We continue to receive submissions from our listeners to our songwriting challenge. Thanks to everyone for their contributions! On this bonus listener episode, we feature songs by Andy Vann, Mira Chorik, and Sunny Zaman. We talked about: The Song Talk Meetup Why do you write songs? Send us a message and let us know! Rhythmic …
Shows
Terry Penney: Three Chords and the Truth
With over three decades in the music industry, Newfoundland turned BC-based artist Terry Penney is well known for his incredible storytelling and has often been compared to some of the best writers of all time, including Steve Earle and John Prine. The MusicNL Songwriter of the Year has earned multiple nominations from both the Music …
Alicia Toner: Songwriting with Emotion and Craft
PEI-based artist Alicia Toner has had an explosive year since the release of her sophomore album “Joan”. Alicia brought home a 2022 Canadian Folk Music Award, became the most nominated artist at the Music PEI Awards this year for the project, and received multiple nominations at the East Coast Music Awards as well. Her album …
Songwriting Challenge 2022: The Hosts Revisit their Songs
We welcomed the return of our ex-co-host Michael Proudfoot, joining us to review our updated answers to the 2022 Songwriting Challenge. We talked about: Our new Songwriting Challenge webpage, featuring the original versions of our songs, plus listener song episodes The Song Talk Meetup Mashing up various styles and instruments Reaching out to other songwriters …
Songwriting Challenge 2022: Listener Songs Volume 3
On this special episode, we share the third and final batch of listener answers to our 2022 songwriting challenge to write a song with the title Why Do You Cry? We talked about: Every possible Chord Symbol EXPLAINED video Jacob Collier Answers Music Theory Questions From Twitter video (and why a tritone is called a tritone) Chord …
Songwriting as a duo with Three at Home
If Bruce Springsteen and Sara Bareilles formed a duo, put it through a Black Keys fuzz pedal, and added the blues and harmonies that made Fleetwood Mac famous, you would get Boston-area rock band Three At Home. Two voices with one guitar, a full band with horn section, or any permutation in between, Three At …
Self-Healing Through Hip-hop with Vivek Mehmi
Mississauga-based hip-hop artist Vivek Mehmi talks about his creative process through hardships, beat-making, poetry, and his song Around Your Finger. We talked about: Hip-hop songs structures with verses and hooks Striking a balance between a hook’s catchiness, flow, and message Taking inspiration from the 80s – objectively, the greatest decade ever in music! (Please note, …
Songwriting Challenge 2022: Listener Songs Volume 2
On this special episode, we share the second batch (of three) of listener answers to our 2022 songwriting challenge to write a song with the title Why Do You Cry? We talked about: The Music Theory Iceberg video Best Free DAWs for Windows video Tunebat: Song Key & BPM Finder app varying your arrangement of …
Songwriting Challenge Listener Songs: Volume 1
It’s always great to hear from our listeners, and we loved getting your submissions to our latest songwriting challenge to write from the title Why Do You Cry? We showcased four of our listener songs, and there are more to come in the next few weeks. So if your song is not featured on this …
Honest and Earnest Songwriting with H. Jack Williams
You’d be hard-pressed to find a life, a career or a body of work quite like that of singer/songwriter/composer H. Jack Williams. Jack himself credits equal parts luck, talent and tenacity. “My whole life, I’ve gone out and gotten stuff done,” he says. “I think I have unique emotional connections within me, and I’ve always …
Phil’s declarative response to the Songwriting Challenge
This week, Phil shared his out-of-his-comfort-range approach to tackling this year’s songwriting challenge to write from the title Why Do You Cry? Download the lyrics. We talked about: Is Old Music Killing New Music? The Song Talk Meetup Dan Tapper, a long ago guest on our show writing a song as a series of declarative …
Emotional songwriting with Gilbert Neal
This week, Gilbert Neal joined us again to talk about his latest album, and how he had to dig deep into himself to write the songs. We feature and talk about his new single Vapor Girl. Now, in the wake of a pandemic that waxes and wanes but never quite vacates, Neal delivers the provocative …
Song structure choices with Mike’s Songwriting Challenge
