the Direct Buzz March Issue 2013

AirPlay Direct Celebrates Eight Years!

Colin Linden Keeping The Blues Alive

Jim Musselman Founder of Appleseed Recordings

Beyond The Song Foster Care Alumni of America

Three Questions for Radio APD Global Radio Indicator Charts Featured Artists & Reviews

March 2013

6 AirPlay Direct Celebrates 8 Years!

Starting from scratch in 2005, AirPlay Direct has come a long way and celebrates 8 years with this March 2013 re-launch of the Direct Buzz. A story of success and celebration as our president, Michael Harnett, reflects on this remarkable musical journey in time. This is a story that could not have been wrote were it not for all the great artists, record companies, and radio stations who have chosen to come along for the ride!

8 Artist Feature – Colin Linden

FROM THE PUBLISHER It is with great pride and attention that we celebrate the 8 Year Anniversary of AirPlay Direct.

One of the highlights of this celebration is announcing the re-launch of the Direct Buzz.

Featured on the cover, Canadian born Colin Linden, may well be the hottest artist on the globe right now. An 8 time Juno Award Winner who’s been nominated for multiple Grammy’s, Colin Linden is blazing a path to take the blues & roots music he so loves, to places and heights, which the world has never seen.

AirPlay Direct now has over 35,000 artist / label members and over 8,000 radio station members around the world.

15 Behind The Desk – Jim Musselman

The past couple of years have been extremely challenging in the ever evolving entertainment industry. But, when you check out what AirPlay Direct has accomplished for the global independent music community, I think you will find our efforts worthwhile. I have been blessed to have a great AirPlay Direct Executive Team around me the past year… truly amazing.

Jim Musselman is the founder, president, and driving force, who has propelled his record company, Appleseed Recordings, to being one of the leading independent folk & roots music record labels on the planet. To date, Appleseed has released over 100 albums since 1997.

24 The Indie Way: Encoding 101 4 The Writers Round 25 Three Questions for Radio: With David Ludwig 21 Killer Tracks: Kris Kristofferson, Sweet Honey In The Rock, Kathy Boyd & Phoenix Rising 22 Featured Artists: The 10 winners of tDB March “Buzz About You” Artist Contest 26 Beyond The Song – The Foster Care Alumni of America 32 APD GLOBAL RADIO INDICATOR CHARTS™ ---------------------------------------------------------------Publisher & Founder: Robert Weingartz EDITOR IN CHIEF: Bronson Herrmuth ASSOCIATE EDITOR: Lynda Weingartz Contributing Writers: Bronson Herrmuth, Michael Harnett, Fred Boenig, Rick Moore, Abby Montgomery, Ryan Smith, Alexandra James ART DIRECTION: Aleven Creatives (aleven.com) COLIN LINDEN PHOTO CREDITS: Alan Messer, Courtesy of Yellow Dog Records

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© 2013 by AirPlay Direct, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

Michael Harnett, I could not be more impressed with the forward thinking approach and subsequent successes that Michael’s vision and business development acumen have brought to AirPlay Direct.

To Lynda Weingartz… THANK YOU! Bronson Herrmuth – A true team player and a great creative partner.

Colin Linden – What a truly amazing talent!

How do I express the level of admiration I have for this man and his art… that is why he is on our cover.

Janiva Magness – My favorite singer on the planet… seriously.

With fine regards and respect,

Robert Weingartz Chairman & CEO, AirPlay Direct Founder & Publisher, the Direct Buzz

THE WRITERS ROUND

by Bronson Herrmuth

Mark “Brink” Brinkman & Paula Breedlove God Didn’t Choose Sides – Volume I Civil War True Stories about Real People AirplayDirect.com/GodDidntChooseSidesVolume1CivilWar The Direct Buzz (tDB): What was your inspiration for your wonderful song, “God Didn’t Choose Sides?”

Brink Brinkman (BB): We were trying to find a song that related to religion in the Civil War because you know it was very important to both sides, and both sides worshipped the same God. So we started looking at articles on the internet trying to get stories and eventually we found a thing called Faith In The Field. We got a kind of rough idea of what we wanted to accomplish, and then one night Paula started to search around on the computer.

Paula Breedlove (PB): I was looking at things Brink had sent me from Faith In The Field, and I don’t know where it came from. If I ever had anything sent to me from above, this was one of them, because it just came to me, “God Didn’t Choose Sides.” Because you’re reading about how the North, they had their bibles and they had their chaplains and the South had their chaplains. I started working on it and we didn’t even have the story yet, but I wrote a chorus, which is unusual to do that first, but it was kind of a universal chorus, and then we found the story about the Rapidan River and we knew we had something.

BB: Paula came up with the vers-

es, once she found the story of the Baptism in the river, and they were both singing this old hymn and they dropped their weapons. It was called a moment of sanity in an insane war.

I knew when she sent me the chorus originally. When you get a lyric like that to work with as a music writer, as a musician, it’s just inspiring when you get those words to work with. tDB: How long did it take you to co-write this song?

PB: It didn’t take that long. Usually it takes me a while to write a lyric, but this is one of the ones that once I found the story and I had that chorus, I bet we did it in a couple of days.

BB: Yeah, 3 or 4 days. Because we live about 2 hours apart, we use the internet to tweak back and forth and I’ll do a quick mp3 and send it back.

It’s just playing off each other and then the feel. I really try to tie into the emotion of the song. Then being about the Civil War, we wanted it to sound like the Civil War. We didn’t want it to sound like rock & roll or this and that, and you want it to sound like a period piece and I think we accomplished that by the way it sounds.

PB: Another thing is it’s unusual when you’re writing a true story. It’s

a whole different ball game when you’re just writing a song, because you don’t have to decide how it ends. You know how it begins and you know how it ends, all the information is there for you. The only problem is some of the things you want to write that are true, maybe their names aren’t real melodic and you have to work with that, but it’s been an interesting experience writing the true stories and making sure all the facts were right. tDB: How long have the two of you been writing songs together?

PB: It goes back maybe 4 or 5 years. We met at the MACC Festival in Columbus and every time my husband and I would be there and we’d be going up to artists trying to pitch songs, and here’s this big guy always in our way, pitching his songs.

BB: We were competing for so long that finally we decided we might as well just get together and write and that’s really how it started.

PB: We really write well together and we do it long distance and I love writing long distance. I don’t really like sitting in a room trying to write with someone and it’s just so convenient to do it with someone over the phone or over the internet.

For more information go to: http:// www.goddidntchoosesides.com

Thank you, AirPlay Direct

For helping deliver our blues and roots music worldwide

Celebrates Eight Years!

