39th Annual Music Conference "Kick Off" - Friday September 13th at Hard Rock Cafe, SF
Sat. & Sun., Sept. 14th & 15th All at the Blue Bear School Of Music at Fort Mason
Saturday Night Afterparty at Hard Rock Cafe, SF 1 Conference Schedule -Saturday Room ROOM K PERFORMANCE HALL 10:00 CONFERENCE WELCOME - Southside 10:30 How To Make Your Songs Stand Out In A Fundraising To Support Your Artistry Crowd Antoinette Olesen Crowdfunding/Bandcamp/Patreon/ Michael Brandvold, Lia Rose
12:00 LUNCH BREAK LUNCH BREAK 1:00 Writing Songs In Your Authentic Voice. Legal Panel: Music Modernization Act and Exercises designed to help unlock and con- other recent developments in the world of nect your creative potential. Laura Zucker songwriter and artist rights Ned Hearn, Al Evers and Dan Schacht 2:15 Finding The True Content Of Your Song. Planning A Social Media Campaign Be sure of what you are writing about by Michael Brandvold finding the core of your idea. Rachel Efron
3:30 Interview with Bill Keck Beach Blanket Babylon Music Director
4:30 INTERVIEW with CHUCK PROPHET
Song Screenings Room Building C 205 Building C 210 ROOM A ROOM B 10:30 Jon Ernst Dan Hodges Andre Pessis Rachel Efron Film & TV Country Song Evaluation Song Evaluation 12:00 LUNCH LUNCH LUNCH LUNCH 1:00 Rinat Arinos Mark Brown Antoinette Olesen Jen Adan Film & TV/Artists Country Song Evaluation Song Evaluation 2:15 The Bensons Dan Hodges Laura Zucker Larry Batiste Film & TV/Artists Country Song Evaluation Song Evaluation 3:30 Jonathan Rosner Antoinette Olesen Jen Adan Andre Pessis Film & TV Country Song Evaluation Song Evaluation One On Ones Room ROOM C ROOM E ROOM F 10:30 Mark Brown Rinat Arinos Jen Adan
12:00 LUNCH LUNCH LUNCH 1:00 John Ernst Larry Batiste Dan Hodges 3:30 Rinat Arinos Rachel Efron The Bensons
Performance Reviews Dinner Break: 5PM Room SOUTHSIDE THEATER 10:30 Steven Memel Sunset Concert 12:00 LUNCH 1:00 Steven Memel Southside Theater: 6:30PM 2:15 Melissa Harding Afterparty 3:30 Steven Memel Hard Rock Cafe/SF
2 Conference Schedule -Sunday Room ROOM K PERFORMANCE HALL 10AM Musical Theater - Creating A Career Producing The Best Record Melissa Harding, Vatrena King, Michael Silversher Howard Benson, Scott Mathews, Kenny Schick
11:00 Writing A Hit Song With One Finger Studio Preparation - What you need to do Ed Clare before heading to the studio. Kenny Schick 12:30 CLOSING CEREMONY - SOUTHSIDE THEATER
Song Screenings Room Building C 205 Building C 210 ROOM A ROOM B 10AM Rinat Arinos Dan Hodges Andre Pessis Ed Clare Film & TV Country Song Evaluation Song Evaluation 11:00 Jonathan Rosner Mark Brown Russ Zavitson Michael Silversher Film & TV Country Song Evaluation Song Evaluation 12:00 Jon Ernst Dan Hodges Andre Pessis Vatrena King Film & TV Country Song Evaluation Song Evaluation
One On Ones Room ROOM C ROOM E ROOM F 10:00 Jon Ernst Mark Brown Jonathan Rosner 11:00 Monica Benson Antoinette Olesen Scott Mathews Performance Reviews Room SOUTHSIDE THEATER 10:00 Steven Memel 11:00 Steven Memel
• • PROGRAM SUBJECT TO CHANGE • •
3 Conference Details
"KICK OFF" — Location One-on-One Consultations – Rooms C, E, F, G and H. HARD ROCK CAFE, Pier 39 #256, San Francisco, CA 94133 These are 15-minute personal meetings with publishers, produc- starting at 6PM.. Free entry. Enjoy a no-host dinner and drinks ers, TV & Film Placement or other industry professional. For- with our guests. Pick up your Conference Registration package. mat (discussion, live or CD/smart phone) is left to attendee to architect. Cost is $25 each (in addition to basic conference fee), CONFERENCE DATE/TIME prepaid or on the day of sign-up. Maximum of one per weekend Sat. & Sun.September 14th & 15th at Blue Bear School Of Mu- unless more unexpectedly become available. The first pre- sic, Fort Mason. registered WCS members will benefit from available One-on-One 10:00 am–9:00 pm Saturday & 10:00 am- 1pm Sunday appointments. You will receive notification before the Confer- (Sunset Concert Saturday, 6pm Southside Theater) ence. Sign-up takes place online in advance or at the One-on- One table if there are any spots left. Appointments made on a first come, first served basis; Because of their popularity, and the REGISTRATION OPEN TIMES fact that there are a limited number, there is no guarantee that 8:00am – Volunteers you will get your choice. 