DSA MONTHLY MEETING AND WORKSHOP WITH SONG CRITIQUES - MARCH 12, 2026

 Next Meeting & Workshop with Song Critiques -
DSA Monthly Meeting - Thursday, March 12

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  Join our Cloud HD Video Meeting

Our Guest Speaker is Keith Watson  - https://www.theintemperatesons.com/
 

Keith Watson is part of The Watson family—Keith on drums, Jake on guitars, and Max on vocals, guitars, and keys who joined forces with longtime friend and bassist Mark Marks to create The Intemperate Sons. They caught the ear of rock heavyweights Ryan Shuck and Amir Derakh (Orgy, Dead By Sunrise, Julien-K), who signed them to their Frame|Work label in 2021. Even a global pandemic couldn’t derail their momentum—holed up in The Kitchen Recording Studios, they crafted their debut album, The Color Within (2022), with tracks like “Dust to Dust” and “Running Man” that pulse with raw emotion and retro grit. Collaborations with legends like Tony Franklin (Whitesnake, The Firm) and Derakh’s production on singles like “Game of Keep Away” and “Dark Day’s Night” featured on their second and highly successful album, Dark Day’s Night (2024) pushed their sound further, blending post-grunge edge with folk and hard rock undercurrents.
For fans of alternative rock, this band is a throwback and a revelation. They have traveled and played the whiskey. Keith will be joined by his sons on the Zoom call.

Also, get your song critiqued by industry pros Barbe McMillen and Joe Milton and be considered for the 2026 Member Song Contest and Songwriter of the Year.  Enter your songs online or you can play them live.  

Members enter and pay $10 here in our Square store.
https://checkout.square.site/merchant/02JSQHH1RYQP5/checkout/MRGZLHJH5IRTCVIRCKPBBKKG
 
Upload lyrics pdf and mp3 in google file.
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1nz_0TRsPERTYVG-eSzFMRF13JYqpfqvE?usp=sharing    

Please be advised that songs that make use of Artificial Intelligence for any lyrics, melody or production will not be considered for the Member Song Contests.

DSA 2026 JANUARY & FEBRUARY WORKSHOP AND SONG CRITIQUES

 

MONTHLY MEETING and Workshop -  2nd THURSDAY

http://dsameetings.blogspot.com

Next Meeting & Workshop with Song Critiques -

DSA Monthly Meeting - Thursday, FEBRUARY 12, Darren Wise

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  Join our Cloud HD Video Meeting

  Our guest Speaker is Darren Wise. Darren Wise is a published ASCAP songwriter and rock music performer who also is the music creator/director of live music shows for Drew Pearson Live. He will talk about his songwriting style, performing and the current music business. 

Also, this is the first chance of the year to get your song critiqued by industry pros Barbe McMillen and Joe Milton and be considered for the 2026 Member Song Contest and Songwriter of the Year.  Go to the Dallas Songwriters website (see link below) to enter your song, or you can play them live.   At 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.  However, please be advised that songs that make use of Artificial Intelligence for any lyrics, melody or production will not be considered for the Member Song Contests.

 

 BEST SONGS OF THE MEETING CONTESTS

Starts over in January for 2026

members only may pay here

https://checkout.square.site/merchant/02JSQHH1RYQP5/checkout/MRGZLHJH5IRTCVIRCKPBBKKG

 Upload lyrics and mp3 in google file.

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1nz_0TRsPERTYVG-eSzFMRF13JYqpfqvE?usp=sharing

 

DSA Monthly Meeting - Thursday, January 8th

Featuring Patti Allen Driver!

We have a wonderful guest speaker for our first meeting of the year, Patti Allen Driver!  Although she is a real estate agent by day, Patti is also an accomplished singer/songwriter.  In 2004 she started Chicks Who Rock to empower adult women to play on stage.  Then in 2015 after many years in bands and working in other organizations with kids, she founded Kids Who Rock Camps to provide an amazing setting for cool kids who love music, art and fun.  The camps have a team of instructors who are motivated by their love of music to transfer their skills and knowledge to the kids. For many years most of the Rising Star performers at the annual DSA Hall of Fame induction have come from Kids Who Rock.  And last year Patti put together a great backing band for the performers.  She will talk about her experiences in songwriting/performing and leading Kids Who Rock! 

 

Also, this is the first chance of the year to get your song critiqued by industry pros Barbe McMillen and Joe Milton and be considered for the 2026 Member Song Contest and Songwriter of the Year.  Go to the Dallas Songwriters website (see link below) to enter your song, or you can play them live.   At 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.  However, please be advised that songs that make use of Artificial Intelligence for any lyrics, melody or production will not be considered for the Member Song Contests.

 

 BEST SONGS OF THE MEETING CONTESTS

Starts over in January for 2026

members only may pay here

https://checkout.square.site/merchant/02JSQHH1RYQP5/checkout/MRGZLHJH5IRTCVIRCKPBBKKG

 Upload lyrics and mp3 in google file.

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1nz_0TRsPERTYVG-eSzFMRF13JYqpfqvE?usp=sharing

 

 

JAMES NEEL TO SPEAK AT DSA MEETING ON OCT 9, 2025

DSA Monthly Meeting - Thursday, October 9

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  https://us02web.zoom.us/j/6174320082

Featuring James Neel!

This month's meeting will feature James Neel, a classically trained composer, sound designer, multi-instrumentalist and audio-post engineer.  James has spent more than four decades crafting original music and sound effects that have appeared in TV, radio, film, documentaries and websites for top advertising agencies, entertainment producers, and Fortune 500 companies.  His prestigious client list includes work for a diverse collection of familiar brands, including Lucasfilm Ltd, NutriSystem, Playboy, Oral Roberts, IBM, Dallas Cowboys, Bell Helicopter, Coca-Cola, EDS, Nokia, General Motors, Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, Frito-Lay, Tony Roma's, Zales, American Cancer Society, Neiman Marcus, Midas Mufflers, Murine, Alcatel, Brinker International, Bud Light, Evan Williams, Dallas Video Festival, Dr Pepper, JC Penny, Mobil Oil, Church's Chicken, Dairy Queen, McKinsey & Company, Eye Masters, Six Flags Over Texas, Kaiser Permanente, La Madelene, Shell Oil, Texas Instruments, Splash Media, Pier One Imports,, Texaco Star Mart, American Heart Association, Half Price Books, Fina, Verizon, Blue Cross/Blue Shield, Chevy Truck's, and many more.

James is going to speak on AI and Songwriting.

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.

DSA Monthly Meeting - Thursday, September 11th, 2025

 

DSA Monthly Meeting - Thursday, September 11th

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  https://us02web.zoom.us/j/6174320082

Featuring Lane Fabian & Guitars 4 Vets!

Guitars 4 Vets is a 501(c)3 non-profit dedicated to providing relief to struggling veterans This month's meeting will feature Lane Fabian who talk about Guitars 4 Vets, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to providing relief to struggling veterans through the healing power of music and community.  Guitars 4 Vets was presented DSA's 2023 Excellence in Community Service Award.  Lane Fabian, who represents the organization in North Texas, joined the program in 2018 as an instructor for the Dallas chapter and now serves as Chapter Coordinator for the Dallas/Fort Worth area.  The Chapter has five in-person locations across four counties, along with a North Texas cyber program, and offers a unique10-week guitar instruction program that puts the healing power of music in the hands of our nation's heroes. 

Also, get your new songs critiqued by industry pros Barbe McMillen and Joe Milton and be considered for the 2025 Member Song Contest and Songwriter of the Year.  You can 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.

https://dallassongwriters.org/song-critique/

DSA Meeting and SongCritiques Workshop - July 10, 2025 Features Rickey Gene Wright

 

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 https://us02web.zoom.us/j/6174320082

Featuring Rickey Gene Wright 

We have a great speaker for this month's meeting, DSA's own Rickey Gene Wright!  He is an accomplished Americana Singer/Songwriter with 5 album releases to his credit, and you can hear wonderful story-telling songs on all streaming services.  We are very fortunate that we can hear his music when he hosts DSA showcases and open mics which have included venues at Love and War,  Guitars and Growlers, and a new one coming up at Cocktail Creamery in McKinney.  Since much of Rickey Gene's work involves live performances, he is up on the latest technologies available for live music.  For this meeting he will talk about a new looping device that employs AI in its system that helps the musician in accompaniment with an easy and seamless method of adding in drums and bass.  For the musician that wants or needs to perform solo this sounds like something we all want to know more about so don't miss it!

Also, get your new songs critiqued by industry pro Barbe McMillen and be considered for the 2025 Member Song Contest and Songwriter of the Year. You can 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.

DSA Monthly Meeting - Thursday, June 12th, 2025

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 https://us02web.zoom.us/j/6174320082
 

 

Featuring Michael R. J. Roth!

We are very pleased to have one of our own members, Michael Roth, as our guest speaker this month! For those who don't know Michael, he is a prolific singer/songwriter and poet based in Panama City, FL., well-known for his music and poetry for over five decades. He has received multiple songwriter lyric awards with songs that are characterized by their emotional depth and profound truth and have been drawn from Michael's life experiences and observations. He has been recognized as the "one to watch" by the Nashville Songwriters Association International and has performed as various venues including the Tiny Desk. His recent victory in the American Songwriter lyric contest for his song "Love Washes Off" highlights his talents and contribution to the music industry. At this month's meeting Michael is going to talk about the American Songwriter experience and recording in Nashville. Also, Shane Whalen, who leads American Songwriter's Contests, Membership and E-Commerce communities will be attending to provide additional insight to American Songwriter, so you won't want to miss this meeting!

Also, get your new songs critiqued by industry pro Barbe McMillen and be considered for the 2025 Member Song Contest and Songwriter of the Year. You can 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.

DSA Monthly Meeting - April - May 2025

DSA Monthly Meetings -

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  https://us02web.zoom.us/j/6174320082

 

 Thursday, May 8th

 

This month's meeting features Chris Albert, a prolific singer/songwriter that has been performing for over 40 years!  He is also a record producer and music publisher that has produced 10 albums with his own record company.  Chris and a representative from the U.S. Copyright Office will be talking about new updates to music copyright laws that are important to know for all songwriters who wish to register their works with the U.S Copyright Office.  

 

 

Thursday, April 10

 

Thomas Gillis Jr (Drummer) Tom is a Grammy award winning audio engineer for stage and studio, guitar tech/luthier, musician, audio repairman, and so much more. Tom has been a part of Kids Who Rock since 2020, teaching bass, (although his primary instrument is drums/percussion), Tom started playing drums when he was 14, guitar at 17, and got his first bass at 20 years old. At that time Tom took music lessons during his time at Loyola University New Orleans to learn piano and to further his knowledge of guitar and music theory, as well as audio engineering. Since then, Tom has been acquiring and putting those skills into work helping songwriters make the most of their creations by recording, augmenting, and helping perform their music as they envision it. Every year Tom takes two weeks to record bands performing at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival helping spread the word about the good music there. Tom said, “I am, and continue to be, inspired by songwriters and musicians that I have met throughout my life”.

Also, get your new songs critiqued by industry pros Barbe McMillen and Joe Milton and be considered for the 2025 Member Song Contest and Songwriter of the Year.  You can 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.