The always entertaining singer/songwriter TC FolkPunk returned to the show and played a couple of punky solo electric guitar songs and talked about playing solo without a band with just an electric guitar.
Some Stuff We Talked About
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The ever lovely and talented (and what a voice!) Janice Ho, Song Talk Radio’s very own tweeting songbird, talked about two early collaborations she worked on and what to look out for when collaborating. Download the lyrics for the show.…
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Faaria was one of our first guests on Song Talk Radio (check out her first episode) and she joined us once again with new songs about relationships, where none of them are autobiographical (or so she claims).
Stuff we talked about:
- writing from different point-of-views
- relationship songs
- how practicing songwriting can affect the enjoyment of listening to other songs
- progressing the story or idea from verse to verse
- spicing up chords using the Circle of Fifths
- the value of collaboration and playing around with songwriting suggestions
Download the lyrics for Faaria’s songs.…
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Carmen Toth / Social Potion joined us for the second time to talk about a new song, and an older one, both of which are appearing on her upcoming album.
Stuff we talked about:
- writing lyrics first, songs first, or improvising on the fly during a jam/collaboration
- journalling / creating a “lyrics bank”
- starting a song from an emotion
- marketing to promote other artists
- memorable titles in the world of singles
- working with a producer to focus the song structure and strengthen commercial appeal
- writing universal, relatable lyrics
- using a bridge to bring a new perspective into the song
Download Carmen’s lyrics for the show.…
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Seasoned professional guitarist, singer-songwriter, and all-around nice guy Scott Neary shares some of his best kept songwriting secrets. Scott also accompanied the talented jazz songwriter Steven Teatz for his appearance on Song Talk Radio. We talked about:
- The great chorus debate – to repeat it verbatim or not?
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Multi-talented singer songwriter Steven Taetz turned the Song Talk studio into a smoky nightclub with his perfect renditions of his own songs. Waiting for Wishes (co-written with Emma-Lee) had so many “hooks” we lost count (listen for pre-chorus one and two, and the first chorus!). …
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Have a listen to an informative and lively discussion on chord substitutions. In this show we talked about:
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What a delight to have Peter Light in the studio and hear some down-to-earth songwriting. I Let Her Go was a unique take on “the one that got away”. Charlie’s Playin’ the Blues was a cool tongue in cheek visit to the world of traditional blues – done with great craft and artistry.…
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Scott B Sympathy returned to Song Talk Radio to talk about how his songwriting process has evolved over twenty years, why you should write everyday, and why every song doesn’t need a bridge. He also played Downhearted live, and played back Come & Go from his Massey Harris album.…
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Madrid, Spain born indie-folk songwriter Daniel Caceres has traveled to Toronto for a year and stopped by the Song Talk Radio studios with some great folky songs. He’s played in bands back in Madrid but is now exploring writing songs on his own.…
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Brian Sasaki, a musical force of nature, swept into our little studio with three band members (Michael on bass, Stanley on violin, and Kyle on drums) and really rocked the joint. His energetic and all-out-there tunes hook you right from the start. …
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The always brilliant Braeden Mitchell returns to Song Talk Radio to talk about co-writing, writing songs for other artists and getting back into the songwriting groove after taking a bit of a break.
Some stuff we talked about:
- How to write songs for other artists
- SAC Songwriters Challenge
- Keeping a list of song titles
- place the strongest words or keywords on strongest beats (so in 4/4, beats 2 & 4)
- Madhatters Pub
- Braeden’s first appearance on Song Talk Radio
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Neel Modi is a multi-talented songwriter, drummer and keyboardist with an eclectic collection of recordings from the quirky to the imaginative. On this show, he presented “Depend on Me” – based on a challenge to write a song about a car accident from the brake pad’s point of view – it’s a “brake-up” song ;-), and “Nature’s Lullaby”, a collaboration with singer/songwriter Sonja Seiler, a touching poetic take on the interconnection between all things in the natural world.…
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One in the Chamber (Mike Baise – vocals, rhythm guitar, Cecil Eugene – lead guitar, vocals, Christian Dotto – bass, Gerrod Harris – percussion) join us to discuss their songwriting process as a band. We talked about:
- bringing a song to the band to be fleshed out
- singing lead vocals with lyrics written by a bandmate
- to be or not to be wordy
- abstract lyrics
- rock and roll
With influences streaming in from all eras of rock, One In The Chamber is a unique, modern rock outfit.…
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With her unique voice, inventive phrasing, and heart-centred lyrics, Christine Gaidies filled our little studio with music and conversation about “love and life”. From endings (My Hear is in the West) to sexy middles (Love 101) and the frustrations of searching for love (All I Ever Really Wanted).her…
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Frank dropped by Song Talk Radio again, this time with songs from his recent release, Strange Machine. We talked about:
- using wikiloops for free backing tracks
- unconventional time signatures, and unusual uses of 4/4
- the differences between art songs and pop songs
- a modern twist on the protest song
- Frank’s experimental writing process using Logic
Listen to the show:
About Frank Horvat
With a Broken Social Scene-like attitude, Toronto’s ambient-edged art rock band, The Frank Horvat Band, uses a colourful canvas to create songs for a dynamic and intoxicating aural experience.…
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Incredible guitarist and singer / songwriter David Dino White stopped by and played us some songs with original approaches to lyrics, melody and song structure. Kinda of a Violent Femms vibe.
Some stuff we talked about
You can find David at:
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Jeff Alan Greenway, backed by Cheryl Beatty on guitar and vocals, rocked our little studio with some powerful piano chops and heartfelt sounds. With a background in piano, jazz improvisation, cover and original bands, Jeff draws on his relationships to inspire his song writing.…
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The uber-talented duo of Talyor & Bryn impress the team with their fusion of styles and great sense of humour with 3 live performances, including an improvised lyric and melody by Taylor for their final song.
We discussed:
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The very talented Kaleb Hikele stopped by during his tour and played some great tunes, even one written for a wedding.
Some stuff we talked about:
- theSunHarmonic.com
- working on pushing your limits
- playing for weddings
- strategies for lyric writing
- passing chords
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Melanie treats the team to two live performances, talks about duality and contradictions in her songs, and asks the ultimate Facebook quiz question, “Is your guy good on paper?”
We also talked about:
- Pat Pattison’s songwriting seminar on youTube
- writing from a title
- crowdfunding for your album on indiegogo
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Old friend of the show Dokter Nomi came by and we talked about his unique way of writing songs, working with producers and amassing over 42,000 twitter followers!
Some stuff we talked about:
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Brian was outstanding as he demonstrated his song writing and vocal virtuosity. He throat sang, he yodelled, and he entertained with songs about pigeons on windowsills and the man in the moon. A hint of Jimmy Rogers, Tom Lehrer, and Rahsaan Roland Kirk!…
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The God No!s bandmembers Peter, Sandy, Alon, Subhayu, and Rachel talk about their collaborative approach to songwriting, where each member brings a song to the band and together they refine and finish it off, in a “no-free” zone. See, democracy works after all.…
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