Day 4, click thumbnail to view large pic Showcase Pics

For me, the highlight of my experience with Just Plain Folks to date was having a childhood hero, writer and artist Alan O'Day play two of his number one songs, and dedicate the first, Undercover Angel, to me. Then, by my request, he played yet another number one song, Angie Baby! He set the tone for the evening and for Just Plan Folks in total.	A dream photo op on a dream evening nearly 20 years after this humble Just Plain Folk listened and imagined all the possibilities in the world, while our new Just Plain Folks Member Alan O'Day's music blared out once an hour on Top 40 radio!	Just Plain Brave. Member Anouschka steps up first to take the stage and proudly represents all of Just Plain Folks!	Lord Byron is in the house! Member Brad Parker delights all with his irreverent and humorous, upbeat musings!
Member Matthew Lee proves that beneath his rough exterior and gravelly voice, lies the soul of a dove and the heart of a poet.	Just Plain Moving. Member Claudia Brant moved the crowd with her passionate performance and songs, done in Spanish. She could have done them in any language and we still would have felt the electricity!	Just Plain Charisma and Cool describe Members Andreas and Renee from the band Isaac. These two are sure to be a hit in the near future. Keep your ears up and eyes open for them!	Member Rhonda Desai sings about Monterey!
While he is not writing books about writing hit songs, Jai Josefs is jamming with us Just Plain Folks!	Member Pete Steinberg delivers great guitar work with his great song about whiskey from Scotland!	Member Angie Monroe back in top form after a serious injury and never missed a beat!	Members Susan Streitwieser and Tom Manche show that their band Susans Room can entertain ANY room!
Member David Harris playing in his unusual turning style. His CD was recognized by Performing Songwriter as one of the 12 best of the year!		Member Steve Fisher shows the way not only for us, but also for his son, who he brought in to enjoy the show as well!	Members Clydene and Oliver wowing the crowd! Oliver was one of the original members of KC and the Sunshine Band, and Clydene's voice continues to deliver sunshine to the audience!

Brian and Member Terry Sue. She played a great song about loving your neighbor, and proved quite neighborly by inviting several of her equally talented friends to come out to the show	Brian Welcomes the energetic crowd at Ghenghis Cohens on a triumphant night for new and old Just Plain Folks alike!	Member Alfred Johnson pounds out his song "Pounds o' proof!" to the sheer delight of the audience. This song is truly a classic!	Our Guardian Angel, Harold Payne (Right) with his band mates Oliver Brown and Clydene Jackson Edwards playing as Gravity. Beautiful music played Beautifully by Beautiful people!
Our new members working hard in the John Lennon Songwriting Bus.	Member Mark Blake tells a tale at Ghenghis Cohens	Member Tim Moyer, who Harold correctly predicted would be great, proving Harold has razor sharp instincts!	Adding Spice to the show and a totally unique and contagious voice is Member Secret Brown

Members Bobak and Patrick takes us to the brink of Edens Edge!

Just Plain Day 4

The biggest day of the trip started out at the last day of NAMM. Sunday is usually sort of a down day at NAMM as most people are packing up, closing up shop and a lot of the business of the show has been done. We had an appointment scheduled with a few folks, and my brother Lewis joined me while my older brother Chris took advantage of the chance to cruise around LA and up the oceanside on Sunset Blvd.

Our first scheduled meeting was with some pioneers in the music internet technology scene. Members Pedro Vargas and Ruben Garcia run a company called NewTech Music. This company liscenses technology that allows you to download music, buy and sell music, host chat rooms tied to an artist, host bulletin boards tied to an artist and so on. They have also launched their own site using this technology to show the way. I was impressed with all they are doing, and the features they have available in their software engines ecompass about everything I want to do with the JPFolks website. Both of them also talk of an inclusive environment in the music industry, and as mentioned before, that is very appealing to us here! Just like Mike at Korg, they seem to get it! There is far too much infighting in the industry, and the realities of the Internet are for the most part being sluffed off by many of the major industry players. (At least publically!) I expect these guys to quickly show up on everyone's radar screens. They both come from Intel, and know what they are doing! We have talked with them about doing some work together to help promote their efforts and our members music. Their website is here: Welcome to NewTechMusic: the TRUE digital Mus...

