DSA Monthly Meetings

DSA MEETS THE SECOND THURSDAY OF EACH MONTH Except August

Education • Networking • Encouragement • Advocacy

Learning Opportunity presented by the Dallas Songwriters

* Monthly Workshops which feature guest speakers from all fields of the music industry.

• Critique sessions that give honest, creative, and helpful advice on improving writing style and technique.

Motivating and Uplifting Songwriters through Education

Wednesday, March 12, 2025

DSA Monthly Meeting - Thursday, March 13th

 Location: Your home via ZOOM

6:30 pm: Open portal and networking 
7:00 pm: Program followed by song critiques for members
Zoom ID # 617 432 0082  

Featuring Wayne Gathright!

This month we will hear from Wayne Gathright, a multi-instrumentalist songwriter and producer from Austin.  He is the winner of the Dallas Songwriter Association 2023 Songwriter of the Year, and the 2019 Austin Songwriter’s Group International Songwriter of the Year, and Nashville Publisher Pick award in 3 different Texas Music Symposiums. Additionally, in 2023, Wayne was the 2nd Place Grand Prize Winner in the Broadjam/DSA International Song Competition, and 1st Place in the Country Category. In 2024, he won 1st place in the Broadjam/DSA International Competition Pop/Rock Category.  He and his brother founded ‘Music Lane Recording’, which recorded hundreds of noted artists, such as Bob Schneider, Soul Hat, Vallejo, Junior Brown, Roky Erikson, Spoon, and Denim. Music Lane was voted ‘Best Recording Studio’ by the Austin Chronicle 3 times, so Wayne knows a lot about recording music as well.  He will talk about "Perception to Production" and focus mainly on how he gets ideas for songs and then lyrics, melodies, and arrangement and also touch on the music production. 

Remember, if you are a DSA member you can get your song critiqued by industry pros Barbe McMillen and Joe Milton and be considered for the 2025 Member Song Contest and Songwriter of the Year.  Please Note: You must go to the Dallas Songwriters website (see link below) to enter your song, or you can play them live.  When you go to the website look for "Forms" on the upper right-hand corner of the page then point to "Song Critiques" and the form will show up.  You can type in the lyrics or cut & paste.  For the song audio go to "Choose File" and load your audio file(s), limit of 3 songs per meeting.  You can pay online via the critique form, and the cost is $10 per song.

Wednesday, February 12, 2025

DSA Monthly Meeting - Thursday, February 13th

 

DSA Monthly Meeting - Thursday, February 13th

Location: Your home via ZOOM
6:30 pm: Open portal and networking 
7:00 pm: Program followed by song critiques for members
Zoom ID # 617 432 0082  

Featuring Jamey Shannon!


This month's meeting features the return of Jamey Shannon!  He is DSA Board Member, guitarist/singer/songwriter and a former college music educator with lots of interesting topics to talk about.  He will give us a look at Alliteration, Internal Rhyme Schemes, and Line Plus Three in good songwriting so I'm sure we will all learn something new!

Remember, DSA members can get their songs critiqued by industry pros Barbe McMillen and Joe Milton and be considered for the 2025 Member Song Contest and Songwriter of the Year.  Please Note: You must go to the Dallas Songwriters website (see link below) to enter your song, or you can play them live.  When you go to the website look for "Forms" on the upper right-hand corner of the page then point to "Song Critiques" and the form will show up.  You can type in the lyrics or cut & paste.  For the song audio go to "Choose File" and load your audio file(s), limit of 3 songs per meeting.  You can pay online via the critique form, and the cost is $10 per song.

Thursday, January 9, 2025

DSA 2ND THURSDAY MEETING - JANUARY 9TH 6:30PM

 

DSA Monthly Meeting - Thursday, January 9th

Location: Your home via ZOOM
6:30 pm: Open portal and networking 
7:00 pm: Program followed by song critiques for members
Zoom ID # 247-652-3092   https://us02web.zoom.us/j/2476523092

Featuring Christine Hand Jones!


I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!  The DSA is gearing up for a great 2025 and we have a speaker for the first member meeting of the year you won't want to miss! Christine Hand Jones is Fort Worth native that has been performing her soulful folk-rock in the Dallas/Fort Worth area for over twenty years. Standing on the Shoulders is her second full-length studio album, in follow-up to her 2018 album The Book of the World and her 2011 EP, "Girl on a String."  Standing on the Shoulders was produced by Milo and Scarlett Deering, and recorded in Charley Pride's old studio in Dallas, TX. The album is a tribute to family, in all its messy beauty, and it intertwines real-life family stories with meditations on loyalty, loss, and love. Standing on the Shoulders wraps its intimate story-telling in a combination of bluegrass instrumentation, lush strings and ethereal vocals.  Since Bob Dylan is back in the spotlight due to the new movie and since Christine studied him for her doctorate, she will talk about some songwriting lessons from Bob with a talk entitled "What Would Dylan Do: Songwriting Lessons from Bob Dylan." 

Also, DSA members can get their songs critiqued by industry pros Barbe McMillen and Joe Milton and be considered for the 2024 Member Song Contest and Songwriter of the Year.  Please Note: You must go to the Dallas Songwriters website (see link below) to enter your song, or you can play them live.  When you go to the website look for "Forms" on the upper right-hand corner of the page then point to "Song Critiques" and the form will show up.  You can type in the lyrics or cut & paste.  For the song audio go to "Choose File" and load your audio file(s), limit of 3 songs per meeting.  You can pay online via the critique form, and the cost is $10 per song.

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DSA CHRISTMAS PARTY  - Dec 13, 2024


Home of our Prez, Michael & Karol Brandenberger (See the post in the member group for the address)
 Come & go from 6:00 to 10:00 pm.   Please bring your favorite side dish or dessert and beverages of your choice.  The DSA will be providing smoked ham, Cokes and water.  We'll also be singing our favorite songs, Christmas or otherwise, and you can bring a guitar if you like but there will be lots on hand to choose from!
 
 
 
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 BEST SONGS OF THE MEETING CONTESTS DEADLINE NOVEMBER 14
 
 MONTHLY MEETING and Workshop -  2nd THURSDAY
DSA Monthly Meeting & Workshop with Song Critiques - Thursday, November 14, 6:30- 9:30
ANNUAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING AND ELECTIONS + LAST CHANCE SONG CRITIQUES FOR THIS YEAR