8:30am – Pre-registered Attendees 9:00am – All Other Attendees Performance Reviews – Southside Theater Please bring your instrument and be punctual! Sessions last WEEKEND EVENTS exactly 15 minutes. ALL Performance Review sign-ups are done Seminars and Panels on the craft and business of songwriting online in advance of the Conference. Cost is $25 each (in addi- from 10:00am to 5:45pm Saturday and 10am to 1pm Sunday tion to basic conference fee); maximum of one appointment per (lunch break Noon to 1:00 pm Saturday). person per weekend. Songscreening Sessions: 10:30 am–4:30 pm Saturday and 10am–Noon Sunday PRE-REGISTERED ATTENDEES Performance Reviews: 11 am–4:30 pm Saturday and 11am– Pick up your registration package on Friday at the Kick Off, or Go Noon Sunday to the Pre-registration Table Saturday in the foyer to pick up your Noontime Acoustic Concert: Noon–1:00 pm conference badge and information packages. Sunset Concert: 7pm –9:00 pm Saturday only REGISTERING ONSITE PARKING Go to the Registration area. Complete a registration form and Paid parking at Fort Mason or street parking....or Uber in! pay the volunteer. We accept cash, checks, money orders, and VISA®/MasterCard®/American Express®/. You will receive your badge and package of conference information at this time. To MAIN HOTEL save time at registration, go to our website at
4 Conference Details, continued A message from Poppy Nichols, WCS Managing Director SONG TITLE © Your Name This is the WCS 39th annual conference and my first as Managing Director. What
Your Address an exciting first year! And, Phone # • email although my family and I have volunteered for several years, this year feels truly special.
We have so many people lending their talents. Please be sure to explore all of your Marking Your CD Properly options over the next couple of If you submit a CD, make sure you mark your it with everything that needs to be on there. In particular, make sure all your cur- days ready for signing up for sessions. rent contact info is on there! With such a diverse seminar schedule, you’re sure to find what speaks to you. Expand your creative tool kit, navigate social Song/Lyric Evaluation Check-In media and crowdfunding or dive deeper into production. We have Song/Lyric Evaluation Check-In is held at the Song Check-In a special focus on musical theater this year and you don’t want table. There is a separate line in the Song Check-In area for all to miss the interview with the director of Beach Blanket Babylon, Song/Lyric Evaluation sessions. Song/Lyric Evaluations count as Bill Keck. Plus we are honored to have the very talented Chuck Guaranteed Listens. Space is limited and they will be accepted Prophet joining us on Saturday for an interview. on a first come, first served basis. Please bring your CD/Phone and 12 copies of the lyric to the room so that others in the room The screening rooms offer an opportunity for possible placement can follow the plot. in T.V. & film, self contained artists and Nashville.
One-on-One Consultation Sign Ups One on One’s are where you can get a more personal experi- One-on-One sign-ups are done online. Available additional One- ence. Use these 20 minutes as you choose. Play more songs On-One sign ups at the One-On-One table. Check in at the One with fewer questions or fewer songs with lots of questions! Take on One Table. advantage of this rare opportunity.
I have known Ian and Joanie Crombie most of my life so this DINNER TIME SATURDAY makes it all the more personal to be working in support of the art Dinner time starts at 5PM they have been passionate about these many years with WCS.
I want to thank all of the managers, board members and the SUNSET CONCERT - Saturday Evening Our Grand Finals Winners perform alongside our distinguished members of WCS for making this first year an excellent one. guests in this not to be missed concert. This event starts at 6:30PM in the SOUTHSIDE THEATER Thank you to all of our hard working volunteers, guests and es- pecially attendees for making this conference happen. This event is only possible because of each one of you! SATURDAY NIGHT AFTERPARTY Late night festivities will be at the Hard Rock Cafe 39 Pier #256, Sincerely, San Francisco, CA 94133 starting at 9PM. Under 21's can attend Poppy No host drinks available from the full bar. Performances, social- izing and a fun time expected!