THE DREAM From the simple question of how do independent artists get their music to radio stations without incurring the prohibitive costs of shipping CDs to those stations, AirPlay Direct was born. Now we celebrate our 8th year of assisting independent artists and record companies deliver their music to radio stations around the world. The numbers tell the story: AirPlay Direct – Day One – One artist, no record companies and no radio stations.

AirPlay Direct – Year 8 – Over 35,000 artists, over 475 record companies and over 8,100 radio stations in more than 85 countries are now members.

In the past two years AirPlay Direct has seen enormous growth with over 2,500 new radio stations and over 7,500 new artists becoming members.

At the heart of AirPlay Direct is the single minded vision and passion to open new opportunities and to make it easier for all of our members to grow their careers or businesses.

Led by Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Robert Weingartz, and supported by the great team that

“First I want to say thank you so much for what you guys do with and for the music. Smiles all around! AirPlay Direct, Music’s best friend….” Marty Raybon, Recording Artist

“AirPlay Direct is a godsend. To not have to rip CDs or sort through bio sheets is so much more effective. Not to mention that I can listen pretty much anywhere. It’s really important to me to keep Americana and Bluegrass strong so I really appreciate what you do.” Tom Velazquez, PD, Yahoo Radio

“The Disney Music Group believes in going where the listeners are - from the biggest national network to smallest local streamcast. AirPlay Direct provides an organized way to support that belief, organizes and encourages information flow and makes a great partner on a release like Nathan Pacheco’s self titled album.” Charles D’Atri, Marketing Director, Disney Pearl Records “As a radio presenter, AirPlay Direct is a fabulous way of accessing new music. This website allows you to sample and easily download a huge variety of music for your station.” Marie Crichton, BBC RadioShropshire - England UK

“We are a public station of 31 years. Here in this city we are the leading music based station and can out point commercial stations in the ratings.

We have been using your service for some years now and absolutely love it. From all of us here at PBS a big heartfelt thank you for this wonderful service that our station fully endorses.” Peter Merrett PBS 106-7 FM “AirPlay Direct delivers the music the listeners are hungry for.” Ayappa Biddanda, Sr. Director Promotion, Sugar Hill/Vanguard Records

“AirPlay Direct is the independent musician’s secret weapon. A digital platform to launch, promote and track my music around the world 24/7 with real time results! Who wouldn’t want that?” Tom Randles, Independent Artist “I’m thrilled with the impact AirPlay Direct has had already. We have seen positive reactions and downloads from stations around the globe. Plus, they’ve been simply great people to deal with.” Bruce Iglauer, Founder and President, Alligator Records

is now in place, we are focused on being ambassadors and advocates for all of our members and giving them the tools that will help them succeed. We know that we would not be the company we are today if not for our artists, record companies, radio stations and business partners that believe in us and work with us everyday to be even better at what we do.

In our 8th year, AirPlay Direct will continue its growth and add more great content, artists, record companies, business partners, radio stations and opportunities for everyone and add new features that will enhance the user experience for every member of AirPlay Direct. We appreciate all of the support our members have given us and we will continue to serve all of you and distribute great music of all genres globally. One day at a time, a new member at a time, new tools and even better service to our clients will allow us to continue this rapid growth and create more success stories for all of our members and partners.

Thank you all for helping AirPlay Direct achieve this milestone, We Love You All!!

Michael Harnett President, AirPlay Direct

ARTIST FEATURE

Colin Linden

AirPlayDirect.com/ColinLinden1912

Born in Toronto Canada, Colin Linden is a musician, songwriter, artist and producer, whose musical resume has grown to the point it could almost fill the pages in this magazine. First and foremost, he’s a guitar player and his love for blues and roots music runs deep. Colin has produced over 100 albums and he’s played guitar on well over 300 more.

He’s recorded and released 12 solo albums and 7 more as a founding member of Canadian super group, Blackie and the Rodeo Kings. The list of artists he has produced, toured with, and/or played on their recordings, numbers in the hundreds and that list grows on a daily basis.

Emmylou Harris, Rick Danko, Garth Hudson, Rita Coolidge, Levon Helm, Janiva Magness, Bruce Cockburn, Pam Tillis, Lucinda Williams, James Burton, Rosanne Cash,

Albert Lee, Patty Loveless, Patty Scialfa, Buddy Miller, T Bone Burnett, Robert Plant, Alison Krauss, Colin James, Shelby Lynne, Leeann Womack, Jackson Browne, Keb’ Mo’, Diana Krall, Robbie Robertson, Willie P. Bennett, Sam Chatmon, Leon Redbone, Mavis Staples, Greg Allman, are just a small sampling of that list, but you get the idea. Colin Linden is also the #1 artist on the AirPlay Direct Blues chart as of this writing, and the following is taken from my interview with Colin in January 2013: The Direct Buzz (tDB): Your new album that you recorded here in Nashville at Douglas Corner and released in 2012 is called Still Live. Is that a play off the name of your first album you recorded in 1981, Colin Linden Live?

Colin Linden (CL): Yes, it was

recorded 30 years later. I was approached by a kind of a new wave independent label in Toronto who was getting a bunch of attention called Ready Records. I liked them a lot and they liked what I was doing and this was in the days before people could record records in their home studios. To make a really great studio album you needed a lot of dough, so I figured that I would rather make an album that had a tremendous amount of spirit even if it was really rough, rather than to make a half assed attempt at a studio album. I was friends with a guy who had the top mobile recording facility in Toronto at the time. So he came and recorded it and it happened to be just a really beautiful night. I ended up going back to his studio and mixing it and Ready Records said they’d put it out. So that was in 1980 and

it happened that it came out in ’81, and it was never released outside of Canada or on CD until in 2011. So I kind of thought to mark the 30th year anniversary of it, do another live album and also it’s my 12th album, so I thought there was some nice numerology about that. I theorized that if I can stick around for another 30 years I’ll make one called “Barely Alive” when I’m 80. tDB: Your mom took you to meet Howlin’ Wolf when you were 11. Is that who got you started in music, your mom?

CL: Not really, although both of my parents loved music and both of my brothers were deeply into music and both of them have been, at different times, professional musicians as well, so it was the thing in our house. We all kind of had somewhat different interests in music, but we were all the beneficiaries of each other’s musical interests. The Wolf was playing a matinee in Toronto and it was in a bar, but the upstairs of the bar was a restaurant so minors could get in. So I just begged my mom to take me to see Howlin’ Wolf and we got there several hours before the show began because I wanted to make sure I could get in. He was just sitting there having lunch so I walked up to him and said, “Mr. Wolf, you’re my hero and I’m only 11, but would you talk with me?” He said, “Sure,” and I spent the day with him that day and then every time he came to Toronto he always took a lot of time with me. tDB: Do you think that’s what really inspired the blues being the genre that you seem to thrive in?

