#tinpansouth Strikes Gold

The songwriter’s festival, #tinpansouth is a menagerie of familiar hit songs with known and lesser-known writers who created the masterpieces we now tap our toes too in the morning on the way to work. (When I mean lesser-known, I mean to the general audiences, not the music community of Nashville). This event is by writers, for writers. NSAI (Nashville Songwriter’s Association International) puts on this wonderful event to bring these amazing talents to town. Most of them already live in Nashville, such as Chris Wallin, a man who had a 6-week number one hit with Kenny Chesney’s “Don’t Blink.” He also wrote “Love Me if You Can” by Toby Keith. Chris was kind enough to chat with me about his career. When asked about why he moved to Nashville, he said that “I was inspired by my mother’s(Joyce Hayes Wallin) own journey as a Nashville singer/songwriter.” Aren’t we glad his mother inspired him! His songs reflect great truisms in life through the amazing medium of country radio. Chris is a super nice guy and was obliged to tell me that day (March 28th), he had two cuts recorded by good friend & a radio stalwart, Trace Adkins. His publishing team at Ole’ was enthusiastic and complimentary of his recent success which shows the small town community flare that is pervasive in this town. Although, Chris will be the first to tell you that even though he has had several #1 hits, it had been two years since his songs have had any type of spotlight. He said, “There are many peaks and valleys.” and it seems that no matter how many there are, you keep writing. As they say in sales,  “you have to keep your pipeline full.” Keeping the pipeline full allows a writer to be ready when the publishers, artists and producers come calling. Like in the movie, “Door to Door” with William H. Macy, you must have “Patience and Persistence.” Reminds me of this quote by Abraham Lincoln:
“Good things come to those who wait, Great Things come to those who Hustle!”


(Me and Chris at the Region’s Bank Tin Pan South Kick-Off Party) Picture by Moments by Moser)
The whole week was amazing but it was more than just rubbing shoulders with well-known songwriters and hearing their great melodies in person. Tin Pan South was also about the networking potential between current solo writers and potential co-writing partners.  Exchanging business cards, CDs, promo packs and playing songs live and in person was the M.O. all week… this was fun, this was exciting, this had teeth! This was the true beauty of Nashville, this was the fragrance of Tin Pan South. Whether it was at the NSAI headquarters off Roy Acuff drive, an address my hotel shuttle driver began to know well, or at Douglas Corner on the outskirts of downtown or at the fresh new event, Whiskey Jam at  Winner’s bar…it all blossomed that week. It was as if song’s were just waiting to be written with that much new talent in town, but who are we kidding, someone said that there are over 800 hit songwriters in Nashville alone! How could an out-of-town-unaffiliated-newcomer stand a chance? Seriously? Enter Spring Training. Spring Training is the two-day conference held at the historic Millenium Maxwell hotel that boasted of halls of mingling, networking and learning. Learning taught by top music professionals such as songwriter/producer/educator Cliff Goldmacher or industry executive, Tim DuBois (‘Bluest Eyes in Texas’, ‘Love in the First Degree, ‘When I call Your Name’) Mr. DuBois is the guy that helped sign Alan Jackson, Brooks and Dunn and Brad Paisley to Arista Nashville. (btw-Chris DuBois, Tim’s son, has multiple #1 hits, many with Mr. Paisley) Tim spoke of the changing industry with emerging technology such as Thunderbolt , (in the wrong hands) could threaten the recording industry and movie industry to a stand still. He spoke of encouraging things too and personally gave something to the audience that rarely gets passed out in Nashville. He said, “my email address is …” What a terrific individual with tenure, talent and vision. Tim and the others such as Kenny Loggins, Georgia Middleman, Gary Burr and others shared and performed to encourage songwriters in their pursuit of dreams.

Dreams are so important when it comes to fulfilling your passion and if your dream is to write songs, then write songs. Having a passion for something despite recognition, fame or monetary affirmation doesn’t take away from your passion and shouldn’t diminish your goals. I tell people, “I would write songs even if I never got a dime for my music.” Many people are sooo desperate to be famous, have hit songs, and make money; but desperate people are usually not the ones that attract followers. You must have an unwavering confidence in your eyes and fire in your belly. Nashville, they say, is a ten year town and sometimes patience is a virtue. You definitely want your song to be picked up by a developing star that will be a brand for 20 years, not just one-hit wonder. (Those are good too, though!) Therefore, be patient and don’t be desperate. You must hustle and develop relationships. There is plenty of steep competition and having a realistic strategy trumps “pie in the sky” fairy-tale aspirations.
Events like #tinpansouth and NSAI Spring Training are wonderful tools for networking, learning and fostering your craft. Use these mediums to get better and one day, if you have listened, the quality you produce… will be the quality that we ALL hear.
Continued Success fellow writers!
Matthew A. Butter
www.thebutterlife.com
For more information on Chris Wallin:
http://www.chriswallin.com/The_Official_Chris_Wallin_Website/Chris_Wallin.html
NSAI
www.nashvillesongwriters.com
Tin Pan South
www.tinpansouth.com

