I’m headed out tonight to attend one of the longest-running and well-known songwriter feedback groups out there…Jack Hardy’s 30-something-year-old Songwriter’s Exchange, which takes place every Monday night at Jack’s railroad-style apartment in Greenwich Village. I haven’t been there in a long time….in several years, in fact. One thing about Jack’s joint is that it’s a word-of-mouth thing, and I lost his address! But I got it back (thanks Chris Fuller!) and am bringing some hastily-scribbled lyrics down there in about an hour.
Never heard of the Songwriter’s Exchange? If you’re a fan of songwriting, particularly in the folk vein, you’ll know some of the famed folks that have frequented it over the years: Suzanne Vega, John Gorka, Richard Shindell, and David Massengill. But everyone, at all songwriting stages and ages, is welcome at this weekly gathering.
I’ll be honest…sometimes Jack’s group is not for the faint of heart, or those with a lack of confidence. I admit I was occasionally intimidated by the large group of talented folks who sometimes ignore the newbies and are sometimes brutally honest in their feedback. And then there’s the fact that there’s always finger-snapping after a song is played instead of clapping — so cooler-than-thou, right?
But I have always been touched by the fact that Jack opens his home each and every week to songwriters of all levels of talent and commitment, complete with a pasta meal and wine for all. And the times I’ve attended, I always left with a nugget of truth about my song and a bucket of inspiration for the next one. It’s amazing that the group keeps on keeping on, and I’m grateful that Jack continues to do what he does.
So…I decided to ask Jack about the Songwriter’s Exchange. In doing so, I found out a history that I had never known about the group — and it turns out the finger-snapping wasn’t what I had imagined!
Q: How did the Songwriter’s Exchange get started in the mid-70s?
A: It got started at the English Pub on 6th avenue — the original members included myself, Brian Rose, David Massengill, Carolyn Mas, Nancy Baxter, Tom Intondi and Andy Breckman. After 8 months we got kicked
out of there and moved it to the Cornelia Street Cafe where Carolyn Mas was a waitress. It was there for 6 years until we got kicked out when they made it into a restaurant and we moved it to my apartment on Houston Street where it still is. I feel good about the longevity of it, so I must be doing something worthwhile.
Q: Who are your favorite songwriters who have graced the song swaps over the years? Who do you miss the most that no longer attends?
A: The list is too long and most of them aren’t famous or names worth dropping. I miss a lot of the people who can’t come as often due to kids, family or work.
Q: How do you feel about so many song swap participants becoming famous? Do you consider that part of what makes the swaps great, or does it not concern you?
A: This is the most misconstrued part of the reputation of the meeting. people confuse artists who came to the meeting regularly, those who just stopped by, and people who never came but recorded for Fast Folk. for instance, Michelle Shocked never came to the meeting. Shawn Colvin only stopped by. The meeting is not a stepping stone to fame. The fact that these writers became good writers might have something to do with it. Every time we get publicity or a article in the New York Times that drops all these names we are overrun by hoards of people who have no idea of what we are about and they never stay.
Q: What’s with the finger-snapping?
A: It is the tradition to use finger snaps instead of applause. No, we are not being cool beatniks, it is just that finger snaps make far less noise than clapping and we are trying to be considerate of our neighbors.
Q: How have you kept up your energy hosting these swaps every single week when you do so much of your own performing and touring?
A: If i didn’t have the meeting I wouldn’t write any songs. It isn’t all that altruistic. I write 50 songs a year. I throw out 3/4 of them. That still gives me 12 keepers and if I do an album every 3 years then I am culling those songs fronm 36 keepers. It’s not rocket science, it’s simple mathematics.
Q: What has changed most since you started the song swaps?
A: What has changed is when we started out almost everyone was a full-time musician. now they all have day jobs. But that’s folkenomics in New York City.
Q: What is your favorite drink of choice to accompany the song swaps?
A: I prefer red wine. Bordeaux.
Q: How long to you think you’ll keep the song swaps going?
A: Till I either drop dead, get shot or develop Alzheimer’s.