Selling Your CD's? You can check CD's in at the WCS Center where volunteers CONTENTS will sell them for you. Don't forget to check out at the end of the Conference - we will not store CD's beyond that point. Conference Program: Saturday ...... 2 Conference Program: Sunday...... 3
WCS Center Conference Details...... 4 The WCS Center offers a wide array of services and products: Latest Conference updates Conference Guest List...... 6 WCS membership information & Late Registration WCS t-shirts, Conference attendees' CDs (check your CD in WCS Staff ...... 10 to sell!!!) Industry guests' books/CDs (available at a discount if ordered onsite!) Listening stations for CDs on sale Seminar Details...... 11 Lost and Found Sponsors...... 14 5 Conference Guests JEN ADAN: WCS Member who had the #1 Hit – “She Wouldn’t Be Gone”with Blake Shelton. My journey began in San Mateo, CA, when I was about 10 years old. I wrote my first song in history class and back then, I never knew that someone could make a ca- reer out of songwriting; I thought it was just a hobby. I never told anyone I wrote songs. I finally told my parents on their 25th wedding anniversary, when I was about 15 years old. I wrote a song for them and played it at their party. I told them that I had about 100 more songs that I had written. I entered contests and continuously won. I found out about the West Coast Song- writers Association (WCS), and I joined. WCS has given me tons of contacts and taught me so much about songwriting and the music business.
RINAT ARINOS: Originally from Tel Aviv, Israel, Rinat moved to the U.S. to pursue her first love, music. Since then she’s been doing everything from writing, recording, sing- ing, and playing bass, to touring nationally/internationally with her bands Alone (MCA), currently Fairground Lights, while producing and placing music in over 400 TV shows, films, commercials and with other artists. In 2016 Rinat founded Pink Shark Music, LLC a company that helps composers and indie artists place their music in TV/Film and Ads. Within 3 years, Pink Shark Music became music supervisors’ and editors’ go to catalog for shows such as Dancing with the Stars, So You Think You Can Dance, Dude Perfect, Gordon Ramsay’s The F Word, Americas Funniest Home Videos, Ball in The Family, Total Bellas, Basketball Wives, and many more (over 200 in 3 years!)
LARRY BATISTE: Producer, vocalist, songwriter, publisher, instrumentalist, arranger, and educator. He is the musical director for the Grammy Awards Pre-Telecast, and the TEC Awards. Larry has written and published over 250 songs for artist such as Keysha Cole, Al Jarreau, Patti Austin, Shanice, Lisa Fischer, the Yellowjackets, the Dramatics, Lenny Williams, and Young Jeezy. His songs have appeared in over 25 television shows and films. He’s worked with Stevie Wonder, Ledisi, Steve Miller, Chaka Khan, Joe Satri- ani, Steve Vai, Koko Taylor, Tony Bennett, and Neil Young. He is a current Trustee of The Recording Academy and has received numerous accolades and city proclamations for his volunteer work as a youth mentor, community leader, and music rights advocate.
HOWARD BENSON: In 2000, Benson produced P.O.D.'s multi-platinum-selling Satellite at Bay 7 Studios, and continued to record numerous albums at that location. Over the next few years, Benson produced records from acts like Cold, Crazy Town, P.O.D.'s Payable on Death, and Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge from My Chemical Romance. He later produced numerous multi-platinum records such as The All-American Rejects, Hoobastank, Flyleaf, Daughtry, Seether, Third Day, Theory of a Deadman, Three Days Grace, Skillet, Santana, Adam Lambert, Kelly Clarkson and Caleb Johnson. He now produces exclusively at West Valley Recording Studios, in Woodland Hills.
MONICA BENSON: Music Publisher. Monica is the head of BOK Music Publishing , based in Los Angeles. She publishes "Good For You" and "Slow Down" by Selena Gomez, "Poison" by Rita Ora (single in UK), and songs recorded by Demi Lovato, Kelly Clarkson, Little Mix, Fifth Harmony, Christina Aguilera, Zella Day, Daughtry, Halestorm, and more. She has helped artists get placements on shows like Bones, Sons of Anarchy, Justified, The Mysteries of Laura, Pretty Little Liars, and many more
MICHAEL BRANDVOLD: From working with up-and-coming independent artists of all genres to overseeing online marketing for major acts like KISS, Britney Spears, and Dream Theater, Michael Brandvold’s impact on the modern music industry is without question. In addition to spearheading digital strategy creation and online social media management for bands, he has helped create marketing strategies that have made mil- lions of dollars for clients.