CL: Absolutely, although even earlier than that. The artists that were in rock & roll music were the most interesting to me. Those artists were the ones that most influenced me even if I didn’t know it at the time. When I heard the Wolf, a lot of stuff made sense. “Back Door Man,”

this is where the songs come from that I’d heard rock bands do, it began to make sense to help me connect the dots. And Wolf’s intensity and power, he had this great commanding presence from the first time I ever met him. He said two things to me that day that were absolutely life changing. He said first, “You know I’m an old man, I’m not going to be around that much longer so it’s up to you to carry it on,” and I took that very personally. As an 11 year old I thought okay, this is my mission and you know 41 years later, I still feel the same way. He also said to me, “If you want to learn how to play blues, listen to the people who I learned from because those were the really great guys.” He talked about Charley Patton, Robert Johnson, but especially Charley Patton he really loved and that’s how he learned, by listening to them. So it really was as clear a path as you can imagine. tDB: When did you start songwriting?

CL: I started performing publicly when I was 12 and I began to get gigs when I was about 14, and a couple of years later, the summer when I was 16, I wrote a song and I thought, this is for me. I love doing this and it was wonderful and mysterious and all these years later it’s still wonderful and mysterious.

I signed with Warner/Chappell in December of 1987 and it was a fantastic relationship that lasted over 15 years actually. It was at the suggestion of the guy who signed me that I first come to Nashville to try cowriting, in a way something that was the furthest from my mind. That was in 1988 and that just turned my head around. I would have never thought that when I signed my deal with Warner/Chappell that I would have ended up living in Nashville and I certainly would have never thought that I would have ended up loving it more than any place that I could have ever imagined. What a place to live, so it was tremendously beneficial on

so many levels that I’m always very thankful to all the people I worked with over there that supported me in my art. My wife and I are so happy to live here in Nashville so I’ll always be thankful for them. tDB: You’ve produced over 100 albums. Did you start producing right from your very first record?

CL: Well I ended up producing my first record more by default than by anything else, but I always wanted to make records. I didn’t quite understand so much what a producer did for a long time when I was a kid, so it wasn’t so much that I was aspiring to be a producer, but I always wanted to make records. It was always about playing guitar, it was always about singing and making up songs, but also, it was wanting to make records. Remember now, when I was a kid and I was coming up it wasn’t like it is these days. You were good enough to make a record.

You had to achieve a certain level of success. Not everybody could make a record, that was something, but now it’s a whole different world. So there was kind of a secret passage to be good enough to make a record.

You know I still get a tremendous thrill from doing that. I always have such a good time in the studio. tDB: Blackie and the Rodeo Kings, you’ve recorded 7 albums since starting out in 1996?

CL: Yes, we got the idea in the end of ‘95 and we were in the studio in the first couple of days of 1996. We went in to make a record that was a tribute to our dear friend, the great Willie P. Bennett. It’s exceeded our expectations on every level, most importantly as a friendship. You know Tom (Wilson) and Stephen (Fearing) and I are great friends and that’s the most important part of it all. If nobody wanted to hear us it would still be major league in my life, being able to spend time with those guys. And you know if it

ended up and we were at a kitchen table sometime sitting around singing Willie P. Bennett songs, that’s kind of the best thing, so everything else is just a bonus beyond that. It’s been such a great thing for us. When we went up to record that first record we never thought we’d ever do a gig let alone continue on to be a band.

Bernie Finkelstein, who was Stephen Fearing’s manager at the time and an old friend of mine since I was a kid, he agreed to put the album out

and was so enthused by how it went, and he kind of viewed some of the chemistry between us. He said, “If I can get you some jobs, would you be interested in going out and playing them?” We said “Sure,” and we ended up touring for 8 months with the first record and being nominated for a Juno, the Canada version of a Grammy, and we ended up having such a great time with one another, we said, “We gotta keep doing this,” and that’s sort of how it’s kept on

going. tDB: Your last album with Blackie and the Rodeo Kings was called Kings and Queens and you had a lot of special guests on that record.

CL: Yea that was an incredible experience just to make the record. It was so unlikely in some ways, but it was also so exciting when people would say yes, they would agree to be on the record. It was so exciting to get to record these incredible female artists. Emmylou Harris, Lucinda Williams, Cassandra Wilson, Pam Tillis, Rosanne Cash, Patty Scialfa, Patty Loveless, Sara Watkins, Amy Helm, Janiva Magness, Mary Margert O’Hara, Holly Cole, Exene Cervenka, Sam Phillips, Serena Ryder. A really unbelievable cast of fantastic artists. We were so thrilled that they all said yes. It was

really amazing. tDB: You’ve been working on the hit TV show, Nashville?

CL: Yea, that sort of came out of the blue last summer for me. Callie Khouri, who created the show, she’s a friend of mine and her husband is T Bone Burnett. They just got me involved on playing on a track and it kind of evolved into playing on a whole bunch of the tracks and being in a number of the episodes, and being guitar coach and supervisor for a whole bunch of other episodes.

It’s just the most fun thing to be involved in it. It’s got just a wonderful energy about it. Everyone that’s on the show is so exited to be here in Nashville and the actors all do their own singing and they’re all incredibly musical and have something really special to offer, not only to the

show as characters, but to the music as well. So it’s been really incredible to see how it’s developed and I’m just thrilled that they’ve asked me to be involved in it. tBD: Do you have any advice you’d like to share with our readership about pursuing a career in music?

CL: Well it’s hard to say ‘cause things are different now than they were when I was coming up. I quit school when I was 16, but when I quit school there was a system in Toronto. There was a scene where people could play 6 nights in a row at a club and you’d get paid for doing it. You wouldn’t get rich from doing it, but you got paid enough that you didn’t have to get another job, and it’s pretty rare that that happens these days. So I’m a little bit reluctant to give advice aside from, that if there’s nothing else in life that will make you happy the way that you are from playing music, pursue it with everything you have. If you have that love for it, there’s no better life. Anything that you go through is worth it, if nothing else can make you happy like that. If not, you can still play music and have a good time, but if you have any hesitations about that, maybe it’s best to do it as much as you want to and don’t worry so much about the career and pay attention more to the art and see where it takes you. But I think almost always these days, you see a lot of networking and conferences that focus on the music business and surviving in the music business and getting ahead. I think it’s important to be proactive about your career, but I think it’s really more important to be proactive about the music. It’s really important to know how to get your mailing list out there, but you know, getting to that beautiful tone when you hit a note, that’s way more important.

