As an associate professor of Art at Ashland University, Priscilla Roggenkamp works in two and three dimensions across various disciplines from painting to fiber and sculpture. As a member of Rock Salt and Nails she plays bass, sings harmony and creates lyrics that blend with the original music and cover songs the band presents on stages throughout the area. Recently, The Bridge sat down with this fascinating woman to talk about her craft and her involvement with Songwriter Summit. 

The Bridge: What keeps you coming back to Songwriter Summit on a regular basis? 

Priscilla: Songs are crafted just like any other art form. You put in the work to create something. You edit, you worry, you love it, you hate it. You wonder; is this as good as I think it is? Does this suck as much as I think it does? Your creation means something to you. It’s a very personal experience; it’s your baby. And yet songs need to be shared, to live outside of you. Where to begin? Songwriter Summit is a place to try things out, to put your song out there in an encouraging but truthful environment. It’s an opportunity to share with folks who listen, give suggestions, hear something you missed and help you with the crafting of your work. It’s a musical incubator giving support to fledgling songs. That support keeps me coming back.

And of course you get to be that support and critical ear for others. I believe that I have gained as much from hearing others’ songs as I have from sharing mine. How does someone else structure a song? What kinds of tales do they tell? What do I like or not like about it and why? I learn and grow from every part of the process of Songwriter Summit meetings. The fact that everyone can participate is an aspect of the group that keeps me coming back. Plus, in my experience, creative folks are good folks to hang out with and I have enjoyed meeting and sharing with fellow songwriters.

The Bridge: What drives your writing?

Priscilla: I have always written to understand what I am thinking. I write notes and travel journals and lists to help me make decisions. As a visual artist I often write as much as I draw in my sketchbooks. This writing is for me alone, but song writing…that’s public and a really different way of extending myself into the world. My ideas come from various places; the politics of the day, past lives and loves, present concerns, stories I want to share, things I’d tell my children, and other passing thoughts that arise. They are a message, a prayer, a complaint, or a wish made manifest. They might begin as a bit a melody or a line of lyric, or sometimes just a rhythm I want to play with.  

I know that my song writing also comes in part from my family life growing up. My father is a minister. I spent years listening to well-crafted sermons where I could sense carefully chosen wordings and hear messages in the metaphors. I could see how important just the right word was and how 

beautiful it could be. I also grew up in a musical family. Everyone played an instrument or three, and sang. I wasn’t taught music as much as I absorbed it from my surroundings. It has always been a part of me. So though I am fairly new to writing songs, the songs arrive as if they were just biding their time, waiting for me to pay attention.

The Bridge: How would you describe the music you create? 

Priscilla: For me songwriting is story telling. I try to get from here to there, saying something along the way. I value simplicity and clarity in my work. I have become more interested in rhythm and beat as I continue to write. I have a rather narrow vocal range so that shapes the melodies I create. Though I’m not a category person, my songs might best fit into the contemporary folk genre.

The Bridge: What advice would you share with other songwriters?

Priscilla: I would advise other songwriters to find a healthy balance between listening to others (their music, their advice, their thoughts on "the proper" way to create a good song) and listening to what’s inside of you. Don’t use formulas, don’t follow what others do, don’t worry about being unique. You are unique. Be honest about what you have to say and what you want to hear and you will find a voice that is truly your own. Find your strengths. Mine is probably word-smithing over creating great melodies. Try not to be intimidated by your limitations. Creating, whether it’s an extraordinary creation or just a sweet personal one, is extremely important. When you write a song, you are participating in an act that spans all ages and all peoples. When you sing your song, you have joined the chorus of humankind at its best.

The Bridge: What are your thoughts about working with a co-writer?

Priscilla: I have written several songs with my good friend, Jim Dutter. Believe me, I couldn’t do that with just anyone. I trust Jim and he trusts me. He has strengths I don’t have and I think he would say the same of me. He is always supportive but he’s also honest with me.

I would say we are very serious about what we do, but we don’t take our selves seriously. We have created some wonderful songs…and some that just don’t work no matter how hard we hammer at them. Sometimes we work on something, then put it away and wait for it to call to us again. And sometimes a song gets the better of us (Plow the Fields, Jim). When we co-write, we also want to know what the other wants from their contribution. If Jim comes up with a melody, before I add lyrics, I always want to know what he envisions for it, something sad, or soft or sweet or whatever. He often has an idea and I help flesh it out. The same is true for me when I bring Jim something to add his magic to.

That said we mostly create separately from each other and then share. The process of working is a singular one for each of us. We rarely sit in the same room and work a song together when we’re writing. It’s a process that seems to work for us. 

The Bridge: What is the difference between the best song you've ever written and the worst?

Priscilla: The best songs come easily as if they were there all along and I’m just uncovering them. The worst songs I can beat the heck out of them and they still laugh at me. But sometimes, if I’m fortunate and crafty enough (and attend Songwriter Summit) even those surrender to my nagging hard work.