Songwriting For Songwriters (=ELIJAH=)

Brave Rival - Episode 4 - Season 2

Elijah is joined today by Chloe and Lindsey from Brave Rival a multi-award nominated fast-rising, rip-roaring, classic rock juggernaut ready to take their place in the upper echelons of British Rock hierarchy.

"They’re a great band. I love the music. I love what they are doing...one of my favourite new discoveries this year" Joe Bonamassa.

With comparisons to the Wilson sisters from Heart, as well as legends like Zeppelin and Fleetwood Mac, the DNA of the aforementioned bands flows through Brave Rivals veins.

https://braverival.com/band/

Episode 5 - Kathryn Williams - Songwriting For Songwriters Podcast

This weeks Elijah’s guest is the much loved and respected Mercury Music Prize nominee Kathryn Williams. They discuss Kathryn’s songs, her songwriting process, her love of capturing life through art and song, what it’s like being a songwriter and the life lessons learnt along the way.

Check out Kathryn’s beautiful songs here: https://www.kathrynwilliams.co.uk/

Full Biog -

In this new musical world when we talk about an artist’s body of work, we tend to think of a handful of records stretched out across of a handful of years, if we’re lucky. A changing industry and a focus on immediacy has done little to alter such notions, which makes Kathryn Williams something of an anomaly - releasing eleven full-length albums under her own name (and more with various side-projects) since her debut LP, Dog Leap Stairs, was released in 1999 via her own CAW Records label.

As impressive a stat as that might be, it does little to capture the true magic of Williams work; the enchanting craft that has grown and expanded as she’s moved from one project to the next, from the breakthrough success of her Mercury Prize nominated Little Black NumbersLP all the way to her Sylvia Plath tribute project and 2017’sGreatest Hitscollection - not a greatest hits at all, in fact, rather an imagined retrospective for a fictional artist and an inspired soundtrack to Laura Barnett’s novel of the same name.

So how do we capture that magic? One way is to pick them apart, piece-by-piece, admiring the craft that goes in to them, that elegant vocal, the eloquent way with words. Another is to simply allow these records to be absorbed, one at a time, project by project, as music should be. From dusty Americana to playful jazz re-workings, and so much more besides, every record Williams puts her name to burns with a meticulousness and an honesty that casts a spell all of her own making, following in the shadow of the listener for days at a time, for years to come.

While her best-known work is characterised by rich and honest songwriting, inspired by the greats - from Nick Drake to Joni Mitchell and beyond - Williams has continually been able to evolve as an artist because she’s always looked outside of such genre boundaries. “The things that influence you aren’t necessarily going to come out in obvious ways, unless you’re trying to copy,” she said in a 2007 interview. “I don’t sound like Lou Reed or Tom Waits. But when I listen to them, I learn.”

That aforementioned debut record, Dog Leap Stairs, which was recorded for just £80, drew favourable reviews upon release but it was Williams second record, Little Black Numbers, that saw her reputation blossom, garnering significant critical praise and earning a shortlist nomination for the much-coveted Mercury Music Prize. Continuing her somewhat prolific release schedule, 2002 brought her third album, Old Low Light, which was swiftly followed in 2004 with ‘Relations’ - a covers record which included subtle reworkings of Big Star, Neil Young, Leonard Cohen on more.

In 2006, Williams worked with producer Kate St John, who would go on to produce 2010’s The QuickeningLP, the result being Leave To Remain, Williams’ sixth studio album, and one that The Guardian claimed to be 'both beautiful and intense, her best album yet’. There was another record, of course, between these two St John-produced LPs; a collaboration with Neill MacColl, whose father, Ewan MacColl, wrote ‘The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face’, which...

Jamie Catto - Episode 5

Jamie is a British musician, video director, photographer, author and creativity coach. He was a founding member of Faithless and co-created some of their most loved material including No.2 global smash 'Insomnia'.

He then went onto form 1 Giant Leap collaborating with a diverse range of artists from Robbie Williams, Michael Stipe, Brian Eno, Ram Dass, Dennis Hopper, Kurt Vonnegut, Babba Maal, Eddie Reader, Neneh Cherry, and many many more.

Host Elijah and Jamie discuss Jamie's creativity, his songwriting process, his advice on collaborations, his journey as an artist, his musical and literary influences and he shares his unique insights into working with artists like Michael Stipe, Brian Eno Robbie Williams and Ram Dass

Episode 8 - Nigel Clark - Songwriting for Songwriters Podcast.

Nigel Clark is best known for being the front-man, bassist and chief songwriter of Dodgy.

Nigel and Dodgy wrote some of the most memorable and popular songs of the 1990's through the Brit Pop era including 'Good Enough', 'In A Room', 'Staying Out For The Summer' and 'If You're Thinking Of Me'.

Nigel and Elijah chat about his pure love of creativity and songwriting, what it's like to be a songwriter in today's music industry, his influences, the roller coaster ride of fame and success and much more.

Episode 23 - Jane Siberry - Songwriting For Songwriters Podcast

Jane’s Website: https://janesiberry.com/home

Jane Siberry Biography by Jason Ankeny

Canadian art-pop chanteuse Jane Siberry stands outside the traditional boundaries of folk and pop music, creating ethereal, unconventional songs that draw from a deep wellspring of creativity. Emerging in the early '80s, Siberry courted mainstream success with left-of-center hits like "Mimi on the Beach," "I Muse Aloud," "One More Colour," and "Calling All Angels." As the decades progressed, she began weaving elements of jazz and Celtic music into her cosmopolitan sound -- which evokes names like Laura Nyro, Kate Bush, Toyah Willcox, Suzanne Vega, and Laurie Anderson -- while remaining fiercely independent and releasing her material via her own label, Sheeba Records.

Jane Siberry was born in Toronto, Ontario, on October 12, 1955; after taking up the piano as a child, she began absorbing the classical and operatic inspirations that later distinguished her professional work. While earning a degree in microbiology, Siberry began performing at the local coffeehouse where she also worked as a waitress; ultimately, she used her tip money to fund her 1981 self-titled debut LP, a Spartan offering spotlighting her ethereal vocal navigations through the eccentric rhythm changes and dramatic mood shifts that ornamented her abstract, atmospheric sound.

No Borders Here

Three years later, Siberry resurfaced with No Borders Here, a more assured, cinematic collection highlighted by "Mimi on the Beach," an underground Canadian hit. The critical and commercial success of 1985's evocative The Speckless Sky brought her to the attention of Warner/Reprise for 1988's The Walking, a bold major-label bow comprising dense, epic-length soundscapes and subtle, intricate melodies. Despite considerable media acclaim, the album failed to dent the charts, and consequently Siberry's next record, 1989's Bound by the Beauty, reflected more commercial concerns, focusing on more direct production and succinct songwriting.

Summer in the Yukon

Siberry's next release was a 1992 career overview titled Summer in the Yukon; while primarily comprising older material, one new cut -- a drastic remix of Bound by the Beauty's "The Life Is the Red Wagon" -- proved revelatory, its painless transformation into a club-ready dance track revealing the true elasticity of the singer's music. As a result, 1993's When I Was a Boy, produced in part by Brian Eno and Michael Brook, emerged as her most eclectic and ambitious work yet, while 1995's Maria found the singer recording with a jazz quintet.

Teenager

After growing disenchanted with the compromises of remaining on a major label, in May 1996 Siberry formed her own record company, dubbed Sheeba; Teenager, her first self-released effort, followed a month later. A live trilogy -- Christmas: Music for the Christmas Season, Trees: Music for Films and Forests, and Lips: Music for Saying It -- captured three nights at the Bottom Line in New York and finally saw the light of day in 1999. The melodically beautiful Hush appeared the next year, showcasing a brilliant collection of traditional American and Celtic compositions. City (2001) marked rare material and collaborations with the likes of Joe Jackson, Nigel Kennedy, Ghostland, and others. Rhino issued a double-disc retrospective called Love Is Everything: The Jane Siberry Anthology the following year, and in 2003 Siberry released...

A new season of Songwriting For Songwriters is nearly upon us and we have some amazing guests and conversations lined up for you celebrating the art of songwriting.

These new episodes will be dropping every fortnight so make sure you follow and subscribe and please share and get in touch.

Episode 25 - Steve Harley

Episode 25 - Steve Harley - Songwriting For Songwriters Podcast

Steve began his singing career "floor-spotting" (singing for free as a

member of the audience) in London folk clubs in 1971/72. He sang at LES

COUSINS, BUNJIE'S and THE TROUBADOUR on nights featuring JOHN MARTIN,

RALPH McTELL, MARTIN CARTHY and JULIE FELIX, all leading lights of the

London folk movement at the time.

He later joined folk band ODIN

as rhythm guitarist and co-singer, which was where he met the first

COCKNEY REBEL violinist, JOHN CROCKER. However, the folk scene proved a

little tame for Mr Harley and, as he was constantly writing songs,

formed COCKNEY REBEL as a vehicle for his own work. It was here that

Steve and STUART ELLIOTT first met and worked together. Stuart drums

with Steve's band on record and on tour from time to time to this day.

