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RIP Recent Deaths to start 2010 on a sad note… McGarrigle, Pendergrass, Charles

Jan 19th, 2010
by Renz.
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Too many deaths recently to start this year on a sad note for songwriters…

In Canada, today we heard of the death at 63 of Kate McGarrigle, who with her sister Anna, formed the folk duo the McGarrigle Sisters… She was the mother of Rufus and Martha Wainwright, who are songwriters themselves… Read more about dear Kate here…

Here she is singing Heart Like A Wheel with her sister:

And on the other side of the musical genre, Teddy Pendergrass passed away last week.  As part of Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes, Pendergrass was a backup singer, and then he went on to a great solo career.

Not long after reaching solo success, however, Pendergrass suffered complications from a car accident in 1982 that left him paralyzed from the waist down. Though certainly hindered by the accident physically, especially initially, Pendergrass’ unfortunate disability did not keep him from continuing to make music.  Read more about Teddy Pendergrass here.

Here is a Soul Train version of “If You Don’t Know Me By Now” in the Blue Notes days:

And from older days still, a songwriter who teamed with Fats Domino on Walking to New Orleans and penned other songs such as See You Later, Alligator (made famous by Bill Haley & the Comets) and The Jealous Kind (covered by Joe Cocker and others), also passed away last week.  RIP Louisiana’s own Bobby Charles who passed away at 73.

You can read more about Charles here and hear a version of See You Later, Alligator as performed by him here:

May the Muse stay with these musical souls…

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Springsteen to Guest on Spectacle

Jan 19th, 2010
by Renz.
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The Boss will be a guest on Elvis Costello’s Spectacle program this coming season on CTV in Canada (and on January 27 on Sundance in the U.S.).

From a New Jersey Star-Ledger article by Jay Lustig about the 2-hour season finale with Bruce and members of his E-Street Band:

Songs performed by the entire ensemble include urgent versions of Springsteen’s "The Rising" and "Seeds," as well as a soul-shouting duet on the Sam and Dave hit "I Can’t Stand Up For Falling Down" and a well-conceived medley of Springsteen’s "Radio Nowhere" and Costello’s "Radio Radio."

Costello opens the first episode by singing Springsteen’s "She’s the One" and introducing him as the "past, present, future of rock ’n’ roll." The artists’ respect and admiration for each other is obvious as they discuss Springsteen’s development as a musician and a person, and their musical philosophies.

"The greatest rock ’n’ roll musicians are desperate men," Springsteen muses. "You’ve got to have something bothering you all the time."

"You can’t always be a nice guy in the song, is what it is," Costello responds.

The pair also zeros in on specific topics, such as Springsteen’s early years performing in Asbury Park (he calls it a "low-rent Fort Lauderdale" and says the town’s isolation from the recording industry meant "you were left in a bit of your own wilderness"), fatherhood, the influence of Bob Dylan and President Obama’s inauguration.

The most amusing segment comes when they talk about the way Springsteen’s songwriting changed between 1975’s "Born to Run" and 1978’s "Darkness on the Edge of Town," becoming … well, darker.

"One reason it was different is there was some young English songwriter at the time who said the songs on ‘Born To Run’ were too romantic," says Springsteen. "I can’t remember his name right now, but …"

Costello looks genuinely surprised. "Was it me?" he asks. "It wasn’t me."

"I’ve been waiting 30 years for this moment," says Springsteen, with delight. "What do you think? Of course it was."

I’m looking forward to catching this episode for sure… The Muse is with these two and here’s a clip from the episode:

Posted in: Artists/Musicians, Jamming, Performing, Songwriting.
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Singer-songwriter contest kicks off, every Tuesday night in Guelph

Jan 19th, 2010
by Renz.
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The Guelph Mercury recently reported on a weekly singer-songwriter contest taking place in Guelph at Frank and Steins every Tuesday night.

Kudos to Malachi Greenidge, a Guelph singer-songwriter, for putting the contest together.  As related in the article:

The singer/songwriter competition will allow local musicians to not only expose their music to the crowd, but get judged on their song. Every night, five judges will judge the talent on lyrics, song composition, melody, vocals and originality. The winner will walk away with $1,500 and all participants will receive a T-shirt and a CD of their performance.

“It’s not a singer contest,” Greenidge said. “It’s not who can come out and belt out songs like Whitney Houston.”

The judges have been asked to only judge vocals in relation to the songs and songwriting, Greenidge said, adding he didn’t want to mimic a Canadian Idol contest.

