2024 Performers and Presenters
LON AUSTIN is a folksinger, songwriter, storyteller, and instigator. His songwriting and performing were primarily influenced by Woody Guthrie, Utah Phillips, and Prescott cowboy poet Gail Gardner. Instigations include the Phoenix Folk Traditions Music Festival, Glendale Folk & Heritage Festival, Peoria Library Monday Night Melodies, the Encanto Park Coffeehouse (now evolved into the Beaded Lizard Gathering), the Arizona Songwriters Gathering, Trail Dust, and the Mexican Beaded Lizard Band, among other things. Lon is an instrumental member of the Arizona Songwriters Gathering planning committee
DOUG BARNETT is an acoustic guitarist and singer/songwriter. His repertoire includes decades of covers from pop, folk, bluegrass, western, and country catalogs, as well as dozens of originals. Doug plays in the greater Phoenix area and performs along Route 66 with his wife, Barbara. He flies to Seattle for performances at Katie J’s in Renton, WA. Doug is a BMI songwriter and member of the Arizona Songwriters Association. He has released ten indie albums, available on cdbaby.com, itunes.com, & amazon.com. Doug is an instrumental member of the Arizona Songwriters Gathering planning committee.
BARBARA RAYES-BARNETT plays the flute and guitar and sings. She coordinates bookings, promotions, and logistics for shows. Barbara emcees in both English and Spanish. She is an instrumental member of the Arizona Songwriters Gathering planning committee.
RANDY BROWN is a country/Americana songwriter and songwriting teacher who has won national lyric writing competitions by both American Songwriter and Billboard magazines. His credits include songs in several movies, most notably Remember the Titans, and songs in numerous television shows, ranging from Malcom in the Middle to A Person of Interest and CMT’s Crossroads. Along with Jon Iger, he hosts a monthly “Songs in Progress” workshop for ASA. He has also conducted songwriting seminars at various folk festivals across Arizona. Randy is an instrumental member of the Arizona Songwriters Gathering planning committee. To contact Randy, please email [email protected] or visit his website at www.oldstallionmusic.com.
ROBIN FREDERICK is the author of top-selling songwriting books Shortcuts to Hit Songwriting and Shortcuts to Songwriting for Film & TV. She is a former Director of A&R/Production for Rhino Records and Executive Producer of more than 60 albums. Over the course of her career, she has written and produced more than 500 songs for television, records, theater, and audio products. Robin’s books are used in top music schools to teach all levels of songwriting, from beginning to advanced. Visit RobinFrederick.com for more information.
Enter to have your song critiqued by Robin Frederick at her “Get Your Acoustic Songs into Film & TV” program. Send your song to [email protected] by January 19 with the subject line: “Robin Frederick Song File”. The submission should be in the form of an mp3 attachment or a downloadable link with a lyric pasted into the body of the email. Please view this video if you need help sending your song: How to Email Audio Files (youtube.com)
Enter to have your song critiqued by Robin Frederick at her “Get Your Acoustic Songs into Film & TV” program. Send your song to [email protected] by January 19 with the subject line: “Robin Frederick Song File”. The submission should be in the form of an mp3 attachment or a downloadable link with a lyric pasted into the body of the email. Please view this video if you need help sending your song: How to Email Audio Files (youtube.com)
