The Australian Songwriter Issue 85, May 2012 First published 1979 The Magazine of The Australian Songwriters Association Inc. In this edition: Chairman’s Message Editor’s Message Reminder: The 2012 Australian Songwriting Contest closes 31 May 2012 PPCA Award For Best Performance At The 2011 National Songwriting Awards Night: The Lamplights Craig Morrison: Winner of the 2011 Country Category Dani Karis: Winner of the 2011 Ballad Category Christopher Pye: Winner of the 2011 Australia Category Steve Lymburn and Carly Van: Winners of the 2011 Rock/Indie Category ASA Regional Co-Ordinator Of The Year Top 10 Category places in the 2011 Australian Songwriting Contest Commendation Certificates for 2011 About Us: o Aims of the ASA o History of the Association o Contact Us o Patron o Life Members o Directors o Regional Co-Ordinators Chairman’s Message To all our valued ASA Members, On behalf of your Board Of Directors, I am privileged to welcome you to the latest issue of the new ASA Magazine. Vice Chairman and Financial Officer Alan Gilmour has been a very busy boy of late, working long hours interviewing, writing and editing, so that the ASA could bring you an e-mag that is second to none. It is packed full of interesting stories about and discussions with some of the ASA Song Contest 2011 Winners, along with a complete list of the Top Ten in every genre. ASA Commendation Certificates issued for 2011 have been catalogued also. All in all, it makes for a great read and brings us up-to-date with our 2011 winning recipients. We certainly owe Alan a big thank you for his superlative efforts, in ensuring our new Magazine is once again up and running. Don’t forget to check out the ASA Songwriting Contest 2012. It promises to be huge this year, with great prizes for every genre. It closes at the end of May, so hurry and get those entries in. Remember, if you are a Songwriter you should belong to the ASA, as well as APRA. Happy reading, and see you at the Wax Lyricals. Cheers Denny Denny Burgess Chairman Australian Songwriters Association Editor’s Message Welcome ASA members to the May 2012 edition of The Australian Songwriter. This month we feature interviews with some of the category winners from the 2011 Australian Songwriting Contest: Craig Morrison (Country), Dani Karis (Ballad), Christopher Pye (Australia), and the songwriting duo of Steve Lymburn and Carly Van (Rock/Indie). There is also an important reminder that this year’s Australian Songwriting Contest closes on 31 May 2012. The Australian Songwriter welcomes written contributions from ASA members. If you have anything that you would like to say about yourself, other songwriters/musicians/artists or upcoming events, simply send your contributions via email to the Editor at [email protected] . Cheers, Alan Gilmour Editor Reminder: The 2012 Australian Songwriting Contest closes on 31 May 2012 The closing date for the 2012 Australian Songwriting Contest is fast approaching. There are only a few days to go, so make sure that your entries are in by 31 May 2012. Simply go to the ASA website at www.asai.org.au and follow the links, or go directly to the online entry platforms at http://asa.songcentral.net and www.sonicbids.com/ASA. PPCA Award Winner for Best Performance at the 2011 National Songwriters Awards Night Photo: The Lamplights were the winners of the PPCA Award for the best performance at the 2011 National Songwriters Awards night. The boys are pictured here with singer Dinah Lee and PPCA Director Lindy Morrison. Each year, the Phonographic Performance Company of Australia Limited (PPCA) provides a prize of $400 for the artist or artists who provide the best live performance at the National Songwriters Awards night. The PPCA is a not-for-profit organisation that provides licenses to Australian businesses to play recorded music in public. The net fees are distributed to record labels and registered Australian artists who create the recordings so that they can continue to make music for us all to enjoy. At the 2011 National Songwriting Awards night, the PPCA selected The Lamplights as the winning artist. The Lamplights are huge fun. To see them perform live is to experience an energetic and fun loving show where the band enjoys the performance just as much as the audience. The Lamplights are aware that when they are having a good time on stage the audience follows. The Lamplights are Ryan Gittoes (vocals), Jason McGregor (guitar), Ashley Perrow (acoustic and lap steel guitar), Mattie Barker (vocals, bass and harmonica) and Mick Easterman (drums). The boys come from the Queensland Gold Coast where they formed the band in late 2009. They pride themselves in bringing warmth to audiences and delivering moving and memorable live performances with consummate musicianship. The