Episódios
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Ben Drysdale has been writing and performing songs for 20 years in various duo and band projects. For much of that time he was a solo songwriter but more recently has got into collaborative songwriting which has significantly increased his output. Curiously collaborative songwriting has also significantly helped him launch a solo career.
We discussed Ben's forthcoming single "Listen Now" which was inspired by a difficult conversation he had late one night with a distressed friend. Writing the song was a powerful experience for Ben and was greatly appreciated by his friend.
Ben played Listen Now live in the studio and (if you stick around until the closing credits) you can hear the fully produced band version on Ben's new single. I enjoyed hearing the differences between the single and the pared back acoustic version Ben.
Ben had some great advice for new songwriters about it never being too late to revisit the basics. After nearly 20 years writing songs Ben did a songwriting course and found it transformative. In his words "Learn the rules and then learn how to break them!"
For more about Ben's music, including the details of his new single launch: https://www.bendrysdalemusic.com
NOTE: This episode contains discussion of an instance of suicidal ideation which could be distressing for some listeners.
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Jenny Spear and Bridget Croft are two good friends who write intense, energetic songs with awesome harmonies - think Vika and Linda meet Gillian Welch and Dave Rawlings in a roadside diner. They have both written and performed songs separately in different bands over many years but are really enjoying co-writing in their current duo (although sometimes 3, 4, 5 or 6-piece outfit) "What She's Having".
We played a recording of their single "The Sky" written about a fictitious character who was in jail but now she's on the road. Bridget wrote the lyrics whilst driving and sent them to Jenny who wrote the music in Bridget's preferred key and sent the song back. Jenny describes receiving lyrics from Bridget as like getting Christmas presents.
We then discussed other songs that Bridget and Jenny have written around the theme of the same fictitious character. She's broken out of jail, she's on the road, on the run and there is a murder ballad!
They played their song Blood Moon live in the studio which is in the episode and look out for two other ones - Good to You and Still on the Run - we recorded which are included after the closing credits. These are all powerful songs with beautiful harmonies.
Bridget and Jenny described a range of things that help them with their songwriting and are good advice for other songwriters - capture ideas in the moment, share them with people you trust, listen to lots of music for ideas, don't let your self-critic get in your way, don't try to make your songs too complex, leave spaces in the songs, enjoy yourself!
Having fun is paramount and I reckon Jenny and Bridget spent as much time laughing as they did talking and singing in the studio. It was great to meet both of them.
Here is where you can find the songs in the episode:
The Sky (recording) - 19:05
Blood Moon (live) - 26:16
Good to you (live) - 40:05
Still on the Run (live) - 44:10
To check out more of Jenny and Bridget's music:
https://linktr.ee/whatsheshaving
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Nick-Lee Murphy lives for music, by day fixing guitars at a music store and at other times playing in bands and musically supporting a bunch of different community groups. Nick started writing songs out of a feeling of envy when he saw his mates performing their own songs so he got a guitar and started writing songs himself. He reckons it took him a couple of years to develop his songs to the point where he could play them in a band.
Songwriting has been with Nick at the highest and lowest points in his life and the things that drive his songwriting have changed over the years. Earlier on he really needed affirmation from others when he wrote songs but now he writes just for himself and doesn't mind what people think. Interestingly he gets more positive feedback these days!
Nick finds the songwriting process difficult - like he's in a boxing match with a version of himself who is his harshest critic. He throws a lot of songs away but the ones that get through to the end of the boxing match are ones he loves.
He played one of his keepers, "Crave Love" live in the studio and explained how it was written a long time ago for a particular part of his life but the meaning of it has evolved for him over time and is still very relevant today. The song has a strong vibe of one of his songwriting heroes, Robert Plant.
Nick had a lot of fabulous music stories and had me in stitches telling his story about singing songs as a door to door electricity salesman to try to drum up business. It was a pleasure to meet him and hear his songwriting story!