DAN GUTENKAUF was inspired by a 1973 Emerson, Lake & Palmer concert to take the first college-level course in Electronic Music Theory and Composition, taught by Dr. Gerald Lloyd, an apprentice to Robert Moog. While attending Drake, he studied jazz history, played bass in the Jazz Stage Band, and studied jazz guitar with renowned instructor Don Archer of the Iowa Jazz Hall of Fame. He has been a full-time professional musician since moving to Phoenix in 1978. In 1980, he started attending Arizona Songwriters Association meetings, where he met his friends and mentors Jon Iger and the late John Braheny, “The Godfather of Los Angeles Songwriters Showcase (LASS).” In the mid ‘80s, he played bass for national corporate events at numerous 5-star resorts across the country. He has played bass with Rock and Roll Hall of Fame acts The Drifters, The Shirelles, The Coasters, and Leslie Gore, as well as for Glen Campbell and “Mr. Las Vegas” Wayne Newton. On his Big Band corporate gigs, he has shared the stage with The Four Tops, Dionne Warwick, The Pointer Sisters, Charley Pride, Lee Greenwood, Ray Charles, Bill Medley (The Righteous Brothers), and Mary Wilson (The Supremes). In 1985, he earned a Scholastic Achievement Award for Excellence in Classical Music Theory at Mesa Community College. He recorded and toured with Scottsdale Bible Church orchestra and choir on trips to Argentina, Romania, and Budapest. In 2005, he and his twin brother Dennis on guitar were inducted into the Iowa Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with their band “Rhythm’s Children.” They also performed with fellow Hall of Fame inductee John “JR” Robinson, legendary L.A. studio drummer for David Foster and Quincy Jones. In 2019, he was nominated to become the new local Phoenix Chapter Coordinator for Nashville Songwriters Association International (NSAI). He attended the NSAI Tin Pan South Songwriting Festival in Nashville, where he received his Coordinator training. That same year, he was a finalist in NSAI’s Chapter Challenge songwriting contest, sponsored by Ole Media Management (now Anthem Entertainment).
SANDY HATHAWAY’s original songs reach back in time and deliver stories that touch the heart. She is a daydreaming artist from West Michigan lakeshore. She taught herself to play guitar at eight. Her live performances are filled with emotion and expression. Sandy’s original songs contain vivid descriptions and metaphors that transport the listener to a country garden or a dirt road. She plays nearly all genres of music and has about six hours of songs in her cover song library.
Sandy studied classical guitar with David Molinari at Meyer Music in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and is currently a student of classical and opera voice with Bonfanti’s Voice Studio in Scottsdale, Arizona. “One of the busiest female cover artists in Arizona”, according to News Anchor Mike Chamberlin, TV3.
Hathaway’s original music has won several awards in Arizona. Her music can be described as a soulful blend of Dar Williams, Joni Mitchell, and Patty Griffin. She sings in several popular genres, Rock, Pop, Country, Blues, R&B, and Opera. She continuously studies to improve her music craft. Sandy is a multi-instrumentalist and stays busy playing popular venues like Tucson, The Living Room in Phoenix, and many private events. She has worked with several popular booking agencies, Arizona’s Finest Entertainers, Paragon Booking, and GotYouCovered. She is the Chairperson of the board for Independent Artist Music (IAM), a non-profit association, to support musicians.
Sandy studied classical guitar with David Molinari at Meyer Music in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and is currently a student of classical and opera voice with Bonfanti’s Voice Studio in Scottsdale, Arizona. “One of the busiest female cover artists in Arizona”, according to News Anchor Mike Chamberlin, TV3.
Hathaway’s original music has won several awards in Arizona. Her music can be described as a soulful blend of Dar Williams, Joni Mitchell, and Patty Griffin. She sings in several popular genres, Rock, Pop, Country, Blues, R&B, and Opera. She continuously studies to improve her music craft. Sandy is a multi-instrumentalist and stays busy playing popular venues like Tucson, The Living Room in Phoenix, and many private events. She has worked with several popular booking agencies, Arizona’s Finest Entertainers, Paragon Booking, and GotYouCovered. She is the Chairperson of the board for Independent Artist Music (IAM), a non-profit association, to support musicians.
JON IGER is a songwriter and publisher with major label cuts, whose song placements in movies and TV shows include The Sopranos, Parks & Recreation, Ugly Betty, My Name Is Earl, Touched by an Angel, The Oblongs, Brooklyn 99, Where the Money Is (starring Paul Newman), and many more.
