So you have a handful of original songs and you feel like trying them out on a listening audience?
You’ve played them at your local coffee shop ad nauseum. People like them. But you want to spread your wings and see what a new audience might think?
Try an Open Mic tour.
What is an Open Mic [...]

Neko Case on songwriting (via LargeHeartedBoy):

I think it was easier to make this record over a longer period of time because I didn’t have to submerge myself in it so hard. I could do it for a couple of weeks and then leave, so my perspective was a lot fresher a lot of the time. [...]

An interesting article with more insight into Daniel Powter and the difficulties of coming up as a songwriter.
Powter’s rise to success is not your typical, music industry story, where a young artist (in his teens or early 20s) is signed by a label and releases a trendy hit. Powter is enjoying his breakthrough success at [...]

Alice Cooper talking to the Toledo Free Press about songwriting:
Toledo Free Press: You’re known for your clever lyrics. When did your love of words begin?
Alice Cooper: Probably when I first started listening to rock. I was a journalism major, so I was always very good with words. I was a good short story writer, so [...]

Mondays are becoming MySpace Monday where we review some great songwriters out there in the world of MySpace.
Mieka Pauley
Great stuff. Sounds like a cross between Carol King, Edie Brickel, and Alana Davis. Well-crafted songs and an emotional delivery. Check out Stronger, and Run (and the accompanying SXSW video).
MySpace Profile | Main Website
Jess Pillmore
Songwriting highlights from [...]