May the Muse be with Guelph… check it out if you’re in Guelph on a Tuesday night…

Posted in: Contests, Jamming, Performing, Songwriting.
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Chantal Kreviazuk – Performer, Songwriter, Mother

Dec 9th, 2009
by Renz.
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One of my favourites is this beautiful singer-songwriter… now calling L.A. home and writing for others while writing for herself and taking care of her children… she certainly does it all and does it all well… Kudos and May the Muse stay with you Chantal… and listen to her new album Plain Jane at her website.

Here are some quotes from an interview yesterday published in the Metro newspaper:

Being plain and ordinary doesn’t come easy to someone who has been a staple on Canadian charts since her 1996 debut Under These Rocks and Stones. A long-standing marriage to Raine Maida, frontman of Toronto band Our Lady Peace, isn’t exactly a recipe for anonymity either, nor is a home in the Big Smoke a secluded retreat for a Canuck pop couple. But what allows Kreviazuk to step out of the spotlight is her life in Los Angeles, where she can remain in the background crafting hits for artists such as Kelly Clarkson and Gwen Stefani.

“We’re focused on family … and our second jobs as songwriters in a totally different market place, different nation. It’s been a brilliant thing. I like me way better than I would have if I had been just the girl in Canada with the microscope on myself,” she says.

Her self-effacing approach works well when it comes to family. But that doesn’t necessarily mean she allows herself to get dwarfed by the million-selling singers she collaborates with in L.A.

“I realize that they came to me because there was something about me  the artist that they wanted. So I should be building that into the songwriting process with them,” she says.

And if there’s something of her that the self-proclaimed “live performance junkie” wants to get across in the music is authenticity and humility.
“I feel like being more of an artist that people can relate to. I never wanted to be Beyoncé, I never wanted to be Madonna. I wanted to be a singer-songwriter on a life journey  … I wanted to be relatable on a very realistic level.”

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Bruce Springsteen – Prolific

Dec 9th, 2009
by Renz.
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Billboard has uploaded their new cover story with Bruce Springsteen, who just wrapped up another epic tour behind his latest album, Working On A Dream. In it, Springsteen discusses the ritual of taking requests from the audience, his decision to play full albums from Born To Run to The E Street Shuffle, and the longevity of the E Street Band.

“I’ve been prolific with my songwriting,” says Springsteen, “so I’ve been able to just get more music out there, which is something I always wanted to do. I found my 50s to be very, very fruitful. The songs came — I don’t want to say easily, but they came in a continuous flow. I had a lot of things I wanted to write about, so it allowed us to record quite a bit, and then back it up with the touring.”

Read the whole thing here. And watch Bruce live in Philadelphia below… May the Muse continue to stay with you Bruce…

Finally, the Kennedy Center honoured Bruce as a singer and a songwriter last Sunday… read about that here.

Posted in: Artists/Musicians, Associations, Performing, Songwriting.
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Young Guelph musician wins Toronto carol songwriting competition

Dec 9th, 2009
by Renz.
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Kudos to Sarah Buisman, a high-school student who recently won a Christmas carol songwriting contest in her age group that will be performed by the Amadeus Choir in Toronto.  Here is a sample of a recent Guelph Mercury article on Ms. Buisman (click the link to read it all):

GUELPH — At 16 years old, Sarah Buisman is already an accomplished musician. The Grade 11 student sings high second soprano with the Guelph Youth Singers’ chamber choir, is a pianist with her school’s band, and plays the djembe drum and saxophone—when she can find the spare time.

Another skill in her musical repertoire is songwriting. Last week, a Christmas carol she composed called Jesus is Here won the Toronto-based Amadeus Children’s Choir competition for the best original Christmas carols and Hanukkah songs.

“I was really happy to hear I’d won,” Buisman said, tucking a strand of hair behind an ear. “But I was also a little surprised. I had sort of given it in and forgotten about it.”

Well, the Muse is with you Sarah, and may it continue to be going forward…

Posted in: Contests, Songwriting.
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Best Wishes To Alexa Ray Joel

Dec 9th, 2009
by Renz.
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I won’t speculate as to what or who caused Ms. Joel’s recent hospitalization, but I do want to send prayers and best wishes to her and her family in this trying time…  May the Muse stay with you Joel Family…  Watch the making of Alexa Ray’s Invisible below and visit her website to download it for free…

Ci vedimes and all the best…

Posted in: Artists/Musicians, Performing, Promotion, Songwriting.
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McCartney wins Gershwin songwriter prize

Dec 9th, 2009
by Renz.
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Paul McCartney will be honoured with a fledgling but prestigious musical honour, after being named Monday as the latest recipient of the Gershwin Prize for Popular Song.

