Guild Member Marc Rosett Hosts Monthly Performance/Workshop In Queens, NY
A new event for songwriters will be held on the second Sunday of each month from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. at the popular Munch Café
& Grill in Forest Hills, Queens, NY.
The café has partnered with SongCrew Records, with the cooperation of the Songwriters Guild of America, to start a special
music performance and songwriter’s workshop. It will be hosted by Guild member Marc Rosett, as well as his associate, Leigh
Harrison.
The monthly event will consist of two parts. The first hour will feature established composers or
singer/songwriters performing short sets of their original songs (the first event featured Songwriters Guild member
Michele Earl), followed by an hour-long special songwriters’ workshop in which both featured performers and audience
members present new original
material for peer review. Owner Mark James explained, “We’re very excited because it
will be an added attraction for the
Munch Café. People can come for both the entertainment and the best cup of coffee in
town!”
The two hosts are both longtime songwriters. Marc Rosett won the 2005 Songwriters Guild of America Award for “Best New Musical/Theatrical Song” in America for his song, “Just
Us,” and was featured on New England radio with his own 2-hour special show. In addition, his Christmas music was
heard by over 800,000 people this past holiday season on outdoor PA systems throughout Queens. Leigh Harrison is a lifelong songwriter and a musician who plays 6 and 12-string
guitars, dobro
and banjo. She recently released her first CD, “Leigh Harrison / Eclectic Chanteuse." She has performed in
coffeehouses and
nightclubs in the US and in Europe, appeared on numerous TV and radio shows and has attended
several Songwriters Guild
workshops.
The hosts are both excited about the new event. Says Marc Rosett, “It’s rare for songwriters to have the opportunity to have works-in-progress critiqued before the long,
expensive process of recording a demo of a song. Here, both new and established songwriters will have just that
opportunity, in the second half of the forum – getting guidance and direction from peers on the song they’re
working on, to help make it the best song that it can possibly be. In that sense, it’s like preventive medicine, nipping
problems in the bud before major surgery is necessary.”
Adds Harrison, “We’re hoping this event will draw people to hear the very talented performers we’ll be booking to feature
in
the first half, and that they’ll stay for this unusual and extraordinary opportunity to either watch -- or actually take part in -- the songwriter’s workshop. Everyone who
wishes to do so may sign up before the performance, and will be allowed
to perform a song during the workshop segment. It’s rare that songwriters can get songs reviewed, except by
joining groups
that charge hundreds of dollars a year to offer song critiques.(Ed. note: except, of course, for the Guild,
which offers
free critiques to members monthly) Here, we’ll be having free peer review workshop, which can be
invaluable to a writer.”
Bobby Perfect, chief honcho of SongCrew Music says, “New music is the driving force of the industry and serves to define American musical culture. Any event that nurtures
aspiring writers is to be applauded and supported. I’m grateful to Munch
for offering this event, and to Leigh and Marc for hosting.”
The Munch Café is located at 7160 Yellowstone
Blvd. Forest Hills, NY. You can reach them by
phone (718) 544-0075 or find
them online at their MySpace site: http://www.myspace.com/munchcafeandgrill.
As always, we recommend calling all performance
venues before going to confirm artists and showtimes.
|
|
Munch Cafe
|
