Established in Edmonton’s inner city neighbourhood of McCauley, AV & The Inner City is a recently formed, all-female Soul/Roots vocal group, originating from the weekly collaborative porch concerts put on during the pandemic by multi-award winning local artist AV (Ann Vriend). In a testament to their incredible talent, the diverse group of Edmontonian singers brought …
Shows
All About Music Distribution with Frank & Lisa Horvat
Frank Horvat is an award-winning and critically acclaimed composer and pianist. He maintains an active schedule of recording projects and performances of his own compositions. His portfolio of works consists of chamber, pop/rock, electronic, musical theatre, film, and large ensemble pieces. His music has been premiered on four continents and featured on TV networks like …
Writing Sad Girl Songs with Victoria Staff
Born and raised in Toronto, Victoria Staff was always an “anxious child”. The string that connected much of her young life was using music to communicate with family, friends, teachers, and even therapists. Over time, this coping mechanism developed into a passion for music that would lead to her career as an indie-pop artist. Staff …
Getting Started on Songwriting with Sydney <3
16-year-old budding pop sensation Sydney is ready to introduce herself to the world with electric feel-good anthem “Picture Perfect.” Hailing from Toronto, Ontario, the artist is known for a unique sound that adeptly blends the soaring synths of Billboard Hot 100 chart-toppers with Korean pop music, bridging the sonic gap between Taylor Swift and MAMAMOO. …
Songwriting as a experiment with Michael Bones
Michael Bones is a classically trained violinist, composer, performer and songwriter who experiments with looping and pedal effects to create a full band experience as a solo artist. Micheal has released 3 EPs, BONES 2020, BLACKJACK 2021, and MAN IN THE MOON 2022-2023, which are available on all streaming platforms. He’s also released several recordings …
Writing Intuitively with Maddy Little
Maddy Little is a Canadian Indie Artist, based out of Toronto, Canada. Maddy has spent her formative years immersed in indie-folk band We Wander. Maddy has been deeply influenced in her songwriting by artists like City and Colour, Dizzy, Phoebe Bridgers, who have inspired her to turn to storytelling through music. Currently working on her …
Modern Country Songwriting with Amanda Keeles
A captivating musical journey of empowerment, self-determination, and the pursuit of lifelong dreams, Country artist Amanda Keeles unveils her invigorating debut album, “Can’t Stop Me Now!“. Her rich, ribbon-like vocals come straight from her soul, sharing deeply personal narratives drawn from a songbook overflowing with a lifetime of compositions. Leaving behind a professional career in …
Positive songwriting with Nelson Little
Nelson Little is a celebrated storyteller from Portage La Prairie, Manitoba, who brought home his third award from the Manitoba Country Music Awards this winter for “Best Roots Artist”, and has also received an Aboriginal People’s Choice Award. Little has opened for Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame inductee Charlie Major, The Sheepdogs, and Fred …
Jazz Collaborators Alex Bird & Ewan Farncombe
Over the last few years, Alex Bird & Ewen Farncombe have become two of the biggest names on the Canadian Jazz scene. With praise from around the globe, this talented team has created timeless and heartfelt originals for a modern audience. They have produced something that is completely unique; three original albums in three years. …
Collaborating as a duo with Burnstick
Built on emotion-stirring storytelling and unmistakable vocal harmonies accompanied by a century-old instrument, Burnstick, a JUNO nominated husband and wife Folk duo, are intent on creating affecting music that inspires listeners to feel. The Manitoba-based duo features Nadia and Jason Burnstick, esteemed independent artists who united over a decade ago to create deeply moving, cinematic …
How to Register Your Songs, with Allister Bradley
Singer-songwriter, producer, and Song Studio maverick Allister Bradley joined us to talk us through song registrations (for Canadians). We talked about: Billy Joel’s new song and AI-driven video Turn the Lights Back On Collective Societies | Copyright Board of Canada (cb-cda.gc.ca) lists ALL the organizations responsible for collecting and distributing royalties What is a royalty? …
Writing an all-Spanish language album with Flavia Abadia
Flavia Abadía is an international DJ, MC, singer, and songwriter based in Toronto, Canada. Colombian and French-Canadian, born in France, Flavia seamlessly blends an array of musical genres, ranging from Latin and Moombahton to Hip Hop, House, Vogue, and other global elements. With an impressive track record, Flavia’s original music has garnered over 2 million …
