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Festival Themes

Note: To submit a suggestion for a future festival, please post it in the Suggestions for future festivals topic. Also, see the Themes by Example topic. And here are some good sources of ideas for future festivals:

  • Artists
  • Covers-only
    Themes

  • Genres
  • Themes
    (originals or covers)

  • Polls

  • mini-fests

Artist suggestions for future festivals

Artist Description Polls
ABC  
AC/DC  
Ryan Adams  
Altered Images
The Band Mar/Apr 2014, May/Jun 2015
The Beach Boys
The Bee Gees May/Jun 2014
Johnny Cash Mar/Apr 2015
The Cure Mar/Apr 2015
Deep Purple Covers of songs by Deep Purple and its offshoots (Rainbow, Whitesnake, Gillan, etc.)
Devo Mar/Apr 2014
Duran Duran
Echo and the Bunnymen Mar/Apr 2015
The Everly Brothers
The Fatima Mansions
Fleetwood Mac Jan/Feb 2014, May/Jun 2015
A Flock of Seagulls
Peter Gabriel Covers of songs by Peter Gabriel. Jan/Feb 2014
Ben Harper
Heaven 17 Mar/Apr 2015
JacksonFest Covers of songs by The Jackson 5, Michael Jackson, Janet Jackson, or any other member of the Jackson family.
Elton John Covers of songs by Elton John. Jan/Feb 2014
Janis Joplin Covers of songs by Janis Joplin.
Ronnie Lane/Small Faces/Faces/Slim Chance Mar/Apr 2015
The Monkees Mar/Apr 2015
Van Morrison
The Osmonds
Pink Floyd
The Pogues May/Jun 2014
Elvis Presley Mar/Apr 2015
Prince
The Psychadelic Furs Mar/Apr 2015
Queen Covers of songs by Queen. Sep/Oct 2014
Red Hot Chili Peppers
Django Reinhardt Covers of music by Django Reinhardt. Sep/Oct 2015
Paul Revere & the Raiders
Roxette
Pete Seeger
Del Shannon
Soft Cell
The Teardrop Explodes Mar/Apr 2015
Uriah Heep
Visage
Tom Waits Covers of songs by Tom Waits. Jan/Feb 2015
Roy Wood Covers of songs by Roy Wood and his various bands (Wizzard, The Move, etc.) Jan/Feb 2017
The Yardbirds Covers of songs by The Yardbirds. Sep/Oct 2014
Yazoo

Artists we've already done

Artist Jukebox Polls
Aerosmith VarietyFest 2 (2013)
Syd Barrett Singer-Songwriter 1 (2011), DeadRockStarFest (2013)
The Beatles BeatlesFest (2010), BeatlesFest 2 (2012), Beatles ChallengeFest (2014), Beatles "Black Album" (2016) Sep/Oct 2014, Nov/Dec 2014
Frank Black Singer-Songwriter 2 (2011)
Marc Bolan DeadRockStarFest (2013)
David Bowie BowieFest (2011)
The Byrds The Byrds (2017)
Captain Beefheart VarietyFest 1 (2012), DeadRockStarFest (2013)
Nick Cave Singer-Songwriter 2 (2011)
Kurt Cobain DeadRockStarFest (2013)
Leonard Cohen Singer-Songwriter 1 (2011)
Sam Cooke DeadRockStarFest (2013)
Elvis Costello Singer-Songwriter 1 (2011)
Creedence Clearwater Revival VarietyFest 1 (2012)
Depeche Mode 80s VarietyFest 1 (2014)
Neil Diamond VarietyFest 1 (2012)
Dio VarietyFest 1 (2012)
Dire Straits VarietyFest 2 (2013)
The Doors VarietyFest 1 (2012)
Bob Dylan DylanFest (2010)
Robyn Hitchcock Singer-Songwriter 1 (2011)
Buddy Holly DeadRockStarFest (2013)
The Human League 80s VarietyFest 1 (2014)
Icycle Works 80s VarietyFest 1 (2014)
Daniel Johnston Singer-Songwriter 1 (2011)
Howard Jones 80s VarietyFest 1 (2014)
Nik Kershaw 80s VarietyFest 1 (2014)
The Kinks Kinks Fest (2016) May/Jun 2014, Jul/Aug 2014, Nov/Dec 2014
Led Zeppelin ZepFest (2014) Mar/Apr 2014, May/Jun 2014
Leiber & Stoller Singer-Songwriter 2 (2011)
Phil Lynott DeadRockStarFest (2013)
Mott the Hoople VarietyFest 2 (2013)
Harry Nilsson Singer-Songwriter 1 (2011)
Roy Orbison DeadRockStarFest (2013) Mar/Apr 2015
The Police The Police (2016) Mar/Apr 2014
Lou Reed Lou Reed Fest (2013)
The Rolling Stones StonesFest (2012)
Todd Rundgren Singer-Songwriter 2 (2011)
The Smiths VarietyFest 2 (2013)
Cat Stevens Singer-Songwriter 2 (2011)
Talking Heads VarietyFest 2 (2013)
Tears for Fears 80s VarietyFest 1 (2014)
U2 U2 Fest (2011)
Ultravox 80s VarietyFest 2 (2015) Mar/Apr 2015
The Who The Who Fest (2017) Jan/Feb 2014, Nov/Dec 2014, Jan/Feb 2015
Brian Wilson Singer-Songwriter 2 (2011)
Wire VarietyFest 1 (2012)
XTC VarietyFest 2 (2013)
Neil Young NeilFest (2009)
Frank Zappa ZappaFest (2010)