While we finished up our business at NAMM we stopped into the John Lennon Songwriting Bus that was parked outside the show. There we met the staff, made up of folks from Berklee School of Music. We chatted with members Edward Liberatore and showed us around. This bus is decked out with recording equipment and is used to educate people about the possibilities of making music! They were spending a lot of time on the west coast over the next month or two. (You can see the picture of us on the bus on our web site.)

Another great company and person and Just Plain Folks member I chatted with was member Gregg Hurwitz of the Music Resource Group. These guys publish a new resource book that is fantastic called "The Musicians Atlas." I bought one myself, just before the trip, and finally someone has done a directory for the songwriter/artists in the world. It is affordable and a valuable tool for anyone in this group! We have talked about offering a special deal for Just Plain Folks members, so please visit their site and let me know if you are interested in this great resource. http://www.musiciansatlas.com

I also got to meet up with some great industry people that bear mentioning:

Jim Cooper of Mark of the Unicorn website: www.motu.com,
Karl Winkler of Neumann USA website: www.neumannusa.com,
Keith Bieneman of Sonic Foundry website: www.sonicfoundry.com,
Carolyn Ballen of Discmakers. website: www.discmakers.com

After the day ended, we headed out on Sunset Blvd. to do a bit more sightseeing. One of the interesting spots we passed was the Chateau Marmont Hotel, which has hosted more than it's share of music superstars, and sadly, was the location where John Belushi died.

One interesting thing about LA was that no one anywhere seemed to much care about the Super Bowl. I am sure that part of it was that we were with musicians and people doing business at the NAMM show, but there really was an incredible lack of interest in anything to do with the game. Back in Indianapolis, there are bars advertising beer bashes and parties, and the media hypes it non stop. But true to laid back form, LA seemed non plussed. We found our way onto Melrose, and located a small restraunt/bar that had a really terrible buffet and a really tiny television and parked ourselves there to watch what was a pretty lame Super Bowl game. But I had bigger things on my mind, and the anticipation for our first ever Just Plain Showcase was building up. Not only would I get to meet a ton of members, but we could all watch each other perform live to boot. I paid little attention to the bad food, and bad game.
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Just Plain Showtime

Let's get one thing clear right up front. I can't begin to do justice to the quality of this evening, in the small confines of this newsletter. Our showcase, thanks to the hard work of Harold Payne and yours truly, went from a passing thought, to a hey, that would be fun, to a OH MY GOD WE'VE CREATED A MONSTER pretty quickly. Fortunately it was a friendly monster, and the only victims of the evening were the folks who ended up missing it. We headed a few blocks over to Ghenghis Cohens Cantina, a small and classy club just North of Melrose on Fairfax. Web site: Genghis Cohen Cantina www.genghiscohen.com/music.html The food served is upscale Chinese, and the acoustic performance area is unique. The area is set up with seating that is akin to church pews, bench style. This gives the small but adequate stage a really intimate audience setting and was a wonderful way for people to really focus on the music at hand. When Harold and I had first discussed doing the showcase, we were hoping that we could put a small dent into the seating capacity of the club. We also were hoping that we would have enough performers to fill up a couple of hours of stage time. After posting the show in a bulletin to the group, and after Harold worked his networking magic, we found ourselves OVER booked with talent and actually discouraging more folks from coming out. Before I even left for LA, I got a call from a wonderful artist, and now member Claudia Brant, who originates from Argentina, and after great success there, has come to the USA to take on the music scene here. She has a publishing/writers deal with Peer Music and an artist deal with Warners. I knew when someone of her stature called to arrange to perform at the showcase, that we were really on to something, and in for a great treat. By the time the actual night arrived, we had 30 artist/writers committed to playing and over 100 total Just Plain Folks and LA music industry professionals on the RSVP list.

Here is only a partial list of those who attended and performed that night: A bold P means their picture can be found on the web site on Day 4!

