Piano Press

Testimonials and Friendly "Goodbyes!"

LIZ!

Congrats on 20 years of doing a Fantastic job of giving of yourself, sharing, caring and bringing together so many songwriters and helping them on your journey! You have been a part of many people's lives - and I am proud of you and blessed to have been a coordinator with you across the miles for (6) of those years while I was in Charlotte, NC. Our friendship resulted in you inviting me to your home for a week in early 2003, which led to a dinner with Orange County and LA coordinators and the idea of the Nashville Muse was planted that night - because of you inviting me to hang out at your house and do a workshop that particular week. You have been a blessing to many people over the years, friendships from those attending your workshops and other events. I wish you the very best with the changes in your life and look forward to seeing you in the future!

Doak Turner

Liz:

Job well done!  Twenty years is amazing, you should be proud of all the lives you've touched.  

God Bless,

Cliff and Bev Nelson

Liz,

We truly appreciate your hard work and dedication over the years! Thanks again for being an inspiration and for all of your guidance on this crazy journey.

Tracey and Vance Marino

Liz,

Thanks for spending a couple of decades among us in San Diego. I am one of the many whose life has been richer for knowing you. I’ve always been impressed by your energy and entrepreneurship. I got a lot out of my years in NSAI as well, particularly seminars with Bloom & Seskin that you arranged.

Best of luck in your next venture.

John Bosley

Liz,

I am sorry to see your notice of retiring but it is a totally understandable transition. You have set a high bar for all the other coordinators for organization and the generous nurturing of writers both in Florida and here in California. Hopefully our paths will keep crossing though I wasn't able to get to the San Diego workshop this winter. I have been involved in running some small workshops for a NY publishing company in LA at ASCAP but I"ll be back next winter for 3 months and let's keep in touch. I'll see Joyce in March but please give her my best.

Jerry Silverstein

Hi Liz,

Thanks for all your hard work and dedication to the cause of Songwriting and helping to educate us. I really appreciate all the benefits I received from my limited participation.  I regret that I didn't do more, but life had my plate pretty full.  Thanks again for everything you've given us.

Love, Natasha Ragland

Hi Liz,

Wanted to say thanks for your years of service to NSAI and best wishes in your relocation.  Thanks too for saying good-bye; sometimes people don't formally do that and I think it always helps to close one chapter and welcome another.  Though I haven't attended recently, I always enjoyed very much the NSAI meetings at your place in Del Mar and hope that the next chapter of your life brings you good things.

Sincerely, Natori Moore

Hi Liz,

I appreciate your service during the workshops and festivities I was able to attend.

Thank You, Raul

Liz,

Yes, thanks to you and congratulations to you for all you have done for NSAI in San Diego! Good luck in the future.

Steve 

The San Diego NSAI Workshop was formed in November of 1992 by Elizabeth C. Axford, San Diego NSAI Workshop Coordinator (1992-2011), after moving to San Diego as a result of Hurricane Andrew in Miami, FL in August of 1992. She had started the Miami NSAI Workshop in 1990, after joining NSAI in 1989. Her association through work at Suniland Music Shoppe in Miami with Paul Deakin, drummer for the Mavericks - Liz taught piano and Paul taught drums - helped to spark her interest in Nashville. She had always been a country music fan, and she felt much of the best songwriting of popular music was coming from Nashville. She wanted to learn from the source, so she ventured to Nashville.

As a result, Liz became one of the original seven NSAI Regional Workshop Coordinators, helping to launch an international program of songcrafting and music industry studies. During her 20-year tenure, Liz was responsible for over 300 monthly workshops, songwriter showcases, and special events, raising tens of thousands of dollars in special event fees as well as hundreds of NSAI memberships. In 1997, she received an award certificate from NSAI stating, "It All Started With You!" and in 2010 she received an award for twenty years of service.

A successful seminar organized by Liz at The Avalon Hotel on South Miami Beach with Raul Malo from the Mavericks, Rick Beresford, Pat Rogers, and Katherine Dines in January of 1992 led to spin-off workshops in Ft. Lauderdale, Key West, and the Cayman Islands. Those combined workshops are still going today as the South Florida NSAI Workshop, as is the San Diego NSAI Workshop.

