Well, it’s time to get your songwriting chops lubed and prepare for the 5th Annual 6-Pack Songwriting Competition.
As I mentioned, this is the fifth year of the 6-Pack. Liz Miller won the first two and Margaret McClure won the past two. I’m sure many of the veterans will be returning as I have been receiving steady inquiries about the starting date, challenges, etc. The first four categories are the annual primer (any song you have), a love song, an instrumental and a spiritual song. The last two will be announced later and I’m sure you’re going to love them!
I can’t wait to see what the veteran 6-Packers come up with and personally invite the newcomers to bring their “A” game. There’s not a songwriting competition out their quite like the Broadjam 6-Pack and you will be stretched way beyond your current capacity.
You will see lots of new technical changes coming to the 6-Pack as well. Many of these were a result of direct feedback and we threw in a few of our own. As always, I would love to hear your thoughts and suggestions regarding the 6-Pack or anything else we do for that matter. You can use this blog or send me a note directly. For some reason, I suspect you will have much to talk about.
As always, our sponsors have provided the contest with great prizes – take a look. They Include Sony, IK Multimedia, Line 6, Casio, Yamaha, ASCAP, and more!
So Get Lubed (Anything), Brew Some Luv (Love Songs), Shut Yer Yap (Instrumental) and get on that Rarified High (Spiritual) as we’re getting started.
The 2009 6-Pack is rockin’ and we’re off and running. Best of luck to everyone.
Sincerely,
Roy Elkins, Broadjam Founder and CEO
Posted by Broadjam on Jun 1, 2009 in The 7th Can
Ian K – flick back to the 6-pack intro page, not the leaderboard – the cover can is described there.
Jul 24, 2009/3:40 amOK….I musta dosed off…..how come we know can 5 is a cover type challenge…and even what songs we have to do…when the #5 can is’nt showing anything…?…obviously you guys know..
but how…?
Dave Me Mate….lol…the Pachellbell thing….just as I’ve always thought….every single note,chord sequence and melody
have been played somewhere,sometime…and what we do is try to re-arrange them somehow,so that we think its ours….so I suppose whatever we do…we’re doing a cover of something…lol
geez….I better not read that too often….might make me wanna give up playin’….lol (not too serious here, only something that creeps into my mind now and again)
If you want to commit to the 6-pack….theres no use griping about the Challenges….the whole idea of the 6-pack is to frighten the bejabbers outa ya…its a Unique Competition…
a Comp which tries to stretch us further than we would stretch ourselves …your not expected to like all the challenges…
but if you partake in all of them….by the end of the Comp…you will have developed new skills…achievements…that
you had’nt even thought of before the 6-pack.
Y’all keep on…keepin’ on…
Jul 24, 2009/3:39 amIts becoming evident who the troopers are here…
Jul 24, 2009/1:51 amlook in the mirror and repeat after me ….”oh yes i CAN” … worked for me a few times…
Jul 24, 2009/12:18 amWell,
Hey Jonnyuk- I don’t think they’re looking for karaoke. More like “what’s your take one these words and basic music?”
Why don’t you quit whining about everything and take up a CHALLENGE for a change instead of sitting on your high horse and criticizing everything.
While none of these songs would be something I would normally cover, except maybe Georgia on my Mind, I am intrigued by the challenge. You Are my Sunshine is the first song I ever learned (on the ukulele no less) and I hated it but it was a challenge my father gave me as in “learn these three songs on the uke, and I’ll teach you how to play guitar”. So I did.
Just as 2007′s #5 can -music/you write lyrics and melody and last year’s #5 can lyrics/you write both music and melody produced some outstanding work from our members, this crazy challenge should bring out the best in all who actually participate. I’m thinkin’ a Louie Armstrong version of Georgia or maybe a Chipmunks version of Sunshine. Or maybe just a Hank Thomas version of a Buddy Holly cover of a Johnny Rotella song. Yeah
Hank
Jul 23, 2009/11:27 pm(Gragnat smiles as he slaps Jim on the back while slamming a bottle of scotch.)
“Challenge…” The creature grumbles out as he stumbles over to the computer and begins sequencing.
Jul 23, 2009/6:46 pmI think I remember last year someone posing the question “wouldn’t it be good if we had a cover can?” or something like that. Well, folks, be careful what you wish for (apologies to the 6-pack virgins – sometimes you get what the vets wanted). Song WRITING it ain’t. But in the spirit of creation, especially with these, in my humble opinion, well chosen tracks; because they’re way too old to remember for most contestants – so that makes you ahve to do your homework – you’ll have to come up with something really good. But they’re well written songs and, moreover, classics – which means that they were written by commercial successful writers – so no shit. This is a real challenge; OK it may not be in the ‘spirit’ of songwriting, but neither was the ‘video’ can of two years ago which fucked me up ‘coz I was too ugly to be on-screen’! Are we going to rise to the challenge? Could we think laterally and come up with something new? I’m with Protilius on this one – and Pro, man, this should be right up your street as you’re a Producer – and herein lies the opportunity to carve something original out of the old wood. Let me see… “You are my sunshine”… Captain of a nuclear sub launching an attack on invading aliens? (actually, he would have something like 28 sunshines in his arsenal if he was riding a trident boat). What would that sound like? or Besame Mucho… bitch! Well? Or “Everyday – I gets my oats, so I’m the happiest dude alive”…? heavy metal/ska crossover?? I like this idea. Oh boy do I like it! (you can tell I’ve been out drinking with friends tonight). Let’s face it, this is a once-in-a-6pack-opportunity. So fukkin’ well embrace it! (hic)
Jul 23, 2009/6:31 pmDavid…
Nice:)
Jul 23, 2009/6:21 pmThat’s a good one Johnny.