To hear more of Nick's music with his current band The Filthy Darlings:
https://open.spotify.com/artist/1aGULTk3Flhcljeah1qAVP?si=zq6N_xA9RIWqkYQSu-aYRw
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Canadian singer-songwriter Heather Hill and I caught up just after the release of her fourth album "Twilight Mist". Heather's songwriting is strongly influenced by the natural environment around her home in Canada and the twilight is a particularly productive time for her to write both in terms of inspiration and the space to be creative after a busy day with work and family.
Heather was classically trained and played classical and pop music for years before she "gave herself permission" to write her own songs. Since then she has written extensively and collaborated with many other musicians.
We played a recording of "Twilight Mist" which Heather wrote about and for her mother when she was close to the end of her life. The song itself is about transition and not being afraid of what might lie beyond. Another great story about Heather's new album is the inclusion of her mum's first ever recorded song - recorded when she was in her 80s!
It was a real pleasure to hear about Heather's passion for music and the things that inspire her.
Check out Heather's website to hear more of her music including her new album:
https://www.heatherhill.ca/
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Amber Shuhyta started to write songs after many years of classical music training in voice and piano. She had some jazz lessons, learnt how to improvise and stepped over the threshold into the murky world of playing by ear, feeling the vibe and writing songs - she hasn't looked back!
Amber and I chatted about the fun that writing songs brings and she explained how songwriting is kind of a third space, separate from the day to day - family, work etc. She typically starts with musical shapes, chord sequences and phrases which create a picture or story for her to build in a song. The lyrics she finds harder but they come from the vibe the music gives her.
Amber brought her ukulele into the studio and played her (as yet untitled) song about the space and light she feels when she is in a quiet moment playing music. The song was inspired by her experiences playing uke and singing in her back yard accompanied by the chortling tones of three local magpies! It's a beautiful airy song which definitely conveyed a sense of contentment and respite from the busy world.
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Songwriter, multi instrumentalist and ukulele virtuoso, A.J. Leonard has been writing songs for 50 years. Sometimes he can write one in a single sitting, others are still not finished after decades. He sees songwriting as an alchemy which he can't quite explain but he recognises that there are mysterious forces fanning a fire within him to write songs. He does usually start with the lyrics though and the music follows.
AJ and I had a great chat and he took me right back to the start when, as kids in the 60s, he and his brother grabbed tennis rackets from the cupboard and mimed to their parents records. He wrote his first song on the ukulele in the 70s and has been a prolific songwriter ever since. We discussed all kinds of songwriting influences from 1920s ukulele music to The Beatles to Radiohead. Despite the mysterious songwriting forces which can't be completely described, AJ offered a range of very valuable tips and techniques to assist new and established songwriters to do what they do.
AJ described how he wrote a series of 12 instrumental pieces in 12 keys for the 12 months of the year. From that series AJ played "July" live in the studio, a beguiling piece written in the rainforests of Hawaii, but which left me imagining leaves blowing down a windy winter street. It's great how songs mean different things to different people! AJ also played a new and as yet unpublished song, "Growing Old Together" which he wrote collaboratively with an online lyricist friend in the US.
To hear and find out more about AJ Leonard's music:
home
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I caught up with Taiwanese-Australian singer-songwriter Kim Yang when she was in Australia briefly to perform at the 2024 National Folk Festival. Kim started writing songs in her mid-twenties partly to articulate important issues in her life. Kim says that, as a shy person, she finds it challenging to initiate conversations but that writing songs can break the ice for her and get her voice heard.
Kim loves the connection with people that songwriting brings and she enjoys collaborating with other musicians. She particularly loves it when the audience sing along at gigs.
She has a disciplined approach to song writing. She often starts with a five-minute brain dump of words related to an idea or story she wants to tell. She then sets herself a time limit, say one hour, to form up the lyrics. The music comes next and the emotional vibe Kim gets from the lyrics influence the music she creates around the story of the song.
Kim performed a new song live in the studio - "All good when I'm with you" which tells the story of musicians helping and lifting the spirits of others through their songs. It's a gentle, beautiful song with plenty of spaces for you to sing along - which you'll want to!
