That's right. Simply fill out your Profile with everything about you, and then you can promote yourself to the world with your unique url based on the username you choose.

E.g., http://www.songsalive.org/profile/username

Upload pictures, up to 10 music tracks, your bio, and what you are looking for. Update your status, which will show on the home page on our Members Activity feed.

Other members can find you through your unique url or from the Members Page (under community) as well through the Members Activity feed.

http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/article.php?id=41382

Definitely a website worth checking out.  It has more new content than any website I know of, and it's good content, too.

walt

Chapter URL: http://www.songsalive.org/group/chicago

Reach out to Walter through his Songsalive! Profile (he goes by snipehunt) and enjoy our interview and review below.

Songsalive! profile page: www.songsalive.org/profile/snipehunt/

Focus website:  www.cdbaby.com/Artist/WalterEhresman

Myspace:  www.myspace.com/waltehresman

Buy music: www.cdbaby.com/all/snipe

CD REVIEW:
Well....Let's Look at Your Track Record, Shall We?
Walter Ehresman
Record Label: Snipe Bog Records

Walt'er's CdBaby page describes his album as such, "A poignant, emotionally-complex set of songs that runs the gamut from love to betrayal and heartbreak. With a little humor and political commentary on the side. Musically diverse, from jazzy to folky to the vibe of vintage Stones."

His featured song "Summer Calls the Shots" is a brassy and musically ambitious song that sings of summer, the sea, the wind and all that you desire on a summer vacation. It's very catchy not only with the lyrics but the melody. Every time the line , "I've been waiting for such a long time" comes along, it draws me in. The vibe of the song reminds me of Huey Lewis and a little of Billy Joel. The guitar solo, with Walter's vocal scatting matching, is also ambitious and cool, ala George Benson. Although this song doesn't fit into the 4 minute pop song mold, his key changes keep you entranced to want to keep listening, and it truly takes you on a journey.  It's rock, it's eclectic, it's brash, and fun. I have a funny feeling Walter has a great sense of humor too. Well done.

Another album track, "Bad Faith" takes an about face musically and uses experimental vocals and electronic sounds. Quite a left field from the rest of his album, but still interesting. My favorite is "Oh Anuhea", which uses a Hawaii ukulele and a fantastic sense of humor. I could hear this on the movie "Cocktail" (remember that Tom Cruise movie?) Walter's songs would do really well in movies where the scene requires the song to carry the mood.

"Some Old White Dudes" starts with what I learned to be a Fender Rhodes electric piano, and a poignant story about these old white dudes which asks me to query if it's a sad song of tongue in cheek, because by now I'm ready for Walter to deliver a humorous tale. But then the movie Kill Bill was meant to be funny and boy was that deep and dark. Yes, Walter displays a mix of emotions and stories in his musical tales and makes us all think, which is refreshing in songs these days where we are generally asked to only tap to the beat.

Just added, Walter has pointed out for us that "Some Old White Dudes" "is a commentary on the hypocrisy of Moral Majority-types in the American South, and the irony of a largely-poor demographic voting consistently for right wing politicians when those policies help keep them poor.  Steely Dan is a big influence for this song."

"Echo Down the Years" is reminiscent of the 60s and has the romance to go along with it. This one is a real gem, and is laid back and cool. As i slid into the love story of this song, I imagined myself in a hammock on an island, taken into dream land with Walter's mastery of metaphors and story telling.

Overall, Well....Let's Look at Your Track Record, Shall We? is an ambitious and musically eclectic   smorgasbord of  storyststorytelling, music experimentation, solid musicianship, and a journey through time and eras. I felt like I was in Walter's movie of his life and it was a very pleasant ride. Get your copy at www.cdbaby.com/Artist/WalterEhresman

INTERVIEW:

1. Where are you from, originally and what brought you to Austin?  I was born in Houston, but luckily was removed from there at a young age and was brought up in San Antonio.  I move to Austin to attend UT in 1980 and never left.  I can't imagine living (voluntarily) anywhere else in Texas.

