Multi-platinum hit songwriter Shelly Peiken, has written songs for, and with, Ed Sheeran, Keith Urban, Celine Dion, Cher, Reba McEntire, Christina Aguilera, Meredith Brooks, Britney Spears, Natasha Bedingfield, NSYNC, Miley Cyrus, Selena Gomez, Idina Menzel and Demi Lovato. Shelly Peiken is also a successful author who has written a book detailing her experiences in songwriting – “Confessions of a Serial Songwriter”. Shelly shared two songs with us – “Bitch” and “Who You Are”. Here are some of the things we discussed:
Teenaged singer-songwriter Brighid Fry joins us to talk about her many collaborations and solo songwriting processes. Singer-songwriter Carmen Toth filled in for Neel – thanks Carmen! We talked about:
the challenges of being a teenaged singer-songwriter
Multi-instrumentalist and back up vocalist Sintja Baba has been playing alongside various Toronto acts and is currently playing that role in Marlon Chaplin’s band. She started her own band THE NAIVE, where her music has taken the shape of various genres. Her EP, “Saw the Sun” is a medley of catchy upbeat hooks and mellow ballads. We talked about:
Playing multiple instruments & writing songs since his mid teens, Jef eventually succumbed to a music career in his early 20s. 2½ years in he joined the backing band for the multiple award winning CCMA duo of the year, Tim Taylor & Anita Perras. By the mid 1990s Jef became founding member & lead singer/bassist for the popular eastern Ontario trio, Ambush. Following the height of their popularity, Jef turned to solo work, both on stage and in the studio. Still doing the do, he’s currently preparing his next album, ‘Topic of the Day’ and performing throughout southern Ontario.
Pop music singer-songwriter Amir Brandon joined us to talk about two of his upcoming songs, working with producer Thomas McKay, and the stories behind his songs.
We also talked about:
Collaborating with other songwriters
Battle Royale: grammar vs. lyric vs. meaning vs. melody
How to write a really long chorus
Chord choices and mixing up major, minor, and 7th chords
The very talented singer-songwriter and improvisational artist Rachel Raditz brought one song to Song Talk Radio that she had written previously. The other she made up on the spot in the middle of the program. “Back in Hali” about a friendship that might be more set in Halifax had an unconventional structure and a melody that grabbed us by the ears. Rachel’s powerful and original voice brought made the song engaging throughout. Her second song featured completely improvised lyrics, melodies, and harmonies, was sung acappella using a loop device to surprising and entertaining effect.
Vincent Degiorgio, president of CYMBA Music publishing, joined us to tell tales and give tips to songwriters on getting your songs published. We talked about:
Popular guest co-host and guest on Song Talk Radio, Patrick Ballantyne dropped by the studio to share two of his well-crafted songs. “Where Things Used to Be” is great example of the skillful combination of melody, structure, and lyrics to evoke a strong feeling of longing in the listener. Listen to the bridge in particular and the completely surprising chord on the word “dreams”. Patrick’s song “Plans” starts with a great line, “In California there are dates in the trees…” and connects to “dates on my calendar”. The message of a man who sees that he must change is both poignant and honest. As we discussed the tunes, we talked about:
“Hit-a-month” project
Having a manager
How tasty an E flat chord can be in the key of G
The use of “pause” in songwriting
Co-writing and collaboration
Ticket sales and merchandise (how to make money in music)
This week, Bruce, Neel and Phil discussed their roles as Co-Organizers of the Songwriter’s Cafe Meetup group in Toronto. We also featured songs from some of our guests who we discovered at the meetup.
We talked about:
why it’s important to host meetups regularly
tips for running a successful meetup
building a community of songwriters in your hometown
costs, logistics and benefits to running your group through meetup.com
Young pop sensations the Command Sisters (Charlotte and Sarah) joined us to talk about writing as a sibling duo and working with producers. Patrick Ballantyne filled in for Bruce.
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