Diary of a songwriter at camp: days 1&2
An inside view from days 1 & 2
at Pro7ect’s July 2023 residential songwriting retreat
at Rockfield Studios
26 artists travelled from around the world to write and record 15 songs at the 8th annual Pro7ect residential songwriting retreat at Rockfield Studios, in July 2023. In this month’s Session Notes blog, Pro7ect Songwriting Retreats founder and songwriter Lisa Fitzgibbon shares her experience of running, writing and realizing this collaboration dream machine.
We follow Lisa as she prepares the writing suites, welcomes the artists, and tackles her first songwriting day in her Coach House studio writing room.
“I loved my first P7 experience so much that I just wanted to return, to write new songs, meet new artists and producers,
and live the dream of recording at the Rockfield Studios!”
- Marie-Véronique Bourque, P7 alumnus, songwriter/musician from Saskatchewan, Canada.
P723 artists at Rockfield Studios.
When I first started going to songwriting camps, I was looking for creative career options. I wanted to find like-minded musicians to learn from and share ideas with. But it wasn’t until I started getting into music production that I realised that these events without production were a wasted opportunity. I couldn’t understand why no one was hosting retreats with proper production in the room. Record companies were doing it, but exclusively for their stable of artists.
P723 at Rockfield Studios.
So, how do jobbing musicians and songwriters get to experience the depth and dynamism of a songwriting camp?
Well, now they can, and 10 years on, Pro7ect has hosted over 150 artists who have written and recorded more than 100 songs at our camps and Masterclasses. In this month’s Session Notes blog I’ll be sharing two very important days from this July’s camp with you. The bump-in day is HUGE, it’s important to put all the pieces of the puzzle together and to make the writing spaces feel and sound special. Writing Day 1 sets the tone for the whole week and is a mixture of excitement, expectation, trepidation and results.
“For busy musicians who struggle to make the time to concentrate on songwriting, having the opportunity to spend time doing what you love without distraction is golden. But more than that, doing so in an inspiring environment, with technical support and the combined experience of the producers and other artists, and being able to walk away not just with songs, but full-fledged productions which can have a life not just during the retreat but long afterwards, is really valuable.”
– Jon Fletcher, P7 Headline Producer, songwriter/multi-instrumentalist
Setting up: Tuesday 18th July 2023
8.00: load the van ready for Rockfield. With a big day ahead, I drive to Wales feeling a mix of excitement and calm. All the preparation has been done, now I just need to get there and make it happen.
10.00: arrive at Rockfield. The Quadrangle studio is tranquil. Swifts scream as they fly between the cloistered rafters, and I am so grateful to be able to work in such an incredibly important, historic venue. Breathe it in Lis.
12.00: it’s all go! Lead by P7 Head Engineer IndiB, with assistance from Joe and Jack from Rockfield, we are busily setting up the songwriting spaces so that each room sounds, feels, and operates superbly. We have 5 writing rooms this year, all kitted out with high-end equipment like Prism Sound interfaces, PMC speakers, Roland Keyboards, Laney amps and GIK acoustic panels. That’s a lot of boxes. We also move in some couches and carpets, lamps, and fairy lights to create a vibe.
17.00: The P723 artists start arriving for check-in and orientation. I like to greet our artists and producers personally when they get to Rockfield and show them their rooms. We have 7 alumni artists returning this year, and it’s like greeting old friends. I feel like I’ve already met the first timers as I’ve listened to their music online and have been following their professional progress. It’s a wonderful, random mix of artists from all around the world this year and I’m convinced that we are going to create some amazing music.
19:00: evening meal, studios tour and social. The night before the first writing day is always high octane, fully charged, exciting and full of expectations.
22.00: lights out but I’m buzzing. Sleep please.
Writing Day 1: Wednesday 19th July 2023
“I had attended songwriting retreats before but was excited by Pro7ect because of the iconic Rockfield studios and having a producer, and other artists, in the room. It was a great experience” – Kevin Jakeman P723 songwriter/musician.
P723: Lisa Fitz, Alexandra Kurrer (FA), Manuel Kollbrunner, Alex Stacey.
6.00 alarm. Get up and out for run by the river Monnow while IndiB and Gethin Pearson play their traditional morning game of tennis. Clears the head, kickstarts the body.
8.00: Writing teams are announced. Artists get to meet their fellow teammates over a leisurely breakfast. There is a real sense of anticipation in the Rockfield air this morning and I’m looking forward to the day ahead.
09.30 I open my studio and welcome my writing team. Today I am working with Welsh writer/producer Alex Stacey, songwriter Manuel Kollbrunner from Switzerland and our Featured Artist is Alexandra Kurrer (Bunny Alex), an indie pop singer/songwriter from Belgium currently based in Liverpool whilst completing her final year at LIPA. Bunny Alex’s songs have a sweet, soft, and dreamy sound with a touch of nostalgia, and I am excited to build a song around her sound and stories.
