GREENPOINT, Brooklyn (PIX11) — The Greenpoint Songwriters Exchange is a group of musicians who get together in Brooklyn to help each other write music, offering support and critiques on each other’s work.
“When you’re writing a song, you can get so lost in it, you have no idea what to do,” said Lorraine Leckie, who started the Greenpoint Songwriters Exchange in 2018.
Leckie, who is the singer for the band Lorraine Leckie and Her Demons, says she brings all of her songs to the group.
“You need encouragement. You need people to keep it going, you know, it’s a tough racket,” said Fire Dean, one of the songwriters in the group.
Erik Richmond, another member, says he has never written so many songs so quickly. “I think feedback is incredibly important,” said Richmond. During the pandemic, the group was only meeting online and helped Richmond stay connected with friends. “It helped my mental health,” Richmond said.
“Songwriting can be such a lonely process, so this is a real nice way to connect with other people,” said Eve Blackwater, who is an administrator for the group.
“It’s about artists helping artists,” said Leckie.
The Greenpoint Songwriters Exchange holds weekly workshops on Zoom where musicians can get help writing when they are stuck. On the second Monday of the month, the group hosts a showcase at Pete’s Candy Store where the artists perform what they’ve been working on. The showcase is free and open to the public. If you are interested in joining the group, you can message them on Facebook and request to join.