Pachellbel been redone how many times? Oh I think this covers a few versions:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JdxkVQy7QLM
Jul 23, 2009/6:00 pmi don’t do kareoke simple as.lol
Jul 23, 2009/5:24 pmI hear you man…
I’m not gonna argue. I’ve said what I wanted to say on the matter earlier and just now as well. People are simply gonna disagree on this one. Last thing I need is Marg jumping back in here with a can of mace screaming “STFU already.”
But I’ve been looking at the track list we have to work from… and I’m honestly crapping my pants.
You Are My Sunshine – Jimmie Davis
This is old… like… My grandparents weren’t even around old.
Georgia on My Mind – Hoagy Carmichael
I’ve been browsing youtube checking out all the guitar remakes on this track… and, ah… yeah.
I can’t do that. I couldn’t do that if some one had a gun to my mother’s head and was screaming “PLAY IT NOW OR SHE EATS A BULLET!!!”
Nothing but the best – Johnny Rotella
I can’t even find a streamable copy of this track… Closest I came was Frank Sanatra. Is that the same track?
Besame Mucho – (English version)
Anything that has the subs “English Version” scares me. It just does…
And lastly…
Everyday – Buddy Holly, Norman Petty
Another classic.
Each of these tracks will be a challenge to reproduce… and I think thats the spirit BJ had in mind.
They’re trying to challenge us. I haven’t even begun and I’m challenged… But then again… I rode the short bus too.
The 6 Pack has proven itself to be one of the hardest contests to win out there for the moment.
This one is gonna go down as one of the challenges that lived up to the expectation I think.
Regards:
Jul 23, 2009/5:20 pmpro
Maybe broadjam should have made a can called… write a song about your favorite published song?
Jul 23, 2009/5:16 pmThat way we would understand it and then write about that fav song from the heart that we all have which inspired us to write music in the first place? but to ask a songwriter to cover a song in a songWRITING contest?lol thats not songwriting. thats arranging which ever way you look at it.
Johnny
Pro-
I am not sure that I read anyone writing that “anyone can produce” or “anyone can mix” or “anyone can remix” or anyone can rise to the top as a song-stylist. Getting good at anything requires a combination of mad skills, belief in self, practice, patience, and DESIRE.
I think that we can all agree that doing anything well is an achievement.
Still, this is a SONGWRITING COMPETITION, and SONGWRITING truly is art, when it comes from the heart/soul, and is authentic, and has a piece of the artist in it, I look at it as something different from remixing a song (which also takes mad skills, but isn’t songwriting).
I have incredible respect for anyone so engaged in this thing…from lyricists and composers through the marketing geniuses…but this is a SONGWRITING competition. Ya know?
Jul 23, 2009/5:02 pmSongwriting does not come into play in a cover version to my mind period. it’s already been written. fact.
Jul 23, 2009/4:57 pmthe only thing that a cover can offer is a remix of a popular song and as broadjam states this IS a songWRITING contest. not a cover contest no matter how way of base anyone may take any of the songs on offer it still has nothing to do with writing an original song.
Johnny.
Tech:
Its official brother… Cover can. (I had to give it a looksy myself before I believed it.)
It would seem that blowout in the blog earlier inspired BJ into #@$%ing with us “officially.”
They’ve taken care of the legal stuff I guess. So I’m out of reservations…
That was originally my “only gripe” with covers.
So if its legal…
I’ll be looking into which one of these beauties Gragnat will shred, eat, and hatch out as a golden egg later.
Doubters:
This can be a lot of fun if taken in the right light. We can all whine about this or get cracking on revamping one (or all) of these classics.
I know I for one “will not” be taking a chord by chord remake. Jeraz mentioned remixers… I’ll give everyone three guesses as to what I know how to do? (don’t worry, I don’t plan on chopping up an mp3 and calling it my own. That would be lame.)
This is a real opportunity to show people how original we can be by Co-writing a track thats had years to make an impact in our culture. Anyone who doubts how much song writing skills could be utilized here should see my blog post on Tears for Fears’ “Mad World.”
And guys/gals… Re-writing a track does take skill… just because its not yours doesn’t mean its gonna produce itself, you actually have to do it. Carol of the bells wasn’t easy to remake… Not in the slightest. (although that doesn’t keep it from getting voted down to 1000th place being it doesn’t get going till 1:30 or so.)
In order to reproduce something… You need to have a clue as to how to go about that.
So yeah… It takes song writing skills… As much as some of us wanna just say “anyone can do that,” the fact is “not everyone can actually do that.”
I think we earned this can by having the opinions we do… Now BJ can watch us all sweat while attempting to remake these tracks into great new versions.
I know I’ll struggle with it, but I’m gonna try anyhow.
pro
Jul 23, 2009/4:16 pm