Covers-only theme suggestions for future festivals

Festival Description Polls
Movie Soundtracks
ForeignFest Covers of non-English songs from outside your native country.
Eurovision Covers of songs entered in the Eurovision Song Contest (any year). See http://www.esc-history.com/entries.asp?Order=Nr. For UK entries only, see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UK_Eurovision_Song_Contest_entries_discography. Jan/Feb 2017
TributeFest 4 Covers of original songs posted by other Songcrafters members.
SuggestFest 2 Songs suggested by other Songcrafters members.
See https://songcrafters.org/forum/index.php?topic=4112.msg227511#msg227511.
Sep/Oct 2015
Banned by the BBC May/Jun 2015
Scary TV and Movies Themes and other songs from scary monster movies and TV shows
GeffenFest
Laurel Canyon (California)
The Troubadour Club
80s VarietyFest 3 Covers of songs by The Cure, The Teardrop Explodes, Heaven 17, Soft Cell, Flock of Seagulls, Huey Lewis and the News, or The Psychedelic Furs.
Extended 12" remix fest
PrimeFest
Stephen Foster songs
Top 10 Hits from a particular year Covers of songs that made it to the Top 10 at any time during {year}. Nov/Dec 2014
Current Top 10 Covers of songs that are currently in the Top 10 singles charts May/Jun 2014, Jul/Aug 2014, Mar/Apr 2015
Non-english songs Songs that were hits in English-speaking countries even though they were sung in a language other than English
Motown Covers of songs released by Motown Records. See the Motown discography on Wikipedia. Jan/Feb 2015, May/Jun 2015
ScratchMyBackFest
ProgSnippets Prog covers edited down to make them manageable
Stevie Fest Covers of songs by artists named Steve. For example, Stevie Wonder, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Steve Winwood, Stevie Nicks, Steven Morrissey, Stephen Foster, Steve Marriott, etc. Jan/Feb 2015
Classic Country Hank Williams, Johnny Cash, Jimmy Dean, Patsy Cline, Glen Campbell, Roy Clark, Skeeter Davis, Marty Robbins, Johnny Horton, etc. Jul/Aug 2014, Mar/Apr 2015
Plugged-in Fest 2 Plugged-in covers of acoustic songs
RecycleFest 2 Re-work a song in another genre. Sep/Oct 2015
SwitchedOnClassicalFest Rocked out versions of tunes by Bach, Beethoven, Mozart, etc. Optionally, add your own lyrics May/Jun 2014
NurseryRhymesFest Nursery rhymes put to music
first album fest Cover a track from the first album you ever bought Mar/Apr 2014
Public Domain fest Covers of songs that are in the public domain
FosterFest Covers of Stephen Foster songs (Oh! Susanna, Camptown Races, etc.)
Specific Songcrafter tributes ie; GeirFest, OscKiLoFest, oldrottenheadFest, HenFest, etc
MedleyFest Record a medley of several songs
Covers from the New Millennium Songs from the year 2000 till now
Singer-Songwriter 3 Six artists yet to be determined
VarietyFest 3 Covers of songs by Van Morrison, Tom Waits, Paul Revere and the Raiders, Red Hot Chili Peppers, The Kinks, and The Police/Sting. Nov/Dec 2014
VarietyFest 3 Covers of songs by Van Morrison, The Band, Fleetwood Mac, Tom Waits, Ben Harper, and Ryan Adams. May/Jun 2015
One-Hit Wonders Covers of songs by one-hit wonders. May/Jun 2014, Nov/Dec 2014
Off the Beaten Track obscure songs that never charted or are not so well known
American Songbook
He shouldn't have gone solo
Garage Rock
Songs by couples (married or otherwise)
TV theme songs Covers of theme songs from TV shows. Any era, including the present. Jan/Feb 2014, Sep/Oct 2014
SixtiesFest 1 Covers of songs by The Byrds, The Small Faces, Paul Revere & the Raiders, The Move, Tommy James and the Shondells, and The Everly Brothers. May/Jun 2015
KenFest Covers of songs by people named Ken. Nov/Dec 2014
James Bond 007 Theme songs Jan/Feb 2014
Sun Records artists Covers of songs by artists who famously recorded at Sun Records (Elvis Presley, Roy Orbison, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, etc.). See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sun_Records. Mar/Apr 2015
Rough Trade Records Cover any song released on Rough Trade Records. Sep/Oct 2014, Nov/Dec 2014
Stiff Records Cover any song released on Stiff Records.

