John Lennon Grand Prize Results

Hey everybody! I got the news recently that I did NOT win the grand prize of the John Lennon Song Contest this year. The judging committee picked the rock song as the winner, which you can listen to by clicking here.

So, I was a little disappointed of course but not too surprised. In any competition like that your chances are slim and you never know what the judges will be looking for. All in all I received about $7,500 worth of musical equipment from this year’s contest, and I can’t be anything but thankful for that. Shoot, I look around my apartment and practically every cool piece of musical gear I have is from the John Lennon Song Contest!! I use the stuff they gave me every day, and don’t know where I’d be without it.

I want to take this opportunity to thank you guys again for all of your votes earlier this year…that was a lot of fun! I got an excuse to share my new demos with many of you, you helped me win an extra $2500 worth of stuff, and you gave me the shot at the big prize. There’s only one other person that I know of who has won the Grand prize and a Category prize, so I’m in rare company.

That’s all the updates I’ve got for now, but as usual I’ve got plenty of irons in the fire so I hope you all will all keep in touch and stay tuned! Peace,

We Won!

After a month of tireless voting, you did it! You voted me through to the final round of this year's John Lennon Song Contest! This means I get another $3000 worth of cool stuff, PLUS I'm one of 12 songs competing for the $20,000 grand prize. I feel as peppy as a turbo-charged turtle... You guys are the best!

Celebrity Sightings, New Songs, and some Good News!

Hey folks! It's been a good couple of months here in Nashville! The biggest news is that Jason Michael Carroll recorded "Hurry Home" in February, and was kind enough to let me stop by the studio and listen in. It was fun to hear my song being recorded in a big studio by a major label artist, and I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it will be as big a hit with his fans as it was with mine! It may take a while for his album to come out, and nothing is ever final until it's final, so I'll keep you guys posted on that development.

Another fun surprise happened a couple weeks ago when fellow Big Yellow Dog writer Pat Mclaughlin introduced me to his co-writer up at the office, who happened to be Taylor Hicks. His season on American Idol was the only one I really watched on a regular basis, and I thought he was a really unique presence, so it was interesting to meet him in person!

Well it's not all fun and games---I HAVE been working, and here are a couple of news songs to show for it!

I wrote "Daddy Did You Know" one day after hearing that Julianne Hough (new county singer of Dancing With the Stars fame) was looking for a "daddy song". It sounded like fun to try to write one, so I did! This version is sung by Nikki Williams who is also an up-and-coming talent.

"That's What I Call Beautiful" started when I discovered a fun chord progression on the guitar. I had a lyrical idea from another song that wasn't working out, and when I put the two of them together it just clicked.

Last but not least, I found out last weekend that I've been picked again in the John Lennon Song Contest! This is the contest where I won the grand prize two years ago with "Hurry Home". My new song is called "Hope is a Flame" and you can listen to it on the John Lennon website. Sometime in April I'll be needing your vote (just like we did two years ago) in order to make it to the next round and have a chance at winning that grand prize again. Stay tuned!

Thanks for all your encouragement and support, and I hope wherever you are you're getting some of this spring weather we have here today.... Peace,

I Love Love

Hey folks! Got a new batch of songs for you to hear. I recorded these just before Thanksgiving, but am just now getting a chance to tell you about them:



"I Love Love" is a song about one of my favorite subjects---compassion. I'm kind of hoping Martina McBride hears this one someday... :)

"Hold On" is a little song I wrote in a couple of days (that's pretty quick for me). I just wanted to write something that felt good to sing and play, and so far I think this one fits the bill.

""'87 Chevy 4x4" was originally inspired by our Tahoe that we put 300,000 miles on as we toured all over the country. As the song evolved, it ended up melding with stories about Jodi's first vehicle, which was an '87 Chevy Blazer.

"Kissin'" is a song that I actually wrote last spring, but just now got around to demoing. It was inspired one day when...you guessed it. Jodi and I were kissin' instead of working, and I realized that I like it that way.

"What You Do With What You Got" is a really long song title. :) Couldn't be helped though. This is a story about two kids who group up in different worlds, only to find their lives intersecting at a crucial moment...

You can hear all these songs on my myspace page as well. Thanks for listening and for keeping in touch. Happy holidays to you all!! Peace,

October Demos

Hey everybody! Just finished up my second demo session today, and it went great. We recorded at Station West in Nashville and we had some great players including Gordon Mote on piano, Billy Panda on acoustic guitar, and J. T. Corenflos (pronounced "Cornfloss"---sweet name for a country picker). I'm humbled to work with guys that good. We also brought in Wes Hightower, background vocalist extraordinaire, and a young lady by the name of Nikki Williams (no relation) who sang the !@#$!#$^$% out of a song called "Overcome".

