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www.writeawaymag.co.ukwww.writeawaymag.co.ukIssue 40April 2022April 2022T The Lyric Writers Magazinehe Lyric Writers MagazineALSO INSIDE:ALSO INSIDE:JIM CROCE, BOB DYLAN,JOHN DENVER, QUEENINTRODUCINGSTEVE THOMPSONPLUS A SELECTION OFAMAZING INDIE ARTISTSWrite Away Magazine Write Away Magazine Dedicated To Promoting YOU !!!Dedicated To Promoting YOU !!!FeaturingKEVIN FULLENWRITE AWAY MAGAZINE - 4TH IN PROMOTER OF THE MONTH POLL BY ISSA FOR 2022

02 www.writeawaymag.co.ukContentsWRITE AWAY MAGAZINEWRITE AWAY MAGAZINEIssue 40 | April 202206 Trevor DimoffMake Your Audience Feel...08 Daryn Wright Lyric Evaluation 19-5010 Simon WrightUp Against The Stopwatch12 Jane ShieldsVocal Tips14 Rachel Walker MasonAsk The Judge 16 Clare SteffenOne Hit Wonder18 Steve Thompson Hello - Introduction20 Jane Shields How To Write Ballads22 MFWPR Fill The World24 MFWPR Road To Peace26 MFWPR Wake Up28 MFWPR Ad 752.2 Hit Maker Radioio30 Kevin Fullen My Music32 Kevin Fullen My Music34 Clayton Saunders By Vanessa Bourne36 Jennifer Alvarado Curious38 Kevin Gullickson Let My Lovw Be The Proof40 Rowland Jones God’s Busy Changing Strings42 Korgis & Joe Matera Always A Sunny Day44 Angela Breen Let’s Make Forever Never End46 Caroline Parke What A Memory48 Colm Gavin From Dublin To Broadway50 KATYEKKELLYE Enough52 Mike TurnerLiftoff54 JIM THOMPSONUkraine Forever56 QueenThe Show Must Go On58 Jim Croce Time In A Bottle60 Bob DylanTo Make Me Feel Your Love62 John Denver Annie’s Song64 BSM -The Winding WheelsBSM -The English Rain66 ISSA AWARDS 2022ISSA AWARDS 202268 BSM -LynchburgBSM -Kylie Adams Collier70 Simon Wright AdTrevor Dimoff Ad72 BSM - Justin LandersBSM - Chris ‘Boots’ Lee74 Featured Artists SongsFeatured Artists Songs76 Featured Artists SongsFeatured Artists Songs78 Featured Artists SongsFeatured Artists SongsFeaturesPromotionsAdvertismentsWrite Away MagazineThe only lyric writers magazine you’ll want to read..... Notable Lyrics

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02 www.writeawaymag.co.ukSUBSCRIBE TODAYGet WRITE AWAY delivered to your inbox every month completely freeCLICK HERE OR GO TO: wwwwriteawaymag.co.ukWRITE AWAY Monthly MagazineEDITOR:Jane ShieldsREGULAR WRITERS:Trevor DimoffDaryn WrightSimon WrightRachel Walker MasonClare SteffenSteve ThompsonJane ShieldsMusic For Wold Peace RecordsTO CONTACT WRITE AWAY:EMAIL:[email protected]:www.writeawaymag.co.ukWRITE AWAY - THE ONLYLYRIC WRITERS MAGAZINE YOU’LL WANT TO READ...Editors Words...Hello readers, this month I’ve got a new regular writer on board, and he is most welcome.Steve Thompson introduces himself to ou all this month, and I’m really looking forwards If you’re interested in becoming to his future articles, as he has written songs for some very well known artists, and has some fantastic stories to tell us all about these.Plenty of talent on show in this issue, including our cover artis Kevin Fullen, whom you can find out more about on pages 32-35, and I have to say my regular writers articles are always worthy of a good read.Please take a listen to Jim Thompson’s new release Ukraine Forever on page 54 of this issue - All proceeds from sales to go to Red CRoss Ukraine. Contact Jim for donation details.a regular writer for Write Away please do get in touch, either message me on Facebook, or email me.If you have a new or recent release to promote please give me a shout, I’m always happy to accept, and will include in a future issue when space allows.Roll on the summer and some warmer weather. it feels like winter has been around forever. Until nextr time, take care.Jane xTO ADVERTISE IN WRITE AWAY MAGAZINE OR COUNTRY MUSIC EXPRESS MAGAZINEPLEASE EMAIL [email protected] REQUEST A MEDIA PACK

www.writeawaymag.co.uk 03ARTICLE SUBMISSIONARTICLE SUBMISSIONWRITE AWAY MAGAZINEWRITE AW AY MAG AZINETo submit articles for inclusion in a future issue of Write Away Magazine I need the following information emailed please to: [email protected] (Please title email Write Away)This should arrive no later than 24th of the month for inclusion in the following months issue released on 04th of month.An original written lyricA write up around 200 words on the inspiration for the songA bio of your music career to dateSeveral good quality images to accompany your articleAn uploaded link to your song (NOT MP3)Any website/social media/music platform links you wish to includeARTICLE SUBMISSION ARTICLE SUBMISSION COUNTRY MUSIC EXPRESSCOUNTRY MUSIC EXPRESST To submit articles to Country Music Express firstly your article needs to relate to County/Western/Folk music old or new, we cover all genres of Country music.We are happy to promote new releases and to forward MP3’s from articles included in each issue to radio stations for them to select tracks to play.You do not have to send a lyric, I will email you accurate requirements dependent on the article you wish us to submit, and we require all info by 15th of each month of issue release date which is 25th of the month.

06 www.writeawaymag.co.ukMake Yor Audience Feel YI’m pouring your blood and heart into my lyrics, but nothing is working. The lyrics are as flat as a cardboard cut out pretending to be a real person. No matter how many times I crumple up the pages, this song is going to land in the trash bin. How do I save my song?INSPIRATION… A TRUMPET BLAST OF SONG INSPIRATION!Simple. Beautiful. Why didn’t I ever think of it before?This will be a hit. I’ve got to write it down…Feverish, I’m scribbling a stadium rocker hit, my hand faster than I can think.I… But!It turns, as the inspiration is evaporating. Why?Roaring inspiration is whimpering in the corner.The lyrics don’t sound right, I can’t make any sense of… anything.Where did that song go? It was almost a song…!?!By the third draft, my stadium rocker is the theme song of a broken down bar band in a sour beer dive bar. The lyrics read like flat, two dimensional cardboard cutouts. I can’t hear the rhythms and the rhymes are tired as .The dried ring in my mug is the cold crusty colour of despair. I finished the song but it’s terrible. What went wrong?IT’S NOT MY FAULTI wrote a song, followed all the tips and rules and tutorials. It’s still… missing something,What did I forget?WHEN I’M LISTENING TO A SONG…I get sucked in. Suspension of disbelief… I know I’m in a story. Dreaming. But I don’t notice the sides of the flatscreen while you’re watching a movie. With a musical, I think it’s okay for random strangers to flash mob a song and dance routine.So if I love to get lost in the song… I want my audience to get lost in my song.How do I convince them to suspend their disbelief?Spin a tale and bring them to a world I create.Put them in the middle of the action.So I can touch their hearts!How do I show them and stop telling them about what’s happening?CREATE A WORLD IN YOUR SONGWhen you’re song writing, you’re building a world. Your audience joins you there as they listen to your performance. They create their own mental images from your lyrics and the mood of the music. The more detailed and self-consistent your world is, the easier it is to suspend disbelief. Your listeners react to your song because it guides them to imagine and this triggers emotions, through the imagery you choose. USE SENSATION IMAGERYCraft your world using figurative language, including metaphor, allusion and imagery. Imagery in this sense is any phrase or word that causes someone to create a “mental image,” whether it’s a visual picture, the feeling of a physical sensation, or the memory of a smell. Because human beings interact with the “real world” through their senses, it’s one of the easiest ways to help them create mental images as they listen to your song. If you connect your imagery to emotions, or the moroy of an emotion, you increase its power and the effect on your audience.WHAT KIND OF SENSATION IMAGERY?As many as you can! My personal rule is to use at least two types of sensation in any song section, including: sight, sound, smell, taste and touch. Let’s look a little deeper.Sight: visual imagery is the default, or at least the starting point for most lyric writers. It’s how we “paint a picture” for our audience. Even the word “imagery” implies seeing a visual image.Sound: ironically, sound imagery is relatively rare in songwriting. Sounds and their associations in your lyric writing can capture a moment or emotions in fewer words than a visual image. Convey excitement with the roar of a crowd around you as you wait for the headline band to hit the stage. Imagine how excited you’d be if that same crowd was singing the lyrics of your best song chorus together. Smell: the sense of smell is a primal memory trigger that can transport you back to a moment associated with a scent. Think of how you feel when you smell fresh clothing hanging on a clothesline, the salty tang of the ocean, the smell of bitter black coffee brewing or adding milk and sugar to your morning tea.Taste: is closely associated with smell and another primal memory trigger. Touch: usually we think of touch as physical sensations against our skin, in a “warmth of her touch” sort of way. I also include internal feelings like pain and hunger (interoception) and external feelings of your body moving through space, as in flying or falling (exteroception). Emotions also have a physical component your lyrics can reference, for example the clichés of “butterflies in your stomach” or the heat of anger.The stronger you refer to senses and sensations, especially if you also trigger emotions, the easier it becomes for your audience to imagine the world you’ve crafted.ACTION STEPSJust reading about lyric writing won’t help you improve. Here are 5 concrete activities to help you put this into action.ANALYZE YOUR FAVOURITE SONGSCreate a playlist of your favourite songs to analyzeStart analyzing, print (or better yet, write out) the lyrics. Circle imagery and identify which sense is referenced (sight, sound, smell, taste or physical sensations: interoception, exteroception or emotions)Summarize the imagery for the song (rewrite it) on one pageAfter analyzing a few songs, look and listen for patterns in

TREVORDIMOFFWEBSITE:https://epicsongwriting.com/write-away/SOCIAL MEDIA:https://bit.ly/instagram-epic-songwritinghttps://bit.ly/epicsongwrit-ing-facebookMUSIC PLATFORM:https://bit.ly/EpicSongWrit-ing-YouTubewww.writeawaymag.co.uk 07 Your Lyricsa particular genre and between different genres (read and listen to the recordings again)BRAINSTORM IMAGERY BEFORE YOU WRITE THE SONGStart with your title or topic and brainstorm imagery for each sense Start with a minimum of 3 for each sense, keep going if you’re on a rollUse some of your imagery as you write your lyricsMy personal rule is to reference at least two different senses in every songWRITE FROM IMAGERYUse a visual image or a particular sensation as a lyric writing prompt.For visuals, run a web search for a phrase and Start with other senses: use a sound like a roaring crowd, the smell of fresh caffeine or the taste of despair.Use the best ideas you’ve brainstormed in one of your songs.EXAMINE OTHER ART FORMSRead for imagery, especially in fiction and poetry. Notice what the writer does to evoke vivid mental images as you read. Make note of the best ideas and adapt them or use them as inspiration for your lyric writing.UPDATE YOUR FINISHED SONGSReview some of your completed songsIdentify the imagery and the senseNotice your patterns in your writing and your favourite senses.Consider what other senses you could reference to create more detailed worlds in your songs.Choose imagery to improve, either by editing the imagery or using new imagery or different senses.FURTHER READINGTransforming Your Good Lyrics into Great Lyrics, Write Away, September 2021, pp 6-7.7 Ways to Make Lyric Writing Easier, Write Away, June 2020, pp 6-7.Brainstorming, EpicSongWriting.comSuspension of Disbelief, wikipedia

