. I didn't think that would be a good idea because it seemed limiting. Of course I was completely wrong. If you're simply going to perform, then play anything you want providing it's original, but if there is a contest you do need guidelines. Joe had great ideas about the themes such as: drinking, guitar, Island life, and several more. All these festival are a lot alike but there is always something different about each one and I think Joe’s idea of themes and cash prizes sets it apart from others.
The event ran from Wednesday August 27th thorough Sunday August 31st - Labor Day weekend. I didn't arrive until Friday so I had missed the "Drinking" category contest - too bad because I had a great song for that. I did enter two contests and did not win either. I didn't even place. So much for putting "Contest Winner" on my resume' But as Jason Blume said, "These contests are fun but don't be discouraged if you don't win, it's no reflection on your talent," Even he had placed last in an international contest in England many years ago but never lost faith in his songwriting ability. I can guarantee you I will be attending Jason’s workshop next year.
Even though I didn't win, there were times between programs where I was able to perform several of my best songs at the different venues. I had a lot of fun acting as emcee and telling jokes. Anyone could have done this as they asked for volunteers to fill the time gaps between judging. No one else volunteered so I jumped at this opportunity.
BMI sent some of their big-name songwriters down for several showcase performances. I spoke to Mike Geiger who was born and raised in Fernandina Beach, Florida and now resides in Nashville. He commented that this festival ran smoother than most he'd seen, especially since it was the first time for it. John Wiggins was there, he's the guy who wrote "Tequila Makes Her Clothes Fall Off" which he performed at Whacky Davey's. I would like to point out that these professionals are all very approachable. I spoke to one of these professionals and promptly forgot his name only to later see him several times and he always called me by name - how embarrassing. I got to see him perform at a venue and he began playing this fantastic lead guitar and it dawned on me his name is Chuck Jones and I had seen him play in Georgia at a place called Swallow at the Hollow performing along with Chuck Cannon.
Every year I attend songwriter festivals in Nashville, Gulf Shores, and Asheville. Now I will be adding Amelia Island, Florida to that list. These four events are wonderful places to meet and hang out with other musicians who play their original songs, plus you get to showcase your songs, have lots of fun (party), and make new friends. It’s living the dream.
email Joe Warwick at getfrisky@friskymermaid.com or go to http://www.friskymermaid.com and sign up for their mailing list to be notified about the next Songwriter Festival.
Saturday, March 21, 2009
Introducing Eddie Rhoades' New Music Blog
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