Welcome to Blue Crush

Mission & Vision


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Our mission is to organize and host the best songwriting camps and retreats for songwriters. Our ultimate goal is to improve the quality of songwriting and do it in fun and inspirational way.

Our songwriting retreats take place at the edge of a wild river canyon. We will take you far away from your normal every day world!

Our wilderness resort, and home each summer for the REO Songwriting retreats and camps, is 2.5 hours from Vancouver, British Columbia. We are well off the beaten track!  Instead of the urban noise of our modern world, you get to relax, learn and write songs in one of the most intimate and beautiful places.

Our retreat features two kilometers of private river frontage on one of the most amazing rivers you will ever see. The sound of the river is rushing by 24 hours a day. Sleep to the sound of the river!

2009 Songwriting Camps and Retreats:
Songwriters Retreat, July 12-17 with Pat Pattison and Beth Nielsen Chapman.
How Songwriting Really Works, Coming back to REO in August 2010, with Wayne Chase, Nancy Bos and Tom Kimmel

Bryan Fogelman


As the founder of Blue Crush Music and the REO Rafting Adventure Resort, I've tried to combine the best of rafting and songwriting. An unusual combination you may say? Well, bringing songwriters to me clearly became my only alternative if I ever wanted to become a successful songwriter; I was devoted to my rafting resort and my young family. I was challenged to find the time and resources to improve my songwriting, and most importantly, meet other songwriters.

For the past 8 years, Pat Pattison (Berklee College of Music, Boston) has been the principal instructor, flag-waver and shining light for the REO retreats. Slowly, but surely, the retreat has evolved and we now feature four of the best songwriting mentors and teachers available in North America. I'm thankful to Pat and all the songwriters who have made the trek to this remote, yet enchanting, part of the world.

My commitment to hosting songwriters at my adventure resort has broadened. In 2009 I will host, along with author Wayne Chase, a new retreat called "How Songwriting Really Works: Techniques and Secrets of the World's Greatest Songwriters". This retreat will be held August 9-14, 2009. For those writers who want the most comprehensive presentation on what makes a song a classic and the techniques to improve your lyrics and music, this retreat is a must.

Though I started the retreat eight years ago, it's only been the last 4 years that I've really started to focus on songwriting. 2009 promises to be another banner year in my fledging songwriting career: the main songwriting retreat is headed for sell-out for the 3rd consecutive year; I am attending song camps and music seminars in Nashville, Los Angeles, Vancouver and Palo Alto and will also attend the always entertaining Tin Pan South in Nashville; and finally, I continue to make improvements in the my lyrics and music and hope to make qualified pitches to publishers this year.

Recommendations: I highly recommend the following songwriting workshops, conferences, books and instructors:

John Cowell


John Cowell is a songwriter from Victoria, BC Canada (www.jcowell.com) and one of my favorite co-writers. John has attended three of my summer retreats over the last 4 years.

John bought his first guitar for $20 at age 14 and wrote his first song at 16. He writes mostly in the country and folk genres. John has co-written songs with Roots Juno winner Ken Whiteley, Martyn Joseph (www.martynjoseph.com) and also with Lisa Aschmann and Lowry Olafson (www.lowryolafson.com). John's co-written songs. Pier 21 and Stronger Than You’ll Ever Know, are both published and recorded by Lowry Olafson. John is a member of Songwriters Association of Canada (www.songwriters.ca), Socan (www.socan.ca), Nashville Songwriters Association (www.nashvillesongwriters.com) and SongWriters Guild Of America www.songwritersguild.com.

John has taken and recommends the following songwriting workshops:
  • Online courses from Berklee College of Music www.berkleemusic.com 
  • Online courses from SongU www.songu.com 
  • Kerrville Folk Festival www.kerrville-music.com 
  • The Americana Song Academy www.sistersfolkfestival.com/songacademy.html 
  • Hornby Island Blues camp www.hornby-blues.bc.ca 
  • Sorrento Bluegrass Music www.sorrento-centre.bc.ca/c-bluegrass.html 
  • TAXI conventions www.taxi.com 
  • Song Writers Association of Canada (SAC) www.songwriters.ca 
  • Nashville Songwriters Association International (NSAI) www.nashvillesongwriters.com
  • Last but not least, song camps at REO Rafting Resort  www.reorafting.com  
John has studied with the best:
  • Pat Pattison www.members.aol.com/ptpattison/lyricpages/
  • Jason Blume www.jasonblume.com
  • Steve Seskin www.steveseskin.com
  • Rick Beresford www.rickberesford.com
  • Gail Davies www.gaildavies.com
  • Eric Schwartz www.ericschwartz.com
  • Dick Goodwin www.goodwinmusics.com
  • Sonjia  www.soniadf.com/home.php
  • Ralph Murphy www.ascap.com/nashville/murphy.html 
  • Kim Copeland  www.kimcopelandproductions.com
  • Danny Arena  www.songu.com
  • Sara Light  www.songu.com
  • Ken Whiteley www.kenwhiteley.com
  • Rick Fines www.rickfines.com
  • Chuck Pyle www.chuckpyle.com
  • Eliza Gilkyson  www.elizagilkyson.com
  • Jai Josefs  www.jaijomusic.com 
  • Susan Tucker, Sage House Music Nashville
  •  

Profiled Songs

Party Party

This is a short Description

Red Eye Blues

I wait for the last call to board this late-night flight
Find a row of empty seats where I can try to hide
The runway fades into midnight black
Got a one-way ticket and I’m not coming back



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