Songwriters Circle - Twin Cities

As part of my songwriting immersion, several months ago, I joined a local songwriters group called the "Songwriters Circle - Twin Cities"  (http://www.meetup.com/Songwriters-Circle-TwinCities/).  The primary focus of the group is to meet other songwriters to share and learn and to become better songwriters.  It is designed after a group started many years ago in Greenwich Village.  The group is led by an amazing individual named Don Strong (https://www.facebook.com/DONSTRONGMUSIC/, who personally experienced the Greenwich Village group and wanted to start something similar in Minnesota.  Don has a lot of musical experiences and a deep love of music of all styles.  Don is a kind and caring man who does a great job of keeping the group a positive experience for the members. 


The group has about 40 members, primarily singer/songwriter acoustic guitar troubadours.   The group has several types of events including workshops, open mic events at local coffee houses, and showcases for new songwriters.  In the group workshops, members are able to perform their songs for other songwriters and obtain feedback for anything from song structure, arrangements, and lyrics.  This group is a great way to get positive constructive feedback from other songwriters. 


The group completed a compilation CD last year composed of songs written and recorded by several of the members ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VgxOeP7ZTac) and are planning another this fall. 


Today, I attended a recording workshop led by Patrick Bonier, a member of the group.  The purpose of the workshop was to teach songwriters home recording basics.  Patrick has ~50 years of experience in music and has a great deal of knowledge about music history, songwriting methods and tools, and recording. You will hear more about Patrick in an upcoming profile.  Patrick is on the left below. 

Patrick taught basic software setup, equipment,, recording setup for vocals and guitar, recording basics, multi-tracking, effects, and mixing.   It was a great session and all who attended gained useful information that they will be able leverage in the future.