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ASCAP VP and hit songwriter, Ralph Murphy (L),and Randy Bachman (R), thrilled the audience Saturday night at the Open Mic.
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Dear
Way Cool TAXI Folks:
I wanted to take a moment to thank you for putting on such an incredibly
comprehensive weekend and inviting me to be a part of it.
Based on
the feedback I heard, it sure seemed that an awful lot of people
came away more knowledgeable songwriters and musicians (which is
a good thing for all of us!)--and that the information was greatly
appreciated. And ... TAXI came away with gold stars by all attendees.
You guys
are great-congratulations on a job well done!
Laurie Z
Redondo Beach, CA
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Dear Michael:
My partner Vashti and I are sending you this note to thank and congratulate
you on the fine work you and your staff has done with this years
Road Rally.
Not only
were we pleasantly surprised by the caliber of people that participated
in the panels, the wealth of information, the actual execution and
production of the event itself, but the fact that you displayed
a very caring, intimate attitude throughout.
We look
forward to working with you in the future.
To your
continued success!
Michael & Veshti Germaine
Pittsburg, PA
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TAXI's Michael Laskow (L) and Alex Reed (R) presenting TAXI member Diego Sandrin with the Alesis ADAT XT-20 he won for referring the most members in July.
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Greetings
and Salutations,
I wanted
to be one of the first to congratulate you on an exciting experience,
Road Rally 1998. I'm a new TAXI member, just celebrating my 1 month
anniversary and my very first Road Rally. In my first month I've
been forwarded twice and look forward to many more forwards. I hope
to be one of those real success stories coming out of TAXI.
After the
Road Rally, I believe I made a wise investment in joining this organization.
I've been a member of NAS for many years and have attended numerous
NAS songwriter expo's. I have found them to be beneficial, yet not
as effective as far as industry/A&R access is concerned. I've made
wonderful contacts nonetheless.
I wanted
to be one of I must say that Road Rally exceeded most of my expectations
and I thought it surpassed all of the NAS expo's I've attended thus
far. I'm not knocking NAS because I think they provide a valuable
service to the songwriter and recommend the organization to any
and all songwriters; I consider myself a life long member.
What I
found most exciting about the Road Rally was the A&R panel and pitch
sessions on Saturday. I loved the brutal honesty from the professionals,
but I was a little disappointed with the quality of material that
was actually heard.
My only
suggestion for future rallies would be that TAXI conducts 2 of these
sessions one on Saturday and one on Sunday and at one of them screen
the songs, as with regular submissions to ensure that the A&R professionals
hear quality material.
I enjoyed performing at the Rally on Friday, even after waiting
for 3 hours. I can appreciate artists who write instrumental music
wanting their music to be heard, but when you conduct an open mic,
the whole point is the live performance. I don't think it's a very
good idea to play instrumental music without live performers, I
believe that is the purpose of the pitches. It would also be nice
if one of the live shows were based on auditions since the A&R panels
indicated that if they heard something they liked they would want
to see that artist live before proceeding.
All in
all, a great experience, I brought several guests and will most
assuredly be recommending TAXI to my songwriter friends.
Peace & Blessings,
Leonard Moss, Jr.
Glendale, CA
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To All TAXI Staff:
Thank you so much for a great weekend, the information I gathered
was very helpful, sometimes discouraging, but truthful! I found
your panel members all very knowledgeable, and most importantly,
honest. Obviously the music industry is difficult to break into
but I'm sure TAXI can help me stay on that road. I also attended
last years Rally in Woodland Hills and found a great improvement
this year. Therefore I can't wait for next years rally. The accommodation
was excellent, hotel staff great, hotel rate was more than fair.
Michael,
you really are on to something good here (and you know it, I'm sure)
as many have stated, "Why didn't somebody think of this concept
before?" I'm just glad you did and you have this enormous energy!
Wow!
Thank you all so much ...
Tom Nicholls
Vancouver, Canada
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"This is the 3rd Rally my wife, Amy, and I have attended and once again you have outdone yourselves."
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— Jimmy & Amy Muffin,
TAXI Members
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"To learn from the professionals on the panels was the gift, not to mention what a great time I had."
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— Sharon Weinbrum,
TAXI Member
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"Thank you and the whole TAXI staff for another wonderful Road Rally."
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— Kubilay Uner,
TAXI Member
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"As always, a great Rally! I really can't believe that anyone serious about making it in the music business would even consider missing it."
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— Roy Flower,
TAXI Member
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