How did you write that song?

Canberra songwriters Dorothy Jane (DJ) Gosper and Jeff Prime have been doing their stuff for many years in many different genres across the blues, jazz, rock and folk spectrum.It was great to catch up with them and hear some of their songwriting insights from their many years experience of working on songs both individually and collectively.DJ is a little reluctant to be too analytical about songwriting as, in her words, "it seems sort of magical". She started composing songs from poems as a young person and soon realised she doesn't have just one approach to writing songs. Driving her car seems to be a place where lyrical or musical ideas come to her. Once she gets an initial idea the song builds around it, sometimes very quickly and other times much more slowly.Jeff has an interesting approach. As a songwriter who doesn't sing himself he writes the instrumental parts and gets his music software to sing the words he comes up with and then shares the results with DJ as she'll be singing the song once it is finished. For him a mood or sentiment in a guitar riff will often lead to lyrics later on.We played recordings of a couple of their songs during our chat. The first, "Moving On", was written by Jeff and is about recognising when it is time to move on from a relationship or other life experience. The other song, "On My Own" was written by DJ and tells the story of how she was affected by and then came to accept something extraordinary and traumatic in her life. It's a powerful song and also demonstrates how important songwriting can be.For more of DJ and Jeff's music: https://dorothy-jane.com/jd_band

Shark & Fox consists of Jaron Freeman-Fox on violin, 12-string viola d’amor and fretless guitar, Emily-Rose Sharkova on accordion and keyboards, and Rose Callaghan on the drums, with all three members lending their voices in a collective roar, or intricate harmony. Their music ranges from crazy up-tempo Eastern European folk with unusual time signatures through to floating atmospheric wonder that will stop you in your tracks.So I was very fortunate when Emily-Rose, Jaron and Rose stopped by for a chat on their way to a gig in Canberra. We discussed how they've all become amazing instrumentalists through their lives but coming together recently as Shark and Fox has led them more to focus on songwriting and thinking of themselves as songwriters. It was clear from our chat that they really gel with each other musically, listening and learning from each other as they collaborate on their songs. Wanting to work with each other is key, as is working out the reason for a song to be written. Everything else follows.We played a recording of their single "Let Your Loved Ones Know" which is about making sure that important conversations with your important people do happen. It was great to chat with them and if you want to hear more from Shark and Fox: https://sharkandfox.com/

I was lucky enough to catch up with Erin and Lachlan from Victorian folk duo Broken Creek when they were briefly in Canberra for a gig.They've got a great complementary approach to songwriting - Erin writes the lyrics and Lachlan writes the music..... well it's not quite that straightforward! Erin's crafting of the lyrics suggests melody and rhythm ideas and Lachlan's instrumental skills inspire song ideas. Lachlan also digs right into the subject matter of songs and produces pages of research about the subject of a song and Erin filters the essence of the story into the song.We discussed and played a recording of a wonderful song they wrote in this iterative way about the convict Mary Bryant who was transported with the first fleet and then led the first successful escape from the colony at Port Jackson..... in Governor Philip's stolen fishing boat!Many of their songs tell the story of inspirational women from history who rarely have their stories told in the history books.They are both impressive musicians and songwriters in their own right but together that synergy thing is working overtime! I hope you enjoy listening to this episode as much as I did recording it!To hear more of Erin and Lachlan's music: https://www.brokencreekband.com/

Chris Johnson is a long time songwriter and lover of guitars. He came to the studio for a chat with his custom-made acoustic guitar built from exclusively Australian timber that he once wrote a book about! Chris has been writing songs since he was in primary school in Brisbane and has always been keen to perform his songs for others. It usually takes an idea to kick off the songwriting process and then he usually develops lyrics and music at the same time. Chris likes to tell a story through his songs but keep the music simple. We discussed Chris's song "Seven Seas" written at a time when his family was away for an extended period and he was missing his daughter. As he wrote the song it morphed into a broader idea about missing people and he finds that people he performs it to often can relate it to their own circumstances. Chris is constantly amazed by how audiences have a range of different interpretations of the meanings of his songs. Chris related the story of recording Seven Seas in the studio and how the contributing musicians added their own influences to the final mix. Chris played a wonderful solo acoustic version of Seven Seas in the studio which transported me to many far-away places! Songwriting has been a great friend to Chris and his advice to new songwriters - believe in yourself and give it a go! Also, when you get a musical or lyrical idea, write it down or it'll be lost! For more of Chris's music with his collaborator Artem Grigoriev in Canberra "outlaw country" duo Capo Creek: https://capocreek.bandcamp.com/album/running-out