Albums and singles released on Stiff Records: http://www.discogs.com/label/11617-Stiff-Records

Jul/Aug 2015
Liverpool Fest Covers of songs by bands from Liverpool except the Beatles. See this list of groups on Wikipedia. May/Jun 2015
Songs by Eccentrics Covers of songs by Vivian Stanshall, Ivor Cutler, wildman fisher, Roky Erickson, John Otway, or R. Stevie Moore. Jul/Aug 2014
60s Psychedelia / Flower Power Covers of psychedelic or flower power songs from the sixties. Jul/Aug 2014
Songs from the Brill Building See this Wikipedia page. Jul/Aug 2014
Famous songs sung in the style of a pub/club singer May/Jun 2014
Live Aid Fest Covers of songs performed at Live Aid
RescueFest / Salvage Fest
  • Rescue good lyrics from bad music by putting the lyrics to a completely new melody and composition
  • Rescue good music from bad lyrics, by writing new lyrics
  • Match-make good music and good lyrics that are currently in separate bad relationships
  • Covers of songs or artists that you really hate. The idea is to take a song that you can't stand and try to salvage it by re-working it in a style that you prefer.
Songs about exotic locations Covers of songs about exotic locations. Jan/Feb 2017

Covers-only themes we've already done

Festival Description Polls
70sFest (2013) Songs from the 1970s
80s VarietyFest 1 (2014) Covers of songs by Howard Jones, Nik Kershaw, Depeche Mode, Icycle Works, Tears For Fears, and The Human League. Mar/Apr 2014
80s VarietyFest 2 Covers of songs by Ultravox, Eurythmics, Duran Duran, Echo and the Bunnymen, Robert Palmer, and Thompson Twins. Jul/Aug 2014
British Invasion (2015) Jan/Feb 2014
Fifties Rock & Roll fest Covers of songs from the 1950s. Sep/Oct 2014, Mar/Apr 2015
First Post Fest (2015) Re-do the first song you posted at Songcrafters, or cover the first song posted by another member. Sep/Oct 2015
GurlFest (2012) Songs by female artists
John Lennon's Jukebox (2014) Songs from John Lennon's jukebox Jul/Aug 2014
Later... with Jools Holland (2015) Covers of songs performed on the BBC TV show Later... with Jools Holland. There's a list of performers on Wikipedia but, unfortunately, it doesn't list the songs performed. Perhaps the best bet is to search YouTube. May/Jun 2015
LocalFest (2011) Lesser known artists from your home country or state
Lost in 2016 (2017) Covers of songs by any artist who died in 2016 or 2017. Jan/Feb 2017
The Old Grey Whistle Fest (2015) Songs performed on the BBC television programme "The Old Grey Whistle Test" Jan/Feb 2015, Mar/Apr 2015
Peel Sessions (2014) Songs from John Peel's Radio 1 "Peel Sessions" broadcasts Sep/Oct 2014
Plugged-in Fest (2010) Plugged-in covers of acoustic songs
RecycleFest (2011) Re-work song in another genre
ShowtuneFest Songs from musicals
SuggestFest (2013) Songs suggested by other Songcrafters members
Traditional Fest (2014) Covers of traditional songs Jan/Feb 2014
TributeFest (2010), TributeFest 2 (2012), TributeFest 3 (2015) Covers of original songs posted by other Songcrafters members. Jan/Feb 2015
Unplugged Fest (2010), UnpluggedFest 2 (2012) Unplugged covers of electric songs
Woodstock tribute fest (2009) Woodstock 40th Anniversary
The Year You Were Born (2016) Covers of songs that charted in the year you were born. Sep/Oct 2016
A list of popular music genres can be found here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_popular_music_genres