#SXSW Virgin Badge

In “checking in”  on @Foursquare last night as a part of the Ignite Social Media party #ismparty, I was given a badge. It wasn’t a real badge I could wear, except as a code of the road, that is, on my mobile phone. It was a badge that stated my infancy within the realm of the great event in Austin, Texas: South by Southwest. This event combines social media, live music and independent films into one huge convention and creatively-fused amalgamation of threads cut from many cloths.  Social Media superstars are known to be present such as @garyvee @jasonfalls and many others…. They speak on their experience, their passion and their advice on achieving one’s goals. Music doesn’t start until next week, but that doesn’t mean that downtown A-Town isn’t hopping, no sir, it was bumping!!! It’s filled with official and unofficial parties, some that require badges and some that do not. Many companies like Victoria Beer give out pints of their latest vintage to attendees but failed to interact in an online fashion while handing out spirits to the Social Media consortium who had the power to tweet their new beer of choice into famedom.  Fail. However,  they do have a Facebook page, but yet they didn’t hop on the autobahn of social media with the mobile community that embraced their brew.  My Brew Review:  A solid one “like” up!
So, it seems that I was not the only neophyte on the block when it came to mapping the geography of networking events such as the unofficial #SXSW parties…I met many other attendees who were new to the realm of SXSW Interactive and it was a great place to learn about the stories behind the businesses, the reasons for attending and the overall well-being that happens with innovation, energy and inertia land in the Capital city or “the 512″ as the locals say…
One of the greatest #winning moments was the “Stickerbook” that had actual badges, i.e. old fashioned stickers, that communicated witty phrases such as “Your Mom is My Facebook Friend” “I’d Follow Me” and one of my favorites “I’d like to update your Status” Silly, but clever…

Learn about more great events at these two websites (www.do512.com & www.austin360.com) and remember to RSVP to parties:)

How Motivated Are You?

There are so many things in the world to accomplish….so many things to create……so many things that allure me…but what allures me gets replaced by what I have to do to provide for my family…for instance, here’s my response to @GaryVee when he recently posted a video about Practically-vs-Praying
Here’s a thought Gary V…..in my experience in the corporate world, mainly in sales, I’ve felt like it was always a medium to get me where I really wanted to be and that is: providing me a platform to develop my skills and be a SALES all-star so that I could then teach my antidotes to others. But in wanting to start my own business and grow it during this time of hustling in the corporate world, I find that the corporate world sucks the hustle out of me. It seems one is so pressured to do well and succeed that when one gets home at night, that fire in the belly is completely zapped, whether that be from emotional, physical or psychological stress…..it’s not always about physical labor but some things jus gets sucked out of you and that is why people don’t do stuff they love…because their love, their passion, their fire in the belly is ransacked by the political nuances, achievement peer pressure and simple mental exhaustion from “The Man.” Personally, I have to find creative ways not to give my heart away to an organization that may not feel the same about me and thus continue on.... trying to create a “legacy” for my family, my name and my brand. Keeping it real..
@theButterLife

First Video @GaryVee
http://www.ted.com/talks/gary_vaynerchuk_do_what_you_love_no_excuses.html

(Note: some foul language in the video but try to see through that "Jersey Persona" into the message not the medium)

2nd Video - @GaryVee Response
http://garyvaynerchuk.com/post/837779000/practicality-vs-praying

Thoughts?

Thinking Man’s Festival: Songs for the Soul, Lyrics for the Mind

It wasn’t the 10,000 plus crowd that a Randy Rogers Band, Cross Canadian Ragweed or Eli Young Band consistently know each night…It wasn’t a manipulated stage with huge trusses with blazing lights and smoke machines, it wasn’t laced with a bellowing B3 organ or overdone guitar solos…But one thing it was, it was a microcosm of something faintly found in those type of audiences. It celebrated the songwriter as he or she related to the song and not the other way around. Now, I’m sure every artist at the Rodney Hayden Music Festival(Pasture Party) held near Boerne, Texas would have loved to have had thousands of cheering fans that sang all the lyrics just perfectly…please don’t get me wrong….they would have loved a huge, energetic crowd! However, in this particular venue nestled in the towering oak trees and rolling hills, a different type of concert took place. It was an enigmatic recreation of singers portraying the stripped-down presence of their songs as they did when they first wrote the tunes. Nothing says intimate like a songwriter showing up to present their art without the band, “the lights”, “the smoke” or Autotune.  It was this conclave of poets that filled the space and that made the cloudy day a lot brighter.

