Please join us for SAW Community Day: A special day of and about Song for songwriters, singers, fans and friends. 

Schedule:

12:15 Registration opens

12:45 - 1:45 The Craft of Songwriting with Bill Starks

12:45 - 1:45 Vocal Workshop with Annie Sidley

2:00 - 3:00 How to Get Paying Gigs with Ruthie Logsdon

3:15 - 4:30 Open mic in main hall

3:30 - 4:30 An Introduction to DADGAD Guitar and Short-Cut Capos with Jim Clark

4:45 - 6:00 First Impressions CD critique

6:00 Dinner

6:30 Presentation of MASC CD, Announcements

7:00 - 8:00 Performance critiques — original songs

All Day

PLUS: networking, door prizes, dinner, and more performances!

All are welcome! All Free for Members!

Otherwise it's $10 for dinner and $10 per workshop. In other words, it's a great time to renew your SAW membership.

We are not requesting RSVPs this year, but please feel free to let us know you're coming through the Facebook event page.  And while you're at it, help us spread the word by sharing and inviting others you know who might be interested.

What to bring

- your instrument(s)

- a CD recording for First Impressions panel.

- chairs for outdoor song circles

- (if inclined), snacks or drinks to share

- a musical friend or two

Workshop Descriptions:

The Craft of Songwriting with Bill Starks

We will cover some basic concepts such as What’s It About? … Which Came First - Music or Lyrics? … and Keep It Simple, and we’ll also discuss some strategies and techniques like Write it Down Now, the Importance of Introductions and Use Your Words. The workshop will also feature examples from some of Bill’s compositions, and others from some of the most familiar tunes from the pop/rock canon as well. The goal is to provide some tools for songwriters to use, to generate some ideas, to provoke some inspiration, and to have some fun. Bill Starks is an award-winning songwriter, Azalea City recording artist, keyboard player, and member of Ruthie and The Wranglers, and has been writing, performing and recording music with DC-area bands for 30-plus years. He first released an EP of 6 original tunes called StarksSongs in the mid-80’s that garnered a number of SAW honors. More recently, Bill’s song “One Step Ahead of the Repo Man” was featured in a 2009 WAMU radio program about the economy. Another of Bill’s tunes, “300 Miles From Memphis to New Orleans”, won the WAMA Song of the Year award in 2012, and Bill’s solo album “I See Trouble”,  released on CD in 2015, resulted in a WAMA/SAW Songwriter of the Year award in 2016.

Vocal Workshop with Annie Sidley

Annie Sidley is an accomplished Washington, D.C. area singer, songwriter, voice coach and musician. In this introduction to voice lessons, Annie will show you how to use your voice effectively through a combination of classical techniques and her own unique approach to voice coaching. She’ll explore the basic steps of singing properly by demonstrating correct posture, diaphragmatic breathing exercises, and relaxing the throat and jaw area.  By the end of the workshop you’ll have a better understanding of how your voice works as well as how to improve your vocal range, tone, control and so much more!

You can hear The Sidleys music at www.thesidleys.com and check out her voice coach page at www.facebook.com/anniesidleyvoicecoach

How to Get Paying Gigs with Ruthie Logsdon

What do most musicians say they want? Paying gigs! Learn the ins and outs of finding and landing gigs that pay from Gig Magnet coach and recording artist Ruthie Logsdon (Ruthie and the Wranglers). This workshop will get your fire started and on your way to paying gigs or enhance your already money making gig strategies. Ruthie and the Wranglers have released 6 nationally acclaimed albums, toured nationally and won 30 WAMMIES. The band has enjoyed National TV appearances, charting on Americana and Roots radio and after 27 years or writing and recording Ruthie continues to perform and record regularly and coach musicians on Attracting Great Gigs.

www.RuthieandtheWranglers.com  •  www.AzaleaCityRecordings.com

An Introduction to DADGAD Guitar and Short-Cut Capos with Jim Clark

Add additional spice to your guitar playing and songwriting. With the use of a detailed handout, Jim Clark will introduce you to DADGAG guitar and will show you the basics of using a short-cut capo. These two additional easy-to-learn tools will infuse your guitar playing with new ethereal sounds one generally associates with advanced players. The material presented will benefit guitar players at all levels including even relatively new players. If you don’t have a short-cut capo, bring along a standard Kyser guitar capo (hint: you can turn it upside down and you’ll have a tolerably good short-cut capo). Short-cut capos will also be available for purchase in the workshop for $10.00.   

First Impressions

Drop off your CD upon arrival. During the session, a panel of "music leaders" will then listen to the first 60 seconds of a song you designate and comment very briefly to share our first impression of the music. We feel free to comment about both the songwriting and the recording. Panelists may suggest appropriate venues for future performances by each artist -- point the way to avoid a mismatch of artist and venue.

CDs are chosen at random and are shared until we run out of time or songs. When the commenting is done, we invite the songwriter to stand, take a bow, and tell us a little about the song, etc. Either way, applause follows.

The Surge Community Church
1988 Kirby Road
McLean, VA 22101