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 …
Pianist, producer, and songwriter Andrew Seok stopped by and talked about the process of creating music for his new Musical “Echos”. Andrew Seok (also known as just SEOK) has written music for Television, Recording Artists, Movies, and pretty much everything including the music you hear when call a company and you’re put on hold. He began his …
For our latest theme show, we take a look at some of our favorite Protest Songs and try to figure out what makes an effective one. We looked at River Runs Red by Midnight Oil, Eve of Destruction by P.F. Sloan, and Phil talks about how his band The Parkdale Hookers, went about writing their punk-anthem …
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 …
The always entertaining singer/songwriter TC FolkPunk returned to the show and played a couple of punky solo electric guitar songs and talked about playing solo without a band with just an electric guitar. Some Stuff We Talked About TC FolkPunks first appearance on Song Talk Radio Lyrics: Sort of Like Danielle & The World of You T.c. Folkpunk: …
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 …
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 …
Faaria was one of our first guests on Song Talk Radio (check out her first episode) and she joined us once again with new songs about relationships, where none of them are autobiographical (or so she claims). Stuff we talked about: writing from different point-of-views relationship songs how practicing songwriting can affect the enjoyment of …
Carmen Toth / Social Potion joined us for the second time to talk about a new song, and an older one, both of which are appearing on her upcoming album. Stuff we talked about: writing lyrics first, songs first, or improvising on the fly during a jam/collaboration journalling / creating a “lyrics bank” starting a …
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 …
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 …
Bruce, Neel, Phil and Janice spent most of an hour on the subject of song structures with 4 different examples. We talked about: the prologue verse (I Left my Heart in San Francisco) writing for musical theatre (My Funny Valentine) the connection between segment style and lyrical content (Band on the Run) Sloan’s song with …
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 …
Seasoned professional guitarist, singer-songwriter, and all-around nice guy Scott Neary shares some of his best kept songwriting secrets. Scott also accompanied the talented jazz songwriter Steven Teatz for his appearance on Song Talk Radio. We talked about: The great chorus debate – to repeat it verbatim or not? Why you should whistle your melody Why, …
The uber-talented Sonja Seiler brings her own brand of passionate, emotional songs to Song Talk Radio for the second time, this time with a country twist. Stuff we talked about: transitioning from writing on piano to guitar letting an idea percolate for a while before writing the power of imagery what’s the right tempo for …
Multi-talented singer songwriter Steven Taetz turned the Song Talk studio into a smoky nightclub with his perfect renditions of his own songs. Waiting for Wishes (co-written with Emma-Lee) had so many “hooks” we lost count (listen for pre-chorus one and two, and the first chorus!). Lately (co-written with Gavin Bradley) had us enraptured as Steven delivered the plaintive lyrics of …
On this engaging program with Lucas Bozzo we delved into the sometimes heated debate of variety versus repetition in songwriting. Lucas performed two songs in the studio; “If” and “How Beautiful You Are”. We discussed: legato vocals over staccato guitar powerful lyrics over a repetitive musical form the balance of the simple and the practical …
Have a listen to an informative and lively discussion on chord substitutions. In this show we talked about: the Circle of Fifths Nashville numbers one/four/five chord progressions the sixth, seventh, and ninth chords how easy it is to use the Circle of Fifths to add colour to your song Chord Substitution on YouTube Learning on …
On this highly informative and entertaining show, we talked with John Glover: how John adapted his guitar playing after a hand injury the difference between “cathartic creativity” and the hard work of writing songs Justin Rutledge‘s songwriting workshop lyrics versus poetry playing with Willie P. Bennett starting the writing of a song with a melody and a chord …
A very special show with Song Talk Radio’s co-host and co-creator Bruce Harrott, showcasing and discussing the process behind some of his best songs. We talked about: Bruce’s traditional approach with writing lyrics first, and trying a different approach now working with different producers The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron writing about real experiences (“staying …
Maple Blues Award Best New Artist nominee and harmonica player, Son Roberts stopped by the Song Talk Radio studios with guitarist John Crosbie and had a fun and wide ranging conversation about writing blues influenced tunes. Here’s what we talked about: The Maple Blues Awards collaborating Son Roberts Lyrics – Not Nuff NIght Son Roberts Lyrics …
What a delight to have Peter Light in the studio and hear some down-to-earth songwriting. I Let Her Go was a unique take on “the one that got away”. Charlie’s Playin’ the Blues was a cool tongue in cheek visit to the world of traditional blues – done with great craft and artistry.
The awesomely talented former recording engineer Bob Guido shared some absolutely mesmerizing sounds with the Song Talk Radio audience. With his guitar and effects he played Letting Go, a dreamy instrumental which showcased Bob’s mastery of melody and form. His second tune Wake Up Call featured Bob’s vocals and lyrics in a haunting arrangement that …
Our very own Tweeting SongBird, Janice moved to the other side of the mic. We talked about her having Opera training and her natural bluesy style. Some stuff we talked about: Yamaha’s Ticket to the Juno’s Songwriting contest Entries in the contest Ren & Stimpy Sonja Seller’s Show on Song Talk Radio Megan Lindsay Voice …
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