Im Brad Benton ... 25 .... married in December '05.  I've been playing guitar and singing since I was thirteen.  I've never been involved in music professianlly, although it is my "dream" to be a staff writer.  I did some things in Tampa, FL, including recording a CD and playing at the college there. I have no musical training, but my father was lead singer for a country band called the Sundown Brothers from the time I was born until late in my teen years.  I actually wound up playing with them.  They toured pretty heavily around the SouthEast, and so I grew up surrounded by music.  That's about it for me.

I'm Carley. I have been a musician as long as I can remember; from my little 20-key Casio keyboard when I was four, to the violin I hated in middle school, to the guitar I picked up from my dad, I've always been playing with something. My dad is incredibly musical, and always had guitars around the house, so I learned from him. I focused that energy when I was 16, started a band and did some cool things with it; we played with a Chicago funk band called Bumpus, played a big Milwaukee venue called the Rave, and did a lot of fundraising for Amnesty International.

Then part of that band fell apart, and the rest of us became Io Donna (whose debut CD is still on CDbaby, by the way). The coolest thing we did was play the South Dakota State Fair in Huron. The most interesting thing we learned is that all that stuff they say about seeing the weather three days before it happens is true.

So now I'm a solo artist, putting together my first summer tour around Wisconsin, which is a trick considering I'm currently living in Portland, OR. I'm getting ready to go to school for music production and recording arts this fall, because I want to know my way around a studio, but I'll always be a performer.

And I like long sunset walks on the beach, and Chinese noodles.

Steve Hanlon
Started guitar at 13 yrs. old. Studied jazz, classical guitar at Idyllwild School of Music and the Arts. Went to Redlands University in So. Cal. for college.

Found vipassana meditation my senior year in school. Found my wife that same year. She plays flute. We both like doing meditation retreats yearly.

We moved to Taiwan 10 years ago. We've done a lot of stuff here from teaching classroom English, writing children's music, writing children's storybooks and textbooks to acting in and writing music for a TV show.

Currently we are jobless (in the sense of a regular daily job) and we are spending time writing our own personal songs. I'm also taking a course called 'Music for the Media'. That's proving to be interesting. Trying to see if writing for picture is worth it.

Brad Roll here - I'm 23, married just shy of one year and work at a small newspaper covering high school sports. I'm currently pursuing my Master's of Arts in Liberal Studies and probably will end up teaching communications somehere, maybe.

I didn't grow up in an overtly musical home - my mom and dad sang, but mainly for church or recreation. I'm a self-taught guitarist, but I got a late start at 16. I took piano lessons starting when I was five, but quit at 11 because my friends thought it was girly. That was a big, stupid mistake on my part. But it did lay an awesome foundation. I also played trumpet for nine years. It's actaully my favorite instrument to play, but harder to do without friends.

I'll be completely honest - most of what I do, learn and create I do by ear. I can read music and I can score music, but what I like to do more than anything (and I feel for me, it keeps the art truly artistic) is just flow. If it sounds good, it's a keeper. I know chords and structure, but throw caution to the wind. I like to use alternate tunings on my guitar and really just find ways to make simple stuff sound simple, if that makes sense. I'm not out to change the world - maybe just provide a soundtrack.

But, I haven't really done anything amazingly awesome with my music - maybe it's fear, maybe it's a lack of confidence, definitely a lack of funds, but for whatever reason I've sat on it for a while. I have sang for over 10,000 people, but it was an accapella version of 'God Bless America' at a National Motorcross motorcycle race. That was pretty cool, but it didn't last long enough and left me wanting more.

I would love to someday work in A&R and discover the best artists in the world, but maybe that's too far-reaching for a kid stuck in northwest Ohio. At any rate, I've decided to start booking some shows for myself and although it's starting out slow, maybe I'll be able to pick up steam sometime.

Brendan, we must be 89th cousins or something. 

I'm Tracie Callahan, and I'm from Maine.  I went to school for music, with the thought of becoming an opera singer.  Some time near the end of my college years I started writing songs, and decided that I really wanted to sing my own music instead of Mozart's.  (thought singing his operas was a joyful experience) and I've been writing ever since.