Bronson Herrmuth

Jim Musselman

by Bronson Herrmuth

J

im Musselman is the founder and president of Appleseed Recordings, the leading record label in the fight for social justice and peace, worldwide. Founded in 1997, Appleseed has released over 100 albums by some of the greatest artists in American folk music history.

Based in West Chester, PA, Jim’s label is for the rights of the creator and allowing his artists free reign in delivering their respective message all over the globe, no matter how controversial their message may be.

The music of legendary artist and songwriter Pete Seeger was the early focus of Appleseed. Their roster has grown to include a long list of great artists who continue on this path of creating folk and roots music for the ages, as they continue to fight social injustice and all that’s wrong in the world today.

Donovan, Tom Paxton, Roger McGuinn, Sweet Honey In The Rock, Al Stewart, Eric Andersen, Holly Near, John Wesley Harding, The Kennedys, Christine Lavin, Kim and Reggie Harris, David Bromberg, Jesse Winchester, Buffy Sainte-Marie, Tom Rush and Jonathan Edwards, are just some of the great artists signed to Jim’s wonderful label.

Guest artists who have been featured on Appleseed releases include Joan Baez, Bruce Springsteen, Steve Earle, Bonnie Raitt, Jackson Browne, Ani DiFranco, Wyclef

Jean, Billy Bragg, Judy Collins, Lou Reed, Bruce Cockburn, Tom Merello and Irish singers, Tommy Sands and Delores Keane.

Distributed internationally in more than 20 countries, Appleseed Recordings has no corporate ownership and contributes a percentage of all profits to environmental, human rights, and many worthwhile organizations. The following is taken from my interview with Jim Musselman in January 2013: the Direct Buzz (tDB): I love your original mission statement for Appleseed Recordings. “Sowing the seeds of social justice through music and exploring the roots and branches of folk and world music.”

As we start out 2013, do you feel you’re accomplishing your mission?

Jim Musselman (JM): Yes, ab-

solutely. When I started Appleseed 17 years ago, there were not a lot of labels doing music tied to social justice, or music celebrating America’s folk songs and folk heritage. I’d had conversations with Pete Seeger and Roger McGuinn of the Byrds, about how a lot of these songs were dying off, and also about using music as a tool of social justice in hope and healing. You know when I got Bruce

Springsteen interested in the original Songs of Pete Seeger CD, and then he ended up doing The Seeger Sessions, where he went around the world performing folk songs and songs related to America’s folk history, I sort of felt that the dream and vision of Appleseed had happened in many ways and I continue to see it happening now. I see a lot of young musicians playing folk music and a lot of young musicians doing acoustic based music. tBD: In preparing for this interview, one of the things that kept catching my eye was how universal, global, and international your approach is to the music and mission of your label.

JM: Thank you for noticing that.

It’s interesting because we do have our business in Europe and our vision is a vision dealing with the world and using music for hope and healing and social justice around the world. You know we’ve worked with artists like Johnny Clegg from South Africa, and we did a lot of work in Northern Ireland using music as a way to build bridges between people, as opposed to walls.

Basically we’ve always had a global vision of the music and giving it light around the world. tDB: Each of us as we go through life are shaped by our mentors, our life teachers, and it seems that your father was one of your biggest?

JM: Oh absolutely. My father is an artist and he basically taught me to be “creactive” rather than creative. He taught me that you need the act after the idea, so I kind of had a childhood growing up with crazy artists running around all over the place. It sort of helped me deal with the artistic mentality, but also I loved creative people being around. My father is an artist and my mother started a business, so I always say I got the best of both of them. Very much so, they were my

mentors in guiding me to see the arts and the importance of the arts in society. tDB: Appleseed Recordings seems to be just as much your passion in life as it is your record label?

JM: Yes, that’s what it is. It’s just an extension. I’d worked for years in social justice issues like getting air bags in cars and issues dealing with the environment, and so many other issues that I basically started Appleseed as an extension of everything to get the word out on different social issues. A lot of the artists we’ve signed, like Johnny Clegg, Sweet Honey In The Rock, Buffy Sainte-Marie and Pete Seeger, are artists that have used music as a tool of positive social change over the years. So for me, I have to put out the music that I’m passionate about and I have to feel that passion for it in order to be releasing it. tDB: So much of the money that you generate in profit by Appleseed Recordings goes to charity. Was that an important part of your vision from the inception?

JM: Yes, absolutely. I had set it up so a lot of different organizations, environmental organizations,

peace organizations and social justice organizations, will sell our CDs and then they get to keep half the money. They use it as a fundraiser for their different organizations, but I also wanted to bring attention to a lot of different organizations.

One of our first CDs, I listed like 15 organizations in the CD that people should know more about and so it’s always been a way of bringing light to different types of social issues over the years. tDB: Appleseed Recordings gives full creative control to your artists including no censorship of their artistic message, no matter how controversial their message might be. You must feel very strongly about that to make it your policy?

JM: Yes. I always believed an artist is an artist and you don’t tell an artist what to do. You know it’s interesting to me, because I’ve always given artists full creative control. I’ve always wanted them to paint with the palette that they wanted to paint with and in so many ways I’ve been fortunate because I’ve been able to work with a lot of artists that I respect and admire. Tom Paxton once wrote a song and it was called “The Honor

Of Your Company” where he was saying he was honored to be around people like Pete Seeger and other artists growing up, and for me it’s an honor to be working with so many artists that are legends in the music industry, but also have so much to say. tDB: You mention Pete Seeger.

How long have you known, and how did you meet Pete Seeger?

JM: Well, I had met Pete Seeger over 30 years ago working for Sing Out! Magazine, and introduced to Pete by Mark Moss, who is the Editor of Sing Out! Magazine. Then I started working with Pete on a bunch of environmental issues over the years, in things dealing with the Clearwater Organization. We were friends and I knew him from working on social issues and I basically decided that it would be interesting to do a Songs of Pete Seeger, and get artists who were in the spirit of Pete to record his songs, and that was the genesis of Appleseed. tDB: So in 1998, you released Where Have All The Flowers Gone, a 2 CD set with multiple artists, and it was all based around Pete Seeger’s songs and music.

