Catch the fever! The PRF all-star songwriting challenge.

[Marsupialized]

EDIT:
Here are all the albums we've made so far!


PRF Week 01: Capybara Phone
PRF Week 02: 4th Grade
PRF Week 03: Chords and Merpersons
PRF Week 04: Child's Favorite Thing
PRF Week 05: Hometown Humiliation
PRF Week 06: Halloween Havoc
PRF Week 07: Dance Dance Revolution
PRF Week 08: Politics Unusual
PRF Week 09: Technical Difficulties
PRF Week 10: Bad Song Good
PRF Week 11: Drink!
PRF Week 12: ACatapella Explosion!
PRF Week 13: A Beautiful Work of Art
PRF Week 14: It's Christmas!
PRF Week 15: Movie/Television Themes Reimagined
PRF Week 16: Corn!
PRF Week 17: The Ghosts of PRF Past
PRF Week 18: SportPop!
PRF Week 19: Autoplay!
PRF Week 20: Cartoon Capers!
PRF Week 21: Sleep! Religion!
PRF Week 22: Incontinent Artists
PRF Week 23: Science Fictional
PRF Week 24: Sea Creatures
PRF Week 25: The Sad Clown
PRF Week 26: Punk Rock Work Songs
PRF Week 27: Experimental Flight
PRF Week 28: Happiest Things
PRF Week 29: Backwards Psychedelic Freakout
PRF Week 30: Good Time Summertime Jams
PRF Week 31: Alice Cooper
PRF Week 32: Master of Puppets, PRF Style
PRF Week 33: Wiki Random Challenge
PRF Week 34: Radio Occasion
PRF Week 35: Make a Bad Song II - The Returnaling
PRF Week 36: A Spiritual Moment
PRF Week 37: PRF Past Hits Reimagined II
PRF Week 38: Songs about moving or Rapid fire quickcover challenge
PRF Week 39: Funky, Funky PRF
PRF Week 40: PRF Riot!
PRF Week 41: Songs for a causes
PRF Week 42: Anthems
PRF Week 43: Songs of love and songs of hate
PRF Week 44: Hot Disco Release Party Vol. 1: Shake, shake your PRF (like it was a crying baby)[/quote]
PRF Week 45:A PRF Tribute to AC/DC





I intend to ignite the spark of spontaneous creativity inside some people here who desperately need it lit the fuck back up.
I want to see people creating music. Lots and lots of music. Quickly. Every day. This is joy. This is fun. Making music is not a drag.

I'd like to know who's interested in accepting my challenge.

The basic idea I have is for a songwriting challenge to be posted by someone.

Example 'I'd like to hear a song about snapping turtles, and it's gotta have a latin vibe'

Someone would then accept the challenge and within 24 hours post their song about snapping turtles that has a latin vibe.

Either that way, or everyone in on the challenge would post their song about snapping turles with a latin vibe and then a winner is chosen.

I need people to step up here who are willing to really devote some time to the act of creating music each day. I need people who will run with their gut and not obsess on tiny details, just get it out of them and do it quick. People who won't worry that their voice cracked in that one little part of they hit one wrong note somewhere or their lyrics weren't absolute poetry. Perfection is not the point here. Speed and spontaneity, that's what we need work on here.

It can be as simple (and lame) as 'Write a song about your girlfriend with an acoustic guitar' or as ridiculously complex as you wanna make it.

'I want a 3 part rock opera based on the 1945 film 'The White Gorilla' and it's got to have a distorted glockenspiel solo somewhere in it and also a spazzy sax breakdown somewhere'

So who's gonna catch the fever! Who's gonna step up and hop aboard? Who's gonna accept the challenge?

There will be prizes.

Any ideas as to how to shape the challenge are more than welcome. We'll kick it around, agree on some terms and get down to it.

Who's with me?

We all love music here. There's no reason at all you can't get off your ass and make some.

[SecondEdition]

I'm in.

All I need is an adapter to plug my guitar into my laptop and I'm set.

[Marsupialized]

Nice, welcome aboard. We are gonna have some fun here.
What form would you like the challenge to take? One person accepts a posted challenge or everyone does and comes back the next day and we compare what we each did with the idea?

[SecondEdition]

Alright, good.

