I’ve been asked to be a juror for an “artist of the year” type of competition. In the past, I’ve submitted entries into many competitions with varying amounts of success, but being on the other side of the process has been quite the eye-opener. That part of my career is over, but I figured I’d …
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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 …
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 …
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 …
Writing a traditional style song in modern times with Gravely James
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 …
Poetry meets songwriting with CALICO
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 …
Suburban Rock n’ Roll with Fake Magic
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 …