2. What style of music would you say you do?  I keep hoping that I'll wake up in the middle of the night some day, inspired with a pithy short phrase that encapsulates what I do.  Thought it was happening the other night, but it turned out I just had to pee.  Basically, I write, record and perform songs in a bunch of different styles, because I get ideas--pretty much fully formed--for a piece of music and then set about trying to record it (whatever style it might be in) to the best of my self-taught abilities.  Although I've had bands over the years, most of my material comes out on my solo albums where I play almost all the instruments myself.  On any one album, you'll find anything from singer/songwriter material to electronica to rock to pop to reggae to ska to world music to experimental to dance to spoken word.  Lyrically, it seems I'm most often writing about human behavior--in the micro and the macro.... why people do what they do, which includes politics, which is really just a reflection of a person's character (or lack of same).

3. What do you enjoy best - songwriting or performing and why?  Wow, that's a tough one.  I'd have to say that the act of creation of the song itself is what I enjoy most.  Taking that idea, which may come at a traffic light or even in a dream, and finding a way to translate it into a final recorded piece...as filtered through my ability to play the instruments in question.  I love performing as well, but the issue I've had over the years is that I've never really found a band that fully shared my musical vision and wanted to play this  material.... which means at least two guitars, keyboards, bass, drums, percussion and some horns.  My music is way too weird to be able to bankroll that kind of ensemble!  Well, so far, anyway.  My old band Snipe Hunt, back in the 1990s, played my songs but I really feel I've written my best stuff in the years since then, and so I'm still looking for that special group of copascetic musicians that will allow me to play it live the way it's meant to be played (as opposed to the solo acoustic versions I have to do now).

4. Who are your musical influences?  Boy, you guys are sure asking the Big Questions!  I've been a musical sponge for as long as I can remember.  Voracious.  My music collection at home is bursting through the seams of available space to keep it in, and getting bigger all the time (especially since I avoid MP3, since I want no part of the inherent audio degradation).  I'm a voracious hunter for new music (well, new to me, anyway).  When I was a kid, it was all about The Beatles for me.  "Yellow Submarine" was my first album, and I have always been particularly fond of psychedelic Beatles.  Then, growing up in San Antonio and listening to KISS FM back when it was a free-form independently-owned station, I heard a crazy mix of music on any given day that had a huge influence on me... they'd go from BB King to Nektar to Be Bop Deluxe to Black Sabbath to John Prine to Iron Butterfly to CSNY to Aphrodite's Child to Tangerine Dream to Muddy Waters to Johnny Winter to Traffic.  On and on.  I soaked it all up, and begged for more.  Somewhere around those years, I fell in love with those 70s Yes albums, and to this day "Close to the Edge" is my favorite album of all time.  And it says in my will that the song "Awaken," off the Yes album "Going for the One," has be to played--loudly--at my funeral before my friends burn my body (with viking helmet) in a rowboat off the jetties at Port Aransas.  If this violates some of those state laws put in to feather the nest of that giant funeral corporation that's friends of the Bush family, so much the better. By the time I got to college, I was a full-blown Dylan freak as well, and that influenced my songwriting a great deal and still does to this day.  I have to say that Todd Rundgren has also been a huge influence, in many ways but primarily because I saw that the one-man-band concept was possible....along with getting hooked on the magic that can happen with creative use of the studio. Many many others, of course......Grateful Dead, Lou Reed, Stones, The Band, Gatemouth Brown.  Over the last 12 years or so, I've experimented quite a bit with using electronica groove beats in song forms where it's not typically heard.  I was largely prompted to do this by my exposure to a lot of world music electronica that I collected from overseas to play on my daily radio shows on the infamous pirate radio station Radio Electra out at Burning Man.  But, also, I was heavily influenced by the early pioneer of this kind of synthesis.....Bill Nelson, who has been so prolific in his solo releases since disbanding Be Bop Deluxe all those years ago.  He's such an amazing artist.....so diverse....and it's criminal that he's not more widely known these days.  He was doing thoughtful, well-conceived and executed merging of rock and jazz with electronica years before Jeff Beck started putting our his early, primitive experiments in that area.  Let's see....the other big musical influence I need to emphasize for me is world music (although I don't really like that term).  I went whole-hog into exploring this area starting in the mid 90s, after dabbling around the edges of it going all the way back to the early 80s.  It's had an incalculable effect on me as a musician and songwriter.

