Magazines

Magazines have been an important part of my my life ever since I was small. My dad always had a shelf filled with National Geographic magazines that came in handy for school projects. I don't know if he ever found out that we would cut and paste the pictures into school reports. Highlights and Boy's Life magazines filled my life as a child. I remember collecting Reader's Digest magazines one Christmas because my scout troop were folding them into little Christmas trees and giving the painted and glittered beauties away as gifts. (I still get Reader's Digest, albeit the Kindle version).

The thing about magazines for me is that they smell so good when you open them. My magazines of choice today are usually music oriented. So when I crack one open, the ink whiff starts it all, and then the thought of very cool music gear inside, waiting to be perused, is exciting (I know, I need to get out more)! Mix Magazine, Vintage Guitar, and Premier Guitar are the magazines I will stand at the curb and wait for. I instinctively know when one of those choice mags are coming my way: something in the wind tells me and, lo and behold, a few days later, one of them will appear!

I have a secret magazine subscription. No, it's not the illicit types you're thinking of. I love Reminiscence Magazine. It contains writings from regular people who share their memories of the good ol' days. It is an old people's magazine, supposedly, but I have seen articles by folks around my age in there. So, technically, I am of the appropriate age to read it. My dad had some of his writings published in Reminiscence, so he usually had stacks waiting for me to devour when we'd visit him in North Carolina before he moved in with us. Now his subscription comes to my door and I love it!

People magazine is another fave. Everyone in my family devours it, except for Brenda. She has her own set of magazines that she reads, mostly of the knitting, spinning and book review variety. Needless to say, we are sufficiently magazine-d at the Harvill house. I bet if you come over, and when you feel at home, before you excuse yourself to use the restroom, you'll look around the room and ask with a hushed voice, "Where's the new issue of People?"

Songwriter Wisdom, Part 1

I have been blessed for the past 20 years to make a living as a songwriter. I always felt I should be paying to write songs because its such a blast. Don't get me wrong, its hard work; its a skill. I've always said, and I'll say it again: "A great song isn't written, its re-written." Great songs with killer lyrics are not spit out in 15 minutes. Yes, the first draft may have taken a few minutes. But by the time you have shaped and re-shaped it, its kinda like making pasta the old fashioned way: you roll it out, fold it, run it through a "truth press", fold it again, run it through a "cut-the-fat press", fold it again, run it through a "just an acoustic guitar press", then cut it into the sumptuous strips that are the beginnings of a tasty Italian dish! Great songwriters don't settle!

I have been asked by many a first-time writer for some guidance in what to do if their song is chosen for a recording. Here are a few suggestions:

1) Jump for joy! You are about a fraction of a percentage of the population of the world who will ever have that opportunity. Treat the "first time" wisely and you will have a better chance at making songwriting your career. That leads me to...

2) There is no such thing as a "standard" publishing deal. The deal will be as good as you are valuable to the artist, producer, record company, etc. The "standard" spiel is given so you'll give up valuable income to others in the food chain. My feeling is that the writer should own as much of the publishing as possible and, of course, the full percentage of the writer's share, according to the number of writers on the song. There are times, however, when sharing is wise...

3) Sometimes giving up a percentage of publishing is wise when: a) its your fist cut and your willingness to share gives your song a fighting chance to stay on the song list; b) you are a new writer and have been invited by a producer or artist to write songs for a specific project; c) you're new and have a better chance of your song making more income with a major label and great distribution. (my first cut and my subsequent 8-years as a staff writer with Integrity Music meant I gave-up 100% of my publishing, but they sold a bunch of records...I still make a great living on those songs I signed 20 years ago. Since 2000, I've been independent and rarely split publishing).

4) Not all cuts are the same. In other words, just because your song gets on a record doesn't mean you'll make any money. In Christian music, from which I hail, a single CD may have the shelf-life of a year, maybe two. If a record doesn't fly, you may only get a few bucks out of it, if you are fortunate. Seasonal projects, like Christmas records, are only alive for a few months at a time. Choral music, or what the industry calls "print", doesn't always bring a windfall. If your song was previously recorded for another project and you get a "print" cut, then that's better. You have to be smart and know where the original song placement will be because, after you sign the publishing away, its next to impossible to adjust it, outside of a skilled lawyer and a bunch of legal fees So, decide the fate of your song and its future by the quality of the cut.

Everyone in the music business knows that everything rises and falls with the song. The song is what's valuable, not necessarily the artist or band. Remember, a song can be recorded an infinite amount of times, and the subsequent income streams can feed you and your loved-ones for years. This is all part of the wisdom a songwriter must apply in order to succeed.