We recorded five songs, and I've posted them all to my myspace page at www.myspace.com/zanewilliams. Click on over and check 'em out! There's a Christmas song, a love song, a killin' song, a rockin' song, and an inspirational song. (We covered a lot of ground!)

I'm sorry I don't have some pictures or something to snazz this up a little, and I'm also sorry if I don't write everyone back. It's beautiful weather here in Nashville, and I just feel as fortunate as I can feel to get to do this fun stuff for a living. No cuts to tell you about yet, but I'll certainly keep you posted! :) Everything in good time... Y'all take care and keep in touch! Peace,

"Live to Love Again"

Hey everybody! We just put the finishing touches on my first demo recording session today, and I'd like to share a new song with you!!

It's called "Live to Love Again". I bought a short cut capo at Kerrville Folk Festival last year, and found a neat chord progression playing chords in the key of C with the capo on the 4th fret. The first line just kind of popped out of me as I was playing the chord progression---"Hey baby why the long face, did you really think he would always stay?" and I was off to the races. I got most of it written that afternoon and finished it up the next day, which is lightning speed for me. It was immediately one of my new favorite songs.

This is one of the songs I played for my publisher Carla at our first meeting, and she just thought it was a big ol' hit. :) She's been playing a guitar/vocal work tape for people, and it was on hold briefly for Pat Green, but his record label passed on it so it's back on the market. Hopefully a fully produced demo will help us find a home for this song!! You should be able to listen to the song on a player below. If not, it's also posted on my myspace page! Peace,





PS Also a friendly reminder---I'm trying to spend more time on music and less time on the computer, so I may not be able to respond to every e-mail I get. But I do read and appreciate all of them!!!!

Writing Just Feels So Right

Hey everybody! I haven't written since April, and I apologize. I haven't forgotten about you, or stopped being grateful for the relationship that I'm lucky to have with you. What I HAVE done is to begin a new phase of my career, and re-evaluate my priorities based on that new direction.

On June 1st, I signed my first publishing deal and became a staff songwriter at Big Yellow Dog Music. (www.BigYellowDogMusic.com) I get a monthly salary, I turn in songs, they help me pay for demo sessions and pitch the songs to recording artists, and we share the money that the songs make. It's more than steady income for me---it's a chance to focus on being creative and exploring the craft of songwriting. The simplicity of just being a creative artist is refreshing, after eight years of being a web designer, printer, phone salesman, road manager, producer, photographer, bus driver, and myspace editor. (Full props to my homey Jodi for playing many of those roles and more as well.)

So what about you? You guys are the ones who have come to my shows, bought my records, encouraged me, told friends about me, and most of all, experienced and connected with my music. Does this mean you'll never see or hear from me again? Nope! I'm far too honored to have a relationship with you to let it fall by the wayside. After all, we're in this together! There are going to be some changes though, and here they are in a nutshell:

For the next however long, I'm going to be spending a lot more time sitting in front of a guitar or piano, and a lot less time sitting in front of a computer or a steering wheel.

So there is good news and bad news for you. Let's get the bad news out of the way: Your e-mails and myspace comments may go unanswered. Never unread, never unappreciated, but sometimes maybe unanswered. My blog entries may be less frequent and have fewer photos and video. And, I may not come play in your hometown any time in the foreseeable future. Alright, that wasn't so bad, was it?!

The good news for you is SONGS. Lots of 'em. New ones all the time. Stories songs, groovy songs, songs that make you cry, songs that remind you of what's beautiful, songs that crack you up. I haven't figured out exactly how I'm going to deliver them to you, but ideas on the table are myspace, snocap, ITunes, flash player on my website, free mp3s from time to time, etc. No more waiting 3 years for a new album to come out. (OK, 5 years.) I have TONS of new songs that I am anxious for you to hear. HOPEFULLY, some of them will go on to be sung by recording artists that you know and love and you will have the rewarding experience of hearing them first, fresh out of the kitchen.

So to sum up: The adventure continues. There is going to be more and better music than ever. I may be a little hard to reach in the future, but it's because I will be writing songs with YOU in mind. You'll get to hear new stuff on a regular basis, instead of every few years, and you'll get to hear "the hits" before they were hits. (Hopefully.) My first demo session is Sept. 6th, we'll record four or five brand new songs, and I plan to post them on my myspace page on the 8th. I'm pumped about that---my first demo session!!! Stay tuned for more info, and thanks for ALL of your encouragement through the years. May you continue to make steady progress toward YOUR goals and dreams. Peace,

Zane