“Working with top producers and artists at Pro7ect opens the door to a level of songwriting I’d always aspired to.”
- Paul Edwards (singer, songwriter, producer, P7 Alumnus)
12.00 find the thread. We spend the morning discussing the concept of writing a happy song that’s messed up. What being on the outside whilst looking in feels like, watching life from behind a wall and looking through the cracks. I write down all of our thoughts, as words like conflict and disconnect swiftly evolve to notions of drifting. Under water. Slow motion. BOOM! We’ve got it.
The opening line “You’re in slow motion. I move in real time” finds us and we are away.
14.00: production and arrangement. Alex Stacey and has been building the track around a comfortable key and tempo for Bunny Alex’s unique style. We decide to keep the track sparse and light. That contradictory idea of diving deep but keeping it light and joyful directs the music bed.
P723: Alex Stacey.
16.00 there’s something missing. It’s time to track the vocals but we need a bridge, or another section that breaks the song up and stretches the story. Manuel suggests that we break down the beat to half time and write a stream of consciousness vocal rap. Almost like we are listening in to Bunny Alex’s internal monologue telling herself that no matter what ‘I’ll be ok’.
P723: Alexandra Kurrer (FA), Manuel Kollbrunner.
17:00 lets track the vocals. Top line vocals are tracked and mixed and we are on target for the 18.30 finish.
18.30 IndiB visits the studios to collect the daily mixes and sessions. We try to complete the sessions by 6.30pm, but it can be difficult, especially when the track starts to emerge in the afternoon and we want to spend more time tracking, arranging, and mixing. P7’s Head Engineer IndiB manages all of the mix and session collation at the end of each writing day. Tough gig… especially when the teams are in a flow. I have to remind myself that this is just the start of the song and the reason why we use production at P7 retreats is so that we CAN work on them after the event. This is so important to the whole ethos of Pro7ect camps. I want the music to go on and live a wonderful life out in the world, not just sit in a songbook or an idea’s folder never to be seen or heard again.
Moments like this are too important to lose or waste.
20.00: time to dine. We all meet in the Quadrangle dining room where Sue and Jan have dished up our delicious home cooked evening meal. All the artists are buzzing! There have been so many great idea’s, decisions, highs, and lows, experienced in the past 10 hours and I can’t wait to hear the results in the listening session. It feels like we’ve all known each other for years, after just 1 day! This is one of the reasons why I truly believe that songwriting camps are worth all the work… real connections are made very quickly in these hot-house creative environments.
21.00: the listening sessions are my favourite part of the day. We start in my room in the Coach House studio, and I feel a real sense of pride and accomplishment as we play our team song ‘The Waves’ to everyone. It seems to have settled since we left it 2 hours ago. Perhaps my ears have had a chance to refresh. It’s not a finished song by any means, but it is well on the way. We move from studio to studio, listening to, and discussing, each teams’ songs, finishing in the Live Lounge where Jon Fletchers team play their song ‘A Hundred Uses For a Broken Heart’ live, finishing the evening on a real high.
22.00 late nights at Rockfield. Socialising with the artists is a great way to complete a huge day. We listen to music, talk about life, de-frag, process, celebrate and prepare for tomorrow. Anything could happen…
23.00 and to bed. Try to sleep Lisa. So many sounds and songs are going around my head. I’m excited about tomorrow’s team as I get to work with Kota Wade from LA, and I know it will be a huge day. Day 2 and 3 to TBC…
Since its launch in 2013, Pro7ect has brought together over 150 artists, songwriters, musicians, and producers. These collaborations have resulted in more than 100 tracks written and recorded, 18 of which have been released. There have also been four syncs, three albums produced by P7 artist collaborators and many production opportunities for participating Headline Producers through the P7 Alumni.
Pro7ect’s success lies in its ability to pair artists and songwriters with internationally acclaimed producers who are there to guide the recording process and capture the collaborative efforts of our writing teams. Limited places are available so apply today…
P72024 dates to be announced soon.
Register your interest by email: info@pro7ect.com
“A friend suggested I go on a songwriting retreat
…and it changed my life!”
- Lisa Fitzgibbon (singer, songwriter, music producer)
Pro7ect is proudly sponsored by Prism Sound.
P7 Headline producers include Stew Jackson (Massive Attack), Youth (Sir Paul McCartney, The Verve, The Orb), Roni Size (Reprazent), John Fortis (Razorlight, Ellie Goulding), Greg Haver (Manic Street Preachers), Iain Archer (Snow Patrol, James Bay), Andrew Levy (Brand New Heavies) and Mercury Prize Winner Talvin Singh, just to name a few.