Next time, I will discuss income streams and the many ways a song can potentially generate revenue. Remember: Not everybody can write songs--its a God-given skill; songs aren't written, they're re-written and you gotta know the business to make a living in it. Be wise, always be a learner, and stay humble!

Identity Gift

There are very few things that get my blood pumping in an instant; one of them was when I found out from my credit card company recently that I was a victim of identity fraud. This news sent me into a frenzy to put a stop on my account. On another occasion, when applying for a home loan, our credit report showed that Brenda and I owned a boat and a second home (I wish!). We cleared up the problem eventually, but that scare is something I'll never forget, and we are duly suspicious when handing over our credit card to pay for a meal. Identity fraud is frightening, to say the least!

In a sermon yesterday at our church, I heard something that I want to pass on to you today. The pastor preached about our identity in Christ, as Children of God, from 1 John. I never before saw it so clearly: "How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!" (1 John 3:1, NIV)

When someone steals our identity through obtaining our Social Security number or other private information, they can take on full authority in our behalf to make purchases. I read recently of a person who stole the identity of the former bass player with the Eagles, Randy Meisner. The impersonator was booking gigs and getting free drinks from bars all across the country. Meisner himself was even thought to be his own impersonator at one point!

In Christ, though, we have taken on the gift of God's identity. Our sin is forgiven and we are covered by His righteousness. The Bible says: "Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory." (Romans 8:17, NIV) That means as children of God we share all of the benefits as "first-born sons" in his household. We are fully covered by His identity in regard to health, wealth, physical and spiritual protection and future hope. Through our new identity in God we are also saved from an eternal hell.

So instead of an identity theft, I can celebrate an identity gift today. Its something that can turn a gray sky into blue. I am a child of the King! I need to live like it.

Growing Up with the Eagles

The Eagles were my generation's Beatles. You might argue the point, but if you look back, both groups started out doing a lot of cover songs, and their real talent emerged in writing and performing their own material. With the Eagles, there were two guys who definitely and unquestionably were the leaders: Don Henley and Glen Frey. With the Beatles: John Lennon and Paul McCartney. Over the years, certain members of the Eagles would wrestle with who were in charge. But the fact remained, and the dissenters always lost the struggle to eventually go their own way.

Now, in 2011, There are several books telling the story of the birth, flight, death, rebirth and continued flight of the Eagles. Folks my age (too young to remember the Beatles on Ed Sullivan but teenagers in the early 70s) would see similarities with the Fab Four. With both groups, the "song" was king and the record production--clean and perfected. Though exuding a casual, laid-back persona as country rockers, the Eagles helped set a high bar for any other group to dare follow. They made enemies early on with east coast rock critics when some members of the Eagles spoke negatively about certain New York bands of the period. The Eagles found disdain by critics for decades but obviously have weathered the storm and have, like the Phoenix, risen out of the ashes to fly again, and again.

A great book by Ben Fong-Torres, "Eagles," presents a first-hand, "been there" perspective of the band in a well-written, photo-laden, "coffee table worthy" but well-worth-the-read, history. Fong-Torres, a former writer and editor with Rolling Stone magazine, is one of my favorite writers, and he himself interviewed the Eagles back when they were willing to give them. I've read most, if not all, of the Eagles books available, including Don Felder's "Heaven and Hell." This new offering starts with a baseball game in the late 70s between the Rolling Stone magazine staff and the Eagles (Rolling Stone lost). The Eagles would see their own demise soon after the magazine did an Eagles cover story in 1979. Fong-Torres' book weaves through all of the phases of the group's life and line-up through today. I never tire of reading about the Eagles' fascinating story!

A few interesting facts about the Eagles that may surprise you:

--Their first gig was at Disneyland as a back-up band for Linda Ronstadt. Randy Meisner and Bernie Leadon were the more experienced members of the group. But by the second record, Don Henley and Glenn Frey quickly became the front-runners as lead writers and singers.

--Though touted as the embodiment of the southern California country rock sound, none of the original Eagles were from southern California: Don Henley was from Texas; Glenn Frey from Michigan; Randy Meisner from Nebraska; and Bernie Leadon from Minnesota/Florida (Timothy B. Schmidt, a Meisner replacement before "The Long Run" album, was from central California in Sacramento).

--Their first record was completely recorded in England with producer/ engineer Glyn Johns, who had previously worked with the Rolling Stones and Led Zeppelin.

--Before the Eagles, Randy Meisner, the high-singing bass player, auditioned for the group Poco, beating out Timothy B. Schmidt (another high-tenor/ bass picker). When Meisner left Poco, Schmidt took his place. When Meisner left the Eagles, Schmidt replaced him there, too!