Lamplights deliver a wide range of genres, from acoustic folk pop to childrens’ songs. Their Hopping Mouse mascot keeps the kids (and adults) engaged, particularly when performing their award winning song The Hopping Mouse. In 2010 The Lamplights released their first CD appropriately titled The Lamplights. The Lamplights were the 2011 winners of the Songs For Children Category and Co-Winners of the Folk/Acoustic Category. We’ll have a full interview with The Lamplights in an upcoming edition of The Australian Songwriter. Photos (Top): The Lamplights perform their award winning songs Practice (joint winner of the 2011 Folk/Acoustic Category) and The Hopping Mouse (winner of the 2011 Songs For Children Category). (Below): The Hopping Mouse performs at the 2011 National Songwriters Awards night. Craig Morrison: Winner of the 2011 Country Category Photo: Craig Morrison performing his award winning song Hot Kinda Love at the 2011 National Songwriting Awards Night. Craig Morrison won the 2011 Country Category with his song Hot Kinda Love. Craig was a Toyota Star Maker finalist in 2010 and was chosen as Male Artist of the Year at the 2012 Central Coast Country Music Festival. He has had two successful single releases from his self titled album: Fences, which reached the Top 5 on the Australian Country Tracks chart earlier this year with the video peaking at No. 23 on CMC, and of course the ASA award winning Hot Kinda Love. He is the son of renowned Australian artist Lucky Starr, widely regarded as a founding member of Australian Pop music and the first to record I’ve Been Everywhere and make it a No. 1 hit on the Australian charts. ASA: Would you please let us know how you came to write Hot Kinda Love and what the inspiration for you was? Craig: I started the song a long time ago, and left it in a lyric book and dug it out when preparing my new album. It seemed to be exactly what I needed to kick off the project. I needed something punchy and bold - and what a great honky tonk feel Mark Moffatt pulled for it. ASA: How is the new album going in terms of sales and placings? Craig: Fantastic, we just signed a distribution deal with MGM for Australia and NZ, and a distribution deal with GMV Nashville for the USA and Canada. I have also just landed a publishing deal with Walkerbout Music Group Nashville. ASA: How was it to have your Dad onstage for your Country award? How much have you learned from him musically over the years? Craig: It was awesome to have my Dad there for such a great achievement. I learned everything from my father over the years, he was my mentor. ASA: How did you graduate to Country music over all other genres? Craig: My initial introduction to music was actually Country, and I spent a lot of summers working Tamworth with my father when I was a kid, when the Longyard was in the middle of paddock believe it or not. My father introduced me to the rock ’n’ roll tunes of Elvis and many others, and then I found myself working with pop rock music in my early twenties. But I think Country music was always in my blood. I feel a resonance with this genre, and often find myself dabbling in writing country songs. The first song I ever learnt was a country song. I love music that describes your life, makes you think, makes you smile… My Country album release ‘Heaven Knows’ under the guise of Craig Morrison Little Cowboys was well-received by the industry and this only further cemented my determination to carve a niche in the genre. The next natural step, was to go to the country music capital of the world to write and record my new self-titled album. ASA: Where are you hoping that music will take you? Craig: I hope this new album allows me to continue this wonderful music journey - and hopefully bring some #1 radio singles and songwriting success, not only in Australia but also the US. -0- Craig’s first US single Fences was released in April ahead of the 1 st May release of his self titled album that also features the track Hot Kinda Love. Aussie producer Mark Moffatt produced the album in Nashville after Craig relocated there in 2011. The album will be released on all digital platforms by GMV Nashville. Photos above: Craig Morrison performing on stage (top) and with his father Australian music legend Lucky Starr (below). Dani Karis: Winner of the 2011 Ballad Category Photo: Dani Karis at the 2011 National Songwriting Awards Dani Karis is the winner of the 2011 Ballad Category with her song My Fire. We asked Dani a few questions about her music: ASA: Can you tell us the story behind your winning song My Fire and how you came to write it? Dani: I had just bought a new amp and was sitting in front of it with my guitar trying out the sound and something about the rhythm I was strumming brought back an old memory.