The

band signed to EMI for a guaranteed three album deal in 1972 and

released THE HUMAN MENAGERIE early in '73. From this collection, a

single, SEBASTIAN, became a huge European hit, staying at NUMBER ONE in

HOLLAND and BELGIUM for many weeks. Other COCKNEY REBEL and/or STEVE

HARLEY albums are: THE PSYCHOMODO, THE BEST YEARS OF OUR LIVES, TIMELESS

FLIGHT, LOVE'S A PRIMA DONNA, FACE TO FACE (LIVE), HOBO WITH A GRIN,

THE CANDIDATE (all EMI), YES YOU CAN (1992), POETIC JUSTICE (1996) and

THE QUALITY OF MERCY released in late 2005, plus 2 other Live acoustic

CDs, STRIPPED TO THE BARE BONES TO THE and ANYTIME!

One Steve Harley and Cockney Rebel single, MAKE ME SMILE (COME UP AND

SEE ME), reached NUMBER ONE in 1975 in the UK and many European

countries and is regularly voted among the top singles in the history of

the charts, which covers six decades of releases. The Performing Rights

Society has confirmed MAKE ME SMILE one of the most played records in

British broadcasting.

The song has been covered MORE THAN 100

TIMES in seven languages and has been featured in several movies

including THE FULL MONTY (whose soundtrack album went TRIPLE PLATINUM in

the UK, and PLATINUM in the USA and Australia), VELVET GOLDMINE, BEST

and SAVING GRACE. The song has also been used on more than twenty TV and

radio advertising campaigns around the world.

Steve's other

chart singles include, JUDY TEEN, MR SOFT, MR RAFFLES (MAN, IT WAS

MEAN), HERE COMES THE SUN, LOVE'S A PRIMA DONNA, IRRESISTIBLE, PHANTOM

OF THE OPERA (with SARAH BRIGHTMAN) and A FRIEND FOR LIFE.

During

the eighties, Steve took time out from the rock world as his two

children were going through their formative years but did perform on

stage, albeit the legitimate stage. He starred as the C16th playwright

Christopher Marlowe, in the musical-drama MARLOWE, which ran

off-Broadway and in London. Steve's performance was described by one

leading critic as "a major and moving performance."

Steve has written lyrics for several other artists, including his old

friend ROD STEWART who has called him "One of the finest lyricists the

UK has ever produced."

And Steve still plays many Live concerts most years.

WEBSITE: https://www.steveharley.com/biography.html

Do You Want To Take Your Music To The Next Level?

Songwriting For Songwriters Host =ELIJAH= as you know is a songwriter and artist with over 20 years experience in the music industry as an independent artist but also as a signed artist to a record and management deal. His records have been played all over the world and championed by BBC Radio 2 and in MOJO Magazine. As well as being a songwriter and artost he has also promoted and plugged his own music, run record labels and events, has worked with many music industry legends and has knowledge to help you get your songs and music to the next level via one 2 one sessions. So if you are interested.

GET IN TOUCH: songwritingforsongwriters@gmail.com

Episode 12 - Jamie O'Neal

Jamie O’Neal is a Platinum-selling country singer and hit songwriter that became a household name in 2001 with her back-to-back # 1 singles, “There Is No Arizona” and “When I Think About Angels.” With multiple hits that followed, including “Shiver,” “Trying To Find Atlantis” and “Somebody’s Hero,” Jamie caught fire. She earned numerous career accolades (including multiple Grammy nominations), she’s an ACM and Billboard Awards winner and has appeared on The Tonight Show, Dave Letterman and numerous other national tv shows.

While she has penned most of her own songs, Jamie has also written hits for such notable artists as Reba McEntire, Martina McBride, Leann Rimes, Cece Winans, Idina Menzel and others. Her voice can be heard internationally in major motion pictures including All by Myself for Bridget Jones’s Diary.

She was also picked to perform with Carrie Underwood when she needed the perfect duet partner for CMT’s 100 greatest duets with Does He Love You

Jamie's Website: https://www.jamieoneal.com/

Episode 10 - Mark Nevin

Mark Nevin rose to international acclaim as a songwriter and guitarist with his band Fairground Attraction who won two Brit Awards: best single for the Number-One hit “Perfect” and best album “The First of a Million Kisses”.

After Fairground Attraction broke up Mark formed Sweetmouth, with Brian Kennedy on vocals, and released the excellent album “Goodbye To Songtown”. Also around this time he formed a song writing partnership with Morrissey, and recorded the “Kill Uncle” album plus a string of hit singles including “Sing Your Life”, and “Pregnant For The Last Time”. Moreover, one of their tracks for Morrissey’s next album “Your Arsenal”, “I Know It’s Gonna Happen Someday” was covered by David Bowie for his album “Black Tie, White Noise”. 

While continuing to write songs for and with artists such as Ringo Starr and Carole King, Mark stepped out into his solo career in the late 1990s and has never looked back.

Mark's Website: https://www.marknevin.com/

Episode 15 - Suzi Quatro - Songwriting For Songwriters Podcast

Suzi Quatro speaks with Elijah about her new album ‘Face To Face’ which she created and wrote with KT.Tunstall. She also talks about her songwriting process, her career to date, being a female rock ‘n’ roll icon, her influences and more.

Suzi’s website: http://www.suziquatro.com/

Season 3 - Episode 3 - Ryan HalseyRyan Halsey is a drummer, recording engineer, drum teacher and videographer.

He was handpicked by BBC Radio 1's Huw Stephens to be the drummer for the O2 Think Big band and toured O2 arena's playing alongside Rita Ora and Tinchy Strider.Ryan has been the drummer in The Gravity Drive since 2012 as well as engineering some of their recording work and taking musical director role for their live shows. His fantastic drum work on their records has been played on BBC Radio 2, BBC 6 Music and the band a glowing 4 star review in MOJO Magazine for their second album The Wildlight mixed by Chris Potter (Urban Hymns The Verve).Listen here: https://open.spotify.com/album/22rHNY81a8wQbpzEJj33Xw?si=I6mlBw3AT3-mYHEQLMmCbgRyan also teaches drums and has his own YouTube channel:https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClCKqQjLCGxY-vz_JyW3HEQInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/ryanhalseyThe Gravity Drive: http://www.thegravitydrive.com

With emotive soul, woozy synths, warm harmonies, lo-fi electronics, and softly strummed guitars, British multi-hyphenate artist James Alexander Bright dreams of open spaces, warm surroundings, and a place to find comfort and peace both inside and out. Based in the Hampshire countryside and an illustrator by day, James’ creative duality lends a visual aspect to his music. He often approaches the creation of a new song from a strong image, much like soundtracking a movie inside his head.

His debut album ‘Headroom’ was released in April 2020 by !K7. During a busy 2020, James also featured on three tracks, as well as designing the artwork, on Groove Armada’s recent album ‘Edge Of The Horizon’, contributed exclusive track ‘Under The Sun’ to the Too Slow To Disco: The Sunset Manifesto compilation (alongside Kraak & Smaak, Yuksek, Poolside) and released collaborative single ‘It’s Alright’ with Dutch producer/drummer Feiertag. A new side project, with Groove Armada’s Tom Findlay as Bright & Findlay, saw the ‘Slow Dance’ EP released on Athens of the North in September ’21, which included support by Gilles Peterson who included it in his tracks of the year. His second album for !K7, the joyous ‘Float’, was released in July 2022 with singles ‘Drink This Water’, ‘Wheels Keep Turning’ and ‘Sundown’ feat Fink paving the way.

On radio his tracks have been played across BBC 6 Music (where he’s recorded guest mixes for Tom Ravenscroft and Huey Morgan), Amazing Radio, Bandcamp Weekly, Worldwide FM, Soho Radio, KCRW, Triple J and BBC Solent (who chose his track ‘Tigers Roar’ to soundtrack Portsmouth FC’s2019 journey to Wembley – awkwardly James is a Saints fan).

Released in April 2023, cosmic Americana-disco DJ/producer duo Flying Mojito Bros handpicked tracks from James’ !K7 catalog for an album of collaborations and reworks. A full length Bright & Findlay album is due for release this summer on Athens Of The North.

Collected press:

“Blissful choruses, sweetly nagging refrains and a lo-fi sensibility.