JM: Yes, I had the vision of doing Pete’s songs and having artists reinterpret a lot of them and I had gotten Jackson Browne and Bonnie Raitt and Ani DiFranco and the Indigo Girls, and a lot of other artists to participate. I found that there were so many artists who wanted to participate, that what started off as a vision of like maybe 12 songs and 12 artists kept growing and growing, and in the end it ended up being close to 80 songs by 80 different artists, with the trilogy of The Songs of Pete Seeger. That planted the seed of Bruce Springsteen with his The Seeger Sessions CD that he did that came out years later. tDB: When you did that album, you asked him several times before

he agreed, didn’t you?

JM: Yes. The whole key to my existence has always been persistence. It’s been the number one word that I live by. My father does art, he does calligraphy, and one of the quotes I have up in my office is, “Let your errors in life be errors of commission rather than omission, as this will lead to a life of less regret, so when in doubt do something,” and one day I woke up after Bruce had said no twice and I looked at that quote again, and the quote is

by Harry Chapin, and I basically was like, you know what? I’m going to contact Bruce again and it was the third time which was the charm, and I was proud of everything that ended up coming out of that persistence, dealing with Bruce Springsteen. tDB: Our magazine, the Direct Buzz, is the flagship of APD and I know APD is extremely excited and proud to be working with your label. Pete Seeger’s CD, Pete Remembers Woody (Guthrie), has had nearly 5,000 radio station downloads since it became available on APD, making it the #19 most downloaded of all time on our charts. How do you feel about your relationship with APD?

JM: It’s been absolutely wonderful and Michael (Harnett) has just been incredible. I mean he’s helped us from day one. Alan Edwards, from our office does all of the radio promotion and Michael’s been wonderful walking Alan through everything and helping Alan set everything up with APD, but it’s just been wonderful from A to Z. Michael has been there to answer questions and basically help us through every stage of the process and I’m 100% happy with everything that Michael has done, but also his responsiveness to everything to get us started with the whole process. tDB: And Arlo Guthrie was actually involved on the Pete Remembers Woody project?

JM: Yes and the interesting thing is, I asked Pete Seeger, “Who’s the person you most admire?” and he always says, “Woody Guthrie.” Woody taught him so much about life and they were total opposites. Woody was a womanizer and drinking and everything and Pete was very clean cut. I’ve just always admired Arlo Guthrie and I felt it was important that he be on the project. You know we actually recorded a song, the only song Pete and Woody had written together and I was shocked that there was no recording of it, so I had Pete and Arlo get in the studio together and record that song. tDB: Then also, Pete Seeger and Lorre Wyatt, A More Perfect Union, and the special guests on that, Steve Earle – Emmylou Harris – Tom Morello – Bruce Springsteen – Dar Williams. That had to be quite an honor to be involved with that album?

JM: Oh absolutely, and I approached the guest artists and I feel that each one was in the spirit of Pete. I mean Tom Morello is an incredible musician and human be-

ing and he puts his mouth where his guitar is, on the front line of so many wonderful issues. Bruce Springsteen has carried Pete’s song and Pete’s vision all over the world and I have great admiration for Bruce Springsteen and Steve Earle, and Emmylou Harris is one of the best harmony singers. I thought it would be wonderful to have Emmylou and Pete sing together on a song. So it was wonderful to put it together, but also to have these artists recording with Pete. Each of the artists, you know it’s an honor to be recording with Pete, and they were so wonderful and responsive to everything in dealing with the CD. tDB: Sowing The Seeds, the 10th Anniversary of Appleseed Recordings is a 2 CD release, a 37 track music sampler featuring Pete Seeger – Tom Paxton – Donovan – David Bromberg – Al Stewart – Eric Anderson – The Kennedys – Tim Erikson – Lizzie West – Bruce Springsteen – Jackson Browne – Judy Collins – Billy Bragg – Ani DiFranco – Steve Earle – Anne Hills – Joan Baez – Roger McGuinn – Lou Reed – Bruce Cockburn, so many. After 10 years of your company that had to feel so good to put out that record?

JM: Absolutely. I just thought it was wonderful to have all those artists together, and all these artists who’ve done so much over their careers, and done so much for the world, but also musically. I came up with the idea of Pete recording a Bruce Springsteen song, “The Ghost Of Tom Joad” and I thought it would be pretty funny to turn everything upside down and have Pete do something of Bruce’s, you know as opposed to Bruce always doing something of Pete’s. I called those the Springsteen Sessions, as I recorded Pete doing “The Ghost Of Tom Joad” and then did a duet with

Bruce, and I was so proud of the way that whole CD came out and the vision behind the CD was just a dream come true. tDB: You founded Appleseed Recordings in 1997. Now, after all those years, how do you feel about the progress you’ve made?

JM: Well, I feel proud. At times I feel like I’m gonna get tapped on the shoulder and the whole thing was just a dream, because I have no music background and I basically can’t play an instrument and I can’t even read a music note. For me, it’s pretty funny sometimes because I just always had a passion for music and at times when I’m working with artists that I grew up listening to, or that I admire, I just have to pinch myself. tDB: As we start 2013, you’ve released over 100 CDs over the last 15 years. Can you share any of your plans for future artist signings or releases we can be looking forward to?

JM: Well the Sweet Honey In The Rock CD, which is coming out the end of this month, I’m very proud of because I think Sweet Honey is incredible. They’ve been going on for 39 years at this point, but it’s the first CD where they’ve had musical backing. You know Sweet Honey, they’ve changed and adapted, but they’ve also kept the consistency of great vocals. I’m very proud of the CD and the way that it celebrates so many wonderful songs.

I also have a new CD coming out

by David Bromberg who I’m very honored to be working with. David is a tremendous musician who is an incredible guitarist and we will be recording an album with him next month in New York, which will be coming out very, very soon.

Appleseed Recordings on AirPlay Direct: http://www.airplaydirect. com/music/appleseedrecordings/

The Direct Buzz offers reviews by a team of professional music critics. Any AirPlay Direct artist or label interested in being considered for a review, should contact us. Choose three songs from your DPK, and we’ll give you our opinion of them. We can’t guarantee a rave review, but we can assure you that it will be honest and constructive. We will try to honor all requests, but it might take a while. As such, your patience is appreciated.

Kris Kristofferson Feeling Mortal

AirPlayDirect.com/KrisKristofferson

“Wide awake and feeling mortal/At this moment in the dream/ That old man there in the mirror/And my shaky self-esteem,” Kris Kristofferson sings on the title track of his new CD, Feeling Mortal. On his third album with legendary producer Don Was, Kristofferson doesn’t explore new territory as much as he takes us deeper into where we’ve already followed him. His oft-maligned voice, which once sounded flat even when it wasn’t, has never been better than it is here. It’s just a little thinner and reedier, and obviously older. And it’s perfect for such songs as “Stairway to the Bottom” and “My Heart Was the Last One to Know,” displaying the confidence of an artist who truly likes his own skin, even when singing about his insecurities. One of the survivors of a legendary class of writers and artists that included Johnny Cash and Mickey Newbury, Feeling Mortal shows the influence of old, and still living friends, bringing John Prine to mind on the track “Mama Stewart” and reminding us of Dylan on “Bread for the Body.” This is one of Kristofferson’s best; let’s hope there’s plenty more to come.

