Collin County Songwriters Association News

See video clips from CCSA’s variety show, June 10, at AK’s (soon to be The Venue Grille) in Allen/Fairview at www.YouTube.com/collinsongwriters, and see pictures (were you there?) at the CCSA Myspace site. Included in the clips are C. Aaron Moore, Diane Hart, Chad Ireland, Dan Scot Parr, Michael “The Mudcat” Reames, Nelson Miller, and Ryan Michael Galloway.

CCSA member Eric Sykes will perform with his partner Chris Paul at Neuhaus Café, 626 Preston Royal Shopping Center, Dallas, Saturday, June 28th. Shows are from 6:30 to 9:30. Great music from the 60s through 90s.

Diane Hart will play this Friday, June 20th, at AK’s (soon to be The Venue Grille), 441 Stacy Road, in Allen, and Poppy’s, 107 S Church St, in McKinney on Saturday, July 25th.

Ryan Michael Galloway will headline the Dallas Songwriters Association’s July Songwriter Showcase at The Varsity Club in the northwest corner of Spring Creek and Coit in Plano, Saturday, July 5. This will be a very special original set comprised of music from RMG’s last two releases, and some new material to be included on his upcoming EP, “Nation.” CCSA members may be dropping by to sit in on this one. See recent live video clips of RMG at www.YouTube.com/rmgalloway. RMG is also giving Master Classes at this year’s Camp Jam, founded by former 38 Special guitarist Jeff Carlisi.

Public speaker and CCSA VP, Chad Ireland, appeared at the Pecha Kucha event hosted by the Visual Arts Guild on Thursday night, June 19th. He was there to explain the role that the CCSA fills in the community, and the organization’s goals. Pecha Kucha events are gatherings for people in the arts (artists, musicians, etc.) to network and share the approaches and techniques behind their work.

Michael “The Mudcat” Reames was recently covered in a story on Dallas Morning News’ site, NeighborsGo, http://www.neighborsgo.com/stories/16739. Read about The Mudcat’s upcoming recording project in Houston at the Vault Studios, with international contributor Bron Buick.

Ryan Michael Galloway
www.GigsterClinics.com (music business education)
www.RyanRocks.com (the Ryan Michael Galloway music and education portal)

Local "Rockin' Bluesman" Goes International

Michael “The Mudcat” Reames came to Frisco, Texas from Oak Cliff—by way of New Orleans. In an odyssey that took him from playing as a teenager with Stevie Ray Vaughan in the band Liberation, to jamming with the fledgling ZZ Top, to singing in a Yes tribute band, to rocking the New Orleans Club scene, to returning to North Texas after Katrina blew it all away, The Mudcat has pretty much seen it all. For the last two years he has helped to found the Collin County Songwriters Association, and is one of its most outspoken ambassadors. Through it all, the playing, singing, and blues harmonica playing hasn’t stopped. He can now be seen playing at a number of showcases and clubs, and the appearances have turned more frequent, as the association teams up with the Visual Arts Guild for a number of art shows in the area.

Now The Mudcat embarks on a new CD project that has ties to UK and Europe. In mid-July, he will begin a major recording initiative at The Vault Studios in Houston, where he is the not-so-silent partner of producer/engineer, David Williams (former drummer for Hall and Oates, Diana Ross, The Ojays, etc., and former record company executive).

In his spare time, Mr. Reames has been working his Myspace page like a pro. In doing so he has, like many players on this side of the pond, made a number of connections overseas. But in his case, he’s actually gotten people excited enough to come to Texas to record his material. Among the various musicians involved in the project is Bron Buick, a guitarist from London. Bron got involved because he want to cover Reames’ song “Love Sickness,” which he will place on his own release and bring back to the UK and Europe when the mix is finished. Bron will perform on other songs on Reames’ CD as well.

In an effort to reach out beyond Texas’ borders, The Mudcat also recruited West Indies musician, “Cash,” and brought back Reames old friend, co-writer and collaborator Wayne Folse, the stellar blues and rock guitarist from New Orleans.

Members of the Collin County Songwriters Association, who have been collaborating with Reames on an association compilation, will also meet on the session to complete some recordings started in May. The sessions will be taped by CCSA member Sam Moore who is currently working on a series pilot about Texas music.