Past San Diego NSAI Workshop Guests
and Songwriter Showcase Performers (1992-2011):
Note: We are still adding names to this list as well as photos...more to come!

Charles David Alexander (1992 National Fingerstyle Guitar Champion) http://www.13thfret.com/aotm/aotm_alexander.shtml

Answer Hymn (Independent Artists) http://www.answerhymn.com/

Danny Arena and Sara Light of www.SongU.com (Virtual Guests!) ("Home to You" by John Michael Montgomery, Tony Award nominated songwriters for their songs in the Broadway production of Urban Cowboy) www.songu.com

Lisa Aschmann (Prolific Nashville-based songwriter with numerous film and TV placments; author of "1000 Songwriting Ideas") http://www.firedocs.com/songwritingideas/

D.R. Auten (Guitarist/Singer-Songwriter) http://www.drauten.com/

Elizabeth C. Axford (Author of "Song Sheets to Software - A Guide to Print Music, Software, Instructional Media, and Web Sites for Musicians" and Owner of Piano Press) www.pianopress.com

The Baker Girls (Singer-Songwriters/Independent Artists, "The Upside of Being Down" by Catherine Britt, "The Last Best Place" by Rhonda Vincent) http://www.viberecords.com/thebakers/bakers.htm

Marc-Alan Barnette ("Rescue Me" by John Berry, cuts by Shelby Lynne and others, mentor to all the NSAI regional workshops) http://www.marcalanbarnette.com/fr_entry.cfm

Cathryn Beeks (Singer-Songwriter, Independent Artist) http://www.cathrynbeeks.com/

Jim Beggs (Singer-Songwriter, Independent Artist) http://www.broadjam.com/jimbeggs

Rick Beresford ("If Drinkin' Don't Kill Me, Her Memory Will" by George Jones, "Harmony" by John Conlee) http://www.belmont.edu/music/faculty/faculty_current/beresford_rick.html

Dave Berg ("These Are My People" by Rodney Atkins, "Stupid Boy" by Keith Urban, "Moments" by Emerson Drive, "Somebody" by Reba McEntire; Dave visited the San Diego NSAI Workshop in 2007) http://davebergmusic.tumblr.com/

Ed Berghoff ("Cowboy Bill" by Garth Brooks) http://edberghoff.com/Redwood/Ed_Berghoff.html

Jeff Berkley (Singer-Songwriter, Independent Artist) http://www.berkleyhart.com/

Jason Blume ("Back to Your Heart" by The Backstreet Boys, "Dear Diary" by Britney Spears, "Change My Mind" by John Berry, five Collin Raye cuts, and author of "Six Steps to Songwriting Success" and "This Business of Songwriting"; Jason visited the San Diego NSAI Workshop in 2000 and 2001) www.jasonblume.com

John Bosley (San Diego Singer-Songwriter) http://www.myspace.com/johnbosley

Joann and John Braheny (Author of "The Craft and Business of Songwriting"; Joann and John Braheny visited the San Diego NSAI Workshop in 2003 and 2009) http://johnbraheny.com/ and http://goosingyourmuse.com/about-joann-braheny/

Jan Buckingham ("Cleopatra, Queen of Denial" by Pam Tillis) http://www.janbuckingham.com/

Eric Burton (Singer-Songwriter, Independent Artist) http://erictburton.com/ 

Judy Calem (Singer-Songwriter, Independent Artist) http://www.broadjam.com/judycalem 

Chuck Cannon ("American Soldier" by Toby Keith, "I Love the Way You Love Me" John Michael Montgomery/ACM Song of the Year) http://chuckcannon.com/fr_home.cfm   

Dani Carroll (Singer-Songwriter, Independent Artist) http://www.danicarroll.com/Home.html  