Rick Moore

Sweet Honey In The Rock Kathy Boyd & Phoenix A Tribute – Live! Jazz at Lin- Rising coln Center

AirPlayDirect.com/SweetHoneyInTh...

After nearly a fourdecade career as an a cappella group, the internationally acclaimed Sweet Honey In The Rock made several brave choices for their latest release. For the first time, the all-female African American ensemble employed instrumental backing for this collection of seminal songs that influenced the group’s distinct blend of folk, blues, jazz, gospel, and ethnic music. To top it off, they recorded this celebration of their roots live in front of an enthusiastic audience at New York’s prestigious Jazz at Lincoln Center. This album serves as an excellent documentation of not only the group’s expressive and technical prowess, but also as their place in a musical and social tradition. “Freedom Suite” is a captivating jaunt through songs of the Civil Rights Movement. Other highlights include the melismatic vocal performance on “If I Should Lose You” and the hauntingly beautiful rendition of “Another Man Done Gone.”

The album also contains groovier moments on cuts like “Tell Me More and More and More.” It’s clear those in attendance witnessed a stellar performance, and this album captures the experience for the rest of us.

Ryan Smith

Lowground

AirPlayDirect.com/KathyBoydPhoen...

One of the Pacific Northwest’s hardest working bands, Kathy Boyd & Phoenix Rising is a bluegrass/old timey quartet that features four vocalists, three mutli-instrumentalists, award-winning songwriting, and the hottest bass-playing chanteuse in bluegrass, Kathy Boyd. On their latest album, Lowground, the band continues to do what it does best, making heartfelt music that hearkens to another time and place. The album’s opener, “Billy in the Lowground,” features a vocal treatment of what is normally an oldtimey fiddle tune, with some hot mandolin. The song “Dust Bowl Days” evokes Willie and Waylon’s “Good-Hearted Woman.” The group doesn’t shy away from darker, minor-key progressions on songs like “Deathgrip” and “Shaniko.”

And it’s a crime that the album’s closer, “To the Begging,” hasn’t received attention on a worldwide level. A song that addresses modern-day homelessness against an arrangement lifted from 1930s Appalachia, “To the Begging” is as striking a social commentary as anything Springsteen ever thought of. This band might not have stellar players and recognizable voices, but Lowground is a good album by a tight outfit.

Rick Moore

THESE ARE THE 10 WINNERS OF OUR MARCH ISSUE “BUZZ ABOUT YOU” ARTIST CONTEST.

Stevie Paige Blues / Soul / Adult Contemporary Stevie’s new soul album “Welcome to the Big Time” marks her departure from performing solo.

The coupling of ‘that voice,’ signature guitar and a three piece rhythm section, punchy horns and lush strings produces a vibrancy and tone that is reminiscent of the “Memphis Sound” from Stax and Hi Records during the late 60s.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------Listen here: AirPlayDirect.comSteviePaige ---------------------------------------------------------------------------

The LoFires

The Texettes

Nkossi Konda

Americana / Adult Contemporary / Alt. Rock

Roots Country / Country Rock / Country Blues

Afro Pop / World Music / Pop

The Lofires are a band from Dublin, Ireland. They were formed in the spring of 2009

by Niall Toner Jr and Jonny Rowen who brought together years of experience as performers and writers.

Long time exponents of the genre, The Texettes have used great songwriting and imaginative composition to deliver 10 tunes that traverse a cross section of contemporary music styles - radio friendly pop, rock, blues, urban angst and country. Each song has an emotional heart, which makes them universal in their appeal.

Nkossi is well aware of the power of music and his desire to communicate through it transcends borders. He belongs to this goup of artists who understood that music is the most wonderful way to convey ideas, feelings and passions. Music overwhelms him, devours him to the point where he manages to dominate and shape it as a universal language.

-------------------------------------------Listen here: AirPlayDirect.com/TheTexettes --------------------------------------------

-------------------------------------------Listen here: AirPlayDirect.com/NkossiKonda --------------------------------------------

The two performed acoustic shows for a time before recruiting Keye and Cantwell on bass and drums respectively and released this album in 2012.

-------------------------------------------Listen here: AirPlayDirect.com/thelofires --------------------------------------------

FEBRUARY 2013 FEATURED ARTISTS

The Bankesters

Asphalt Messiah

Michael Burke

Bluegrass / Americana / Folk

Rock / Hard Rock / Hip-Hop

Contemporary Christian

From Illinios, The Bankesters are a family band who play bluegrass music. Comprised of mother Dorene, her husband Phil, and their daughters, Emily, Alysha, Melissa and her husband Kyle Triplett.

Their musical diversity affords them a wide range of opportunities in several musical genres, and their ability to write specific music for set projects reflects their talents as songwriters and producers as well as performers.

In the 70s, contemporary Christian music got its start as rock musicians searching for truth began to find Jesus in a troubled and confusing time.

Looking Forward is their 3rd album and it shines with banjo, fiddles, mandolin, guitars, a stand up bass, superb vocals, great harmonies, and 12 wonderful songs.

Michael Burke had known Jesus since childhood, but did not give God control of his life until he was 16 and from that time forward Michael began singing and writing the songs God gave him to share.

-------------------------------------------Listen here: AirPlayDirect.com/TheBankesters --------------------------------------------

The many years of experience working within the music and entertainment industry stands as a testament to their own ability of survival as an Independent band.

-------------------------------------------Listen here: AirPlayDirect.com/AsphaltMessiah --------------------------------------------

The Barrel Jumpers

Long Gone Blond

Todd

Americana / Acoustic / Folk

Lo-Fi / Indie / Electronic

Pop-Rock / Rock

With the completion of their first studio album, which was recorded and engineered by legendary producer Bil VornDick, the band has created a sound that draws from their modern musical surroundings while still staying true to their love of traditional roots music.

Long Gone Blond is a lo-fi indie project from LAbased Maggie Maki. She uses her 4-track analog cassette recordings and combines them with digital samples and beats (some recordings also include guest musicians). The blend of the lo-fi sound with the digital creates a loose lo-fi/electronic hybrid. Her transparent, raw production style favors her personal lyrics and ethereal vocals.