Bron Buick, a London native, has toured extensively through Europe including Scandinavia and England with his own band Buick Hill Band, with Bron as the front man with guitarist Chris Hill. He’ll be touring the US when he takes time out in July to do the session with The Mudcat in Houston.

Bron says, “I have come a long way, from playing to two people who were just trying to get a beer at the top of their lungs, to 130,000+”

Bron’s forthcoming album “Battered and Bluesed” is his second. His first CD is entitled “Just a Thought...” One of his tracks, “Lovin' Lucy” was featured in the compilation CD “Rock 4 Life,” now in stores around the world.

“I am so happy to be able to get a man of his obvious talent and love of the blues to play and make some good music,” says Reames. “With the help of my friends Wayne and Dave we ought to turn out some good stuff.”

Ryan Michael Galloway
www.GigsterClinics.com (music business education)
www.RyanRocks.com (the Ryan Michael Galloway music and education portal)

Catching up...

I haven't made a serious post here since last October, so here is what I've been up to:

• Released "Rock the Big House Down" EP (get free downloads at the link) at the end of December
• Wrote and released The Band Promotion Turbo-Charger (more fans, more fame, more fortune) in February 2008
• Started facilitating the Collin County Songwriters Association song critique circle, every first Tuesday of the month at Anderson Guitar Gallery in Frisco, Texas
• Led the Collin County Songwriters Association Spring Seminars in May
• Started a new live playing campaign--see me at places like Zen Zin Wines and Bistro, AK's (soon to be The Venue Grille), and The Varsity Club (July 5, 2008) in Plano
• Started capturing and editing videos for CCSA: See our new YouTube with live videos at www.youtube.com/collinsongwriters
• Joined most of the CCSA leadership on a trip to Houston for a spirited impromptu recording session
• Got invited to perform as part of a PBS program on Texas songwriters, taping in October in Missouri
• Held a Master Class on promotion at Camp Jam in Dallas (founded by Jeff Carlisi)
  Began developing material for the next CD, entitled "Nation"

Okay, that's some of it anyway. My apologies for the ego-fest. More info on the way.

Ryan Michael Galloway

http://www.gigsterclinics.com/ (music business education)

http://www.ryanrocks.com/ (the Ryan Michael Galloway music and education portal)

Back in the Saddle

MAN, time goes by in a hurry these days. Well, it's time to get this blog active again, if only to aggregate and repost some of my more important writings to this audience. My apologies for the sabbatical, and here comes some stuff!

Ryan Michael Galloway
www.GigsterClinics.com (music business education)
www.RyanRocks.com (the Ryan Michael Galloway music and education portal)

Just wanted to let everyone know that I will be releasing a new EP slated for December. I've been hard at work in Ron Logan's "Shabby Road Studio" in Desoto, with a twist on recording techniques. Most of the music so far has been recorded on a digital recorder as I roam all over the North Texas countryside picking up pieces from contributing players--returning occasionally to the studio to load the tracks into the main project. Ron has artfully knitted the pieces together, completing exceptional mixes for the EP's titular "Rock the Big House Down," and "I Can't Get There From Here."


Three more tracks will be completed in December. Tentatively, they are "If God Could Sleep," "I Know What I Know," and "When the Full Moon Loves You."

Embedded here is a picture of me hanging with part of the horn section for "Rock the Big House Down." Meet my compadres, Derrell, Aaron and Nathan. Derrell played tuba, Aaron played sax, and Nathan played trumpet. Aaron also served as on the spot arranger and horn section lead. Thanks, guys! Photo is by Jenny Yuhas, who wants me to pass along how good looking she thinks you guys are. :-)

For lots of equipment, promotion, songwriting and music career management knowledge, go to http://www.GigsterClinics.com/merch.htm.Ryan Michael Galloway IS the Alpha Gigster of Gigster Clinics. Performer, mentor, author, and songwriter. See his videos on YouTube. Be his friend at MySpace.

What's the buzz?

It's been a while since I've been back here to post anything. I've been working steadily on developing a Myspace following and building new Gigster Clinic programs. I will also soon be a featured writer on the famous Don Mak's new music career blogsite, "Performidable."

