What can you say about the exceptionally talented poet, novelist, and prolific singer/songwriter Leonard Cohen.that hasn’t already been said? Well, the Song Talk Radio action team didn’t worry about that. Bruce, Neel, and Phil simply dove into their memories and had a close look at three of his many, many songs. Bruce brought the poetic Bird on a Wire (1969), Neel shared the dark and foreboding Everybody Knows (1980’s), and Phil had us pay attention to one of Cohen’s last recordings, the prescient Leaving the Table (2016).

Have a listen!

http://www.songtalk.ca/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/Song-Talk-Radio-Nov-22-2016-Leonard-Cohen-Tribute.mp3

Indie rock band Beige Shelter stopped by to talk about forming the band, producing their first album, and performed two songs. Our very own Neel Modi took the co-guest seat as producer, drummer, and co-writer. A good friend of Song Talk Radio, Patrick Ballantyne filled in for Neel’s host spot.

Beige Shelter is:

* Adi Aman – songwriter, vocals, rhythm guitar, ukulele, harmonica

* Neel Modi – producer, percussionist, co-writer on Colours

* Tom Kuczynski – bass guitar

* Karan Sabharwal – lead guitar (absent)

We talked about:

* Adi’s first appearance on Song Talk Radio over two years ago

* Where the band name came from

* Adi’s approach to capturing a wide range of emotions with his yin-yang philosophy of songwriting

* Neel’s approach to producing the album – check out his blog post on this

* Playing with your key signature to find the sweet spot for your vocals

* Where you can listen to Beige Shelter’s debut album, Rumours we make, paths we take

Listen to the whole show:

Watch the live performances:

The Song Talk Team had the distinct pleasure of spending an hour with the very talented and original singer/songwriter Dan Edmonds. His fresh takes on music and how it’s made were both illuminating and engaging. He played two of his intriguing recordings – “Love Can Be a Tunnel” and “To Be That Needle”. We talked about:

* improvising lyrics in the recording studio

* letting the listener make their own meaning from the words

* the two-chord song

* the fun and challenge of touring

* finding management

Here’s the show. Have a listen!

http://www.songtalk.ca/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/Song-Talk-Radio-Nov-1-2016-Dan-Edmonds.mp3

 

Singer/songwriter Robert Davis stopped by with some great fun songs and we talked about the following:

* Download robert-davis-lyrics here

* Differences between kids and Adult songs

* Dr. Demento

* Koerner Hall

* Mark Russell (piano player / songwriter / political satirist)

* Subversive themes in children’s songs

* Country Music songwriting approach

* NSAI

* Socan House (Nashville House)

* Factor.ca

* Country Music Association

* Ken Whitely (producer)

* USA Songwriting Contest (Novelty category)

* Making an issue into a character in a song

* Travis Style picking

* The Beatles – Act Naturally

* Pitching songs

* www.robertdavis.ca

* http://www.twitter.com/iRobertDavis

* Facebook http://www.facebook.com/robert.davis

* YouTube https://www.youtube.com/user/RobertDavisComedy

* SoundCloud:https://soundcloud.com/robertdavismusic

 

Listen to the episode:

 

 

Okay, so we couldn’t get Bob to come to the studio for the show. Not surprising considering how the Nobel Prize people can’t find him either. On this show about Bob Dylan we discussed:

* The new film from Ron Howard  – The Beatles, Eight Days a Week

* How the Beatles wrote songs

* Should the Nobel Prize for Literature have been given to Bob Dylan?

* What was Bob Dylan’s contribution to the music world?

* Bob’s lyrics and melodies

* How much his early career was influenced by the times (early sixties)

* His long career

* Two of his songs: “Shelter from the Storm” and “Subterranean Homesick Blues”

http://www.songtalk.ca/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/Song-Talk-Radio-Oct-11-2016-Bob-Dylan-for-podcast.mp3

Pro songwriter Allister Bradley joined us for an hour to talk about two of his catchy, thoughtful songs and his process for getting them done. Stuff we talked out:

* Toronto’s Song Studio

* Making it in the music industry

* Writing with your secondary instrument

* Using session musicians

* Why you should whistle your melody

* Chord progression tip: make each chord in your progression a perfect fifth above the previous one

Download the lyrics for the songs.

Connect with Allister

* Artist Website: http://www.allisterbradley.com

* Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/allisterbradley

* Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/AllisterBradleyMusic

* YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/allisterbradley

* SoundCloud: http://www.soundcloud.com/allisterbradley

Listen to the full show

Matt stopped by and we talked about the ins and outs of writing songs with humour. Friend of the show, Dave Miner subbed in for Neel!

Some stuff we talked about:

* Matt Gerber’s Official Website

* Download the lyrics for Matt’s songs here

* Song Studio

* Scrape (industrial band)

* Yamaha Canada Music

Listen to the whole show:

Lyricist and librettist Stephen Witkin returned to Song Talk Radio for a highly informative hour on writing for musical theatre. Here are some of the topics we discussed:

* what is the “book”  and the role of the book writer for a musical?

* collaboration with the muscial’s composer

* the purpose of the book in relation to the songs

Website: Stephenwitkin.com

Blog: stephenwitkin.wordpress.com “From Here to Epiphany”

Twitter: @StephenWitkin

Linked In: Stephen Witkin

Facebook: Stephen Witkin

Listen to the full show:

Songwriter, composer, and music teacher Frank Horvat joined us to talk about scales, the different kinds and colours of chords, and using chords as a palette for your songwriting.

We covered:

* Intervals (2 notes) and triads (chords with 3 notes)

* Major and minor triads and their different tonal colours

* The hardly-ever-used diminished (or seven) chord

* The Nashville chord numbering system

* The tonic (I) and dominant (V) chord relationship

* A typical blues chord progression (I-IV-I-V-IV-I)

* Chord extensions (7th’s and 9th’s)

* Writing from the head vs. the heart

Listen to the full show:

Useful resources while you listen to the show:

 

 

 

 

The Multi-Talented songwriter/actor Alyssa Baker stopped by with a couple of great songs and an even better discussion on creating songs and managing multiple career streams.

Some Stuff We Talked About:

* Lost & Found Music Studios tv series

* Protecting your songs

* VisiKlick Metronome app

* Socan

* Songs being too “songwriter-y” ?

* Undone – EP – Alyssa Baker on iTunes

* Website: www.alyssabakermusic.com

* Instagram: www.instagram.com/alyssa_baker/

* Facebook: www.facebook.com/alyssabakermusic/

* YouTube: www.youtube.com/user/AlyssaBakerMusic

* Spotify: open.spotify.com/artist/5TkIX0a194cthECx1qMPdh

This week’s twitter contributors:

* @roseandselena

* @Christie_Baker

* @SharonRsoe2012

* @ynotburns

* @timothyjlim

* @garbaker_gary

Listen to the show:

Watch the live performance: