James Breedwell of the Nashville Music Group hosted the NSAI Radio Show at Hotel Indigo on Sunday, August 29th, 2010. It was a great night of music with a variety of talented songwriters on hand. There was especially a buzz in the air with hit songwriter Monty Powell on the scene to perform with his daughter Rebeka Powell. Monty has written many hit songs for Keith Urban, Diamond Rio, Chris Cagle, and many other artists over the years. He is Keith Urban’s right hand man when it comes to writing hits. Check out his website www.montypowell.com!! You will be amazed at the sheer amount of cuts and hits he has had.
The whole evening was not only about great music but a celebration of what NSAI (Nashville Songwriters Association International) does to help songwriters. Through workshops, Pitch a Song to a Publisher Nights, song critiquing, and many other events throughout the year, NSAI is a great place for a new songwriter to start when entering the world of songwriting. They have helped so many songwriters over the years realize their dreams of becoming professional songwriters. Check out their website at www.nashvillesongwriters.com. You can listen to the broadcast of this monthly program on www.wbrn.fm.
As usual James Breedwell did a wonderful job hosting the evening with songwriter Dean Madonia helping to introduce the acts. Pat of the Nashville Music Group was on hand to keep everything going smoothly and organized as always.
The night started out with a performance by Rebeka Powell, the daughter of jazz singer Anna Wilson and hit song maker Monty Powell. She was accompanied by Monty on acoustic guitar and performed an amazing set. This girl has it all with her beautiful voice and a natural ability to write songs which she obviously inherited from her father and mother. After her performance, I had a chance to talk to Monty and of course he was very proud of his daughter. “She is the complete package with her voice and songwriting skills” said Monty. He commented that he wished he would have been at her level of songwriting when he was 20 years old and jokingly said that he could have already been retired. Of course, we will continue to see Monty at the top of the charts and it won’t be long before Rebeka is riding high on the charts herself. Check Rebeka out at www.facebook.com/rebekahp.
David G. Smith was next up and did a great job with several clever songs including “Her Body Won’t Lie” and a song called “Ageless”. David co-writes with several different songwriters around town. Check out David G. Smith at www.myspace.com/davidgsmithmusic.
The night continued with Bruce Miller performing next! He sang a great song called “Miracles”. It was about a young man who died just after turning 18 years old. The day after he died a white lily popped up in the back yard at his Mom and Dad’s house. This type of flower never grew in the area because of the soil and climate. They took it as a sign that it was their son sending them a message. The next day 5 more white lilies appeared surrounding the first white lily. That same day they got a call telling them that by their son donating his organs he had saved 5 individuals life’s. Wow, what a story and what a song! James interviewed Bruce afterwards and asked him what his favorite song was that he had ever written. A true songwriter, Bruce replied “the last one he wrote”. He said he loved new songs because they are kind of like a new girlfriend “new and exciting”. He then joked that it didn’t really apply to him though, he was married. He also gave advise to the audience to not let anyone try to change who you are or what your style of music is, just be yourself. Check out Bruce Miller at www.brucemichaelmiller.com.
Next up was Dean Madonia who doubled as co-host of the evening’s festivities. Dean is an awesome musician and a very talented songwriter. Dean entertained the crowd with an amazing set. He has been playing the piano since he was 8 years old and has been playing the guitar since the age of 13. He has played with several Nashville acts. Be sure to catch him live if you get the chance, it is worth the effort to go see him. Check out Dean at www.deanmadonia.com.
The night continued with a trio of talented ladies that included Sherri Gough, Roxy Randle, and Anne DeChant. Sherri Gough had a great set with songs including Jesus and a fun song called Hot Coal. She gave some great advise that Jeffrey Steele had given her. “You can’t hear what you can’t see. You have to be out there playing and letting people hear you”. Check out Sherri had www.myspace.com/sherrigough.
Next up was the very entertaining Roxy Randle. Not only a great entertainer but her quirky personality got her set off to a bang when she moved the recorder used for the radio program during her introduction. She is a fun performer, great songwriter, and has a wonderful voice to match. Check her out at www.myspace.com/roxierandle. The last of the super trio was Anne DeChant. This veteran songwriter and performer has performed at the Lilith Fair, the White House, and has opened for Nora Jones, Train, Vonda Shepard, and Stevie Nicks to name just a few artists. Her high energy set was rare for a songwriter’s night. She stood throughout the set and occasionally would kick her leg up in rock and roll fashion. She sang an excellent song called Running Red Lights. She was a little under the weather and still did an amazing job!! Check her out at www.anneedechant.com and www.myspace.com/anneedechant.
Now for me one of the highlights of the night was catching Canadian singer/songwriter Declan McGarry. He started out the set with a awesome song called Summer Heat. It had catchy lyrics such as “I could have kissed you but I was smiling too much”. Declan can flat out jam and he has a great stage presence also. He sang a song called Headlights Glow which was one of the best songs of the night. It had a bit of a Steve Earle feel to it and was just an awesome song. Expect to hear big things in the future from Declan McGarry. Check him out at www.myspace.com/declanmcgarry , www.facebook.com/declanmcgarry, and www.declanmcgarry.com.
The night concluded with James Breedwell playing a few tunes. As always James’ tender voice and amazing lyrics were right on to end the evening on a high note. The night was a major success and a great tribute to what NSAI does for songwriters everywhere. Keep up the great job James and NSAI. Be sure to check James Breedwell and the Nashville Music Group out at www.myspace.com/jamesbreedwell and www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000092864637. Keep up the great job James and Pat!! For membership information for the NSAI go to www.nashvillesongwriters.com.
