Tom Sparks: News

I had the pleasure of working with Amy Carlson who is an extremely talented singer, songwriter and performer. Amy is lead singer with the band, Lucky Town, so if you’re in the Chicago-area and in the mood for some excellent Country Music, check them out…you’ll be glad you did. Amy and I worked on a number of songs, a couple of which are posted here. You can find out more about Amy (including where she’s performing) and hear some of her other work at www.myspace.com/amycarlsonmusic.

As mentioned last month, Andi and I ended-up doing "I'm Free" instead of the song we originally intended to do. Well, we just finished that "next song", so check out "Promise Me" on the Music page and see what you think. And while I'm here, let me say that I hope you all have a great Holiday Season.

Not too long ago, Andi and I had just finished a song that was going to be the next one we recorded. We had a little extra time that day, so I asked if she had anything else that we could maybe start thinking about to work on next. Well, she pulled out and played this partially-complete song that she had "quickly-put-together", and it really grabbed my attention (which, of course, required her to play it a few more times, then record a rough version on the portable recorder). Now, something you need to know is that Andi is primarily a Christian songwriter, and that's exactly what she played that day (and for those of you who don't know me, let's just say that that isn't exactly my musical background...). Anyway, we worked on and recorded "I'm Free" over the course of a few sessions, and had a lot of fun with it. You can check it out on the music page, and hopefully you'll enjoy listening to it as much as we enjoyed doing it.

Who wasn't moved by watching the devistating aftermaths of Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Rita on television night after night just a few short months ago? And as a result, I know many of us made whatever contribution we could afford in order to help those people who lost family, friends and/or everything they owned. It seems that in situations like that, no matter what we do, we end-up asking ourselves if we can do more. And when we see that things aren't getting any better, and our commitments prevent us from doing any more, it gets very frustrating. Well, Andi took that all-to-common thought one step further by incoporating it into a song idea. And after working on that idea for a while, we ended-up with not only an excellent song, but a song that touches the basic emotion we all feel when we want to do more, but simply don't know what else we can do. But don't take my word for it - please see what you think by going to the Music Page and listening to Andi Morici perform "Is That Enough".

I recently met Andi Morici, an extremely talented Chicago-area singer/songwriter. When we got together for the first time a few weeks ago, she played 4 or 5 of her songs, and although her excellent voice is hard to miss, the catchy melodies and hooks in all of her songs is what really impressed me. Needless to say, it's a pleasure to be writing and recording songs with Andi. To find out more, check out her website: www.andimorici.com.

This past week, the Supreme Court declared that Internet file-sharing services are liable for the copyrighted materials their software allows users to trade. This as a hot issue in the music community, and you may or may not agree with the decision. However, it does help assure that songwriters and copyright holders are protected from unauthorized (i.e., free) use of their works. And one of the organizations that works diligently to protect the rights of songwriters is NSAI (Nashville Songwriters Association International). A few years ago, I heard Bob Regan (NSAI President) speak at the Taxi Road Rally in Los Angeles, and later had a one-on-one discussion with him. After Bob told me all the things NSAI does for songwriters (and not just those in Nashville), I joined NSAI and have been a member ever since. Not only do they help songwriters with the technical aspects of the craft, the work and lobbying efforts they do in Washington D.C. benefit each and every songwriter out there, whether they're members or not. The reason I mention all this is because NSAI has a Chicago Chapter that I only recently found out about. I attended their monthly meeting this past weekend, and although small in attendance (due to vacations), it was everything that a songwriter's meeting should be (e.g., discussion of writing techniques/tricks of the trade, listening to examples of things discussed, listening and critiquing members latest songs, etc.). I also met singer/songwriter Lori Clark through this organization. We got together for a few hours before the meeting, and plan on writing and recording some songs in the near future. If you're interested finding out more about the NSAI Chicago Chapter, you can do so at http://launch.groups.yahoo.com/group/NSAI_Chicago/ - to find out more about NSAI, check out www.nashvillesongwriters.com.