Hard not to love” MOJO

“Intoxicating, highly evocative, sun-dappled soul” Uncut

“Pastoral 21st century electronic psychedelia that knows all the best

clubs in town” Electronic Sound

“Brilliantly laidback…an ever evolving journey that feels at once fun

and adventurous but also familiar and comfortable” Future Music

“It’s a lush, rich slice of soul that will permeate every pore. It’s the

sound of the summer” Louder Than War

“Bringing influence and experience together in a wild, kaleidoscopic

world of precarious elevations and cathedral emotions” BPM

“Vivid intermingling of buoyant breakbeat drum loops, sunkissed

psychedelic folk song, retrofuturist synthesisers and hot buttered

British soul” Test Pressing

“All the musical styles I love. I’m a big fan” Tom Findlay, Groove

Armada

“One exceptional album” Bill Brewster

“A timeless record” The Bees’ Aaron Fletcher

“Moves stylishly through psychedelic patterns and multicoloured

textures” Jack Wyllie from Portico Quartet

Website: https://jamesalexanderbright.com/about/

Elles Bailey - Episode 3 - Season 2

Elijah speaks to Elles about her upcoming new record, life as a songwriter, her career and journey so far, her influences, her Planet Rock radio show and more.

Elles Bailey is an English blues roots, rock singer, songwriter, and pianist. She has recorded three studio albums including her debut album Wildfire in 2017, Road I Call Home in 2019 and the chart topping Shining In The Half Light in 2022 winning several awards for her work.

Her 2022 studio album Shining in the Half Light produced by Dan Weller reached 42 in the UK Albums Chart, reached number 1 in the Official Jazz and Blues Albums Chart and number 2 in the Official Americana Albums Chart. In January 2023, The Official Charts Company announced that Shining in the Half Light had reached number 39 out of the top 40 best selling albums in the Official Americana Albums Chart in 2022.

On tour, apart from her own headline appearances, Bailey has provided the opening act for Jools Holland, Don McLean, Van Morrison, Eric Gales, Mike Farris, the Kris Barras Band and King King. She is a presenter on Planet Rock Radio.

'Songwriting For Songwriters' - Episode 1 - Scott Matthews

Scott Matthews is an Ivor Novello Award winning songwriter who is on the verge of releasing his eighth studio album 'Restless Lullabies'.

Elijah and Scott discuss Scott's career to date, his songwriting process, the story behind his new album, his influences, how he got into songwriting, how he writes songs, how his songwriting has changed over his 8 albums, and the story behind his Ivor Novello Award winning song 'Elusive'.

Scott also treats us to some spontaneous performances of his wonderful songs.

Order Scott's new album 'Restless Lullabies from https://www.scottmatthews.uk

Episode 20 - Pete Schwier - Songwriting For Songwriters Podcast

Pete is a producer, mixing and recording engineer with over 40 years of experience in the music industry. He has worked on some of the most loved records of our time and most recently on 'The Feminine Divine' by Dexys.

Pete began his career at Mickie Most’s RAK Studios. As a Tape Op/House Engineer he worked on albums with: Yes, The Who, Thin Lizzy, Paul McCartney and Wings, Gallagher and Lyle, Buggles, Pink Floyd, Elton John, Supertramp, The Pretenders, The Police, Dire Straits, Hot Chocolate, Siouxsie and the Banshees, The Psychedelic Furs, The Jam, Suzi Quatro and Kim Wilde.

After going freelance in 1982 to work with Alex Sadkin on Duran Duran’s Seven and the Ragged Tiger, he then went on to become part of Trevor Horn’s production Team until 1991.

Pete was then managed by Annie Holloway's The Producers 1991-2001.

He has gained a wealth of experience from working with producers including Trevor Horn, George Martin, Steve Lillywhite, Glynn Johns, John Leckie, Alex Sadkin, Mickie Most, Tom Dowd, Ricki Wilde, Steve Lipson,”BT”, Vic Smith, Pascal Gabriel, Nick Patrick and Don Reedman.

Pete has recorded and mixed seven #1 albums in the last five years.

Boris And The Joy - Episode 7

Episode 9 - Sam Brown - Songwriting for Songwriters Podcast

Sam has worked as a backing vocalist, songwriter and lead vocalist and has sold in excess of 3 million records. In the 1980/90’s she had her biggest hit Stop which was in the top ten , including a few number 1’s, in many countries around the world.

She has made 8 studio albums, 1 EP and 1 live album.

As a lead and backing vocalist she has worked with the great and the good, past and present, including;

David Gilmour,Dionne Warwick, Elton John, Eric Clapton, Fish, George Harrison, Joe Brown, Joe Cocker, Jools Holland, Pink Floyd, Spandau Ballet, Steve Marriot. To name but a few!

In 2007 Sam experienced problems with her voice. A firm diagnosis has never been made, but if you are interested in such things, she cannot achieve pitch and closure simultaneously.

She no longer sings live professionally, but has just made her 8th album which is called, wait for it…. Number 8!

Listen and order Sam's new album here: https://www.misssambrown.com/myshop/

Matt Long - (Catfish)

Matt is frontman/guitarist/songwriter in mulit-award nominated blues band Catfish one of the UK's most exciting blues-rock powerhouses on the circuit today. Matt and host Elijah speak about Matt's career so far, finding his own voice as a songwriter within the blues genre, influence and friend Joe Bonamassa, inspiring and lifting young talent, advice and tips within songwriting and Matt speaks candidly and openly about his battle with cancer.

Episode 26 - Youth

Born Martin Glover, Youth is a multi award winning, legendary music producer, fine artist, songwriter, remixer and bass player of the seminal post-punk band Killing Joke. With a staggering 20 million records sold worldwide, Youth’s career spans over three decades and shows no sign of slowing down.

The music he makes has inspired not only the legendary artists he works with, but the next generation of acts who have grown up hearing Youth’s

production. He has worked with a diverse range of artists including Sir Paul McCartney (The Fireman), Pink Floyd, Culture Club, The Verve, Embrace, Crowded House, Zoe, P.M. Dawn, The Orb, U2, Bananarama, INXS, Transglobal Underground, James, Wet Wet Wet, The Shamen, Texas and even Tom Jones.

Youth began producing in the early days of Killing Joke and left the band in 1982 to pursue solo projects, the first of which was the band Brilliant, which included contributions from Jimmy Cauty, later of The KLF. He then produced the successful dance act Blue Pearl, before producing and co-writing The Orb’s first two albums. In 1991, he formed

Butterfly and Dragonfly Records, groundbreaking labels pioneering Goa Trance, Psy Trance and Chillout recordings. In 1994, Youth resumed work with Killing Joke, appearing on the albums ‘Pandemonium’ and ‘Democracy’.

One of Youth’s most significant productions has been on The Verve’s

hugely successful ‘Urban Hymns’, which topped the UK album charts for several weeks and included ‘The Drugs Don’t Work’ and ‘Bitter Sweet

Symphony’. The album won the 1998 BRIT Award for Best Album, while Youth won the BRIT for Producer Of The Year.

In February 2016, Youth was awarded the PPL Outstanding Contribution to

Music Award by the Music Producers Guild.

Episode 16 - Beth Nielsen Chapman - Songwriting For Songwriters Podcast

Beth was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2016 and is a two-time Grammy Award and ACM Award nominee and won the Country Music Association Award for Song of the Year in 1999 for writing Faith Hill's "This Kiss".

Click here to hear Beth’s music and find out about new projects, tour dates and more:

https://bethnielsenchapman.com/

The Songwriters Handbook by Elijah Wolfe, host of the podcast 'Songwriting For Songwriters' is out now on Amazon.

The book is an interactive book packed with 52 themes and subjects for you songwriters and creative writers to muse over and find a seed or a spark of an idea for a new song, lyric or piece of creative writing.

It's engaging and easy read and is guaranteed to be a valuable friend in your creative toolbox.

Order your copy here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0CGTMDNQY

Mark Davidson is a songwriter, musician, musicologist and lead archivist of The Bob Dylan Centre in Tulsa.

He has just written and curated with co-writer Parker Fishel, a new book BOB DYLAN: MIXING UP THE MEDICINE an unprecedented glimpse into the creative life of one of America's most groundbreaking, influential and enduring artists.

This monumental work stands as the most comprehensive book ever published on Dylan. It explores his creative journey and celebrates his status as one of the most iconic singers, songwriters and cultural figures of our time.

Within the pages of this extraordinary book lie hundreds of previously unpublished treasures from Bob Dylan's personal archive, housed at the Bob Dylan Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Among these treasures are manuscripts, lyrics, notebooks, paintings, photographs, letters, albums and artifacts that provide a rare glimpse into the life and artistry of the legend himself.

Mark and Elijah discuss how the book came to be and much more.

Dorothea Forrester is a 20 year old independent filmmaker, writer, photographer and actor currently based in the South West.

She studied Film and TV Production and won 'Best Young Filmmaker' at Cannes World Film Festival for her film 'Blue' which has also received praise from figures such as Laura Albert.

She has often collaborated with band Die Twice, as heard on Radio 1, creating a black and white music video which she produced, directed and shot in Paris.

She now aims to move towards working on long form projects and ensures every project she approaches is approached from a very personal and honest space.

She is also the daughter of podcast host =ELIJAH= and this conversation is a unique one of a kind chat between Daughter and Dad about Dorothea's upcoming film, music, creativity and more.