Genre suggestions for future festivals

Description Polls
Alternative Rock See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alternative_rock
Bluegrass See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bluegrass_music Jul/Aug 2014, May/Jun 2015
Country Rock
Funk See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Funk May/Jun 2014, Nov/Dec 2014
Glam Rock See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glam_rock Mar/Apr 2014, Jan/Feb 2015
Progressive Rock See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Progressive_rock May/Jun 2014
Soul See Soul music and List of soul musicians at Wikipedia.
Southern Rock See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Southern_rock
Surf See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surf_music Jan/Feb 2014, Jan/Feb 2015
Synthpop See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Synthpop Mar/Apr 2014

Genres we've already done

Genre Festival Polls
Americana See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Americana_(music) Jan/Feb 2015, May/Jun 2015
Atmospheric / Ambient See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ambient_music Jul/Aug 2014, Jan/Feb 2015, May/Jun 2015
Blues BluesFest (2009)
Disco DiscoFest (2012)
Electronic emuFest (2011)
Folk FolkFest (2011)
Jazz JazzFest (2016)
Post Punk / New Wave See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Post-punk and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_wave_music Mar/Apr 2014
Psychedelic PsychFest (2011)
Punk Rock PunkFest (2010)
Reggae, Ska, Rocksteady, etc. JamaicaFest (2013)
Rock RockFest (2009)

