Category Archives: SCALA

Gig Alert – Higher Ground, October 28th

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Yes that’s right, this Thursday I’ll be playing at Higher Ground (Light Square, City) in the Arts Cafe as part of the third Open Mic Network Showcase put on by SCALA (Songwriters, Composers and Lyricists Association) and my Open Mic Network.

There will be 4 other amazing acts sharing the stage with me:

I’ll be playing songs from my upcoming CD plus, I’ll be playing for the first time, some of the songs I’ve recently collaborated with Adrian Miller which will be interesting in itself.

Here’s hoping my voice recovers by then and if I’m lucky I might be able to get some audio and video of the show as well.

The show starts at 8pm and will finish at around 11pm, I’ll be the last performer on the night. Cover charge is $5 for waged persons, $4 for concession card holders and $3 for SCALA members.

There are no free lists.

Hope to see you there,

Corey :)

Catching Up With Old Friends

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Recently I caught up with an old friend of mine Jeff Smith whom I had lost contact with for about 8 years.

When we finally caught up it was lovely to discover that there was none of the awkwardness or guilt that sometimes comes with a reconnection with a good friend after a long time apart, we just picked up where we left off and interacted as if we saw each other yesterday.

Besides fulfilling a need to reconnect with an old friend, I contacted Jeff to let him know that a song we wrote together way back when called “Billboard Angel” was going to be part of the next SCALA CD release.

I can’t remember how Jeff and I first met but what I do know is that he’s an amazing guitarist, studio engineer and an all round nice guy with unique perspectives on life which make for great conversation and for writing really good songs.

It’s through reconnecting with Jeff that I’ve become really inspired to get stuck into my home studio setup and start recording my songwriting ideas again, something I very thankful for.

I want to finish this post today with another example of a song that Jeff and I wrote. It’s called “Groove With You” and it touches on the concept of two people who just can’t seem to connect fully even though they adore each other. I just love the funkiness of the song.

Enjoy!

Groove With You
© 2001 (C. Stewart / J. Smith)

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Peace,

Corey :)

CD Project Update #9 – Mixing The SCALA Exclusive Song “Billboard Angel”

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I just wanted to thank all of you who passed on feedback regarding which song should become the “SCALA Exclusive” release. I’ve now finally decided and the winner is Billboard Angel.

As Darren wasn’t able to make it to the studio to do his guitar parts yesterday I took the opportunity to finish off the vocals, minor tweaks and final mix-downs on the song.

I now have a CD of the final mix of Billboard Angel for me to review over the weekend and it sounds fantastic. I’m very happy with how the song has turned out.

Billboard Angel is a song that I co-wrote with a dear friend of mine and amazing instrumentalist/studio producer, Jeff Smith. The song is about a man who falls in love with a picture of a woman on a sexy billboard hence the title of the song.

The concept of the song was Jeff’s idea which demonstrates beautifully his off the wall sense of humour.

Doing the vocals was a bit touch and go at the beginning as I hadn’t properly warmed up before attempting the take but after a few run-throughs and a hot lemon and honey drink to help the vocal chords along I was able to complete the vocal tracks and do some harmonies in the bridge section.

Personally, the mixing process is a fascinating one for me to witness but one where I have no real clue as to what really goes on. My hearing is not that flash at the best of times so it’s wonderful to have Anthony’s ears working on the job at hand.

With every session I’m learning something new. It’s back to overdubbing electric guitars and keyboards next Wednesday.

Peace,

Corey :)

CD Project Update #7 – Recording Starts Again!

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Me @ Industrial Records Studio 1980
Image by Chris_Carter_ via Flickr

This Wednesday (September 8th) I go back into the studio again and start putting down electric guitar tracks with my good friend Darren Zaza and after almost 4 weeks of not recording I can safely say that I’ve really missed the studio.

I know that at the beginning of my CD Project Updates I said that “…at times the recording process felt a little disjointed” but I’m now getting used to the layered nature of the recording process. I can see why some musicians want to stop gigging and just record music.

What I’m beginning to love about the recording process is embracing the elements of the unknown that exist between what ideas I have in my head and the end result of an overdub.

You really don’t know what is going to happen until you do record the take and that to me, is really exciting.