To check out more of Kim's music: https://open.spotify.com/artist/7kwuujRrUf8BEBpqsruKiW
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Kieren and Luke from the band Adventure Street have got to be the most enthusiastic music besties I've ever met! They've known each other and played music together since they were kids and spent many years living next door to each other on (yes you've guessed it) Adventure Street which is a real street in Canberra!
We had a fantastic chat about how Kieren and Luke work with each other to write songs. Interestingly despite their 30 year music partnership they only really started writing and performing original songs together a few years ago. Keiren related how on a summer evening with the windows open he'd hear his neighbour jamming guitar riffs which would inspire him to write lyrics. Then by the time they both got together for a jam, a song would already be half written!
Pivotal to both of them in the songwriting process is collaboration with each other, with other members of Adventure Street and the folk that support their recording sessions and live performances. It's all about the people.
Kieren and Luke performed their song "The Road and Me" live in the studio and even roped me into play bass. It really showcases how Luke's great guitar riffs mesh in with Kieren's vocals and Miles Davis-like trumpet playing.
It was so much fun chatting with these guys. I guarantee it'll put a smile on your dial!
To hear more of Kieren and Luke's music:
https://open.spotify.com/artist/2rNXpKZNR3cw4y2L0Bmp5m?si=jngqSRhoTdOU7AL5qbCJhw
AdventureStreetBand
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Fiona and Blair have been songwriters and performers in various musical projects for a long time. Fairly recently they pooled their songwriting talents in the band The Lonely Fates. It was a real pleasure to hear how these two talented songwriters collaborate to build songs from the ground up. The offer ideas, they listen, they intuite, they soundboard off each other and they trust each other enough to be able to give frank feedback. The result is soulful indi folk songs that capture you completely.....and their harmonies are breathtaking. I learnt a lot about collaborative songwriting from this discussion.
Blair and Fiona described how they wrote their new song "This is what we do" and played it live in the studio. They were generous enough to stick around to record a couple of other songs too - "Catch Release" and "True North". You can hear both of these just after the end of the closing credits.
Here's where you can find the songs:
This is what we do - 15.15
Catch Release - 30.46
True North - 34.31
To check out The Lonely Fates:
TheLonelyFates
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Alec Randles trained as a finger-style guitarist strongly influenced by Celtic and classical music. He then started writing songs, pop songs coming first, and then songs more and more connected to his Celtic and classical training. In our discussion Alec describes how he needs to be inspired by an issue he wants to "say" something about to write a song. He often starts with a guitar melody which conveys an emotional energy and the lyrics build on that. When he shares new songs with his bandmates the songwriting process becomes collaborative and that is always interesting for Alec, sometimes challenging, often funny and always rewarding. He is passionate about the music community he has met and become part of through songwriting.
Alec plays his song "These Days" live in the studio. He wrote the song in 2016 when he was in the USA studying politics - right in the middle of a well-known election campaign! Plenty of emotional energy comes through in the dramatic guitar licks and accompanying lyrics.
It was a pleasure to meet Alec and hear his story about the pivotal role songwriting and performing plays in his life.
To find out more about Alec and hear his music:
https://www.alecrandles.com/about
https://www.facebook.com/alecrandlesmusic/
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Bec Taylor's songwriting started with big ambitions when as a 12 year old she and a friend decided to put MacBeth to music! She's written and performed a huge number of songs over the years across just about every genre you can imagine. One of her friends refers to her as the Swiss army knife of songwriting! Bec and I met on the eve of the release of the first single - Photograph - from her forthcoming album - Limbs and All - with Bec Taylor and the Lyrebirds. We discussed how she wrote a rough draft of the song with the other members of the band in mind and then bought them all together to finish it off. The producer of the Lyrebirds album also became part of the songwriting process advising on this song and how all the songs on the new album might fit together. We played a snippet of the new single and then Bec played a beautiful solo acoustic version of the song live in the studio.