A former Capitol recording artist, he co-founded the Arizona Songwriters Association in 1977, and has kept it rolling ever since. He was inducted into the Greater Arizona Country Music Association Hall of Fame in 2018, served on the Board of Directors for the Arizona Music & Entertainment Hall of Fame from 2005 to 2015, was inducted into its Hall of Fame in 2019, and continues to serve on its Advisory Council.
He co-produced the cable TV series The Arizona Songwriter with producer Randee Mossburg and has co-produced the annual Arizona Songwriters Gathering since its inception over twenty years ago. He has also taught songwriting workshops at the MIM (Musical Instrument Museum) along with Randy Brown, and co-hosts the ASA 3rd Saturday Songs in Progress workshop. Jon is an instrumental member of the Arizona Songwriters Gathering planning committee. To reach Jon or the Arizona Songwriters Association, please email [email protected]. The Arizona Songwriters Association website is www.azsongwriters.org.
A former Capitol recording artist, he co-founded the Arizona Songwriters Association in 1977, and has kept it rolling ever since. He was inducted into the Greater Arizona Country Music Association Hall of Fame in 2018, served on the Board of Directors for the Arizona Music & Entertainment Hall of Fame from 2005 to 2015, was inducted into its Hall of Fame in 2019, and continues to serve on its Advisory Council.
He co-produced the cable TV series The Arizona Songwriter with producer Randee Mossburg and has co-produced the annual Arizona Songwriters Gathering since its inception over twenty years ago. He has also taught songwriting workshops at the MIM (Musical Instrument Museum) along with Randy Brown, and co-hosts the ASA 3rd Saturday Songs in Progress workshop. Jon is an instrumental member of the Arizona Songwriters Gathering planning committee. To reach Jon or the Arizona Songwriters Association, please email [email protected]. The Arizona Songwriters Association website is www.azsongwriters.org.
IVY JARVIS is a programming librarian at the Glendale Public Library. This is her 13th year on the planning committee for the Arizona Songwriters Gathering. She has organized a wide variety of programs for the library since 1999, including author appearances by world-renowned authors Diana Gabaldon, Jodi Picoult, Nancy Turner and J.A. Jance; performances by R. Carlos Nakai, Walt Richardson, Big Pete Pearson, Dolan Ellis and Marshall Trimble; lectures on the humanities and arts, health and wellness, the paranormal, astronomy and financial topics; plus artistry workshops, the Socrates Café philosophical discussion group, and the Gentle Reads book discussion group. Ivy is an instrumental member of the Arizona Songwriters Gathering planning committee.
JOHN KEENAN is a famed music producer who has produced, remixed, and mastered releases for top artists such as Beyoncé, Pet Shop Boys, Kelly Clarkson, Missy Elliot, Philip George, Kelly Rowland, Billie Ray Martin, Kenny Loggins, Mary Wilson, and countless others. With 11 top 25 Billboard charting hits of today and several #1 singles on the Billboard Dance Chart, John is highly attuned to current musical trends.
In addition, John Keenan is a supremely skilled studio engineer and mastering engineer with 25+ years of experience and knowledge at his disposal. As he continues to work with acts such as Mary Wilson (of The Supremes, Universal), develop upcoming artists, and produce killer remixes that climb the charts and rock the house, Keenan is truly a tastemaker.
As a veteran college professor at Paradise Valley Community College, Keenan teaches and certifies students in Pro Tools software, teaches advanced audio mixing techniques classes, and Live Sound classes with individual lessons as a bonus for those wanting to go further.
In addition, John Keenan is a supremely skilled studio engineer and mastering engineer with 25+ years of experience and knowledge at his disposal. As he continues to work with acts such as Mary Wilson (of The Supremes, Universal), develop upcoming artists, and produce killer remixes that climb the charts and rock the house, Keenan is truly a tastemaker.
As a veteran college professor at Paradise Valley Community College, Keenan teaches and certifies students in Pro Tools software, teaches advanced audio mixing techniques classes, and Live Sound classes with individual lessons as a bonus for those wanting to go further.