Theme suggestions for future festivals

Festival Description Polls
Global Warming Songs about global warming. Jan/Feb 2017
Swimming Songs about swimming. Jan/Feb 2017
Grace and dignity Songs about grace and dignity. Jan/Feb 2017
Crass stupidity Songs about crass stupidity. Jan/Feb 2017
Songs about musical instruments Jan/Feb 2017
End of the World Songs about the end of the world. Jan/Feb 2017
Famous Folks Songs about famous people. Jan/Feb 2014, Jan/Feb 2017
Analog-to-Digital fest The idea would be to take a song (original or cover) that you recorded in the olden days of analog tape and re-do it on your current digital multitrack recorder or DAW. Then you'd post both versions. Only the new digital version would be added to the festival jukebox, but you must also post the old analog version in the same topic so we can compare them. And you should provide as much info as possible about the original recording - when was it made?, what recording equipment was used?, what instruments did you play?, who else is in the recording (friends, former bandmates, etc., if applicable) and what did they contribute?
FatalDiseaseFest Songs about fatal diseases Sep/Oct 2015
MythicalPlace Fest Write a song about a mythical place. Sep/Oct 2015
PhoneFest Songs about telephones, telephone numbers, or telephone conversations.
Examples: "Hanging on the Telephone" by Blondie, "5.7.0.5." by City Boy", "867-5309/Jenny" by Tommy Tutone, "Telephone Line" by ELO, "I Just Called to Say I Love You" by Stevie Wonder, "Operator (That's Not the Way It Feels)" by Jim Croce, "Sylvia's Mother" by Dr. Hook. "New York Telephone Conversation" by Lou Reed, "Don't Call Us, We'll Call You" by Sugarloaf, "Private Number" by Babe Ruth. Of course, original songs along these lines are welcome and encouraged too.
May/Jun 2015
GrumpyFest Be a grumpy old fart and write a grumpy song about a pet peeve or anything that makes you feel angry or grumpy. Mar/Apr 2015, May/Jun 2015
Pachelbel's Canon fest Songs based on the chord progression in Pachelbel's Canon (I-V-vi-iii-IV-I-IV-V). See the Wikipedia page on Pachelbel's Canon and this YouTube video. Jan/Feb 2015, Mar/Apr 2015
First Line Fest Post one (or several) opening lines and the challenges is to write a song using that opening line for your song. Nov/Dec 2014
Famous First Line Fest Use the first line from an existing song to write your own new song. Jul/Aug 2014, Sep/Oct 2014, Mar/Apr 2015
Live Song Fest live version of well known songs, sometimes very different from studio album version
Alternate Song Fest Alternate or lesser known versions of songs
Sung to the Tune of Write completely new lyrics to a public-domain tune Mar/Apr 2014
Songs About Guns
SeedFest We all start with the same drum beat, or bass progression and have to write a new original using that seed.
KidFest Kid songs Mar/Apr 2015
OneBigSongFest
ResponseFest Original songs that are a reply/response to an existing song. For example, a response to "Help Me Rhonda" by The Beach Boys ("help me Rhonda, help me get her out of my heart") would be a song from Rhonda's perspective replying to a guy who is basically asking her to be a rebound. Jan/Feb 2014
SongwritingFest
bawdy songs See this Wikipedia page. Mar/Apr 2014, Jul/Aug 2014
No Strings Fest Must use non-stringed instruments only (keyboards, drums/percussion, woodwinds, brass, Kaossilators, phone apps, vocals, etc.) No guitars, bass guitars, ukuleles, violins, cellos, etc. If you use a keyboard or phone app, you can't use patches that emulate stringed instruments (violins, cellos, etc.) Jan/Feb 2014, May/Jun 2014
Wah Wah Fest
AnatomyFest Songs about body parts. Nov/Dec 2014
Nothing-Fest
Triplefest
Oh-crap fest
Swamp fest
Redneck Fest Songs from redneck country. May/Jun 2015
WhistleFest
Songs with Lyrics that Aren't Lyrics Fest
OlympicsFest Mar/Apr 2014
Duets
Ode to Songcrafters
ManjoleleFest
One-chord songs
FamilyFest May/Jun 2014
Song titles containing girl/boy names Songs with titles that contain girl/boy names ("Alison", "Peggy Sue", "Bad, Bad Leroy Brown", "Making Plans for Nigel", etc.). Here is a longer list of examples. Mar/Apr 2014, May/Jun 2014
Songs with words that don't rhyme Write an original song where the words don't rhyme. Or do a cover of a song where the words don't rhyme, if you can find one (there probably aren't many). May/Jun 2014, Jul/Aug 2014, Nov/Dec 2014
Songs about "doing it"
Songs about travelling/road songs
Songs about screwing up
Songs about doing absolutely nothing (slacker songs)
Songs about food, eating, drinking, etc May/Jun 2014
JingleFest (advertising jingles) Write an advertising jingle for any product or service; real or imagined. Or cover your favourite jingle. Jan/Feb 2014, Sep/Oct 2014, Nov/Dec 2014
HalloweenFest Admin note: should be an annual mini-fest like PaddyFest.
Unusual Time Signatures Songs in an unusual time signature (5/4, 7/8, etc.). Most popular songs are in 4/4, 3/4 or some derivative (8/8, 6/8, etc.). The idea of this fest is to record something that's not in those common time signatures. Jan/Feb 2014, Nov/Dec 2014, Jan/Feb 2015
SoftwareFest Songs created entirely with software on a computer, tablet, or smartphone
Breakup songs
F*ck the man songs
One-word-titled songs
Songs with non-word choruses
Transport Fest Songs about trains, planes, automobiles, etc. May/Jun 2015
Teen Angst Songs about teen angst. Jan/Feb 2015
Songs about Scotland For the referendum - a referendum fest. Sep/Oct 2014
Songs about getting old Jan/Feb 2014
No Chords songs made up from single notes on any instrument, chords can be created this way but the notes played and recorded separately. Mar/Apr 2014
NewsFest Write a song inspired by current events in the news. It doesn't necessarily have to be heavy stuff like wars, murders, politics, etc. It could be lighter topics such as the World Cup, entertainment news, etc. Or you can cover a song that was inspired by news stories of the time. For example, "I Don't Like Mondays" by The Boomtown Rats was inspired by a story that was in the news at the time. Jul/Aug 2014
Original prog epics no longer than 3 minutes long Jul/Aug 2014
Lullaby Fest Write an original lullaby. Jul/Aug 2015
TearFest Songs about crying or tears.