New Harvill | Sadler song: Hope of the World

Finally, Gary and I have finished mixing "Hope of the World!" This is a Christmas version of the song which will eventually be on our forthcoming 2012 CD, sans the Christmas fade at the end. We have been working on this project for a while now and can't wait for all of the songs to be totally finished and released.

In the coming weeks, as I wrote here before, we will be going live with our new website where anyone can sign-up for our newsletter and receive a free download of "Hope of the World." If you make a special request to me personally, I just might get you a lead-sheet with all the chords and lyrics. We will be offering this special promotion through Thanksgiving 2011, then it will be available at all of the download stores like iTunes. I will keep you posted here when we plan release the complete CD in 2012.

Please give a listen to the song on the player below. Tell me what you think. Blessings!

Changing My Mind

I appreciate my friend John Stanko and his weekly Monday Memo, where today he wrote: "I was wrong." He went back to an old four-point teaching about failure and realized the last point wasn't accurate, so he re-wrote it. Maybe he didn't see the error before, or maybe his views have changed over the years. Whatever the case, he was flexible enough to change his mind.

One of the many things my college experience did for me was to think critically--not with a negative penchant to dominate or prove somebody wrong for the fun of it--but with the intention  to research and think through all of the possible angles before giving the statement or belief a hand-stamp of approval. Some bosses, religious leaders and even educators (even though they espouse an open mind) think this critical process is subversive. I believe it is Biblical.

I ran across some faulty business maxims recently that possibly have been taken for granted since many highly regarded authors have either professed or have referred to the following statements as "truth." While I don't necessarily endorse Alexander Kjerulf lock, stock and barrel, his challenge to these five top business maxims caught my attention:

Old maxim #1: Failure is not an option

Meaning: We absolutely, positively must succeed.

Guess what: No matter how many times you repeat this maxim, failure remains an option. Closing your eyes to this fact only makes you more likely to fail. Putting pressure on people to always succeed makes mistakes more likely because:

• People who work under pressure are less effective
• People resist reporting bad news
• People close their eyes to signs of trouble

New maxim: Failure happens. Deal with it.

Old maxim #2: The customer is always right

Meaning: The customer is king. We satisfy our customers’ every need.

No. No, no, no. This tired business maxim often means that loyal hardworking employees are scorned in favor of unreasonable customers. It also, ironically, results in bad customer service.

New maxim: Happy employees means happy customers.

Old maxim #3: Never be satisfied

Meaning: You can never be satisified and complacent in business. You’ve always gotta want more.

This is a bad mistake which rests on a very fundamental misconception, namely that being satisfied means that you stop acting. That satisfaction breeds complacency and therefore that a happy, satisfied company will be passive. Nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, a constant sense of dissatisfaction in an organization sends one powerful message: We’re not good enough! The irony is that this results in worse performance.

This is not about closing your eyes and pretending things are great if they’re not. It’s about appreciating the fact that people in constant states of dissatisfaction erode an organization’s will and ability to act. The trick is to appreciate what you have and still aim for more.

New maxim: Always be appreciative but never complacent.

Old maxim #4: Nice guys finish last

Meaning: We can’t be too nice in business. In fact, being nice may hinder your career and impede results.

That’s just not true, of course we should be nice at work. This doesn’t mean that you have to be nice to all of the people all of the time, but it means that you absolutely can be a nice person and succeed in business. Unpleasant people hurt the bottom line. In a networked world reputation matters, and it’s more important to be generous and likeable than to be ruthless and efficient.

New maxim: Nice guys get the job done.

Old maxim #5: Grow or die

Meaning: A business is either growing or dying. A business can’t be successful if it’s not growing.

Sometimes a business might be better off spending a quarter or a year not growing but simply consolidating existing business. Consequently not growing or even shrinking does not automatically represent business failure.

New maxim: Grow when you gotta.

When I mentioned "Biblical" earlier, I was referring to Acts 17:11 and what the Apostle Paul said about some of his students: "Now the Berean Jews were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true (NIV)."

Even if you don't agree with my philosophy, the Apostle Paul, or even Alexander Kjerulf's revised maxims, it is noble to scrutinize what people say and make a solid examination before laying our lives down on a doctrine, opinion or a theory. I am impressed when someone does find error, especially in a teaching they themselves taught. It's okay to change your mind. That's called true repentance!

(The "Top 5 Business Maxims That Need to Go" article by Alexander Kjerulf is borrowed from the website, Chief Happiness Officer.)

Alan Parsons Talks About His Work with the Beatles