From the man himself, a few answers to a few questions…

What brought about this type of festival?

“..there’s a lot of music festivals out there but rarely any singer-songwriter festivals and my thought was to bring a bunch of great songwriters to Boerne and try to expose people to a whole day of music they haven’t heard before….(jokingly)it’s mainly all for me and to have fun…To bring some real songwriters together to play…”

(Rodney Hayden)

Where do you see this festival going in the future, 2-3 years down the road or longer?

“Our plan right now to do another one in the Fall…I rarely make any plans but we will see…” spoken like a true artist….but one who is optimistic about the future.

A few words from two of the artists:

Max Stalling: What made you want to be part of this festival?

“Man, the fact that Rodney called me was such an honor and pleased me to be part of it with such a topshelf line up of artists.”

Bonnie Bishop: What did you think of this festival and would you come back?

“I would love to come back, I would LOVE to come back…I’d do anything that Rodney does because it’s always fun!”

Many of the other artists I spoke with also had the same enthusiasm for being a part of such an elite group of composers/lyricists. The headliner Tom Russell was a favorite of Rodney’s because he loves the type of songwriting he employs. I had the opportunity to drive Mr. Russell and his crew to the venue, Mallory Ranch, and he shared with me his passion for music and art. He was very impressed with Rodney’s music and talent, one of the reasons he agreed to play at the festival. The music he harnesses is very deliberate and not “watered down until tastes like tea.” Tom’s songs are penetrable to every point and need of society with his own personal observations sequined along each lyric and melody.  The music he creates causes the mind to really concentrate and be invited to the writer’s words in the tavern of the same.

(Tom Russell)

Some of my favorites of the day included Josh Grider whose lyrically cerebral talent employs an equally if not cooler melodic performance. His deep baritone voice permeating the ranch and his passion celebrated in each song with a slight Dave-Matthews-meets-Merle-Haggard approach. One of his and Rodney’s co-writing partners, Drew Kennedy, offered a fresh melting pot of different experiences in each chord, both that he struck on his guitar and in the hearts of his fans.

(Drew Kennedy &  Josh Grider)

Other performers that captivated: Walt Wilkins- the iconic Texas legend whose words can be found on many Pat Green albums..

(Walt Wilkins)

Jason Eady-the southern blues, country fried visionary whose deep rhythms ring true to the soul, Bonnie Bishop- whose words inspire and uplift in a romantic, southern soul odyssey. Bill Whitbeck, whose first solo album came out last Autumn ignited the audience towards the beginning and rang true of his traverses as bass player with one of the Godfathers of Texas Troubadour music, Mr. Robert Earl Keen. Each performer was boldly fresh in their own unique, individualistic spirit and would had you lining up to buy their album just by experiencing only ONE song…so why wait…go to www.lonestarmusic.com and buy them today!

(Rodney Hayden w/ Bill Whitbeck)

Overall, the music was great…the food fantastic (courtesy of Matthew Martinez and his Montebello Ranch Catering crew). As a side note: The pulled pork & brisket sandwiches were the highlight of the menu, especially when the crew offered to toast the bread or tortillas for your extra delight over their BBQ-pit grill. It was a day full of remarkable sensory explosions, both to the ears and to the pallet…No one wanted to leave…The newer artists(to me) that I felt were so genuine and solid included Adam Carroll, Max Stalling, Bonnie Bishop, Owen Temple and newcomer Stephanie Briggs... brought a certain nostalgic ambiance that deepened the already oceanic presence of those songwriters already mentioned. It was so refreshing to hear their perspectives on life through the vivaciousness of their poetry.

Yes, indeed, Rodney Hayden put together quite a show that became another step towards conquering musical Jenga, placing the right pieces in the right place to build something uniquely amazing for all to behold and enjoy. Kudos, my friend, Kudos!

