Neel, Phil, Dave & Meghan
Neel, Phil, Dave & Meghan

Writing in a blues band with Bywater Call

Filled with incredible vocals and musicianship often compared to the Tedeschi Trucks Band, Canadian Americana/Roots band Bywater Call has made their unprecedented mark on the Canadian and international Blues/Roots scene with their brand-new album, “Remain”. From explosive television performances to radio play across the country, their distinctive sound blending Rock, Americana, and Soul is highlighted by the explosive vocal talent of lead singer, Meghan Parnell, with a voice coined as one of the “best in Roots and Blues today” by European press, often compared to Susan Tedeschi. Their debut album in 2019 spent 11 weeks at #1 on the Roots Music Canada charts, and was prominently featured on Stingray, Global TV’s “Your Morning”, and Canadian campus radio.

The primary songwriters of Bywater Call, Meghan Parnell and Dave Barnes, joined us to talk about:

  • Bono Apologizes for 2014 iTunes Album Dump, Calls It ‘Overreach’ (spin.com)
  • Writing and arranging songs in band context
  • What constitutes a “long” song?
  • Getting a large band together for rehearsals, and getting band members to work out their parts at home sometimes
  • Writing melodies first
  • Technically perfect singers vs. singers with character
  • Where does creativity stop and sales begin?
  • Finding your audience in a niche market
  • Recording to a click vs not (or somewhere in between)
  • Writing your lyrics clearly AND with poetics

Download the lyrics to Left Behind to follow along.

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