Show date: Apr. 20, 2025
Few names carry the weight of Danny Marks in the Canadian blues and roots scene. From his early days as a founding member of Edward Bear, opening for the likes of Led Zeppelin and Humble Pie, to his decades as a torchbearer of the blues with BLUZ FM and beyond, Marks has remained a perennial force—a man whose time comes, again and again. Now, with the release of his latest single “I’m Ready,” Marks steps forward with a classic soul ballad—one that simmers with slow-burning intensity and speaks to the restless waiting, the longing, and ultimately, the readiness to seize the moment.
Danny shared his song I’m Ready. Download the lyrics to follow along.
We talked about:
- Our songwriting challenge for 2025 to write a song in an odd time signature
- Revisiting a song 46 years after its inception, and still tweaking it to make it better
- Including a sitar in your songs (like our guest Greg Wyard did)
- How to write a song with an ambiguous structure
- Writing a song with very few lyrics
- Is it blues or gospel, or does it even matter?
Show date: Apr. 14, 2025
Our songwriting challenge for 2025 is to write a song in an odd time signature. Award-winning composer and educator Frank Horvat joined us with his pick of odd-time-signature songs. Thanks Frank!
We talked about:
- Our re-discovered Patreon Page – thanks for your support!
- Juno Awards 2025:
- Congratulations to our previous guests Julian Taylor and Aphrose on their nominations
- 2025 was the first-ever award for Songwriter of the Year (Non-Performer), won by Lowell
- How to Register Your Songs, with Allister Bradley
- What do we mean by odd time signatures?
- How you can divide odd time signatures into smaller chunks (a hybrid time signature)
- How a repetative groove in an odd time signature can ground your song
- Lining up your chord changes and melodies with the downbeats to clearly denote the time signature(s)
The songs:
| Song | Artist | Time Sig |
| Pink Floyd | Money | 7/4 |
| Bjork | Moon | 17/8 |
| Everything in Its Right Place | Radiohead | 10/4 |
| Solsbury Hill | Peter Gabriel | 7/4 |
| Turn It On Again | Genesis | 13/4 |
| 7/4 Shoreline | Broken Social Scene | 7/4 |
| Golden Brown | The Stranglers | 13/8 |
Check out our dedicated webpage for the 2025 songwriting challenge, with additional podcast episodes and other resources!
Show date: Apr. 08, 2025
Toronto’s own Steve Harmony emerged from the heart of Regent Park, navigating a life surrounded by challenges to find his true calling in music. With his smooth blend of R&B and gritty hip-hop influences, Steve’s music reflects his personal journey through repentance, recovery, and redemption.
As a mental health advocate, he combines his passion for music with a biblical approach, offering inspiration and encouragement to those struggling with anxiety, depression, and trauma. Steve’s mission is to create healing through harmony, reminding others they are never alone in their battles.
Steve shared the process behind his song I Get It Now – Faithfully Forgiven. Download the lyrics to follow along.
We talked about:
- The Function Bar Open Mic
- How to write a song with a lot of words
- How Steve works solo or with producers and other songwriters to develop his songs
- Working to your strengths
- Writing simple vs. simplistic
- How your song only needs to be about one thing
Show date: Mar. 30, 2025
Roger Beckett is a singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, producer, community builder and artist manager from Pickering, Ontario.
He has written and had songs released in various genres, “Fade Away” (Country), “7 Billion” (Pop), with Canadian and US songwriters and artists. He has also performed at various venues in Toronto and at the Bluebird and Commodore in Nashville.
Roger is a past coordinator, for 11 years, of the Toronto Chapter of the Nashville Songwriters Association International.
He currently has a new project, “RoBeck” through which he has released four tracks including the latest one “51” which is topical and very relevant to the existential times we find ourselves in.
Roger shared his latest song 51. Download the lyrics to follow along.
We talked about:
- Roger’s (way) earlier appearance on the show
- Writing in different genres
- Jotting down phrases from daily life, along with notes to better remember the idea you had
- Defying conventions in songwriting, as long as they serve your song
- Writing songs based on Song Studio’s Song Calls challenges
- Writing lyrics that are universal AND specific
Show date: Mar. 24, 2025
Nationally celebrated for his modern Country sound, Jason Kirkness has established himself as a standout figure in Canadian Country music, capturing audiences with two acclaimed albums. Awarded Male Artist of the Year title at the 2023 Manitoba Country Music Awards, Kirkness gained impressive traction on the Canadian Billboard Top 50, where his single “Anywhere the Night Goes” spent 18 weeks. The track spent four weeks on the Billboard New and Active Indicator chart in the U.S. and earned a spot on the Music Row Breakout Artist chart. Renowned for his dynamic stage presence, Kirkness has shared stages with international Country icons like Keith Urban, Luke Bryan, and Carrie Underwood. His music enjoys widespread airplay on Canadian networks including Rogers, Pattison, and SiriusXM, alongside notable appearances on CTV News and features in major publications across Canada.
Jason shared the process behind his song Ghost of You. Download the lyrics to follow along.
We talked about:
- How Jason started songwriting without knowing anything about it
- How getting schooled in Nashville helped Jason develop his songwriting discipline
- Keep all your little ditty ideas; you never know what they can grow into
- Getting through a draft of a song quickly can be valuable; you can always revise it afterwards
- Collaborating with Jesse Slack on writing Ghost of You
- Collaboration tip: Leave with great friendships rather than a great song
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