For Bec songwriting is a puzzle to be solved and she often processes and organises the elements of a song while driving or walking her dog (who is definitely a great soundboard!). She's also learnt a lot about songwriting teaching students in the music school she founded and ran. Bec has a lot of great advice for new songwriters. It was a real pleasure to chat with Bec and get an insight into her passion and unbridled enthusiasm for songwriting!
To hear more of Bec's music:
Bec Taylor and the LyrebirdsSpotifyhttps://open.spotify.com › artist
bectaylorandthelyrebirds.bandcamp.com
instagram.com/bectaylorlyrebirds
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Areta is a songwriter who, through her songwriting, invites us right in to share the things that are important and powerful in her life. She has been writing poems and songs for many years but only started performing them fairly recently. Areta plays live her song "Inconsolable Thoughts" and we discuss how writing the song enabled her to come to terms with and communicate about a key episode in her life. She explains how songwriting breaks down communication barriers in a unique way.
You can check out more of Areta's music at: https://www.instagram.com/untitledoriginal_/?igsh=MTNlZWpvbjRrNmQwaQ%3D%3D
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Award-winning folk singer/songwriter Fred Smith has seen many things, written many songs and the world is a better place for it. In this episode Fred talks about how he started off in music playing covers in a restaurant for 20 bucks and a bowl of spaghetti and spent years writing comedy songs. Then his songwriting and work as a diplomat came together as his songs documented the trials, humorous moments and tragedies of the Afghanistan conflict. We discuss and play a recording of his song Derapet which tells the story of the death of an Australian soldier told from the perspective of another soldier. Fred believes you have to see the story you are writing songs about or observe it through the eyes of someone who was there. The stories in Fred's songs are interesting, funny, sad, terrifying - you name it - and it was great to gain a bit of an understanding of how he captures these moments and makes them accessible to others through song.
Hear Fred's music at https://fredsmith.com.au/
His new album, "Look" can be found at https://fredsmith.com.au/album/2516534/look
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In this episode my guest is Larissa Swan who writes beautiful songs for and about people who mean a lot to her. Larissa writes songs to help process big issues in her life and has made great connections with people through songwriting. Sometimes the people she writes songs for reciprocate and send her back one of their own compositions which can be pretty special. Larissa recognises that she's got to stop and capture song ideas when she gets them. Sometimes the song can be written in that moment, other times it might take a year or more.
Larissa plays her song "Stars and Streetlamps" live in the studio, written about saying goodbye to a close friend on a cold, dark night. She explains how her friend's musical tastes influenced the way the song was written. Larissa's powerful performance conveys the emotional connection to her friend - it's a beautiful song.
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Part 2 of a discussion about a crazy, wonderful week of songwriting. In this episode, Ryland Newstead, Jasmine Fellows, Scott Lennard and I discuss the second part of the seven songs in seven days songwriting challenge that we participated in recently. We discuss how, as the week progressed, it got easier for some and harder for others to write new songs and how we, inspired by what we were hearing from others, experimented outside our songwriting comfort zones. We began to write songs in different genres, using techniques we hadn't embraced before. As the body of work built, we all got a buzz out of listening to others' songs and having our songs listened to. By the end of the week we were exhausted, exhilarated and we definitely thought we'd do it again......maybe after a bit of a break! We all heartily recommend any songwriters who might be interested in an activity like this to give it a go - you won't be sorry! Check out the Easter egg at the end of the episode. Ryland, Jasmine, Scott and I all play our favourite song from the seven we wrote that week and the four of us give our reactions in real time :)
Here's the sample playlist again :
https://soundcloud.com/ryland_n/sets/7-songs-in-7-days-2023?si=a9ea2f05fd6f4df18d89ec893977e94e&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing
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Write seven songs in seven days - no way! A songwriter friend of mine organised an online songwriting challenge to write and share in real time an original song every day for a week. 12 songwriters participated and this is the first of a two part account of an amazing, raw, unfiltered and supportive songwriting experience under time pressures but in a safe space. It was an incredible experience, we learnt so much from each other and at the end of the week 59 new songs existed in the world! In this episode, four of the participants, Ryland Newstead, Jasmine Fellows, Scott Lennard and I, talk through how the first part of the week went and we share lots of song snippets from the original songs people composed and shared. Where do the ideas come from? Lyric techniques? Picking up creative sparks from others? Getting it done in a day? Dealing with writers block? Chat GPT - hmmm? All is discussed and revealed. If this episode captures your interest, have a listen to the next episode where we go into the second part of the songwriting week.
