Song Contest 2010 - Oct 12 Update

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I can't believe that it's a year since I entered my last song contest.

I did okay on that one, scoring solid 7s for all my tunes. I'm hoping to score
8s this year. Either way, this will be my last contest. I'm going to leave
the writing to those who have real talent.

Anyway, here are the 11 tunes I'm entering this year and a little bit about
each one. These are in alphabetical order so don't try to guess which one
is my favorite.

California

I think this is one of the catchiest tunes I've done. The chorus is probably
one of my most commercial.


Freeze

This is the song that I wrote with Hey Sal of this very forum. It's one of
the more "harder" tunes I have done.


I'm Not A Nerd

This is a very different kind of song for me. It's a Broadway style show
tune that I am entering under misc.


Just Remember My Name

This is probably one of the better sets of lyrics that I've done. The tune
is also pretty catchy.


Killing Me

This song has a neat little twist in it as the chorus is a complete turnaround
from the verse setup. Since surprises are what judges look for, this one
might have a chance.


Knife Through The Heart

Another very strong chorus (relatively speaking for me anyway) that I
think has a decent shot at a high score.


Puppet On A String

This is a 60s throwback. It's got a lot of Beatles influence in it. The lyrics
were written by my friend Lenny Herman


Spot In The Shade

Another song with some interesting lyrics. It's a very short and upbeat
tune so it might do well.


Super Hero

This song might be a little melodramatic, but who knows? Could be the
sleeper of the bunch.


Together Again

One of the very few ballads that I've done in the last 2 years and a very
big difference in sound from what people are used to hearing from me.
Also, probably one of my better sung songs.


When The Morning Comes Around

This is a country/pop crossover tune that I think has some pretty good
lyrics and a catchy melody.


________________________________________________

And there you have it. Feel free to comment on any or all.

I have no illusions about how good or not good my writing is. I've been
doing this for over 30 years now and I'm probably as good as I am going
to get.

It's been fun, but it's time to concentrate on my business and taking care
of my family.
  • Profile picture of the author un
    I really like the songs and the styles. Your voice is really good but it's so distorted. Was this an intentional choice in the production or is it a matter of not having a good mic to work with?

    As a musician/vocalist myself, having clear crisp vocals is a big thing for me. If the vocals were re-done and these songs were put on an album, I would buy it.
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    • Profile picture of the author Steven Wagenheim
      Originally Posted by un View Post

      I really like the songs and the styles. Your voice is really good but it's so distorted. Was this an intentional choice in the production or is it a matter of not having a good mic to work with?

      As a musician/vocalist myself, having clear crisp vocals is a big thing for me. If the vocals were re-done and these songs were put on an album, I would buy it.
      Yes, it was an intentional choice in the production.
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    • Profile picture of the author Frank Donovan
      Originally Posted by un View Post

      I really like the songs and the styles. Your voice is really good but it's so distorted. Was this an intentional choice in the production or is it a matter of not having a good mic to work with?
      Steven, I think 'un' has a point.

      Several of the songs would be much improved, IMO, if you omitted some of the OTT vocal effects. They make the lyrics sometimes quite hard to discern.

      I know you have a problem believing your voice can stand on its own, but I suspect the contest judges would look more favourably on a non-processed vocal sound, regardless of the quality. Might be worth considering for a couple of the entries, at least.

      Less than perfect vocals never seemed to hold Bob Dylan back.


      Frank
      PS I'll return to this thread when I've had a chance to listen fully to all the songs.
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      • Profile picture of the author KenThompson
        Originally Posted by Frank Donovan View Post

        Steven, I think 'un' has a point.

        Several of the songs would be much improved, IMO, if you omitted some of the OTT vocal effects. They make the lyrics sometimes quite hard to discern.

        I know you have a problem believing your voice can stand on its own, but I suspect the contest judges would look more favourably on a non-processed vocal sound, regardless of the quality. Might be worth considering for a couple of the entries, at least.

        Less than perfect vocals never seemed to hold Bob Dylan back.


        Frank
        PS I'll return to this thread when I've had a chance to listen fully to all the songs.

        I agree. While these songs are not in a john-ra of interest, I think you
        still have potential Steve.

        But I would definitely lose the voice distortion.

        They all seem to remind me of music from the 60s. I don't know if you
        do that on purpose.


        Ken
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        • Profile picture of the author Steven Wagenheim
          Thank you for all your comments.

          @Ken

          They all seem to remind me of music from the 60s. I don't know if you
          do that on purpose.
          Thanks for the compliment. Yes, of course they sound like the 60s. I grew
          up in the 60s and it's my favorite music to this day. So I take this as the
          supreme compliment.

          @everybody else

          A few things of note.

          1. The song contest rates the songs on song quality and not recording
          quality or musicianship. If this was a performance contest, then yes, I
          would have to take those things into consideration in which case I
          probably would have then hired a professional band and went into a
          professional recording studio.

          2. Having said that, I record my songs the way I like them to sound. If
          I have to listen to this stuff, I have to enjoy listening to it. And listening
          to my voice, unprocessed, is not enjoyable to me.

          As I said, I have no illusions about my talent as a performer, singer or
          songwriter. As a writer, Jim Steinman I'm not. Heck, D. B. Steinman I'm
          probably not. But it's fun and that's all I care about at this stage of my
          life. This contest is my last shot to see if I have any real talent (something
          I really already know the answer to)

          Fortunately, as a marketer, I have a lot more confidence in my ability and
          more importantly, a lot more success.