Lyric Evaluation Series 19 - 50By Dar n righty W08 www.writeawaymag.co.ukHello readers. We are in a series of questions that help us to evaluate our lyric creations. After you complete a set of lyrics, you should go through a check list, and determine the overall score for your lyrics. There are fifty questions you should be asking yourself during this evaluation stage, and scoring each answer from zero to two. A perfect score is 100. A desired score is 80 and above. A score less than 80 means you need to score better on other areas of your song to compensate for the lack of good lyrics, or refine and rewrite the lyrics you have.The first set of five questions involved the THEME, and the second set of seven questions involved the lyric FORM. The set of questions we are discussing is the LYRICS themselves. Keep in mind music does not need to follow any set pattern or rules, however, if it fits in a genre or sub-genre, that genre or sub-genre will dictate what rules the songs will need to follow to be considered a part of that group.Last month we asked if the opening line is strong, and grabs the listeners attention.This month, we are asking if the lines are concise and every word counts.Have you ever had a conversation with someone who loved to talk, and you lost interest part way into the conversation due to the story rambling on and on? It is good that you have plenty of things to say in a lyric, but it is not good when it drags the lyric into being too long.How long is too long? Depending on the target genre, the length of the song may have different requirements. Perhaps the target is for the song to be placed in a movie, of which means it can be very short, or very long. Songs in most genre range between three and four minutes in length. Take this time to research your genre target and see where your song intends to fit.Now that you have determined how long your song should be, it is a good idea to imagine how the song may play out. This includes any intro, outro, or musical instrumental breaks. The next thing to know is the tempo of your song. Most of the time, the subject of the lyrics, words in the lyrics, and the emotion of the lyrics will determine the overall speed at which the song will progress through the lyrics. For instance, it is not common to have a high tempo in a song with the overall feeling and mood of being somber and slow. The next thing to do is to read the words in the same tempo you have determined as appropriate as you see fit. Add in the lengths of intro, outro, and breaks that you vision within your completed song. Measure the speaking length to the length of the song you intend for it.If the song is too short, you may want to lengthen or add some lines, or if the song is too long, you may want to shorten or remove some lines. Now we are here to the point of the question. Does every word count? Can you say more with less words, while also remaining conversational, meaning do the words sound like something you may hear in a conversation? Can you say the same thing in a better way? Do you have words that are not adding to the lyric or does not focus on the theme of the lyric?Often, people insert words that do not add to the lyric in an attempt to make lines hit certain syllable counts. Syllable counts are important, and should always be considered when evaluating a lyric. Sometimes an added word does not help the lyric, and in some instances takes away from the lyric. The words THE, SO, and JUST are the three most common words added to lyrics that do not add any value. If you can eliminate the word and still have a good line, it should be considered to be removed or replaced to help the lyric be more concise.Being concise also means that the lyrics stay on point, and always points to the main objective of the overall lyric. A story that goes into different directions is often confusing to the listener and often leads to them not listening as often as they would otherwise. Your goal should be to have every listener want to never stop playing your song. That is the best you can ask for when it comes to an individual listener.It is time to evaluate your lyrics against this question. Being honest with yourself will help improve your writing skills.Does the lyric have more than one subject, leave the listener confused, have a fourth of all lines not concise enough, or too many lines that do not point to the main subject or theme of the song? Score a 0. Does the lyric have some lines or words that are not concise, or at least 1 lines that does not point to the main subject or theme of the song? Score a 1.If all lines are concise, including no words can be removed to say the same thing, and all lines point to the main subject or theme of the song, score a 2.A score of less than two should indicate some lines may not be strong enough to keep the listener engaged, adding to confusion and less plays for your completed work, which may require a rewrite to fix.Whatever your evaluation, keep track of the scores and continue evaluating with all 50 questions before rewriting your lyric. This is a great way to see your strong points and your weak points, allowing you to focus on what you need to improve on in the future, whether it is in rewriting lyrics or writing new ones.Use your own good judgement, and be honest with yourself when scoring. You have 31 more questions to go. I will see you next month for question 20.Happy evaluating.Written by Daryn Wrightwww.darynwright.comwww.reverbnation.com/darynwrighthttps://www.facebook.com/Daryn.Wright.Fan.Pagehttps://www.facebook.com/daryn.wright.7/https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdZ_16oxmTvF_d7UT6C9kKQ

DAR NYWRIGHTALBUMS:Dancing Naked In The RainVictim Of The RainI’m CertifiableWEBSITES:darynwright.comreverbnation.com/darynwrightSOCIAL MEDIA:FACEBOOKDarynWright’sWritersBoxMUSIC PLATFORMS:www.reverbnation.co/daryn-wrightDAR N RIGHTY WI’M CERTIFIABLEYou may order any of the images pictured above for only $10 for 8 x 10’s or $20 for full size 16 x 20’sYou can also purchase my latest album ‘I’M CERTIFIABLE’for only £15 plus shipping and handling costs. Please Google shipping and handling costs or request a quote from me at:Daryn Wright’s Financial ManagerWayne Henderson JrPO Box 306Whitney TX 76692You can listen to Daryn’s music, including tracks from ‘I’M CERTIFIABLE’ www.reverbnation.com/darynwrightand alsowww.darynwright.com

10 www.writeawaymag.co.ukV O C A L T I P SV O C A L T I P S VOCAL HEALTH FOR SINGERSAs a singer, your voice is your instrument. Just as a piano player regularly tunes his piano and a guitarist changes her strings, caring for your instrument is incredibly important! Without an understanding of the basics, you may be setting yourself up for unnecessary strain, fatigue, or even irreversible damage.Start with the simple things: pay attention to your nutrition and health in general, including eating well, staying hydrated, not smoking, and getting enough sleep.From there, consider how your health influences your singing. A proper warm-up is incredibly important before using your voice, as is staying hydrated at all times, which keeps your vocal cords from getting irritated.You also might notice specific foods that affect your voice — some singers find they don’t perform well after eating or drinking dairy, for example. Or, you might feel lethargic after eating fast food — keep that in mind if you have a performance coming up!There are also natural variations in vocal health throughout the year. On some days, our vocal cords may just not want to play along. One good way to conduct a daily voice check-up is to let out a nice and noisy yawn in the morning. If your voice easily slides into a high register, you’re good to go. If not, you may want to consider toning down the vocal exercises that day.BREATHING FOR SINGERSOutside of keeping up your health in general, if you don’t know how actually to use your instrument, your performance will suffer! But what exactly does that mean? First things first, you need to know how to breathe.One common tendency among new singers is to fill up with air vertically instead of horizontally. Take a deep breath and sing a phrase of a song. Did your shoulders move? If so, you are pushing a good amount of that valuable air into your shoulders, where it has absolutely no use to you. Locate your diaphragm below your chest and above your belly – buried behind muscle, but detectable when you notice your chest expanding on the inhale. The goal is to direct all your inhale air into your balloon-like diaphragm – not your shoulders.The good news is that you can reprogram your breathing habits in a relatively short amount of time. Throughout the day, be mindful about where your breath is coming from. Let that air come into your belly region rather than into your chest – this is where your vocal power will come from!BREATHING EXERCISES FOR SINGINGIncorporate the following exercises into your singing practice to focus on your breathing.BREATHING EXERCISE #1Pacing yourself, inhale for a count of four so that your diaphragm is fully extended, then exhale for a count of four so that your diaphragm returns to rest.Repeat the exercise for a count of eight, and then for a count of 16.You’re expanding your breathing capacity while training your muscles to ration out the available air – an important tool for singing phrases of varying lengths.BREATHING EXERCISE #2 Inhale, feeling the movement of the upper abdomen and lower ribs, and then exhale while saying, ‘Ahhh’. (This sound should have a duration of two to three seconds.)Toward the end of the exhale, switch to just breath (no ‘Ah’) and feel the air whoosh out of your body. Breathe out your voice.Feel how the body supports the breath and the action of the diaphragm whether or not there is sound being made at the laryngeal level. Feel how the entire exercise happens on one continuous stream of breath.BREATHING EXERCISE #3Inhale slowly, suspend your breath for a second or two; then let the air out with a steady “hiss” (“sss” sound). Listen to the hiss and make sure there are no bursts of air making the hiss louder or faster. Keep the exhalation steady.You can also practice a steady air flow during exhalation while singing a high note (choose a comfortable note in your head register). The tone should feel light and steady. If you feel any variations in volume or tone quality, you are letting inconsistent amounts of air out. In this exercise, focus on quality, not quantity.SINGING POSTURENow that you have correct breathing down, let’s tackle the next important element of learning how to sing better.Remember what we said earlier about your body being your instrument? It’s true — and it’s your entire body, from your head to your toes! When you pay attention to what it’s doing, you might notice what’s holding you back.Correct singing posture allows for the breath to flow freely throughout your entire vocal range. Slouching constricts the breath and affects your tone. Proper posture will free up the space in our chest for our lungs to expand effortlessly.Practice standing in front of a mirror and check your posture.

www.writeawaymag.co.uk 11HERE’S WHAT EACH OF YOUR BODY PARTS SHOULD BE DOING:The A-O Joint: Your very top vertebra, the atlas, is named for the Greek god Atlas, who carries the globe. Your tiny atlas forms a joint with the bottom of your skull (the occiput) to support your “globe.” Balance your head on this joint (the A-O joint) so that you are neither looking up nor down. A properly balanced A-O joint reduces neck and jaw tension.The Neck: Your neck is just part of your spine. Streamline it with the rest of your spine rather than craning it forwards. If you balance your head on your A-O joint, your neck should move into this position. The Shoulders: Your shoulders are not connected to your ribcage, so they shouldn’t move while you sing. Do not counter this by standing to attention! Instead, float your shoulders into a relaxed, neutral position.The Arms: When you are not gesturing, relax your arms at your sides. Do not make fists, clasp your hands, or fidget with your clothes; this adds tension and makes you look (and feel) nervous.The Torso: Your torso contains your lungs, along with the many muscles that help them work. For optimal breathing, balance your torso on top of your hips and allow it to feel large and open. Do not try to flatten your spine; it is naturally curved and flattening it hinders breathing.Hips: Position your pelvis directly under your torso so it can provide maximum support. It should not be pushed forwards or backwards.Legs: Soften your knees so that they are neither bent nor locked. Position your legs directly under your body, feeling their support.Feet: Feet should be about shoulder width apart. Balance your weight across your feet evenly so that you are not leaning forward or backward.Perfect singing posture can be hard to achieve on your own, so be sure to work with a qualified vocal coach to correct any postural issues you may be unaware of. IMPROVING YOUR TONEYou’ve probably heard the word tone a lot — but what exactly does it mean? Is tone something you need to improve or develop? Well… not quite.Tone can’t be changed! It’s your unique “vocal thumbprint.” It is primarily determined by the shape of your head, throat, and sinuses. You are an instrument, and will sound different than someone with another shape!Although the specific qualities and colors may sound slightly different (especially when you think about different singing styles and genres), when it comes down to it, a good tone is one that’s supported by good vocal technique. As you’ve learned in the previous sections, that means starting with proper breath control and good singing posture.Beyond that, improving your singing tone is best done with the help of a professional. Since there are many reasons your tone could be suffering, working with a voice teacher can help you identify what you need to work on — whether that’s insufficient breathing, a limited range, or understanding how first to attack a note or phrase.HOW TO SING ON PITCHPitch is defined as the quality that allows us to classify a sound as relatively high or low. It’s determined by the frequency of sound wave vibrations; knowing how to sing on pitch is what sets apart great singers.Some musicians are born with this natural “ear” for hearing and matching pitches; others may need a bit of practice, and that’s totally OK! Many singers — even professionals — have a tendency to slide sharp or slide flat, and it’s something they have to continually practice and correct.So, how do you strengthen your pitch-matching abilities? One way is to do simple aural drills online or with your teacher. Start by playing a note on a piano to find your pitch. Sing along, and then subtly slide your pitch one way, and then back to the note. You’ll start training your ear to really hear the varying pitches.FOUR EXERCISES TO IMPROVE YOUR PITCH1. I Have No Idea How To Match Pitch - I Am Always Way OffSlide up and down your range thinking what changes lead to different pitches. Also try pitch matching exercises in a limited range2. I Can Match Most Pitches But I Sometimes Sing Off Key.String notes together matching three or four pitch sequences rather than single notes. You can also practise (octave or more)3. I Sometimes Sing A Little Flat Or Sharp.Work on your vocal technique to refine your pitch - check with your teacher for exercises specific for your needs. For example if you’re often flat you may need to work on breath support.4. Me, Sing Out Of Tune? Puh - Lease!!You naturally hit those pitches. congrats!! To challenge yourself, see if you can stay in tune during difficult moving passages or vocal ectremes.