Chad Shank and two of his favourite songs
This week we were joined again by Chad Shank to talk about two of his favourite songs and why they should be studied. Chad Shank is a Songwriter, Music Producer, and Songwriting Teacher. Chad is the founder of At-Home Songwriting, a YouTube Channel and Songwriting Education Community. He is also a Lyric Instructor for Berklee …
Writing a non-romantic love song with Darrin James
Darrin James is a multi-instrumentalist singer-songwriter, and producer known for his distinctive gravelly voice, thoughtful lyrics, and soulful musicianship. His eclectic production style encompasses a growing range of influences, often fusing gritty, bluesy guitar playing with rustic, acoustic elements of Americana and soul-style Hammond organ and horns. His new album, “See Right Through,” is his …
Writing a weird song that doesn’t sound weird with Sunny Zaman
Sunny Zaman is a musician whose main passion is songwriting. He is also a singer and guitar and bass player who occasionally dabbles with keyboards and synths. He wrote his first song at the age of 14 and continues to follow his passion many decades later. While he plays mostly rock and pop, he has …
Collaborating with others: Aphrose
Fresh off the release of her sophomore album, “Roses”, Toronto R&B/Neo-Soul artist, Aphrose, is receiving exciting critical acclaim at home and across the globe. Black Entertainment Television premiered Aphrose’s video for “Roses” to millions of people across their televised channel, socials, and website. She also appeared nationally on The Morning Show, on SiriusXM, was featured …
Happy New Year 2024!
Happy New Year to our listeners! For this post-hangover episode, we kept it simple by catching up on our holiday shenanigans, music activities, and other stuff. We talked about: Phil’s Christmas miracle with his new neighbours Neel’s working on demo recordings for his band Beige Shelter The new Apple Vision How we post and distribute …
Glitterfox: Songwriting and life partners
Last week Kill Rock Stars Indie/Pop/Rock/Americana recording artists Glitterfox have released their brilliant new single It’s Always Over (produced by Portland’s own Chris Funk of The Decemberists)! Glitterfox, lead by queer married couple Solange Igoa (They/Them) and Andrea Walker (They/Them), were named one of Portland’s “Best New Bands” by the Willamette Week in 2022 and …
The business of songwriting with Garrett Neiles
Garrett Neiles has just released his sophomore EP, “27”. His sound is a revival of the 2000’s era Alternative Pop-Rock concept, infused with refreshing lyrical depth of deep introspection. His unique and meticulous balance of old and new is rooted in the sonic exploration of the past, and features catchy rhythms and unforgettable lyrics. A tale of recognizing …
You won’t regret listening to Delyn Grey
Delyn Grey is Rock’s next fierce female. Her latest EP,Good Girls Die, gives you a fiery taste of the young artist’s unapologetic approach to pursuing a career in music through a unique and fresh sound— inspired by a diverse range of artists like Kurt Cobain, Annie Lennox, Trent Reznor, and Joan Jett. Delyn is carving …
Writing a holiday song with Steven Taetz
Just in time for the holidays, “SNOW ANGELS“ Steven Taetz’s new original Christmas love song is available now on all platforms. A dreamy ballad made to conjure an idyllic winter wonderland where Steven Taetz sings about the wish to live in the magical moment forever. The nostalgic production by JUNO-winning producer Daniel Ledwell (Good Lovelies, …
The Music Movies and TV Draft Show
For this special episode, we invited Song Studio organizers and pro singer-songwriters Blair Packham and Allister Bradley, to have a music movies and TV shows draft game show. We each named our favourite movies or TV shows about music, including documentaries, biopics, musicals, or concert films, and if the other players had the same title …
Song Talk Radio’s 10-year Anniversary!
To celebrate our 10-year anniversary doing this podcast (can you believe it, ’cause we can’t!) we gathered four other songwriters to engage in a songwriting roundtable discussion. We ask them to provide a question to pose to the group, and we got some insightful, interesting, and varied answers. And we’d love to hear how you …
Songwriting Berklee-style with Mimika
Fresh off the heels of her new release, ‘Love and What I Thought It Was’, Mimika is making the transition from songwriter to soul-baring artist. With over 2 million streams as a writer and a degree from Berklee College of Music, Mimika’s ‘story first’ approach to songwriting has earned her the kind of balance that …