1. Member Harold Payne, (RtBrayne) warmed up the crowd with his song "One Step" which he wrote about a guy (Prem Kumar) who was literally walking around the world being a catalyst for others--like Brian (except Brian's from Indiana instead of India.) At very end did Music Speaks Louder Than Words

2. Member Anouschka (Nanousch@aol.com) Anouschka was a brave soul as she got up first to perform in front of a pretty heady crowd. Playing acoustic guitar, she got up and got us off to a great start. P

3. Member Alan O'day, who announced his number one song (as both writer and artist) "Undercover Angel" by saying "here's the song that allowed me to by this hair" This is one of those songs that had a big impact on me growing up, working in a barn the summer of 1977 shortly after our move to Indianapolis. I must have heard that song 100 times, and remember thinking of all the possibilities of the world while ripping the insides out of an old barn so it could be turned into an auto shop. In the spirit of the night, Alan stopped after one song, so that others would have time to get up on stage later in the evening as well. Here was someone with 2 Billboard number one songs, and also co-writer of the Righteous Brothers song "Rock and Roll Heaven" and countless others and he was graciously sharing the stage with all the other Just Plain Folks there that evening. He even supplied the Keyboards for the night and helped carry them in himself! His selflessness and total lack of ego set the tone for the entire night. Later, per my personal request and much proding, he did get up and perform his number one song "Angie Baby," which was recorded by Helen Reddy. Wow! P

4. Member Secret Brown (Secret BMI) truly represented the LA scene with her dog collar, Lisa Loeb-esque glasses and leopard skinned dress Her performance was cutely quirky, and her voice was truly riveting and made you want to hear more. P

5. Members Bobak and Patrick, members of the band Eden's Edge (Tamaddon@aol.com) with performed with guitar and bass, and gave us a taste of their LA style. P

6. Members Clydene Jackson Edwards and Oliver Brown. The whole room got down that night with Clydenes smooth soulful power combined with Olivers percussive finesse made for a classy and enthralling duet. (With Harold Payne also playing guitar). Oliver Brown was an original member of KC and the Sunshine Band which might explain why he knew that was the way we liked it! P

7. Member Alfred Johnson played "Pounds of Proof" a New Orleans/Dr. John style song that rocked the house. Here is a one of a kind performer, writer and person. Alfred, among many other things, co-wrote with Rickee Lee Jones many of the songs on her first breakthrough album. P

8. Member Matthew Lee, who did one of the evenings most tender songs on keyboard with one of the most raspy voices you'll ever hear. It was a wonderful contradictions in tone, and a beautiful performace. P

7. Member David Harris, known for unusual guitar tunings, performed one of his song that helped him in his selection as one of Performing Songwriter Magazines 12 Best CDs. P

8. Member Claudia Brant, who is currently profiled in Performing Songwriter Magazine, played two very powerful songs that bridged the gap between her spanish lyrics and the mostly english speaking audience. In any language, her emotion and the beauty of her music would shine through like a beacon! P

9. Members Isaac, a group consisting of members Andreas & ) I was very excited by these great performers who oozed charisma and cool while they played their song that was chart hit quality! I expect everyone to be hearing from these two in a big way! P

10. Members Micheal Hearn and 11. Andrew Mcpherson, two more friends of Alan O'Day's, performed on keyboard and proved that not only does Alan have talent, but so do his many many friends! I apologize I don't have more notes on Michael's and Andrew's performances, but due to our camera malfunctioning, I only had their names and instruments written in my notes. I do recall that both were very good, and look forward to hearing them again on my next trip to LA. P

12. Member Sally Piano, (Avadekian) sang her song couldn't get sound she wanted on keyboard so she sang is acapello instead. She commented that if you sing and write long enough, eventually you will hear one of your song ideas done by someone else. In this case, the signature part to her song that evening was the same as Lullaby, the Shawn Mullins song. P

13. Member Harriet Schock, played a song called "OK you win I'm Gone" She wrote the number one song "Ain't no Way to Treat a Lady" for Helen Reddy and also does great work for Disney (including Pippi Longstockings) and is well known as a teacher of songwriting & frequent industry columnist.