For more information on all the artists who played:

www.rodneyhayden.com

Twitter Handles: @rodneyhayden @joshgrider @stephaniebriggs @maxstalling @dk_music @BonnieBishop @OwenTemple @AdamCarrollTX @susanng @ThomasRussell @MightyMqs @jasoneady

Matthew A. Butter is a singer/songwriter/freelance writer/social media consultant who lives in Central Texas. For more information, visit his website: www.thebutterlife.com  Follow him on Twitter @thebutterlife. (C)2010

Photos Courtesy of Kody Rakowitz Photography 2010

Sharpening Your Oomph

The power of Oomph goes a long way in motivating others. Recently, I had an engaging conversation with a High School friend of mine who works for a CRM Software company. In this chat, we discussed my small business and the dream of hers to leave the corporate world in favor of becoming an entrepreneur, focusing on her hobby, fitness, and her love of helping people in the technology interface space. The key to this whole conversation was that we were sharpening each other in areas of our dreams, passions and desires to make our world a better place via the mode of becoming a small business owner. Most small business owners work alone and seldom have the opportunity to dynamically soundboard, a term my mother uses frequently, off each other and thus their mental edge becomes blunt. During our discussion, we gave each other encouragement, which is killer, and suggested better ways of marketing ourselves and flirted with the idea of working together or creating a partnership…..We didn’t sell one thing during that phone call except the affirmation from one friend to another. Most of the time, in our rustic embodiment of rugged individualism, we forget that we are created for community. To fellowship with others in order to spur one another along….the ancient proverb says. “As iron sharpens iron, so one may sharpens another.” You must use that which is strong as or stronger than yourself in order to become less dull and become a bad boy Miracle Knife, razor sharp. Now, sometimes, as my mom says, “when iron sharpens iron, sparks sometimes fly.” Meaning, that part of the sharpening process is healthy debate and banter that focuses on improvement not critically undermining the other person’s dream or idea.  Too many times, people get jealous of others because of their ideas and they never find away to work together so that both can succeed. Nothing is more detrimental to an entrepreneur’s motivation than critical criticism, but more than that is thinking they can do everything on their own. You must seek refuge in the dynamics of interpersonal relationships with your peers. This will be your life power on those days when you don’t have any hope and want to succumb to mediocrity once more. In a word, Oomph!!!

Challenge yourself to socialize yourself on the web, at networking events, with your colleagues and never believe that you have it all figured out. Also, be willing to change your original mission or product…Nintendo was originally a card company but became internationally known through its gaming console. Be willing to fail and be malleable enough to understand what works and doesn’t work. Not everything will be “smooth as butter”; although with a last name like mine, I wish it was:)

Finally, remember that just as our physical muscles must be broken down to increase size and strength, so must our mental muscles must be challenged, encouraged and critiqued in order to Oomph our way to success. Don’t let atrophy trump your energy!

Thanks for Reading!

Matthew A. Butter

Will Power

Something I like doing, even though arduous at times,  but I must do this as I know that it is one of my few outlets regarding my thoughts on business, life and other random musings. It is my intention to break the barriers of mediocrity through the promotion of others in reciprocity. I have so distinctly fashioned for myself the unique juxtaposition of knowing and being entertained by many talented and creative people that inspire me on a daily basis. One of these is Will Smith, this guy won’t stop. He is the epitome’ of branding, he is the electric slide in human skin, he is the definition of strategic work-a-holic syndrome and as he says……”I am not afraid to die on a treadmill!” Meaning that he would rather work harder than anybody and die trying than take a back seat to someone else. It doesn’t seem to me that Will constantly saturates himself in sweat and never rests to spend time with his family, or play a round of golf, not at all, however he never quits to consume perfection when taking on a new role or creating a “viral” movie scene that will be viewed by millions of people.  He is determined to become that indelible figure that stays as a permanent fixture in our entertainment bourgeois. His power to connect with audiences in music, comedy, drama and action transcend the essence of some of his peers with their being good a only one particular genre. Will is the ultimate cross-over who has memorized audiences with his crazy likeable characters such as the Fresh Prince of Bellaire to his portrayal of Muhammad Ali even as the legendary Bagger Vance. His recipe’…Hard work, Backbreaking Hard Work and more Hard Work…. Plus, making the decision to be successful in whatever you choose to be successful in, no matter if it is surfing, snowboarding, doodling, woodworking, acting, crunching numbers or designing software. Choose to be better for a reason! Choose to be better because you have a tangible gifting that can be more than what a daydream is comprised of, but that of a monetized reality. (Did you know you can get paid to do what you love?) And if you are one to get paid for what you love, you will never feel like you are working again. But take a lesson from Mr. Smith…..you will work the hardest you have ever worked in your life! So go on…embrace Will Power! 



Have a great day!

