Amanie Illfated (pronounced: ah-MAH-nee eel-fay-ted) is an award winning South Sudanese born international recording artist. Her music consists of thought-provoking multilingual mixed with a dynamic blend of R&B, Afropop, Reggae and Trap, all combined with her signature, clear-toned vocals. She incorporates her personal experiences growing up as a refugee in Canada to deliver inspirational messages …
Shows
Writing for radio with Kasia Livingston
Few things are as exciting as being a teenager with talent and a dream!! Located in the heart of the entertainment industry, the Los Angeles College of Music faculty are currently touring and working with music’s top stars and can give musical teens a leg up and inside track on the competition. Kasia ‘Kasey’ Livingston …
Serving the song with Desiree Dorion
Desiree Dorion is an artist fluent in the language of relatable storytelling. With an inherent ability to deliver impactful lyrics that range from emotional to humorous, the decorated singer-songwriter effectively immerses her audiences in her expertly crafted songs with ease. To date, her illustrious career has included a 2014 JUNO nomination, six appearances on Canada’s …
Songwriting Challenge 2023: Listener Songs Volume 1
Our first batch of listener songs for our songwriting challenge 2023 to write in a mode included a song in Dorian and two songs in Lydian. Lynn Moe shared his song Clean Up Time in D Dorian. Download the lyrics and chords to follow along. We talked about: Using a phrase that doesn’t necessarily make …
Phil leans into Lydian for his songwriting challenge answer
For our second host-answer episode for our Songwriting Challenge 2023, Phil shared the process behind his answer to the challenge to write a song in the Lydian mode. Our good friend Susan Cattaneo joined in. We talked about: How Phil experimented with various scales before landing on Lydian for his song How working in Lydian …
Governor Tom is all about that Iambic Pentameter
Governor Tom is a singer/songwriter whose indie style blends folk, blues, and jazz with pathos and humor. Sherry Jacoby filled in for Neel, who was busy visiting a galaxy far far away, but not too long ago. Thanks Sherry! Tom talked about his song The Public Eye. Download the lyrics to follow along. We talked …
Neel gets all nostalgic for his songwriting challenge answer
For our first host-answer episode for our Songwriting Challenge 2023, Neel shared the process behind his answer to the challenge to write a song in a mode. Our good friend Susan Cattaneo joined in – thanks Susan for your awesome insights! Download the lyrics to follow along. We talked about: SummerSongs songwriting retreat The Number …
Writing a “hit song” with Greg Wyard
Toronto singer/songwriter Greg Wyard is thrilled to announce the release of his latest song, “Suddenly Everything’s All Right.” This track presents a refreshing blend of sounds, reminiscent of Phil Collins infused with the timeless charm of Motown. With its heartfelt lyrics and captivating melody, the song takes listeners on an exhilarating journey of love, discovery, …
Writing a hard rock song with VILIVANT
VILIVANT is a Canadian hard rock artist who started music at the very young age of 3. First with the piano then picking up the guitar and developing her voice along the way, VILIVANT grew a strong liking to rock music. After receiving the Juried Sound Recording grant from FACTOR Canada and the help of …
Writing a protest song with Ryan Hahn
From the bourbon hills of Kentucky to the streets of Los Angeles, Americana/Rock N’ Roll band Ryan Hahn and the Believers craft honest, insightful stories rooted in Americana, roots, and southern rock and roll. With their dynamic sound, Ryan and his believers harken back to the sounds of Steve Earle and Tom Petty telling stories …
Finding her own voice in Jazz: Nicky Schrire
Nicky Schrire is a British-South African vocalist and composer based in Toronto, Canada. Her work has seen her likened to vocalists Joni Mitchell and Esperanza Spalding with The Boston Globe’s Jon Garelick noting that “though her approach has earned her comparisons to Gretchen Parlato and Becca Stevens, the similarities are superficial. She’s got her own …
Collaboration tips with Alex Whorms and Aaron John
Songwriters Alex Whorms and Aaron John met ten years ago at a youth talent contest in Oshawa, Ontario, where they both performed original songs and tied for first place. They quickly bonded over their shared love of Coldplay, Keane, and Sara Bareilles and went on to write music and perform together often. Aaron would later …