12 www.writeawaymag.co.ukUp Against The Stop Watch – How DeadlineI took part in the FAWM (February Album Writing Month) challenge this year, which was great fun and inspired me to write many more lyrics than I otherwise would have done. The community forum on the site is very active, with lots of challenges set that people can take part in. One of the challenges that I signed up for required a song or lyrics to be created within a set deadline, and I thought it would be interesting to reflect upon that experience and the role that deadlines can have in songwriting.Taking part in a FAWM skirmishThere are regular challenges on the FAWM site which require a song or lyrics to be written within a set deadline. These are called skirmishes. The way they work is that someone sets a topic and also states when the stopwatch starts. Then everyone who is taking part rushes to see what they can come up with.The skirmish that I joined had a topic of ‘Life is a ghost’, and we had an hour and a half to write something on that theme. Writing against the clock can be daunting but one of the nice things about it isthat no-one is expecting a finished, fully refined, version of a song or lyrics. Think of it as being like a rough demo; something that you’ll polish up later.An hour and a half sounded okay to me, and I liked the topic, but both my kids then chose to have tantrums, one after the other. That on top of having to get them ready for bed meant that I ended up only having about 20 minutes to write my lyrics! The benefits of tight deadlinesI was watching an episode of Doctor Who earlier today where something had gone catastrophically wrong that the Doctor was required to fix or else everyone would die. When he realised how bad things were and how little time he had, his response was along the lines of ‘Good, I like a challenge’. And, on a similar vein, having a really tough writing challenge certainly gets your adrenaline pumping! From being doubtful about whether I could come up with anything in the very short time that I had, I ended up with lyrics that I was really pleased with, and which received a lot of very positive feedback.I think the benefits of having such a short amount of time were:• I didn’t have time to overthink or overcomplicate things. I had to go with the first idea that cameinto my head and stick with it.• I kept the structure extremely simple. It’s just verse, an intro or outro. But does it necessarily need any of that?• I completed the first draft in one sitting, which I think helps with coherence. Sometimes we write part of a lyric one day, then come back and add to it a few days later, etc. That can work but there is a danger that the lyrics just become a bit disjointed, and the thought that was imprinted in your mind when you started has vanished or shifted.The end outcomeHere’s the 20 minute lyrics that I came up with:Spectral Spectator(Verse 1)This shell of a life is transparentNot what I wanted it to beInvisible strands of spider websHold fast to meI hear ghostly echoes from another timeAnd I long to be freeTo be centre stage, in the limelightBut shadows are all that I see(Chorus)I’m a spectral spectatorAs my corpse rots awayWashed out wastrelAgainst a backdrop that’s greyI’m a spectral spectatorDressed in decayA relic, a remnantAn unwanted stray(Verse 2)All around me seems so decadentBut I can’t pierce beyond the veilDelectable scenes of lives well ledHeralded holy grailI smell heavenly scents from another timeBut here the air is so staleI strain against those spider web chainsBut they hold me tight in my jail(Chorus)I’m a spectral spectatorAs my corpse rots awayWashed out wastrelAgainst a backdrop that’s greyI’m a spectral spectatorDressed in decayA relic, a remnantAn unwanted strayWritten by Simon Wright(February 20220Set a timer and writeI hope that you’ve found this article useful and that you may be tempted now to take on a similar challenge. All you need to do is come up with a theme (or get someone else to suggest one), set yourself a time limit, and get writing!About Simon WrightSimon is an Irish lyric writer who lives in Scotland. He collaborates with musicians across the world to turn his lyrics into songs. Check out his website and follow him @TheLyricSlinger on Twitter, and on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/TheLyricSlinger/

www.writeawaymag.co.uk 13SIMON WRIGHTWEBSITE:http://lyricslinger.co.uk/?fbclid=IwAR3kh-BM2--mVw_RuNp-M1u6CEKwXgBXr_PVAF-hKkdX1hL93ndKQtfJOG-jImcSOCIAL MEDIA:https://www.facebook.com/TheLyricSlinger/https://www.facebook.com/TheLyricSlinger/es Can Inspire Great Lyrics

14 www.writeawaymag.co.ukAsk The JuAsk The JuRecipient of a prestigious British Citizen Award for contribution to the arts, named “a songwriting expert” by BBC Radio Four’s Today Programme and described as “one of the most talented songwriters in the industry” Rachel Walker Mason is a multi-award-winning musician currently writing songs with Grammy winners, Billboard Hot 100 artists, alumni from The Voice schedule or at their studio though.UK and American Idol, Emmy winners, Oscar nominees, MOBO Award nominees and Independent Country Music Association Awards winners. Named a Woman Of The Year 2020, the only British musician to be inducted into the Indie Music Hall Of Fame, and hailed “an inspiration” by Prince Harry, Rachel is the only musician to have been crowned Freelancer Of The Year and to be given a Community Champion Award for her work creating the international arts festival Unlock Your Talent during the coronavirus pandemic which garnered worldwide acclaim for its support and fundraising for mental health. She is also the youngest person to be made a Fellow of the London College of Music by Professional Achievement. A highly regarded songwriting and vocal judge, Rachel was a judge for NTA nominated Sing: Ultimate A Cappella on Sky One and is a judge for the UK Songwriting Contest, the World Choir Games, Talent Is Timeless and the Q: How Long On Average Does It Take To Record One Song?A: There is no magic formula to calculate how long it will take to record your song. There are factors, though, that can help the studio give you a better idea of the time needed. A band that is prepared and well-rehearsed will likely need less takes to get a song than a band that is still deciding on an arrangement. Likewise, a complex song (say, with a gospel choir, lead singer, and ten instruments) will probably require more time and takes than a song with one singer and three instruments. Talk to the studio and see if they can give you some idea on time-frames. Q: Should my band get a producer?A: A producer should guide your band through the recording process maybe asking you to step outside your band’s comfort zone and try new things. This could be helpful, especially for bands unfamiliar with the recording process or uncertain of the direction they want to go. For other bands, this potential micromanagement might be frustrating, and the suggestions might push your band in a direction you don’t want to go. Be open to new ideas, but know yourself as if the results don’t fit with your band’s sound or goals, say something.Producers can also pull strings to get you a good deal on recording time; this might mean working on their Q: How do I choose which producer to work with? A: Working with a producer can open up your sound in ways you’ve never known before. This is why producers are such a vital component to the music recording process for virtually all professional bands. That said, if you decide to use a producer, make sure everyone is clear about every step of the process up front. If your band doesn’t agree with what’s happening, speak up before you sign anything… and never sign your rights away.Q: Does a demo need to be really high quality?A: Most publishers we interview say that if the song is good, they will recognise the quality in spite of the lack of sophistication of the demo.However, our opinion is that nowadays, most demos are of a high standard, and it is becoming increasingly difficult to have yourself taken seriously if you promote a low quality demo.Having said that, remember that the demo is certainly not

RACHELWALKERMASONWEBSITES:http://rachelmasonmusic.com/https://www.lyricallight.co.uk/https://www.listenincolourar-tistmanagement.co.uk/SOCIAL MEDIA:FACEBOOKTWITTERINSTAGRAMMUSIC:YOUTUBESPOTIFYSOUNDCLOUDudgeudgewww.writeawaymag.co.uk 15everything.A strong demo will simply not sell a weak song no matter how much you spend on it, and occasionally (particularly in face-to-face meetings), the excuse of a “poor demo” is used to by publishers to turn down songs that are in themselves inherently weak anyway.Generally speaking, the most important part of any demo is the voice used on the recording, so if you have been blessed with a good voice, then you can save a lot by making your own demos.Again. pop ballads and country songs can often be demoed simply, using perhaps even just one well-played instrument plus one good vocal.On the other hand, rock or dance songs probably do require more sophisticated demos.-- Multi-award-winning musicianWinner of Album Of The Year 2020www.rachelwalkermason.comwww.lyricallight.co.ukwww.listenincolourartistmanagement.co.uk

16 www.writeawaymag.co.uk‘One Hit Wonder’ - Tom MercerMost lyricist, musicians, and artists hope for that one song that will bring them recognition, even if they are not recognized for their entire collection of music. Tom Mercer and Clare Steffen started co-writing through the Round The Globe project, and after conversing about the limits of success in songwriting, decided to write a song about it. Both Tom and Clare have written many songs, and the idea of capturing that illusive one hit wonder, would be a dream come true. Tom has a great traditional Country style which seemed to lend itself perfectly to this lyric. It is a fun song that reminds us to be light-hearted and enjoy the journey of songwriting, and not take the rejections we face along the way too hard. This song is simply meant to encourage us to keep writing, in pursuit of that one hit wonder. Tom and Clare are completing their first album, which will include, “One Hit Wonder.”Bio/Career: Clare Steffen is a Psychologist, University Professor, Published Author, Vocalist and Musician. She spent ten years early on in her career working as a music therapist offering music as a means to healing for the elderly, disabled, and veterans. After thirty years of working as a psychologist, in 2019, Clare returned to writing music. She started the Round The Globe Project that has allowed her to write songs with individuals in over 24 countries from around the world.To date, she has co-written 27 albums through this project. These songs are Indie, Jazz, Folk, Folk Rock, Christmas, and World songs and each one invites the listener to hear the message in the music. Dr. Steffen has won several awards for her music co-writes in many different genres through The Akademia, and in 2021 won The Rising Star along with her co-writer, Paul DeMarco. Always Website Links: interested in culture, her songs will bring a fusion of sound that represents the richness of countries from around the world. Clare also has a close partnership with an individual in Nashville, TN and they have co-written six albums, and are currently working on a seventh album, that offer Country, Americana, Bluegrass, Celtic, Christmas, and Christian music.Clare Steffen writes songs that offer encouragement and healing. Clare has blended her musical and lyrical writing skills to focus on creating songs that address issues of social justice, relationship concerns, and the human experience. Dr. Steffen is a published author and enjoys bringing a multi-media approach to healing through print, sound, and visual effort.Tom Mercer started writing songs about 12 years ago and didn’t really know at the time how much he would enjoy it. He would often play and perform for his friends who would ask him to make up songs. His first songs were written in tribute to his friends with whom he served and fought alongside in Viet Nam (1967-1968). These true stories provided him with a lot of material from which to write as well as memorialize other soldiers. He felt that writing about each of these individuals gave them their five minutes of fame, so to speak.His wife frequently suggested that he should begin writing other types of songs, and he said, he eventually got the message. He wrote a few love songs but didn’t feel to inspired or excited by them. He now enjoys writing a wide of songs that are happy and sad, and in different genres but especially enjoys Country, Southern Gospel, and Bluegrass. He has a deep rich vocal style that delivers the story in a song in a manner that makes the listener’s ear’s perk up. He’s shared his songs with some publishers in Nashville, TN, but will tell you in no uncertain terms that he experienced rejection, as is the case with many, many song writers. That was a fitting impetus for the song, “One Hit Wonder.” He’s won a few awards from North American Country Music Association (NACMA). Tom graciously has said, “What really helped me was getting involved with the group, Round The Globe. God Bless America.” Round The Globe (RTG), is a specialty music project started by Dr. Clare E Steffen, Ed.D, ND, CADCII, ICADC, CNP, CMH, BCC, NCC, BCHC. In 2019, she started this special project to bring healing messages of love, hope and encouragement. There are over 300 songs and 26 albums, co-written by Clare Steffen in the Round The Globe collection of music. Thus far, she has cowritten songs with musicians from North Wales, Argentina, Nigeria, South Africa, Israel, Sri Lanka, Serbia, Bulgaria, Yugoslavia, Macedonia, Mexico, Brazil, Switzerland, Argentina, Ukraine, Malaysia, Greece, Ireland, The United Kingdom, The Netherlands, Venezuela, China, Canada, and the United States. These songs and other RTG songs are played on IHeart Radio, Drooble, Pandora, Spotify, and are available on ITunes, Apple Music, Google Play, and various other sites.Clare is also recording traditional folk songs, and hymns that are part of this intention to bring hope to the world.Round The Globe Music: https://www.roundtheglobemusic.com/https://roundtheglobe.hearnow.com/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-iJy2Vkb4hjFIufUQmqzMw/videoshttps://roundtheglobe.hearnow.com/(our website to purchase music)

CLARE STEFFENWEBSITES:roundtheglobe.hearnow.comnashvillecountry.hearnow.comSOCIAL MEDIA:https://www.facebook.com/groups/816150559202923https://www.facebook.com/groups/667290803766398https://www.facebook.com/groups/667290803766398MUSIC LINKS:https://open.spotify.com/artist/257ls-SADSxsEiUfweyMiyChttps://open.spotify.com/artist/5fP2b-zLkcOKJC0CFYVl1lGhttps://www.iheart.com/artist/round-the-globe-33786674/https://www.iheart.com/artist/nash-ville-country-33405516/https://www.pandora.com/station/play/4598961676853122181https://www.pandora.com/sta-tion/play/4595277947827852421www.writeawaymag.co.uk 17r & Clare SteffenONE HIT WONDER© Clare Steffen & Tom MercerV1I wrack my brain, trying to write me a songOne I hope would make me famousSo far, everything has turned out wrongNo fame has come my way, or I’d claim itV2They always say you should write what you knowSo I guess I must not know too muchIt seems for now I have nothing to showMaybe I just don’t have that magic touchBridgeI’m looking for that one-hit wonderChorusIf I could get just one good songPeople might consider me a songwriterI’ll follow that enchanting song museAll I need is one song to make itYou know the kind people like to sing alongWhen you believe in a dream it shines brighterSometimes I have to fight off the bluesBut I’ll keep writing and I’ll never quitI’m looking for that one hit wonderV3The world’s full of great songs that I didn’t writeBut I keep on writing night after nightI’m sure hoping, I might just get it rightAnd that a song will be my beacon of lightOutroI’m looking for that one hit wonderSome of my songs are good some a big blunderI’d be happy if I was a one hit wonderFollow this link to listen...

