December 2023 VOCAL Songwriters Showcase

August 2024 VOCAL Songwriters Showcase

The August 2024 showcase featured the 2024 VOCAL Songwriter of the Year and Song of the Year winners. Veteran writer Glen King was honored with Songwriter of the Year at our annual banquet and long-time VOCAL member Doug Patrick received the Song of the Year award. Jim Puckett and Steve Nuckolls rounded out the slate of performers.

Jim Puckett kicked off the evening with three of his well-crafted tunes. Learning How to Say Goodbye is a love-gone-wrong song about coming to grips with the fact your lover is gone and trying not to cry about it. “Don’t let my heart get in your way” and “writing another letter to the trash can” describe it all! Vegas By Now is an ode to doing stupid things you regret and now you find yourself in the county lockup instead of winning lots of money and getting married in “Lost Wages”. Mab Sky is a tribute to his ancestors who lived and worked in the mining camps, where his grandad drove a grocery truck delivering to the miners. They gave it their best while there but worked hard to escape the camp and find a better life.

Glen King then took the stage with his keyboard and backing tracks and treated us to six songs from his vast catalog. A Rainy Day With You is a jazzy, uplifting tune about being with your lover on a rainy day, not a care in the world about the stormy, wet weather outside. What We Leave Behind is an award-winning ecology song depicting all the environmental abuses going on today, such as the wave of plastic floating on the sea, oil spills, etc. A Song on the Radio reflects his thoughts on the tune he hears continuously over the air, reminding him of this lover and wishing he had said those words about her. It’s Always Sunny is a beautiful love song to his wife, a testimony that everything is great when she’s around, no cloudy skies, brighter than all the summers since the dawn of creation! Glen recounts the wonderful memories of his beloved cat with You Left Your Mark on Me. They watched the young cat as he learned his way and cared for each other when one was under the weather. We all know how sad it is to lose a close furry friend. I Don’t Mind The Rain is an optimistic tune telling us it’s okay to enjoy the rain and all that goes with it as the sun will shine another day! This song involved audience participation in accompanying Glen on the chorus.

Steve Nuckolls then took the stage with three of his tunes. The first was Morning Glories, a song co-written with Glen describing a couple’s life along with the happiness and sadness accompanying it. The song’s setting always ended where the morning glories grow wild by the road. One Half of the Man and Dog is a new song describing a man and his dog who are often seen panhandling along the median in the city streets. You Get To is another new song recounting his father’s words of wisdom, that you don’t have to do something, you get to and should see it as an opportunity!

Doug Patrick finished up the evening with four of his finely-crafted numbers, including the Song of the Year. He opened his set with the self-described “dysfunctional relationship” song You Don’t Cross My Mind. Yes, he certainly remembers all the good times they had but the bad memories are much more vivid and forgettable and now he can do what he wants when he wants! He then took us to the horse track with his memorable Watch That Red Horse Run, a tribute to the horse racing champion Secretariat. It’s a cool tune with great imagery about being at the race track, numbers in hand, just waiting for that underdog to blow everyone away! He then performed his Song of the Year winner Where the Wild Wind Blows. This is a beautifully finger-picked song about his life on a desolate mountaintop and the woman he loved. She was all he needed to fill the hole in his heart, but she couldn’t resist the pull of the city lights so left him high and dry. He still sees her silhouette today against the pure white snow. He ended his set with an ecology song Leave It Like We Found It, offering some very sound advice on some simple things we can do to help the planet and leave no trace.

A great time was had by all listening to excellent original music!

Showcase Photos

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Photo Credits: Matthew Costello

Posted in Showcases and tagged doug patrick, Glen King, Jim Puckett, O'Toole's Restaurant and Pub, Steve Nuckolls, Virginia Organization of Composers and Lyricists, VOCAL Songwriters Showcase

December 2023 VOCAL Songwriters Showcase

The December 2023 showcase took place on December 18^th at O’Toole’s. There was quite a spirited crowd in attendance and most folks were very attentive to our performance. This showcase is always special as it features numerous VOCAL members who are playing mostly holiday and/or seasonal-themed songs. VOCAL threw out a challenge years ago for the members to write such songs for this annual event. Door prizes are also offered at this event so there were many happy winners of VOCAL-related merchandise, gift cards, etc. and even signed books from a local author, Maggie King! (thanks, Maggie!).