I had a phone chat with Chris and Kayleigh from Canadian folk duo Dandelion Highway whilst they were sitting in their car on the Canadian side of Niagara Falls just before a gig in a vintage record store! They both love songwriting and have written songs independently for many years. Kayleigh who hails from Waterford in Ireland met Chris in Toronto through a shared love of Irish music, tea and puppies and they started writing songs together. They are quite complementary as songwriters with Chris often coming up with a riff that they repeat over and over until some of the lyrics Kayleigh has stashed in her lyric book fit the tune. they observe and interpret each other's work as they go back and forth to finish a song. We discussed their forthcoming single "We are Gold" which is a very positive story about maintaining a friendship after a relationship has ended and recognising the value that both people have brought to each others' lives. We played a recording of "We are Gold" and I could see them car dancing at the other end of the video call! Listening to it brought back memories for Chris and Kayleigh of recording the song and the way that their producer became part of the songwriting team. It was great to catch up with Chris and Kayleigh and to catch up with Dandelion Highway's music: https://dandelion-highway.com/

Matt Holborow writes songs and makes guitars! He approaches both in a similar way - learning by doing, trial and error and gradually gaining confidence. Matt has been known by friends and colleagues for a long time as a musician and someone who can change the lyrics of existing songs for a certain occasion. It's only in the past few years that Matt has taken the plunge and started writing his own original songs. He likes to allude to aspects of his life through songwriting but hide the specifics behind scraps of truth and fiction taken from other sources. Matt has separate "banks" of lyrics and Musical ideas which come together through a hard-to-pin-down process into songs. He's had the experience of writing a song in five minutes, taking years to write a song and everything in-between. Working with his band mates in "Box of Hammers" Matt has built his songwriting ability and now can imagine in his head the various parts of a song - guitars, bass, vocal harmonies etc. Matt played two songs live in the studio - "There's a Bear in There" and "Tradie Lady". Both songs have great stories attached and Matt points out that there is an autobiographical element in both songs and a lot of stuff he adapted or made up! Matt encourages new songwriters to take it slow, try things out, throw lots of things away and trust your instincts.

I had the great fortune to chat about songwriting with legendary, and now Melbourne-based, singer/songwriter James Fahy when he was back in Canberra recently. For James, getting going with songwriting during his school and uni years empowered him at a time when things were difficult. He's never looked back! We talked about two phases of songwriting - the creative phase (very short and needs to be held onto as long as possible) and the editing phase (can go on for a long time!). James thinks a lot about his potential audience when he is songwriting and often imagines them sitting in the room with him whilst he is writing. He also is and has been strongly influenced by people he has co-written with including his former school mate, Ramsay, Joe Oppenheimer, Evan Buckley and others. Many of James's songs are about friends or real things that have happened but in order to protect the identity or feelings of individuals, including himself, James often combines several narrative thoughts into a single song. We spoke about the song "Northbourne", a song written 15 years ago about the road of the same name in Canberra. When James originally wrote the song, trying to bring together threads of his time in Canberra and people he knew, he wasn't very happy with the the result and put it "in the cupboard" for six months. Getting it out again, the songwriting "dough" had risen in the intervening months and gave James a new perspective on what he had written. At this point he realised that some of his Canberra music collaborators' styles were actually reflected in the song after all! He also reflected on how songs evolve over time - the Northbourne Avenue streetscape has changed a lot over the years! James discussed a stack of technical tips and tricks which help him with his songwriting and then played an acoustic version of Northbourne live in the studio which showcase a lot of these songwriting techniques. It was great to catch up with James and I think this episode is a goldmine for budding songwriters! For more about James's music: https://linktr.ee/jamesfahymusic?fbclid=IwY2xjawGZF_5leHRuA2FlbQIxMAABHbFLiiZWuXk2E5R_sDXxC9FWziaUqf3Qqvqj90VgrPTTdfrVYBxOXgiGnA_aem_s0DRsdAfjixecq-_mqGdVw https://www.facebook.com/jamesfahymusic/ https://soundcloud.com/jamesfahy

