How did you write that song‪?‬ Paul Marsh

Ben Drysdale has been writing and performing songs for 20 years in various duo and band projects. For much of that time he was a solo songwriter but more recently has got into collaborative songwriting which has significantly increased his output. Curiously collaborative songwriting has also significantly helped him launch a solo career.

We discussed Ben's forthcoming single "Listen Now" which was inspired by a difficult conversation he had late one night with a distressed friend. Writing the song was a powerful experience for Ben and was greatly appreciated by his friend.

Ben played Listen Now live in the studio and (if you stick around until the closing credits) you can hear the fully produced band version on Ben's new single. I enjoyed hearing the differences between the single and the pared back acoustic version Ben.

Ben had some great advice for new songwriters about it never being too late to revisit the basics. After nearly 20 years writing songs Ben did a songwriting course and found it transformative. In his words "Learn the rules and then learn how to break them!"

For more about Ben's music, including the details of his new single launch: https://www.bendrysdalemusic.com

NOTE: This episode contains discussion of an instance of suicidal ideation which could be distressing for some listeners.

Jenny Spear and Bridget Croft are two good friends who write intense, energetic songs with awesome harmonies - think Vika and Linda meet Gillian Welch and Dave Rawlings in a roadside diner. They have both written and performed songs separately in different bands over many years but are really enjoying co-writing in their current duo (although sometimes 3, 4, 5 or 6-piece outfit) "What She's Having".

We played a recording of their single "The Sky" written about a fictitious character who was in jail but now she's on the road. Bridget wrote the lyrics whilst driving and sent them to Jenny who wrote the music in Bridget's preferred key and sent the song back. Jenny describes receiving lyrics from Bridget as like getting Christmas presents.

We then discussed other songs that Bridget and Jenny have written around the theme of the same fictitious character. She's broken out of jail, she's on the road, on the run and there is a murder ballad!

They played their song Blood Moon live in the studio which is in the episode and look out for two other ones - Good to You and Still on the Run - we recorded which are included after the closing credits. These are all powerful songs with beautiful harmonies.

Bridget and Jenny described a range of things that help them with their songwriting and are good advice for other songwriters - capture ideas in the moment, share them with people you trust, listen to lots of music for ideas, don't let your self-critic get in your way, don't try to make your songs too complex, leave spaces in the songs, enjoy yourself!

Having fun is paramount and I reckon Jenny and Bridget spent as much time laughing as they did talking and singing in the studio. It was great to meet both of them.

Here is where you can find the songs in the episode:

The Sky (recording) - 19:05

Blood Moon (live) - 26:16

Good to you (live) - 40:05

Still on the Run (live) - 44:10



To check out more of Jenny and Bridget's music:

https://linktr.ee/whatsheshaving

Nick-Lee Murphy lives for music, by day fixing guitars at a music store and at other times playing in bands and musically supporting a bunch of different community groups. Nick started writing songs out of a feeling of envy when he saw his mates performing their own songs so he got a guitar and started writing songs himself. He reckons it took him a couple of years to develop his songs to the point where he could play them in a band.

Songwriting has been with Nick at the highest and lowest points in his life and the things that drive his songwriting have changed over the years. Earlier on he really needed affirmation from others when he wrote songs but now he writes just for himself and doesn't mind what people think. Interestingly he gets more positive feedback these days!

Nick finds the songwriting process difficult - like he's in a boxing match with a version of himself who is his harshest critic. He throws a lot of songs away but the ones that get through to the end of the boxing match are ones he loves.

He played one of his keepers, "Crave Love" live in the studio and explained how it was written a long time ago for a particular part of his life but the meaning of it has evolved for him over time and is still very relevant today. The song has a strong vibe of one of his songwriting heroes, Robert Plant.

Nick had a lot of fabulous music stories and had me in stitches telling his story about singing songs as a door to door electricity salesman to try to drum up business. It was a pleasure to meet him and hear his songwriting story!

To hear more of Nick's music with his current band The Filthy Darlings:

https://open.spotify.com/artist/1aGULTk3Flhcljeah1qAVP?si=zq6N_xA9RIWqkYQSu-aYRw

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Canadian singer-songwriter Heather Hill and I caught up just after the release of her fourth album "Twilight Mist". Heather's songwriting is strongly influenced by the natural environment around her home in Canada and the twilight is a particularly productive time for her to write both in terms of inspiration and the space to be creative after a busy day with work and family.

Heather was classically trained and played classical and pop music for years before she "gave herself permission" to write her own songs. Since then she has written extensively and collaborated with many other musicians.

We played a recording of "Twilight Mist" which Heather wrote about and for her mother when she was close to the end of her life. The song itself is about transition and not being afraid of what might lie beyond. Another great story about Heather's new album is the inclusion of her mum's first ever recorded song - recorded when she was in her 80s!

It was a real pleasure to hear about Heather's passion for music and the things that inspire her.

Check out Heather's website to hear more of her music including her new album:

https://www.heatherhill.ca/

Amber Shuhyta started to write songs after many years of classical music training in voice and piano. She had some jazz lessons, learnt how to improvise and stepped over the threshold into the murky world of playing by ear, feeling the vibe and writing songs - she hasn't looked back!

Amber and I chatted about the fun that writing songs brings and she explained how songwriting is kind of a third space, separate from the day to day - family, work etc. She typically starts with musical shapes, chord sequences and phrases which create a picture or story for her to build in a song. The lyrics she finds harder but they come from the vibe the music gives her.

Amber brought her ukulele into the studio and played her (as yet untitled) song about the space and light she feels when she is in a quiet moment playing music. The song was inspired by her experiences playing uke and singing in her back yard accompanied by the chortling tones of three local magpies! It's a beautiful airy song which definitely conveyed a sense of contentment and respite from the busy world.

Songwriter, multi instrumentalist and ukulele virtuoso, A.J. Leonard has been writing songs for 50 years. Sometimes he can write one in a single sitting, others are still not finished after decades. He sees songwriting as an alchemy which he can't quite explain but he recognises that there are mysterious forces fanning a fire within him to write songs. He does usually start with the lyrics though and the music follows.

AJ and I had a great chat and he took me right back to the start when, as kids in the 60s, he and his brother grabbed tennis rackets from the cupboard and mimed to their parents records. He wrote his first song on the ukulele in the 70s and has been a prolific songwriter ever since. We discussed all kinds of songwriting influences from 1920s ukulele music to The Beatles to Radiohead. Despite the mysterious songwriting forces which can't be completely described, AJ offered a range of very valuable tips and techniques to assist new and established songwriters to do what they do.

AJ described how he wrote a series of 12 instrumental pieces in 12 keys for the 12 months of the year. From that series AJ played "July" live in the studio, a beguiling piece written in the rainforests of Hawaii, but which left me imagining leaves blowing down a windy winter street. It's great how songs mean different things to different people! AJ also played a new and as yet unpublished song, "Growing Old Together" which he wrote collaboratively with an online lyricist friend in the US.

To hear and find out more about AJ Leonard's music:

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