Gimme an assignment, then. I can't promise I'll come up with it immediately, or within 24 hours, even. That I know for sure, since I don't have a cord or adapter here in my dorm room yet. (I'm going to college, assignments need to be done, etc.) but I'll try.

How will material get onto the board?

Well, the form I'd like the challenge to take is "Record..." and then put in any of these:

1) A song you can do, conceivably, by yourself. With as many or as little instruments you can put on there.

2) A cover, possibly. I would love to hear people attempt, say, "Kanga Roo" by Big Star. Or, hell, "Iron Man." Your preferences may vary.

3) The requirements would be: emotional tone, vague description of style. I doubt anything else is really needed, we're a creative bunch.

(Edit: Oh. Whoops. Well, either one of those work...I personally have a preference for one person posting a challenge and another accepting, but I could go for the other one too.)

[Antero]

I'd be down, but I can't play guitar for a minute - finger injury.

[Colonel Panic]

This is kind of like Songfight.

Great idea bringing it here though. I'm sure the average quality of output will be a lot better than you find on that website.

[Marsupialized]

How will material get onto the board?

We can set up a couple myspace accounts specifically for this purpose and post them there. Easiest way, I would think. We all get the password and just go in and post them. If we have 2 myspaces set up that's 12 songs we can have up on any given day.

[Colonel Panic]

Only one day to do each song?

Howabout like 2 days?

[Marsupialized]

Only one day to do each song?

Howabout like 2 days?

We'll see what everyone is comfortable with but I really think the one day rule makes it more immediate and fun.

what's songfight?

[SecondEdition]

2 days is probably easier, Marsupialized. We have to accomodate people's schedules and all.

2 days also increases anticipation. Don't underrate the element of suspense here.

[Colonel Panic]

http://www.songfight.org/

They do it on a weekly basis. They provide a song title and artists compose, perform and record. Best song is decided by Internet poll.

The current topic is: "Interesting Times"

[Pibroch]

Dude I'd totally do this, but I'm nowhere near as good as you guys probably are. Unless it's a drums/guitar kind of thing, I could probably whip something up on Wednesday, I have that day off.

Otherwise I'd LOVE to participate.

[Marsupialized]

http://www.songfight.org/

They do it on a weekly basis.

I can't get the basic idea from that page. Do they give you the song title and you run with it or what?

[SecondEdition]

Dude I'd totally do this, but I'm nowhere near as good as you guys probably are. Unless it's a drums/guitar kind of thing, I could probably whip something up on Wednesday, I have that day off.

Otherwise I'd LOVE to participate.

This is the kind of attitude that this little contest can - and should - eradicate.

Anyone can do this. I have been playing guitar for a year and a half. I suck eggs. My songs aren't too great. I can barely sing, so I choose to recite out my little lyrics in a faked-up Lou Reedy mumble that does nothing except prove how beholden to my influences I am. But it's fun, and I love doing it, and I want opinions about them so I can improve. That's the name of the game. That's the reason to do this.

You can play drums and guitar. That's easy. Tons of good songs have been made with those two instruments alone. Do it.

[Colonel Panic]

http://www.songfight.org/

They do it on a weekly basis.

I can't get the basic idea from that page. Do they give you the song title and you run with it or what?

Yes.

The current title is "Interesting Times".

Your idea is better though, because the artists get to decide their own titles.

I think the week-long contest is good though, because it accommodates a wide range of schedules.

[Marsupialized]

First thing we need to do is decide whether one person will accept a posted challenge and show what they did with the idea or one person gives a challenge and everyone runs with the idea and comes back and we compare what we did with it.

I agree, one week is fine.

I am partial to on Monday someone posts a challenge and we all run with it during the week and post our results the next Monday and start on a new one.

[Colonel Panic]

I like the second idea.

Howabout, anyone can throw out ideas, we choose the most popular one and then that becomes the topic of the week?

We could even allow collaborations. Like, one person can lay down a basic rhythm and chord structure and then sendspace it to their partner(s), who add to it and/or edit it.

[Marsupialized]

I like the second idea.

Howabout, anyone can throw out ideas, we choose the most popular one and then that becomes the topic of the week?

Sounds like the best way to do it.

Maybe the winner of the week before gets to choose the new one. We can do that too.

[Colonel Panic]

That could work. So what's going to be the first topic?

[John Houlihan]

I look forward to failing at this.