Shows

Dan Edmonds making it up in the moment

The Song Talk Team had the distinct pleasure of spending an hour with the very talented and original singer/songwriter Dan Edmonds. His fresh takes on music and how it’s made were both illuminating and engaging. He played two of his intriguing recordings – “Love Can Be a Tunnel” and “To Be That Needle”. We talked about: improvising …

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Songwriting Humour & Hiring Someone to Demo your song with Robert Davis

Singer/songwriter Robert Davis stopped by with some great fun songs and we talked about the following: Download robert-davis-lyrics here Differences between kids and Adult songs Dr. Demento Koerner Hall Mark Russell (piano player / songwriter / political satirist) Subversive themes in children’s songs Country Music songwriting approach NSAI Socan House (Nashville House) Factor.ca Country Music Association Ken …

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Where’s Bob Dylan?

Okay, so we couldn’t get Bob to come to the studio for the show. Not surprising considering how the Nobel Prize people can’t find him either. On this show about Bob Dylan we discussed: The new film from Ron Howard  – The Beatles, Eight Days a Week How the Beatles wrote songs Should the Nobel Prize …

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allister-with-the-team

Thoughtful lyrics and music with Allister Bradley

Pro songwriter Allister Bradley joined us for an hour to talk about two of his catchy, thoughtful songs and his process for getting them done. Stuff we talked out: Toronto’s Song Studio Making it in the music industry Writing with your secondary instrument Using session musicians Why you should whistle your melody Chord progression tip: make …

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Neel, Alyssa, Bruce, Janice, Phil, and Nicole

How to master multiple career streams + songwriting with Alyssa Baker

The Multi-Talented songwriter/actor Alyssa Baker stopped by with a couple of great songs and an even better discussion on creating songs and managing multiple career streams. Some Stuff We Talked About: Lost & Found Music Studios tv series Protecting your songs VisiKlick Metronome app Socan Songs being too “songwriter-y” ? Undone – EP – Alyssa Baker on iTunes …

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Neel, Phil, Jacob, Bruce, Nicole, and Janice

Jacob Moon a song writing star

With 10 albums over a 20-year career, Canadian singer/songwriter/guitarist Jacob Moon dropped into the studio to share a wealth of helpful tips and clear insights. “Live a Little” is a truly exceptional tune, a perfect marriage of lyrics, melody, theme and variation.  “Is That All You Got” is a gutsy rocker that looks at calamity with defiance …

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Writing to perfection with Jules

Talented teen singer-songwriter Jules joined us again, after her first appearance over a year ago. In the midst of writing songs for her sophomore release, Jules talked with the Song Talk Radio Action Team about: FACTOR grants for Canadians, and why you should hire a grant writer Unsigned Only Songwriting Competition writing from a title writing …

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Bruce, Patrick, Phil, and Neel

“A song is good if you like it,” says Patrick Ballantyne

Bruce, Neel and Phil were all happy to have Patrick Ballantyne back in the Song Talk Radio studio for the third time. He always brings great songs (listen to “Make Believe” and “Sky” for proof) and lots of experience to share about the songwriting process for our listeners. When writing a song, he starts with …

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Jeff Greenway finds his own way

Jeff Greenway returned to the Song Talk Radio studio to share his thoughts on song writing. His approach to writing is through a feeling, not a theory. This was amply demonstrated in the two songs he shared with us. The first, Cavalry, evoked the sadness and confusion you feel when a relationship just isn’t working …

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Collaboration do’s and don’ts with Janice Ho

The ever lovely and talented (and what a voice!) Janice Ho, Song Talk Radio’s very own tweeting songbird, talked about two early collaborations she worked on and what to look out for when collaborating. Download the lyrics for the show. We talked about: Muse Songwriters forum – a great online community to meet other lyricists …

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The unusual world of songs with unusual lyrics

For this special theme show, each of the hosts presented a song with “unusual” or hard-to-decipher lyrics. We delved into a discussion around understanding the intentions behind and interpreting the songs. Download the lyrics here: Unusual Lyrics Neel’s selection: A Self Called Nowhere by They Might Be Giants Bruce’s selection: McArthur Park by Jimmy Webb (performed by …

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Blair Packham packs emotional power

From the moment Blair Packham started to speak, we knew we were in for some great lessons from a master songwriter and experienced teacher. If You Were Mine featured a great bridge and instrumental break. In Her Dreams started out as a story of a woman in a call centre and moved to a daughter caring for an ailing …

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Exploring poetic lyrics with Liz Jaremyn

The ever talented Liz Jaremyn returned with two great songs. Here’s some stuff we talked about: Liz Jaremyn’s previous show in 2014 Download the lyrics for Liz Jaremyn’s songs Overcoming writer’s block vs forcing it exploring song structures How many sections should your song have? Liz Jaremyn’s YouTube Channel Writing Better Lyrics – Pat Patison …

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Addie Denison: Old-time Country with a Twist

Addie Denison shares songs that at first sound like classic country, until you realize they’re (in part) about revenge, or blasting off into outer space. Sonja Seiler guest hosted. Stuff we talked about: The Songwriter’s Cafe Meetup Songwriting as storytelling in its purest form Download the lyrics here: Wheelhouse & Red Dirt Asymmetrical structures Feedback from …

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