MARK BROWN: Senior VP of Round Hill Music, Nashville. Mark started his career at Silverline/Goldline Music where he worked with such songwriters as Steve Earle, Jimbeau Hinson, and Tony Brown. In 1995 at Capitol Records, Mark was named of V.P. and head of A&R. Mark was instrumental in the creative development of the debut projects for both Trace Adkins and Deana Carter, as well as being part of the team that signed Keith Urban. In July 1999, Mark joined Universal Music Publishing Group working with such notable songwriters as Kostas, Rivers Rutherford, Monty Powell, Troy Verges, Stephanie Bentley, Mark D. Sanders, and Gordon Kennedy. In 2002, Mark joined the A&R team at Sony Records working on projects for Gretchen Wilson, Montgomery/Gen- try, Miranda Lambert, Keith Gattis, Van Zant, and Trent Willmon, as well as many others. Mark was responsible for picking the Montgomery/ Gentry single, “Hell Yeah,” which sold 6 an estimated 700,000 pieces as well as their #1 hit with “Lucky Man.” ED CLARE: aka “SpookyRockstar” can create almost any style from any era, but he believes he is at his best when using these skills to help an artist realize their own unique style, and then bringing their style to its best potential. Obsessively studying trends in songwriting/mixing, and using his expertise in both conventional and unconventional sound design within music has had even established producers around the San Francisco / Bay Area consulting with him on “how to get that latest sound”. Multiple companies and corpora- tions have utilized him on recreating sounds of current and previous eras and bands. His skill-set is currently utilized by both artists signed to Sony Music (Europe) and by Sony Music (Europe) itself. His past clients also include Conde’ Nast, PG Music Inc., and dozens of artists over the lifespan of his career.
RACHEL EFRON: Rachel Efron is a singer/songwriter, recording and performing artist, mu- sic producer and songwriting coach living in Oakland, California. She has a background in both classical music and jazz, having played piano all her life, and studied music theory and piano at Harvard University and with faculty at Berklee College of Music. Over the past 10 years Rachel has taught countless songwriting classes, salons, and workshops, and men- tored nearly a hundred songwriters. Her approach has inspired the writing of first songs, still more first finished songs, live performances, whole albums of original music, and two works of musical theater. She teaches the songwriting class at the California Jazz Conservatory’s Jazzschool, runs a weekly workshop for advanced songwriters, and spends hours coaching songwriters in a one-on-one setting every week. Rachel has released four albums of her original songs and toured on the East and West Coasts, headlining such venues as Freight and Salvage (Berkeley), Yoshi’s (Oakland), Club Passim (Cambridge), One Longfellow Square (Portland) and Tin Angel (Philadelphia).
JON ERNST: Owner of Los Angeles based ShowRunner Music, Jon Ernst is a much sought-after music supervisor, composer and songwriter. Jon’s television career began as “PianoBoy”, the on-camera MD/DJ of the classic MTV game show “Singled Out”. Jon was later tapped as the music supervisor on MTV’s Mega-hits “The Hills” and “Laguna Beach” and has continued to work in that capacity on innumerous shows since. As a composer, Jon scored most episodes of VH1’s legendary series “Behind The Music”, and these days still contributes more than his fair share of original songs, themes, and instrumental background scores to TV shows everywhere through his ShowRunner Music banner. Current projects include Netflix series “Selling Sunset”, ”Last Chance U”, and “Cheer”, CMT’s “Music City” and MTV’s docusoap series “Siesta Key”, “The Hills: New Beginnings” and “The Border Life”. A native of Chicago, Jon studied at Berklee College of Music in Boston and is a graduate of the University of Florida.
AL EVERS: Al is the founder and owner of A Train Entertainment, started in 1985 as an op- tion for independent artists to receive professional assistance in developing and managing their musical careers. Over the years, A Train has expanded its services to include publish- ing administration, artist management, worldwide physical and digital distribution, neighbor- ing rights administration and more. A Train administers over 200,000 song titles, all while keeping ownership in the hands of the artists who created them. Our catalog of digitally distributed titles doubled in the last year and we anticipate similar growth in 2016 with an average of 50 new albums released every month.