I was born in a place so highMade you imagine you could kiss the skyRed inferno set the place alightHeaven and Hell burning through the nightI left school on a sunny dayNothing in my head as I walked away15 years living on that hillIf the steel don’t getcha the coal mine will“Write an introduction” they said. Well the words above are from a song “Parting Of The Clouds” intended for my next album. They describe me perfectly but I’ll come to that in a moment. So, there for now let’s go back to the lyrics I kicked off with I was in the Fish in Hartlepool enjoying a pint when Jane said “How would you like to write a monthly column for the magazine?” Folks that know me well would know exactly what my answer would be. I say YES to everything. And then my ego kicks in. My own column to rant about anything that takes my fancy. Smashing! So I was suckered right in. But had the last laugh. What my new publishing editor could not possibly know was that I am completely illiterate! of Consett Steel works and the red glow of So why was I invited to write a column in “Write Away?” Well, I’ve written songs for Celine Dion, Sheena Easton, Elkie Brooks, The Hollies, The Searchers, Tygers of Pan Tang, Baby Ford, Colin Blunstone, Elaine Page, Chris Farlowe, Bruce Ruffin, Alvin Stardust, Middle Of The Road and many others. My time in the music industry has furnished me with many stories and I’ll be telling these stories in this magazine in the coming months. I think you’ll find them interesting and many are hilarious. But and I’ll explain what I mean.I was born in a place so high: - I’m referring to Consett which is at such a high altitude that it is often the first place in the region to get snow in winter.Red inferno set the place alight. - I was born in sight 20 www.writeawaymag.co.ukHello, Let Me Introduce Myself...I’m Steve Thompson

STEVETHOMPSONWEBSITES:http://steve-thompson.org.uk/?f-bclid=IwAR24rub3uS47GjxjR-PuSWZmYg-e882gjvtxNPnmXm-v0dOQnlQTmk1HMHyHASOCIAL MEDIAhttps://www.facebook.com/theste-vethompsonbandMUSIC PLATFORMShttps://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUCuNu3A5tiQfCfBjuHrROQwww.writeawaymag.co.uk 19the inferno and the red dust in the air was a sight throughout my formative years.I left school on a sunny day, - Nothing in my head as I walked away. I had a really poor education and the day I left school my head was in a daze. What would I do now?15 years living on that hill f the steel don’t getcha the coal mine , Iwill.At 15 years old I left school and as I turned 16 I did what all kids in that area did. I went to work in the steel works.And at the Steel Works something very good happened. They sent me to college and improved my education. I got a GCE O level in English language. So thanks to Consett Steel Works I became a songwriter. But hang on, words are just half of the song. Well, I learned music at school. But not from the teachers. Kids would bring records into school and play them at lunch times. This was the sixties and I was amazed at the sounds I was hearing. Then I saw some of the older guys playing guitars and I realised that mere mortals could also make these sounds. I badgered my parents to buy me a guitar and eventually they relented. So then I studied song construction from the masters: Lennon & McCartney of the Beatles and Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys. Other writers intrigued me too: Jimmy Webb, Burt Bacharach and others.I never got to meet my school years idols, The Beatles and The Beach Boys but I did meet and actually work with others. Besides writing a song for the Searchers I did a TV show with them playing keyboards. When the Hollies recorded one of my songs I spent the day in the studio with them and played piano on the track. Whilst in bragging mode let me add that I’ve sung with the Nolan Sisters, played bass and keyboards with Colin Blunstone, played guitar with the Jeff Beck Group and I’ve jammed with Hank Marvin as I played rhythm on Bruce Welch’s guitar. I’ll be telling these and other stories in this magazine in the coming months.I do enjoy telling stories and I do so at live events on the speaking circuit. I’ve also taken the ability to write that school failed to give me but the Steelworks did to write a book: “Stories From a Songwriter’s Life”. I’ve just published the first four chapters from this on Amazon as a Kindle e-book:https://www.amazon.co.uk/Goodbye-Consett-Stories-Songwriters-LIfe-ebook/dp/B09V1XNG1LEnjoy ! - See you next time.

22 www.writeawaymag.co.ukBallads - How Do I WriteWhat Is a Ballad?Ballads are a form of narrative verse that can be either poetic or musical; not all ballads are songs. Many ballads tell stories, but this is not a mandatory attribute of the form. Many musical ballads are slow and emotionally evocative. Ballads have a long history in music, poetry, and literature. While the meaning of ballads and their form has continuously shifted over time, we ultimately associate all ballads with some form of storytelling. For example, a ballad can be a slow, mournful love song—but it can also be a silly, light poem.What Is the Format of a Ballad?A ballad with lyrics traditionally follows a pattern of rhymed quatrains. This means that for every four-line grouping, either the first and third line will rhyme or the second and fourth lines will rhyme. The more common of these rhyme schemes is the latter, where the second and fourth lines rhyme with one another. and oddities thrown in. “We call this an ABCB quatrain, where the “B” lines rhyme with each other, as they do in the following quatrain:Upon horse knight a a did ride, Well armed with shield and lance, But when dra a gon did appear,He cried and wet his pants.The final word of the second line (“lance”) rhymes with the final word of the fourth line (“pants”). As such we may deem those to each be “B” lines in ABCB analysis. Meanwhile, the first and the third lines do not rhyme; in fact, to ensure proper ABCB form, they must NOT rhyme. Another thing to note about the quatrain above is the consistent meter. All the lines are iambic, which means that every even-numbered syllable is accented, as such:Upon horse knight a a did rideIn addition to consistent iambic form—known as iambic tetrameter in poetic ballads with four lines—each line maintains a fixed set of syllables. The first and third lines each contain eight syllables, while the second and fourth lines each contain sixsyllables.Other Examples of Ballad FormThe ABCB form is not the only way to write a verse of a ballad. In fact, even classic ballads took liberties with the ballad format. Consider “La Belle Dame sans Merci,” written by John Keats in 1819. The poem follows the ABCB format, but it takes liberties with the metric pattern of each line. One quatrain reads:I saw their starved lips the ingloam,With rrid howarning gapèd wide, And aI woke and found me here,On the cold hill’s side.The meter is less strict than the one seen in our prior example, but the verse is still unmistakably in the ABCB format.A Step-by-Step Guide to Writing a BalladAlthough the word “ballad” no longer refers exclusively to story songs, beginning with a story is a great way to compose your first ballad. Here is a step-by-step guide:1. Choose Your TopicA ballad can be inspired by a story in the songwriter’s own life, a fictional scenario with fictional characters, or a real event from history or contemporary events. Nobel Prize-winning songwriter Bob Dylan is a noted master of all three:Some of Dylan’s most famous compositions are ballads “ripped from the headlines,” whether recent or past. In 1963’s “The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll,” Dylan took his listeners through a horrifying event that had occurred only months prior. In 1975’s “Hurricane,” he recounts the trial of boxer Rubin “Hurricane” Carter who, at that point, had been in jail for nine years.Other Dylan ballads delve into history. “Tempest,” for instance, is a very loose account of the Titanic tragedy with humor Highway 61 Revisited” gives similar treatment to the biblical story of Abraham and Isaac.Other Dylan ballads concern fictional characters, like “Desolation Row” or “Lily, Rosemary, and the Jack of Hearts.”Others are tales of Dylan himself, whether epic ramblers (“Tangled Up in Blue”) plaintive remembrances (“Sara”), humorous fiction (“Bob Dylan’s 115th Dream”) or just downright mysterious (“Highlands”).2. Choose Your ToneAs Bob Dylan exemplifies, ballads can present a variety of tones, whether purposeful, playful, plaintive, or mysterious. Many of the best ballads will offer multiple tones, sometimes within the same verse.A strong example of a ballad with a contrasting tone is Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner.” Consider the following pair of quatrains:And now there came both mist and snow, And it grew wondrous cold And ice, mast-high, came floating by As green as emeraldAnd through the drifts the snowy clifts Did send a dismal sheen Nor shapes of men nor beasts we ken— The ice was all betweenThe first quatrain describes a sense of wonder and awe. Entities that might portend doom—namely cold and ice—are described using words like “wondrous” and “emerald.” Yet in the subsequent verse, that awe gives way to a sense of foreboding, and words like “dismal” creep in. Suddenly we get a sense of isolation and a fear of what may be in store for the poem’s namesake mariner.3. Use Rhyme and Meter as Useful ToolsSometimes it’s easiest to be creative when there are rules to guide you. Remember that most ballads consist of quatrains where either the first and third lines rhyme, or the second and fourth lines rhyme. Don’t regard this as a limitation. Look at it as a

www.writeawaymag.co.uk 23JANESHIELDSWEBSITES:www.writeawaymag.co.ukwww.countrymusicexpress.co.ukSOCIAL MEDIAhttps://www.facebook.com/jane.shields.906/https://www.facebook.com/CMEMage One?structural aid to propel you forward. Perhaps you don’t want your ballad to be as rigidly structured as the earlier example about the pants-wetting knight; then again, perhaps that level of rhythmic precision is helpful. It’s truly up to you.4. Let the Story Guide YouWriting a full song or poem may be intimidating, but an evolving storyline can easily propel you forward. Case in point: Coleridge’s “Rime of the Ancient Mariner” is 143 verses long. (And Iron Maiden’s adaptation of it as a heavy metal song is thirteen minutes, forty-five seconds long.) Meanwhile, Bob Dylan’s ballad “Highlands” is sixteen minutes, thirty-one seconds long. If you have a good story to tell in your ballad, you should have no difficulty writing verse after verse.Many musical ballads tell their stories in the verses while continually returning to a repeated chorus, or even just a single repeated line (such as the title phrase in Dylan’s “Tangled Up in Blue”). John Prine’s folk ballad “Lake Marie” contains long spoken verses broken up by anthemic sung choruses that are the same each time. Other ballads, like Iron Maiden’s “Rime of the Ancient Mariner” return to musical motifs but without a repeated lyrical phrase.The practice of storytelling interspersed with repeated themes or lyrics is called “incremental reception.” One such example is the poem “Lord Randall” by Sir Patrick Spens. Note the repeated phrases in this stanza:Oh where ha’e ye been, Lord Randall my son? O where ha’e ye been, my handsome young man? “I ha’e been to the wild wood: mother, make my bed soon For I’m weary wi’ hunting, and fair wald lie down” “Where gat ye your dinner, Lord Randall my son? Where gat ye your dinner, my handsome young man?”The story advances, but the repeated phrases give it structure. None other than Bob Dylan himself would emulate this technique in tunes like “A Hard Rain’s a-Gonna Fall.”Examples of Ballads in MusicBallads are found in all forms of popular music. These include:Folk. Ballads are a key part of the folk tradition. Bob Dylan’s “The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll” is one such example. For a lighter folk ballad, seek out “Puff the Magic Dragon” by Peter Paul and Mary.Country - Country music has always been a storytelling genre. For a mainstream country ballad, consider “God Bless the Broken Road” by Rascal Flatts. For a more alternative country ballad, you can’t go wrong with “Christian Lady Talkin’ on a Bus” by the eccentric Blaze Foley.Rock - The word “ballad” is a bit looser in rock. Some songs with “ballad” in the title really do tell stories, like The Beatles’ “The Ballad of John and Yoko.” Yet ironically the great balladeer Bob Dylan wrote a song called “Ballad of a Thin Man” that’s less of a story and more of a snarling character critique. Plenty of other rock songs tell stories like Led Zeppelin’s Tolkien-inspired “Ramble On.”Jazz - In jazz, the word “ballad” typically refers to slow, melodic tunes. The story element is optional, particularly because so many jazz ensembles don’t even feature vocalists. “Misty, Darn That Dream” “,” and “Body and Soul” are examples of classic jazz ballads.

