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 …
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, …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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) – …
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 …
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 …
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 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, …
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 …
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 …
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 …
Gravely James, a.k.a Chris Madronich, is an Americana and Folk singer-songwriter based in Niagara, ON. Growing up in Port Colborne, ON, Madronich spent a decade playing trumpet with a variety of jazz bands, which inspired him to incorporate blues, soul, and rock into his art. Through these experiences, along with teaching himself guitar, he developed …
CALICO, an independent Folk/Americana band based in British Columbia, formed at the start of the pandemic by creatively negotiating the space between personal discovery and cooperative writing. Made up of a group of seasoned professional musicians {Tony Cecchetti (lead vocals & rhythm guitar), Chris Couto (BG vocals & drums), Will Lloyd, (electric guitar) and JeanSe …
Greg Markham and Bryan Paccagnella grew up in the suburbs of Richmond Hill playing a lot of basement rock. In 2005 they moved to Toronto to attend Humber College – Greg for jazz, Bryan for comedy. Greg went on to play with WhosArmy, The Mohrs (now Jackie) & Keegan Powell. Bryan spent years as a …
Our 2023 songwriting challenge is to write a song using an unusual mode, or a mode you don’t normally use. For our first episode on this subject, composer and songwriter Jeff Alan Greenway joined us to talk about two specific modes – Dorian and Lydian. Jeff Alan Greenway is a film composer, singer-songwriter, and pianist …
Sarah Peterson is a Minnesota based songwriter and artist carving out her own unique space in the singer songwriter world. Her love of words has pulled her into many co-writes with other songwriters and artists from all around the world. Her debut artist project seamlessly blends bits of Folk, Americana and acoustic pop sounds. With …
Award-winning singer-songwriter and music educator Susan Cattaneo joined us to talk about two of her favourite songs and why they’re so great. Sherry Jacoby filled in for Phil Emery as co-host – thanks Sherry! Susan’s choices were Little Green by Joni Mitchell and The River by Bruce Springsteen. We talked about: The differences between classic …
![[logo] Song Talk Radio](https://i0.wp.com/songtalk.ca/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/song-talk-logo-v22.png?fit=800%2C158&ssl=1){kind=logo}