MELISSA HARDING: Melissa Harding is a classically trained vocalist, accomplished in a variety of styles: pop, rock, musical theater, jazz, blues, & country. A seasoned session singer with a background in musical theater, she is an active vocal coach/stylist to a variety of students all over the country. Melissa spent a majority of 2015/2016 on the road singing with rockband Sixx:A.M. (& vocal coach to lead singer, James Michael.) She did backing vocals for the bands albums, "Prayers for the Damned" and "Prayers for the Blessed,” and continues her work as a session singer/vocalist performing for various events all over the country. She is an active songwriter, currently creating the book/score for her first original musical, and she recently launched a Cabaret series and premiered her first one woman show in LA. http://www.melissaharding.com. Instagram: @melissakharding
NED HEARN WCS Board Member/Past President Attorney/Author/ President Emeritus of WCS. Edward (Ned) R. Hearn: Intellectual property business law practice concentrating on the enter- tainment, Internet, and computer soft- ware businesses. Clients include record labels, music publishers, recording artists, writers, authors, producers, produc- tion companies, managers, software designers, multimedia product and website developers, and music and content digital delivery companies. Co- author of Musician’s Guide To Copyright and The Musician’s Business and Legal Guide. 7 DAN HODGES: Dan has successfully placed songs on albums generating over 10 million units in sales throughout his career. Among those songs are the hits “Where Would You Be” by Martina McBride and “I’m A Survivor” by Reba McEntire, which became the theme song for her hit television show, Reba. He was also responsible for pairing artist Rachel Proctor with songwriter Chris Tompkins for cowriting, resulting in Rachel’s hit single and video “Me and Emily.” Dan’s Large Opportunity Music also enjoyed success with Billy Currington’s ASCAP 2008 Country Song of the Year and 3 week #1 “Good Directions” and songs re- corded by Lila McCann, Blaine Larsen, Kenny Rogers, The Isaacs, Carmen Rasmusen, Andy Griggs, Buddy Jewell, Jill King, Little Texas, Dianna Corcoran (Sony, Australia), Jill Johnson (Lionheart Records, Sweden), Swedish Pop artist "The Gentlemen", Katharine McPhee(American Idol finalist), Pinmonkey and Marie Osmond, as well as two songs on Martina McBride’s “Waking Up Laughing” album which is certified Gold. Dan has an exceptional skill in discovering talented songwriters before they happen. Among those Dan has discovered and signed to their first publishing deals are Grammy winners Josh Kear and Chris Tompkins (cowriters who penned ASCAP 2007 Song of the Year “Before He Cheats” for Carrie Underwood), Victoria Banks (sole writer of the Sara Evans smash “Saints and Angels”), Rachel Thibodeau (the writer of the 3 week #1, ASCAP 2008 Song of the Year “Good Directions” for Billy Currington as well as 2 songs for Martina McBride) and most recently Ryan Griffin(Sony Music Artist), and Jason Duke "That Could Still Be Us" for Keith Urban and "Dibs" for Kelsea Ballerini.
BILL KECK: Bill studied piano with Soulima Stravinsky (son of Igor) and worked theatrically with E.Y. Harburg, Sheldon Harnick and Alan Menken. His tenure with singer and RCA artist John Gary spanned five nationwide tours, symphony concerts, showroom acts and record- ings. He served five years as guest conductor for Milwaukee’s Music Under the Stars. Bill ushered in the Millennium by conducting chanteuse Raquel Bitton’s Edith Piaf concert tour, including three performances at Carnegie Hall. Over 7,000 wee folks a year enjoy Bill with the Children’s Theater Association of San Francisco; and every Sunday he’s behind both or- gan and piano at Holy Innocents’ Church. He has been with BBB since 1993 and offers every show to the memory of his wife, Starry.
VATRENA KING: Composer Vatrena King graduated from Berklee College of Music with a degree in Music Production and Engineering before becoming a 1st-call session singer. Credits include a recurring singing role on the hit TV show “Ally McBeal,” performing and/ or recording with such artists as Melissa Manchester, Rod Stewart, Mariah Carey, Whitney Houston, Ray Charles, Barry Manilow & Barry White, several Disney children’s albums, television and film theme songs. Original songs can be heard in the independent film “All About Us,” (2007). In 2000, Vatrena was rated the Top Unsigned Artist by Music Connection Magazine.
