Today we’d like to introduce you to Los Angeles Songwriters Collective (LASC). They and their team shared their story with us below:
The Los Angeles Songwriters Collective (LASC) was founded in 2012 by Wayne Miller, John Bottrell, and Kevin Yap. We are a community of songwriters that write together, learn together, and perform together. We have free monthly events throughout the year with guest speakers covering all aspects of the music industry, lyric nights, co-writing projects, open mics, and concerts showcasing our talented community.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
2020 was definitely a hurdle for us. We halted all in-person events in March of that year due to the pandemic. Little did we know at that time that we wouldn’t have a physical meeting for almost two years. We knew our community was struggling with isolation, loneliness, and creative motivation. We made the decision to continue several of our favorite events like First Monday and our open mics over Zoom. The group was small at first due to the tumultuous time as well as our new online format, but through that year, our numbers grew to be great. We were honored to be able to provide a creative space for our community amidst a year of uncertainty, fear, sickness, and loss.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
Our mission is to bring the local Los Angeles community of songwriters together to bond, collaborate, learn, and grow. We believe what sets us apart from other music industry events in LA is that we value community over network. We don’t consider our events “networking” events, although our songwriters do walk away with new collaborators and contacts. The goal of our events is to build community. This city can be a lonely place for songwriters working on building a career for themselves. Many musicians move to LA from other parts of the country/world not knowing anyone and not having a family nearby. We want LASC to be a place where songwriters can come and find those friendships, form a musical family, and feel a sense of belonging in such a vast, overwhelming city.
What matters most to you?
Community matters most to us. We believe community is crucial for healthy relationships, growth, mental health, support, and service. As much as we love working in the music industry, it can be a very cold experience if you don’t have the right support system. We want to provide that support system for the local music community.
Contact Info:
- Website: http://lasongwriterscollective.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lasongwriters
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lasongwriters
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/lasongwriters
Image Credits
All images are by photographer and team member Mat Fretschel.