Long-time member Russell Lawson opened the show with three of his finely-crafted tunes. Ice Falling is a sobering story depicting the signs of global warming. Dear Santa is a fairly new song of Russell’s describing how the times have changed now that the kids have grown and everyone wants iPhones, x-boxes, etc. under the tree. We are still amazed at the magic way you do the things you do! Christmastime is Here is Russell’s first holiday challenge song from 2004 where he reveals all the vivid and memorable details of the Christmas season (hurried shoppers, mistletoe, candlelight, etc.)

Matt Manion then took the stage and opened with The Crossroads, a tribute to the Saturday night showcase from the 70’s that was held in the basement of St. James’s Episcopal church. He recounted the excitement and eagerness of getting your slot on the stage. Blue Ridge Mountain Hideaway was co-written with his friend Richard which conveys a sense of peace and comfort hanging out on a mountaintop in the Blue Ridge witnessing breathtaking sunrises and sunsets. Quarter to Midnight is one of Matt’s signature tunes recounting his experience on Christmas Eve heading to Midnight Mass and the human interactions he is involved with along the way.

Long-time member Glen King then opened his set accompanied by piano. Christmas Came Early tells the story of the best Christmas gift ever for a loving couple when their baby was delivered in July. It was 95 degrees in Abilene, the paper said July but he had snowflakes in his eyes. Song on the Radio was written for the ukulele but sounded just fine on the keys (“you’re like a song on the radio, an angel in the choir, saying words I wish I had”). Glen left us with another holiday song I’d Like to Spend New Years Eve With You. Now that all the holiday rush is over, there’s still one present I’d like. I’d like to spend time with you and make your New Years dreams come true!

John Ellis then treated us to two of his signature holiday/seasonal tunes with his stellar guitar playing. Winter Solstice is an intriguing instrumental that allows the listener to conjure up their own images of the season. Me and My Baby on a Cold Winter Day offers the perfect warmup recipe for romantic, cozy indoor time with your lover!

Glenda Creamer graced the stage with three of her holiday-related tunes. We’re Getting Ready for Christmas describes the planning, shopping and all around hustle and bustle that accompanies the holiday. The Story is a very beautiful biblical tale about the birth of Jesus and the true meaning of Christmas. The Cookie Exchange describes that munching temptation this time of year and balancing it with your dietary needs.

Carol Torricelli (aka “Torch”) pinch-hit for another member and brought three lovely tunes to the crowd. We Are Virginia describes the many splendors of The Commonwealth and could be the official state tourism song. The Ode to Thanksgiving gives a bit of pity to this oft-overlooked holiday as it’s sandwiched between Halloween and Christmas. When candy corn goes straight to candy canes you know you’re missing something in between. The Roads In Between Us is the story of her life in New Jersey and Manhattan when many of her friends moved far away. Even though miles apart she could sing to the sunset and bring them back close.

Jim Puckett brought a couple of his seasonal tunes to the stage with Snowey Mountain Bride, a Civil War-era number about a man leaving the battlefield on Christmas Eve for the western slopes of the mountain where the lady to be his bride is waiting. The Morning After New Years Eve is a new tune asking for a chance at redemption in the new year, as it’s never too late to make amends.

The Bluegrass/Folk duo of Gene and Gayla Mills ended the evening with a handful of their homespun tales. Let Fallen Snow Be All We Hear is rich in cozy images of being stuck in a cabin in the woods with heavy snow and no distractions from the modern world. Riley’s Horn Pipe is an original instrumental fiddle tune that was well-accepted by the crowd. I Want a Car with a Carburetor harkens back to the good old days when things were a little simpler (no pagers/cell phones, etc.) and coffee was brewed in a percolator! They ended the evening with a very beautiful medley of Christmas songs (What Child is This and God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen).

Great job, guys, and Happy Holidays to all!