JPF Home Page Forums Northeast US Chapter Message Boards Brattleboro & Vermont Chapter Message Board Songwriter Circle/Workshop forming

Greeting one and all from lovely Brattleboro/ Putney VT where the temperatures have finally reached normal winter levels after an unusually warm fall.

I'm Derrik Jordan, the chapter coordinator for Brattleboro and southeastern VT. I'm a singer-songwriter, producer, multi-instrumentalist and organize musical events from time to time. I used to host the Brattleboro Songwriter Circle at the Twilight Tea Lounge for one year and then did the Wednesday Night Song Jam in Bratt at the River Garden for the following year. I took a year off and now I'm back at it again.

I am in the process of setting up a songwriter circle/workshop on the first Tues of each month where songwriters can come together and talk shop, share songs and get and give constructive criticism about their songs.

There seems to be a good deal of interest in this event and anyone else reading this who wants to join should give me a call at (802)387-4050 or email me at hilljoy@sover.net. I'm leaning towards holding the event in Putney at the brand new Putney library. It's a beautiful space. If that doesn't work out we will hold it in Brattleboro.

Please let me know if you are interested in joining the circle and if you have any ideas or concerns about what you'd like to do with the group. Thanks. -Derrik Jordan

Hi Derrik,

We're looking forward to seeing our friends in VT this spring on the road. Do you have many connections up in Burlington? We've thought of adding a stop there also to the trip.

Brian

Hey Brian,

Good to hear from you. Would love to see you again whenever you are in the area. I have very few contacts in Burlington. It's 2 1/2 hours away but might as well be on the moon as it is the opposite corner of the state. I do get up there from time to time but have been so busy with teaching music at school lately that I don't have much time to get up that way. Also it's winter and going north just doesn't appeal.

Did you hear that I won 2nd place for my song "Speak Through Me" in the USA Songwriting Competition? Out of 32,000 songs and we took first place in gospel. I'm still in shock but it is nice to get the prizes in the mail. I had a most amazing year in 2004 with many firsts and an abundance of good luck. I played at the Clearwater Jazz Festival in October in Florida with Tony Vacca's World Rhythms (high energy world fusion) opening for the Neville Brothers for 5,000 people. Way cool. And Will Ackerman has asked me to tour with him next fall.

Hope you are well and gald you are moving forward with the organizational aspects of JPF in terms of unifying the organization and bringing songwriters together for thier own benefit.

If there is anything I can do to help in this neck of the woods, let me know. -Derrik

Derrik,

Well.. you've won in the JPF Awards which are dramatically larger than the USA Songwriting contest. Aren't you aware of that? = ) We had 102K songs entered the year you won for Reggae song. We had 140,000 songs entered for 2004.

Brian

Right, Brian and I'm mighty proud of that Reggae Song award, but for this USA Contest award I won 2nd place overall out of 32,000 songs. There weren't 32,000 reggae songs that I was competing against in the JPF contest. I also won lots of fabulous prizes and some cash. That's a bonus. I just got two very nice microphones in the mail and some very nice recording software. Getting a guitar and a bunch of other stuff. Very cool. Plus they do a lot of promotion. Of course I'm sharing all the prizes with my co-writers.

JPF is still the coolest organization going. I love JPF and you've done an incredible job with it. I'm a huge fan of yours and constantly sing your praises. Thank you for all that you have done. You are really making a difference for a lot of songwriters out there.

(One of)Your biggest fan(s)-Derrik Jordan

PS. I do think it would be worth your while to make a stop in Burlington on the next road trip if you can get someone to host you up there. It's a cool college town and there are a lot of songwriters in that neck of the woods. It's a completely different region of Vermont and affects a different population. Let me know if you are going to do Burlington and I'll try to make it up there for the showcase.