5. Describe your favorite song you have written and why is it so special to you:  Whew! Tough, again.  Since I generally do everything from the songwriting to the recording/engineering to the playing/singing myself, I've got lots of things to consider when I try to say what my favorite is.  From purely a recording perspective, there's a song I did years ago that was the lead track to my 2003 solo album "The Feral Rugby Team Must GO!".  The song is called "Jesus, That Blimp is Following Me!".  Lyrically, it's basically a nonsense song, which is unusual for me because--while I often incorporate humor into my songwriting--my lyrics are usually trying to express some specific ideas.  But this is the one song, I've always thought, where I wouldn't change a thing about the recording... and that's out of about 200 that I've written and released so far.  And I have some songs that came out of getting my heart broken (then removed from my ribcage and clog-danced on with golf cleats) that are very raw, real expressions of the pain I was going through at the time...."Flood the Empty Quarter" off my last album, "Goodbye, My Love" from 2007 are examples.  Those are about as "real" as I can be as a songwriter.  But if I had to pick one, it might be "That Summer Sun," which I wrote to be recorded with a band I was in at the time, Delphi Rising for the group's one album, "For Granted" (2009).  I was able to record it down at Million Dollar Sound, which is a studio here in Austin that my friend Kurtis owns, which had a full, professional Pro Tools set up.  This was a very different experience from doing recording alone in my own Snipe Bog Studios.  I didn't have to worry about the technical stuff.....I could just write a song for the musicians I had available to me, then go in, play my parts, and then focus on getting the best takes from the other guys.  The song features piano, strings, fretless bass, electric guitars, drums, and some very talented young horn players who came in for the first time, that day, and got some wonderful takes that really make the piece.  This is one of those songs of mine where you can occasionally hear the huge influence that Steely Dan has had on me, albeit filtered through my total lack of music theory or jazz chops.  Lyrically, it's a post-apocalyptic song about love in the ruins after the global climate change meltdown.  I think it ended up having 26 tracks in Pro Tools....a whole big production, and I'm pretty proud with how it came out. 

6. What are your goals for the next 5 years, musically speaking?  Well, I'm well into work on my next solo album, which will be my 14th (those numbers start to seem unreal after a while).  It will be another diverse collection of songs, all over the stylistic map.  So far, I've got a ska song that's a piece of social commentary about the Teabagger Party, called "Unimpressive Specimens"......a Gang of Four-ish angular piece called "She's Like the Khumbu," about a harrowing experience I had earlier this year in my first two weeks of on-line dating (!).....a Bill Nelson-ish piece of rock/electronica called "Her Supersonic Stare," which I consider to be sort of a sequel to a couple of songs off Donald Fagen's The Nightfly ("I.G.Y", and "New Frontier") in that they reflect a parody of the Cold War vibe of technological fetishism (including war tech) and American Exceptionalism....and finally a song that's basically German cabaret (I had been listening a lot to that new live version of Lou Reed's "Berlin" from a few years ago).  Simultaneously, I'm about to start work on a guitar-based all-instrumental album, which will be a first for me.  It's not going to be shred/wank fest, though.....it will feature acoustic and electric guitars primarily, but in a lot of different musical contexts.  Yeah, I may have to wank some, I guess...but that won't be the driver of the album.  I'm also in a continual search for a band that wants to play this music I've amassed, so that these songs can see the stage in their fully-realized form for the first time.  I've got a good drummer, James Rader, who's with me on this (he played in Delphi Rising), and so we've been spending forever looking for a keyboardist and, even more difficult, a bass player (which has always been the Holy Grail of musicians to find in Austin). 