LINDSEY MAJOR is the Head of Customer Experience for The Mechanical Licensing Collective (The MLC). In this role, Major is responsible for designing an effective customer experience strategy, leading a world-class customer experience team for The MLC, and developing the product roadmap. She supports animal rescues, environmental conservation initiatives, and gender equality, diversity and inclusion through volunteer events and philanthropy. Through Major’s leadership, her team has helped over 53,000 people, aided in paying out over $1 billion in royalties in two years, and helped grow The MLC's membership to over 26,000 members.
TRACEY MARINO and VANCE MARINO are a wife-and-husband songwriting, composing, and producing team based in San Diego, California. They have more than 3,000 songs and instrumentals in their BMI catalog. Their music is heard daily around the world in TV shows (Saturday Night Live, Oprah, Kelly Clarkson, The Late Show, The Tonight Show, The Today Show), films (The Wrong Missy, The Last Song, Goats), trailers, documentaries, video games, and national commercials (L.L. Bean, Cabela’s, Clorox). They are active members of several music advocacy groups and are the NSAI San Diego Chapter Coordinators. The Marinos’ #1 best-selling book in songwriting and the music business, Hey! That's My Song! A Guide to Getting Music Placements in Film, TV, and Media, was published recently by Backbeat Books. Visit www.HeyThatsMySong.com for more information.
LISA MITTS is a multi-award-winning indie recording artist/songwriter/performer. She and her band perform all over Arizona and the southwest in many venues, outdoor festivals and concerts, including the 2023 Ostrich Festival, the 2023 AZ Balloon Festival, the Sedona Red Rock Series and many more.
PAT PATTISON is a professor at Berklee College of Music, where he teaches lyric writing and poetry. In addition to his four books, Songwriting Without Boundaries (Penguin/Random House), Writing Better Lyrics, 2nd Edition (Penguin/Random House), The Essential Guide to Lyric Form and Structure (Hal Leonard), and The Essential Guide to Rhyming (Hal Leonard), Pat has developed seven online courses for Berklee Online: five on lyric writing (including two Master's level courses), one on poetry, and one on creative writing, all available here. In addition, more than 2,500,000 students have enrolled in his Coursera MOOC "Songwriting: Writing the Lyric" since its first run in 2013. He has written over seventy-five articles for various blogs and magazines, including American Songwriter, and has chapters in both The Poetics of American Song Lyrics (University Press of Mississippi) and the Handbook on Creative Writing (Edinburgh University Press).
Pat continues to present songwriting clinics across the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and Europe. Pat’s students include Grammy winners, professional songwriters, and major recording artists, including Gillian Welch, John Mayer, Tom Hambridge, Joelle James, Karmin, American Authors, Betty Who, Liz Longley, Charlie Worsham, Greg Becker, Justin Tranter, and many more.
SHELLY PEIKEN, a Grammy-nominated songwriter, has been a prolific force in the music business for more than two decades. She is best known for co-penning culturally resonant, female empowerment anthems such as Christina Aguilera’s number one hit, “What a Girl Wants,” and Meredith Brooks’ smash single, “Bitch.”
Shelly has written for and with The Pretenders, Miley Cyrus, Keith Urban, Britney Spears, Brandy, Selena Gomez, Demi Lovato, Mandy Moore, Plain White Ts, Smash Mouth, Jesse J, Natasha Bedingfield, Bebe Rexha, Reba, NSYNC, and the Backstreet Boys. Her songs have been featured in films and television shows such as Big Little Lies, Dave, Orange Is the New Black, Orphan Black, The Blind Side, Music of the Heart, Center Stage, What Women Want, Saving Grace, The Good Girl, Dear God, Blue Streak, Bring It On, I Still Know What You Did Last Summer, EDtv, The Next Best Thing, The Princess Diaries, See Spot Run, A Walk to Remember, What a Girl Wants, The Lizzie McGuire Movie, Raising Helen, The Bourne Identity, Quarenteen, and teen favorite Disney’s Descendants (“Rotten To The Core.”)