14. Member Brad Parker, performed his song "Days of Poetry" He lived in Hong Kong during the transition and is a big fan of Lord Byron. But I was quite impressed with his total comfort on stage and his ability to stop dead in the middle of playing to comically banter with the audience and pay homage to his friend Harold Payne. P

15. Member Tim Moyer, moved the room with his song called "I don't remember you." His shaved head and cool gravely voice didn't prepare us for the emotionally charged homage to the memory of his father that really grabbed us all. P

16. Member Jai Josefs, author of the book "Writing Music for Hit Songs" said the good thing for him about playing his songs in Nashville is that most people that do songwriter nights there aren't good of singers-which was not the case tonight--so please forgive his voice. It was nice to see that Jai participates in his craft right along with the rest of us! P

17. Member Marc Blake, did a great song about visiting with Native Americans. He had the look and demeanor down, and the song didn't disappoint either. He is also a Website developer & renowned Photographer. P

18. Member Terry Sue sang her charming song "Love your neighbor" and was also instrumental, along with Harold in getting some of these amazing performers and members out for the evening! P

19. Member Brian Austin Whitney. I can't tell you how thrilled I was to get to play one of my songs along with all our other talented members. I wouldn't have been more proud if I was sharing the stage with any other music superstars you could name. To be amongst the supportive atmosphere of the room, and the sincere love of music and the creative process that we all shared was a high that still hasn't gone away!

20. Members Gravity played "Dancin' On theWind" vocals & keyboards by Clydene, percussion by Oliver Brown and guitar by Harold Payne. These folks soung Just Plain Wonderful!

21. Members Susan Streitweiser and --------- from the band Susans Room got the whole room singing on her hilarious anthem "I'm in trouble now." Having heard both of her recent CD's releases, Susan is another artist I think you'll be hearing a lot more about in the near future! P

22. Member Pete Steinberg, Along with his great guitar work, his energetic song about whiskey from Scotland got the whole room up and going! A favorite of my Just Plain Brother Lewis! P

23. Member Jeffery Fisher, played his song "I Still Believe in Love" He had his young son with him, sharing the evening, the other artists and his own talent with his son first hand! P

24. Member Rhonda Desai, sang her song about Monterey and we met her again the next day at her job with the National Academy of Songwriters! P

25. Member Angela Monroe had over come her broken neck 18 months ago and played our showcase on the first leg of her come back! She had also brought along her friend who is the guitarist for the Zeros, who do Howard Stern's theme. Cool eh? P

26. Member and Emcee Harold Payne finished the show off with a totally appropriate rendition of his song "Music Speaks Louder than Words" in which we all got up on stage and sang along with to bring the fantastic night to a close.

This was the list of performers to the best of my memory. Due to the crowd and trying to meet so many of the members who performed and just came out to support the night, it was impossible to keep up with my notes. I had planned to use the video tape of the night to help fill in the blank, but due to the failure of the camera, it is possible I might have left someone out by mistake. Please accept my apologies and let me know if I missed you, and I will update the site accordingly!

In addition to the folks who played, and even larger group came out to support and enjoy the great music. Among those members (and this list is definitely incomplete!)

Members John and JoAnn Braheney. Both of these folks are legends in the LA music scene, and John is best known for his book "The Craft and Business of Songwriting" and his involvement in the founding and running of the Los Angeles Songwriter Showcase along with friend and partner Len Chandler who was also in attendance, and who himself has a long and successful career in the LA music and entertainment scene!

Member Chris Fletcher, who assists Harold Payne, and was a great help to us keeping track of folks, and performers so we could focus on other things! Thanks Chris!

Member Ben McLane, who is an Entertainment Attorney in Los Angeles with clients that include "Big Bad Voodoo Daddy's" and fellow Just Plain Folks member Susan Gibson's group "The Groobees" among many others. You will be hearing a lot more about Ben and his career in an upcoming issue! Ben was accompanied with a legend in the songwriting world Jim Holvay, who among other songs wrote the classic #1 Kind of a Drag in 1966 for the Buckinghams, and also his friend and soon to be hit writer himself GordonPagoda.

Member Gregory Watton who has been one of our youngest and most active members in trying to network in the group and get the word out about Just Plain Folks. He current is running a college radio program at his school and is a frequent poster on the Just Plain Networking Board. He brought several of his friends, and now current members with him to support the evening!

Member Phil Wayne, a friend of Harold and Olivers who is also a songwriter and hopefully next time will be able to perform with the rest of us!

Member Mark Kastle, who many of you know as the owner and operator of Airmusic.com, which has many Just Plain Folks members among his artists for sale on his web site. He was there with several friends.

Member Tom Lancaster who we hope will perform on the next go round, was present as well as Member Maha.

Members Pete and Pat Luboff, author of the book "88 Songwriter Wrongs and how to Write them" and also very involved in seminars and writers workshops and educations. Pete is also a singer songwriter and we hope he performs next time out!

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