Help Dorothea create 'Pomegranate Seeds' by crowdfunding here: https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/pomegranate-seeds-film

Follow Dorothea on Instagram @dorotheaforrester

Track featured on this episode is 'The Wildlight' by The Gravity Drive.

Pick up a copy of =ELIJAH='s book 'The Songwriters Handbook' here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0CGTMDNQY

Alice Armstrong is an award-winning singer-songwriter and entertainer from Surrey, UK, known for her impressive vocal range, dynamic songwriting and unmatched stage presence.
In 2024 so far, Armstrong has been voted Contemporary Blues Artist of the Year at the UK Blues Awards, played sold out shows across the UK, been a guest on BBC Radio 2 with Cerys Matthews and is a common addition to Joe Bonamassa’s personal Spotify playlists.

Episode 7 - Cat Pierce - Songwriting for Songwriters

Cat Pierce is a Los Angeles based singer-songwriter best known as being half of The Pierces. After more than 15 years of being in a band with her sister Allison Pierce Cat has released a run of brilliant singles in the last few years as well as becoming a Mum and releasing her own beautifully painted Tarot Cards. Hear Cat's songs here: https://spoti.fi/42WV82J

The Pierces Biography

The Pierces took root in the siblings' hometown of Birmingham, Alabama. Home-schooled by their musician father and painter mother, the Pierce girls were encouraged in the arts from a young age, and quickly learned to play guitar and harmonize. Though they both became accomplished ballerinas, by 1995 Catherine and Allison had left dance to attend Auburn University and play music. Sony soon took interest in the duo's sound, and the Pierces moved to Nashville to record their self-titled debut album. Appearing in 2000, The Pierces was a slick blend of folk harmonizing and adult alternative textures. 'You and I' was released in 2011 followed up by 'Creation' in 2014.

Listen to The Pierces here: https://spoti.fi/42RBXqL

To start the new season of the Songwriting For Songwriters Podcast Elijah speaks with producer Phil Meadley, commander in chief of The Gaslight Troubadours. After a 3 year hiatus The Gaslight Troubadours are back with a new single 'Hallelujah (Let Yourself Be Mine) featuring The Mirorim the first single taken frOm their upcoming album 'Children Of The Sun'.WEBSITE: https://gaslighttroubadours.com/

Clive Stafford Smith OBE - Episode 2 - Season 2

This weeks podcast is in 3 parts with different guests.

1 -Clive Stafford - Smith OBE British attorney who specializes in the

areas of civil rights and working against the death penalty in the

United States of America.

He worked to overturn death sentences for convicts, and helped found the not-for-profit Louisiana Capital Assistance Center in New Orleans. By 2002 this was the largest capital defence organisation in the South. He was a founding board member of the Gulf Region Advocacy Center, based in Houston, Texas. In addition, he has represented more than 80 of the detainees held as enemy combatants since 2002 at the US Guantanamo Bay detention camp. As of February 2021, a total of 40 men are still held there.

After returning to Britain, Stafford Smith worked as the founder of Reprieve, a British non-profit NGO that is opposed to the death penalty.

During his career in the US, by 2002 Stafford Smith had lost appeals in six death penalty cases, but had won nearly 300, earning reprieves from execution for those convicts and exonerating a number of them.

Clive has gathered over 180 cases of people that were executed on Death Row and Elijah and Clive have decided to work together on a project called 'Last Words' asking songwriters to respond to a case and the last words of a Death Row prisoner.

Interested songwriters can get involved by emailing songwritingforsongwriters@gmail.com to be sent a case and the last words of a prisoner.

2 - Chiman 101 is a hip-hop artist currently based in the south-west. Elijah and Chiman 101 have collaborated on a track called 'The Kingdom Come' responding to the case and last words of Death Row prisoner Jerome Bowden.

Chiman 101 discusses his writing, his influences and how he found his way into writing 'The Kingdom Come' with Elijah.

3- Alexis and Felicity. Alexis and Felicity are work experience students that happened to be on work experience as Clive and Elijah began the project and were asked by Clive to write a song based on the case of Jerome Bowden with Elijah. Alexis sang and wrote the melody and the words were written by Alexis, Coco and Felicity.

Episode 14 - Ian McNabb - Songwriting for Songwriters

Robert Ian McNabb was born in Liverpool on November 3rd 1960. An only child - the son of Patricia and Robert. He first picked up a guitar at the age of 12 after seeing Marc Bolan on Top Of The Pops.

Ian joined his first band, Young World, at the age of 15 ; They played the working men’s club circuit for a couple of years before Ian joined another band City Lights. This band again gigged extensively around the North of England cabaret circuit, but Ian grew tired of playing other peoples songs and decided that cabaret was not the way forward for him.

He had always written songs for fun but now he began to take it seriously.

In 1981 Ian formed The Icicle Works with Chris Sharrock (drums), and Chris Layhe (bass and vocals).

They quickly gained a following through their debut single release, Nirvana,and extensive live performances up and down the country.

The Icicle Works became part of the Liverpool renaissance movement of the eighties, alongside acts such as Echo And The Bunnymen, The Teardrop Explodes, WAH!, Heat, OMD, Black, Dead Or Alive, Frankie Goes To Hollywood, The Lotus Eaters, and China Crisis.

They signed to Beggar’s Banquet records, and under the guidance of Martin Mills scored a top 20 hit with Love Is A Wonderful Colour in the U.K ; and top 40 placings in the U.S, Canada, and Europe with Birds Fly (Whisper To A Scream), with their eponymous debut album.

The Icicle Works achieved top 40 placings in the UK for all four of their albums - The Icicle Works, The Small Price Of A Bicycle, If You Want To Defeat Your Enemy Sing His Songs, and Blind - until they split up in 1988.

Muff Winwood signed Ian to Epic records in 1989, paying a buy-out fee to Beggar’s Banquet; but Muff’s insistence on using The Icicle Works name, (with new musicians Roy Corkill and Zak Starkey) when the original band had ceased to be, caused friction, and after one disappointingly received album, Permanent Damage, Ian was dropped from Epic’s roster.

Ian began a collaboration with his friend and previous Icicle Works producer, Ian Broudie - a number of songs featured on subsequent Lightning Seeds records, which became hugely successful.

Ian signed to Andrew Lauder’s new imprint, This Way Up, in 1992, which yielded 3 albums : Truth And Beauty (which Ian had recorded at his own expense by remortgaging his house), Head Like A Rock, which was recorded in part with Neil Young’s band Crazy Horse in L.A and subsequently nominated for a Mercury Music Prize in 1994, and Merseybeast - the latter 2 albums achieved top 30 placings; the first was heralded as “One of the best records released in Q magazine’s lifetime”.

This Way Up records ceased to be in 1997 and Ian found himself without a deal once more, so accepted an invitation to join his friend Mike Scott (The Waterboys) on bass guitar for a lengthy European and Japanese tour.

Ian self financed another record in 1998, A Party Political Broadcast On Behalf Of The Emotional Party, which featured Danny Thompson (John Martyn, Nick Drake amongst others) on upright bass. They toured together that Autumn to promote the record.

At the end of the decade Ian released the live disc Live at Life, recorded over two nights at Liverpool’s Life Cafe.

Ian then joined The Waterboys on keyboards for a European tour. When this was completed, Ian accepted Ian Broudie’s invitation to record on ‘The Barge’ - Pete Townshend’s studio which Broudie was currently renting, moored next to Pete’s Eel Pie complex. The resulting album - Ian McNabb- saw a return of Ian’s love of guitar driven pop/rock and was released on Sanctuary Records in 2001.

Ian briefly played bass guitar in Ringo Starr’s band in 2002.

Throughout the 00s Ian released a further 5 solo albums : Waifs And Strays, The Gentleman Adventurer, Before All Of This, How We Live, and Great Things -all self financed

John Owen Williams is a record producer and songwriter.

He has managed, A&R’d, and produced many artist careers, including producing debut albums for The Housemartins, The Proclaimers, The High, and The Almighty. His latest production, Paul Heaton and Jacqui Abbott’s N.K-POP was released in October 2022 and debuted at Number One on the UK Album Charts.

John has also signed, produced, or A&R’d, Alison Moyet, Paul Heaton and Jacqui Abbott, Simple Minds, The Waterboys, Jethro Tull, Robert Plant, The Blue Nile, Petula Clark, Cathy Dennis, Ocean Colour Scene, JJ Cale, Siouxsie Sioux, Debbie Harry, Status Quo, Beth Nielsen Chapman, Lloyd Cole, Blancmange, Level 42, Brian Wilson, Elaine Paige, Clare Teal, Hall and Oates, Fun Lovin’ Criminals, Joan Baez, Talk Talk, Jimmy Webb, Carter USM, James Taylor Quartet, Gary Jules, Saint Etienne, Claudia Brücken, Steve Winwood, Michael Nyman, Van Morrison, Neil Arthur, Kenny Rogers, Charlotte Church, The Wonder Stuff, Kingmaker and Thea Gilmore.