SCOTT MATHEWS: Scott Mathews is an American music producer,composer, performer and entrepreneur. With sales of more than 40 million units and downloads sold as a music producer, composer, multi-instrumentalist, vocalist and music publisher, he has earned over 20 gold and multi-platinum RIAA Certification awards and has contributed to five decades of GRAMMY and Oscar Award-winning projects. He has produced Elvis Costello, Roy Orbison, Jerry Garcia, Huey Lewis, Johnny Cash, John Hiatt,Nick Lowe, Dick Dale, Sammy Hagar, Booker T. Jones, Van Dyke Parks, Bob Weir and many others. He has written songs or recorded with major artists from Barbra Streisand to John Lee Hooker, including Keith Richards, George Har- rison, Mick Jagger, The Beach Boys, Eric Clapton, Van Morrison, Bonnie Raitt, Da- vid Bowie, Steve Perry, Todd Rundgren, Robert Cray, Ry Cooder,The Tubes, Bobby Womack, Sammy Hagar, Steven Stills, Patti LaBelle, Dr. John and Raphael Saadiq. He has performed on various musical instruments and vocals with Neil Young, Billie Joe Armstrong of Green Day, John Fogerty,Kid Rock, Brian Wilson, Zac Brown, Steve Miller, Carlos Santana, James Hetfield of Metallica, Ringo Starr, Jimmy Buffett, Tom Waits, Etta James, Chris Isaak, Pat Monahan of Train, Joe Walsh, Dwight Yoakam, Clint Black, Boz Scaggs, Joe Satriani and many more. The recording artists he has worked with include more than 90 inductees of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
STEVEN MEMEL: Steven Memel is an internationally acclaimed voice & performance coach, based in Los Angeles. He is the creator of and the energy behind “The Science Of Switching On”, a unique and impactful system that enables him to achieve rapid and dramatic results with all performers. He is an internationally recognized voice technique and performance coach as well as an award-winning actor and director. He has aided in building the careers of some of the most talented and successful people in the world of entertainment. Among those who have worked with Steven are recording artists Maroon 5, Sara Bareilles, Jesse McCartney, actors Drew Barrymore, Justin Long, Isabella Rossellini and many more. He has taught at Musicians Institute, UCLA, USC and is a regular speaker at seminars, con- 8 ferences and universities around the world. ANTOINETTE OLESEN: Antoinette Olesen is an award-winning songwriter based in Nash- ville Tennessee who has toured internationally with her band and shared the bill with numer- ous world class artists such as Sheryl Crow, Paula Abdul, Gloria Estefan and many more. Olesen’s songs, known for their soaring choruses and emotional content have won “The John Lennon Songwriting Contest”, “Music & Words” and West Coast Songwriters “Song of the Year” among others. One of her children’s songs was recently awarded the coveted “Par- ent’s Choice Award” and six of her songs are featured in the popular musical “The Cross and The Light”. She is a popular Music Industry guest in songwriter communities throughout the country giving seminars and teaching songwriting at workshops and conferences. Working independently out of her Music Row office Antoinette is currently writing songs, developing artists and providing Creative Direction and song consultations to songwriters worldwide. Antoinette is looking for great artists to work with in Pop, Current Country and Americana. As the unofficial Nashville liaison to WCS, she introduces writers and artists to the Nashville Music scene by meeting with, listening and setting up performance opportunities.
CHUCK PROPHET: Chuck Prophet is a hard working singer songwriter who has shaped his career with tours across the United States, and extremely successful tours abroad where he is revered as an artist. He has written with a wide rage of artists from Dan Penn to Alejan- dro Escovedo (the 2008 LP, Real Animal), laid down tracks on sessions for everyone from Warren Zevon to Kelly Willis and taken the stage with Jim Dickinson, Lucinda Williams and Aimee Mann, to name a few. Prophet's production credits include a new RUBINOOS [rhymes with two canoes] LP "FROM HOME" for Yep Roc Records; Willis' Translated From Love (2007) and working on Jace Everett's ("Bad Things" / True Blood) new release Red Revela- tions. He's heard his own tunes performed by legends like Solomon Burke and Heart and his songs have charted on both country ("I'm Gone," a co-write with Kim Richey, on the debut album of country starlet Cyndi Thompson) and AAA radio ("Summertime Thing," from 2002's No Other Love, was a lazy radio anthem). National television appearances include Austin City Limits in support of No Other Love, as well as Letterman and Carson Daly, supporting 2007's Soap & Water. His music has increas- ingly been featured in film and television, including the closing track to episode two ofTrue Blood. He's also been a guest at Darryl's House, a testament to the level of his work.
ANDRE PESSIS: Andre has had 16 hit songs and been on 7 number one albums including the Bonnie Raitt “Luck Of The Draw” multi platinum CD that won 3 Grammys, and a song on the HBO Movie “Grey Gardens” that won 6 Emmies and 2 Golden Globes. He has 13 Plati- num records and one Diamond album (ten platinum) and won 4 ASCAP awards. He has been recorded by: Huey Lewis and The News, MR Big, Tim McGraw, Waylon Jen- nings, Journey, The Dead, Ratdog, Southern Pacific, Glenn Medeiros, Ann Wilson of Heart, Gregg Rolie, Paul Carrack, Ben E King, The Stylis- tics and Laura Branigan and Bigbird. He and Eric Martin wrote a song recorded by MR Big and all the royalties were donated to the Tsunami victims in Japan. The song raised over 300 thousand dollars in a few months and was voted “Song Of The Year” in 2011. He has10 songs on the latest 2 Mickey Hart Albums co-written with Mickey and Robert Hunter and 10 songs on the MR Big CD released October of 2014 and entered the Japanese charts at number 6.