Examples:
  1. "Crying in the Rain" by The Everly Brothers
  2. "Cry" by Godley & Creme
  3. "Sukiyaki" by Kyu Sakamoto. The original Japanese title was "Ue o Muite Arukō" which means "I Look Up As I Walk". The lyrics tell the story of a man who looks up while he is walking so that his tears will not fall.
  4. "Tears on My Pillow" by Little Anthony and the Imperials
  5. "Crying" by Roy Orbison
  6. "Dancing with Tears in My Eyes" by Ultravox
BuildingFest Songs about buildings (homes, offices, factories, shopping malls, cabins, etc.)

Examples:
  1. "Walls Come Tumbling Down!" - The Style Council
  2. "Our House" - Madness
  3. "Building on Fire" - Talking Heads
  4. "Empire State Human" - The Human League
  5. "No Matter What" - Badfinger ("knock down the old grey wall")
  6. "Folsom Prison Blues" - Johnny Cash
DopeFest Songs about drugs. First suggested in this message as "toking songs (ie. The Joker)".

Examples:
  1. "Don't Bogart Me" (from the film "Easy Rider") by Fraternity of Man
  2. "A Passage to Bangkok" by Rush
  3. "30 Days in the Hole" by Humble Pie
  4. "Don't Step on the Grass Sam" by Steppenwolf
  5. "The Pusher" by Hoyt Axton / Steppenwolf
  6. "Sweet Leaf" by Black Sabbath
Weekday Fest Songs about days of the week.

Examples:
  1. "I Don't Like Mondays" - The Boomtown Rats
  2. "Tuesday Afternoon" - The Moody Blues
  3. "(April) Spring, Summer & Wednesdays" - Status Quo
  4. "Thursday (Here's Why I Did Not Go to Work Today)" - Harry Nilsson
  5. "Friday I'm In Love" - The Cure
  6. "Saturday Night's Alright (For Fighting)" - Elton John
  7. "Sunday Girl" - Blondie
DeathFest Songs about dying and death. See this message.

Examples:
  1. "I Don't Live Today" - Jimi Hendrix
  2. "Don't Fear The Reaper" - Blue Oyster Cult
  3. "Fiddler's Green" - The Tragically Hip
  4. "Down By The River" - Neil Young
  5. "Last Kiss" - J. Frank Wilson and the Cavaliers (and later, Pearl Jam)
  6. "I Don't Like Mondays" - Boomtown Rats
Sep/Oct 2014, Nov/Dec 2014
Songs About Buildings and Food Fest Covers of songs by Talking Heads

OR

Original songs about buildings and/or food.
ComedyFest 2 Comedy/Novelty/Parody Songs
Songs about musical instruments
WeatherFest Songs about the weather.

Themes we've already done

Festival Description Polls
Alternate Tuning Fest (2013) Songs played on guitars in non-standard tunings
BassFest (2013) Songs made just with a bass, drums, and vocals.
CityFest (2011) Songs about cities
CollabFest (2012) Collaborations
ComedyFest (2010) Comedy/Novelty/Parody Songs
Original Country & Western Fest (2015) Write an original country & western song - no covers for this one Sep/Oct 2015
CrimeFest Songs about crime, law, police, incarceration, etc.

Examples:
  1. "Folsom Prison Blues" by Johnny Cash
  2. "Indiana Wants Me" by R. Dean Taylor
  3. "Hey Joe" by The Jimi Hendrix Experience
  4. "I Fought the Law" by The Bobby Fuller Four
  5. "I Shot the Sheriff" by Bob Marley (also famously covered by Eric Clapton)
  6. "A Criminal Mind" by Lawrence Gowan (also by Styx)
DIY Fest (2012) D.I.Y. recordings (all parts performed by the Songcrafter)
DreamFest Songs about dreams or dreaming.

