For some songwriters, it takes a period of solitude in a remote mountain cabin and a bout of self-reflection to carve out a collection of worthy songs. One needs to look no further than Bon Iver’s heartbreaking beautiful debut For Emma, Forever Ago for a more-than-worthy testament to such an approach. For others, though, a creative fire ignites from the spark of social discourse. And when a collective of both aspiring and seasoned songwriters converges upon Buellton for the annual Durango Songwriters Expo, that’s exactly what will take place.
Since 1996, the Durango Songwriters Expo has been bringing together songwriters and industry professionals in a unique fusion aimed solely at furthering the craft of songwriting. While it might have first started at its chilly namesake deep within the Colorado Rockies, since 2004 the Expo has been gracing the refined surrounds of the Rancho Santa Ynez Marriott in Buellton. And since its convergence on the West Coast, hundreds of now successful songwriters have passed through its program.
Two past attendees who have each found considerable success—Tim Fagan and Alissa Moreno—are returning this year as showcasing artists and panelists. Through his writing partnership with Colbie Caillat and Jason Mraz, Fagan recently co-wrote the song “Lucky,” which Mraz recorded with Caillat and was subsequently nominated for a Grammy Award. Not one to rest on his laurels, Fagan has also recently written with John Mayer. Moreno is no stranger to the Grammy Awards either, having been nominated for “Every Day”—the Rascal Flatts song she co-authored. For Moreno, the Durango Songwriters Expo holds a very special significance.
“Thinking back, it honestly launched my career,” Moreno said. “I was a kid living in Santa Fe, playing music in this tiny little bar circuit. I made a demo out in an old opera house in a town with a population of about 800, and after hearing it I was invited out to the Expo to showcase. At that first Expo, I met both Jeffrey Steele and a great writer by the name of David Baerwald, and they both said to me, ‘You have to pick one place or the other—Nashville or Los Angeles—but you’ve got to go.’”
And go Moreno did—to Los Angeles, not Nashville, where, with Steele, she subsequently wrote “Every Day,” the song Rascal Flats not only brought into Grammy Award contention, but also took to the top of the charts. Such collaborations are what the Durango Songwriters Expo is renowned for. Through a series of workshops, songwriters are given the chance to not only hone their craft with songwriting luminaries, but to also forge new unions. The Expo is a catalyst for creativity and a proven medium for musical opportunity.
Across the course of a series of Song Listening Sessions, songwriters will be presented with the opportunity to have their work critiqued by industry veterans. With the various sessions divided into specific genera, the artists will be in direct consultation with experienced professionals from their specific field—people the caliber of Mollie Moore, an A&R Manager at Atlantic Records, and Steve Melrose, who is the vice president of A&R for Capitol/EMI.
The Expo will also feature a series of panel discussions. This year’s Film and Television panel will feature Niki Gascon Sherrod, director of music at Warner Pictures. Moore and Melrose will be joined by the likes of Kevin Williamson, a senior executive at Warner Brothers Records, at the A&R Discussion. In bringing in these executives, the Expo presents an all too rare opportunity for songwriters to get close and personal with the people who call the musical shots.
As in previous years, the culmination of this year’s event will be the Hit Songwriter Concert, which is open to the general public and will take place at the Marriott on Saturday night. The event will feature Fagan and Moreno, as well as Chuck Cannon, Big Al Anderson, and Jill Sobule. It might have been local pop chanteuse Katy Perry who’s been boasting about intra-feminine affection of late, but it was Sobule who first found fame with her song “I Kissed a Girl.” Sobule’s satirical approach to writing has served her well across her 15-year career, and she’s always happy to share a little of her musical empathy. Not even the prospect of playing to a room full of fellow songwriters can daunt her.
“It’s such a great audience to play to,” she enthused. “The audience listens to every single word you sing, and they’re so appreciative. It’s got a really good vibe. It’s better than playing things like South by Southwest, where people stand back and want you to prove something to them. And by that time on the Saturday night, people just want to relax and have a good time and listen to some fellow songwriters, so it’s always great to be invited to play the Saturday night concert.”
While Sobule certainly has nothing to prove, she does constantly reinvent herself. For her last recorded undertaking—California Years—she decided to forego the traditional path and released the album on her own record label. That came after she had put out a call for financial support to her fans and subsequently collected a staggering $85,000 to fund the recording. Just like both her songs and approach, Sobule has always been a little left of center, and the chance to immerse herself with like-minded people is something she relishes.
“I love being in the atmosphere of creative people,” Sobule explained. “I love being around the younger artists and their energy and seeing what they’re doing. I also love being with the people who kick my ass like Al Anderson and some of the older writers who are there. The nice thing is that it’s not a contest—it’s just songwriters collaborating with other songwriters, and it’s really all about the songs. So it’s not only a chance to get together and hear some other writers, but also to be stimulated by that and maybe even do some writing yourself.”
Brett Leigh Dicks’ writing is like a song. Contact him through Arts Editor Shelly Cone at scone@santamariasun.com.
This article appears in Feb 25 – Mar 4, 2010.