Here's a playlist of some of the songs written during the week:
https://soundcloud.com/ryland_n/sets/7-songs-in-7-days-2023?si=a9ea2f05fd6f4df18d89ec893977e94e&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing
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Daniel Champagne is an incredible acoustic guitar player and songwriter. I had the great fortune to chat with him whilst he was in Australia for one show in-between North American and European tours. In this interview Daniel takes us back to when he wrote his first songs as a kid on the New South Wales South Coast and then takes us on his songwriting journey which he has continued to hone and develop through fifteen years of being almost continually on the road. He explains how he weaves together virtuoso guitar playing with writing lyrics and how that is sometimes quite hard. He performs live in the studio a beautiful version of his song "The Coast of New South Wales". We discuss how the song was first written as a salve for homesickness and has remained a close friend to Daniel as he tours the world. Daniel's songs frequently express connection to and longing for people, places and experiences in his life. His joy and commitment to his craft shines through in a chat that I enjoyed very much!
For more more of Daniel's music:
https://danielchampagnemusic.com/
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In this episode I have the great pleasure of chatting with Canberra duo, The Cashews. Pete Lyon and Alison Procter write songs about people and places that are close to them and often "pop up" in the places that they have written about to perform those songs. In the interview we learn about how they both started writing songs individually as kids and how, many years later, they combined their songwriting skills to form The Cashews. They tell great stories about how they work together to write songs. Back in the day Alison would record ideas on a dictaphone and Pete would burn them onto CDs. One time Pete left some of his musical ideas on a CD hidden in a tree at a train station for Alison to find!
They also play an old song (Sullivan's Creek) and a new song (A Simple Song) live in the studio and we discuss how both of these songs were written.
This conversation provides great insights into how two talented songwriters have learnt from each other and collaborated to create a fantastic body of work that resonates with their many appreciators. You don't want to miss this one!
Check out The Cashews music here:
https://thecashews.bandcamp.com/
The CashewsFacebookhttps://www.facebook.com › ... › The Cashews
The Cashews - Tuggeranong Parkway (The Slimer Sessions)YouTube · localnlivecanberra5 minutes, 42 seconds30 Sept 2012
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Nigel McRae is well known around Canberra as the owner of Smith's Alternative, a music venue that strongly supports local songwriters and original bands. But he also has been a prolific songwriter. In this episode Nigel tells us how he came to write 100 songs in 10 years and then virtually no songs for the last 10 years! He explains how it took him a long time to get into his songwriting stride but once he did, a lot of songs came quickly. He likes to strum chord progressions over and over, looking for some point of difference from other songs he knows. The words then arrive and more often than not they have a political theme. Nigel plays a fantastic acoustic version of his song "Free Loving Blues" live in the studio and explains how he wrote it. We also talk about the great support Smith's Alternative provides to local songwriters and, in particular, providing a safe space for new songwriters to perform their very first gigs.
For more information on Smiths Alternative:
https://www.smithsalternative.com/
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Meredith has her own music podcast and a band. She considers herself an occasional songwriter and has written two songs. In this episode Meredith explains how she was scared of writing songs for many years until one day she needed to write an original theme tune for her podcast and... bingo! We also discuss her other song "One Heart is enough" which she wrote about something she feels very strongly about. Meredith gives us great insights into the things that help her songwriting process (including escaping to the country and trialling new lyrics in the shower!).
Details of Meredith's podcast and some of her music below:
Ukulele is the New Black podcast and band:
https://ukuleleisthenewblack.libsyn.com/
https://thenewblackmusic.com/
https://youtube.com/@thenewblack235?si=xj8ONPYc-4wEf1ZT
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