This day begins with Loretta and a 3:30 workshop
Let Your Voice Be Heard! Raising Awareness Through Song!
The workshop focuses on writing songs that raise awareness about worthy causes and finding creative ways to get them heard. By writing about your passions and experiences, you can reach a targeted audience and make a lasting connection with them while making a difference!
Being an advocate, performing at fundraising events, donating a percentage of CD profits, lending your song to an organization, radio, films and documentaries, are just some of the ideas and suggestions that will be discussed. The workshop is also designed to help the writer evoke strong images and emotions by putting their heart and soul into their lyrics and melodies. Attendees are encouraged to share a written or nearly written original song for gentle, honest, and constructive feedback.
Basic songwriting tips, including word clustering, lyric and melody structure, hooks, titles, rewriting, copyrights, performing and recording your song will be discussed, as well as writing prep tips, such as yoga, deep breathing, meditation techniques and personal tips shared by members of the group.
Loretta Hagen is an award winning songwriter whose credits include Music City Song Contest Grand Prize Winner, Billboard Song Contest and ASCAP Plus Award Recipient as well as spending 6 years in Nashville honing her craft.
The title track of Loretta's latest CD Sundown Till Dawn is included on the soundtrack of a feature documentary film "10 Mountains 10 Years". which chronicles a group of climbers called The Regulars scaling mountains all over the world to raise awareness for Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease and has earned Best Documentary Film by The Connecticut Film Festival. The soundtrack includes songs by notable songwriters including Bruce Springsteen. Sundown Till Dawn is written about Loretta's Mom who is afflicted with Alzheimer's disease.
***********
Doors open at 6:00PM
The concert opens with Carolyn Messina at 6:30PM
Carolyn Messina has been playing piano & guitar almost her entire life – and has been writing original songs since high school. At the age of 18, she was in a serious car accident; the head injuries left her with little or no memory - names, faces, events were all a blur. Fortunately, she retained the ability to play music but never pursued it professionally until August 2009.
Since then, she has performed at The Bitter End in NYC, Christopher Street Coffeehouse, & performs every Sunday night at Gencarelli's Cucina in Montclair. She also continues to hit the coffeehouses, including The Fine Grind in Little Falls, the City Grind in Cranford, and Cool Beans in Oradell, as well as Open Mics at Music at the Mission and The Folk Project.
For more information, please visit www.CarolynMessina.com. For free audio streaming of her music, visit www.Broadjam.com/CarolynMessina
************
Loretta is joined by her husband Gary for the evening concert at 7:00
LORETTA HAGEN has been writing and performing music that earns rave reviews for her rich vocals and poignant songwriting. With a style that mixes folk, country and rock genres, she has performed at venues such as Music At The Mission, Outpost In The Burbs, The Mainstage, Minstrel Coffee House, Listen Live Music, Black Potatoe Festival, Falcon Ridge Folk Festival, and many more, sharing the stage with national artists including Roger McGuinn, Steve Forbert, John Gorka, Jonathan Edwards, Johnny Winter, Ellis Paul, Richie Havens, Ollabell, Gin Blossoms, The Kennedys, Gretchen Wilson, as well as headlining her own shows, making a lasting connection with audiences and building a loyal fan base.
"she's building a following there and throughout the Metropolitan area. She writes songs that sound like they can come from the Heartland, but they also really come from the heart." John Platt WFUV 90.7 (Roger McGuinn at Mainstage Concert)
"12 self penned songs so brilliantly conceived lyrically, they seem destined for one of the Nashville biggies to pick up and have a monster hit." Richard Cuccaro Acoustic Live In NYC Magazine
New York Times "her music blends a good mix of Americana genres, including folk, country, rock and blues"
************
GARY HAGEN is a wonderful musician, producer and sound/recording engineer with many years in the music industry. Best known for his work with wife, singer songwriter Loretta Hagen, Gary is an accomplished guitarist who has also performed in several bands and music projects around the Tri State area.
Gary owns and operates Bearfort Recording and Sound, a Pro Tools project studio located in West Milford NJ, and is former owner of Ridge Mount Recordings in Goodlettsville Tn. where he spent six years honing his mixing skills, recording and producing many CD projects ranging in music genres that included folk, country, rock, blues and punk. Along with drummer/ producer Pat MacInerney (Nanci Griffith), Gary produced Loretta Hagen's critically acclaimed CD "Something More" and with Nashville guitarist/producer Dan Drilling, he shares production credit on her recent release "Sundown Till Dawn."
Performing with Loretta Hagen, Gary has opened for many national acts in concert venues in the Northeast and Nashville, as well as headlining shows. You can find him online at Myspace.com/bearfortrecordingandsound
*******************
The workshop fee is $20 the concert is a $15 donation (which goes directly to the musicians) For both workshop and concert the cost is $30
PLEASE BRING A DISH FOR THE POT LUCK SUPPER!
I supply water, soda, coffee & tea
This is an outdoor series, weather permitting. There is a fire in the fire pit but please dress for cooler weather in the evenings. We will resort to the indoors if it's too chilly for the artists.
There is an after concert jam around the fire pit for anyone who would like to play, sing or listen. Bring your instruments and voices.
I have two dogs and two cats in the house for those of you who may need to take allergy medicine before attending =)
IF YOU HAVE NOT HAD THE CHANCE TO SEE LORETTA... NOW'S THE TIME!
MAKE YOUR RESERVATION TODAY =)