24 www.writeawaymag.co.ukFill The WorldC K Niederhelman & M TurnerMIKE TURNERKellie invited me to collaborate on a couple of lyrics she’d been working on, and this was the first one to really jump out at me - she had just written it the morning that she emailed it to me. The central theme grabbed me right away: making love “go viral” and spread across the Earth, ending war and conflict as it went. Kellie is a nurse by trade, and her initial imagery came out of the health care field: her draft title was “Infect the World” and the lyric talked about “infecting” the world with peace and love.We agreed that imagery might not set so well in a world where a viral pandemic was raging, so we looked at alternatives. I remember we used “blanket the world” for a bit, but we ultimately came up with “fill” as a word that captured what we were after, and also worked with the structure and melody we were developing. “Fill the World” became the title and hook, and we expanded the concept to filling the world with those things that would end war: truth, hope, peace, love. Melodically we aimed at something upbeat and uplifting. JM de Ramos came on board as our vocalist, and he was a great fit for the material, infusing the lyric with an earnest sweetness that really puts the message across. I’m particularly taken with the artwork that Karen put together. We started with just a vague idea, my sketch of a pitcher pouring “love” into the world. Karen really brought the idea alive to create a unique piece of cover art that reinforces the central lyrical hook and serves the song’s message. “Fill the World” wound up being the debut of three new talents for the label: Kellie as a co-writer, JM as a vocalist and Karen as a graphic artist. The song delivers a powerful message: that we can come together to end war and spread peace by filling the world with love for one another.KAREN HUMPAGEThis was my first art collaboration for the label and I was excited to be asked! What this song represented to me was humanity’s cup is empty and we need to fill it up! When Mike presented the rough sketch if a hand pouring a pitcher, it hit me that humans are the pitcher and if we wanted more love in the world to create peace, we had the responsibility to fill it upand it has to come from us. The hearts is our outpouring of love into the world, filling it, surrounding it, blanketing it, continuously multiplying. The more we pour out, the more we in turn are filled. The more love we give, the more love will flow from us all.KELLIE NIEDERHELMANI had presented a few songs that didn’t fit the label so I sat down a wrote one. It started out as “infect the world with love” because if your going to be infected by something love would be the best infection you could have. Due to the pandemic we felt infect was not the best choice of words. I just wanted to replace all the hatred in the world with love and so the songwas born.FILL THE WORLD LINKSSong page https://musicforworldpeacerecords.com/fill-the-worldMike TurnerMusic For World Peace Website: https://musicforworldpeacerecords.com/mike-turnerFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100003555112542Twitter: https://twitter.com/SchoonerSkipperKellie NiederhelmanMusic For World Peace Website: https://musicforworldpeacerecords.com/kellie-neiderhelmanFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/rythem11Karen HumpageMusic For World Peace Website: https://musicforworldpeacerecords.com/karen-humpageFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/khumpageJM de RamosMusic For World Peace Website: https://musicforworldpeacerecords.com/jm-de-ramosFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/jmderum

www.writeawaymag.co.uk 25MUSIC FORWORLD PEACERECORDSWEBSITE:https://musicforworldpeac-erecords.com/homeSOCIAL MEDIALFACEBOOKTWITTERLABEL PRESIDENTTAYLOR SAPPEwww.taylorsappe.comBobby Tiberihttps://www.bobbytmusic.com/Taylor SappeFILL THE WORLDC K Niederhelman & M TurnerEvil comes from near and farWar, destruction, pain and liesWhat we know, and who we areCan reach ‘cross our great dividesWhen we stand together, strongWe can right all that is wrongWe can fill the world with truth hope and trustWe can fill the world with peace just like a doveWe can fill the world with loveWe can end violence and strifeLive our lives in harmonyOpen up our hearts and mindsGoodness lives in you and meWhen we stand together, strongWe can right all that is wrongWe can fill the world with truth hope and trustWe can fill the world with peace just like a doveWe can fill the world with loveLet’s all join hand in handSpread our love across all landsWe can fill the world with truth hope and trustWe can fill the world with peace just like a doveWe can fill the world with truth hope and trustWe can fill the world with peace just like a doveWe can fill the world with loveWe can fill the worldWe can fill the world with loveFollow this link to listen....

22 www.writeawaymag.co.24k26 ww w .wr i t e awaym a g.co.uOn The Road© Taylor SappeOn The Road©Taylor SappeI got to thinking about how well everything is moving forward with our Music For World Peace project, and was so pleased with all of the people supporting our efforts that a song of appreciation for them began to form in my head.Using my usual writing tools, like Masterwriter to help with lyrics, and Cubase Pro to help with the music, I began writing about how war mongers are taking away our freedom little by little and how we are all standing together to help the world to wake up to what they are doing. Additionally, I had recently purchased Vocaloid and was eager to use it in my productions. This is the first of my productions using artificial vocals. They seemed to work nicely when adding to harmonies. When used alone they sound artificial, but contemporary. I will be watching for more ways to use them in future productions.Live vocals on this project were done by Bobby Tiberi and myself. Some of the guitar work was done by Bobby Tiberi, a friend I met at Berklee in 1977 and had lost touch with for 43 years. I’m happy that we reconnected just before creating the Music For World Peace record labelTaylor Sappe linksOn The Road**Music For World Peace Website: https://musicforworldpeacerecords.com/on-the-roadWill be available on all major streaming services April 8, 2022**TaylorMusic For World Peace Website: https://musicforworldpeacerecords.com/taylor-sappeProducer website: https://taylorsappe.comFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/taylor.sappeRecord LabelWebsite: https://MusicForWorldPeaceRecords.comFacebook public group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/musicforworldpeacerecordlabelFor Supporters Of World Peace Through Music.Facebook private group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/MusicForWorldPeaceFor Participants Of Music Released On This LabelTwitter: @musicforworldp

www.writeawaymag.co.uk 25MUSIC FORWORLD PEACERECORDSWEBSITE:https://musicforworldpeac-erecords.com/homeSOCIAL MEDIALFACEBOOKTWITTERLABEL PRESIDENTTAYLOR SAPPEwww.taylorsappe.comBobby Tiberihttps://www.bobbytmusic.com/Taylor Sappewww.writeawaymag.co.uk 27When a new world order comes to townIn a frightening fairy taleIt’s a world full of question marks onPaper trailsAnd you try and make some sense of itAnd you haven’t got a clueAnd a rocky road to easy streetCan’t shake youOn the road On the roadYou and meOn the road On the roadWait and seeOn the road On the roadOn the way On the road On the roadOn the Road to peaceSo you try it one more time thenCause you know it’s got to workWhy is it hard to makePeace on earthCause it never seem tohappenBut you know just what to doHead down to the road where we canRendezvousOn the road On the roadYou and meOn the road On the roadWait and seeOn the road On the roadOn the way On the road On the roadOn the Road to peace BRIDGEEverlasting Peace is not a dreamSOLOCHORUS PARTIALOn the road On the roadOn the road On the roadOn the road On the roadOn the way On the road On the roadOn the Road to peaceOn the road On the roadYou and me we’reOn the road On the roadWait and see we’reOn the road On the roadOn the way thereOn the road On the roadOn the Road to peacFollow this link to listen...ON THE ROAD© Taylor Sappe

26 www.writeawaymag.co.ukk28 ww w .wr i t e awaym a g.co.uWake Up© Chris BirkettWake Up StoryWake Up by Chris Birkett is a “Call To Action” song. It came to Chris when he was living in Paris in 2011 and was pondering words he’d read, attributed to a Susquamishleader named Chief Seattle. The chief’s now famous speech, believed to have been given in 1854, came in response to the First American President offer to “buy” the native land.“The President in Washington sends word that he wishes to buy our land. But how can you buy or sell the sky? the land?” In the speech he went on to say, “Man did not weave the web of life, he is merely a strand in it. Whatever he does to the web, he does to himself.”Inspired by the truth of these words, and reflecting on the current environmental and economic crisis of our modern times, he penned the lyrics and music for Wake Up. At the same time Chris was producing and performing with a Berber artist from Alge-ria named Ali Amran. The groove for Wake Up came from the rhythms passed on to Amran from his ancient North African culture.Interestingly, the music and lyrics arrived just in advance of the worldwide Occupy movement that was sweeping the world in the fall of 2011. The song gained momentum and fans in the ensuing decade and became a popular close to Chris’ live shows. Chris is always happy to see people get up out of their chairs and start to dance, making this call to action song, one that leaves people with a reminder to Wake Up and Know the Truth, this world was made for all.The song is popular on Youtube with a vid-eo released at the start of the pandemic April, 2020, directed by his Canadian wife, Joan Prowse. The song is included on Chris’s debut Canadian album, Be Creative, released in 2014 and is now being released as a single worldwide on the Music for World Peace record labelLinks for Chris BirkettWake Up, on Music For World Peace Records https://musicforworldpeacerecords.com/wake-upWebsite www.chrisbirkettmusic.caFacebook https://www.facebook.com/ChrisBirkettBandTwitter https://twitter.com/chrisbirkett12YouTube https://www.youtube.com/c/ChrisBirkettMusic

www.writeawaymag.co.uk 27MUSIC FORWORLD PEACERECORDSWEBSITE:https://musicforworldpeac-erecords.com/homeSOCIAL MEDIALFACEBOOKTWITTERLABEL PRESIDENTTAYLOR SAPPEwww.taylorsappe.comBobby Tiberihttps://www.bobbytmusic.com/Taylor Sappewww.writeawaymag.co.uk 29WAKE UP© Chris BirkettWe’ve been waiting so long just to give you this songHope it won’t take too long before we wake up and know the truthThis world was made for allFrom the past we have come to the future to learnFrom the times we were wrong We must know now where we belongThis world was made for everyoneCorporations take the soul of our nations politicians do just what they’re toldNobody is listening to our frustrations We have been soldHow can we own the land, how can we own the sky,and the wind and the rainThere are things that we just can’t buyThis world was made for allAll the signs are out there, while we still breath the airThere’s a chance if we care We don’t have to go down that roadThis world was made for everyone Now it’s only mergers and acquisitionsconsumerism gets out of controlLeaving all this debt to future generations We have been soldIt’s time to wake up wake up... It’s time to wake up wake up...It’s time to wake up wake up... It’s time to wake up wake upWake up and know the truth - this world was made for allWake up and know the truth - this world was made for everyoneWake up and know the truth - this world was made for alFollow this link to listen...