LIA ROSE: Lia Rose creates music and tours with projects focused on making a positive im- pact. She writes songs that are intensely honest and at times unmistakably autobiographical. In addition to her solo releases, Rose is a member of The Brushfoot Migration (Americana Folk Trio) and Built For The Sea (Experimental/Electronic/Ambient). Built for the Sea is signed to Tom Morello & Ryan Harvey's record label Firebrand Records whose aims are sharply focused on social justice. Both solo and with bands, Rose's music has been featured widely in TV & Film, including features in trailers & sizzle reels from HBO to NBC, MTV to USA. "Lia Rose sings with a refreshingly pure voice that is effortlessly engaging and exhibited sincerity with both her gentle tone and her lyrics. -- The Owl Mag
JONATHAN ROSNER: President of Waterslide Music www.waterslidemusic.net and presi- dent of http://www.fundamen- talmusic.com/crew. At Waterslide, he's signed up and coming band Fever The Ghost and singer songwriter Dylan LeBlanc in addition to administering the catalogs of Margo Guryan,The Tokens and Dave Frishberg along with managing the estate of jazz great Maynard Ferguson. At Funda- mental, Jon is in charge of growing and exploit- ing the catalog among other duties. Formerly, Jon was a partner/co-President at The Bicycle Music Company, where he worked for two decades and was responsible for signing writers, catalog acquisition and catalog exploitation. Among Jon’s signings are The Dickies, Kool Keith, The High & Mighty, Marshall Goodman, The Smut Peddlers, Wesley Willis, Linus Of Hollywood, producer Don “One Eye” Saunders, the Oglio Records publishing catalogs, Ozomatli, Jorge Santana and Money Mark. He also worked with the Neil Diamond catalogs. 9 DANIEL J SCHACHT: Daniel helps creative people succeed by guiding their business and protect- ing their rights. His past and current clients include world-renowned musicians and companies in the music and technology space, including numerous members of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, hip hop legends, China’s largest online content distributor, and the number one app. Daniel heads the firm’s Music and Entertainment practice and co-chairs the Intellectual Property Practice Group. He also regularly teaches Music Law at his alma mater, U.C. Berkeley School of Law, provides California Lawyers for the Arts with pro bono services and seminars on the law and business of music
KENNY SCHICK: Producer, Recording/Mixing Engineer, Multi-Instrumentalist, Singer Songwriter & Photographer - Nashville & Bay Area - B3Pmusic.com Kenny specializes in helping solo artists & singer songwriters create, develop & record fully produced and mastered songs. Taking decades of recording experience and mastery of many instruments, he has a unique and custom approach to every song and works with all types of artists world wide. He writes/produces music for tv & film, and performs live and as a session musician for many well known national and international proj- ects. Kenny has written/produced 5 solo albums, produced 3 albums (latest release 2019) with his duo ArtemesiaBlack, and has produced/co-produced and appeared on hundreds of other albums and songs for other artists. Notable artists he has worked with: Bobby McFerrin, Greg Camp of SmashMouth, GC Cameron - Temptations, Hershel Yatovitz (Chris Isaak band), No Doubt, The Red Hot Chili Peppers, Primus, Judy Mowat (Bob Marley band) and countless others.
MICHAEL & PATTY SILVERSHER WCS CO-FOUNDERS: Three-times nominated for the prime- time EMMY Awards, GRAMMY-winning songwriters, Michael & Patty Silversher are in their 40th year in music, theatre, films and television. They have composed the score for four seasons (so far) of the hit TV series, "DINOSAUR TRAIN", a collaboration between Jim Henson Productions and PBS. They composed songs as well as the score for the new Henson/Netflix show, “WORD PARTY” which premiered in July 2016, as well as another Henson/PBS Sprout series, "PAJANIMALS," writ- ing the theme song as well. They served as co-composers, arrangers and musical directors/super- visors of the Jim Henson Company/TLC television series, "ANIMAL JAM", 2001-02. As songwriters, Michael & Patty Silversher’s latest recording is a January 2016 release by Social Thinking SUPERFLEX; A HERO INSIDE. The project involves songs written for a curriculum pro- gram for people on the Autism spectrum. They have written well over a hundred songs for the Disney song catalog including Donald Duck's 50th Birthday song, and Mickey Mouse's 60th Anniversary Song. They have also written the theme songs for two of Disney’s most popular series of the 80s and 90s; “GUMMI BEARS” and “TALE SPIN.” As well as the Warner Bros/ABC series "Eye to Eye" (Michael was the singer on the main title sequence).