7. Tell us about your recordings and what's in store next.  Well, as I said, I've released 13 full-length solo albums since 1989, where I play most of the instruments myself.  I had a band in the '90s called Snipe Hunt, and we released 3 studio albums...the first two with a four-piece configuration of the band, and the final album as a duo.  You can hear that stuff here:  http://www.myspace.com/snipehuntaustin; www.cdbaby.com/Artist/SnipeHunt.  More recently, I played in a four-piece band called Delphi Rising, and we put one studio album out in 2009, which you can hear here:  www.myspace.com/delphirisingband; www.cdbaby.com/Artist/DelphiRising.  Aside from the projects I'm working on that I already mentioned, I just want to always get better as a songwriter, a musician, and a producer.  I try to keep my ears wide open, not only to the music around me but what's going on in the world around me.  We need more protest music on this planet!  There's lots of things that need a flashlight put on them, that's for sure.  And there's lots of beauty, too, and all of it needs to be expressed in music that's real.... that's from the heart.  So that's what I want to do, until I drop dead doing it.

8. Where can we buy your music?  www.cdbaby.com/all/snipe, along with all the other usual on-line stores.

9. What are your views about where the music industry is heading in your community, or on a global level?  Well, the demise of the music industry, generally speaking, has been well documented and I probably don't have anything unique to add to that tale.  So much has changed since I first had the temerity to think I could start writing and recording music.  I started out working on a miserable little Tascam Porta-One mini-studio that was hell to deal with.  You inserted cassette tapes into it.  Nightmarish. And yet my first few albums were done that way.  Looking at how the recording technology has not only changed, but changed and then eventually become affordable for fringe artists like me, is astonishing.  It's created a great democratization of music, because now ANYONE can record digital-quality music and put it on-line.  But there is a LOT of it out there and, ironically, we don't have any meaningful mechanisms around to filter out the wheat from the chaff, so to speak.  This would be a great time to have record companies that were well funded enough to go out and do A&R and develop artists.  But we don't really have that, that I can see.  So we have this Great Noise out there, and you have to really dig around on-line to figure out what's good and what's crap.  Another issue is the fact that the younger folks out there, from what I can tell, feel largely entitled to free music.  To me, that's pretty offensive... if you tried to stiff the plumber after he fixed your sink, you'd get a pipe wrench up the whazoo.  There needs to be some solution to what the internet has done to music as a product, or else no one will be able to afford to be a musician anymore except for the handful of mallrats that some giant multi-national conglomerate puts out there with heavy-duty marketing.  Is that what everyone wants?  Not me.

10. Anything pertinent you'd like to say about Songsalive!  I'm new to Songsalive!, but I like what I see so far.  Anything that fosters community and collaboration amongst songwriters is a good thing, and I like the fact that the website isn't genre-specific.  I'm a big fan of commingling!  So I look forward to meeting the folks on Songsalive! and seeing where it all goes.

We hope our free (basic) members upgrade to PRO (only $50/year) to continue to access this feature.

Access our Backstage,  for amazing online content and resources exclusive to Songsalive! Pro Members including

* Forums

- pitch songs to the Music Industry, music supervisors/publishers, Film/TV and those looking for the next hit song - in our Songshop Forum

- find songwriting and business Opportunities in out Gigs & Opportunities Forum

- get Song and Lyric Critiques from your peers (critique each others songs) in our Song Critiques Forum and Lyric Critiques Forum

- collaborate with other members worldwide in our SongCollab Forum

- chat with other songwriters and self-promote / introduce yourself in our Songchat Forum

Also in Backstage,

* Apply to Showcase - at any of our Songsalive! showcases at Chapter worldwide

* Knowledge Wiki  -  music business articles, resources, Songsalive! Touring Map of the World (find venues worldwide)

* get a Professional Song Critique or CD review

* Download songwriting and business resources

* Get  promoted  and  be eligible for Member of the Month

(and more...)