Well, if nothing else, the last few months have been interesting. In January, I walked outside and promptly slipped on the driveway and fractured a rib. I soon discovered that a broken rib is not only very painful, but it will also prevent you from doing things usually taken for granted (like breathing, for example...not to mention the inability to play most instruments). I also discovered that it takes longer to heal than the "4 to 6 weeks" mentioned by the doctor; however, if that's the worst thing that happens to me this year, I'll consider myself lucky. So why am I rambling-on about something that you don't care about? Well, mainly because it feels good to say that I'm back into some serious songwriting again, which should lead to some serious recording very soon. I'm currently writing with Cindy Keeling, who I met at the last Taxi Road Rally. I'm also earnestly looking for a really good female singer/songwriter to write and record songs with (working with Stacy Donahue made me realize how much I enjoy working with someone from the creation of the song through the mastering of the CD), so if you are (or know of) someone who would like to see where collaborating and recording will take us, please let me know. Anyway, I hope to have some new songs up on the site real soon - thanks for visiting!

From November 11-14, I attended my eighth Taxi Road Rally, which was held at the Westin LAX in Los Angeles. This event consistently offers the best three days Music Industry information that you will find anywhere, period. It offers attendees the unique opportunity to listen to (as well as meet and talk with) Industry Professionals who represent all musical genres and cover virtually all aspects of the Music Business. This year, in addition to catching-up with my close friend Zupe, I ran into Loretta McNair and Amy Jo Ellis, a couple of good friends from Horse & Writer. I also had another chance to sit down and talk with Michael Anderson (hit songwriter from Nashville) about some of the pros and cons of a few new songs I brought with me, and still found time to attend 3 songwriting classes that were extremely beneficial. I cannot stress enough how worthwhile this event is; if you ever have the chance to attend, I highly recommend it! (See the "Photos" page for a few pictures).

This past weekend (Nov 4-7), Kathy and I took a long weekend in Nashville to visit with Stacy Donahue, as well as with some of our other friends. On Thursday, we went directly to Skip Ewing's office from the airport, hoping that Stacey Snowden-Martin would be able to give us a few of the phone numbers that we somehow forgot at home (she did and was definitely a lifesaver...). Skip was on his way out as we got there, but we were able to catch-up with both of them for lunch on Friday. On Thursday and Friday nights, we went to dinner with Stacy Donahue, and visited a few downtown bars with her to check out some bands, meet some of her friends (and future members of her band) and listen to some good music. The Wild Horse Saloon was a great place to hear music and have fun, but some of the other places (like Crossroads, Robert's and Tootsie's) also had some really terrific music. The three of us went to the Country Music Hall Of Fame on Saturday, which had a lot of cool exhibits and an incredible concert by hit songwriters, Craig Carothers and Tony Arrata (who wrote "The Dance" for Garth Brooks). In between all this, Kathy and I took time to ride around the area to take in the sights and scenery. Hey....this is starting to sound like a "How I spent my summer vacation" essay, so let me end it by simply saying that we had a great time with some good friends, and we hope to get back there real soon (and there are a couple of pictures on the "Photos" page).

...and you can order it by simply clicking the word "links" on the right-side of this page, then clicking on the link that says "Order Stacy's CD Here!".

You can also purchase Stacy's album (or individual songs from the album) at the Apple iTunes Website (www.itunes.com).

"Windows Of The Soul", the new CD by Stacy Donahue (and produced by yours truly), should be available in the next 2 to 3 weeks. You'll be able to order it from CD Baby, or through Stacy's Website, www.stacydonahue.com (once it's released, I'll post specific info on how to order).

Over the last year, I've been spending most of my musical time writing and recording songs with Stacy Donahue for her CD, "Windows Of The Soul". In early August, Stacy made her planned move to Nashville in order to work at making a name for herself in the Country Music Capital of the World. She is a great singer/songwriter, and I truly feel she has a real good shot at firmly establishing herself as a major talent in Country Music. Stacy's CD will be released sometime in September, and is definitely worth picking up, as it contains a lot of excellent and memorable songs. You can find out the latest on the release of "Windows Of The Soul", plus keep up-to-date with Stacy as she settles into the Nashville scene at her website, www.stacydonahue.com.