Starting his career as a label manager and promotions manager in 1974, he launched and promoted records at Island, Polydor, and Shelter by Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers, Bob Marley and The Wailers, The Who, JJ Cale, Slade, Dwight Twilley, Barclay James Harvest, The Rubettes, Mac and Katie Kissoon, Johnny Bristol, and The Osmonds.

As a journalist from 1977-79, he was Music Editor of the trade magazine Radio and Record News, launching the first Gallup Top 100 Albums and Singles Sales Chart in 1978, and contributed as a journalist on air on BBC Radio 1’s Rock On programme.

He had a recording career at Rak Records in 1979-80 with East Side Band, and released ‘Rendezvous’, which was a BBC Radio 1 Record of the Week, and ‘Won’t You Be Mine’, which was a BBC Radio 2 Record of the Week.

Wolverhampton born and educated at Bromsgrove School, at the Institut de Touraine, Tours, France, and at the University Of Western Ontario, Canada, John was Director of A&R for Polydor from 1987-90, Director of A&R for Chrysalis from 1990-95, Senior VP of A&R for Sanctuary Records 1995-2005, and Managing Director of W14 Music from 2006 -09.

As a BBC Radio 1 Session Producer, he produced over 60 live sessions between 1981-85, including landmark performances by The Cure, Simple Minds, Big Country, Aswad, Killing Joke, The Birthday Party, Orange Juice, The Waterboys, Cocteau Twins, That Petrol Emotion, Southern Death Cult, The Men They Couldn’t Hang, Ludus, Wah!, Red Guitars, Dream Academy,The Housemartins, and Billy Bragg. He also managed Blancmange and Shriekback during this period.

He was Director of Music for Amazingtunes from 2010 -11, part of Amazingmedia, a company focused on helping new and emerging musicians through the Amazingradio DAB station.

From 2011 onwards, John has also been a Visiting Lecturer on the BMus Commercial Music Performance Course at the University of Westminster, and a Visiting Lecturer at the University of Lincoln, BA Sound and Music Production Course.

Since 2013 he has worked as a producer and songwriter. He has produced five Top 5 albums, including Two Number One albums, by Paul Heaton and Jacqui Abbott. He has also written and produced chart albums by Petula Clark, and Claudia Brücken.

In 2021 John released his debut album ‘Out of Darkness’ under the name The John Williams Syndicate.

In 2022 he produced the latest Paul Heaton & Jacqui Abbott chart-topping album ‘N.K-POP’,` and co-written xPropaganda’s Top 10 album ‘The Heart is Strange’.

Website:

As a performer who was signed to a major label (Island Def Jam) and a music publisher (Sony/ATV) herself, Jenna Andrews is driven by an innate passion for music and a belief in its power to unite and inspire. The Calgary native has worn many hats in the music industry, from vocal producer to A&R/creative consultant, from songwriter and arranger to executive producer, taking both young and seasoned performers under her wing as friend, confidant, advisor and often even therapist.

As a consultant for Sony Music’s RECORDS label (where she is currently working with Swedish pop star Tove Styrke) and a partner in their joint venture publishing company TwentySeven Music at Sony/ATV, Jenna is in more demand than ever after serving as the vocal producer on BTS’ Grammy-nominated global smash, “Dynamite,” and doing similar honors, along with co-writing, for the South Korean superstars’ current chart-topping smash “Butter” as well as collaborating with Ed Sheeran on writing their latest smash, “Permission to Dance.”

‍Among her impressive credits include collaborations with Drake, Jennifer Lopez, Tori Kelly, Jessie J, Noah Cyrus (“July”), Benee (the TikTok smash “supalonely,” being used in over 10 million user-created videos, and streaming over 500 million times to date) and Galantis, David Guetta & Little Mix (“Heartbreak Anthem”), as well as producers Noah “40” Shebib, Diplo, DJ Mustard, Max Martin, Illangelo and Stargate.

The daughter of a psychology professor and a schoolteacher, Andrews started playing piano and performing at the age of five, her mother passing on a love for Billie Holiday, Marvin Gaye and Donny Hathaway before she developed her own idols in Mariah and Whitney. Determined to pursue a musical career, Andrews dropped out of college after six months, where she was studying broadcast journalist, and moved to Vancouver. Famed manager Chris Smith (Alessia Cara, Nelly Furtado) discovered one of her songs on MySpace and signed on to represent her, securing a deal with Antonio “L.A.” Reid at Island Def Jam. When Reid left for Epic Records, industry legend Barry Weiss re-signed her to the label after a showcase. Jenna eventually became a creative consultant at his subsequent label RECORDS, home of Noah Cyrus and 24kGoldn, among others.

Jenna’s fingerprints are all over “Butter,” with a pair of her TwentySeven Music signings, songwriter/producer Rob Grimaldi and co-writer Alex Bilowitz, both contributing to the BTS song along with Stephen Kirk, all of whom receive writing credit on the song along with Columbia Records Chairman Ron Perry and BTS’ RM, who penned the closing rap.

The result was the band’s fourth chart-topping Billboard Hot 100 single, and a major achievement for Andrews and her team, one that has her looking to the future to make her mark in not just the music business, but other ancillary, related projects.

Given her experience working with young artists, particularly female artists, Andrews has launched a podcast, “The Green Room Talks,” in association with the Jed Foundation, a non-profit organization that protects emotional health and prevents teen suicide. Each episode combines her skills in both creative songwriting and psychology, inviting artists and therapists to discuss issues like anxiety, eating disorders, sexual identity, stage fright and panic attacks. The show, conducted via Zoom, is set to go in person, distributed by Spotify, Apple and YouTube.

“It has been an amazing experience,” she notes. “Exploring the marriage between health and music. Songwriting always felt like therapy to me. You come in the studio and purge your emotions. It’s my way of showcasing that process, especially for fans, allowing them to see their favorite artists have some of the same issues they might. At the same time as it shines a light on how their favorite songs were written.”

Adds Jenna, “For me, it’s not just being a songwriter or a producer behind the...

Episode 5 - Chris Difford - Songwriting for Songwriters Podcast

Joining Elijah this week is Chris Difford. Chris Difford is a Grammy nominated and double Ivor Novello Award winning lyricist who has brought us characters and sketches from everyday life, and has successfully turned the mundane into the beautiful, the urbane into the exquisite, for over 40 years.

With his collaborator, Squeeze co-founder Glenn Tilbrook, Chris has written some of the most enduring and best-loved songs of our time such as ‘Up The Junction’, ‘Cool For Cats’ and ‘Labelled With Love’, ‘Tempted’ and many others. Squeeze returned with two new albums in recent years ‘Cradle to the Grave’ in 2015 and ‘The Knowledge’ in 2017, followed by extensive world-wide touring supporting Hall and Oates in the US and Madness in the UK. The Squeeze tour Food for Thought in 2022 virtually sold out and raised over £30,000 for various food banks. The band had never sounded better.

Chris hosts songwriting retreats and has done so for over 30 years, some in Prisons, some in Rehabs, but mostly in Somerset with the Buddy Holly Foundation at Pennard House. He is one of the country’s most respected songwriters and has co-written with a host of musicians and performers that reads like a veritable who’s who of the music industry.

His autobiography ‘Some Fantastic Place’ was released in 2017 and found some wonderful praise in the UK press and with fans around the World who recognised his journey into recovery while touring with his friends in Squeeze. The book continues to be part of his solo touring and became the focus of his sell out two week run at the Edinburgh Festival. A stand up show with a bit of sit down. Chris returns to Edinburgh this year in 2023 with a brand new stand up show.

In 2023 Squeeze are writing new songs and planning tours for the future with some special treats to look forward to. Meanwhile Chris is somehow finding the time to still run songwriting workshops for the charity Help Musician’s as well as recording series 3 of his highly acclaimed Podcast ‘I never thought it would happen’.

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Episode 17 - Jim Cregan - Songwriting For Songwriters Podcast

Joining Elijah this week is Jim Cregan. Jim’s early work with Blossom Toes, Family, Linda Lewis, Cat Stevens and Cockney Rebel eventually lead him to join the new band started by Rod Stewart, after the break-up of The Faces.

Jim stayed for 18 years as his band-leader, co-writer and co-producer. Together they wrote such songs as Tonight I’m Yours, Forever Young, Passion and most recently Brighton Beach from Rod’s Number 1 album “Time“.

Jim has 3 ASCAP awards for outstanding songwriting.

In the mid nineties Jim returned to writing and producing, with credits ranging from Willie Nelson and Kid Rock, to The Gypsy Kings and Joe Cocker, among many, many others.

Jim toured and played on Katie Melua’s first two albums – both reaching number 1. He has received over 50 gold & platinum records to date, and his guitar solo on Cockney Rebel’s Come Up And See Me (Make Me Smile) still sounds alright!

Jim's Website: https://jimcregan.com/

Heather Little is a songwriter whose music has won two BMI awards and through original writing and co-writing her songs have been recorded by many artists including Miranda Lambert and Sunny Sweeney and Kacey Musgraves.