I’ve also decided on what I’m going to do with the 16 songs that you can still hear on my CD Project page, I’m going to use all of them but, there’s still an opportunity for you all to have a say in what’s going on.

I’ve been asked by SCALA (Songwriters, Composers and Lyricists Association) to submit a song for their upcoming CD release in a couple of months time so one of the 16 songs will be a “SCALA Exclusive.”

I’ve narrowed down my choice to 3 songs

Billboard Angel

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Don’t Turn To Me Now

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Girl Like You

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Have a listen and let me know which song should be the “SCALA Exclusive.”

As for the other 15 songs, I’ve decided to use all of them because I simply can’t choose which ones to leave out and all of the opinions that you’ve put through to me point to that very conclusion as well.

Barring any recording disasters or acts of God, “Out With The Old And In With The New” will be a 15 track CD project and that’s okay, I’m very happy with that outcome.

I’m proud of what I’ve done so far and I’m looking forward to continuing on with the recording on Wednesday.

Now, on to working out how to sell this CD…

Peace,

Corey :)

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Judging SCALA’s FOOM Song Competition

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I have the privilege of being one of the judges for this years SCALA FOOM (Festival Of Original Music) Song Competition and I’m having a great time doing it.

I’ve already judged one of the live heats a couple of weeks ago and at the moment I’ve shortlisted some songs in the demo section of the competition ready for another listen or two to determine a winner and some highly commended and commended songs.

I love being a songwriting judge because I get to give back to the songwriting community in the way of constructive feedback.

Even through some songs grab me more than others, I always learn something new about my own songwriting in general or, of the songwriter themselves through their songs and its that experience that I value so highly.

Some people have criticised FOOM (and songwriting competitions in general) in the past saying that there’s no room for competition in songwriting or, in fact any artistic endeavour. While I can see their point of view I can also see how the existence of songwriting contests can be of great benefit for some songwriters.

Sometimes a sense of purpose and/or a deadline to work towards can spark amazing feats of creativity in a songwriter and if FOOM or any other song competition can become a catalyst for the creation of new songs then how can that be a bad thing? FOOM gives the songwriter a unique chance to get really concise and constructive feedback on their songs which they can then use to improve their craft.

This feedback is meant to be taken for what it is, thoughts and observations coming from a place of love and respect for the songwriter, the song and the creative process as a whole. It’s not to be taken personally.

The giving of feedback is the thing I take very seriously and it’s something I’d like to see more of as a way of helping songwriters become better at their craft in general.

Peace,

Corey :)

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SCALA – I’m A Member And You Should Be Too

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For those of you who don’t know, SCALA stands for Songwriters, Composers and Lyricists Association and it was formed in 1987 which makes 2010 its 23rd year of helping songwriters be the best they can be.

I’ve been a proud member of since 1992.

My first ever solo show was at SCALA. It was a Wednesday night, July 29th, 1992 at the Duke Of Brunswick Hotel and I clearly remember how intensely nervous I was.

As a result of those nerves getting the better of me that night I put in a terrible show and afterwards, I was ready to give up (yes I was that bad) except for the amazing support and encouragement of SCALA’s president Rob Childs and the rest of the crew.

I would even go further to say that I wouldn’t be doing what I’m doing today if it wasn’t for the existence of SCALA in my life. Period!

Over the years I have seen SCALA develop into an organisation that really has the development of emerging songwriters as its primary focus. It provides for its members:

Not bad for an organisation running on limited funds and with virtually no volunteer base for the past 23 years.

For a number of years now, I’ve been a member of the SCALA board as well as a resident songwriting judge for its FOOM (Festival Of Original Music) song competitions. I relish in the opportunity to give back to SCALA what it had originally given to me when I was first starting out.

Time, effort and support, the very things that SCALA can give to you now, if you decided to become a member.

I don’t get any money for promoting SCALA, I’m just writing this because I really do believe in the power of community and the grassroots support for the next generation of talented songwriters and artists out there. I mean, my own efforts in running the Open Mic Network has been largely inspired by my involvement with SCALA.

The more I walk on my musical path, the more I realise that we are all in this music business thing together and organisations like SCALA just make the journey a little easier for those who choose to take that first step.

Peace,

Corey :)

PS: Here are some SCALA links for you to check out – Website | Facebook | MySpace | Twitter