FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 26, 2007
FOR INFORMATION CONTACT
Linda Akins
312-953-7830
Eds.: Spelling of pat mAcdonald is correct.
Steel Bridge SongFest Songwriters
Reunite to Expand Writing Horizons
Eleven Songwriters Gather at Holiday Motel for Songwriting Technology Class
Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin. Songwriters who participated in The Construction Zone, a songwriting collaboration at the Steel Bridge SongFest in June, are reuniting at the historic Holiday Motel, August 5 to 11. They are gathering at the Holiday Motel’s custom recording studio for an intensive workshop in Pro Tools, a computer system designed to expand the capabilities of songwriters and music producers.
Sponsored by the Madison Media Institute, the workshop will give the 11 musicians hands-on instruction in new media technology that is changing the way songwriters approach their craft. Travis Kasperbauer, an award-winning music engineer, musician and Certified Pro Tools instructor, explained that the system can revolutionize a solo musician’s ability to create music.
“Pro Tools will blow up their ability to hang on to the ideas they now write on scraps of paper,” said Kasperbauer. “For most musicians, it opens horizons in composing that shake up their whole notion of songwriting.”
Kasperbauer noted that songwriters can use the system to access emulations of hundreds of instruments. A solo artist who plays guitar can add the sounds of a famous Steinway that few have access to. Or, vintage instruments such as a Fender Rhodes piano. Or, a 500 pound Hammond B3 organ that would be impossible to lug around. Add to these, wildlife sounds and other effects and a songwriter’s range becomes limitless.
Participants in the week-long workshop include Jane Wiedlin (the Go-Go’s), pat mAcdonald, Eric McFadden (P-Funk), Chris Aaron, Freedy Johnston, Ben Dowland, Adam Mackintosh, Bruce Reaves, Victoria Vox, melaniejane, and Construction Zone engineer Steve Hamilton. After class on Monday, August 6, all the musicians will be appearing at a special Door County concert at 9 p.m. at Bayside Tavern in Fish Creek, Wisconsin.
On the weekend following the workshops, Jane Wiedlin, pat mAcdonald and other participants will appear at a benefit concert for Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin at Lambeau Field Atrium on August 10 in Green Bay. “Concert for Champion Kids” at 6 p.m. aims to raise over $400,000 in donations at the free concert, while recognizing the courageous children who have been treated at the hospital. It is part of the annual Woodward Communication Radiothon sponsored by 105.7 WAPL and 95.9 KISS.
On August 11, the musicians will be at The Nautical Inn in Sturgeon Bay. According to mAcdonald, they will be out performing “just for the fun of it. We'll need to party after all that intense schoolin'."
The Construction Zone was begun by mAcdonald as a feature of the annual SongFest, an event designed to raise money and awareness of historic preservation in Door County. Some 25 songwriters are invited to stay at the Holiday Motel and collaborate on songs with their peers. This year’s group wrote and recorded 60 original songs during their stay. A CD of select songs from the 2006 SongFest is now available at www.steelbridgesongfest.org.
For more information about Pro Tools certification and the Madison Media Institute, visit www.madisonmedia.com.