So are people still writing protest songs? How do the protest songs of the ’60-’70s compare to the songs by Childish Gambino and Kendrick Lamar? When you start songwriting and your goal is a protest song, how do you start? Vanessa stops by to lend her views. We talked about: Do protest songs chart? Abstract …
In this throwback, we chatted with musical book writer Stephen Witkin about songs with a pride theme, with song examples. Check out the original show notes.
One of our favourite guests drops by to give practical advice on performing. Blair Packham – songwriter, teacher, performer and 80’s hitmaker – talks about the best practices to entertain and present your songs to an audience, live or on-line. Blair also shows off his dulcimer, which is very impressive. Blair is the host and …
This week we welcomed Kitchener, Ontario-based singer-songwriter and storyteller Jesse Parent to the show to talk about his COVID-19 pandemic inspired song, Learning to Live Apart. We talked about: Our new podcast format for 30 minute episodes How valuable it is to play and study cover songs Why you should record your ideas right away, …
Ooh and ahh and doo and doe your way back to 2017, where we talked about songs with non-verbal hooks. Check out the original show post.
This week on SongTalk we look at a simple songwriting technique that may be more complicated than you think – songs with one chord progression. That’s right, no guest this week just the SongTalk team – Phil, Neel and Mike – talking about the ways songs with just one series of chords repeated over and …
This week we welcomed Loryn Taggart back to the show, after her first appearance almost five years ago! The fast-rising jazz artist just released her album Irene, but showcased two of her other songs, The Guest and The Wedding Song. We talked about: the recent passing of Little Richard, Dave Greenfield (keyboardist for the Stranglers), …
In this throwback from 2017, we talked about the benefits of attending the live Song Talk Meetup (formerly the Songwriter’s Meetup, formerly the Songwriter’s Cafe). This month’s meetup (May 2020) is online (and will be for the next while), so wherever you are in the world, you can attend. We hope to see you there!
Here’s a super informative show from 2016 with Frank Horvat, who told us everything we were afraid to ask about chords and more! Check out the original show post for all the resources we talked about on the show.
We talked about protest songs way back in 2016, and things still didn’t get any better. Here’s a throwback to dissension through music. Here’s the original show page if you want the lyrics.
Long-time friend of the show, Frank Horvat talks about his “Songs for Self-Isolation” project. http://youtube.com/frankhorvatofficial http://www.frankhorvat.com/ http://facebook.com/frankhorvatofficial http://frankhorvat.com/composition/music-self-isolation/ Our very own Neel participated in Frank’s project with his first composition for piano:
For this Throwback Thursday, we’re going back to 2016 for a special episode with guest co-host Janice Ho to look at three songs with unusual lyrics and what that means to communicate your song.
Back in 2016, we talked about songs with interesting song structures, including Band on the Run, I Lost My Heart in San Francisco, and Fading Into Obscurity. What song stands out to you as one with a unique structure?
For our first podcast while in self isolation, we talked about things we can do as songwriters while in isolation :). We talked about: Taking the Song Talk Meetup online – stay tuned for details on April’s meetup The We Should Write Sometime app Frank Horvat’s project: Music for Self-Isolation Neel’s working on productions for …
Here’s our first Throwback Thursday Themeshow episode from 2014, one of our first theme show all about bridges, with many song examples and how they were used in the songs.
Blair Packham joins us to talk about Songwriting Duos and other stuff. What we talked about: Phil’s FET-1 Pedal kit Build BuildYourOwnClone.com FET PreAmp Kit BlairPackham.com
Kristen Karma is an award-winning singer-songwriter based in Toronto. Her latest single “Dear John” has already won Best International Song at the American Tracks Music Awards in Los Angeles, peaked at #35 on the iTunes Canada Pop Charts, and placed in several International Film Festivals. In 2019 Kristen Won Pop Artist of the Year from …
This week SongTalk welcomed Donna Linklater to our studio. Soprano and composer/songwriter Donna Linklater studied opera with Sylvia Richardson at Brandon University. Toward the end of her studies, she began to focus on new music and was especially taken with the aleatoric music of John Cage which gave her greater freedom of creative expression. Her …
This week we were privileged to have Eric Apler, of ThatEricAlper.com to talk about his work as a Public Relations (PR) professional in the Canadian Music Industry. We talked about: What a PR professional does for your music career Other team members such as manager, booking agent, and publisher When is the right time for …
We talk about our top love songs, how they work and what tricks the songwriters used. The Spotify Playlist
This week SongTalk welcomed our old friend Blair Packham to our studio. The Toronto-based artist, first gained attention for his work with ’80’s power pop band The Jitters. He is now an acclaimed solo artist and musician. Blair released two strongly-reviewed solo albums before shifting his focus to composing music for TV and films, teaching …
About three months ago, we asked our listeners to suggest a songwriting challenge or prompt for us to explore. Organizations like the Toronto Songwriting Association often prompt their members with challenges such as “Take a cliche and turn it on its head”, or “Write a song about a home appliance.” Singer-songwriter and former Song Talk …
Described as “sickly sweet”, singer/songwriter Jadyn Lamb embodies moody electronic pop with a style similar to Lorde and Kate Bush. Jadyn was joined on the show by her producer Marco Palma (Material City). We talked about: FACTOR Canada MusicExpo happening in Mississauga this weekend! Upcoming Song Talk Challenge songwriting challenge: positive lyrics in a minor …
This week SongTalk welcomed FEATURETTE to our studio. The Toronto-based duo FEATURETTE, formed by singer Lexie Jay and drummer, Jon Fedorsen, makes emotionally-charged, heavy-hitting electro-pop music that has been met with international critical acclaim. After receiving their first full recording grant from FACTOR Canada, the duo released their debut LP CRAVE in October, 2016. The …
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