Examples:
  1. "Dream Weaver" by Gary Wright
  2. "All I Have to Do Is Dream" by The Everly Brothers
  3. "Dream On" by Aerosmith
  4. "Dreamer" by Supertramp
  5. "#9 Dream" by John Lennon
  6. "I Had Too Much to Dream (Last Night)" by The Electric Prunes
May/Jun 2015
Drink Fest (2014) Songs about drinking Jan/Feb 2014
DroneFest (2014) Original songs or covers that feature a drone as the foundation of the song May/Jun 2014
FaBFest (2011) Songs based on films and books
"Hand-off Fest" / "Producer Fest" (2015) You write a song, just the basic chords and vocal and pass it off to another member for them to produce. Mar/Apr 2014, Sep/Oct 2014
HeartbreakFest Songs about heartbreak.

Examples:
  1. "Love Hurts" by The Everly Brothers (also by Nazareth, Roy Orbison, etc.)
  2. "The End of the World" by Skeeter Davis (also by Herman's Hermits)
  3. "Can't Stand Losing You" by The Police
  4. "Long, Long Time" by Linda Ronstadt
  5. "I Can't Stop Loving You" by Ray Charles
  6. "Lost Without Your Love" by Bread
Home Made Fest (2013) Songs made with home made instruments
Live in the Living Room (2011) Songs recorded live at home
Live in the Living Room 2 (2016) Songs recorded live at home
MonkeyFest (2014) Songs featuring monkeys. Sep/Oct 2014, Nov/Dec 2014
ParodyFest Parody Songs only.
PirateFest (2010) Pirate Songs
ProtestFest (2012) Protest Songs
RemoteFest (2014) Songs about locations outside your home that are recorded live in those same locations Jul/Aug 2014
ReplayFest (2015) Re-record one of your own previously-posted songs, using newly-acquired gear, knowledge, and techniques to improve upon your earlier effort Jan/Feb 2015
SpaceFest (2012) Space songs
Summer Songs Fest (2013) Songs about the summer
TV Fest (2014) Songs about a TV show or a movie Mar/Apr 2014
Under2Fest (2012) Under Two Minutes
Under2Fest II Under Two Minutes
VoiceFest (2013) Voices only. No instruments allowed.
War Songs Fest (2014) War songs, anti-war songs. Sep/Oct 2014
WorkFest (2015) Songs about work, labour, employment, careers, etc. Jan/Feb 2015, Mar/Apr 2015
World Peace Fest (2016) Songs relating to peace in the world. Sep/Oct 2014
YuleFest (annual) Christmas songs

