Now on Big Isle, festival supplies songwriting tools

For Charles Brotman, inspiration for songs has come from many sources: novels, a mango tree in his front yard, even eavesdropping on conversations at airports.

Brotman is a Grammy Award-winning guitarist, composer and producer; multiple Na Hoku Hanohano Award nominee and winner; owner of indie label Palm Records and Lava Tracks Recording; and president of the Kauai Music Festival, which has presented a songwriters conference in Hawaii for the past 13 years.

Kauai resident Rich McSheehy founded the nonprofit 501(c)(3) KMF in 2002. He had attended the Maui Writers Conference and thought a similar event should be held in Hawaii for music creators. A chat with a friend who was an executive at the music rights organization BMI set the wheels in motion, and the first songwriting conference, also dubbed the Kauai Music Festival, was held the next year.

For 12 years KMF took place annually on Kauai. This year it is moving to the Hapuna Beach Prince Hotel on Hawaii island and has been re-branded the Hawaii Songwriting Festival to more accurately reflect its scope.

"We’ve got a new name, a new location, and we’re hoping to generate new interest in what has been called one of the best events of its kind in the country," Brotman said. "We’re expecting about 150 songwriters from all over Hawaii as well as Canada, Guam, Australia and across the mainland U.S."

A prestigious staff of 22, including Brotman, will be headlining three full days of activities, including two concerts that are open to the public. They’re leaders in the music industry: musicians; producers; entertainment attorneys; music publishers; music supervisors (the people who find and select songs for projects ranging from video games to commercials); A&R (artists and repertoire) executives who discover and develop talent; and active songwriters who’ve written and/or co-written hits for mega-stars such as Etta James, Taylor Swift, Kelly Clarkson, Reba McEntire, Tim McGraw, Bon Jovi, Keith Urban and Jimmy Buffett.

Those songwriters might not be household names, but their compositions certainly are: They’ve reached the top of the Billboard charts; won Grammys; earned recognition from BMI and the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers; and made platinum (i.e., singles or albums that have sold 1 million copies). They’re the tunes that we hear on the radio and in stores and restaurants, that set the mood for scenes in movies and TV shows, that we belt out in the shower and at karaoke bars.

Conference attendees are all ages and come from all walks of life and experience levels. Their genres also run the gamut — from pop, rock and rhythm and blues to folk, country, contemporary Hawaiian and more.

"Some of them only write lyrics, and others only compose music," Brotman said. "Many great collaborations have resulted from new friendships made at the event."

From morning through evening, participants network with the staff and fellow music lovers at workshops, seminars, panel discussions, mentoring meetings and open-mic sessions. "The conference provides guidance in both the craft and business of writing songs," Brotman said. "Our staff listens to your music and lyrics and explains how you can improve them. They teach you about licensing and royalties and what you need to do to place your songs."

According to him, the conference’s small size and relaxed atmosphere create an intimate experience for amateurs and industry insiders to develop meaningful relationships. "Creating music is like the ultimate Rubik’s cube; it’s a fun, challenging, endless game," he said. "Songwriters love that aspect of music, which has nothing to do with the business side. Making a living from music can be difficult, and the Hawaii Songwriting Festival helps musicians by providing the tools and connections they need to get to the next level in their art, career … and life."

Cheryl Chee Tsutsumi is a Honolulu-based freelance writer whose travel features for the Star-Advertiser have won several Society of American Travel Writers awards.