          In the grand scheme of things...that's all that matters.

          Anyway, thank you for your comments. They are all appreciated.
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          • Profile picture of the author KenThompson
            Originally Posted by Steven Wagenheim View Post

            Thank you for all your comments.

            @Ken

            Thanks for the compliment. Yes, of course they sound like the 60s. I grew
            up in the 60s and it's my favorite music to this day. So I take this as the
            supreme compliment.
            Cool. Good.

            Well, you do have talent. Steve I've been listening to music since the
            early 60s. Your voice is fine. There's nothing wrong with it at all.

            If you just want to do it for fun, that's fine. But I believe you could do
            a little more with it if you really wanted to. I sense you have a confidence
            issue about your musical talent. But I'm not knocking you about it.

            You're sort of making it a little more difficult for yourself because your
            focus/area of interest is retro. It's the 60s. There are lots of people who
            like music from that time. Hell, there's tons of 60s music I still love.

            The only thing is that I don't know about people wanting to hear "new"
            music that sounds solely and completely like another time, like the 60s.
            So in that sense, I think you may be handicapping yourself.

            However... there's nothing wrong with writing music and playing it just
            because you love doing it. Perhaps you may enjoy forming a band of
            like-minded people and playing originals and covers from the 60s, etc.
            Just local stuff when you want. I think it's something you may like
            doing.


            Ken
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            • Profile picture of the author Bill Farnham
              Steven,

              Far be it from me to give you any advice about this music contest, but hey, this is the internet, and you brought the subject to my attention.

              Your wife is a teacher.

              Young people love music.

              Young people go to school.

              Young people play musical instruments.

              (I'm beginning to see a connection here...)

              If I were in your shoes my feet would be killing me right now as I wear size 13 shoes. But forgetting all that for the moment, if I were in your shoes I would be looking to get some younger blood to record one of my songs and give it the flavor de'jour. Words/lyrics are timeless, the notes have been around forever, what makes a cool tune a cool tune is the interpretation that is given to it.

              Soooo...

              Why not have your wife see if she can get with the school music director and find some band that would be happy to make a recording for you. Who knows, maybe they can get some extra credit for some extra curricular activity. (Happens all the time.) Or just have her put the word on the streets (pronounced shtreets) that you are looking for someone to cover your tune(s).

              If that works out you can get with your people and I get with my people and you do lunch with your people and I'll do lunch with my people and according to half the TV shows I've ever watched someone will get kicked off the island, fired, have a chaulk outline drawn around them, win a car, or God knows what.

              What I am alluding to is...presentation is important. Otherwise they would just want the sheet music (my assumption).

              Now, that's not to say what you have recorded is not up to snuff, I'm just saying that our generation is expected to be seen and not heard, if you get my drift. (It's a full circle kinda thing.)

              Anyway, you need to get your songs recorded by other folks. You don't sell all your own products to yourself exclusively, you get others to buy them. Once you see that you are sitting on a ton of 'product' it's just a hop, skip, and a jump to get others to record your music.

              You don't need other people's permission to do this.

              But you do have mine in case you're wondering.

              ~Bill
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              • Profile picture of the author thunderbird
                Originally Posted by Bill Farnham View Post

                Steven,

                Far be from me to give you any advice about this music contest, but hey, this is the internet, and you brought the subject to my attention.

                Your wife is a teacher.

                Young people love music.

                Young people go to school.<snip>
                Jim Croce (remember him?) was a school teacher for a while, he applied a sort of music and song approach to teaching non-music classes. Apparently, it was too radical for his time.
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                Project HERE.

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                • Profile picture of the author Bill Farnham
                  Originally Posted by thunderbird View Post

                  Apparently, it was too radical for his time.
                  That's why he wanted to keep it in a bottle. That way he could pull it out later.

                  (Don't even go there, Ken )
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                  • Profile picture of the author KenThompson
                    Originally Posted by Bill Farnham View Post

                    That's why he wanted to keep it in a bottle. That way he could pull it out later.

                    (Don't even go there, Ken )
                    I would have never made a Kurt joke out of that. I respect him too much.


                    Ken
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              • Profile picture of the author KenThompson
                Originally Posted by Bill Farnham View Post

                Steven,

                Far be it from me to give you any advice ...
                LOL

                Young people go to school.
                LOL


                ... I wear size 13 shoes.
                Who said ol' wives tales were never wrong? LOL (nice try, though)


                You don't need other people's permission to do this.

                ~Bill
                Seriously, I'd run it past Kurt. You know how upset he gets.


                Ken
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                • Profile picture of the author Steven Wagenheim
                  Well, I just found out from the contest director that they are only allowing
                  10 entries this year so since I haven't gotten any feedback on individual
                  tunes, I had to decide on which song to cut. So, I got rid of "Just Remember
                  My Name." I'm sure it's just as good a choice as any of the other ones.

                  Anyway, the contest results are sometime in March.

                  Here's hoping for the best.
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  • Profile picture of the author waterotter
    This is when I really despise dial-up, as I can't watch the videos.
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  • Profile picture of the author HeySal
    Well gee, Steve. Do I need to tell you which is MY favorite? My money is on "Freeze" for the win. Whether it's the best or not. LOL..lol.
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    Sal
    When the Roads and Paths end, learn to guide yourself through the wilderness
    Beyond the Path

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  • Profile picture of the author thunderbird
    Muy bien! Pero, muy bien!
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    Project HERE.

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