It was Canadian Mental Health Week‘s 66th year and we thought we’d put a spotlight on songs that talk about the challenges of maintaining mental health. This year’s hashtag is #getloud. For this special show, we had guest host Adi Aman from Beige Shelter, and four songs that talk about mental health. We talked about: Beige …
South Sudan-born, Toronto-based indie fusion singer, model and writer Amanie Illfated joined us to talk about her songwriting journeys across nations and cultures. Guest host and singer-songwriter Kayt Lucas filled in for Phil – thanks Kayt! We talked about: Amanie’s journey from Regina to Toronto at age 16 blogging and modelling as they apply to …
Singer/songwriter Angela Saini returns with a couple of great tunes and some pretty in depth talk about songwriting concepts. Listen to the full show Stuff we talked about: Angela’s first appearance on Song Talk Radio Preproduction https://www.angelasaini.com/ Songs: live vs recording https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roncesvalles,_Toronto Constructively using audience response to songs We were wrong “A Hard Day’s Night” …
We figured it was time to talk about rhyme; a cornerstone of songwriting. So we invited one of our favourite singer/songwriters – Blair Packham – to take a closer listen to songs with a plethora of rhymes and one with virtually none! We talked about: The songwriter’s personal approach to rhyme Does rhyme distract from …
Drummer, songwriter and guitarist Paul Lamarche stopped by to trade songwriting tips. We talked about Working as a musician on cruise ships Different pronunciations of words for style Writing songs for others to sing Working in 6/8 MEET-ME-HALFWAY-lyrics MAKE-IT-GOOD-lyrics Cakewalks SONAR DAW now free Show sponsor: easyDNS.com Listen to the show:
For this special episode, each of the Song Talk Radio hosts shared one of their own songs for discussion. We talked about: a Gaurdian article about the Hall & Oates song I Can’t Go For That our upcoming show on key modulations Bruce’s experience with his producer an email we got about our Comedy Songs …
Part way through her cross-country tour which began in her hometown of Edmonton, Alberta, singer/songwriter Rebecca Lappa stopped in at the Song Talk Radio studio to share two original songs. She was accompanied on piano by the talented musician Nick Samoil. We talked about: releasing your first album at the age of 12 FACTOR grants …
We got our funny on by looking at what makes comedy songs tick. Friend of the show Mike MacInnes “Phil’d” in for Phil. Thanks Mike! And our own tech person, Linda Lavender, treated us to a live comedy song she just wrote – great stuff Linda! We talked about: why Top 40 charts don’t have …
Patrick Ballantyne stopped by to pull apart two of his fave songs. The open and emotive “Cowboy” by Randy Newman, and “Somewhere” from West Side Story by Stephen Sondheim and Leonard Bernstein. Stuff we talked about: Patrick Ballantyne’s website Randy Newman “Cowboy” Lyrics Somewhere Lyrics Northwood Records West Side Story Randy Newman Leonard Bernstein Somewhere …
We had the pleasure of having the prolific Toronto poet, novelist, and singer/songwriter Robert Priest (with David Hynes on guitar) back in the studio to share a couple of his children’s songs. We talked about… testing a song on a 6-year old moving from writing for adults to writing for children on the same day …
Sean Bertram returned to the show following the release of his debut album, The Right Place. We talked about: Sean’s studies at Humber College in Music Guitar poetics in your lyrics changing chords and melodic centre between sections of your song contrast in pop songwriting self-doubt in songwriting Taming Your Gremlin by Rick Carson how …
Paul Novotny (born Peterborough, Ontario, 1958) is a composer, bassist, producer, and engineer. He is the bassist on the international runaway hit video-game, CUPHEAD; over 50,000 sales in 2017. As a producer, his record label has achieved three Juno nominations and one Juno win for Joe Sealy’s Africville Suite. He has composed music for feature …
True to form for Song Talk Radio, the day before Valentine’s Day seemed a good day to talk about break-up songs. So Phil brought “Operator (That’s Not the Way It Feels)” by Jim Croce, Neel chose “One More Minute” by “Weird Al” Yankovic, Bruce performed a new original tune “I Don’t Love You Anymore”, and …
Blues-rock-soul singer-songwriter Gravely James shares his journey from a trumpet-playing kid to a kickin’ singer-songwriter. He also treated us to two incredibly energetic performances of his songs. We talked about: Song Studio Niagara region favourite blues band More Bad News and the Horns from Hell, and Blood Sweat and Tears 12-bar blues How timbrel variety has …
Songwriting master Blair Packham stopped by and we gave a deep dive on The Beatles Strawberry Fields and Penny Lane. Friend of the show Mike MacInnes sat in for Bruce. Stuff we talked about: John Lennon / Paul McCartney comparisons Candy Flip’s version of Strawberry Fields Key Modulations Penny Lane Lyrics & Chords at UltimateGuitar.com …
Avery Florence stopped by the studio on the cusp of her first tour. She was excited! “Road trip!” Her songs were a treasure trove of musical delight, and her tips about managing her own career were helpful to anyone trying to make a living as a singer/songwriter. Here are some of the things we talked …
Canadian and internationally-reaching singer/songwriter Jeffery Straker joined us to talk about his process, collaborations, and great songwriting advice. We talked about: Conservatory training vs. ear training When not to give your chorus a conventional “lift” Editing your song, even the main title and hook so it brings your idea to a better light How to …
We talked about the first songs that resonated with us as kids. Stuff We Talked About: Our Anthony moving on Turns Out Radiohead’s ‘Creep’ Was Lifted from a 1972 Song by The Hollies Moving to the minor on the 4th chord February Album Month FAUM.org New Show Format: Get your songs on the show! Classic …
Join the gang as we go over our favourite bits of the last year and lots more stuff! We talked about: songwriting things that Bruce, Neel, and Phil have learned over the past year Sean Bertram’s episode and contrast and dynamics in your performances Jenny Perez’s episode and her controversial song Mr. Tinder Blair Packham and …
Bruce, Neel, Phil and Vanessa each shared a song that meant something to them for the holidays. Bruce featured a song from a series of The Beatles releases from 1964 to 1969 that he and his brothers bought each other for Christmas. Vanessa brought in a ballet number from her childhood as a dancer. Phil …
Multi-talented Toronto poet, novelist, and singer/songwriter Robert Priest brought two great songs to the show. He also brought two talented musicians to back him up – guitarist and vocalist David Hines and guitarist Bob Cohen. We talked about a wide range of things including: the difference between poetry and song lyrics collaboration in song writing …
We featured songs on this episode that use the unique “talk singing” technique. For the most part, we agreed that talk-singing meant that the singers were using short notes without too much melodic range, but still consciously in the key of the song. We talked about: how the ends of talk-singing musical lines work the …
You don’t necessarily need to have a fantastic voice to write or even perform songs well. We looked at some of our favorite songwriters with unusual voices and how they did it. Listen to the episode We talked about Is pitchy the same thing as unconventional? Newtonbrook SS Rush-Stick-It-Out lyrics https://www.rush.com/ Neil-Young-After-The-Gold-Rush lyrics Whistle-Down-the-Wind-Tom-Waits-Lyrics Playing everything …
Popular guest co-host and guest on Song Talk Radio, Patrick Ballantyne dropped by the studio to share two of his favourite Canadian songs. “Help Me” by Joni Mitchell is a great example of her unique combination of melody, structure, and lyrics to evoke a casual conversational tone. Includes a great instrumental hook. Patrick’s other pick was …
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