Deep Dive: This Guy’s in Love by Burt Bacharach
For this special episode, Phil dives deep on the Burt Bacharach / Hal David song This Guy’s in Love With You, made popular in 1968 by Herb Alpert. We talked about: Our Songwriting Challenge for 2023, and thank-you to everyone who have already sent in their songs! Using ChatGTP to write (a really vanilla draft …
The Magic of Songwriting with Econoline Crush’s Trevor Hurst
When The Devil Drives is the latest album from Canadian rock veterans Econoline Crush, formed some 30 years ago by frontman Trevor Hurst, now the sole original member. The band’s first full-length album in over a decade, and documentary film, Flatlander, about a rocker from Brandon, Manitoba’s second career as a psychiatric nurse, will be …
Songs with odd time signatures
For this special episode, Phil joined Neel in his studio to record our first in-person episode since early 2020! We dove deep into songs with odd time signatures and talked about: Our songwriting challenge for 2023 How time signatures work How odd time signatures can introduce a lot of tension in your song How complex …
Conscious songwriting with Meris Gantt
Meris Gantt is an Indie Folk singer and songwriter based out of the North Carolina mountains. Meris’ songwriting is honest and to the point; exploring life’s journeys with longing, regret and the silver linings that lie in between. Her songs tell tales of love, loss, and redemption that speak to the universal truths that bind us …
Reflecting on the career of Tina Turner
We talked about: Tina Turner’s start in the 60s with Ike Turner and her resurgence as a pop/rock star in the 80s List of songs written by Tina Turner – Wikipedia Nutbush City Limits – Wikipedia Singers who hit the ends of the words, or don’t What’s Love Got to Do with It (song) – …
Being open to new collaborations with Jeremy Voltz
Burned-out mathematician turned indie-soul artist, Jeremy Voltz’s music is inspired by thinking deeply about the people in his life and what he’d love to have the courage to say to them. Reminiscent of Jeff Buckley, Hozier, and Stevie Wonder, he has a voice that is powerful and haunting. As a vocalist, Voltz has toured the …
Home Recording Series: Mixing and Mastering Tips
For our ongoing series of episodes helping you with your home recording studios, our audio engineer from the before times, Don Thompson, joined us to talk about mixing and mastering tips. We talked about: Our songwriting challenge for 2023 to write in an unusual mode Our previous episodes in this series: Home Recording and Digital …
Revisiting a song ten years later with Neel Modi
On this special episode, our very own Neel Modi shared his process of revisiting a song he first wrote over 10 years ago. We were privileged and happy to have singer-songwriter Jacob Moon join us for the conversation. Thanks Jacob! We talked about: Canadian folk music icon Gordon Lightfoot dead at 84 | CBC News …
Pete Eastmure: Writing with Images
Pete Eastmure is diving deeper into the Americana/Canadiana genre with his new album “Devil’s Taxi”. The album was created during the “Shutdown” and is a follow up to Pete’s acclaimed album, “Keep Your Love Steady” from 2019. The single “Devil’s Taxi” is an evocative and emotional journey song rooted in the story of Robin Hood, …
Bringing a 17th Century artist to life with Tina Ross
Tina Ross is a New York based Singer Songwriter making up for lost time. On her second act, she just released her debut album, “While I’m Here”. Her vocal delivery brims with the clarity and conviction of a stage actor while her finely crafted acoustic guitar work has an understated and uncluttered quality. There is …
Women of the 2000s Draft Show
For our first draft game show since the “before times” we flashed back to the 2000s for our favourite songs with female artists. We invited Susan Cattaneo (check out her Instagram for awesome songwriting tips), Sherry Jacoby, and Vanessa Vreeland to play along. Neel’s better best half Hema helped out with keeping score. Phil deftly …
Authentic storytelling in song with Jenny Mallard
Canadian Country/Folk – Pop artist Jenny Mallard is a celebrated musician and storyteller who is known for her authentic lyrics and impactful storytelling. Fresh off of the heels of releasing her debut album, “Into The Deep”, the St. John’s, NL based artist has taken the East Coast music scene by storm with sold out shows …