2009 New Orleans Songwriters Festival ("Songfest" or "NOSF") takes place December 3rd-5th (Thursday-Saturday), 2009.
The Awesome Line-up!!!!!!!!!
WIN A GUITAR AT THE OPEN MIC!!!
Here's the drill - show up at the Open Mic, play, and stick around until the end of the night when we announce the winners--and it's not based on talent--it'll be a random drawing of all who play the Open Mic!!! As the Bluebird's Barbara Cloyd says (see below): "You must be present to win!!!" Click here for more info--there's even more stuff we are giving away!!!!
Confirmed Artist/Writers
Allen Toussaint, Andrew Duhon, Asia Bryant, Baby Boy Da Prince, Chuck Perkins, Dennis Matkosky, Don Schlitz, Greg Barnhil, Kyle Turley, Jim McCormick, J.D. Souther, John Michael Rouchell, Jonathan Pretus, Mark Stephen Jones, N. O. Capo, Ralph Murphy (Click here for more artist info at the official Songfest Web site.)
Purpose
The purpose of the New Orleans Songwriters Festival is manyfold:
Promote interaction between New Orleans and Louisiana-based writers and writers from around the world.
Provide exposure for New Orleans and Louisiana-based writers and artists to music center publishers and A&R personnel.
Promote interaction between New Orleans and Louisiana-based music industry people and businesses to their counterparts in major city music centers.
Create an event that lends itself to national and international media exposure for New Orleans and Louisiana-based writers and artists.
Provide a new source of performance opportunities for members of the New Orleans music community.
Promote awareness of New Orleans and the Gulf Coast's reconstruction progress.
Donate excess Songfest operating funds to charity to benefit New Orleans and Louisiana-based musicians.
Current List of Charities
New Orleans Musicians Clinic
Schedule
(See the Songfest Web Site for street addresses and further info on all gigs listed below.
Thursday Dec. 3rd, 2009
* HOWLIN' WOLF ~ 7PM - 2 AM - MASSIVE OPEN MIC: New Orleans Songwriters Festival/Bluebird Café Open Mic hosted by the Bluebird's Barbara Cloyd Some lucky person who plays and stays will get a free Louisiana-made Composite Acoustics ("CA") High Gloss GX guitar valued at around $2,700 (hear it ), plus everybody will get something!!! Special Guest hit writers during the evening
* WORLD FAMOUS TIPITINA'S ~ 8PM - 11. Writer's Round Featuring John Michael Rouchell (myspace), Mark Steven Jones & Andrew Duhon
* CARROLLTON STATION ~ 9PM - 12 Midnight. Writer's Round. Writers: Caleb Guilotte, Mark Adam Miller, Sam Craft.
Friday Dec. 4th, 2009
* HOWLIN' WOLF ~ 7PM - 9 PM - Urban Artist & Songwriter Panel featuring hit Hip-Hop writer/producer/artist, Al Kapone, New Orleans own beloved Hip-Hop/R&B DJ Wild Wayne of Q93, Music Shed Recording Facility owner Frank Alquist, and Howlin' Wolf Manager/Partner, Stu Schayot. The panel will be moderated by Reid Wick, Grammy Rep for the Mid-South. (Tickets $10 available at Ticketweb.com or at the door.)
* HOWLIN' WOLF ~ 10PM - 1 AM - Urban Show featuring Baby Boy Da Prince, J Lyric, N. O. Capo & Asia Bryant (Tickets $15 available at Ticketweb.com or at the door.)
* TAVERN ON VETS ~ 7PM - 2 AM (Kenner, LA). Writers Round featuring former New Orleans Saint and now Nashville-based country singer-songwriter Kyle Turley as well as Jim McCormick, Thom Sheppard & Gordon Bradbury.
Saturday Dec. 5th, 2009
* Location TBA ~ 9AM - 3 PM - Americana Songwriters Workshop conducted by hit writer and one of the top songwriting teachers and coaches in the country, Barbara Cloyd.
* BLUE NILE ~ 3 - 5 PM - Writer's Round featuring Cowboy Mouth's Jonathan Pretus, Ralph Murphy, Mark Carson & Bud Tower.
* HOUSE OF BLUES ~ 8 - 11:30 PM - Writers Round featuring Allen Toussaint, Don Schlitz, J.D. Souther, Dennis Matkosky, Greg Barnhill & Chuck Perkins)
Songfest Format
While "Songfest" will be in some respects like the Key West Songwriters' Festival--due to its location in New Orleans--it will have many difference such as:
Not just country music, we will feature writers from many different genres including those building on New Orleans' unique musical heritage.
We will take advantage of the many unique venues New Orleans offers.
We expect to have some 50% of all artist/writers from the Gulf Coast region given the substantial base of such individuals from the area.
We expect to have artist/writers from outside the area not only from Nashville, but from other music center cities like New York and LA, etc., as well as from Europe and elsewhere.
Massive Open Mic!!!
As part of Songfest, we had a massive Open Mic. It will be hosted by Barbara Cloyd who has hosted the Open Mic at the world famous Bluebird Cafe in Nashville for some 21 years. The Nashville Songwriters Association International "NSAI," the premiere songwriting organization (which now owns the Bluebird) is a sponsor of the event which will be billed the "New Orleans Songwriters Festival/Bluebird Open Mic."
Here's the program: SHOW UP AND PLAY!!! Why do you want to do this? Because a bunch of publishers and record label folks will be coming to New Orleans for the event and you just never know who will be sitting in the audience at this Open Mic listening to you just like they do at the real Bluebird in Nashville!!! If you are an Open Mic host, send us an email here to get your Open Mic into this program.
Open Mic "Rules"
The Open Mic will be conducted just like at Nashville's Bluebird:
No "covers" - songs you wrote by yourself or are a co-writer of ONLY.
No "tracks" - you may accompany yourself on an instrument or have ONE accompanist, but you may not sing to a pre-recorded track.
No "bands" - This is a singer/songwriter event. If you are part of a band and you wrote the song, come and play it solo.
Time Limit - No Songs over 5 minutes - we will turn off your mic!!.
Introducing you, your song, your web site, your phone number, your hopes, dreams, and aspirations - DON'T DO IT. Let the song speak for you. Believe us, if it's GREAT, everybody will know it and want to know you.
Be tuned up - We will explain how things go before the event and you will know when you are to go on--be tuned and ready to go.
Piano - To save time, we will have a house keyboard. It will be set to piano mode in standard tuning. Don't mess with it--just play it!! Also, check it before you play it to make sure it is set correctly!!!
If you mess up - Don't sweat it and don't apologize--it's an Open Mic dude!! Just pick up where ever you are comfortable and go on.
Other - Don't tell us you're really not a singer or apologize for your playing, etc. Just do your song to the best of your ability. It's all about the song here.
For more info on the open mic, go here: http://www.nosongfest.com/Open+Mic
How You Can Help Us
Please use the comments area of this site to tell us what you want in a songwriters' festival.
Hey, Great to see someone is promoting songwriters in and around New Orleans! There are some awesome writers and musicians from the area that need exposure. Take a listen to my songs and give me your opinon. I would really appreciate it. Thank You Mike - Hope to see you during the event
</a> Buddy, Gald to have met you. I enjoyed myself. Thanks for the awesome job putting together Songwriters Fest!!!!