The U.S. Library of Congress, which administers the honour, announced the 67-year-old British musician and former Beatle as its third winner of the songwriting prize on Monday.

"It is hard to think of another performer and composer who has had a more indelible and transformative effect on popular song and music of several different genres than Paul McCartney," Librarian of Congress James H. Billington said in a statement.

Billington selected McCartney after discussion with entertainment industry leaders.

The Library of Congress houses the George and Ira Gershwin Collection, a vast resource of musical manuscripts, correspondence, photographs, other documents and memorabilia that originally belonged to the famed songwriting brothers.

"As a great admirer of the Gershwins’ songs, I am highly honoured to be given the Gershwin Prize by such a great institution," McCartney said.

Organizers will celebrate McCartney with a star-studded tribute concert being planned for spring 2010, with a line-up of performers to be announced later.

First awarded in 2007, the Gershwin Prize was created by Bob Peter and Bob Kaminsky, Mark Krantz and Cappy McGarr — who also created the Kennedy Center’s Mark Twain Prize for American Humor.

The first two Gershwin Prize recipients were musical icons Stevie Wonder and Paul Simon.

Posted in: Artists/Musicians, Associations, Contests, Promotion, Songwriting.
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Haydain Neale – A Personal Thanks

Nov 30th, 2009
by Renz.
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I just want to write a simple note of personal thanks to Haydain Neale, frontman for jacksoul and a great supporter of songwriters through SAC and other endeavours.  I posted in the past about Haydain’s participation in the SAC Date With A Demo nights (see here and here) and the amazing night that saw him perform a songwriting circle with other songwriters just weeks before the tragic scooter accident that sidelined him until his sorrowful passing this past week from lung cancer at 39.  The CP story follows:

TORONTO — Jacksoul frontman Haydain Neale was remembered as an "amazing individual" and a "joyful presence" as stunned colleagues learned of his death from cancer on Monday.

Neale, the frontman for the Juno Award-winning group, died Sunday at Mount Sinai Hospital in Toronto at age 39, after a seven-month battle with lung cancer, the family said in a release Monday.

Neale had also been recovering from serious injuries after being hit by a car while driving his Vespa motor scooter in Toronto on Aug. 3, 2007.

His friends and fellow musicians were shocked by the news, particularly since many of them thought that he was over the worst part of his illness and was recovering.

"That guy just exuded what it is to be a really cool, down to earth, just amazing individual," Toronto hip-hop MC Kardinal Offishall told The Canadian Press backstage at the SOCAN awards on Monday.

"Wow. Canada really lost something special."

Family members and friends were by his side when he died.

"Through all these challenges, Haydain’s sense of humour and love of music were ever-present," his wife Michaela said in the statement.

He constantly brightened the room with his singing and his smile. His joyful presence and beautiful voice will be missed by us all."

Jacksoul was to release "SOULmate," on Dec. 1 with 10 new tracks, their first album since the accident.

The first single, "Lonesome Highway," was co-produced and co-written by Neale, and touches on his recovery, supported by his wife, daughter Yasmin and numerous others.

Former Treble Charger frontman Greg Nori considered Neale a close friend since the two men worked side by side in studio space at the Sony offices.

"This guy was an extremely, extremely generous person," Nori said backstage at the SOCAN event. "(He) was always 120 per cent to me, as an individual, he really was. I always had a really great friendship with him and we had a great respect for each other.

"I never saw the guy get mad. He only had positive energy about him. That’s my recollection of him. Never, ever did I see any kind of jealousy out of him, or negativity."

Kardinal Offishall, likewise, said Neale was a special human being.

"People who never had the chance to meet him were able to see that not just through his music, but just in how he carried himself, just the type of dude that he was," said the rapper, who says he had checked in on Neale’s status by sending a text message to a mutual friend just days before his death.

Jacksoul’s previous hits include "Can’t Stop" and "Still Believe in Love."

Neale was known for his soulful, elastic croon, for a voice that was faithfully smooth but organic and expressive.

"Hopefully his music will live on," said Hedley guitarist Dave Rosin. That’s all any artist can hope. … It’s a sad thing."

Nori, meanwhile, praised Neale’s integrity, versatility and commitment to his artistic ideals.

"I think he was always tackling something that wasn’t the flavour of the moment," Nori said. "I think it was always a struggle to him because it wasn’t flavour of the moment, and it didn’t sell as much.

"He always had the ability to go do that if he wanted to, but he stuck to his guns and stayed with what he knew was in his heart, and I commend him for that."

An interment with a private family gathering will take place later this week.

All proceeds from the sale of "SOULmate" will go to the Haydain Neale Family Trust.

