DSA Monthly Meeting - Thursday, October 10th

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 Barbe McMillen!

You won't want to miss this month's meeting!  Barbe McMillen, founder of the Dallas Songwriters Association, will be moderate of discussion of the 25 things that every Artist, Musician, Songwriter, Producer, or Manager needs to consider in pursuing any aspect of performing or songwriting as a career or avocation.  It's a quite extensive list of items and lots of people overlook many of them so tune in to the meeting so you will be in the know!

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.

https://www.dallassongwriters.org

DSA Monthly Meeting for September 2024

 DSA Monthly Meeting - Thursday, September 12th

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 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 songwriting vs soundtrack composition for film and TV and some of the history and samples of sounds tracks he has created.

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 for July 2024

 DSA Monthly Meeting - Thursday, July 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 # 247-652-3092   https://us02web.zoom.us/j/2476523092

Featuring Julie Jean White!


The DSA welcomes back Julie Jean White as our speaker for this month's meeting!  Julie Jean is a former member of the DSA who made a move to Nashville several years ago and is making her mark on the Nashville music scene as a country singer/songwriter.  Her songs have received accolades from Billboard Magazine, American Songwriter Magazine, and from the legendary Carly Simon, who was tearfully moved after hearing White's award-winning song "Living Backwards".  Julie Jean has been a finalist in the Kerrville New Folk Fest, the Wildflower Festival, the B.W. Stevenson contest (2 times), and the Texaco Country Showdown.  Her catalog of work reflects her eclectic taste in music, touting Willie Nelson, Natalie Merchant, Stevie Nicks and Carole King among her major music influencers.  After moving to Nashville and collaborating with some of its favorite writers, she is now gearing up to release her next album, "Feed This Jones", produced by hit songwriter/producer Brian White.  Julie Jean will share some of her stories about Nashville and what it's like to be part of the burgeoning music industry there!

And don't forget, 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 Guest Speakers - May and June 2024

 DSA Monthly Meeting - Thursday, May 9th

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

Featuring Jamey Shannon!

This month we are very pleased to have Jamey Shannon return as out guest speaker!  Jamey, who is a DSA Board Member, is a guitarist/singer/songwriter, music teacher and just recently retired as an educator and choral director from a small college in Mississippi.  He is going to explain DADGAD tuning for guitar and how it can help in coming up with new melodies and chord ideas for writing new songs.  It will be very informative so don't miss it!

Also, DSA members can get your 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, June 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 # 247-652-3092   https://us02web.zoom.us/j/2476523092

Featuring Richard Theisen!

Wow, have we got a great speaker this month, Grammy Award-winning composer, vocalist and keyboardist Richard Theisen!  Born and raised in Dallas, Richard is a tremendously gifted artist who was presented with a Grammy in 1985 for his contribution to the "Beverly Hills Cop" soundtrack LP.  He has also been inducted into the annual Hall of Fame roster in Buddy Magazine as a "Texas Tornado".  In 2019 he released his first New Age and jazz-influenced album "Mayan Stars" to rave reviews.  His second album "Elysium" was released in 2023 and won the "Best Album of the Year" award from New Age Music Planet.  Known for his alluring and evocative music that transports listeners to an otherworldly realm of emotion and imagination, Richard will be talking about his musical journey and also his new album "Estonia". His music is available on all the major streaming services worldwide.

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.

2024 MARCH / APRIL WORKSHOP GUEST SPEAKERS

 The Dallas Songwriters Association has moved it's monthly workshop to the second Thursday for the first Thursday. It will remain virtual because we have members from all over the world.

Thursday, March 14 - Making Reels for social Media Marketing

                                                 FEATURES Harry Hewlett

March's meeting will feature one of the most active directors at DSA, Mr. Harry Hewlett!!  He is credited for building extensive content for the DSA Youtube channel .  He is also the person that keeps track of the talent among the members and fills the slots on out festival stages.  Harry is also the person behind all our virtual meetings and awards programs. He is co-diretor of our contests and the cog that keeps DSA rolling. This will be quite a treat, because he will share with us his extensive experience with making reels, an important tool in social media marketing.

 

 Thursday, April 11, Dr Stephen Troum

 Hand Issues That Plague Guitar Players

 

The good doctor, Stephen Troum, is a hand surgeon practicing in the DFW area. He is also a songwriter and guitar player member of DSA. He regularly performs with his band, the Troumatics , an indie rock band who have been the subject of several articles in the local newspapers and entertainment magazines. 

Who better to answer your questions about the hand not working properly than the good doctor who won the DSA Vern Dailey Songwriter of the Year Award in 2021. He understands his patients.
 https://www.thetroumatics.com

 

 

Dr. Troum is board certified in Surgery of the Hand by the American Board of Surgery and is a fellow of the American College of Surgeons (FACS) as well as a member of the prestigious American Society for Surgery of the Hand (ASSH).
Dr. Troum has been practicing exclusively hand and upper extremity surgery for over 20 years and has been in the Dallas-Ft Worth community since 2000. He has published many journal articles and book chapters on topics including arthroscopy, vascular disease, hand infections, tumors, replantation, and various subjects in general surgery.  

https://thcboneandjoint.com/about/dr-stephen-troum-southlake-hand-surgeon.html

DSA MEETINGS FOR JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2024

 

Thursday, Jan 4

                                       FEATURES Chuck Rainey 

This month's meeting will feature one of the most recorded bass players in the history of music, Mr. Chuck Rainey!!  He is credited for playing bass on more than 1,000 albums plus TV and movie sessions and has performed and recorded with many well-known acts including Aretha Franklin, Steely Dan and Quincy Jones.  He is also a music educator with several instructional books and music videos on bass guitar.  This will be quite a treat, I'm sure he will share with us some of his experiences in working with many music personalities and singer/songwriters so don't miss it!

 

 Thursday, Feb 1, Roy Elkins

 Finishing Your Lyrics with AI

 

Our good friend, Roy Elkins, our song contest Grand Prize judge has spoken to us in the past and even flown to Big D to give Saturday workshops before the Zoom era. His topics are always the most current and most interesting. Besides running the Broadjam.com platform for songwriters, he also spearheaded a Music Conference, Between The Waves in Madison, WI. Roy has the heart of the educator and truly cares about songwriters. You can be sure his topic has been on your mind. It's been all over the news in many different areas. He will talk to us about the use of AI in songwriting.