Ellis Paul is a storyteller and troubadour in the truest sense. His music has been influenced by Joni Mitchell, Woody Guthrie and James Taylor and he has won numerous Boston Music Awards. He had a song in the movie "Me, Myself and Irene" with Jim Carrey. We discuss: 

- How putting your heart in your work creates energy and momentum

- Writing about BIG topics in a four-minute song

- How drawing and making books, and being creative in other ways makes it more fun to return to songwriting

Jonatha Brooke is a folk-rock singer-songwriter and guitarist who merges elements of folk, rock and pop, often with poignant lyrics and complex harmonies. She has been a performer, writer, and artist since the late 1980s, her songs have been used in television shows and movies and she's appeared on the David Letterman Show.

In today's episode, recorded late in 2017, Steve Tannen, one half of the American indie band The Weepies, and I laugh a lot. Steve shares a story about how being told he sucked at songwriting actually led to him writing one of the Weepies most well-loved songs! He also shares about:

- Not killing your songs by overthinking them

- Why collaborating with his partner, Deb Talan, works

- How "song challenges" have made a difference &

- Why persisting in failure, obscurity and success is key.

Welcome to To the Light Thursdays on the podcast, the first Thursday of the month where I share a song (and the story behind it) from my new album. It's winter here in North America and I don't know about you, but lack of light means I need some extra laughs, so I decided that today's song would be The Donut Song. You'll hear the story of how it came to be as well as the creativity key of alchemy that unlocked it, plus some reflections questions for you to reflect on.

Alex Wong is a singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist & record producer (Delta Rae, Vienna Teng, Megan Slankard) as well as a founding member of the Animators and The Paper Raincoat. Today, Alex shares how being second-generation Chinese in America led to him trying to assimilate by not being seen or taking up too much space. He shares the story of how he finally stopped hiding and tips on how to "get in the zone" before recording your record.

In today’s episode, award-winning singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and comedian Susan Werner shares how songs are like puzzles and some unique ways to solve them. She also talks about how writing from someone else’s point of view can free you up, and what happens when you try to make something perfect - and what to do instead!