Have you seen that recent bumper-sticker, "Think Globally, Act Locally"? Well, I've figured out a way to think globally, and ACT GLOBALLY, as well. Yes, thank-you Internet, for the international reach. Through my Myspace account I've been making contacts all over the world, and I've now found a way to share my clinic programs with musicians everywhere.

It all started when Shane Frame of Guitar Center in North Dallas invited me to speak. He asked if I could do a clinic on just live sound. No problem, since it is part of the overall GigsterClinics program. This time, since I was in a room full of millions of dollars worth of sound equipment, I had the event videotaped. With my friend, Steve Brown of Tradewind Productions on the camera, and my talented musical collaborator and filmaker, Chris Moore, doing post production, the results are pretty exciting. Get a taste here:



Anyway, the next thing I knew, I found a way to produce webinars--taking up to 1000 incoming participants at one time. As the ad says, "this changes everything." Yes, I will continue to present live presentations and clinics, but I will also do live webinars for a much wider audience. The plan is to offer the webinars for free, but to give participants the option to buy the audio and PowerPoint presentations on disk, or to step up and buy a DVD with integrated illustrations. The first webinar is in August. Subscribe to this blog, or be my friend at www.Myspace.com/rmgalloway to stay informed of developments.



Want to know more? For a FREE whitepaper report on phase cancellation (and links to other reports), click here. For lots of equipment, promotion, songwriting and music career management knowledge, go to http://www.GigsterClinics.com/merch.htm.

Ryan Michael Galloway IS the Alpha Gigster of Gigster Clinics. Performer, mentor, author, and songwriter. See his videos on YouTube. Be his friend at MySpace.

A musician should also be a "tech"

Last Saturday night I was setting up to play with my buddies at a coffeehouse in a church in Mesquite, Texas, a suburb of Dallas. Church-sponsored coffeehouses are a time-honored tradition in Dallas, the oldest of which is the famous Uncle Calvin's. Church or no church, things can get pretty raucous at these events, so you still hear some pretty edgy stuff, albeit usually on acoustic instruments.

In the middle of set-up we ran into a problem with the direct boxes, or so we thought. Direct boxes or "DIs" are boxes that let you plug your guitar-style quarter-inch plug into a three-pronged low-impedance input called an XLR or Cannon connector (like a microphone cable ), which is what all the snake inputs are. Our sound technician couldn't get the DI-fed acoustic guitar channels--10 and 11--to make a sound, either in the mains or the monitors. He switched the direct boxes out three times with no change in result. I took one of the guitars and plugged it into a guitar amp just to make sure it wasn't the instrument, but the guitar worked perfectly in the onstage amp. Meanwhile the two channels were still dead. Not a sound when we plugged the guitar back into the direct boxes.

I said, "Guys, it has to be at the board." The sound engineer protested, saying that the board was set up right. I asked if I could look it over.

"Go ahead," he said, as if to say, "You won't find anything."

I checked the channels for muting. I compared the cannels to the channels around them. I checked the bussing switches to the mains and the sub-mixes. I checked the faders. I glanced in the back where there was no light, but saw something disturbing.

"Would it cause a problem if the snake wasn't plugged into channels 10 and 11?" I asked.

"Oh, sh*t," was the response.

Problem solved. Next.

While my friend, C. Aaron Moore and his band "The Issues," performed the first set, I got into a "discussion" with a fellow band-member about problems with the mix. He was hearing one of the vocalists louder than the others. Now, I'd been all over the room and the mix was pretty good, but my friend just couldn't stand what he was hearing.

I worked to get the sound right, which was complicated by the fact that the PA board was in the back of the room in the corner, in a box with an open window to the performance hall. The sound in the hall was fully twice of what it was in the booth, but the booth sound was surprisingly pretty mixable. After I got the "vocal in question" to sit in the mix a little better, I realized at least part of the problem. My fellow band-member was sitting 10 feet from the back wall of the hall. He was in the worst seat in the house, with the sound waves reflecting from the back wall and cancelling a lot of the frequencies--possibly even reinforcing others. Once I walked into the sweet spot in the middle of the room, the vocals were actually now a bit low in the mix.