Originally from Princeton, Texas, the Lindale mother/singer songwriter has been writing songs since she was a little girl. Her early inspirations came from her mother singing classic rock songs to her, and sneaking in to listen to her dad’s album collection that included some of the legends of country music: Dolly Parton, Hank Jr., and many others.

Heather writes songs that reflect what she considers to be real life, which covers the entire gamut of human emotion: joy, frustration, fulfillment, disappointment, and everything in between. With deceptively complex songs and hauntingly beautiful vocals, she sings about life from a place of genuine experience and authenticity that pulls you in tight and is reluctant to let you go until the story is told.

Heather has recently released her second solo album 'By Now'.

Episode 12 - Steve Knightley - Songwriting for Songwriters

Steve Knightley is a multi-award-winning singer-songwriter/musician and founder member of folk/acoustic roots trail-blazers ‘Show of Hands’ described by Peter Gabriel as ‘one of the great English bands’. A constant throughout Steve’s work is his ability to root his songs in time and place, notably the West Country where he was raised.

Informed by a love of narrative and English traditional folk music, Knightley writes historically accurate songs that resonate with contemporary meaning. He has an extraordinary ability to bring the past vividly, smack bang into the present. It’s a gift that fuels his reputation as an ‘issues’ writer. The seminal ‘Country Life’ earned him the title ‘the gravel voiced spokesman of the rural poor’ and his anti-banking rant ‘Arrogance, Ignorance and Greed’ picked up the gong for ‘Best Song’ at the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards.

Steve has a degree in History and Politics and in 2015 he was presented with an Honorary Doctorate from Plymouth University for his services to geography and music. Steve is also Patron of the Royal Albert Memorial Museum in Exeter and last year he was awarded the title of Honorary Rifleman by the 6th Battalion the Rifles Regiment.

Website: https://showofhands.co.uk/

Dom Martin was brought up in the often tough, but community driven streets of Belfast Northern Ireland and has certainly paid his life and musical dues. 

He has made a fairly 'meteoric' rise in terms of today's industry with his jaw dropping, entirely natural sounding and unforced/unschooled skill on acoustic guitar, matched with an authentic 'Belfast Blues' voice, bringing to mind comparisons with many from (Glasgow born) John Martyn to Rory Gallagher, with nods to many in-between, not least perhaps the likes of Van Morrison and Foy Vance.

Dom has won multiple awards for his acoustic work with a 2019 European award, UK awards in 2020/2021/2022 and as a result is now an inductee in the UK Blues Hall of Fame.

In late 2018 Dom was invited by Cerys Matthews to play a live session on the BBC Radio 2 Blues Show and she described his work as “absolutely wonderful stuff”. 

At the end of 2019 Dom released his debut album, “Spain to Italy” which attracted a lot of attention and promised a successful career ahead for the Irishman.

​A second and highly reviewed studio album "A Savage Life" was released in April 2022 which cemented Dom's place in the UK and European Blues/Rock scene.

​In August 2023 Dom and his band gained many new fans whilst aboard Joe Bonamassa's KTBA Mediterranean Cruise III and he was certainly the talk of the ship! 

 In September 2023 he released his latest album "Buried In The Hail" on Forty Below Records scoring many top marks with reviewers and gaining Classic Rock Magazine's "Blues Album of The Month" above many top industry names. 

​At the UK Blues Awards 2024 "Buried In The Hail" was voted by the IBBA DJ's/Presenters as "Blues Album of The Year" ​​

Dom Martin Website: https://www.dommart.in/

Episode 11 - Boo Hewerdine - Songwriting For Songwriters Podcast

Ivor Novello Award nominated songwriter Boo Hewerdine is considered one of the UK’s finest singer-songwriters. As lead singer of seminal band, The Bible through to his subsequent solo work and long-time collaboration with the incredible Eddi Reader who had a huge hit with Boo's song, 'The Patience of Angels', Boo has become something of a national treasure. He is in demand as a writer, producer and performer. Over a hundred of his songs have been covered by the likes of KD Lang, Kris Drever, Chris Difford, Heidi Talbot and Hannah Rarity.

Boo's Website: https://boohewerdine.net/

@boohewerdine

When an artist’s resume boasts of a pedigree like that of Yolanda’s – from Top 40 Pop, soul, rock, jazz, studio recordings, film soundtracks, TV shows, and from stadium tours to intimate jazz club engagements, it’s obvious that we are talking about one of the most well respected, in demand, creative and eclectic, multi-genre talents working in music today.

Yolanda Charles started her career playing for Jimmy Sommerville (The Communards) and then quickly became the bass foundation of various groups in the burgeoning ‘acid jazz’ scene of the early 1990’s including Raw Stylus and Urban Species, swiftly securing her reputation as the ‘go to’ bass player resulting in her remarkable career as a session musician for the next 30 years.

From 2010 onwards saw Yolanda continue to be the first call for many recording sessions and live performances with the incredible list of headline names above –and also became Musical Director for ex-Eurythmic Dave Stewart’s London appearances and feature in the TV house bands for shows hosted by Ricky Wilson (Kaiser Chiefs) & Nicole Scherzinger (Pussy Cat Dolls).

In 2018 Yolanda broadened her scope of work accepting engagements with Laura Mvula, Mercury Award nominee Eska, pianist Tomasz Bura’s Jazz Fusion quartet, and the trio of Brian Jackson, Gil Scott-Heron’s co-writer. And as if to demonstrate her eclectic and varied talents, she then recorded and toured with the legendary British band Squeeze from 2017 to 2020

For 6 years Yolanda performed and recorded with the incomparable composer Hans Zimmer touring Europe, the South Pacific region and the US. Working on various film soundtracks including “A Knight’s Tale” “Alfie” “Home” “War on Everyone” & “Boss Baby I & II’ and “DUNE”

Yolanda has worked with Hans Zimmer, BB King, Mick Jagger, Paul Weller, Squeeze, Robbie Williams, Sting, Dave Stewart, Queen, Anastasia, Lulu, Heather Small, Natasha Bedingfield, Sinead O’Connor, Daryl Hall, Marcella Detroit, Pops Mohammed, Alison Moyet, Desert Eagle Discs, Aztec Camera, Gabrielle, Robbie Williams, Eric Clapton, Jimmy Somerville, Roger Daltrey, Van Morrison, Michael Jackson, Laura Mvula, Eska, Cathy Dennis, Leee John, Brian Jackson

Check out all her music here: https://g4dz.com/about/

David Joseph (Held By Trees) - Episode 1 - Season 2

Held By Trees is the collaborative vehicle for David Joseph, a recording artist, producer and multi-instrumentalist.

Held By Trees arrived with debut album Solace in spring 2022 to global critical acclaim and a unique story. Not many artists can claim direct DNA from their chief influences, but on Solace, project leader David Joseph managed to bring together a total of eight alumni of the fabled Talk Talk/Mark Hollis albums that inspired his instrumental, progressive post-rock. The album also featured contributions from veterans of Dire Straits, Pink Floyd, Blur and blues/roots hero, Eric Bibb. Solace has gone on to delight listeners and critics around the world, selling thousands of CD and vinyl copies and entering the indie and physical sales official charts in the UK.

Hot on the heels of Solace, Held By Trees is excited to be released two new EPs on Sound Canyon Records. Recorded at Peter Gabriel’s famous Real World Studios, the first EP is comprised of live versions of five tracks from Solace. The six piece live iteration of Held By Trees brings together three of the Talk Talk/Mark Hollis alumni that contributed to Solace including renowned guitarist Robbie McIntosh. The band recorded playing all together in the ‘Big Room’ at Real World in November 2022, a week after their debut live performances.

The second EP is an entirely new suite of pieces themed on the transition from daylight to darkness. Entitled ‘Eventide’, it was tracked live at Real World Studios and then additional layers were added by musicians in America and Canada, by old friends of project leader David Joseph. The new music is also influenced by the likes of Van Morrison, Paul Simon and John Martyn.

Listen here:

Held By Trees Website - https://heldbytrees.bandcamp.com/

As front-man of The Rifles, Joel Stoker has released a host of acclaimed albums, the most recent two of which achieved the highest chart positions of their career, as well as playing numerous riotous sold-out tours and picking up famous fans including Paul Weller, Madness and Ian Broudie.

Joel has just released his debut solo album ‘The Under flow’ on Cooking Vinyl

https://www.joelstoker.com/

Episode 18 - Jamie Lawson - Songwriting For Songwriters Podcast

Hear more of Jamie pre-order his new single 'Napoleon Dynamite' taken from his upcoming new album 'Little Weaknesses'

https://jamielawsonmusic.com

Jamie is an Ivor Novello Award winning songwriter. He was the first artist to be signed by Ed Sheeran’s record label, Gingerbread Man Records. Lawson is best known for his hit single, “Wasn’t Expecting That”, and his self-titled album which peaked at number one on the UK Albums Chart in 2015.