Rachel Hore is a songwriter, a teacher and a choir leader who started writing songs in an a cappella group and got into writing folk songs (with instruments) much later. The strength of Rachel's voice skills and experience is clear in her songs but she says that she is so busy with her choral work these days that she doesn't have a lot of time for songwriting. Rachel feels very grateful to have met Australian songwriter Christina Olsen early in her career. Christina taught Rachel the craft of songwriting and encouraged her to be courageous and begin her own solo songwriting and performing ventures. We played a recording of "Angry Child" written at a time Rachel was holding down a day job teaching (blessed with a very supportive boss) whilst performing music all over the country. The song is about a very angry special needs student Rachel taught and eventually encouraged to write poetry to channel his anger. It's a beautiful song with a dark interior - full of beautiful harmonies and hopefulness. A big motivation for Rachel is sharing her songs with others and this has led to her passion for choral songwriting, teaching and performing and it has become her life's work. She founded the pop-up choir in Canberra which is open to any singer of any skill level or experience. She says she writes and arranges the choir's songs to be interesting enough and accessible enough so that anyone can participate in the choir. Anyone who has seen and heard a pop-up choir performance will know that they are stunningly good! Rachel uses her musical training to help with writing and arranging song melodies and harmonies but it still comes down to feel and instinct working with other choristers to develop songs. We also discussed "Winter Song" and "The Big Sing in the Desert", important songwriting festivals and workshops where Rachel works with participants to arrange and perform choral songs. The Big Sing in particular is a very special opportunity to work with indigenous singers from six central desert communities. Rachel recounted an experience where she went to the Big Sing with a two-line melody "I want to go back to that land. Bring me home" which came to her after seeing an exhibition of objects which had been taken from Country during colonial times. By the end of the workshop indigenous singers had translated the melody into three central desert languages and it had become an amazing whole song! The song continues to grow and has now been translated into several other languages by traditional singers. We played a recording of an amazing performance of the song at the Big Sing. Rachel's advice to other songwriters - hold on to that small idea - it might just grow into something amazing! For more about Rachel's choirs and music: https://rachelhore.com/

Canberra-based singer/songwriter David Mason grew up in the Yorkshire Dales in the UK. Whilst he's played music at various points in his life starting out as a drummer and then a guitar player, he only wrote his first song during the Covid lockdowns. David's songwriting is shaped by his interest in place, memory, myth and the folk tradition. It is also strongly influenced by his roots and connection to where he grew up. David mused on how those connections to home have become stronger in recent years and have had a lot to do with getting him started as a songwriter. David stores a lot of song ideas in the "cupboard" of his mind. He typically starts by strumming his Celtic-tuned guitar to get ideas. These musical fragments suggest story ideas and David often spends quite a bit of time researching and finessing the lyrics to finish the song. We discussed David's song "The Strid" which is a story song based on a legend from his homeland - a cautionary tale of a quiet wood, a rushing torrent and a luckless dreamer (or two). We played a recording of the song taken from David's album "Kite" and discussed how the studio producer also becomes part of the songwriting team. David has written an ebook about The Strid - https://somefabulist.wordpress.com/about/ For more of David's music - https://david-mason.bandcamp.com/album/kite

Lisa Richards is an acclaimed singer, songwriter, musician and voice teacher. She very kindly found the time to stop by the studio to discuss songwriting and play one of her songs live just ahead of a busy tour. In fact it was the first singing performance she had done for a few months after an illness-related layoff. Lisa has been writing songs for 25 years since she formed a songwriting partnership with a guitarist and they both ended up in New York. Songwriting is how Lisa processes the world, herself and her relationships with others. Her songwriting process typically starts with her instrument, could be a melody, a bass line or chords. When she finds musical elements that inspire her, she starts to sing and the lyrics come. Realising what the story of the song is can often be the last part of the process for Lisa. It is important for the lyrics to "sing" right - to feel good as Lisa is vocalising them. We discussed Lisa's song, "Waiting for love to cure me" which weaves together the story of immigrants arriving into New York and making traditional pickles from their home countries with the experience of being an older woman and how the concept of love changes from the myth of love taught to young people. Lisa's performance of the song, live in the studio, with her gentle but driving guitar rhythm and Bille Holiday-like vocals is a beautiful thing! Lisa writes songs for herself and it's a bonus if other people like them. She encourages new songwriters to do exactly that and to not curtail their creative selves or be too concerned about what other people think. To find out more about Lisa's music: https://www.lisarichardsmusic.com/

