On Labor Day September 1st in Nashville, the subsequent installment of the songwriting showcase The Hook is about to occur. It’ll be held on the Eastside Bowl within the ’58 room from 7:30 to 9:30, with doorways opening at 6:00. Songwriters who need to join an opportunity to carry out ought to get there by 7:00. This would be the closing check run of the present forward of an official pilot taping on September twenty ninth.
What’s The Hook? It’s a songwriting showcase filmed reside that options established songwriters, and ANYONE else who desires to carry out for a reside viewers and a panel of specialists. For extra details about The Hook, you possibly can try savingcountrymusic.com/thehook.
Just lately, I (Set off) talked to producer and musician Tony Mantor on his “Nearly Dwell … Nashville” podcast in regards to the inspiration behind The Hook, and what of us can count on. We additionally talked about Saving Nation Music and the origins of the web site. The podcast could be heard anyplace podcasts are discovered, and on the YouTube participant under.
Under are a number of the largest factors.
Tony Mantor: What was the inspiration for The Hook?
Set off: Properly the whole lot is transferring to social media. All the things is transferring to video. AI goes to take over the whole lot in so a few years. How can we construct one thing that’s going to reply all these questions? What can we construct for the longer term as a discussion board to launch artists? That’s the place The Hook got here from. It’s not a signing competitors. It’s not a contest in any respect. It’s merely a tune showcase.
Tony Mantor: That appears like a extremely attention-grabbing idea. Are you able to broaden on the way it works?
Set off: It’s mainly a two hour program—podcast, video-form program. We’re going to spotlight some established songwriters for certain, people who have already got a profession in music. After which after that we’re going to throw the barn doorways utterly large, and let anybody who desires to rise up there in entrance of a microphone carry out a tune. In the event that they’re an incredible singer, that’s superior. However principally that is actually in regards to the tune.
There are such a lot of songwriters on the market that also really feel like they’re not getting the eye they deserve. So the thought is, let’s open up the discussion board to everybody, and see if we are able to’t discover the subsequent biggest songwriter. And by doing that, we’re going to have some very very unhealthy songs. However even when it’s simply a couple of times, or thrice throughout the two-hour interval, some random particular person will rise up there that no one’s ever heard of and can simply blow our thoughts. As a result of we’ve all been there. Somebody performs an authentic tune, and it adjustments the synapses of your mind. You’re a unique particular person after you heard this tune.
That’s the facility of tune. I actually consider that songs can change a life, they will change somebody’s perspective, and so they can change the world. And so by making a discussion board for these songs, hopefully we are able to do all of these issues.
Tony Mantor: Folks rise up and so they sing their tune. What occurs after that?
Set off: The hope is that we construct The Hook into one thing that lots of people are being attentive to. If we are able to try this, then it is going to hopefully stimulate individuals to go and discover out extra about this specific artist. There’s a couple of methods we’re going to try this. Clearly we’ll be releasing the episodes in podcast kind. We’re ranging from the bottom ground right here. The opposite factor we’re going to do is clip out a second, or a refrain of a tune—a second that touches the viewers—and we’ll share this stuff on social media. That means we are able to discover individuals, and other people can discover us. This will even give some worth to the performers.
Lately it’s not simply sufficient to have tune. It’s not even sufficient to have recording or to have a label behind you. In case you’re not in a position to create the visible media—it’s actually had for these unbiased artists to try this. So we’re going to create these assets for them.
Tony Mantor: That sounds actually good. What are the plans for placing that every one collectively?
Set off: That is going to be a full video manufacturing. We’ve obtained the people who used to do Music Metropolis Roots behind us, so some actually nice video individuals. It’s going to be like a TV present. We’ve invited individuals from the labels, reserving brokers, publicists, A&R individuals, and fellow songwriters are all hopefully going to point out as much as this factor. Within the room itself there might be an publicity part. And if somebody comes up and so they do actually good, we’re going to ask them again, and we’re going to try to give them that floor stage profession alternative.
There’s a ton of songwriter showcases on the market already. And songs could be inherently boring, and I say that as a fan of songs. So we’re going to use comedy to spice issues up. Together with sentimental songs, we hope individuals rise up there and sing humorous songs. There may be additionally going to be a cutoff ingredient. If someone’s actually unhealthy, a bell goes to ring telling then ‘Hey, you’ve obtained to wrap this up.’ And if someone’s REALLY unhealthy, they’ll get ‘The Hook.’ And we’re most likely going to get some hucksters who present as much as purposely to get hooked.
The opposite drawback with these songwriter showcases is that they’re all sort of fluffy. We’re going to be crucial. If a tune is basically unhealthy, we’re going to be respectful about it, however we’re additionally going to present our trustworthy opinions. There’s going to be a panel that can begin with me and this nice songwriter named Caitlin Cannon. She’s an award-winning songwriter, and he or she’s additionally labored in loads of songwriting clinics. She’s labored with Veterans which have PTSD, and he or she’s additionally labored in prisons. She’s gone into most safety prisons with convicted felons and taught them how one can write songs.
I’m a critic. I’ve written and printed songs, however I’m principally a journalist and a critic. Caitlin Cannon actually brings the songwriting credentials. She will tear a tune aside, after which put it again collectively. We’re additionally going to ask different massive identify songwriters for the panel. We’ll additionally produce other journalists, influencers, and perhaps individuals from the trade.
For extra info on The Hook, try savingcountrymusic.com/thehook.
