Show date: Nov. 18, 2024
Hailing from the quiet, wooded, mountain towns of New England, Nathan Jacques is a singer/songwriter now based in Los Angeles, CA. Contrary to his geographical roots, Nathan paints deeply woven narrative stories in cinematic soundscapes that are undeniably and irresistibly Western.
Starting with his 2021 debut album, ‘Loud Mind’, Nathan has been building his brand and following, offering something different than the traditional country trend taking Los Angeles and the rest of the country by storm. His unique sound features powerful yet soothing baritone vocals shepherding audiences through dramatic stories in song. Showcasing a wide range of influences, listening to Nathan Jacques feels like traveling through time and dreams into landscapes of classic films and records of old.
Nathan shared the process behind his song All I See. Download the lyrics to follow along.
We talked about:
- The passing away of Quincy Jones
- Memetic music, a term we learned about after last week’s episode with Nancy Blue
- How Nathan was very deliberate about his verse melodies to maintain tension
- Writing an upbeat song with dark lyrics
- What it means for Nathan for be a “Western” artist and how that differs from Country Music
- How Nathan wrote notes for a larger concept album and story first
- Keeping the chords simple, but playing with tension and release by holding onto chords for extended time
- Be sure to check out Nathan’s music videos – they are fantastic!
Show date: Nov. 04, 2024
Nancy Blue has about 50 songs completed, many of which are similar to “jazz standards”. One person described her song “Darn Good Things” as like a classic Holiday song (not lyrics but melody and chords). But now it’s a new time – she began the jazz focus in 2012, now she’s on to making an album with soul/disco/funk/pop grooves. She’s a late bloomer and hopes to inspire folks over 50 who haven’t begun to be a musician, painter, business owner, dancer, etc to do that thing NOW and not listen to anyone saying they can’t begin to do art, or be creative, or own a business, because of their chronological age.
Nancy shared the process behind her song Bumble Bee. Download the lyrics to follow along.
We talked about:
- Our songwriting challenge for 2024 to write a holiday song. Please send us your answers to the challenge by November 18!
- How Nancy’s flautist performed his part to emulate the movement of a bumble bee
- Learning music theory by studying piano, and then with a jazz guitarist who was taught by Charles Mingus
- How difficult it is to arrange jazz music electronically
- If you want to introduce jazz into your songwriting, study some jazz standards
- How’s it’s perfectly fine to be an amateur musician and/or songwriter and not a superstar
- Ways to “find your people“
- Post-show discovery: Memetic music, a term we learned about after the show with regards to the flute imitating a bumble bee
Show date: Oct. 27, 2024
For our first host response to our Songwriting Challenge 2024 to write a holiday song, Neel shared the process behind his song Forest for the Trees.
Download the lyric/chord sheet to follow along.
We talked about:
Show date: Oct. 21, 2024
Greg Wyard’s new song “Don’t Get Involved” is available on all streaming platforms, beginning September 13th, 2024. Inspired by tense moments we all face in daily life —like a heated confrontation on the subway or an episode of road rage —”Don’t Get Involved” explores the dilemma of staying calm versus reacting. With a backdrop of laid-back acoustic guitar, cajon, and strings, the track contrasts soothing melodies with sharp, insightful lyrics. Fans of Paul McCartney, Neil Finn, and Passenger will love its folk-pop feel. Part of a full album set for release in early 2025, this song offers a surprisingly optimistic take on conflict and self-restraint.
Structurally, it bucks the trend of traditional pop-songwriting in that it has no chorus, instead opting for a repeated line “Oh no, don’t get involved!”
Download the lyrics to follow along. We talked about:
- Our songwriting challenge for 2024 to write a holiday song. Please send us your answers to the challenge by November 18!
- Writing walk-downs in your chord progressions
- Playing around with unconventional song structures
- Writing your song around a single central hook
- Getting real players playing real instruments on your record
- Arranging your song as a crescendo
- Hoping technology doesn’t get in the way when you’re recording at home
Show date: Oct. 15, 2024
Amanda Sum is a performer and creator who dances between music and theatre. Her latest EP, does it make me naive if i’ve never been part of something where i’ve meant more to them than they did to me?, was released in June 2024, accompanied by a short film featuring 13 directors, which is due later this year. Her 2022 music video Different Than Before garnered a JUNO nomination and won the SXSW Music Video Jury Award.
As Theatre Replacement’s COLLIDER Artist, Amanda created New Age Attitudes: Live in Concert, which premiered in 2023 and will continue to tour in 2025. Amanda is currently working on her next full-length record, and is developing its accompanying experimental theatre show.
We talked to Amanda about her new project and writing really short songs in a suite. Download the lyrics to follow along, and be sure to check out the tout suite on Bandcamp.
We talked about:
- Our songwriting challenge for 2024 to write a holiday song. Please send us your answers to the challenge by November 18!
- How Amanda’s EP evolved from a medley of songs into a suite
- Saying more (or enough) with less: “Just because it’s 15 seconds doesn’t mean it’s not a song.”
- How this kind of idea lets you throw out traditional song structures
- Considerations Amanda took for also performing the entire suite live
- How recording this project almost broke Amanda’s brain
- The challenges of digitally distributing this kind of project
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