Radio Free Song Club Puts Songwriters To The Test

A small but determined group of veteran songwriters, including Freedy Johnston, Victoria Williams, Peter Holsapple and Freakwater, have found a new way to keep their chops up, banding together to create the Radio Free Song Club.

Every month, each member (Laura Cantrell, Peter Blegvad, Dave Schramm and Jody Harris round out the roster) writes and records a song under deadline, and then submits it for the show, whether it’s “finished” or not. Host Nicholas Hill spins them, in between live studio performances, special guest appearances, and phone conversations with the writers themselves.

Check out the website, Radiofreesongclub.com, where you can hear the broadcasts, read the stories behind the songs, and peruse the lyrics.

Peter Holsapple (R.E.M. and The DBs) writes of his latest contribution, “Oh My (I Gotta Write a New Song)”: “This song is true confession time, expounding on my catatonic writing state, in an effort to dislodge the logjam and get going again. I think most every songwriter worries that his or her current song is the last one to come down the pipe. With any luck, this one of mine is merely the chemical agent that cleanses the system I’ve been fortunate enough to possess for years. And while it may not be the best song I’ve ever written, I can happily say it’s the most recent one.”