He’s a studio musician who has played for many international artists and also toured as a great guitar player for many artists. Todd loves music, loves writing and he’s very inspired in love songs. This is his first mini album, 4 songs, but there’s more coming. He’s a very hard working young man and for Todd, nothing’s impossible, the sky’s the limit.

-------------------------------------------Listen here: AirPlayDirect.com/TheBarrelJum...

--------------------------------------------

-------------------------------------------Listen here: AirPlayDirect.com/LongGoneBlond --------------------------------------------

-------------------------------------------Listen here: AirPlayDirect.com/Todd --------------------------------------------

The Barrel Jumpers are a Contemporary Folk band with a Bluegrass/ roots music feel.

-------------------------------------------Listen here: AirPlayDirect.com/MichaelBurke --------------------------------------------

By Abby Montgomery

ENCODING 101

WHAT IS IT AND WHY DO I NEED IT? There are a few significant differences between coding systems for digital music and each one has a specific purpose. The three most widely known encoding systems are The International Standard Recording Code (ISRC), CD Text and ID3 Tagging.

ISRC codes are embedded during the mastering process, CD Text can be added after mastering, but prior to duplication and ID3 tagging is done on a track by track basis after mastering and duplication, but prior to digital upload for streaming and station downloading.

The ISRC code is used specifically for sales tracking of digital downloads. Like a bar code on a CD, when a track is purchased and downloaded from a digital retail store, the code is “scanned” by software, which then credits the sale to the label and artist that the code is assigned to.

CD Text allows artist, track title and genre to show up on specific stereo equipment and DVD players.

This type of encoding can be done during the duplication process, but your duplicator needs to be told in advance that you are wanting that service as it is not standard and in most instances, is considered a fee based add on. Eventually, no doubt, all stereo equipment will have the

capability of reading CD text and it is a good practice to get in the habit of providing that info on finished products.

ID3 tagging is for streaming and broadcast purposes. It provides metadata on any given MP3 or .wav file that enhances the experience of playing that track. Have you ever downloaded an MP3 file only to have it show up on your computer as “03 Track Title” with no artist or track title information?

Well, that’s an ID3 tagging issue, the importance of which is pretty obvious. If your music lands on someone’s playlist, at the very least you want your name and track title associated to it. Otherwise, you are just some anonymous artist.

ID3 tagging also allows you to attach enriching and relevant information about your audio file within the file itself, so that when that MP3 file is sent anywhere, all the tagged info goes with it. The information that can be attached includes the obvious, Artist, CD and Track Title, but is not limited to only that. CD artwork, photos, lyrics, label copy, publishing information, website address, ISRC code, bio and any personal comments such as “cut-by-cut” track info or artist messages to radio, can all be attached as well.

The importance of doing this is two fold. First and foremost, by tagging the tracks yourself you leave less chance for human error and the possibility of your name being misspelled, or worse, the wrong artist and label being credited for the track’s airplay. And secondly, you are showing respect for the radio programmer by offering them a digital version that provides ALL the info a hard copy CD would offer with a few extra perks thrown in. This becomes especially important when you are trying to stand out amongst the hundreds of artists vying for the same radio station spins. Put yourself in the programmer’s shoes. If several songs are sitting in your inbox, all of which you like equally well, and one track has talking points attached, a personal note of thank you, as well as photos and lyrics to work with, and the other songs do not, which song would you choose to air?

Here’s the way it works; when a programmer downloads an MP3 or .wav file from a server (or from an artist email as the case may be), if the track was not previously tagged the programmer must input the correct info by hand into their computer system telling their computer tracking system who the artist is and track title in order that they

can report airplay appropriately.

If that info is imputed incorrectly the powers that be, the PROs and Sound Exchange, cannot track the airplay of that music effectively.

Some smaller stations rely solely on the information given to them at the time of download and if the correct information isn’t there they make no effort to add it by hand.

I personally feel it should NEVER be left up to a radio station to add info after the fact. As an independent artist and/or label, it is your responsibility to be sure your information is there prior to sending your music out to radio. Why leave something so important up to a third party that you have no control over? Mistakes can and will happen and I advise any artist to ensure that it doesn’t happen to them.

There are several ID3 Tagging software programs out there and most are quite similar. I prefer the ID3v2, which allows for the extended track info in the comments, and photos and lyrics. Once the editor is open, the framework within the open form allows you to “fill in the blanks.” You can click on the “Photos” tab and upload any image files you’d like associated with the track (i.e. Album Art, headshot, One Sheet etc.) and by clicking on the “Lyrics” tab, you are able to copy and paste the lyric sheet to the file as well. But don’t stop there, add label, publishing and copyright info as well as website, ISRC code etc… and rest assured that when radio receives your file there is NO mistaking who to credit for that song.

Abby Montgomery is the owner of RadioMavens, a multi genre radio promotion company located in Nashville.

She can be reached at: radiomavens@gmail.com

THREE QUESTIONS FOR RADIO

by Fred Boenig This issue on “Three Questions For Radio” we interviewed David Ludwig – Music Director of KSYM 90.1 FM - San Antonio’s Alternative Radio.

the Direct Buzz (tDB): What is your station, location, format and how long have you worked there?

David Ludwig (DL): The station is a community college station that has been on since 1966 and the format is everything from AAA to Heavy Metal. The show I’m affiliated with we would call a Roots Music program that has been on since 1990 and we are on four hours every day, 28 hours a week, and we are the “Old Farts” that keep the station going. I’ve been there since 1999. tDB: How long have you been a member of AirPlay Direct (APD) and why do you use APD? DL: I’ve been using it for at least 6 years. I signed up soon after I started getting emails from APD. I looked at the format and it looked accessible and usable so I signed up. I thought “It costs me nothing, why not?” For my purposes it seems to be user friendly compared to some other download promotional services. It’s easy to listen to the artists before I download them and I get some info on the artists and links to their web site. tDB: We’d appreciate your tips for Independent artists on APD. One tip on what not to do with their release page and songs and one tip on what they should do with their

release page and songs. We’d like your insight to assist our artists in how they can best present themselves to radio stations on their page on APD. DL: Since we are a station that still believe people actually buy full CDs and not just a song, at our station we don’t work just on focus tracks, so I want an artist to put the full CD there for me and I’ll chose the tracks that work best for the station. If they only put part of the CD there, I will likely ignore it totally. I like when they put the lyrics there.

