When I dragged myself out of bed on the morning of David Francey's songwriting workshop, I must admit that I had a few reservations. I needn't have had any. Along with about 25 others, I was treated to a wonderful, thought-provoking, inspirational and informative workshop, a joint effort between the SJFAC and the Arts and Culture Centre Division of the Department of Tourism, Culture and Recreation. Congratulations to Jean Hewson, our esteemed President, for pulling it off (the workshop that is).

At the crack of 10 o'clock, a somewhat dishevelled David Francey (he'd been in St. John's since Wednesday and had obviously been very busy!) arrived at the appointed location - a secret court room in the Masonic Lodge, complete with old men in aprons (photos on the walls that is) and a goat (we didn't see the goat but I think I heard him) to meet a mixed bag of similarly dishevelled budding songwriters. Not everyone who attended the workshop was a serious songwriter (and I include myself here), but many were, and we were all hoping to pick up tips, advice and inspiration from an award winning accomplished songwriter. We were not disappointed!

Although this was the first time David had given this sort of workshop, he quickly established a relaxed, easy-going, personal rapport with the group, and for the next two hours, he talked effortlessly about his song-writing techniques. Here are some of the practical points that I can remember:

·Only a few songs are ever written in a blinding flash of inspired "genius." Most songs are put together with a lot of hard work. So don't give up on a song if it doesn't happen straight away. Be patient, a song doesn't have to be written in one attempt (this was of particular inspiration to me, especially when David told us that one of his songs was almost twenty years in the making).

·Write down or record ideas immediately, and never throw them out. Many of David's songs started out as sketchy notes on pieces of scrap paper or scribbled lines next to a crossword he was doing.

·Use a recording device. David has a small cassette recorder, which he takes everywhere and puts to good use. Any melodies or ideas are recorded in case they are so fleeting that he forgets them later on. At home he has hundreds of cassettes, which he often draws on, at random, for inspiration.

·If you "over-research" a potential song and find it hard to get started, focus on just one aspect that has meaning, or perhaps focus on the original point you wanted to make.

·Try to use as few words as possible. (Don't beat people over the head with your message).

·A song doesn't have to be 2.50 minutes every time. If the song says what it has to say in 40 seconds, then that's ok.

·Write about what you know (thank you, Jean).

·Inspiration can come from anywhere so always be on the lookout for a good song.

David probably made more points, but those were the ones I remember.

As the morning progressed, he shared with us some intimate details of his life. We felt privileged to be able to better understand the character that is David Francey. Not only is he an extremely gifted songwriter and singer, he is also a kind, generous, open and honest individual. He is completely unpretentious and genuine. We learned about his early childhood in Scotland (inspiration for his song, Paper Boy) and his emigration to Canada when he was eleven years old. He talked about growing up in rural Quebec, the many difficult and sometimes dangerous construction jobs he worked on, the sadness of the breakup of his first marriage and, more recently, his present relationship with Beth. All sources of inspiration reflected in his song writing.

Sometime mid-morning, David was joined by his two exceptional back-up musicians, Geoff Sommers and Dave Clarke; every now and again they would break out into song. Someone requested Torn Screen Door, and of course he obliged. I was sitting next to Linda Russell who was so overwhelmed that I almost had to pick her up off the floor! Another memorable song that he shared with us that morning was called Exit(a song that will be on his new album), based on the death of someone he knew (a fellow hockey player on his team) and the feelings of guilt he had, after seeing him stagger drunk out of a bar. "Rich or poor, young or old, some of us carry a heavy load": powerful lyrics indeed.

David has an amazing voice, which perfectly matches his lyrics. The songs themselves are simple, poetic and evocative, and in some way, his songs become even more powerful when you are privileged, as we were that morning, to hear the background information, the inspiration, and the reason for writing the song in the first place. What a shame the morning had to come to an end. I felt sorry for all the people who weren't there.

After lunch there was a songwriter's circle; it was a real treat to listen to the many musicians and their songs. David was respectful and encouraging, and gave some genuine positive feedback to the participants. Geoff Sommers and Dave Clarke joined in with some of their songs, and said how much they enjoyed being given the opportunity to contribute. Towards the end of the afternoon, David confided in us how nervous he had been about doing the workshop. He also shared with us how much courage it had taken when he started performing himself and how that made him especially appreciative of all the performers who had shared their music with the group.

The workshop focused mainly on the writing of song lyrics, but that is only half of the song-writing process; a great song needs a great melody to go with the great lyrics. When I listened to his Torn Screen Door album later on that evening, I was really impressed with the uniqueness of the songs; every track seemed to have a melody that didn't remind me of anything else I had ever heard before. So where do his melodies come from? Pure genius I suppose.

Andrew sent the article to David for comment. This is David's reply:

From: David Francey To: Andrew Lang Sent: Friday, April 25, 2003 4:44 PM Subject: Thanks Andrew......Francey

Hullo Andrew. Some article! I am always in awe of people with a memory. That was a great synopsis of the workshop. The only minor point would be that I had done the workshop before, but only to a handful of people, twice. I had such a good time with everyone, I ended up hoping that I wasn't the only one. Apparently not.

Well, off to my Head Reduction Therapy, necessary after having read your email. I can't thank you enough Andrew, you're far too kind. It is greatly appreciated however. My best to the friends in St. John's and to yourself in particular. Here's to meeting up again soon.

Yours from the Eastern Townships, where Winter is hanging on like grim death.
All the best,

David Francey