LAURA ZUCKER: "Songs born of a hard-won perspective and a positive spin, Laura writes songs with powerful yet sensitive lyrics, evocative, infectious melodies and arrangements that cut straight to the heart.rville NewFolk finalist, 5-time WCSA Best Song of the Year, 2014 Falcon Ridge Emerg- ing Artist, 2015 SWRFA Official Artist. “SongC.R.A.F.T., Writing Songs In Your Authentic Voice” is a guide to help deepen your creative practice, and overcome the obstacles that keep you from writing your best songs.” Singer-songwriter Laura Zucker wins audiences over with a hard-won perspective and a positive spin. The powerful imagery of her songs and stories ring so true you might think she’s read your diary – and you’ll find yourself humming her infectious melodies for days to come. She’s a two-time finalist in the prestigious Kerrville Folk Festival New Folk competition inTexas, a 2014 Falcon Ridge Folk Festival Emerging Artist, two-time winner of the West Coast Songwriters Association “Best Song of The Year”, and has received numerous accolades and awards from organizations around the world.
RUSS ZAVITSON is a 30-year music industry veteran as a songwriter, producer, manager and publisher. Based in Nashville, his credits include Georgia Middleman, The Kinleys, The Wilkinsons, Billy Ray Cyrus, Rainey Qualley, Chely Wright, Marty Stuart, and Shenandoah.
PROGRAM SUBJECT TO CHANGE 10 Seminar Details Saturday Sunday
CONFERENCE WELCOME Musical Theater Melissa Harding, Vatrena King, Michael Silversher How To Make Your Songs Stand Out In A Crowd Antoinette Olesen Producing The Best Record Howard Benson, Scott Mathews, Kenny Schick, Russ Zavitson Fundraising To Support Your Artistry - Crowdfunding/Bandcamp/Pa- Writing A Hit Song With One Finger treon/ Michael Brandvold and Lia Rose Ed Clare
Writing Songs In Your Authen- tic Voice. Exercises designed to help Studio Preparation - What you need to do before heading to the unlock and connect your creative potential. studio. Laura Zucker Kenny Schick
Legal Panel: Music Modern- ization Act and other recent CLOSING CEREMONY developments in the world of Best Of The Weekend songwriter and artist rights. Ned Guests share a song they discovered over the weekend and/or share words of Hearn, Al Evers and Dan Schacht wisdom.
Finding The True Content Of Your Song. Be sure of what you are writing about by finding the core of your idea. Rachel Efron WCS STAFF
Planning A Social Media Cam- Board of Directors: Larry Batiste, Ed Clare, Bruce Ede (President), Ned Hearn, Andre Pessis, paign David Scheibner, Jodell Seagrave, Pete Sommer (Vice President) Michael Brandvold Executive Director: Ian Crombie Managing Director: Poppy Nichols Interview with Bill Keck Conference Managers: Phil Bearce, Greg Biles, Ian Crombie, Joanie Crombie, Bruce Ede, Curt Beach Blanket Babylon Music Ingram, Mike Nichols, Poppy Nichols, Pete Sommer, Nomi Yah, Linda Yelnick Director. As a SF institution comes to Regional Directors: Chris Merrill , Sara Lightman an end, we sit down with Music Director Bill Keck an integral part of their success Managers: Al Atkins, Bob Crane, Margaux Joy DeNador, Dudley DeNador, Tina Dinha, Margot Fleming, Jay Gottlieb, David Hamilton, Curt Ingram, Sara Lightman, Gary Koehler, Iari Melchor, Chris Merrill, Poppy Nichols, Liza Marie Sparks, Pete Sommer, Jan White, Linda Yelnick. INTERVIEW with CHUCK PROPHET Advisory Board : Bruce Davis, Shiloh Hobel, Jocelyn Kane, Bruce Labadie, Scott Mathews, Andre SF is proud of it's musical history. One of Pessis, Mike Pinder, Merl Saunders, Steve Seskin, Michael Silversher, Patty Silversher, Janis it's current hard working Touring artists/ Stevenson, Howard Thomas, Mira Veda, Narada Michael Walden. songwriter Chuck Prophet is interviewed Founders: Michael & Patty Silversher about his career.
SUNSET CONCERT
11 12 13 West Coast Songwriters 39th Annual Music Conference September 8 & 9 2018 Blue Bear School of Music, Fort Mason, San Francisco SPONSORS
west coast songwriters • 1724 laurel street, suite #120 • san carlos, ca 94070 650.654.3966 email [email protected] • website www.westcoastsongwriters.org 14