I will take time to look at that, but one of my major concerns is FCC language issues and that if they have marked tracks with explicit language. Since we are not only on the internet, but broadcast over the FCC Airways, things marked will get listened to in a timelier manner. If you tell me it’s not, I will still listen, but things marked FCC CLEAN will get listened to quicker.

I also like that I can listen on the APD page and click on the artist’s web site and it opens in a new window. That lets me continue to listen and look at the artist’s web site at the same time. tDB: Well thank you David for your time. We appreciate you using our service and being a member for a long time.

Foster Care Alumni of America

Connecting Today… Transforming Tomorrow Foster Care Alumni of America (FCAA) is a direct result of the national alumni movement that began in 1999 when Casey Family Programs made the decision to become involved in the movement to improve foster care. In 2000, Casey created the Alumni Relations department and made connections with 1,400 foster care alumni who all shared their vision and were already actively involved with the foster care system.

Foster parents, social workers, kinship caregivers, legal professionals, adoptive parents, researchers, all sharing the common bond of wanting to make a difference and work together to improve foster care. All advocates of foster care development, legislative advocacy, and willing to speak publicly about their experiences. Finding strength in numbers and realizing they all shared a kinship and an understanding of the culture of foster care, they formed a community of alumni with a common voice. A powerful voice that spanned across the ages, across geography, across ethnicities. They realized by coming together and working as one they could make a difference and improve the foster care system across the country, and the alumni movement was born!

In 2004, Casey Family Programs generously supported the creation of FCAA. Since that time, FCAA has grown to 14 chapters around the country and built a membership base of more than 4,100 mem-

bers. Adam Robe is the CEO of FCAA and has been involved with this great organization for the last five years. “As a social worker and alumni of foster care, I was always on the lookout for organizations that worked with alumni of the foster care system. When I found FCAA in 2008, I knew they were the organization that I wanted to become involved with. As a national orga-

nization, it was apparent that they believed strongly in connecting alumni to one another and advocating for changes in order to make sure that all young people from care could have a high quality of life,” says Adam. “Their leadership was dedicated to their mission and to their membership. As I built a relationship with them, I was asked to be a part of writing their book Flux;

Life After Foster Care. Shortly after I was honored to be elected to serve as a board member, and then when their CEO left for another opportunity, I was asked to step in as CEO. Since being a part of FCAA, I have met some of the most amazing and inspirational people. We have such a strong leadership team and membership base that cares deeply about making a difference for others. I am proud to be a part of this organization.”

One of the most successful programs instituted by FCAA is their Alumni Speakers Bureau and Leadership Institute. Adam Robe explains, “We have speakers all across the country and essentially they’re alumni from foster care who want to share their stories. But before we send anybody out to share their stories, we like to train them. We want to make sure they understand how to share their story in a way that not only protects them, but gives them the tools they need to be able to speak effectively in public. What we try to do is teach our members to speak in a way that provides an action step so once they share their story, the goal of the story is always to encourage someone to take action.”

Another extremely effective FCAA tool is their Postcard Project. “We love the Postcard Project.

In fact it’s one of the best ways for us when we meet with a group of young alumni, or even older alumni.

We provide tools to them, which include just what it sounds like, little postcards they can write on. They can cut out pictures from magazines. They can just do whatever they want. However they want to express themselves on this postcard and talk about their experiences in foster care. It gives them an avenue or a way to share with others what it is that they experienced. We have literally hundreds and hundreds

Helping Independent Artists to Succeed since 2001 www.AmericanaMediaPro.com

of postcards that we’ve collected over the years and we use them in training to be able to help others see some of those experiences that young people and older alumni still feel about their experiences in foster care. We also turned it into a book, which is called Postcards From The Soul.”

AirPlay Direct member and Alligator Records recording artist, Janiva Magness, has been an Ambassador of FCAA for five consecutive years. “Janiva is such a wonderful and inspirational person and we love having her as a part of our organization. It’s always fantastic for our young people to see someone who has lived a life like she has. She’s shared her story many times over across the country, but her experiences in foster care can be a learning experience for others. When they can see somebody can achieve the level of success she has and give back the way she does, it’s inspirational. Our young people especially, they look up to her. Janiva is one of these people that is such an inspiration to all of us that it’s a wonderful opportunity to have her as part of our organization.”

Every year the membership of FCAA comes together and celebrates an Alumni Family Reunion, which Adam Robe describes as being quite successful. “That’s one of our core programs, part of our connecting piece that we do. A lot of these alumni that leave the foster care system, they don’t have a family system or any of these other personal connections they can fall back on. So one of things that we identified that we could do for them is to create opportunities for them to come together and celebrate not only their pasts, but their futures.

The best part about these gatherings is they get to come together and feel like they’re a part of something that they’re not a part of any more, in

terms of a family system. It doesn’t matter how old they are, what race they are, any of those things, they all seem to go out the window. We come together as a family and we’re able to celebrate one another and work towards achieving something for the future for each other.”

2013 is poised to be an exciting year for the growth of FCAA. “What we’re trying to really accomplish this year is returning to our basic roots as an organization. We want to make sure that young people and older alumni that came out of foster care know that they can reach out to us and become part of our family.

We’re doing our Building Our Family campaign where we’re actually going out and trying to build our membership. This year you’ll see a lot more communication from the FCAA reaching out to young people who need a place that they can call home. We’re also part of a national organization, a group of people who are also alumni organizations, a National Policy Council. We have 22 members who go to Washington D.C. twice a year to actually meet with legislators to make sure that they understand some of the things that are affecting young people in care. We’ve seen a huge increase in the number of laws that are coming forward now to make some of those differences possible. For example, making sure that the siblings stay together. Making sure that young people have what they need in terms of their medical records. Being able to get a drivers license. Things that they need so that when they leave foster care they have those tools.

So we’re going to continue to push some of those efforts through and make sure our voices are heard on the legislative level so that people understand that we want to live a normal life just like anybody else.

Yet when some of these barriers are in place, for us, it’s hard to do.

When we see some of the rates that young people face when they leave foster care, whether they end up in prison or whether they’re using drugs or alcohol. We want to reduce those stories and make them successful. The only way to do that is for us to continue to be strong advocates. Our chapters are growing and they’re out there talking to people and that’s what we’re trying to focus on for this year.”

What you can do to help: Your donation makes a difference!

Please consider a tax-deductible contribution to Foster Care Alumni of America by sending your gift to: Foster Care Alumni of America 901 N Washington Street Suite 208 Alexandria, VA 22314 Or submit a credit card donation on their secure server HERE. https://www.fostercarealumni. org/DonateNow.htm For more information: 703-299-6776 admin@fostercarealumni.org www.fostercarealumni.org

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