MMusic For World Peace Records is an indie record label producing original music to promote world peace and love, and oppose war and violence. Listen to our releases on major streaming platforms and at our website:www.MusicForWorldPeaceRecords.com and on Twitter @MusicForWorldP2www.facebook.com/MusicForWorldPeaceRecords/One Song At A Time- Alycia CatizoneAct Of Love, Act Of Peacee - Ronn Van EttenHold On - Bobby TiberiI Stand For You - Alycia CatizoneSoldier - Alicia CatzioneMatthew Mark Luke & John - L&M Project BandFill The World- Kellie L NiederhelmanDo It With Love - Soren PanckeriCommon Ground- S Nyhoff & J BurdetteLive Again - Soren PanckeriHarmony Bound - Bobby TiberiStand Up Stand Tall - SullieWishing You Home - TaNayhaA Bridge - Steve NyhoffColors And Hues - Mike TurnerEnough Is Good - JM de RamosNaked - David Philip IrelandLove Will Save The World - TaNayha/MTurnerChristmas Truce - Chimes & NashPeace Unending - TaNayhaBitter - S NyhoffWar, It’s A Bad Thing - Taylor SappeRealize The Reason - TaNayhaRoad To Peace - Taylor SappeWake Up - Chris BirkettPrayer For The Living - David IrelandThe Angels Sing - Bobby TiberiMy Diamond - Aniruddah AndalibMUSIC FOR WORLD PEACE RECORDSMUSIC FOR WORLD PEACE RECORDS



I was born in October 1963 in Fort Stewart Ga. My Dad was in the Army. So, we moved around a lot. My Parents Divorced when I was 5. They both remarried and my Sister and I lived with my Mother and Step Father growing up. My Step Father is From Virginia. And we used to make that long 7-8 hour drive several times a year. It was during those long drives that I was introduced to Country Music. My Dad was a huge fan of Traditional Country at that time. We heard a lot of Conway Twitty, Porter Waggoner, Gene Watson, Johnny Cash, Loretta, Tammy Wynette. I used to Sing along with them. As I got Older. I started listening to some of the newer Artists. In the Early 80’s, I was in to the Urban Cowboy Craze!! Mickey Gilly, George Strait,Alabama. I would frequent the Small Clubs my Parents belonged to. The CBers Clubs were big then with CB Radios every where. And the AmVets, Eagles, Moose Lodges. Whenever they would have a Live Band Playing. I would talk my way in to getting up for a Song or two. That’s when the Bug hit me that I wanted to be a Country Western Star. I would practice singing along on the Radio, in the car, walking down the street. But, I never had enough time, Money, or the self confidence to pursue Music. By this time it was the mid to lates 80’s. I had gone to Little Rock Arkansas with the Company I worked for. There were several Niteclubs and Honkey Tonks out in that Area. I used to go to some of them several times a week. And Karaoke had just gotten to be a thing out there. So, I used that opportunity to get up and Sing as often as I could.A lot of the Honky Tonks had House Bands in Arkansas as well as back home in Kentucky. I started making my Rounds getting to know some of the Bands. And talking K K evinevinFullenFullen30 www.writeawaymag.co.uk

my way up on Stage for a couple of Songs. This is what I did for year or so. In 1993, I got a few Songs together with a Co-Writer. Went to Nashville and recorded them. Had about 100 copies on Cassette. And started taking them to Radio Stations. Night Clubs, Friends. Anywhere I could get them heard. A few Stations were kind enough to play them. About this time I was approached by a Gentleman that had a Record Label. With a Full Production Studio as well. And a little money behind him. Long Story short. I signed on with them and off we went. He had me booked for gigs all over Town. From 2 hour gigs in Honky Tonks. To Halftime at PeeWee Football games. And then about 3 months in, he just up and Disappeared! No money, no Songs, no Gigs, nothing. Sold one of my Best Songs to another Artist. I had enough of the Biz at that point. I just stopped everything. Not even Karaoke! Did KEVINFULLENSOCIAL MEDIAhttps://www.facebook.com/search/top?q=kevin%20ful-len%20musicMUSIC PLATFORMShttps://www.youtube.com/channel/UCRMvfxbJeyxpLp-Zshn877oQhttps://www.deezer.com/en/artist/14021229?autoplay=truehttps://www.reverbnation.com/kevinfullen

32 www.writeawaymag.co.ukI mention this is the time that My Wife didn’t want to be My Wife anymore! Talk about being deflated. After Divorce, a New Job, and a New Wife a couple of years later. Life kinda took over. My Priorities changed. And I never looked back. I did often wonder as I think we all do. Just what might have been if I’d stayed with it. I know I was on the path that was planned out for me. Fast Forward 22 years to 2017. All the kids are grown and pretty much doing their own thing. So, I started to dabble in Music again. Got some Mechanical Licenses on a few Songs. Hit the Studio to Record. I’ve gone through a couple of Promotion Groups. Not very Good ones. But, it takes some mistakes and not so good decisions to get to the right people! And I know I’m in the right place now. We’ve released 6 songs to radio in the last 4 years. All of them have done pretty well as far as I can tell. Thanks to Randy Hayford with TwangThang Music. And Some Great Songs from Larry Migliore. We’ve managed 6 top 20 Songs. 5 Top 10, 4 Consecutive #1’s. The Academy of Western Artists- Pure Country Song of the Year 2020. What an unbelievable Honor it has been to work these people.The Label I’m with now Black Ribbon Records with Curt Ryle, has been a Wonderful experience these last few months. New Songs under our Belt. Some new K K evinevinFullenFullen

www.writeawaymag.co.uk 35Promoters on Board. Dena Woods, Ross Allen, and of course Randy Hayford is still working his Magic. I owe a Special Thank You to Billy Bowles for Doing the World Premiere for our last 3 Songs. 2022 in starting off on a Super High Note! And I don’t think the Train is gonna slow down any time soon. There are so many Folks out there that have helped put me in the place I’m at today. I couldn’t name you all without leaving someone off the list. But, I truly am Blessed to have you all. Especially my Family and Friends that put up with all my craziness. Mike Shea- thank you for keeping me grounded and motivated. To My Wife. What can I say Babe! You have supported me through these last 4 years. Even when I didn’t deserve it. What ever amount of Success comes our way. Thank You for letting it Happen. And to the Good Lord Above for keeping me on the Road you set out in Front of me. All the Glory to You! God Bless all of you! Kevin xKEVINFULLENSOCIAL MEDIAhttps://www.facebook.com/search/top?q=kevin%20ful-len%20musicMusic Platformshttps://www.youtube.com/channel/UCRMvfxbJeyxpLp-Zshn877oQhttps://www.deezer.com/en/artist/14021229?autoplay=truehttps://www.reverbnation.com/kevinfullen

I’ve been songwriting for as long as I can remember. The first song I ever wrote was back in 1968 called Happy By Your Side. This was the hit single for The Flintstones, the famous Indian band I had formed with my good friend Rhett May. The band reigned as India’s #1 top band foraround three years.I have penned many songssince then, initially I wrote pop style songs, moving into country song writing in the mid ‘70s. I was enthralled by the lyrics and the stories that came with country music songs. I was hooked by the writing of Dolly Parton, Willie Nelson, Kris Kristofferson,Don Williams and others, and have dedicated my style to writing in the country music genre ever since.Over the years of playing in various traditional country and country show Using song plots to develop the bands, I developed my songwriting, honing my skills along the way.In 1984, along with the famous Country Show band Stoney Creek I was nominated for a Golden Guitar for best country song I wrote called Angel Eyes. Being present in the prestigious annual Golden Guitar Awards here at Tamworth, the country music capitol of Australia, was a real honour.In the past two and a half years I have hum of a car or even keys jangling committed myself to songwriting, and being coached by some of the most successful songwriters in the business. All of whom have been my teachers, mentors and guides, sharing songwriting is about writing from with me their expertise and pointing me inthe right direction.I love writing songs with substance, songs that tell astory and songs that hopefully will have a positive emotional impact on listeners.message and grow the song from verse to chorus, keeping the listener engaged giving them a great listening experience.I believe that inspiration isabsolutely everywhere and thatone just has to keep their antenna up, being aware that a song idea can come at any given moment. It might be a conversation, a line from a movie, a book title, a bird call, the that might be used as a rhythm to kick start an introduction of a song.In my humble opinion,one’s heart and soul. It’s about taking an idea and crafting it into a song that will touch the hearts and minds of listeners everywhere, giving them an enjoyable experience that they will want to relive over and over again.Music brings people together and songwriting is the foundation upon which music of all genres is built and gives us the opportunity to share itsmessage of love, hope and joy.

The Magic Of Her Smile© Clayton Saunders 2021V1I first saw her in early springAt Port Douglas Four Mile BeachChocolate ice-cream dripping downher handHer cheeks the colour of peachAs I watched her walk on byHer eyes bluer than the seaMy heart pounded like a jungle drumWhen she turned and smiled at meCHORUSThe magic of her smileLike Da Vinci’s Mona LisaMade my heart come aliveA moment never felt sweeterLike a red rose blushing in springEtched in my mindForever rememberingThe magic of her smileV2She was sitting alone at the islandbarSipping a Tequila Sunrise cocktailI was about to strike up a conversationWhen along came some guy in a ponytailHe kissed her softly on the lipsI swear I saw her swoonThe bartender poured me a shot ofwhiskeyHe said they’re on their honeymoonV3The magic of her smileLike Da Vinci’s Mona LisaMade my heart come aliveA moment never felt sweeterLike a red rose blushing in springEtched in my mindForever rememberingThe magic of her smileZero chance to make her mineRight place wrong timeCHORUSThe magic of her smileLike Da Vinci’s Mona LisaMade my heart come aliveA moment never felt sweeterLike a red rose blushing in springEtched in my mindForever rememberingThe magic of her smileLike a red rose blushing inspringEtched in my mindForever rememberingThe magic of her smileForever rememberingThe magic of her smileThe Magic Of Her Smile came aboutafter I heard the beautiful old songThe Shadow Of Your smile recentlybeing played on the radio. I rememberhearing this song for the first timeback in the ‘60s when I was living inIndia.As with most pop/jazz songs in thosedays, like Satin Doll and The Girl FromIpanema, I included it in my repertoireas I performed around the traps inCalcutta. This time around TheShadow of Your Smile struck a realchord with me so I took the bones ofthe song and crafted it into The MagicOf Her Smile.This song is about a special moment intime and then after the bridge itbecomes a memory that is carried farinto the future. The story is about aguy who sees this girl at Australia’sworld-famous Port Douglas Four MileBeach and is captivated by her smile.Even though he later finds out fromthe barman that she’s on herhoneymoon, he can’t seem to get hersmile out of his head. Hence the girl’ssmile becomes etched in his mind andhe’s bound to remember that magicsmile for the rest of his life.

36 www.writeawaymag.co.ukCuriousCurious© JENNIFER ALVARADOThis song is about liking a boy as more than just a friend. Maybe the two of you have been friends for years and you have already established boundaries and reasons for not pursuing a relationship. You both know there are feelings there, but fear keeps you from jumping. This is a song about wondering what could hap-pen if you get past your fears and give into feelings.Jennifer is a singer/songwriter from Vale, North Carolina.Her first country EP titled ‘’Playing with Fire’’ was released in April 2021 and she is currently working on her second album “Songbird” that will be released in Spring 2022. Her latest single ‘’Curious’’ will be released in February 2022. Her music has a country sensibility with a pop current running through it. Her voice is smooth and passionate with a sweetness and power that merge seamlessly into satisfaction for the listener. Her sound is a mixture of country, pop and blues that reflect an eclectic blend of influences.She has been recognized locally for her songwriting and was named ‘’One to Watch’’ by Nashville Songwrit-ers Association in Spring 2021. Her songs “IDWYB” and “Filthy Water” were Top 10 Finalists for “Best Pop Song” and “Best Modern Country Song” for the Spring and Summer 2021 World Songwriting Awards. She was just recently named the “2021 Country Artist of the Year” by Indie Star Radio.