Kerry Chater and Lynn Gillespie Chater (Adopt-a-Shop pro mentors for San Diego, founding member of Gary Puckett and the Union Gap, #1's "You Look So Good in Love" by George Strait and "I.O.U." by Lee Greenwood, Jessica Andrews cut, and many, many others; Kerry and Lynn Chater visited the San Diego NSAI Workshop in 2005, 2009, 2010, and 2011) http://www.chatersongs.com/ 

Barbara Cloyd ("I Guess You Had to Be There" by Lorrie Morgan, Open Mic Night Host at The Bluebird Cafe, Play for Publishers Workshops, Ready for the Row Workshops; Barbara visited the San Diego NSAI Workshop in 2009) http://www.barbaracloyd.com/

Kim Copeland and Susan Tucker (Songwriters, author and publisher of "The Soul of a Writer," "The Secrets to Songwriting Success," and "The Songwriters Connection" e-zine and more) http://www.kimcopelandproductions.com/news.html and http://www.songwritersconnection.com/

Mary Coppin (Grand Prize winner of the 1999 John Lennon Songwriting Contest) http://marycoppin.com/home/ 

A.J. Croce (Singer-Songwriter, son of Jim Croce) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A._J._Croce

Eddie Cunningham ("The Miracle Song" sung by Ben E. King in the movie "Made in America," "The Gram Parsons Notebook," Grand Prize Jim Beam Country Band Search) http://www.eddiecunningham.com/

Bobo Czarnowski (Guitarist/Songwriter/Independent Artist) http://www.facebook.com/bob.b.czarnowski

Raul d'Ablaing (Singer-Songwriter/Independent Artist) http://www.broadjam.com/Raul

John Dawes (Co-author with Tim Sweeney of "The Complete Guide to Internet Promotion for Musicians, Artists and Songwriters") http://www.johndawes.com/html/

Skyler Day (Actress/Singer-Songwriter) http://www.skylerday.com/

Ken Draznik (Singer-Songwriter/The Vertebrats) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Vertebrats

Don Dunn (Songs recorded by Joe Cocker and bluegrass artists) http://www.discogs.com/artist/Don+Dunn 

Bill Farkis (Independent Artist) http://www.linkedin.com/in/billfarkas

Mary Francis ("Tonight the Heartache's on Me" by The Dixie Chicks, "Whiskey, If You Were a Woman" by Highway 101; Mary visited the San Diego NSAI Workshop in 2000 and 2003) http://www.musicrow.com/2011/10/sesac-awards-move-to-new-home/

Jenn Franklin (Nashville-based Independent Artist, Singer-Songwriter) http://www.jennfranklin.com/

Ron Franklin (San Diego Singer-Songwriter/Guitarist) http://www.reverbnation.com/ronfranklin

Ron Gomez (Songwriter and bass player for The Dirt Drifters, Warner Brothers Nashville) http://www.myspace.com/rongomezrocks

James Grey (Singer-Songwriter, Independent Artist) http://www.jamesgrey.com/  

Calman Hart (Singer-Songwriter, Independent Artist) http://www.berkleyhart.com/  

Dave Howard (Singer-Songwriter, Independent Artist) http://iacmusic.com/artist.aspx?id=125999  

Jon Ims ("She's in Love with the Boy" by Trisha Yearwood, "Falling Out of Love" by Reba McEntire; Jon visited the San Diego NSAI Workshop in 1993) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H_qAbCSOu_M  

Jai Josefs (author of "Writing Music for Hit Songs" with numerous film/TV credits; Jai visited the San Diego NSAI workshop in 1997 and 1999) http://www.jaijomusic.com/

Joan Kurland http://www.joankurland.com/

Craig Lackey (LA NSAI Workshop Coordinator) http://www.myspace.com/craighlackey

Celia Lawley (Fiddle Player/Singer-Songwriter) http://www.fiddlegirl.com/

Tracey and Vance Marino (Film and TV Music Production Libraries) www.songmakerpro.com 

Marie McGilvray (Nashville-based Independent Artist, Singer-Songwriter) http://www.mariemcgilvray.com/

Donna Michael (Former NSAI Regional Workshops Director, New Age Artist) www.donnamichael.com

Nancy Moran (Singer-Songwriter, Member of The Four Bitchin' Babes, Music Industry Consultant) http://www.nancymoran.com/home/

