Bo Diddley, the man who pioneered the drum beat for “Who Do You Love”, passed away this morning at the age of 79. Bo was one of Rock’s most influential figures. He leaves a legacy of songs and performances that will never be forgotten.

Read about it here.

First off, I must apologize for my absence as I have been extremely busy. Then there was my month long flu like illness. Between the two, I have been unavailable to all but the most pressing issues. Anyway, I am back.

Since my last writing all those months ago, I was asked to submit an article to HowToDoThings.com. I did write a short, kind of nutshell article about the steps required for getting a song recorded, published and otherwise promoted. Please check it out and let me know what you think. It is very concise, but gets the point across.

I have been maintaining the website for The Great Outdoors. Make sure to visit the site and see what else has been going on in my life.

I know it’s been awhile since I posted anything new. I have been getting things going with my band, The Great Outdoors. We had a few member changes and now I think we are settled in.

I awoke today to a series of movies on TCM about musicians and songwriters from the early 1900’s. All the shows lend themselves to a good insight as to what the songwriters of yesteryear had to go through to become the songwriters we know. They also show some of what a publisher back then had to go through, and why we get the shark reputations we have today. All in all, a nice day of inspiration. Of course the Hollywood influence appears in each film, the stories are basically true. Each artist went through a bit of hell to achieve success in their chosen professions.

First was the story of Rodger’s and Hart, a Broadway writing duo that penned songs like “Blue Moon,” “The Lady Is A Tramp”, and “My Funny Valentine.” They were an amazing pair. Richard Rodger’s melodies and Lorenz Hart’s lyrics raised the bar for Broadway songwriters.

Then came “Night and Day,” the story of Cole Porter. Cole was one of America’s greatest songwriters. He wrote song such as “Night And Day”, “Don’t Fence Me In”, and “You Do Something To Me.” Cole’s life was actually quite different that the movie portrayal, but it was a nice tribute to the man himself.

Following Cole Porter was one of my favorites. A movie I saw as a kid and inspired me to study harder on the piano. “Rhapsody in Blue”, the life of George Gershwin. George Gershwin, along with his lyricist brother Ira, were  probably the best songwriters of their time. An era that was dripping with musical talent. Gershwin’s “Rhapsody In Blue”, “American In Paris”, and all the songs from shows like “Porgy And Bess” and ”Strike Up The Band” were wonderfully crafted pieces. I think this is a must see for anybody.

“The Story of Gene Krupa” was next. It told of Gene Krupa’s struggles to make it in the jazz world as a drummer. Gene went through some tough times while trying to maintain the life of a star.

Last but not least was “The Glenn Miller Story.” Another movie from my childhood. Glenn Miller created a big band sound that brought new life to the bands of his time. He created a sound using clarinets and brass instruments together for lead lines. He is responsible for tunes such as “In The Mood” and “Moonlight Serenade.”

After a day like today, I am inspired once again to create. Do yourself a favor. When things are coming down on you faster than you can suppress, sit back and watch a few old movies and get inspired. It works.

 Good Writing

The International Acoustic Music Awards is accepting entries. Get your entry in by November 9, 2007.

***IAMA (International Acoustic Music Awards) ACCEPTING ENTRIES

The 4th Annual IAMA (International Acoustic Music Awards) is now
accepting entries. IAMA promotes excellence in Acoustic Music Performance and
Artistry. Acoustic artists in various genres can gain exciting radio
and web exposure through this competition. Participating sponsors
include D’Addario Strings, New Music Weekly, Loggins Promotion, Airplay Only,
Sonicbids.com, Acoustic Cafe Radio Show and XM Satellite Radio.

IAMA is open to all independent artists and labels. Unlike other music
industry competitions, IAMA focuses on developing new markets for
Acoustic artists, labels and with or without CD releases. Past year’s
winners include Fertitta and McClintock, Judith de los Santos, Jon Troast,
Mistin (Australia), The Trapps, Eric Roberts, Jon Black, Betsy Foster and
more.

Win prizes in 8 different categories: Folk/Americana/Roots,
AAA/Alternative, Instrumental, Open, Bluegrass, Best Male Artist, Best Female
Artist, Best Group/Duo. There will also be an Overall Grand Prize winner
awarded to the top winner worth over US$11,000, which includes radio
promotion to over 250 radio stations in US and Canada.  Winning songs will
be heard on radio! Winners and runner-ups will be featured on our CD
compilation. Also, we feature up to 10 different artists get featured and
promoted on IAMA website every month, which provides a review,
ratings, CD information and more. 

Judging is based on excellence in music performance,
songwriting/composition/song choice, Music Production and originality. (Please note that
IAMA is a different competition from USA Songwriting Competition).

All entries must be postmarked by November 9 or earlier. Ways to enter:

** For the regular entry form, please go to:
http://www.inacoustic.com/entryform.html

** For online entries (powered by Sonicbids.com), please go to:
http://www.sonicbids.com/iama2007

Here is a video of Steven Wesley Guiles as he goes through the steps of writing, and demoing a song. Pretty interesting. You should check it out.