Matthew A. Butter
@theButterLife

Hot Air Balloons & Networking

This morning, I opened my back door and noticed something different in the crisp newness of the day....the skyline had somehow changed in that there were not one, but three Hot Air Balloons in the distance, two purple and one yellow. I realized that these were the "marketing" vehicles (no pun intended) for Curves International based near our neighborhood and therefore it made a tad bit more sense, but in considering this phenomenon of giant balloons carrying people up in the clouds with hot air, it reminded me of some people when it comes to networking and even myself on occasion, in my younger and more infantile days.  When mixing it up with a group of people, whether at a social event or business meeting or informal business mixer- you have those people who are trying so hard to fit in and chameleon themselves to everyone else and thus eradicating their brand and why they are there in the first place. It does no good to mimic and/or mirror your peers to have them accept you as a friend...yes, part and partial of mixers is to meet new friends and establish a "social" identity with a key group of peeps. However, the main purpose should be to establish your brand thoroughly enough without being cheesy that when your industry is mentioned in a board room or office cubicle somewhere, those people you mixed it up with will automatically think of YOU! That is called DOMINANCE! Your brand name, identity, business card, online footprints should be so strong and viable that people can't help but consider you in their repitoire as they seek partnerships and associations and someone to HIRE!

The next group of people at these events are the ones, who like the Hot Air Balloons, do their best to puff themselves up so much that other people just want to vomit. You know the type, the guy who is annoyingly talking about his or her own product/service until your ears bleed and frankly, no one asked him! Now, if someone asks & you have a 30 second elevator schtick , then by all means let them have IT- in a polite and vivacious discourse but leave the company brochure language to those backroom editors in the marketing department....no body wants you to vacillate your Yellow-Book advertisement...come on people! Now, if there is still silence after your 30 second commercial and people are engaged... you should then shift gears and tell stories of how you started your business or client experiences because, that way you are redeeming yourself by entertaining through this ancient, oral tradition. No one wants to hear about you, your product or your company the entire time and I guarantee if you start blowing a lot of needless hot air, then you will rise higher than those balloons and what will greet you will only be empty, lifeless clouds. There ain't no one in the stratosphere but you, buddy, so keep it real and down on the ground where potential clients, potentials friends reside....it also doesn't hurt to ask questions to other people too...establish espirit de corps in that you want to ignite passion for your brand by being a good listener and creating interest, genuine, not forced, interest in what they are saying and relate to them. People in our culture today can see through the wannabe Billy Mays and Shamwow Guy....they may be good for selling on TV but my guess is that if they were doing that your next function, that would be sitting in a corner by themselves, testing out their latest product on your house or business.

The bottom line: Engage not Enrage


Be Genuine, Be yourself and don't try to mimic other people. You have been given certain skills and abilities that are unique to you. You should corner that niche  market and dive in head first because when you are real with people, they will appreciate it much more than a used car salesman or over-bloviating neophyte, or newbie.  Pace out your message and eventually people will remember and call you.

Few Bullet Points to Remember:

• Get Business Cards.....from other people!
  
• Give your Business Cards Out
• Network with everyone even the caterer and/or host
• If food is served, try to get yours early and set it aside to eat later (It's not glamorous to pitch your pitch with spinach in your grill, I'm just sayin')
• If Alcohol is involved, limit yourself if you become sloppy with your diction or over aggressive like the anti-Garfield character, Odie
• Be genuine and show authentic interest in other people and their Brand
• Always Be Closing (ABC) In that you are always selling your brand, but don't convalesce to a Infomercial, make sense?
• This is Huge: FOLLOW-UP (Email those people you had solid conversations with and connect with them online via Twitter, Facebook, Blogging, etc...)
• Promote their brand in your Social Media outlets...@ mention them on Twitter, suggest your friends to become a FAN on Facebook, etc  This is the old principle of sowing and reaping but be patient, you often don't reap in the same season that you sow. (ie- you don't plant corn one day and then have it as a side dish with dinner the next)

So, remember those Hot Air Balloons (of course you remember, you are smart and clever, why else would you be reading this blog? ;) So when I left the house this morning, one(the balloon) had landed in a field and one was in the middle of a residential neighborhood on a main street. And the other one was long gone, no where to be found....so here's the deal(meaning here's the lesson to be learned) After touching the limits of the sky, one came back to earth and landed where the people were and one got lost (probably in the ionosphere) and one landed in the barren area of land where the only things to network with were mud-clods and weeds. If you find yourself becoming that person who puffs up too much and you desire to come back down, be the balloon that lands among the people...it will make your next trip a whole lot better....because in the next trip, you can take them with you!

Continued Success,
@theButterLife
Matthew A. Butter
www.thebutterlife.com
www.twitter.com/thebutterlife
www.linkedin.com/in/thebutterlife
www.youtube.com/user/TheButterLife