JENNIFERALVARADOWEBSITE:https://www.jenniferalvarado.com/https://direct.me/jenniferalva-radoSOCIAL MEDIA:https://www.facebook.com/jem-music12https://twitter.com/guitardiva12https://www.instagram.com/jenniferalvaradomusic/MUSIC PLATFORMS:https://www.tiktok.com/@jen-niferalvaradomusichttps://www.reverbnation.com/jenniferalvaradohttps://soundcloud.com/jem1984curious© Jennifer AlvaradoI can see you looking at me from across the roomWith every single glance, I get a little more confusedYou shouldn’t want meI shouldn’t want youAll of our reasonsWe follow the rulesBut all I keep dreaming about is me with youAre you curious?Where this is goingCuriousI think you should know thatWhen it comes to me and youI don’t know what to doBut I’m curious About youYeah I know that we both agreed that we should just be friendsBut when our late night conversations get deepI can’t pretend Cause I know you want meYou know I want you Forget the boundariesLet’s break our own rules Cause all I keep thinking about is me with you Are you curious?Where this is goingCuriousI think you should know thatWhen it comes to me and youI don’t know what to doBut I’m curious About youOne touch And I won’t know what to doOne kiss will quickly lead to twoIf our guards all came down And we don’t try to stop this nowDo you ever wonder what could happen too?Are you curious?Where this is goingCuriousI think you should know thatWhen it comes to me and youI don’t know what to doBut I’m curiousFollow this link to listen...www.writeawaymag.co.uk 37

38 www.writeawaymag.co.ukLet My Love Be The Proof© Kevin GullicksonSo often in life we can lose sight of what’s important. What I call “the prize”. I believe the most important thing are the people in our lives: Our spouse, family, friends, loved ones. They are the prize we need to focus on. Sometimes in the thick of things we can take our eyes off the prize and get entangled and distract in details and expectations that cause us to lose sight of why we’re doing what we do and who we’re doing it for. Over the years, I’ve been guilty of that. There have been times I’ve lost sight of of my prize. This song is a reminder, first and foremost to myself, to keep my eyes fixed and focused on what’s most important to me.Radio Drive is an Alternative Pop Rock band featuring Kevin Gullickson. As the engine behind Radio Drive, Kevin has won international awards and nominations for his music. His songs have been aired on radio around the world alongside major artists and has topped indie charts and received rave reviews. He has been featured on web zines, podcasts and radio shows.Kevin’s music has been used on shows airing on NBC channels, Animal Planet, National Geographic, Comedy Central, Fox Channels, History Channel, Spike TV and Discovery Channel in the USA and TV programs around the world.Kevin has worked with amazing producers and mixing engineers over the years, including thefollowing:• Gene Paul, the son of legendary Les Paul. Multi Grammy Award winning engineer whose credits include Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, Eric Clapton, U2 and more.• Chris Garcia, whose credits include Adele and Katy Perry.• Stuart Epps, whose credits include George Harrison, Bill Wyman, Jimmy Page, Elton John, Led Zeppelin, Oasis and more.• Robert L. Smith, Academy Award winning and Grammy nominated producer and engineer, whose credits include David Bowie, Aerosmith, Paul McCartney, and more.• Brendan Dekora, Grammy and Academy Award winning producer and engineer, whose credits include Foo Fighters, Nine Inch Nails, Billy Idol and more.RECENT ACHIEVEMENTS:• Kevin was chosen by BEM Wireless to endorse their products (2017)• “A Taste of Heaven” Top Finalist Best Alternative Song awarded by the World Songwriting Awards (June 2019).• “Moving On “ Top Finalist Award for Best Rock Song, awarded by the World Songwriting Awards (Sept 2019)• “Sweet Thing” given honorable mention in Jay Goldberg’s book “Rock On Neon Radio’s” Top 1000 Songs of all time.(August 2019)• “Moving On” and “In The Light” win nominations for Best Song and Best Band of 2020 by the International Singer Song-writer Awards (April 2020)• “Sweet Thing” remains at #1 for several weeks on the Top Inde Couvertes Official European Music Chart (April/May 2020).• “Footsteps (2020 Remake)” nominated for Best Alternative song by the Hollywood Music in Media Awards (Jan 2021).• Music video for “Run” nominated Best Rock Video by the International Singer Songwriter A (June 2021)• “In My Dreams Tonight” wins Top Finalist Award for Best Alternative song by the World Songwriting Association(July 2021)• “The Other Side” wins a nomination for Best Rock Song by the Hollywood Music in Media Awards (Aug 2021)• Radio Drive awarded #10 in the TOP 50 Overall Artists on 7522 Radio (Aug 2021)Visit Radio Drive online at http://www.radiodrive.net Contact: [email protected] Album was released Aug 2021“Before The Day is Through” Mixed and mastered by Grammy Award winning engineer Brendan Dekora.

LET MY LOVE BE THE PROOF© Kevin GullicksonYou see in colorI see in black and whiteThere is no otherThere is no need to fight on and onYou talk right to meI hear your every wordThey pass right through meSometimes I’m so absurd on and onIf you stay, I willIf you stay, I willLet my love be the proofLet my love be the proofI took my eyes off the prizeI set my sight too highI took my eyes off the prizeThat prize was youThat prize was youStay where you stayGo where you want to goWe chose this journeyWhere it ends we don’t know, on and onIf you stay, I willIf you stay, I willLet my love be the proofLet my love be the proofFollow this link to listen....www.writeawaymag.co.uk 39KEVINGULLICKSONWEBSITE:https://www.radiodrive.net/SOCIAL MEDIA:https://www.facebook.com/RadioDrive/https://twitter.com/radiodrive-musichttps://www.instagram.com/radio_drive/MUSIC PLATFORMShttps://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOymcsIq8b-BqLExKJuNkwwQhttps://open.spotify.com/artist/5JZELlsigjpKLVji-8J1n3e?si=0z00cEbgReCUflT-kYoGsUQ&nd=1

God’s Busy Changing StringsGod’s Busy Changing Strings© Rowland JonesGrowing up in the 60s, I first fell in love with the blues when I heard ’John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers with Eric Clapton’ - the legendary Beano album - and I still have my original mono (!) copy framed on the wall. I was stunned and wanted to know where this music came from. We used to get LP’s of Robert Johnson and Big Bill Broonzy out of the Public library and we had the great blues tours with 5 or 6 top acts on one bill - we were so lucky.Over the years, I’ve played with rock bands, big bands, folk-rock bands and even toured with bands like Limmie and the Family Cookin’ and The Exciters. In 2006, Lesley and I had just got married and decided to go and live in Italy. I was asked to audition for a band but I only realised when I got there, that they expected me, as the only English speaker, to be singer and frontman as well. So began seven years of gigging in Italy – in bars, clubs and festivals from Bergamo and Verona in the North, to Calabria and Sicily in the South. In 2014, we moved back to Manchester and the following year I recorded ‘You give me the Blues’ with Chris CJ Hillman (Billy Bragg, Ethan Johns, Laura Marling) on pedal steel and Dobro, and Mark Lewis (LaurenHousley Band, Yola) on bass, which Blues Matters described as an ‘album crammed with acoustic blues’. In 2016 I recorded ‘Still the Blues’ with the same team it was described in Blues Matters as ‘Pure blues expertly written and performed’. My 2017 ‘New Start, New Day’ album was quite different, again with with CJ but also with drummer Paul Burgess (10cc, Chris Farlowe, Camel, Martin Barre) and producer multi-instrumentalist Nigel Stonier (Waterboys, Strawbs, Thea Gilmore, Joan Baez) - I wasn’t sure how to describe the music, but a couple of friends came up with ‘soulful Americana’ which I think sounds pretty cool.I began 2020 with a gig at The Rock and Blues Festival in Skegness, which I recorded just to have record of it, but I was so pleased with it that, with a bit of fettling in the hands of Mark Lewis, I had a new album to which I gave the wildly imaginative title ‘Rowland Jones - Live’, despite which it was nominated in Best Live CD category in the 2021 Independent Blues Awards.During lockdown, I began www.talkingsongs.uk a weekly on-line event where I interview other songwriters. I chatted with writers from the UK, New York, Nashville, Florida, Portland, Canada, France, Italy and Australia. It’s fun to do and we’ve had a great response with close to 150,000 viewers in total.As we slowly came out of restrictions, we recorded a concert with the trio at Hermon Chapel Arts Centre in Oswestry which was released in Jan 2022 with unsurprising title - ‘Live@Oswestry’ Blues Matters magazine described it as ‘an excellent live release ... . a cohesive trio . . . adding a full bodied sound to Rowland’s songs.’ which seems like a pretty good start to the year....

GOD’S BUSY CHANGING STRINGS© Rowland JonesI went down to the crossroadsFell Down On My KneesSaid Lord help me play the guitarIf you pleaseI am not religeous, don’t understand these thingsBut I heard a voice say, “God’s busy changing strings”I don’t believe, I don’t believeI don’t believe in Him, hope he believes in me..Just like any callI thought I’d try again laterHe was bound to respondI could speak to my creatorI did not expect to hear him say“I’m practicing my scales, so just go away”I don’t believe, I don’t believeI don’t believe in Him, hope he believes in me..I was feeling diminishedIn a minor moodDon’t want to say itBut he seemed quite rudeThought I’d try again, just one more timeHe said “How can I practice when you’re always on the line?I don’t believe, I don’t believeI don’t believe in Him, hope he believes in me..Got together with the guysTo organise a jamThought I might tryTo invite The ManHe turned up said H’d something to ask usHow’d you write a blues called ‘Going Down To Damascus?”I don’t believe, I don’t believeI don’t believe in Him, hope he believes in me..He seemed dazed and confusedSo I took him for a walkPut my arm around himSaid “Would it help to talk”He said “Can you understand how it felt kinda oddWhen I read forty years ago that Claptom is God?”I don’t believe, I don’t believeI don’t believe in Him, hope he believes in me..Follow this link to listen...www.writeawaymag.co.uk 41ROWLANDJONESWEBSITE:https://rowlandjones.band-zoogle.com/SOCIAL MEDIA:https://www.facebook.com/rowlandjones51MUSIC PLATFORMShttps://soundcloud.com/rowlandj:

42 www.writeawaymag.co.ukAlways A Sunny DayAlways A Sunny Day© Korgis & Joe MateraThe Korgis first met joe matera when he interviewed James Aarren just before the release of the korgis 2021 album, ‘Kartoon world.’ Australian born Joe Matera is a rocker through and through, having a career that has swayed between rock journalist / guitar player / artist.As a magazine writer he has interviewed artists of stellar magnitude and as diverse as Sir George Martin and Lemmy!As a guitar player he has been seen playing for Steve Harley and the Swedish rock legends Rough Rockers. In his own right he has released 3 Albums and countless singles.It wasn’t too long before Joe suggested a collaboration. Maybe because he was from Kyabram, (near where Al used to go on holidays as a kid) that he was the first to pick up the challenge.Using a chord riff and tune that Joe had sent across and sparked by a conversation (between Al and his daughter Lorna) in the plane flying across to Greece, the chorus of ‘Always a Sunny Day’ was born. As it was quite an unusual sound harmonically, we hoped Joe would be ok with this softer edge than perhaps he was used to… fortunately he loved where it was going.On Al’s return from Greece, we quickly got to work on completing the song albeit in demo form. This is also how the whole of Kartoon World was written, by assembling rough demos and then adding the band in bit by bit.James called across and wrote a verse/bridge in about 20 mins which fitted perfectly, and between us we hammered out a middle 8. This was quite reminiscent of Brian Wilson with lovely chords underpinned by altered bass notes.John Baker came across and put a magical lower vocal in the chorus’ and a lovely McCartney style line in the second bridge. Meanwhile Joe had sent across his vocals and a magical guitar solo, plus a lovely rhythm part. The whole piece was starting to gel.Al finished lyrics based on some of Joe’s ideas and the whole song became about the ‘have’s and have nots’. What is it like to start life with everything you want?... and what is it like to start with nothing? The wealth divide is one of the biggest problems in the world today. When you add homelessness in, then that is pretty much where we are with this song.Although we already had LOTS of vocals recorded, we decided to push the boat out and see what else we could add. The very last phrase of the song ‘rain.....bow’ was perhaps the very last thing to be recorded - and what a beautiful unexpected end. Just when you think it is going to fade out you are left with that line.We didn’t want this release to be just ‘another digital download’ so we decided you should have the ‘paper parts’ even if they are virtual!Thank you for being here at the beginning of ‘Always a Sunny Day’, and we hope you will follow it’s progress along with us.The Korgis/Joe Matera The Korgis’ James Warren chats to Joe Matera

www.writeawaymag.co.uk 43KORGIS &JOE MATERAWEBSITE:https://thekorgis.com/https://www.joematera.com/SOCIAL MEDIA:https://www.facebook.com/thekorgis/https://www.facebook.com/joe.materaMUSIC PLATFORMS:https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtDFbx0zku6FUIT-PUaIyLZQhttps://www.youtube.com/c/JoeMateraLook at us both we were just like brothersIn that old photographI became a persistent scholarAnd you took up fighting the flagFrom anti-establishment ethosTo a nowhere man without a homeWhile I flew up to heaven and madeMy living as the Emperor of Rome, and it’sAlways a sunny dayWhen you live your life above the cloudsHow come it’s raining on me?Just choose how to spend your dayTurn a smile into twoWhen there’s nowhere to sleepSee just what you can do-oohAnd there’s nothing to doIt’s always a sunny dayWhen you’re living high above the cloudsIt won’t stop raining on meTake that rain and turn it into arain..... ...bowNowhere to go, nothing to showNo colours to build a rainbowAlong the way, a window shattersThe streets are restless tonightDown here, I’m just chasing the shadowsTrying not to lose the fightThe playground of the AngelsIs a wonderland we all should seeSay it’s not true thatWe’re all locked into our destinyStuck with what will be will be, cause it’sBuild my dreams and fly awayI fly with the angelsI’m stuck here on the groundWith my stuck- on wingsI’d - cry if the angelsIf I could fly awayEver set me downAlways a sunny dayHow come it’s raining on me?Just choose how to spend your dayWhen there’s nowhere to sleepAnd there’s nothing to doIt’s always a sunny dayWhen you’re living high above the cloudsIt won’t stop raining on meTake that rain and turn it into arain..... ...bowNowhere to go, nothing to showNo colours to build a rainbowWhen you’re living above the cloudsNo money to build a rainbowIt’s always a sunny dayNo money to build a rainbowFollow this link to listen....ALWAYS A SUNNY DAY© Korgis & Joe Matera