Jamie supported Sheeran on the leg of his X Tour in March and April 2015. He also supported One Direction on their 2015 On the Road Again Tour in the UK and Ireland.

In August 2016, Jamie made a guest appearance in the Australian soap Neighbours, singing 'I Wasn't Expecting That'.

Host Elijah (The Gravity Drive) and Jamie discuss his songwriting career to date, his process, his influences, his rise to fame and the story behind his no.1 Ivor Vovello Award winning song 'I Wasn't Expecting That'

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Thea Gilmore has been making intensely personal, socially aware music to considerable acclaim in her homeland since she was a teenager. London’s Independent regards her as “the best wordsmith of her generation.”

Uncut labeled Gilmore “the best British singer/songwriter of the last ten years - and then some.”

Thea is about to release a self-titled new album.

Born, as planned, from the preceding EP's, the album was entirely written, played and produced by Thea. Thea Gilmore is absolutely the record she wanted to make. In many ways the record she had to make. Sustained by the very public dissection of her personal life laid bare on her last full-length release, the stunningly intimate Afterlight, Thea's hard-earned reputation as one of the most distinctive, strident and bold singer songwriters of her generation propels her to reach for new ground and this new release feels like a great leap forward into tomorrow.

​"That's why this is my first self-titled album," she explains. "On my last album I changed by name to Afterlight and drew a line under everything I'd done up to that point. Not to invalidate it, but to put an end to the 'before'. It was a very inward-looking record that was rooted in the darkness of everything that happened to me up to 2019, whereas this album has its head up and is eyeing the world as a challenge.”

The album is released on 6th October and can be pre-ordered

https://www.theagilmore.net/

Mark Tucker is a producer, composer and recording engineer.

With over 20 years in the music industry working with artists such as Portishead, PJ Harvey, Jethro Tull, Fairport Convention, Frank Turner, Ian Gillan and many many more.

Mark is also Creative Director & in house producer at ARC Studios. Having built a number of successful professional recording facilities, (including; Presshouse Studio in Devon for Martin Barre of Jethro Tull and Woodworm Studios, Oxfordshire, for Dave Pegg of Fairport Convention). Studio design is integral to Mark's knowledge and understanding of sound and how a studio functions both as an engineer and a musician.

Jinder is is best known for his extensive catalogue of dark folk- and country-influenced solo work, including his 2019 Top 40 single, 'Keep Me in Your Heart', which features in the 2019 film Fisherman's Friends and has been successfully covered by many other artists. He is also known for his brief tenure as the frontman of the Mercurymen.

In this episode Elijah and Jinder discuss his career to date, his time signed to major labels, his decision to go stride forward independently, how his song 'Keep Me In Your Heart' came into existence and how it ended up on a major Movie Picture and much more.

Jinder's website: https://www.jinder.co.uk/biography

Episode 3 - Louise Goffin -Songwriting For Songwriters Podcast

As the daughter of Carole King and Gerry Goffin Louise has melody and songwriting flowing through her very being and DNA. Louise has recently being recording a new album at the infamous Muscle Shoals Studio.

Elijah and Louise talk about the benefits of co-writing with other songwriters, the balance of being a recording artist, songwriter and performer, Louise's early influences, how she has changed and developed as a songwriter and we get to hear some insights into her new record and her love of songwriting.

Link to Louise's website: https://www.louisegoffin.com/

FULL BIOG

Louise Goffin is a singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. Born in Brooklyn, New York, Louise grew up bound by the DNA of great songwriting. She first appeared singing on records as a young girl, when she performed back-up vocals on Cheech and Chong's Basketball Jones, and on Carole King’s soundtrack for Maurice Sendak’s classic animated children’s movie, Really Rosie. Snagging record contracts over the years with Elektra-Asylum, Warner Bros. and Dreamworks, Louise’s debut album Kid Blue came out when she was 19. She prides herself on a balanced work/home life, yet remains prolific, having gone on to release nine more albums on both majors and her own independent Majority of One label. She also co-wrote and produced an album for Carole King that earned King a Grammy nomination in 2011.

Much respected by fellow artists and peers in the industry, she has been asked to bring her multi-instrumental skills to other projects. In the mid ‘90s, she toured as a guitarist and background vocalist in Tears for Fears, and appeared in a video playing banjo with Roxy Music frontman Bryan Ferry. Even more famously, she sang alongside her iconic mother on the theme song for the wildly popular TV drama Gilmore Girls. At the start of her career, she was the youngest artist to appear on the soundtrack of the Cameron Crowe high school cult classic, Fast Times At Ridgemont High, with her original and infectious “Uptown Boys”.

And 2022 has Goffin appearing as a featured artist on the 50th Anniversary Tribute to Todd Rundgren’s Something/Anything? album. Her energetic, Motown-infused spin on Rundgren’s 1972 AM radio hit "I Saw the Light" pays tribute to the pop classic that opened his 1972 double album. Louise was called by co-producer Fernando Perdomo (Echo In The Canyon) to give the song a new spin. Darian Sahanaja (Brian Wilson), Marcella Detroit (Shakespeare's Sister, Eric Clapton), Kaitlin Wolfberg (Calico, The Monkees) and Scot Sax (Lucinda Williams, Tim McGraw) helped turn "I Saw the Light" into a feel-good stomper. The song is mixed by five-time Grammy-winning engineer Dave Way (Fiona Apple, Macy Gray, Shakira).

Her latest albums, All These Hellos and Two Different Movies, feature Van Dyke Parks with a classic Hollywood movie arrangement of the Goffin/Harvey penned “Chinatown'', and Goffin’s lyric and music composition, “Oh My God”. The two albums boast duets with Chris Difford from Squeeze, Rufus Wainwright, and oft-collaborator Billy Harvey.

Her recordings appear in film and television. Watching The Sky Turn Blue plays out the credits on the quirky indie film Carrie Pilby. Her self-penned Archives appears in the Gilmore Girls Netflix reboot. She covers a classic Christmas song in Bad Santa 2, and can be heard in an episode of Girlfriends’ Guide To Divorce.

Louise’s songwriting has been praised by Doobie Brothers singer-songwriter Michael...

Episode 13 - Kyle Falconer - Songwriting for Songwriters Podcast

Kyle Falconer is best known for being front-man and songwriter in Mercury Nominated Scottish Indie Rock band The View. Falconer released his debut solo album titled 'No Thank You' independently. The record reached number 1 in the Record Store Chart in the week of the release and achieved a top 40 position in the UK Album Chart.

Episode 4 - Ron Sexsmith - Songwriting For Songwriters Podcast.

Ron Sexsmith is one of the most respected living songwriters. Canadian born and 3 time Juno Award winning songwriter, Ron has just released his new album 'The Vivian Line'.

Elijah and Ron have a conversation about the stories behind some of Ron's songs, the beautiful story of how Ron started songwriting, his influences, his process and relationship with his songwriting muse, the Canadian spirit in songwriting and his career and journey as a songwriter.

Order yourself a copy of Ron's new album 'The Vivian Line' here:

https://ronsexsmith.com/

Full Biog -

Ron Sexsmith is a three time, Juno award winning singer songwriter from St Catharines Ontario. Born in 1964, Ron was drawn to music from an early age by the melodic songs of the era, which he heard on the radio and by his Mom’s record collection.

His earliest musical heroes were Buddy Holly and Elton John.

He always loved to sing, but didn’t start playing guitar until age 14 when he formed his first band “Paper Moon” (named after the film of the same name). Although he tried to write songs throughout his teens, it wasn’t until he was 21 and living in Quebec with his partner and first child, that he truly became a songwriter.

Ron eventually moved his young family to Toronto in 1987 to further pursue a career in music. He worked as a courier by day, while performing in the clubs by night. He formed the band ‘Ron Sexsmith and The Uncool’ and started gaining attention from music label executives, though all passed on signing him.

In 1991 he released his first full length album on cassette called “Grand Opera Lane” produced by Bob Wiseman. The album was rejected by the Canadian music industry, although it found its way to Los Angeles where Ron ultimately signed his first music publishing deal with Interscope Records followed by a recording contract.

With producer Mitchell Froom, Sexsmith released his self-titled label debut album in 1995. The melancholic tone and sparse acoustic arrangements of the album were met with disapproval from Interscope. However an enthusiastic endorsement from Elvis Costello drew media attention and the album was declared a critical success. In his Sept 7, 1995 review for Rolling Stone, Bud Scoppa wrote: “He just may be the most fluent balladeer to come along since Tim Hardin or Harry Nilsson.”

Sexsmith’s songwriting style evolved into a unique and timeless blend of classic pop, contemporary folk, and roots-rock idioms. He has built a steadfast reputation with critics and with some of his own songwriting hero’s (Elton John, Ray Davies, John Prine, Gordon Lightfoot, Leonard Cohen and Paul McCartney) for his characteristically honest, sensitive, and enduring approach to the songwriting craft.