I had a fabulous chat with internationally acclaimed singer/songwriter Michael Simic (aka Mikelangelo) when he was in Canberra workshopping a new solo musical theatre production. Michael writes dark, funny, crooning folk songs influenced by his European heritage, often with a raucous theatrical vibe. He's been performing these energetic original works under his stage persona of Mikelangelo for more than thirty years. He got into playing music as a teenager inspired by his brother's punk band but discovered his songwriting in student digs teaching himself to play a friends guitar. It was like the guitar was a portal to songwriting. The lyrics and music typically come to Michael at the same time and he demonstrated in the studio on his guitar how he generates chord shapes that lend themselves to a lyrical idea for a song. He explained how his on-stage persona Mikelangelo developed influenced by his musical collaborators and his family experience as the child of European migrants. Mikelangelo the character was instrumental in pulling Michael the person back into songwriting during a difficult period in his life. It was as if the energy of Mikelangelo "spoke" to Michael and carried him forward. Mikelangelo is a story teller and has explored many subjects including an account of people who worked on the Snowy Mountains scheme, many of who were European migrants after the Second World War. Michael's Croatian father is a big influence on his on-stage persona. Michael sees songs as coming from within and from without with their own identities which can develop over time as they are performed and iterated with other members of Michael's band "The Black Sea Gentlemen". It takes time for Michael to learn what it is that his songs are telling him. Stories of human vulnerability are of particular interest. We played a recording of Michael's song "Formidable Marinade" which is the song most loved and covered by his fans and musical acquaintances. I'm pretty sure the song will surprise you! He also played a wonderful acoustic version of a beautiful, haunting brand new song "Crosses and Flowers" live in the studio. It was great to have a wide-ranging discussion with Michael about life, the universe and everything to do with songwriting! for more about Michael and his music: https://www.michaelsimic.com/

In this episode it was great to catch up with Margaret Lewis who is literally at the very start of her songwriting journey. Margaret stopped by for a chat with Jo Evans who was the subject of last week's episode. Margaret has spent her whole life loving music and singing in choirs and in her words she's "wanted to write songs for a long time but didn't have the intestinal fortitude". Recently she decided to take on her internal critic and give songwriting a go! She's checked out lots of online resources such as the website https://howtowritesongs.org/about/ which have provided a lot of useful guidance. Most importantly she has found people who can encourage, advise and support her to jump over the hurdle of writing her first songs. Connecting with people through songwriting has been a very rewarding experience for Margaret. She has sung in choirs with Jo, felt naturally drawn to singing harmonies and has written harmonies to some of Jo's original songs. Jo acknowledged how Margaret's harmonies take Jo's songs to another level and give her more confidence to perform them live. Margaret finds the harmonies come very naturally when she's listening to Jo's songs but she needs to write them down and record them on her phone as they come to her or they get lost! Jo and Margaret performed live a wonderful acoustic version of Jo's song "Battle On" about the efforts of firefighters in the 2019 bushfires. For Margaret songwriting is a different and new way of expressing herself and extending her creative writing. She's loving it and cannot recommend highly enough to others - just give it a go! it was a great pleasure to chat with Margaret and hear her insights from the songwriting starting line.

Jo Evans writes folk songs about important times, places and people in her life. She is an accomplished singer from years of choir singing and has actively taken up songwriting quite recently. Jo talked about some of the important influences and mentors which have encouraged her to write songs including a songwriting workshop she attended recently - The Big Sing in The Desert - https://bigsingcommunity.com/events/big-sing-in-the-desert/#:~:text=A%20unique%20four%2Dday%20singing,%2C%20art%2C%20conversation%20and%20community. The workshop encouraged Jo to map out concepts and build songs in more of a structured way than she'd done previously which she has found really helpful. She also has a group of musical friends and colleagues that she draws heavily on for advice and feedback which has helped her enormously. Jo recollects the time she realised that writing songs was a way to provide an outlet for and communicate about issues that are very important to her. This realisation and the support from her musical community has given her confidence to keep on writing, and more recently, performing original songs! We discussed Jo's song "Night Visitor", a very personal song about the unexpected loss of a close friend of hers many years ago. The loss of Jo's friend was a very difficult experience and writing the song all these years later has been an important way for Jo to process what happened. She played the song live in the studio and what a beautiful song it is! We also discussed how Jo built the structure of Night Visitor from a couple of musical ideas which led to the song emerging within an hour! Other songs take Jo much longer to write and need many iterations over months before she's happy. She is very encouraging of others to give songwriting a go!

