Grammy-winning They Might Be Giants’ John Flansburgh joined us to talk about songwriting from listening and intuitions. Download the lyrics to Outside Brain to follow along.
We talked about:
- Modal writing when you don’t know what modal writing is, and our Songwriting Challenge 2023: Write in a Mode
- Tension between conventions and breaking the rules
- Songwriting as a very plastic medium where the variations are endless
- Using terms like “gold dust” and “kicker” to identify elements or sections of songs
- How learning the I-vi-IV-V became the key to start writing songs
- How John and John typically bring completed songs to each other, but work at editing for a long time until it’s right
- Starting songwriting by failing at cover songs
- John says, rhyming is overrated and bridges are overrated
About They Might be Giants
They Might Be Giants treat the entire history of popular music as a trampoline rather than a rulebook.… Read the rest
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Saska Lammila joined us all the way from Helsinki, Finland, to talk about his medieval-style folk song Suspended, for his band Ravio Jackson. Download the lyrics and chords to follow along.
We talked about:
- Taking inspiration from a years-ago spiritual experience, through a poem, and into a finished song
- How Saska wrote a poem in Finnish several years ago, and translated it into English for the song
- Having a 3-verse and coda structure with a blooming, intense ending
- Writing songs with parts for his bandmates in mind, but that also work for a solo singer-songwriter show
About Ravio Jackson
Raivo Jackson is a versatile Americana band hailing from Helsinki, Finland.… Read the rest
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We showcased and reviewed songs from Dan D’Agostino, Lynn Moe, and Steve Johnson as answers to our Songwriting Challenge 2025, to write a song in an odd time signature.
Dan D’Agostino shared his song October Morning. Download the lyrics, including the time signatures, to follow along.… Read the rest
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We showcased and reviewed songs from Old Wooley and Paul Gallagher, as answers to our Songwriting Challenge 2025, to write a song in an odd time signature.
Old Wooley shared his song Driving Through The Desert. Download the lyrics, including the time signatures, to follow along.… Read the rest
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Daniela Soltero is a 21-year-old singer-songwriter who over the years, developed skills in songwriting, playing guitar, and singing.
In just two years of performing publicly she has gotten to play on stages such as “The Horseshoe Tavern” and “Supermarket Bar and Variety, including many other venues, festivals, and songwriter rounds.… Read the rest
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Zoe Thiessen is a singer/songwriter, guitarist and violinist now based in Toronto after years of living abroad. Her finely crafted songs always have a hint of the fairy tale about them, and she delivers them with a warm alto that has a timbre all its own.… Read the rest
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Canadian children’s artist, Heather Feather, is pleased to announce her second studio album, Together, out on June 27, 2025. The 2025 ECMA “Children’s Artist of the Year,” award recipient holds a PhD in Music Theory from McGill, a Bachelor of Music from Memorial University, and is a fearless disability advocate, recently partnering with international advocacy group, RAMPD (Recording Artists and Music Professionals with Disabilities). … Read the rest
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Joining us today is rising Canadian country artist Cam Brown, hailing from Barrie, Ontario. Fresh off opening for Dean Brody at this year’s Troubadour Festival in his hometown, Cam is making waves with his original music. His debut single Pretty Lime Margarita recently climbed to #1 on the Canadian Indie Country Countdown and is now spinning on radio stations coast-to-coast.… Read the rest
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