Collin County Songwriters Association in Local Press

The following article is used by permission of the Dallas Morning News, and does not constitute endorsement of the association by the newspaper. It was published in the Frisco edition of Neighbors magazine on Saturday, February 11, 2006.





Neighbors ON THE COVER
Collin County songwriters band together

By JODI SHUMWAY Neighbors Editor

Four local musicians and songwriters joined forces to encourage up-and-coming musicians and to learn from those who have been in the business for years. The newly formed Collin County Songwriters Association, made up of Dan Scot Parr, Ryan Michael Galloway, C. Aaron Moore and Michael Reames, hosts free performances and reaches out to other performers in the area. Their hope is to promote and support live music and songwriting in North Texas. The association’s initial mission is to create a Web portal with links to performers’ Web sites and raise awareness of the Collin County music scene. You can often find its members playing at local events and fundraisers.

Galloway said the CCSA’s philosophy is “If you are better than us, we want to learn from you. If you’re as good as us, we want to team up. If you’re not as good, we want to help you get there.”

One event the association would like to incorporate on a regular basis is Song Circle, where 10 to 15 musicians listen to each other play songs they have written, and then, if the artists requests, provide advice. The Song Circle is designed to help musicians improve their skills and get used to performing in a non-threatening environment.

About the musicians

Dan Scot Parr, CCSA cofounder and assistant principal at Curtsinger Elementary School in Frisco, has released two CDs and was recently nominated to the Arts of Collin County Advisory Committee.

Parr and his group, the Dan Scot Parr Band, have been on the front lines, playing at such notable events as the recent TXU Energy Winter Games of Texas and charity dates for American Cancer Society and hurricane relief. Parr and his band play all over Dallas-Fort Worth, but have a particularly strong following in Collin County.

“I think music, as well as all the arts, is a critical part of a person’s education,” Parr said. “Music touches people. A great song has the power to make a person think and feel. Teaching children about music and art is important for creating a society of balanced people.

Parr’s song, “She’s a Trainwreck,” is featured on the soundtrack of a recent documentary about the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders, airing currently on CBS and ESPN. Another song, “Why Am I Here?,” has been chosen for an upcoming documentary called Motivated by Death.He was also enlisted to help compose the soundtrack for the film.

Ryan Michael Galloway, veteran performing songwriter and cofounder of CCSA, has appeared on his own at corporate functions, clubs and coffeehouses. Galloway, with 35 years of experience, was once published by Columbia/ Screen Gems and RCA’s Sunbury/ Dunbar.

Galloway was a 14-year-old Boy Scout counselor in Montana when he wrote his first song, “I finally got enough time on my hands [at camp] to write down some of what I’d been thinking.”

Galloway has recently garnered attention in the indie-music world. “Give Sorrow Words,” a song from his latest CD, was tagged for Best Male Vocals of the week and Track of the Day in the folk rock category on GarageBand.com.

C. Aaron Moore, co-founder of CCSA, entered an original composition in the BMI Foundation Pete Carpenter Fellowship for aspiring film composers under the age of 35. In addition to writing film scores, Moore also writes funk and R&B inspired songs. He is a degreed filmmaker and produces music videos for local bands.

In a departure from the other founders of the association, Moore plays keyboards and delivers a very lush sound. He is known for his layered productions, reproduced live via a mixture of midi sequencing, live playing and live vocals.

The fourth member of the association is Michael Reames, who joined the other co-founders when he recently moved to Frisco from New Orleans. Reames is a veteran performing songwriter and former lead singer with Blue Rockers out of New Orleans. He is a partner in a recording studio that just moved out of New Orleans and will soon set up shop in Houston.
If you’d like to be a part of the Collin County Songwriters Association either as a member or on the email list for local performances, call Galloway at 972-841-0226 or reach him at by e-mail Ryan@Ryan Rocks.com.

For more information about the association, visit www. CCSongwriters.org.