Creative Edge Music

I had the pleasure of being part of a great bill on Valentine’s Day held at The Griffin. Previously an Irish Bar called O’Connells, The Griffin is a venue situated in a dark recess of the Linda Vista neighborhood in San Diego (1310 Morena Blvd).  With ample seating, including 3 large booths and several bar-height tables, it is a comfortable place to sit and enjoy good music.  And there’s plenty of standing room in front of the stage for a more rockin’ experience.  They even have a disco ball for the dancier tunes. The venue is long and separated into three main sections.  Guests enter into the back room where two pool tables and the merch table are situated.  The pool tables are $1 to play and are surrounded by a few tables and seats.  I heard one guest complain that there was no chalk available.  The merch table lies in one corner with two chairs available for staffing.  It was a tight fit for three bands’ merch, and it was rather lucky that...

The Internet is an amazing resource for burgeoning musicians and songwriters. Here is a rundown of some classes and websites. Fortunately, with the rising popularity of free online courses, pioneered by MIT Open Courseware and other learning institutions, getting your foot in the door of music education is easier than ever.  One of the most well-known music production universities, Berklee College of Music, provides two noteworthy classes through Coursera: Introduction to Songwriting and Introduction to Music Production. Introduction to Songwriting is led by Pat Pattison, a professor and author of songwriting at the school.  His videos are informative and oftentimes funny.  It’s a true pleasure to watch his lectures.  Lectures are paired with in-video questions to make sure you understand concepts mentioned along with after-lecture quizzes and homework assignments.  As it is a free class, participating in the quizzes and assignments are not required, but...