Polls

Year Months Covers Originals
2022 Mar/Apr 1972 Fest Psychedelic Fest 2022
Jan/Feb Lost in 2021 NumbersFest
2021 Nov/Dec Roxy Music Fest StoryFest
Sep/Oct Songcrafters: The Early Years Mimic Fest
Jul/Aug Country & Western Covers Fest Summer Fest 2021
May/Jun Beatles Fest 2021 New Wave Style
Mar/Apr Bee Gees Fest Cut-Up Fest
Jan/Feb Lost in 2020 PhotoFest
2020 Nov/Dec Unexpected Psychedelic Covers Fest Glam Rock Originals Fest
Sep/Oct Bacharach Fest Instrumental Fest
Jul/Aug 90sFest AlterEgoFest
May/Jun FortiesFest CollabFest 2
Mar/Apr TributeFest 4 BluesFest 2
Jan/Feb Lost in 2019 FutureFest
2019 Nov/Dec 4AD Fest Natural Disaster Fest
Sep/Oct 1974 Fest Bawdy Fest
Jul/Aug woodstock 50th Anniversary Ghost Stories
May/Jun Cat Stevens Fest 2019 ResurrectionFest 2019
Mar/Apr Neil Young Fest 2 Stranger Fest
Jan/Feb 80s Fest WinterFest
2018 Nov/Dec Post-Punk Fest Psychadelic Fest
Sep/Oct 1976 Fest 60 Seconds or Less Fest
Jul/Aug Oasis PunkFest II
May/Jun Cover Year: 1966 Shakespeare’s Sonnets
Mar/Apr FiftiesFest II GearFest
Jan/Feb RecycleFest II DreamFest
2017 Nov/Dec Pub Rock Fest Songcrafters 10th Anniversary Fest
Sep/Oct Yorkshire Bands Fest Under2Fest II
Jul/Aug The Byrds BandFest
May/Jun Showtune Fest Past Fest Revisited
Mar/Apr The Who One Chord Song
Jan/Feb Lost in 2016 CrimeFest
2016 Nov/Dec One Song Fest ("Better Man" by Pearl Jam) Americana Music
Sep/Oct The Year You Were Born Live in the Living Room 2
Jul/Aug The Kinks Parody Fest
May/Jun Fifties Rock & Roll Old School Studio Fest
Mar/Apr The Beatles "Black Album" JazzFest
Jan/Feb PoliceFest World Peace Fest
2015 Nov/Dec 80s Variety Fest 2 Hand-off Fest / Producer Fest
Sep/Oct First Post Fest Original Country & Western Fest
Jul/Aug British Invasion Heartbreak Fest
May/Jun Later... with Jools Holland Atmospheric Fest
Mar/Apr Old Grey Whistle Fest WorkFest
Jan/Feb TributeFest III ReplayFest
2014 Nov/Dec Beatles Challenge Fest MonkeyFest
Sep/Oct Peel Sessions War Songs
Jul/Aug John Lennon's Jukebox RemoteFest
May/Jun Led Zeppelin Drone Fest
Mar/Apr 80s VarietyFest TV Fest
Jan/Feb Traditional Fest Drink Fest
2013 Nov/Dec Lou Reed / Velvet Underground Alternate Tunings
Sep/Oct SuggestFest extension BassFest
Jul/Aug SuggestFest Summer Songs
May/Jun VarietyFest 2 VoiceFest
Mar/Apr DeadRockstarFest JamaicaFest
Jan/Feb 70sFest Home Made Fest
2012 Nov/Dec UnpluggedFest 2 Disco Fest
Sep/Oct BeatlesFest 2 SpaceFest
Jul/Aug StonesFest CollabsFest
May/Jun TributeFest II DIY Fest
Mar/Apr GurlFest under2fest
Jan/Feb VarietyFest ProtestFest
2011 Nov/Dec U2 Fest CityFest
Sep/Oct Singer-Songwriter 2 Live in the Living Room
Jul/Aug Singer-Songwriter 1 FolkFest
May/Jun BowieFest Psychedelic
Mar/Apr LocalFest Film and Book Fest
Jan/Feb RecycleFest emuFest
Year Dates Covers Originals
2010 Oct 17 - Dec 31 DylanFest ComedyFest
Sep 5 - Oct 16 BeatlesFest extension PirateFest
Jul 25 - Sep 4 BeatlesFest
Jun 13 - Jul 24 ZappaFest
May 2 - Jun 12 Plugged-in Fest
Apr 1 - Apr 30 Punk Fest
Mar 1 - Mar 31 TributeFest
Jan 23 - Feb 28 Unplugged Fest
2009 Oct 31 - Nov 15 RockFest
Jul 15 - Aug 17 Woodstock
May 30 - Jun 28 NeilFest
Apr 8 - Apr 10 BluesFest

Mini-fest suggestions

Name Description
First Recording Post your earliest known recording and do an up-to-date version using all the skills, equipment and wherewithal you now can bring to it today.
First Song Cover of the first song you learned to play.
#1 Song on the Day You Were Born

Mini-fests we've already done

mini-fest Dates
Lemmy Tribute Dec 29, 2015 - Jan 12, 2016
Lyric Collab 2 Sep 8 - Sep 22, 2015
Facemask Tribute January 2015
Down On My Luck (a song for facemask) January 2015
Peel Festive 50 Dec 17 - Dec 31, 2014

Annual mini-fests

mini-fest Dates
Halloween Oct 20 - Oct 31 every year
PaddyFest March 10 - March 17 every year
Valentine's Day Feb 7 - Feb 14 every year