http://www.songsalive.org

go BACKSTAGE

Hear what Record Executives won't tell you! Submit anything from a lyric to a finished master, and find out:

•     if the song works lyrically, musically, structurally
•     how it should be demo-ed. (Some production pointers)
•     if already on tape/cd (demo-ed), feedback if it's working, and how to make improvements.
•     the best markets for your song
•     who to pitch to - artists, publishers, record companies, radio formats

Songsalive! Song Critique helps from the ideas stage - working out the songs and the demo - right through to finished "radio-friendly" master - who to send to and how. We help with lyrics, rhyming schemes, song structure, melody, production, and where to pitch, promote and release your song! We accept songs of ALL GENRES, plus instrumentals, plus lyrics only submissions.

****

2. COME TO A SONGSALIVE! WORKSHOP FOR LIVE FEEDBACK

In many of our chapters around the world we conduct Songsalive! Workshops where songwriters can gain valuable feedback from their songs by our Industry Guest Speakers and each other.

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3. FREE CRITIQUES BY YOUR PEERS IN OUR FORUM

Want a free critique by another Songsalive! member? Or are you interested in offering feedback to your peers? Access in our Forums

****

ALL DETAILS ON THE ABOVE HERE

Songsalive! is pleased to announce the winner of the Second Yearly SONGSALIVE! SONGWRITER OF THE YEAR AWARD. We base this prestigious award on this criteria:    

• Has hit songs - timely and strong radio friendly songs that are ready for the world's music markets or has been deemed as world-class.
• Can provide a track record of career successes with one's music but not necessarily commercial success.
• Shows exemplary talent and commitment to ones art of writing songs.
• Shows a long standing drive and commitment to one's own business career.
• Exemplary member of Songsalive! who shows commitment to our community and programs over time.
• Shown commitment and dedication to the broader songwriting community at large and offers something beyond just oneself.

• Annette performed with Dallas rock band Eden Automatic (released 4 albums) for 10 years touring the South West  / opening for prominent acts such as The B-52s, Pretenders, Missing Persons, and Duran Duran.
• Currently performs with her husband Doug as ‘The Conlons’ - plan to release their first EP in 2012.
• Won several awards for her songs.
• Creator of NetteRadio, one of the longest running internet radio shows dedicated to promoting unsigned/Independent Women in Music. 
• Has dedicated countless hours to producing and organizing showcase benefits for a wide variety of charities.

• Awarded a plaque of appreciation from the American Red Cross - for her fundraising efforts for Japan Earthquake and Pacific Tsunami Relief in 2011.
• Works with several organizations including Songsalive!, GoGirlsMusic,  Songnet, Rockin’ Moms, Mamapalooza and Los Angeles Women In Music – does a lot for the music community at large.
• Dedicated Songsalive! member since 2007

More details at http://www.songsalive.org/songwriteroftheyearaward.htm
or from our home page, go Programs.


--
Songsalive!
www.songsalive.org
supporting, promoting and educating songwriters and composers worldwide
GOT SONGS?

Forums (under community) - the Critique forums (songs/lyrics) are really doing great. Quite a few members are using those. Remember if you want a professional song critique, Pro members go to BACKSTAGE click on Online Critique.

Also under Forums - Songchat is a new forum that allows you all to introduce yourself (free and pro members). Songchat, the word, is also used for our Yahoogroup of same name which has been going for 14 years. See community > groups to get subscribed to Songchat and that comes into your email inbox.

Events - you'll see that most of December we are "dark" for events (except NY). We'll all be up and at 'em in January.

Don't forget to be part of our Facebook Group. www.facebook.com/groups/songsalive or from our Groups page (under Community) we have a link to it.

p.s. we are looking for an iCoordinator to help us with web updates. If you have about 3 hours a week to volunteer, please apply under CONTACT > Volunteer

Happy Holidays everyone!

Gilli Moon
President

http://www.songsalive.org