Her amusing and poignant memoir Confessions of a Serial Songwriter — a humorous pop culture chronicle about her journey from young girl falling under the spell of magical songs to working professional writing hits of her own — earned Shelly a second Grammy nomination in 2016 for Best Spoken Word Album.
Shelly was voted Best Singer Songwriter of the Year by Hollywood Music and Media in 2021 and was a 2023 She Rocks Honoree, an award that shines the spotlight on women who stand out in the industry.
Shelly is currently working on two musicals. One is with Broadway producers Carl D. White and Gregory Rae of Martian Entertainment, and the other is a passion project with her husband.
As a founding member of SONA (Songwriters of North America), she has been a passionate advocate for creators’ rights while never losing sight of her first love: the often elusive but always immensely gratifying art of writing a great pop song.
TRACEY MARINO and VANCE MARINO are a wife-and-husband songwriting, composing, and producing team based in San Diego, California. They have more than 3,000 songs and instrumentals in their BMI catalog. Their music is heard daily around the world in TV shows (Saturday Night Live, Oprah, Kelly Clarkson, The Late Show, The Tonight Show, The Today Show), films (The Wrong Missy, The Last Song, Goats), trailers, documentaries, video games, and national commercials (L.L. Bean, Cabela’s, Clorox). They are active members of several music advocacy groups and are the NSAI San Diego Chapter Coordinators. The Marinos’ #1 best-selling book in songwriting and the music business, Hey! That's My Song! A Guide to Getting Music Placements in Film, TV, and Media, was published recently by Backbeat Books. Visit www.HeyThatsMySong.com for more information.
LISA MITTS is a multi-award-winning indie recording artist/songwriter/performer. She and her band perform all over Arizona and the southwest in many venues, outdoor festivals and concerts, including the 2023 Ostrich Festival, the 2023 AZ Balloon Festival, the Sedona Red Rock Series and many more.
PAT PATTISON is a professor at Berklee College of Music, where he teaches lyric writing and poetry. In addition to his four books, Songwriting Without Boundaries (Penguin/Random House), Writing Better Lyrics, 2nd Edition (Penguin/Random House), The Essential Guide to Lyric Form and Structure (Hal Leonard), and The Essential Guide to Rhyming (Hal Leonard), Pat has developed seven online courses for Berklee Online: five on lyric writing (including two Master's level courses), one on poetry, and one on creative writing, all available here. In addition, more than 2,500,000 students have enrolled in his Coursera MOOC "Songwriting: Writing the Lyric" since its first run in 2013. He has written over seventy-five articles for various blogs and magazines, including American Songwriter, and has chapters in both The Poetics of American Song Lyrics (University Press of Mississippi) and the Handbook on Creative Writing (Edinburgh University Press).
Pat continues to present songwriting clinics across the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and Europe. Pat’s students include Grammy winners, professional songwriters, and major recording artists, including Gillian Welch, John Mayer, Tom Hambridge, Joelle James, Karmin, American Authors, Betty Who, Liz Longley, Charlie Worsham, Greg Becker, Justin Tranter, and many more.
SHELLY PEIKEN, a Grammy-nominated songwriter, has been a prolific force in the music business for more than two decades. She is best known for co-penning culturally resonant, female empowerment anthems such as Christina Aguilera’s number one hit, “What a Girl Wants,” and Meredith Brooks’ smash single, “Bitch.”
Shelly has written for and with The Pretenders, Miley Cyrus, Keith Urban, Britney Spears, Brandy, Selena Gomez, Demi Lovato, Mandy Moore, Plain White Ts, Smash Mouth, Jesse J, Natasha Bedingfield, Bebe Rexha, Reba, NSYNC, and the Backstreet Boys. Her songs have been featured in films and television shows such as Big Little Lies, Dave, Orange Is the New Black, Orphan Black, The Blind Side, Music of the Heart, Center Stage, What Women Want, Saving Grace, The Good Girl, Dear God, Blue Streak, Bring It On, I Still Know What You Did Last Summer, EDtv, The Next Best Thing, The Princess Diaries, See Spot Run, A Walk to Remember, What a Girl Wants, The Lizzie McGuire Movie, Raising Helen, The Bourne Identity, Quarenteen, and teen favorite Disney’s Descendants (“Rotten To The Core.”)
