Reaching 1/2 million unique worldwide users in just its first season broadcasting on the Internet
Hank Sinatra Presents the Songwriters Series continues to pioneer Internet television broadcast with its weekly series being aired through its web site ­ www.songwritersseries.com. The Songwriters Series aired its first two seasons on the Austin Music Network then launched their own web broadcast through the help of Doug Watkins and his Internet broadcast technology. The Songwriters Series has now completed two full seasons of Internet television broadcast and is in full swing for Season Five beginning in March 2008. The Songwriters Series reached a milestone broadcasting to more than 1/2 million unique users hitting the Songwriters Series web page in its first season hosting their own Internet broadcast.

The Songwriters Series continues its worldwide success featuring songwriters from around the world including France, Iceland, Australia, Canada, Great Britain and Germany pairing them with great songwriters from Texas and throughout the country. The Songwriters Series is a part of the independent music revolution changing the entertainment industry today. The Songwriters Series features live performances from songwriters playing with minimal accompaniment on our intimate, outdoor production set located on ³Hank¹s Place² in Austin, TX.

The production season lasts from March to November with a live outdoor concert each month featuring 3-4 songwriters performing 30 minutes each. Each show will re-run and/or be re-edited during the off-season from December to March and all shows will be archived for the Texas Barker History Museum. ³Hank Sinatra Presents² has been televising and producing music shows since 1984 and has been represented and distributed by Universal Music throughout America, Europe, Asia and Australia. Richard May is a national award-winning movie and television producer, director and songwriter.

We had Australian, now L.A. songwriter, Gilli Moon over to perform one eventing so she wrote about it. Here’s her recount:

So during the days of Thurs and Fri we spent at the Austin Convention Center at SXSW. It was a maze of booths, panel discussions and people everywhere. Thurs night we drove out of town a bit to Hank Sinatra’s place to record my television appearance for the Austin Music Network. Think: high tech video recording studio meets country boy boonies-ville. This was a real trip and one of the highlights of my Texas journey this time around. Hank’s house is a typical farm house in the sticks. His “cameramen” wandered up the road in their checkered shirts, cowboy hats, boots and cigarettes… and completely blew me away with their amazingly professional camera work. They had the stage set up outside with Xmas tree lights and some mood lighting. Richard May (organizer) said “we have to wait till the sun sets more before we film… we need just the right light and reflection.”

Well ok…. So we waited. And it was totally worth it. They organized a keyboard for me and I had a multi-camera shoot with Hank upstairs in the living room switching and recording. The dogs were there, the cats were there, the beer was popped, the locals cruised over for a gander. the crickets began. It was intimate, and down to earth. It reminded me of a bunch of my parents friends in Wollombi Australia getting together for a smoke and a film production. High tech outback! No airs, no pretence, just art printed on film. Way to go! I watched the tape after and I couldn’t have asked for a better video.

Produced by Hank Sinatra and Richard May. Directed by Hank Sinatra.
Contact: rmay@austin.rr.com for more information.

Jack Savoretti from London, England is your Bruce Springsteen meets Cat Stevens who is also a really nice person. Is being a nice person worth mentioning especially when it has nothing to do with your art? Well, yes. If you’ve been in the music industry for twenty years as I have promoting musicians you realize that being nice and being talented are not bound by each other so when you do meet someone as humble and nice as Jack and his great team from London, you want to help their success. So we did and we are. Jack is the real deal and he will be a name we will all know in years to come. He may be our golden pick that we are becoming famous for our season openers - Ayo, Gordie Sampson, Rachel Sage - who have since risen to new levels and distinction with their music after performing for the Songwriters Series season opener.

Tori Sparks we owe you an apology for making you late for your next appointment but when you deal with live Internet broadcast, a live concert and a television taping all in the same event, there can be technical thingamajiggies that need jiggamathinging or mathinkajigging. But, she’s a pro and she showed it. Got up, did her set, was great with the crowd banter and was just seductive as hell. Her bass tones in her sexy voice with the melodic storylines of her guitar wrapped around with her command on stage was just awesome. Thank you and we apologize again Tori.

Lastly was a group of Canadian renegades who fled south for SXSW to escape the tyranny of Montreal and Canada. Okay, maybe they were invited to play our show and SXSW and drove down willingly as proud Montrealers and Canadians. But, they are still renegades dammit. What a great group who call themselves the United Steel Workers of Montreal. They are also the United StoryTellers of Montreal especially when Gern drops the Mic stand to half mast bends down to begin a story and a song that transcends songwriting to performance art. Unbelievable. They also were so gracious to perform “77-87? and “Trigger” for the show as I basically begged them to do so and being the co-producer they may have felt obligated but I got what I wanted which was those two songs and I’m a selfish bastard. So there.

Jack and the United Steel Workers of Montreal stayed for the whole time and drank some beer with us and shared some life, love, philosophy and their art at the great Austin haunt known as Hank’s place. Hank Sinatra’s backyard is a funky Austin outdoor concert place that has become known on the underground blogs and circles as Hank’s place. Hank’s place has become known because the day before MTV news showed up and hung out with Hank and his New York buddies +1 Music for, oh, five hours or so drinking 40s, Bloody Marys and eating great Texas barbecue while hosting the party of SXSW, or at least, that’s what MTV heard and reported. Yes, MTV said just that and I have it on camera as I shot John Norris and crew as they interviewed Hank asking him directly what his opinion was that the word out in the SXSW streets was the best party was at Hank’s Place. Damn. It doesn’t get any better than that. And if you were there then you would know. More than 200 musicians, industry folk and fans hung out for 10 hours eating and drinking everything from artistry to great music to great food, libations and a great time. All in Hank’s backyard - farm animals and all. Sam Winter from Black20 was there. Matt Roeckl from Viddinet was there. All covering the event of the event and it’s all thanks to SXSW who successfully has commanded the attention of the world’s music scene to Austin, TX for several days and some of that worldwide attention spilled over to Hank’s place and the Songwriters Series Internet TV Show.