For our second host answer episode for our 2022 Songwriting Challenge, Mike shared his journey with the structure, arrangement, and production of his song. Download the lyrics. We talked about: Are Pop Lyrics Getting More Repetitive? Primus to Pay Tribute to Rush on 2022 North American Tour structural weirdness in Mike’s song writing a “tough …
Intersecting fairy tales and emotions into a song with Susan Cattaneo
With her powerful voice, captivating melodies and finely-crafted lyrics, Susan Cattaneo is one of Boston’s most respected singer/songwriters. A compelling performer and vivid storyteller, Susan’s music blends folk, rock and blues with hint of country. Following up on the success of her chart-topping double album. The Hammer & The Heart, Susan Cattaneo is released All …
Jacob Moon and how to highlight your melodies
Jacob Moon is a friend of the podcast and a veteran indie singer-songwriter who has been doing it full-time for over 25 years. His live show is a combination of his stirring originals and a smorgasbord of inventive covers, delivered in his signature one-man-band style. His latest recording is called ‘Under a Setting Sun’ and …
Poetry, Comedy, and Tragedy in Songwriting with Colm Gavin
Colm Gavin is a Dublin based Irish singer/songwriter currently signed to BEO Records home to The First Lady of Celtic Music Moya Brennan. Colm’s first two solo releases (Your Endless Slumber/A Voice For The Urban Darlings) both reached reached number 1 in the Irish Charts at the time of their release. Singles from his debut …
Neel’s Long & Winding Road: Neel’s Response to the Song Talk Challenge 2022
Neel explains his journey in writing his response to our 2022 Song Talk Radio Songwriting Challenge: a song with the title “Why Do You Cry”. Lyrics for Why Do You Cry – sketch 2 Lyrics for Why Do You Cry – sketch 6
The multi-media mind of Darden Smith
Open and empty. That’s how singer-songwriter Darden Smith describes the Texas landscape that inspired his creative new multi-media project, ‘Western Skies,’ available now. Comprising a new studio record, a book of photography, lyrics, and essays, and an accompanying album of readings set to music, Smith’s ‘Western Skies’ is an immersive journey. It explores a world …
Why Catalogue Music is Outselling New Music – with Eric Apler
For the past 25+ years, Eric Alper has been at the forefront of the Canadian entertainment industry – making the Public in Public Relations his business. His enthusiasm, encyclopedic knowledge of the past and present have made him the go-to for music in Canada. He is also host of one of the top-rated SiriusXM shows “ThatEricAlper”. …
Lessons from The Rutles – Songwriting Satire
This week we took a dive into the 1978 mockumentary – The Rutles: All You Need Is Cash – a satire of Beatlemania and the Fab Four. Aside from being one of the first mock-docs, it is also a very funny film featuring some Monty Python alumnae, a few famous faces from early SNL and …
Songs with a social stance with Ann Vriend
The two-time Maple Blues Award songwriting recipient and two-time Edmonton Music Award recipient is an internationally recognized musician known for her soaring vocals, socially conscious lyrics, and outstanding musicianship. With a vintage sound reminiscent of the Roots/Blues style of Stax Records and Muscle Shoals recordings, singles from the album have already found their way onto …
Working with a Publicist: Bad Parade’s Kari Zalik
Bad Parade is a music publicity firm focused on bringing musical talent to every corner of Canada. Created by Canadian publicist, Kari Zalik, Bad Parade works to secure key media coverage for Canadian and international artists, working with broadcast (television, radio and podcasts), print, and digital outlets for maximum exposure. Kari’s artists have appeared in top media including the Globe …
Mike Fuller and the Joy and Hard Work of SongWriting
Mike Fuller’s rock and roll roots run deep. The son of a church organist and a cover band singer/rock and roll enthusiast, it seemed only natural Fuller would follow the musical path laid by his parents and find himself writing a collection of uptempo, foot-stomping tunes. Mike spent much of the pandemic like many of …
Fresh Songwriting with Sarah Tolle
Vancouver-based Sara Tolle stops by to talk about her new adventures in singing/songwriting. We also talked about the latest songwriting challenge on the title “Why Do You Cry” Sarah Tolle is a singer-songwriter based in Vancouver, BC, whose warm, energetic music is an exploration in radiant self-expression and a loving invitation to sing and dance. …