Ron has released albums on a consistent basis since 1995 and has recorded with noted producers Mitchell Froom, Daniel Lanois, Steve Earle, Jim Scott, Don Kerr, Brad Jones, Bob Rock, and Martin Terefe.

His extensive song and album catalog has garnered Sexsmith a substantive cult following and an international touring career. His early years of touring included opening for established artists such as, John Hiatt, Elvis Costello, Sarah McLaughlin, Tori Amos, Squeeze, Aimee Mann, Coldplay, Nick Lowe, John Prine, Lucinda Williams and many others.

His songs as well, have been covered by the likes of Rod Stewart, Nick Lowe, Emmy Lou Harris, Feist, and Michael Buble to name a few.

In the past few decades as a headlining artist,...

The Gaslight Troubadours & The Mirorim

Season 3 - Episode 2 - The Gaslight Troubadours & The MirorimWith a brand new single, 'Hallelujah (Let Yourself Be Mine) featuring The Mirorim, The Gaslight Troubadours are back with the track already receiving plays on national radio. Podcast host Elijah (The Mirorim) talks with Phil commander in chief of The Gaslight Troubadours about their collaboration for this new single, how it came to be, what it's all about, the musical and lyrical influences and the collaborative process which is followed by an album called 'Children Of The Sun' later in the year.'Hallelujah (Let Yourself Be Mine) is available now on all streaming/downlaod platforms. Follow these link:

https://gaslighttroubadours.com/

Episode 27 - Danny McNamara (Embrace)

Danny McNamara is frontman and songwriter in Embrace.

Their debut album ‘The Good Will Out’ went to Number 1 on the UK albums chart and since then Danny and Embrace have had an amazing career with the original line-up still in place.

Danny and Elijah speak about his songwriting, the pressure he put on himself as an artist and songwriter, the bands success and longevity and more

Robbie McIntosh has legendary status among his fellow musicians. As a long-term member of The Pretenders, Robbie played at Live Aid in 1985 and on their top-10 UK hit, Don’t Get Me Wrong. His career to date includes spells as guitarist with Sir Paul McCartney, Sir Tom Jones, John Mayer, and Norah Jones. Robbie has played many of the world’s top festivals and venues. Among his numerous TV and radio appearances, Robbie was with Sir Tom Jones on Jools Holland’s Hootenanny BBC TV show on New Years Eve 2015, and with Zucchero in 2016.
Robbie takes his own special blend of music on the road with The Robbie McIntosh Band, and in trio and duo formats.

This week Elijah is joined by legendary DJ and Broadcaster ‘Whispering’ Bob Harris.

Bob has been curating music in the airwaves for decades across many radio stations and now on BBC Radio 2. Many of us grew up with the classic music TV show ‘The Old Grey Whistle Test’ and Bob is responsible in many ways for presenting audiences with some of the finest songwriters who ever lived.

Currently pressing the BBC Radio 2 Country show and recording Under The Apple Tree live sessions from his studio with his son Miles, Bob is still bringing us the best in new, established and classic music.

Elijah and Bob discuss Bob’s thoughts on songwriting, his fave songwriters, what he notices about songwriters, how he picks songs for his radio show, what life was like working on The Old Grey Whistle Test, his experience of meeting John Lennon and his classic interview with John and much much more.

Enjoy

Episode 2 - John Robb - Songwriting For Songwriters Podcast

John Robb is the frontman of seminal post punk band The Membranes. He's

also a journalist and writer and has just released his fabulous new book

'Goth-The Art Of Darkness' which explores the Goth culture. John also

runs the music website 'Louder Than War'.

Host Elijah and John discuss John's songwriting, his band The Membranes

sound and their writing process, how the science of the Universe and the

magic of the mundane and the unimaginable inspired his songwriting, the

impact of punk on creativity and songwriting, Manchester, Noel

Gallagher, his influences and John gives us the story behind his new

book 'Goth - The Art Of Darkness'

You can order John's new book 'Goth - The Art Of Darkness' here: https://membranes.bandcamp.com/merch/the-art-of-darkness-the-history-of-goth-john-robb

Listen to The Membranes here: https://membranes.bandcamp.com/

Episode 29 - Mutter Slater

Mutter Slater played harmonica, flute and sang as a member of the influential British band Stackridge beginning in 1970s.

Stackridge were the first band to play and headline the world famous Glastonbury Festival. Although often categorized as a progressive rock band, their sound included themes of folk, the blues and psychedelic rock. Among the bands successful albums were their self-titled first album released in 1971 on Angel Air followed by Friendliness the following year and The Man In The Bowler Hat in 1974, which was produced by Sir George Martin and signed by Elton John and appeared regularly on BBC TV's The Old Grey Whistle Test and John Peel's radio programs.

After Stackridge, Mutter returned to a life of quiet domesticity in the Southwest of England. The songwriting and performing bug eventually got the better of him, leading to the formation of his band, The Mutter Slater Band and a return to the recording studios - Love & Hate 2006; Riding A Hurricane 2008 (produced by Billy Bragg) and 2014's

Absobloodylutely. His own fabulous brand of American Blues, Soul and R'n'B.

The band reformed in 2006 with four of the original line up Andy Davis •James Warren • Mutter Slater & Crun Walter. They released a new a Album “A Victory For Common Sense” in 2009.

Hear more of Mutter here.

Mutter Slater website: http://mutterslater.co.uk/

The Scribes are an award-winning Alternative Hip Hop group that have been making music for over a decade now. There unique off the cuff freestyling, and genre-spanning sound has formed a fan base and musical chemistry like no other; with their appeal spanning far beyond the confines of traditional Hip Hop.

Known for critically acclaimed live performances the group’s extensive touring has seen them perform and collaborate with some of the biggest names in hip hop including Macklemore, Dizzee Rascal, Kelis, Lethal Bizzle, Example, De La Soul, Wu-Tang Clan, Wiley, KRS-One, Pharoahe Monch, The Four Owls, The Sugarhill Gang and MF DOOM to name (drop) but a few.

The group have released material through US label Kamikazi Airlines, owned by Dizzy Dustin of legendary hip hop act Ugly Duckling, and UK based Reel Me Records, receiving critical acclaim worldwide for "The Sky Is Falling", “A Story All About How” and the apocalyptic concept album “Mr Teatime & the End of the World”, winner of the UndergroundHH.com “Concept Album of The Year” award.

Links:

The Scribes: https://www.quillequipped.com/

Episode 28 - Chris Potter

Chris Potter is a BRIT Award winning and Grammy nominated producer and mixer, best known for his work on The Verve's #1 seminal album 'Urban Hymns', which features the classic singles 'Bittersweet Symphony' (2 billion streams), 'Lucky Man' (300 million streams), 'Sonnet' (100 million) and the #1 single 'The Drugs Don't Work' (275 million). The album is the 17th biggest selling album of all time in the UK. So far, it has sold a massive 10 million copies worldwide and is considered a British rock classic. Chris also produced the band's #1 comeback album 'Forth', including the singles 'Love Is Noise' (40 million streams) and

'Rather Be' (7.5 million streams).

Subsequently, Chris has worked extensively with Richard Ashcroft on his solo career, including four top 3 albums - the #1 Mercury nominated album 'Alone with Everybody' (including the hit singles 'A Song for the Lovers', 'Money to Burn' and 'C'mon People (We're Making It Now)',

'Human Conditions' (featuring the singles 'Check the Meaning', 'Science of Silence' and 'Buy It in Bottles'), 'Keys to the World' (including the singles 'Break the Night with Colour', 'Music Is Power' and 'Words Just Get in the Way') and 'These People' (including the singles 'This Is How It Feels', 'Hold On', 'They Don't Own Me'). This year, Chris finished producing and mixing Richard's latest solo album 'Acoustic Hymns Vol 1', his highest charting album since 'Alone With Everybody', peaking at #2 on the UK albums chart. The album includes his much lauded duet with Liam Gallagher, 'C'Mon People (We're Making It Now)', which peaked on the A-list at BBC Radio 2.

Alongside his work with The Verve and Richard Ashcroft, Chris has worked on three albums for The Rolling Stones, including the UK #2 and US #3

album 'Steel Wheels' which was certified 2x platinum, U2's 'Popmart',

Blur's 'Black Book' and The Feeling's #2 platinum selling debut album 'Twelve Stops and Home' (including the hit singles 'Fill My Little World' and 'Rosé').

His other credits include tracks for Passenger, I Am Kloot, Keane, Jack Savoretti, The Rifles, Yusuf Islam (formerly Cat Stevens), Archive, Heather Nova, White Belt Yellow Tag, Sound of Guns, The Chakras, Mick Jagger, Whale, Mega City Four, Psychedelic Furs.

Most recently, Chris has produced and/or mixed tracks for Michael Kiwanuka, The Zombies, Newton Faulkner ('Indecisive'), Callum Beattie,

Pale Seas, Charlene Soraia ('Ghost'), Angus & Julia Stone and Humanist featuring Dave Gahan.