What's in a Song

In this episode, singer/songwriter Michael McDermott talks about writing process, writing from your life and shares new songs off his two new albums dropping Sept 13th.

Join the "What's in a Song" membership community:
https://buymeacoffee.com/scarlet.keys


https://michael-mcdermott.com/home

Mixed by Peter Sykes: https://www.petersykesmusic.com/

Otto Gross: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMnxx19QD-vxD4wnYGTn3Jw

Scarlet's website:

https://www.scarletkeys.com

Scarlet's instagram: https://www.instagram.com/scarletkeysofficial/

To purchase Scarlet Keys' book "The Craft of Songwriting:

https://www.amazon.com/Craft-Songwriting-Music-Meaning-Emotion/dp/0876391927/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2PP55NU6E9ST6&keywords=the+craft+of+songwriting&qid=1659573139&sprefix=the+craft+of+songwritin%2Caps%2C153&sr=8-1

Today I have Berklee Professor Ben Camp on the show discussing AI
We talk about where it is now and what it means for songwriters in the future.  We talk ethics, creativity, originality, works that are derivative and Ben takes a song we wrote together years ago and puts it through AI to demonstrate some of the current possibilities AI offers creatives.


Ben Camp has taught songwriting to over 2,000 students at Berklee College of Music, and is a gold record awarded writer and producer. Ben's songs have amassed over 100 million streams, appeared in film and TV on networks like MTV, CBS, NBC, and more. They have written singles for Brice Fox, Tiesto, Victoria Justice, Sam Feldt, and others. Ben has been following the developments in AI for over a decade, and you can find their interviews about AI + Music on NPR, Al Jazeera, and others. 

https://www.bencamp.com/

To support this podcast or to join our Membership: https://buymeacoffee.com/scarlet.keys

Mixed by Peter Sykes: https://www.petersykesmusic.com/

Otto Gross: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMnxx19QD-vxD4wnYGTn3Jw

Scarlet's website:

https://www.scarletkeys.com

Scarlet's instagram: https://www.instagram.com/scarletkeysofficial/

To purchase Scarlet Keys' book "The Craft of Songwriting:

https://www.amazon.com/Craft-Songwriting-Music-Meaning-Emotion/dp/0876391927/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2PP55NU6E9ST6&keywords=the+craft+of+songwriting&qid=1659573139&sprefix=the+craft+of+songwritin%2Caps%2C153&sr=8-1

In this episode, Pat Pattison, author of "Writing Better Lyrics" walks us through step by step of how to find metaphors. This is the exercise I gave to writer Madi Diaz that she talked about in the previous episode.

Pat talks about the difference between simile and metaphor for songwriters, passing metaphors and central metaphors and takes us through a song by Eli and Fur and Gillian Welch.

https://www.patpattison.com/

Mixed by Peter Sykes: https://www.petersykesmusic.com/

Otto Gross: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMnxx19QD-vxD4wnYGTn3Jw

Scarlet's website:

https://www.scarletkeys.com

Scarlet's instagram: https://www.instagram.com/scarletkeysofficial/

To purchase Scarlet Keys' book "The Craft of Songwriting:

https://www.amazon.com/Craft-Songwriting-Music-Meaning-Emotion/dp/0876391927/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2PP55NU6E9ST6&keywords=the+craft+of+songwriting&qid=1659573139&sprefix=the+craft+of+songwritin%2Caps%2C153&sr=8-1

My guest today is one of my former students singer/songwriter Madi Diaz

Madi grew up in Pennsylvania where she was homes schooled by her mother and took piano lessons from her father at the age of 5.

After high school, Madi was accepted to Berklee College of Music and met her first collaborator Kyle Ryan which led to her recording her first record skin and bones in Hawaii.

Later, Madi went on to tour with the civil ward and Landon Pig.  She was featured in Paste magazine as on of teh top ten buzziest acts at SXSW and had songs featrured in ABC family’s Pretty little liars, Drop dead Diva, Army Wives, had her song “The End of the Day” featured on the television series Nashville performed by Connie Britton and Charles Esten.

Since then she had gone on to record several albums, was a guest on Last Call with Carson Daly, and went on to tour with Harry Styles band playing guitar and singing back up vocals and supported Kacey Musgraves on the UK and European legs of her Deeper Well World Tour.

Madi has released 6 studio albums and 4 EP’s 

Today we will talk about so many things that are helpful for songwriters from the biz to inspiration to writing to a prompt for a film placement and listen to a few songs off of her most recent album “Weird Faith”. A case for co-writing and preparing to write.

https://madidiaz.com/

To support this podcast: https://buymeacoffee.com/scarlet.keys

Mixed by Peter Sykes: https://www.petersykesmusic.com/

Scarlet's website:

https://www.scarletkeys.com

Scarlet's instagram: https://www.instagram.com/scarletkeysofficial/

To purchase Scarlet Keys' book "The Craft of Songwriting:

https://www.amazon.com/Craft-Songwriting-Music-Meaning-Emotion/dp/0876391927/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2PP55NU6E9ST6&keywords=the+craft+of+songwriting&qid=1659573139&sprefix=the+craft+of+songwritin%2Caps%2C153&sr=8-1

In this minisode, I talk about writing melody and thinking of melody as the song's tone of voice.

Auditioning melodies to make sure we pair the best notes with our most important words and the power of unstable notes in writing great melodies.

To join my summer songwriting class "Writing Better Melodies" click here:

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/melody-writing-intensive-tickets-943422099897

If you sign up before July 15th, you will receive a free copy of my book "The Craft of Songwriting: Music, Meaning and Emotion" or some  "What's in a Song"  swag.

