The songwriters

I've forgotten to mention the unexpected phone call that led to a new experience in 2010.

The call is from Joy, whom I know from the Weekend Warriors.  She's a bass player who also plays percussion.

Now Joy calls me to say that she's been writing some songs with a friend, and they would like someone to sing these songs so they can record them.  We arrange to meet at Joy's house on a Saturday.

Joy's house is crowded with musical instruments and paraphernalia - piano, bass guitars, microphones on stands, recording equipment, drum kit and an extended family of bongo drums.

Joy and Tracy (a guitarist) run through a couple of the songs.  I'm quite impressed with the melodies and also with the quality of the lyrics.  They ask me if I'd like to join them in song-writing, in addition to singing the songs.  I decline, as I don't feel I have any skills to offer in this department, and I have little time to devote to the process.  I'm happy just to do the singing.  They record some backing tracks so I can learn the songs.

Over the next few months we rehearse,  From time to time Joy's teenage son joins us on drums.
As the songs develop, the songwriters ask for my input.  I surprise myself with what I can contribute.  When you immerse yourself in music, you develop an understanding of how a song is put together, an ear for lyrical cadence and a sense of how emotion is conveyed through music. I suggest a few refinements, and also start to play around with variations within the songs.

Joy and Tracy want to enter a songwriting contest, in the "Demo-Recording" section.  We arrange a three-hour session, the cost of which we all share equally.  When we arrive, no one is there.  The sound technician eventually arrives, and he takes a very casual approach.  I'm used to punctuality, and find the late start and slow progress frustrating.  Still, we manage to record three songs.  It feels very weird to sing along with my recorded voice, as we "patch" the songs and I add harmonies.

Some mixing and post-production has to be done, and a week later I collect the finished CD's from the studio.  The product sounds quite good, and we enter the recordings in the contest.

We attend the presentation night, held at a very dingy venue which has a terrible PA system and an even worse MC, who has no idea of how to introduce the artists who are playing in the "Live performance" section.  The evening drags, apart from a moment of excitement when I visit the bathroom, the lights go out and I have to feel around the walls of the pitch-black room to find the door.  Back in the auditorium, I find most of the songs and performances unimpressive.  Maybe I'm just getting old, but I reckon the songs Joy and Tracy have written are way better than most of the ones I'm hearing.  Our songs don't win, but one of them, "Growing Old Disgracefully", receives a "Commendation", and the three of us go on stage to collect the Merit certificate.

We also perform the songs for Joy's Zonta Club, at their Christmas meeting.  I suggest to Joy and Tracy that they should send one of their songs to a well-known country music singer.  It sounds like her style - maybe she would record it.  I would not be at all surprised if in the future they hit the "big time" with their songwriting talents.