December 31, 2017 I generally don’t like ranked lists, so here, simply, is my favourite music of 2017. Read on, or scroll down for the link to the Spotify playlist. Whether consciously or not, many of these songs seem to touch upon themes of struggle, hope, reconciliation and/or finding joy within all that. There are questions asked, bridges built, high roads taken, forgiveness offered and [continue…]
Here are a few things to think about if you want to craft a guitar solo – whether onstage or in the studio – that will make ears perk up and take notice.
My latest article for SOCAN is now up, a feature on Chin Injeti, Vancouver-based producer/songwriter/artist and founding member of ’90s Toronto R&B trio Bass Is Base.
My latest cover story for SOCAN. Singer-songwriter Tobias Jesso Jr. on the success of his debut album, Goon, and his songwriting collaborations with Adele and Sia.
The Long & McQuade 2015/16 magazine just came out, featuring a couple of “How To” articles from me. The first contains advice on how to present your music for review – maybe leading to that first big break. These are tips I gleaned from writing the “Showcase” page in Canadian Musician magazine for three years. The second article offers tips for running a proper band [continue…]
My latest cover story for SOCAN Words and Music is an interview with legendary musician and songwriter Randy Bachman. As a founding member and creative driving force behind two iconic bands – The Guess Who and Bachman-Turner Overdrive – he had some interesting things to say about his songwriting process and about songwriting in general. share: Recommend on Facebook Share on Linkedin share via Reddit [continue…]
Check out my latest story for SOCAN, a cover story on Oshawa/Whitby, Ontario natives The Stellas and their amazing daughters, Lennon and Maisy. You may know the girls from this viral video, or maybe this viral video, or perhaps from their roles on the hit ABC TV series Nashville. Below is the video for The Stellas’ latest single and the title track of their new [continue…]
March 8, 2015 Happy International Women’s Day! The power of a pop song lives where the personal meets the global. And this one reminds us that we are partners in the making of this world. We are partners in creating the beauty and value of our world, and we are partners in fixing its problems. And one of the first tenets of that partnership – [continue…]
November 12, 2014 Happy birthday Neil Young! It’s Canadian music legend week here at JimTypeBlog. First was Joni Mitchell’s birthday last Friday, and today we celebrate Neil Young turning 69. Rolling Stone today presented a run-down of 20 songs only hardcore Neil fans (Neilists, I call us) would know. I was glad to see “Change Your Mind” on that list, as it’s been a fave [continue…]
November 7, 2014 Happy 71st birthday Joni Mitchell! Whenever the world marks the birthday of this most singular of artists, I find myself going back to this orchestra-backed performance of “Both Sides Now” from 2000. One of her early classics, of course, it’s a song she wrote in 1967 when she was a mere slip of a 23-year-old folksinger (mind you, a mere slip who [continue…]
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