Add the above banner to your page - just copy and paste the code below:
The Steel Bridge Songfest completed its fourth season, June 12 to 14, 2008 by bringing together musicians, songwriters, historic preservationists and music fans alike. The annual benefit for the Michigan Street Bridge has helped to raise (not including this year) almost $150,000 to save and maintain the bridge, and to build community awareness of the importance of preserving it.
SB4 once again featured singer/songwriter Jackson Browne, musician/singer Jane Wiedlin of The Go-Go’s, and co-founder and musician pat mAcdonald. mAcdonald also hosted The Construction Zone, a week-long workshop for 25 invited songwriters. With temporary headquarters at the Beach Harbor Resort, the songwriters found their collaborative partners with a rousing game of Spin the Bottle. The songwriters performed at various venues around town during the week and recorded their original songs for possible inclusion on a CD. In past years some 120 songs have been recorded as a result of The Construction Zone.
Christie Weber, the other co-founder of the festival and president of Citizens for our Bridge, has been a tireless crusader for the preservation and enhancement of the bridge. The two-lane structure spans the Sturgeon Bay Ship Canal in the central business district of Sturgeon Bay. Built in 1930, it is only one of two bridges of its type in the United States—an upper rolling lift bascule bridge. The 1,420-foot bridge is comprised of a counter-balanced, movable span and 12 concrete and steel truss approach spans. The bridge, a familiar sight for Door County vacationers and locals, is listed on the Wisconsin Register of Historic Places and recently was added to the National Register of Historic Places. With the bridge as its beneficiary, the songfest has developed into much more than a concert. It celebrates live music, activism, historic preservation and creativity. More than 100 bands from across the country donate their services to help raise money and awareness for the bridge. Components of the event include:
• Take It To The Bridge. An all-day, benefit concert headlined by Jackson Browne on Saturday, June 14, at the Great Lakes Yacht Services boatyard. Jane Wiedlin of Go-Go’s fame will also appear.
• Take It Inside. Three nights of live original music will be featured in multiple venues around town, including all-ages shows.
• The Construction Zone. This component brings original songwriting into the festival mix. Twenty-five songwriters are invited for five days of intensive collaborative songwriting at the historic Holiday Music Motel. Writers are encouraged to write songs loosely based around the metaphor of a steel bridge. (The Construction Zone is for invited musical guests only.) A group of people associated with the SongFest recently purchased the motel to preserve it and form a year-round headquarters for songwriting workshops. Songwriters can expect comfortable, sound-proof rooms with the original 1950 bedroom suites in pristine condition. Some rooms have been custom-designed by music legends such as Jane Wiedlin of The Go-Go’s fame. The motel is located in the heart of the Sturgeon Bay Historic District within walking distance of restaurants, bars, art museums, the ship chanel, and historic sites including the Sturgeon Bay Bridge. Environmentalists will rest comfortably knowing that the hotel is a LEED-certified structure.
Alternative hotel reservations for Steel Bridge SongFest 5 call 920-743-6246 or 920-743-6800 to reach the Sturgeon Bay Visitor's Center who have cordial operators standing by to assist you.
Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin is "The Gateway to Door County" and one of the premier travel destinations in the USA due to the scenic beauty and year round family entertainment. It's an easy mid-day drive from Green Bay, Milwaukee, Chicago, Minneapolis/St. Paul, Madison, and even cities in Michigan such as Detroit, Grand Rapids, Lansing, and Kalamazoo if you take the Lake Michigan Car Ferry.
Eric McDonald's Comment:
"I remember the time I first crossed this steel bridge...it was just this past August on a warm, sunny day in Northeast Wisconsin. I was wondering what the big hoopla was about, but now I understand-- This bridge is a gateway to another dimension - a dimension of sound, a dimension of sight, a dimension of mind. I was crossing over into a land of shadow and substance, of things, and ideas. I'd just crossed over into Door County. And then I stopped for ice cream."
"I fell in love with Sturgeon Bay! I think i met more creative people there that one week than in all the time I’ve been in L.A.!" Now if only i could get more of you to MOVE here... !!!" -Jane Wiedlin of the Go-Go's (Los Angeles, CA)
Influences
SOME OF OUR VALUED SPONSORS:
If you or your business would like to help support this event, we offer a number of levels of sponsorship particpation. Please call 920-743-5605 or email us at steelbridge2@msn.com
For press credentials to cover Steel Bridge Songfest 5, send your name, title, media affiliation, email address, mailing address, and phone number to Linda Akins at linda@steelbridgesongfest.org. or call 312-953-7830.
I want to thank all of you for what you've given, especially those of you who have, on your own initiative, stayed involved as active, unpaid volunteers throughout this long cold winter.
One I should mention here is melaniejane, known to most Construction Zoners for her cello contributions. You may not know that she's continued to donate countless hours helping with promotion and organizing behind the scenes.
If you have any ideas or questions, or just want to touch base, please feel free to contact me via myspace or by email: pmAcd333@gmail. com. If you'd rather talk on the phone, email me your phone number and I'll give you a call.
xo,p
THE STEEL BRIDGE SONGFEST CD's
The best songs to come out of the songwriting workshops are captured on CD to be released the following year. Songwriters perform their original creations on the concert stages and at the venues around town and the live performances are recorded. Also, a custom-designed recording studio at the Holiday Motel is assembled for studio recordings.
Steel Bridge Songs Vol. 1 is complete and available through this profile. Volumes 2 and 3 were released at this year’s June, 2008 festival and can be ordered through www.SteelBridgeSongfest.org - Official SBSF Site
"THIS EVENT STARTED ABOUT SONGS," pat mAcdonald said. "I thought it would be interesting to see what would come out of an event with this sort of a centered theme. I wanted to see what comes out of using a bridge as a metaphor; a very loose jumping off point."
Guitars For Vets provides 6 free lessons and a new acoustic guitar to traumatized Military Veterans at VA medical centers. Your support is appreciated
Donated guitars are either presented to the Vets or sold in order to raise funds for the program. Donated guitars that are unrepairable are turned into "Art Guitars" by artists and sold at G4V events. Your gift will make a difference as it supports the mission to heal our Veterans.
Monetary contributions and instrument donations are tax deductible. Authentic G4V apparel may be purchased at our online store
love you love you love you love you! Thanks for a wonderful year! It was SO great to have the Steel Bridge writers here again! Looking forward to next time!
Online Now!