Bob Cheevers is a Nashville-transplant moved to Austin. I know that sounds crazy (sarcasm inserted here.) But Bob is pure Austin and he should have moved here years ago. Another interesting point about Bob is he is alot like Willie Nelson. He has those tones and style to him that wreaks Willie. He is a seasoned songwriting veteran and it showed. No wonder he’s won an Emmy. What a consummate professional and performer. He was a treat to watch and listen and we were honored to have him.

Next up was Meagan Tubb - the band. We don’t have bands. But here we are. We have a band. Meagan was adamant about it so we acquiesced (that means we caved in) and had the band stripped down as much as possible and it was well worth it. She is a bluesy rocker that rocked the backyard and the large crowd that showed up. We, as the Songwriters Series, sometimes have an excess of mellow, cryin’-in-your beer, I’m-the-biggest-depresserino-in-the-world, self-pitying artists who sacrifice their lives to be a songwriter so it is always a treat to have a jammin’, rockin’ songwriter like Meagan Tubb and her great band. And they were great. Thank you Meagan for pushing your band on us but for all of you other songwriters don’t think about it. You’re not as charming or persuasive so forget about it.

Last was a rare repeat of Graham Weber. This is the second time Graham has appeared on our show. We are in our fifth season so we have the right to repeat and we have done so several times but not very often. So that should tell you how we feel about songwriter Graham Weber. He is your songwriters songwriter who is also a gem of person to hang out with. I was freaking out at the end of Meagan’s set wondering where the hell Graham was but lo and behold at the very perfect timing, Graham walks out of the shadows and onto the stage for another repeat grand performance. Thank you again Graham.

Well we survived another Songwriters Series concert. We had our on-air host Sarah for the second time and that’s been a great addition. As for the rest of the crew, great job as you all know it just watch the show. It shows! So, log on now to the Songwriters Series Internet TV Show and watch the great performances from Bob Cheevers, Meagan Tubb and Graham Weber!

The production season lasts from March to November with a live outdoor concert each month featuring 3-4 songwriters performing 30 minutes each. Each show will re-run and/or be re-edited during the off-season from December to March and all shows will be archived for the Texas Barker History Museum. ³Hank Sinatra Presents² has been televising and producing music shows since 1984 and has been represented and distributed by Universal Music throughout America, Europe, Asia and Australia. Richard May is a national award-winning movie and television producer, director and songwriter.

EMAIL US NOW! ]]> http://us.songwritersseries.com/2008/05/05/songwritersseriescom-takes-it-to-the-next-level/feed/ http://us.songwritersseries.com/2008/05/08/songwriters-series-season-3/ http://us.songwritersseries.com/2008/05/08/songwriters-series-season-3/#comments Thu, 08 May 2008 20:51:47 +0000 Richard http://us.songwritersseries.com/?p=17 (March - November 2006):

Christine Albert and Chris Gage (Austin, TX) - touring label and recording artists

Michael Ballew (Austin, TX)

Susan Gibson (Austin, TX) - sold more than 16 million copies of her hit song “Wide Open Spaces’

Rachael Sage (New York, NY) - Number one song on independent charts and winner of the USA songwriting competition

Gordie Sampson (Canada) - Grammy Award winning songwriter

Mr. Greg (Green Bay, WI)

John Pointer (Austin, TX)

Matt the Electrician (Austin, TX)

Drew Smith (Austin, TX)

Dean Seltzer (Austin, TX)

Claire Small (Nashville, TN) - touring label and recording artist

Danielia Cotton (New York, NY) - touring label and recording artist

Melody Mann (Austin, TX)

Abi Tapi (Austin, TX)

Bonnie Whitmore (Austin, TX)

The Flyin As (Austin, TX)

Lost2gether (Houston, TX)

Sarah Pierce (Austin, TX)

Melissa Reaves (North Carolina) - touring label and recording artist

Hector Ward (Austin, TX)

Eric Hanke (Austin, TX)

Blake and Fallon (Austin, TX)

Aimee Bobruk with Will Sexton (Austin, TX)

Chris Miller (Minneapolis, MN)

Bill Penn (Lexington, KY)

Hobo Coble (Austin, TX)

Jon Emery (Austin, TX)

Brian Keane (Austin, TX)

Tody Castillo (Houston, TX)

Dave Goodman (Germany) - endorsed songwriter and musician for Yamaha Guitars

Michael Clay (Austin, TX)

(June - November 2004):

Matt the Electrician (Austin, TX)

Pam Hart with James Polk (Austin, TX) - former Austin jazz musician of the year

Shake Russell (Austin, TX)

Troy Campbell (Austin, TX)

Matt White (Austin, TX)

Gurngy (Redding, CA)

Hobo Coble (Austin, TX)

Liz Pappademas (Austin, TX)

Richard May with Bre (Austin, TX)

Robert Kelley with Jimmy Vinson - Blue Mist Band (Austin, TX)

Forlini & Cross (Austin, TX)

Black Water Gospel (Austin, TX)

Gray Gregson with Vinny Bean (Austin, TX)

Kelly Robinson & Dave Paul of Bakin’ Brownies (Austin, TX)

Troy Dillinger and Taxi (Austin, TX)

Gustavo Rodriquez (Austin, TX)

18 Karat (Kim & Paul Pollini) (Austin, TX)