Thanks for subscribing and welcome to my seventh Newsletter.

I recently participated joined the Nashville Songwriters International Association (NSAI). The NSAI website is designed to help artists become better songwriters but focuses on the Nashville country market idea of what is a hit song. There is no doubt that these guys know what they are talking about. Many of the staff have written #1 hits and have gone through the learning experiences that it takes to be a hit songwriter. It’s a dilemma for me because I write mainly folk songs and there isn’t an easy access to the folk song market. Where are the channels that play folk songs and who is listening? Needless to say, I am at a crossroads.

Songs are the main vehicle by which a songwriter communicates with listeners. I will be sharing my songs, and stories about how they were written, on my website. I will also be sharing additional folk art and personal interests.

What’s Happening

I have recorded the vocals for my 4th CD and Fab Tranzer has finished the mastering. I have also begun a Production arrangement with Allister Bradley for my 5th Project. The songs are pretty well selected for that project and I am writing and co-writing songs for my 6th Project. I usually cover 2 favorite songs for each Project and Project 5 will feature Woody Guthrie’s “Hobo’s Lullaby” and the blues standard “Midnight Special”.

To date I have recorded 3 CD’s; A Field By The Sea, Blue Smoke and Life is Good. You can sample all of the songs from these CD’s on my CD Baby web page store. As well, some of the songs appear in the audio player on the top of each page on my website. I have all of the tracks recorded and the mastering completed for my 4th CD – The Only Sin. All that remains is the artwork and replication. Anticipated release is early 2013.

I will miss Juan Albarran in a production role as he has been with me for 4 Projects. I am indeed happy that he will continue in a musician’s role as our rhythm guy. A band without solid bass and drums is like a house with no foundation. I look forward to Juan’s continued contributions to my musical efforts. Juan and I have been discussing a co-writing arrangement and will be into a song about the time of the release of this newsletter!

What I’m Reading

I have just finished Jodi Picoult’s “picture perfect”. This book is a must read if you enjoy Jodi Picoult. You will know that I do as this is the second Picoult book I have reviewed in my newsletter. This is an older book and I was struck by the level od development of Jodi as an author. The imagery and use of literary technique is there but at an early stage of development. It would be comparable to me, as a songwriter, looking at some of my earlier songs. The foundation is there but  the craft is yet to be honed. Still – great imagery Jodi!

Best Traditional Folk Songs

I grew up in rural Newfoundland before the age of television. Kitchen parties were a popular form of entertainment and folk music was the staple of local musicians. Some friends and I were discussing the best traditional folk songs of all time and I sat down the next day and came up with the following list.

I suggest that the top 3 are:

• This Land is Your Land – Woody Guthrie

I am a great fan of Woody Guthrie and am covering one of his songs for my next CD. I am a Canadian and there is a Canadian version of this song which is sung more often around campfires and on folk nights than the original version. Woody had a tremendous influence on folk artists of the 1960’s including, arguably, the best of them all, Bob Dylan

• Blowin’ in the Wind – Bob Dylan

Bob, influenced by Woody, wrote so many great ones but this one went on to be an anthem for a whole generation which eventually became known as the baby-boomers. The generation that sought answers to many of life’s questions were enchanted by the answer put forward by Dylan “the answer, my friend, is blowin’ in the wind.” This generation helped put an end to the Vietnam War and rallied to Dylan’s folk songs.

• Four Strong Winds – Ian Tyson

There are many great Canadian folk songs but this one has always been my favorite and has to make my personal top 3 lost. Rural Canadians, to this day, leave their communities to go to Alberta to find work. The song could be released today and be as poignant as it was when it was first released over half a century ago.

Whether or not you agree with my picks, there can be no argument that these are some of the best traditional folk songs of all time.

My Sons

I have two sons of whom I couldn’t be more proud. I am proud of them for who they are, for their ability to empathize with the less fortunate around them and for their profound love of family. I an also proud of who they are becoming as professionals. Jim is in his 3rd year of Med School and Waylon is in his 4th year of Vet School. I could never have withstood the long haul they have both engaged in to achieve those degrees. Through thick and thin, relationships, personal loss, a marriage, and so on, they were in it for the long haul. Their Mom and I are very fortunate to have these guys as sons!

Kathleen Mae Lano has joined our family as Jim’s wife and she is a pleasure to have as a daughter-in-law. In truth she is more like a daughter and stays in touch as much as our sons. We love her dearly!

Tale of a Song

I am a longtime blues fan and released “Blue Smoke” as a project devoted to the blues. In researching and writing or selecting the songs for the project, I came across a tongue-in-cheek blues song and immediately loved it. I performed it with Rik Emmit and his house band at Hugh’s Room in Toronto and the audience immediately fell for the song. The room was electric and the solos powerful. I was compelled to record “Too White to Sing the Blues” and have been informed by artists like Bunmi Adeole that I am indeed not too white to sing the blues. Have a listen on my Facebook  Artist page. Send me an e-mail – smokinjoewiseman@hotmail.com and let me know what you think. The author, Joe Medeiros, btw, is a staff writer for Jay Lenno.

My First Country Song

I have an Facebook Artist’s page where you can click on Like, click on Band Profile, and then download free Everything But Me, my first country single at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Smokin-Joe-Wiseman/124634987594733?v=wall&filter=1 Share with your friends so they can like and click for a free song also!

My band Keltic Jam, play some of my songs locally and a version of Metis Girl, my first single release, is available on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WJoGA3xWD-g  Hope you enjoy!

Smokin Joe radiates the soul of Johnny Cash, the sensuality of Jim Morrison and the style of Woody Guthrie wrapped up in a folk/roots package! He’s somewhere between “Ringo Starr and the Grateful Dead” His songs are “real life gritty”, not “Nashville pretty”!

Contact Info and Websites

http://www.smokinjoewiseman.com

smokinjoewiseman@hotmail.com 

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Smokin-Joe-Wiseman/124634987594733?v=wall&filter=1

http://www.cdbaby.com/Artist/SmokinJoeWiseman1

http://www.songu.com/members/smokinjoe

http://www.reverbnation.com/smokinjoewiseman

http://www.youtube.com/smokinjoewiseman

http://www.myspace.com/smokinjoewiseman

http://www.musicforte.com/member/smokinjoewiseman/

http://itunes.apple.com/ca/artist/smokin-joe-wiseman/id253012691

http://www.twitter.com/tjwiseman

http://www.flickr.com/smokinjoewiseman

Future Topics

1. Labrador Retrievers
2. Places to Visit
3. Smokin Joe Updates
4. Photography