44 www.writeawaymag.co.ukJOANIELEEDSLet’s Make Forever Never EndLet’s Make Forever Never End© K. Wilgosh & D. WashburnWelcome to angela’s 5th single and the 3rd to be written by Dan Washburn and 1st time co writer on one of Angela’s tracks by Ken Wil-gosh.Angela, from Drumquin, County Tyrone has been sing-ing most of her life and, after a break from the music game she came back with a single called ‘if only’ which got great radio airplay.After meeting up with singer/songwriters Dan Washburn /Seamus Fitzsimmons and GEr O’Brien thing’s took off.Angela record’s in Canada and is produced by Dan Washburn , and using top musician’s from Canada and Nashville on all her songs . So, this new single from her is a great jiving num-ber to dance along to.Many thanks to all the lad’s who played on this track and thanks to Ken and Dan for writing a great song . Angela is recording more great number’s for her new album coming later this year Many thanks to Steve BLoor Media for all their help as always. Let’s Make Forever Never EndProducer: Dan WashburnWriters: Ken Wilgosh & Dan WashburnRecorded at Northumberland Music StudioEngineer: Andy ThompsonSession Players: Steve Piticco, Ken Post, Al Bragg, Andrew Affleck, Andy Thompson, Matt RayBack-up Vocals: Dan Washburn Mixed & Mastered by Andy Thompson, Northumberland Music Studio

LET’S MAKE FOREVER NEVER END© K. Wilgosh & D. WashburnHey good lookin, I’ve found the right one this timeMan you’re shining, the brightest star in the skyI don’t know how we got here, but I wanna make you mineHey sweet baby, how ‘bout you take me for a drive‘Cause my heart pounds, when you’re sittin’ by my sideThat’s how I know I need you, ‘cause you are always on my mindLet’s make forever never endLove every moment that we spendLiving life, one kiss at a timeI’m all in, just say you’ll be mineLet’s go dancin’, what are doin’ Saturday nightYou get me swoonin, staring into those blue eyesIf you feel what I feel, forever might not be enough timeSo, let’s make forever never endLove every moment that we spendLiving life, one kiss at a timeI’m all in, just say you’ll be mineSolo - over verse patternLet’s make forever never endLove every moment that we spendLiving life, one kiss at a timeI’m all in, just say you’ll be mineJust seal the deal boy and say that you’ll be mineFollow this link to listen...www.writeawaymag.co.uk 45ANGELABREENSOCIAL MEDIAhttps://www.facebook.com/angelabreenmusic/https://twitter.com/MusicBreenMUSIC PLATFORMShttps://www.instagram.com/angelabreenmusic

46 www.writeawaymag.co.ukWhat A Memory© Caroline ParkeCaroline Parke never has a shortage of songs in her catalogue to choose from. Her newest album “Walk With Me” is her third original album showcasing 12 intimate songs full of extensive personal insight. Every song was written about literal situations, with no “artis-tic license” taken to fulfill the story behind each tune.Parke says that “The Best That I Can” was inspired by parents of all kinds; single Moms, single Dads and stay at home moms that feel alone, stuck in a repetitive cycle. As a parent with young children (four kids under 10) she gains new insights daily to “the sacrifice and determination required to persevere through these years with the reward at least a decade away!” “It’s a kind of stamina…. and patience, like never before.” she laughs, reflecting on previous roles she’s held. Caroline worked as an Admin-istrative Assistant and Contract Coordinator prior to welcoming the “family years” and often recalls a quote from her father: “Have kids, they will make you grow in a way that no other experience will”. Caro-line says, “How true this has turned out to be. It makes the office world seem like a walk in the park, truly!”The Best That I Can was written in one evening, inspired by a depress-ing phone call with a friend, but it turned out to be quite the toe-tap-per! “It’s a song of encouragement and is meant to uplift, with the chorus providing a daily mantra of positive self-talk” says Parke, who admittedly has had her struggles in that department.CHORUS:Ooooh I feel the shift comin’ on, it’s pushing me again and it’s gonna make me strongerOooh I’m gonna rise with the dawn, it’s a new day tomorrow and I’m gonna do the best that I can “Parenting sometimes feels like an extreme sport, and it has definitely been a challenge to maintain my mental health at times!” The journey continues as the family develops and grows, and songs are always play-ing in the Parke household.Parke has been writing songs steadily after a rural crime event trau-matized her - with disorientation from the trauma lasting a full year! “Holding my guitar was very grounding, and allowed me to carve out sometimes even just 20 minutes of peace ….I couldn’t hold conver-sations with all my kids, all at the same time, like I could before the attack… it was a very difficult time”.Parke has written only two songs about that traumatic event: Daylight Breaks was on her first original album, The Road. Her second song, What a Memory, is on her new album, and outlines the realization that we are all just people, struggling through life. Near the end of the song, Parke asks if her assailant is going to survive her own life situation. This brings both the victim and assailant onto the same playing field and encourages understanding and eventual forgiveness. CHORUS:Now I close my eyes and I see her crying. She’s full of bad memories.They Probably replay every time she’s angry, she might never feel freeParke says she enjoys songwriting as it is a complex journey, yet beau-tifully simplistic.Subscribe for sneak peaks and unreleased content at https://www.carolineparkemusic.com/Caroline Parke has gained nominations this year for awards with the International singer-songwriter Association. Nominations include:Int’l Female Vocalist of the YearInt’l Female Rising StarAlbum of the year “Pause and Pine”Int’l Female Singer of the Year “Don’t Look Back” Int’l Female Songwriter of the YearInt’l Female Emerging ArtistVoting is welcome daily through the month of April: https://poll-mak-er.com/QTQKDZZX8

WHAT A MEMORY© Caroline ParkeI was standing in the openEyes scanning the yard and fieldThen I thought I should call it inBut I hardly got the chanceNow I close my eyes but the blade still slashes, What a memoryIt replays every night I’m wakeful, When will I be freeThe case drug on through the dark cold monthsI could see no tracks in the snowBut the dog still barked and I always jumpedAnd I ……I just wanted to goAnd I’d close my eyes see the girl there crying What a memoryIt replays every night I’m wakeful, When will I be free Don’t matter where ya liveThere is hurt all aroundEvery day I try and try, to jus’ Keep my feet on the groundAnd I’d close my eyes and I see her fighting What an awful memory It replays every night I’m wakeful, I want to be freeWell God has not given us the spirit of fearBut my sound mind has been shakenSix months passed I survived that nightBut is she gonna make itNow I close my eyes and I see her crying She’s full of bad memoriesThey probably replay every time she’s angry, She might never feel freeFollow this link to listen...www.writeawaymag.co.uk 47CAROLINEPARKEWEBSITE https://www.caro-lineparkemusic.com/SOCIAL MEDIAhttps://www.facebook.com/carolineparkesongwriterhttps://twitter.com/caro-linerparke?fbclid=IwAR-2HMhqugV2yKVp024mk0_JVrBVEbDVTjdShHK-F25Tt-R3RGZS1xYDp_GjIMUSIC PLATFORMShttps://www.youtube.com/c/CarolineParkeTwangInMy-Stephttps://carolineparke.band-camp.com/

48 www.writeawaymag.co.ukColm GavinFrom Dublin To BroadwayDecember of last year saw Irish troubadour Colm Gavin making his New York City debut in the legendary Broadway jazz club Birdland, a venue immortalised by jazz greats such as Count Basie, Miles Davis, Chet Baker, Judy Garland & many others “New York is one of those cities with a captivating pace” remarked Gavin “You can feel Duke Ellington’s spirit in the air in midtown, the majesty of the brill building still glows on 42nd street, conversations in bookstores of the East village drip with poetry, it’s hard not be hypnotised by the Manhattan heartbeat”2021 saw Gavin’s star continue to rise with the success of his latest release “The 1992 Tapes” which reached number 1 in the Irish Songwriter charts & number 56 in the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States Gavin’s work has earned him widespread praise from a number of heavy hitters in the music industry with Grammy award winning songwriter Paul Williams saying of his music “Songs this beautiful deserve to be heard” “I’ll be releasing an EP of new material in the coming months” Colm explained. “I’ve been performing extensively with Niamh Keane, David Sexton & Ailbhe Kehoe the past 6 months and I want to capture that musical fusion on record”“David, Ailbhe & Niamh employ exceptional musicianship in everything they do. They bring out the melodic flavours in my work like no one else can”While no date has officially been set for the release of what will be his third EP in 18 months, Gavin has described the forthcoming batch of songs as a charming offering of original tunes with woodwind & string accompaniment “It’s been challenging returning to the rhythm of a post pandemic world, I’m just trying to stay grateful and present. I have a loyal and supportive following whose generosity of spirit has carried me through these last two years, I never take that for granted.”Dates for Colm’s national & international performances can be found on all of his affiliated social media accounts

www.writeawaymag.co.uk 49COLMGAVINSOCIAL MEDIA:https://www.instagram.com/colmgavin/?utm_medium=-copy_linkhttps://www.facebook.com/colmgavinofficial/MUSIC PLATFORMShttps://open.spotify.com/ar-tist/6b5v1OQRagY6RNOHyZ-2j6Mhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cwSKkyc_h3Ahttps://soundcloud.com/colm-gavin-official?ref=clip-board&p=i&c=1WARTIME ROMANCEC Colm GavinBundle me a bindle of hens teeth,Do the tango with Ricardo on the stairs,Borrow from the Mykonos inspired book store,And scribble a thousand unheard Italian prayers,We’ll boogaloo at brigadoon on Sunday, I’ll bring hyacinths and a pocket full of change, And you’ll look as pretty as a pennyLaughing by the big black gates in the rainFollow this link to listen...

50 www.writeawaymag.co.uk50 ww w .wr i t e awaym a g.co.ukENOUGHKatyekellye And The Interruption(C) 2021 Kelli Rosenthal/Katye Kellye and The Interruption/Quinterruption MusicI wrote “Enough” about a year after our last live performance before everything shut down because of COVID. A little back story: I am a nurse as well as a musician. Writing and performing my music have always been the way I make sense of the world and decompress. The past couple of years have been nothing like anything I’ve ever seen in my many years as a nurse.“Enough” sets a scene at a live performance. It’s part memory, part fantasy, but wholly about the joy that both I, as a performer, and the audience feel when we connect during a live show. Absolutely nothing feels better than that moment when the audience starts singing your song along with you!I’ve been a songwriter since I was a teenager. As I said above, music is how I make sense of the world. Like many people, I started my first band in my teens, and got as far as gaining some traction in the 1980s with a NYC all-woman punk band called “Toxic Shox”. We came very close to signing a recording contract with a major label, but weren’t willing to go along with the quid pro quo. So I left music, although it never left me. I started a professional career, had a family, did all that stuff that people do to make a life. But I never stopped writing music.About 5 years ago, the siren song of the Jersey Shore stages finally got to me, and I joined a cover band with a friend. Not content to just perform other people’s songs, as much as I enjoyed them, I recorded a 3 song EP, “Vanity Project” with some studio musician friends, released in 2019. The reception was good and we got a fair amount of radio play and some good press. The following year, we came out with our first full-length album, “Late Bloomer”. It was loosely based on a lot of what I’d been through in my life. I was so honored to be nominated for several awards through the International Singer Songwriter Association and The Josie Music Awards.In 2021, we released our second LP, “Sophomore Slump”. Despite not being able to perform it live during the pandemic, we were grateful for all the airplay and streams and awards nominations. This year, we’re taking a different tack: we’re releasing 9 new singles, rather than a full album at a time. This is in response to the algorithms of the major streaming services, which limit how many tracks on an album can be considered for editorial playlists, rather singles that can all be individually considered. “Enough” is the first of these.