I've been a street busker in Portland Maine, which I found to be a fantastic way to work one's craft and get better.  At this point I'm really just starting to break out of the nest so to speak.  It's been my goal for a long time to make singing and writing be my only work, so that's what I'm pushing for.

It's solo acoustic music, a little folk, a little rock, and a little blues.  I'm working on recording my first EP right now, which I have to say is quite an experience.  (I feel like such a new kid. Where's my nametag?)

I'm looking forward to the chance to learn more about songwriting and improve my own here.

Hello all, My name is Adam Middleton. I'm 23 years old and currently live in charlotte nc. I started writing songs and playing guitar at 11. I remember back then I was really into kurt cobain and nirvana so most of the songs were just me screaming my lungs out. My first real band started around the age 14. It was great, We'd play little punk rock clubs just about every weekend. Soon after that we recorded an EP and later an album. Some of those songs ended up being in an Independent movie.(which i thought was pretty cool). We toured and did the rock n roll thing for about 6 years until I moved to Charlotte. I still try to get out and play. Mostly just open mic nights and parties. Hopefully someday soon I can get another band going. I really miss playing with a drummer.

I am the reclusive, write poems in a dark corner kind of guy. I dabble in various mediems of art including , digital art, 3d modeling, painting, drawing photography, cinematography and most recent;y music.  I write,perform and record all my music in my basement/home studio. I have been doing the whole music thing for about a year and really enjoy it. I am not concerned with hitting it big, I just like passing the time writing music. :) I have a bunch of my other art posted on bandspace.com/runic.

I'm the fellow who probably rated your song a 5 when everyone else hated it. I'm a pushover for a critic but a great cheerleader. I am recording a concept that will install in an art gallery and then move to a CD/DVD. It's called "61" and I'll post the demo of a track called Calling out the Dreamers soon.

I learned to play guitar by memorizing the Beatles A to Y (there is no Z) although some guy was telling me that the anthology has a song that starts with Z. Took some lessons but kept missing them cos I was more of a jock than a musician in high school.

But then dope, college and insular dreams of mass stardom brought me back to the git box. I was in a band and became the songwriter mainly because I was a journalism major and everyone else was into more technical things. My first song was called "Dewey Defeats Truman" Just kidding.

We were the most spaced out, incoherent jam band that Iowa City had ever heard and made $30 in two years. Strangely the first ten songs I wrote all sounded like "If I Fell" off of Hard Day's Night. So imagine a very drunk Grateful Dead playing "If I Fell" 10 different ways and you get why we only made $30.

We broke up and I graduated. After 3 months of isolation from playing any Beatles song whatsover, I surfaced in Denver with a new non Beatles style that was very inspired by Tropic of Cancer, Massive Attack and Big Star. Did a demo called "#1 Songs"

Then I became a Gary Louris impersonator and recorded another demo "Goldentown"

Then started impersonating a dad and husband and put songs on the back burner until about a year ago when this 61 project started. I am working with a songwriting partner for the first  time and I love it.

I think the most important part of writing a song is the title. if someone ever says my songs sound like a Raymond Carver story I will kiss them, man or woman.  The way to success is to make sure you miss that turn onto the lost highway.

I think there are great songwriters in this community and it seems like a diversity of styles and backgrounds. So keep it up and remember there is power in focus. 

melle

 

 

 

 

 

Maura, You have a great voice-- Don't let the academic musicians at Berklee screw you up too much!

I am Joe Lamont, I am the keyboard player for Doug DeJoe and The BloomLaters and BlueField. I live in Nashville where I play out and score studio gigs occassionally. 40 years old, 1989 grad of New Mexico State in Music/Theater. I spent 1990 to 2004 on the road playing in the old "Caravan Circuit", so named for it's grouping of several smaller "name" acts, which was a good place for musicians to make a living even though the 6 night schedule could kill ya! I finished with various Nashville acts. I decided to retire from the road in 2004 and keep it at home in Nashville. I play 4-6 nights weekly in Nashville where, if you're a side man for even a name act, the pay is terrible.  Even though I'm not ever going to get rich, as they say, it's a living. I enjoy working with writers and helping them to get their ideas across musically.  I enjow AW and hope it enjoys a long and prosperous ride!

JL
DDATB

-- Edited by Jlamont at 20:42, 2007-01-19