Join us for our 2nd Annual Songwriting Challenge!

We invite our listeners to join us for our latest songwriting challenge. This year, we’re challenging ourselves to:

write a song where the chord progression never changes.

Neel, Mike, and Phil will each write a song for the challenge, and we’ll share our answers on the January 26, 2021 episode. Replies from our listeners will be shared on the February 16 episode.

So please send us your answer to the songwriting challenge. Send your mp3 and your lyrics to feedback@songtalk.ca by February 9, and we’ll feature your song on February 16.

Be sure to check out our special theme episode on, you guessed it, songs where the chord progression never changes! Good luck!

Fresh Content

Show date:  Jan. 17, 2021

Mike, Phil, Neel, and Delyn

90s Grunge Revival with Delyn Grey

Delyn Grey is a Toronto-based artist looking to break some barriers via alt-rock waves. Delyn’s voice is rooted in the contemporary, but has a unique depth and richness of timbre, and maturity of emotion that distinguishes her not only from her like-aged peers, but from older, established artists as well.

Delyn shared the process behind her song Listen to the Thunder. We talked about:

  • 90s grunge music
  • writing for yourself vs. for others
  • writing on piano vs. guitar
  • working with producer Justin Abedin
  • how having a lot of space is good for your melodies
  • how to go from a “stream of consciousness” to a more refined song
  • Art Bergmann becomes a Member of the Order of Canada, for his “indelible contributions to the Canadian punk music scene, and for his thought-provoking discourse on social, gender and racial inequalities

Download the lyrics to Listen to the Thunder to follow along.

Show date:  Dec. 27, 2020

Mike, Bobby & Sarah, Phil, and Neel

Recording at The Warehouse with Focus Your Audio

For our final show of 2020, Vancouver’s “Focus Your Audio” stopped by to talk about production and creating music as a couple.

We talked about:

 

Vancouver-based duo Focus Your Audio’s latest single “Over There” has been picked up by radio stations across the country and has received rave reviews from around the world, including here at home by Canadian legend Ron Sexmith. With over 15,000 streams in its first week, it’s easy to understand why they’ve been coined “one of Vancouver’s best-kept secrets” by legendary Canadian producer, Adam Hurstfield. Their new Roots-infused, Country/Americana track was produced by Canadian music powerhouse Mike Young (bassist – Mother Mother) and engineered by Karl Dicaire (Mother Mother, Iskwe, Big Wreck).

The duo have just released their brand new music video for “Over There”, directed by Jonathan Fluevog, music industry leader turned film director and son of iconic Canadian shoe mogul John Fluevog. Filmed in Ladner, BC, the video is a perfect compliment to the lyrics, melody, and overall meaning of the song. Sarah moves through the picturesque forest alone, as she performs the lyrics about a couple having trouble grasping how an argument allowed them to drift apart. With Bobby playing guitar and Sarah meeting him in the clearing amidst the sunset, the video for “Over There” perfectly captures the emotion and meaning of the song.

Show date:  Dec. 24, 2020

Neel, Phil, and Mark

Writing Songs For A Living with Mark Cawley

This week SongTalk welcomed Mark Cawley to our (virtual) studio.

Mark Cawley is a hit songwriter, best selling author, in demand speaker, songwriting coach, and popular blogger. As a songwriter his songs have been on more than 16 million records to date – with a long list of cuts with legendary artists ranging from Tina Turner, Joe Cocker, Chaka Khan, and Diana Ross to Wynonna Judd, Kathy Mattea, Paul Carrack, Billie Piper, Pop Idol winners, and The Spice Girls just to name a few.

In April 2019 Mark’s first book, Song Journey: A Hit Songwriter’s Guide Through the Process, the Perils, and the Payoff of Writing Songs for a Living, entered the Amazon charts at #1 in six separate categories. And now Mark is back with a new book, The Daily Song Journal.

Mark dropped in to SongTalk to chat about his book and so much more…

We talked with Mark about:

  • his history in the music business and what he has learned
  • the difference between writing from structure and writing from the heart
  • the importance of publishing
  • how the music business has changed

Find out more and contact Mark at:

https://www.markcawley.com/

https://www.idocoach.com/

Show date:  Dec. 13, 2020

Mike, Neel, and Phil

2020 Year-End Wrap Up

This week we reflected on the year that was 2020, and what a memorable year we had! We changed our format from a live radio broadcast / podcast to a Zoom meet pre-recorded podcast, but that also opened up our guests to join us from anywhere in the world, not just Toronto.

We talked about: