CONTACT: Linda Akins
312-953-7830
Posted Friday, June 15, 2007
SONGWRITERS CREATE NEW MUSIC AT STURGEON BAY SONGFEST
More than 40 songs have already been written, recorded and mixed by some two dozen songwriters from across the nation at the third annual Steel Bridge SongFest in the first four days of the event. Running the spectrum from rock to country to experimental, the songs are the result of random collaboration by the songwriters.
Upon arrival Sunday evening the songwriters used the Spin the Bottle game to get their writing partners. The random selection resulted in songwriters being paired with people they might not have otherwise teamed with. Throughout the week, the bottle spinning is repeated to re-sort the teams.
All writers are headquartered at the historic Holiday Motel where a custom-designed recording studio has been installed. Noted bluesman Chris Aaron, manager of the recording studio, works with the songwriters to record their original compositions. The songwriters also perform with each other on the recordings. They also are performing their new songs live in venues throughout Sturgeon Bay on Thursday, Friday and Saturday evening. An all-day concert at the Great Lakes Yacht Services shipyard on Saturday will feature many of the new songs as well.
Fifteen songs chosen from almost 100 songs written at the 2006 festival have been featured on a CD called Steel Bridge Songs Vol. 1. A follow-up CD will be produced with the 2007 songs.
The songwriters were selected by pat mAcdonald, co-founder of the Steel Bridge SongFest. mAcdonald, a noted singer/songwriter in his own right, drew from his acquaintances across the nation to assemble a diverse group of creative talent. The songwriters include:
Right on John (McColley) from Portland, Oregon. A songwriter who has planted over one million trees in Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, and Wyoming.
Kris Doty. Boise, Idaho. Out with her first CD "Smoke in the Mirror." Described as a songwriter who can write a song that breaks your heart.
James Hall. Atlanta, Georgia. Has played with Rage Against the Machine and many others with his band The Pleasure Club.
Jane Wiedlin. Los Angeles, California. Founder of the Go-Go's and noted actress, songwriter, musician. Is acting as a facilitator for the group and providing inspiration.
Tex Coyote. West Texas. Plays folk, experimental and French pop on electric guitar, lap steel and mandolin.
Eric McFadden. San Francisco, California. Has performed with Bo Diddley, The Clash, Wide Spread Panic and others.
David Cox. Durant, Mississippi. Composes songs derived from real life struggles, hardship and love.
Burr Settles. Madison, Wisconsin. Started the February Writing Month Challenge to encourage writers to produce 14 songs in 28 days. In 2007 some 800 songwriters in 28 countries took the challenge.
Brian Cirullo. Vermont. A college hockey star turned songwriter.
These and many other songwriters are donating their talents to a week of celebrating the historic Michigan Street Bridge in downtown Sturgeon Bay. They are championing the causes of historic preservation, citizen activism, and artistic creation.