Resh, Sofia, Sylvia and Brian from Napoleon Ice Cream stopped by for a songwriting chat and to play some acoustic versions of their songs live in the studio. Describing themselves as "Aussie Asian Nerds who should be home studying but snuck away to make rock music instead", Napoleon Ice Cream craft funky rock songs with a 70s/80s vibe. Resh is the chief songwriter in the band but all four of them are part of the writing process. Sofia for example expresses her songwriting feelings through the instrumental parts she creates in the band's songs. We discussed how the different training and musical experience each of them have influences the songs they write. Sylvia was trained classically, Resh learnt traditional South Indian music whilst Sofia and Brian learnt by strumming guitars with friends. Resh describes the songwriting process as both an expression of herself and a conversation with the audience. She spoke about trying to decide how much of her vulnerability to express in songs and how much to hold back. She has been pleasantly surprised by how audience members sometimes interpret her songs in a way she'd never thought of which leads to her also thinking about the songs in a different way. It is also clear that all of the band are conversing and vibing with each other when they play together. Resh spoke about being delirious, tired and hungry as a key ingredient in a songwriting session with Sofia which produced the song "Unexpectedly" a song about escaping a place to get to somewhere better. The band played an acoustic version of the song live in the studio which they had reworked from the funky 80s version they usually play with drums and electric guitars. They also played acoustic versions of two other songs live - Perfect Happy and Teddy Bear which you can hear after the closing credits of the episode. It was great to chat with these talented, motivated songwriters and musicians! To find out more about Napoleon Ice Cream: https://linktr.ee/napoleon_ice_cream?utm_source=linktree_profile_share&ltsid=4e7cf3de-0ae9-4c7e-baf8-f4cf63f0ab37

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.

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

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 about_details

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/

Amber Susan 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.

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

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

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

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

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/

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

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

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

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.

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

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

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/

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

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/

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

Ryland Newstead has been writing songs for most of his life. Inspired initially by his musical heroes The Beatles and Oasis, Ryland tried to play their songs but wasn't happy with the result. So he decided he needed to write his own songs in his own style whilst applying what he'd learned from the greats. In this episode Ryland takes us through his songwriting journey which includes a lot of jamming, singing random words and recognising those moments when something musically clicks with an idea or story in his head. He suggests once you've got an idea, don't lose the moment and keep pushing through.

In this episode, singer, songwriter and ukulele player Joanne Craigie tells us about how she didn't write songs for a big part of her life until one day..... she started and hasn't looked back. She tells us how she keeps a collection of song ideas that randomly emerge and how she once wrote a song on the train to Sydney, but left it on the seat (aargh)! We focus on the first song she wrote and how it enabled her to tell the story of an emotional family event in a way that wouldn't have been possible by talking about it! To hear more of Joanne's music: Coolibah Coolective's album, "Teacup in a Storm" https://open.spotify.com/artist/5toYLRielo8QuKtPIVaLjR Coolibah Coolective YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCezYU93wSGc3cG0nwWjX57Q Craigie Marsh YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCK_4zdJQXYRJ9yTi7tc63Hg

Did you know there is a box of cards to help you write songs and that you can get different emotional vibes just playing the white keys on a piano without needing to understand music theory? In this first episode of "How did you write that song?" Jasmine Fellows explains how these things and the experiences in her life have helped her to write songs. She has music training and likes to follows the rules! We play a recording of her song "In the Dark of Mind" and explore how writing the song enabled Jasmine to deal with some pretty tricky life issues. Here are some links to some of the things we discussed. Follow Jasmine’s music on Instagram https://instagram.com/jasmine.fellows.music  Bec Taylor School of Music  https://www.bectaylormusic.com AMEB’s Ask Andrew: Introduction to Melody Writing https://youtu.be/dHSsD2GqDQM  Songwriting deck https://www.holistic-songwriting.com/the-songwriting-decks