The Muse is with you Haydain… Rest peacefully, watch over your family and make music forever…

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Songwriters Hall of Fame Announces 2010 Nominations

Oct 27th, 2009
by Renz.
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The nominations for the 2010 Songwriters Hall of Fame (SongHall) induction ceremony have been announced, with ballots in the mail to the SongHall voting membership.

Songwriter nominees are in two categories—Non-Performing and Performing.

The nominees in the Non-Performing Songwriter category–with two representative song credits—are:

  • Tommy Boyce & Bobby Hart–The Monkees’ hits “Last Train To Clarksville” and “Valleri”
  • Jackie DeShannon–“Put A Little Love In Your Heart” and Kim Carnes’ “Bette Davis Eyes”
  • Luther Dixon–The Crests’ “Sixteen Candles” and The Shirelles’ “Soldier Boy”
  • David Foster–Chicago’s "Hard to Say I’m Sorry" and Peter Cetera’s "The Glory of Love"
  • Mark James–Elvis Presley’s “Suspicious Minds” and B.J. Thomas’s “Hooked On A Feeling”
  • Robert John “Mutt” Lange–Def Leppard’s “Photograph” and Bryan Adams’ “(Everything I Do) I Do It For You”
  • Johnny Mandel–“Suicide Is Painless (Theme from M*A*S*H*)” and Tony Bennett’s “The Shadow Of Your Smile”
  • Jerry Ragovy & Bert Berns–Janis Joplin’s “Piece Of My Heart” and Miriam Makeba’s “Pata Pata”
  • Harvey Schmidt & Tom Jones–Ed Ames’ “My Cup Runneth Over” and “Try To Remember” from The Fantasticks
  • Billy Sherrill–Tammy Wynette’s “Stand By Your Man” and David Houston’s “Almost Persuaded”
  • Joe South–“Games People Play” and Lynn Anderson’s “ I Never Promised You A Rose Garden”
  • Paul Vance & Lee Pockriss–Perry Como’s “Catch A Falling Star” and Brian Hyland’s “Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weeny Yellow Polka Dot Bikini."

Nominees in the Performing Songwriter category are:

  • Bono (Paul Hewson)/The Edge (David Evans)/Adam Clayton/Larry Mullen (U2)–“Beautiful Day” and “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For”
  • Garth Brooks–“If Tomorrow Never Comes” and “The Thunder Rolls”
  • Leonard Cohen–“Bird On A Wire” and “Suzanne”
  • Elvis Costello–“Alison” and “Pump It Up”
  • Dion DiMucci–“Donna The Prima Donna” and “Runaround Sue”
  • David Gates (Bread)–“Baby I’m-a Want You” and “Everything I Own”
  • Yusuf Islam (formerly Cat Stevens)–“Moonshadow” and “Peace Train”
  • Tommy James–“Crimson And Clover” and “Mony, Mony”
  • John Mellencamp–“Jack And Diane” and “Pink Houses”
  • Lou Reed–“Sweet Jane” and “Walk On The Wild Side”
  • Leon Russell–“Superstar” and “Tight Rope”
  • Maurice White/Philip Bailey/Verdine White/Larry Dunn/Al McKay (Earth, Wind and Fire)–“September” and “Shining Star."

SongHall voting members will now select three nominees from the Non-Performing category, and two from the Performing category. Ballots are due back by Dec. 11, with the new slate of inductees to be announced next year.

Last year’s songwriter inductees were Eddie Brigati, Gerome Ragni, Stephen Schwartz, James Rado, Galt Mac Dermot, Graham Nash, Stephen Stills, David Crosby, Roger Greenaway, Roger Cook, Felix Cavaliere, Richie Sambora and Jon Bon Jovi.

Founded in 1969 by songwriter Johnny Mercer and publishers Abe Olman and Howie Richmond, The Songwriters Hall of Fame celebrates songwriters, educates the public with regard to their achievements, and produces professional programs devoted to the development of new songwriting talent through workshops, showcases and scholarships.

Inductees have included such Tin Pan Alley era legends as Mercer and Irving Berlin, rock icons like Bob Dylan and John Fogerty, rhythm-and-blues greats such as James Brown and Curtis Mayfield, country stars including Kris Kristofferson and Dolly Parton, and contemporary pop tunesmiths like Jimmy Webb and Hal David and Burt Bacharach.

David also serves as the SongHall’s Chairman/CEO.

Each year, a Nominating Committee selects candidates for induction into the Songwriters’ Hall of Fame. Only writers who have actually been engaged in the profession for a minimum of 20 years–and who have written an extensive catalogue of hits–are eligible.

May the Muse remain with all these worthy nominees…

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