Her amusing and poignant memoir Confessions of a Serial Songwriter — a humorous pop culture chronicle about her journey from young girl falling under the spell of magical songs to working professional writing hits of her own — earned Shelly a second Grammy nomination in 2016 for Best Spoken Word Album.
Shelly was voted Best Singer Songwriter of the Year by Hollywood Music and Media in 2021 and was a 2023 She Rocks Honoree, an award that shines the spotlight on women who stand out in the industry.
Shelly is currently working on two musicals. One is with Broadway producers Carl D. White and Gregory Rae of Martian Entertainment, and the other is a passion project with her husband.
As a founding member of SONA (Songwriters of North America), she has been a passionate advocate for creators’ rights while never losing sight of her first love: the often elusive but always immensely gratifying art of writing a great pop song.
ERIC RAMSEY is the winner of the International Blues Challenge as well as the Memphis Cigar Box Guitar Award for the outstanding guitarist in the Solo/Duo Category. He's a three-time Champion of the Phoenix Blues Society's Blues Showdown and a two-time finalist at the Telluride Blues Challenge. He's a winner of the Stefan George Memorial Songwriting Contest sponsored by the Tucson Folk Festival, winner of the Peoples' Choice Award at the Wildflower Arts and Music Festival, a finalist in the Al Johnson Songwriting Competition, and has been tapped for the prestigious Songwriter's Showcase produced by Tempe Center for the Arts, filmed for PBS distribution. He's been a 4x featured performer at the Dripping Springs (TX) Songwriter's Festival, has garnered numerous accolades for his songwriting, and performs at concerts and festivals nationwide.
He is a perennial favorite on the folk and blues festival circuits, not only for his dynamic, engaging performances but for his open tuning and slide guitar workshops as well. With soaring vocals and organic arrangements, his original compositions reflect his musical influences, but come from a place all their own. He writes from experience about the human condition - stark, at times sensitive, at times humorous, always thought-provoking. His arrangements and delivery encompass a spectrum of styles, from delicate fingerpicking to raucous, bluesy bottleneck slide.
He lives in the Phoenix area with his patient, long-suffering wife, three kids, and four dogs of indeterminate pedigree. He can often be found in the garage, where his family prefers that he practice…
He is a perennial favorite on the folk and blues festival circuits, not only for his dynamic, engaging performances but for his open tuning and slide guitar workshops as well. With soaring vocals and organic arrangements, his original compositions reflect his musical influences, but come from a place all their own. He writes from experience about the human condition - stark, at times sensitive, at times humorous, always thought-provoking. His arrangements and delivery encompass a spectrum of styles, from delicate fingerpicking to raucous, bluesy bottleneck slide.
He lives in the Phoenix area with his patient, long-suffering wife, three kids, and four dogs of indeterminate pedigree. He can often be found in the garage, where his family prefers that he practice…
LES SCOTT is a veteran of the music industry whose publishing company Source Q Boutique (SQB) specializes in music placement in film and television and currently represents over 400 writers/artists. SQB is exclusively marketed through its alliances with Crucial Music Group, Expressive Artists LLC., Generation Music, Inc. and Fuze Artz LLC. As a producer, he is commissioned to produce master recordings for major companies and has produced over 500 artists/bands in all genres; his writings and productions appear daily throughout the film and television industries. As a consultant, he consults on music business matters such as music clearance, writer collaborations, performance releases, publishing agreements, cue sheets, PRO and copyright registrations. Les is an instrumental member of the Arizona Songwriters Gathering planning committee.
For private consultation, please call 602-705-3554 or email [email protected]. Website: www.lesscottmusic.com
For private consultation, please call 602-705-3554 or email [email protected]. Website: www.lesscottmusic.com