Jack and Sandy Naughton (Singer-Songwriters/Independent Artists) http://www.jackcitybluesband.org/fr_photos.cfm

Penny Nichols (Grammy-nominated vocal arranger and coach and sponsor of Camp SummerSongs; Penny visited the San Diego NSAI Workshop in 2004) http://pennynichols.com/

Devon O'Day (#1 hit by George Strait, Lee Ann Womack single, WSIX Radio Nashville) http://plainjanewisdom.com/

Pamela Phillips Oland ("Nobody Loves Me Like You Do" by Anne Murray and Whitney Houston, 350 songs recorded and/or placed in film/TV projects, author of "The Art of Writing Great Lyrics" and "The Art of Writing Love Songs"; Pamela visited the San Diego NSAI Workshop in 2005) http://www.pamoland.com/

Kim McLean ("Elisabeth" by Billy Gillman, singles by Tim McGraw and Lee Ann Womack, Dove Award recipient) http://www.kimmclean.com/ 

Natasha Ragland (Singer-Songwriter/Independent Artist/Painter) http://natasharagland.com/

Suzanne Reed (San Diego Singer-Songwriter) http://songwritingtour.blogspot.com/2009/11/suzanne-reed-san-diego-california.html

Robin Dean Salmon (Singer-Songwriter/Independent Artist) http://www.robindeansalmon.com

Harriet Schock ("Ain't No Way to Treat a Lady" by Helen Reddy and author of "Becoming Remarkable") http://www.harrietschock.com/

Sven-Erik Seaholm (San Diego Producer/Singer-Songwriter) http://www.svensongs.com/

Warren Sellers (Singer-Songwriter, Independent Artist) http://www.facebook.com/warren.sellers

Steve Seskin ("Grown Men Don't Cry" by Tim McGraw, "Life's a Dance" by John Michael Montgomery, "I Think About You" by Collin Raye and many more; Steve visited the San Diego NSAI Workshop in 1998, 2001, and 2004) http://www.steveseskin.com/news/

Randy Sharp ("Cheap Seats" by Alabama, "You Will" by Patty Loveless; Randy visited the San Diego NSAI Workshop in 1996) http://www.randysharp.ws/ 

Sharla Shore (Singer-Songwriter) http://www.reverbnation.com/sharlashore

Lee Silber (Author of "Self Promotion for the Creative Person," "Time Management for the Creative Person," and "Career Management for the Creative Person") http://www.leesilber.com/

Jerry Silverstein (New York NSAI Coordinator/Tony Award Nominated Songwriter) http://www.nashvillesongwriters.com/news.php?viewStory=168

Gordy Thomas (Singer-Songwriter, Showcase Organizer, CCMA Vocalist of the Year) http://www.reverbnation.com/gordythomas

Tim Thompson (Guitarist, Nashville Session Player) http://www.timthompsonguitar.com/

Michael Tiernan (Singer-Songwriter/Independent Artist) http://tiernantunes.com/

Doak Turner (Songwriter, The Nashville Muse, 3rd Sunday at Doak's in Nashville) http://www.doakturner.com/ and http://www.nashvillemuse.com/

Jim Underwood (San Diego Singer-Songwriter and Guitarist) http://www.audiosparx.com/JimUnderwood

Jerry Vandiver (#2 "For a Little While" by Tim McGraw, "Athens Grease" by Phil Vasser, #5 "Don't Waste It On the Blues" by Gene Watson, Co-Author of "Your First Cut") http://www.jerryvandiver.com/Home.html

Diane Waters (Singer-Songwriter, Independent Artist) http://www.dianewaters.com/

Brian Austin Whitney (Just Plain Folks) http://www.jpfolks.com/

Wild Older Women (Independent Artists) http://www.reverbnation.com/wildolderwomen

Alex Del Zoppo ("In a Rainbow" and more by Sweetwater, the first band to perform live at the original 1969 Woodstock and subject of the first ever VH-1 made-for-TV movie in August, 1999) http://www.alexdelzoppo.com/Welcome.html