Learning the Anatomy of a Song
The beating heart of Indiana’s Music City is the consistent weekly live shows that happen’[ in our many bars and venues. But the soul of our music scene is the special events and moments that transpire around the periphery. Things like the House of Jane Songwriter Series. The little boutique concerts that pop up at The SPOT art gallery, or the annual Oscure Neil Young night at Thomas Family Winery.
A good case in point is the “Anatomy of a Song” workshops being put on by the Kindred Folk Society. Quoting from their flyer, “Whether you’re a beginner or a pro, you will learn about writing, arranging, performing and recording during this eight week course.” They posted it on Facebook and all 16 slots filled up within 24 hours.
Jane Vonderheide of Kindred Folk explains, “Part of our mission is to not only bring live original music to town, but also to foster the creation and performance of new music. Robert Reynolds was kind enough to offer to lead the workshop, so that was an opportunity we obviously couldn’t pass up.”
Robert Reynolds, for those who may not be familiar, is one of the founding members of the Grammy-winning band The Mavericks. Robert was a professional songwriter in Nashville back in the ‘90’s, so he understands the process and what it takes to make a successful song. “They paid me a nice salary to write 12 songs a year,” says Robert. “That might not sound like a lot to the uninitiated, but believe me, it can be harder than you think. I’m looking forward to sharing the process with the people in this workshop.”
Jane continues, “We’re super excited about the mix of people who signed up. We have everything from professional musicians to beginners. And we have ages represented from 14 to 75. Noah Wright at Analog Coffee offered his space for the sessions, so it’s very cozy and warm and pretty magical.”
The first session was last week, and I managed to interview several of the attendees. Fourteen year-old Lucy Wilhelm was there with her father Jack. “I’m really excited about this songwriting workshop,” she said. “I’m looking for something fun that might turn into a hobby. I’ve actually written one song as part of my schoolwork, so I’m hoping to learn more about it.”
Cheryl Byers is on the other end of the spectrum. She was a professional musician in her younger life and has about 25 original songs to her credit. “Yeah, but only about 10 of those songs are what I’d call keepers,” she explains with a smile. “I’m looking to refine my craft and up the quality. I’m sure Robert will have some insights for us.”
Steve Hall is a recent resident to Madison, having moved here from Georgia. “I was coming up here to take care of my aging mother,” Steve explains, “and then I discovered the music scene in Madison. That sealed it for me! I moved here in October. I’m hoping this class will help me connect with other musicians here in town.”
Other attendees included Gary Duckworth, noted “sound man” here in town, Connie Welch, bass player with the band Parcel of Rogues, and John Gray, a self-taught songwriter who professes to have “about 15 songs, but only 3 good ones.” Everybody brought their guitars, and I even saw a saxophone in the mix.
As I said, last week was week-one of the 8-week workshop. I’ll check in closer to the conclusion and let you all know how things are shaping up. But all in all, it was just another special typical evening in the heart of Indiana’s Music City.
HOT TIP OF THE WEEK:
Do you have your Valentine’s evening planned yet? Your favorite restaurants around town will have special seatings, so get your reservations now. There’s also something new and interesting happening at Red Bicycle Hall this year, a candlelit dinner with a jazz music concert. Info and tickets are at MadTixEvents.com. Looking at this week’s calendar, I’m seeing several of our perennial favorites, like Jimmy Davis and Vaguely Familiar, but also some new names you might want to check out, like Kyra and the Kassettes at Mad Paddle or Vincent Langdon on Sunday at Rivertown. Oh, and if you’ve never seen the force of nature that is Laid Back Country Picker, the dynamite duo will be at Red Bike on Saturday.
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