Daphne WIllis to Teach a Songwriting Workshop at SHAMc

Photo by Holly Apperson

Although she headed to New York City right after SongFest, Daphne Willis will be here again soon, but this time as SHAMc’s second artist in residence. She is scheduled to teach a workshop on April 22, and perform that evening.

For workshop ticket information you can call 727-725-4018. Tickets for her show will be available soon.

“SongFest is one of my favorite festivals to play," she says. "The volunteers make it really wonderful and easy. And Todd and Kiaralinda have a great lineup of musicians every year.” 

(Wondering why she's coming back so soon?) 

“I’m working to add several songs to my current record project,” she says. “I'm coming down hoping for ideas to bring back to Nashville for a recording session. I’m prepping for a new release and will use the time in Safety Harbor to write as much as I can.”  

But she’ll take a break from her own writing to help you! If you’re a musician and would like to learn from one of the best in the music business, don’t miss this opportunity. Everyone in our SHAMc Collective knows and loves Daphne but you may not know of her huge successes. Her music bio is inspiring:

Daphne released her first independent EP Matter of Time in September 2007; in a twist of fate, Vanguard Records head Kevin Welk heard a track on an American Airlines flight. This led to a record deal in 2008 and the release of her second EP, Exhibit A.
To record her first full-length album, Daphne headed to the hills of Tennessee. She released What to Say in 2010, which was co-produced by Tim Lauer and Grammy winner Gary Paczosa. Album number two, Because I Can, came out in 2011 and reached the number two spot on iTunes’ Top 40 Singer/Songwriter Chart.

2014’s Live to Try features co-writes with Hunter Davis, Chris Faulk, Angela Lauer, John Oates (of Hall & Oates), Keri Barnes and Tim Lauer, while 2015’s Get It EP kicks off with the track “Done With Bein’ Done,” which Daphne co-wrote with Grammy winner Meghan Trainor.

 2016 was a banner year for Willis. She has released two singles “Spider in the Roses,” a collaboration with frequent tour mate Sonia Leigh, and “The Struggle is Real,” which advocates mental health awareness, and turned in main stage performances at both LA Pride and Nashville Pride. Daphne, who currently calls Nashville home, has been featured in or at http://perezhilton.com/, http://www.afterellen.com/, American Songwriter, The Pride LA and The East Nashvillian. She is currently putting the finishing touches on Come Together, an acoustic EP that re-imagines five classic tracks by The Beatles.

The two-hour workshop will be held on Saturday, April 22^nd from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at SHAMc. The workshop is limited to about 20 people because Daphne wants to have enough time to focus on individuals and their projects. Workshop participants will be given free admission to her concert that evening too. (You can still buy tickets to the concert without attending the workshop. Check www.shamc.org in the next week or so to purchase.)

The workshop is a result of her recent successful Pledge Music campaign. “We will start off and working for about an hour. I'll be going around to each paired group offering feedback,” she says. “Even if you don't play an instrument you will learn a lot about structure, so singers, songwriters, musicians are all encouraged to participate.”

  

If you have a current project and/or an instrument, please bring them.

Photo by Holly Apperson

Who knows, maybe one day your bio will credit Daphne as your inspiration . . .