Mixed by Peter Sykes: https://www.petersykesmusic.com/

Otto Gross: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMnxx19QD-vxD4wnYGTn3Jw

Scarlet's website:

https://www.scarletkeys.com

Scarlet's instagram: https://www.instagram.com/scarletkeysofficial/

To purchase Scarlet Keys' book "The Craft of Songwriting:

https://www.amazon.com/Craft-Songwriting-Music-Meaning-Emotion/dp/0876391927/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2PP55NU6E9ST6&keywords=the+craft+of+songwriting&qid=1659573139&sprefix=the+craft+of+songwritin%2Caps%2C153&sr=8-1

"Inspiration is for Amateurs"

"Don't be 'a writer' but instead be writing." - Faulkner

"Just begin and the mind grows heated; continue, and the task will be completed!”

― Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

To join the "What's in a Song" community membership: https://buymeacoffee.com/scarlet.keys


Link to song from band Corner Boy "Morning Morning": https://open.spotify.com/track/7wjyEuRd6pYN34BmVkOpa1?si=a25d393f73594a0b
https://www.cornerboymusic.com/

Mixed by Peter Sykes: https://www.petersykesmusic.com/

Otto Gross: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMnxx19QD-vxD4wnYGTn3Jw

Scarlet's website:

https://www.scarletkeys.com

Scarlet's instagram: https://www.instagram.com/scarletkeysofficial/

To purchase Scarlet Keys' book "The Craft of Songwriting:

https://www.amazon.com/Craft-Songwriting-Music-Meaning-Emotion/dp/0876391927/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2PP55NU6E9ST6&keywords=the+craft+of+songwriting&qid=1659573139&sprefix=the+craft+of+songwritin%2Caps%2C153&sr=8-1

In this Episode, Robert Ellis Orrall talks about writing with Taylor Swift.  What she was like as a young writer, how he set up the showcase that got her a record deal and shares two songs her wrote with Swift along with an original from his latest record.

Upcoming workshop: Taylor Swift Master class this Tuesday May 28th: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-songwriting-of-taylor-swift-writing-great-melodies-tickets-907284772177


Robert Ellis Orrall's website: https://www.robertellisorrall.com/

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/track/6WVQlFV93roOY6iTH3sv6E?si=14585dc1403e4a13

Mixed by Peter Sykes: https://www.petersykesmusic.com/

Otto Gross: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMnxx19QD-vxD4wnYGTn3Jw

Scarlet's website:

https://www.scarletkeys.com

Scarlet's instagram: https://www.instagram.com/scarletkeysofficial/

Scarlet's website:

https://www.scarletkeys.com

Scarlet's instagram: https://www.instagram.com/scarletkeysofficial/

To purchase Scarlet Keys' book "The Craft of Songwriting:

https://www.amazon.com/Craft-Songwriting-Music-Meaning-Emotion/dp/0876391927/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2PP55NU6E9ST6&keywords=the+craft+of+songwriting&qid=1659573139&sprefix=the+craft+of+songwritin%2Caps%2C153&sr=8-1

The Yoda: Anastrophe: is the inversion of the usual order of words/clausesExample: Invisible String (gold is the color...red is the color...)Green was the color of the grass where I used to read in centennial parkTeal was the color of your shirt when you were sixteen at the yogurt shop - Invisible String“Long were the night when my days once revolved around you" - Dear JohnJoin the master class May 15th: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-songwriting-of-taylor-swift-master-class-tickets-8...

My guest today s an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer Will Kimbrough.

As a producer, he has produced albums for Rodney Crowell, Todd Snider, Kim Richey, Garrison Star and Matthew Ryan to name a few.

His songs have been recorded by Jimmy Buffett, Little Fear, Jack Ingram, and he has collaborated with Rosanne Cash, Guy Clark, Steve Earle, Emmylou Harris, John Prine, and Mavis Staples just to name a few.

In 2004 he was recognized as the instrumentalist of the year by the Americana music association.

Will is a prolific writer and recording artist, a member of Willie Sugarcapps, DADDY and Emmylou Harris' Red Dirt Boys, has written extensively with Jimmy Buffet and he has released 10 solo alums.

Order Will Kimbrough's new album: https://www.willkimbrough.com/

Join Taylor Swift Master class May 15th: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-songwriting-of-taylor-swift-master-class-tickets-895672148507

Scarlet's website:

https://www.scarletkeys.com

Scarlet's instagram: https://www.instagram.com/scarletkeysofficial/

To purchase Scarlet Keys' book "The Craft of Songwriting:

https://www.amazon.com/Craft-Songwriting-Music-Meaning-Emotion/dp/0876391927/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2PP55NU6E9ST6&keywords=the+craft+of+songwriting&qid=1659573139&sprefix=the+craft+of+songwritin%2Caps%2C153&sr=8-1

The storytelling effects of nouns.

Mixed by Peter Sykes: https://www.petersykesmusic.com/

Otto Gross: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMnxx19QD-vxD4wnYGTn3Jw

Scarlet's website:

https://www.scarletkeys.com

Scarlet's instagram: https://www.instagram.com/scarletkeysofficial/

Scarlet's website:

https://www.scarletkeys.com

Scarlet's instagram: https://www.instagram.com/scarletkeysofficial/

Scarlet's website:

https://www.scarletkeys.com

Scarlet's instagram: https://www.instagram.com/scarletkeysofficial/

To purchase Scarlet Keys' book "The Craft of Songwriting:

https://www.amazon.com/Craft-Songwriting-Music-Meaning-Emotion/dp/0876391927/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2PP55NU6E9ST6&keywords=the+craft+of+songwriting&qid=1659573139&sprefix=the+craft+of+songwritin%2Caps%2C153&sr=8-1