What else helps vocals sit in the mix? Well, vocals are one of the most dynamic "instruments," meaning the can be very loud, very soft, somewhere in between, and can change on a dime. Great for emotional delivery, but it drives the person at the mixer crazy trying to get the vocal to mix well with the rest of the music. The answer is a compressor. The compressor will turn the loud sound down (in a fraction of a second) and the soft sound up. This more even sound lets you pretty much set and forget the vocals, because where you mix them is where they tend to remain in the mix with the other instruments.

Want to know more? For a FREE whitepaper report on phase cancellation, click here. For lots of equipment, promotion, songwriting and music career management knowledge, go to http://www.GigsterClinics.com/merch.htm.


Ryan Michael Galloway IS the Alpha Gigster of Gigster Clinics. Performer, mentor, author, and songwriter. See his videos on YouTube. Be his friend at MySpace.

The Anti-Simon

Have you ever seen the movie, Jaws? There is a scene where Richard Dreyfuss’ character describes the shark species. To paraphrase, they’re only interested in two things, eating and making baby sharks. In short, they’re like machines—not to be hated, as much as understood and avoided.

Where the shark has two areas of concentration, I’ve decided that Simon Cowell is twice as focused. According to his recent run of interviews, he is simply interested in making money. Through that lens, everything seems to make sense. He is part creator of a hit TV show (American Idol) that feeds over a hundred million dollars worth of talent to a major record label. The controversy he purposely creates, the snide comments, the snotty attitude, the mock war with Paula Abdul—it is all so he and his colleagues can make millions and millions, while the artists themselves receive a very small portion of the pie.

While I don’t hate Simon and his crew for wanting to make money, and I don’t think they’ve done anything illegal, I can’t say what they’re doing is very good for us. Politicians and voters often like to hold their ideas up to scrutiny by saying, “Yeah, but is it good for America?” I’d like to hold the whole American Idol concept up to the question, “Yeah, but is it good for the music business?”

In the short run, American Idol creates entertainment, makes us laugh, and gives a few people a shot at a record deal—a dubious goal, at best. But in the long run, it reinforces what is wrong with the record business, and what is bad for us consumers. Simon has a very narrow definition of who should be a star. He is tasked with picking the hits over, and over again. He is not particularly open to widening that definition, allowing more inventive and less mainstream ideas in.

Every time the Next Big Thing has happened in the music business, it’s been an anomaly; something outside the mainstream. When Rock and Roll first happened in the late 50s and early 60s, it was just “guitar music,” and it supposedly wasn’t going to compete well with the likes of Sinatra, Streisand, and Andy Williams (Andy who?). Disco was reviled and resisted, as was rap. But every time these innovations came on the scene, they ultimately became part of the mainstream. I’ve even heard rap infused into Country Music! Where would these innovations have found footing if the Simons of the world were in control. No one would ever have stepped outside of the box. Even if money making is the goal, safety is the anti-thesis to innovation.

The answer right now is the “indie” music movement. Producing and promoting yourself, managing your own shows, promotion, and bookings. This is what’s leading to new sounds and innovations, so much so that the record companies are nibbling away at the edges by funding a few creative startups, and snatching up some of the better indie acts. Do you want to learn more about having your own artistic and business control as you pursue your music career? Join me on Myspace at http://www.MySpace.com/rmgalloway, or read my educational blogs here and at http://www.wordsplusmusic.blogspot.com. You can also subscribe to my eZine at http://www.GigsterClinics.com.

Be in touch. We’re going to change the world (of music, anyway).

P.S. My new book, Hits and Heartbreakers—Songwriting Fundamentals for Love or Money, is now available at http://www.GigsterClinics.com/merch.htm.

God Bless Brad Delp

Lead singer for Boston, Brad Delp, died yesterday at 55. Yes, we did just lose the nicest guy in rock and roll.

When I played as a member of the East Coast tour band, Primadonna, my drummer and friend was Ben Mason. Ben's father was a Technical Writer in Washington, DC and friends with Jack Hashian--father of Boston's drummer, Sib Hashian. Ben also knew Sib through some of his earlier years prior to Boston. An aside was that Jack Hashian was reputed to have written The Eiger Sanction under the name Trevanian.

Long way around, I know, but I have a tie in. Whenever Sib was in town, he and his dad would make sure we (our entire band) had tickets and back stage passes for at least one of the shows. They typically played the Capitol Centre in Largo, MD, and would sell out every time.

Meanwhile, I was published as a songwriter with Columbia/Screen Gems. My mentor, Irwin Schuster, a VP with the company signed Boston's publishing by giving each of them $500,000 before they had released a single song. Turned out to be an amazing investment.

Without ever having much direct contact with this amazingly successful band, my life just happened to intertwine a bit. And on occasion I got to see them literally up close and personal.

On June 18, 1979, Boston played the last date of their huge first tour. They'd been on and off the road for something like 18 months, touring the world. I believe they had just come back from Japan. Tom Scholz told us they chose to close the tour at the Capitol Centre because DC audiences were the best (a nice thing to say, whether or not it was true). Their favorite warm up act, a relatively unknown singer from Montrose, opened the show. His name was Sammy Hagar.

After seeing the show from the 12th row, I made my way backstage with my friends and bandmates. Most everyone had blown out by the time I got there, but Brad was hanging out talking. It was the last show of a very long tour, and he stood there for almost a half-an-hour. He talked shop about the tour and how he took care of his incredible voice, signed autographs for us, and just spent time talking to us like we were old frieinds--which we really weren't. For me, he set the gold standard for how to handle fans. He--and for that matter, all of Boston--were some very nice people in a very nasty business.

Godspeed, Brad. Thank you for all that you gave to us.

20 Ways to Make it in the Music Business, Part 2

Like I said last time, I’m not a complete advocate of getting a record deal, but these suggestions will help you pretty much no matter how you want to execute your music career. How many of these you use will depend precisely on how serious you are. Now stand up and get to work, or sit down and shut up.

11. Commit and show up. Say what you’ll do, do what you say. It’s just like a job and people get pissed off when you don’t.

12. Answer your freakin’ phone messages and your email. If you’re not, you are not only rude, you are missing opportunities.

13. Eliminate impediments. A lot of things stand in your way, some that are due to your limitations or bad decisions, others are thrust upon you. Get them out of your life, if you possibly can. Bad friends reinforce your self-doubt, set up conflicts, get you into trouble, or let their problems slop into your life. You may be shy; learn to “act” past it until you’re comfortable. You may be angry or mean; learn to manage it. You may lack confidence; learn to overcome it. You may not have the proper equipment; figure out where to borrow, rent or buy it. You may not have experience; enter talent shows, open mic nights, sit in with other bands or friends—get the experience. You may lack transportation; make friends with people who have cars, find mass transportation, learn to use a cab, or focus on all the other stuff that you can while you are waiting to get transportation. Think outside of the box. No one is going to do this for you.

14. Build support teams. Enlist someone creative and high-energy to help you create your vision; where you want to be in how much time. Find friends who want to help you make the vision happen; people who can write press releases, make media contacts, or book your act for a fee. Pull the people who are just hanging around with you into street team work, like getting the word out about shows, and creating energy in the audience (loud applause, encores, etc.).

15. Be knowledgeable enough to be secure. You’re going to get offers. Learn what a good offer looks like compared to a bad one. Hire help, or be totally prepared to hire help (have them lined up) for when the offers happen. Not knowing, not being ready, means you will freeze when the opportunity comes. You’ll either sign a bad contract, or fail to sign a good one, because you won’t know the difference. Again, read The Ultimate Survival Guide to the New Music Industry: Handbook for Hell by Justin Goldberg, How I Make $100,000 in Music by David Hooper, The Gigster Textbook by Ryan Michael Galloway, This Business of Music by M. William Krasilovsky, Guerrilla Music Marketing Handbook by Bob Baker, CDBaby artists’ area.

16. Promote online. Garageband, Live365, Taxi, IdolUnderground, Myspace, YouTube.

17. Promote offline. Local newspapers, TV, radio, charity events.

18. Learn about equipment (lights and sound). The Gigster Clinics are there for ya’ :-)

19. Drive your own progress. No one wants you to make it as much as you do. Everyone is running their own lives. They get distracted, things come up. If they’re into you and your quest, they’ll be fine when you ask them if they did that thing they were going to do for you. Nag—gently—but nag. Set your own goals. Communicate them to the people on your team, especially your mentors and visionaries.

20. Be relentless. Do not stop pushing. This may take ten years, but sometimes outlasting everyone else is what gets you over the top. The Beatles didn’t happen over night.