imagery

Neel and Phil

Songwriting Challenge 2024: Listener and Guest Songs Volume 4

The fourth and final batch of listener and guest songs for our songwriting challenge 2024 to write a holiday song. Nico Rizzuto shared his song Shooting Star. Download the lyrics to follow along. Writing a clear hooky chorus complete with a melismatic melody Sometimes a one-line bridge is enough Writing a song about loss, but from the …

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Phil and Neel

Songwriting Challenge 2024: Listener and Guest Songs Volume 2

The second of four batches of listener and guest songs for our songwriting challenge 2024 to write a holiday song. Melanie Peterson shared her song All Roads Lead to Christmas. Download the lyrics to follow along. using conventional holiday images in fresh new ways writing melodies that are sing-song and nursery rhyme-like writing with an economic …

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Neel, Phil, Solange and Andrea

Glitterfox: Songwriting and life partners

Last week Kill Rock Stars Indie/Pop/Rock/Americana recording artists Glitterfox have released their brilliant new single It’s Always Over (produced by Portland’s own Chris Funk of The Decemberists)! Glitterfox, lead by queer married couple Solange Igoa (They/Them) and Andrea Walker (They/Them), were named one of Portland’s “Best New Bands” by the Willamette Week in 2022 and …

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Nicky and Phil

Finding her own voice in Jazz: Nicky Schrire

Nicky Schrire is a British-South African vocalist and composer based in Toronto, Canada. Her work has seen her likened to vocalists Joni Mitchell and Esperanza Spalding with The Boston Globe’s Jon Garelick noting that “though her approach has earned her comparisons to Gretchen Parlato and Becca Stevens, the similarities are superficial. She’s got her own …

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Phil, Tony, and Neel

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 …

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Neel, Phil, and Amanda

Writing to the big picture with Amanda Sum

Canadian artist Amanda Sum has recently released her brand-new debut album “New Age Attitudes” and was quickly featured as one of Exclaim! Magazine’s picks of the week. Blending musical elements of Indie-Pop, Jazz, and Alternative Folk with incredibly thought-provoking lyrics, Amanda’s work has received critical acclaim from major media outlets including CBC, Exclaim! Magazine, and …

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