Sequoia Songwriters Retreat - Concert Tonight in Ben Lomond, CA

Well, here we are on the last day of a magnificent week here in the Sequoias, catching 'songs', creating memories, building friendships I hope will last a lifetime.   It is the kind of day you want to hang in one spot forever, so you can infuse your soul with all of its harmony and magic.

We are presenting the songs we wrote this week in a live concert at the Sequoias Retreat Center on Alba Road, in Ben

Preparations for concert tonight.

Lomond, CA.   Guests are encouraged to arrive around 7, and I believe we get everything going at 7:30.  As I sit here blogging away, I hear three part harmonies filtering through the air as teams prepare, rehearse, and get everything tuned up for their performances tonight.

I've rehearsed three songs, have one more to do, then it's off to get all spiffed up for the show ... I'll be recording both sets 'live' tonight, so stay tuned to excerpts from the concert, wrapping up a rich and vibrant week of songwriting and singing in the California Sequoias.

Songwriting Collaboration Part 2: "We Reap What We Have Sewn"

Trying to grab a few minutes to write is next to impossible at a songwriters retreat because mostly I am writing songs,  and far away from my computer!  But, here you go, as promised, Part 2 of the co-write on Monday with Tom Steffen from Denmark.

After spending a few hours on the lyrics matching phrases we paired from the 'free association' exercise Brett gave us earlier in the day, we got together again an hour or so before dinner and man, magic was in the air!  You won't believe this beautiful melody ... "We Reap What We Have Sewn" .

Music and Lyric by Phyllis A Travis (USA) and Tom Steffen Frederiksen (Denmark):  Copyright 2011

Sequoia Songwriting Day 2: When Songwriters Collaborate

It's lunch time, well sort of, here in the Los Altas Lodge where all of the creative energy gets stirred up.   We met this morning at 10, did vocal warm-up and stretching exercises, learned how to flex all of those vocal muscles, and then settled in for our first co-writing assignment of the week:

Brett Perkins, our fearless leader, tosses out the phrase "It Happens to the Best of Us", and then says, "Ok, start writing."For 10 minutes, we had to 'free associate,' writing anything that popped into our heads, without editing.   As song-writing exercises go, this is one I remember from three previous retreats with Brett, and is my favorite, because it allows you to really go in any direction you want with no set structure.

After he stopped the clock, Brett gave us our writing partners for the day.

I got paired with a soulful balladeer from Denmark, Tom Steffan, who has given me permission to talk about him today.

He's off no doubt writing our beautiful song, while I am here catching you up on the process of co-writing a song, which is different for everyone, but for me and for Tom today, it worked something like this:

Tom read what he wrote while I listened, then jotted down phrases that just 'jumped out at me.' Then I did the same thing, read out loud to Tom what I had written in the 10 minute exercise, while he jotted down notes that resonated with him.   Then we paired the phrases together.   Like a patchwork quilt, taking some from him, some of the fabric from me, until we had about eight lines cobbled together, which then also gave us the idea for the chorus.

That's roughly the lyric so far ... about a journey, children seeking wisdom from elders,  coloring inside the lines but outside the box, looking to the universe for answers .....

You'll have to tune it for part 2, to see how it turns out.   Right now I've gotta blow this popsicle joint and start doing my part of this song.   We are writing melodies now, much like we did the lyric, then will cobble together the parts we like today at 3:30 when we meet again.   And from that process, a song will come to life ...

Songwriting Retreat - New Digs

Here are some pictures of my new digs at the Sequoia songwriting retreat. It's 6 pm and the Redwoods are beautiful.

Packing, Sorting, Preparing for New Friends and Tunes - Sequoias Songwriters Retreat

Everything is scattered around the apartment in organized piles waiting to be tagged "clothes, musical equipment or other stuff" as I prepare to head out on Sunday for the annual CA International Songwriters Retreat hosted by Brett Perkins in Ben Lomond, CA.

I changed my guitar strings on Thursday, did most of the organizing last night, and now all that's left is sorting out what goes where.   Looks like it will be a big bag and one small one, plus the guitar (I'll gate check it)) and my laptop as the carry on.   Weather is supposed to be decent in the morning, and sunny all week in the San Jose area, so it should be a great retreat.

My cabin-mate is from NYC, a folk-jazz musician and musical playwright, so am really looking forward to meeting her and the rest of the songwriters who will be arriving tomorrow from all over the globe.    We have dinner at the 'lodge' at 6PM, then our first song circle (we each present an original song) and introductory meeting at 9PM.   Since CA is two hours earlier than Houston, I will be whipped this time tomorrow night and lookin to get some z's ...

But, I hope to blog every day, upload some photos while I'm there and let you know what it's like hangin' out in the CA Sequoias with some of the best songwriting talent around as I see old friends again, meet new ones, and soak up those CA rays!