I love asking this question:

What is your working definition of _____________? (Insert any word you wish)

I love it so much because the answers tell you so much about the person and the unique way they look at the world.

I asked my guest on the podcast today, smoky cinematic rock/soul writer Alexandra Wright what her definition of haunting was.

She answered “To carry something.”

We got deeper into an intriguing conversation about this and the themes behind her first official album release, Bartering with the Mirror.

Have a listen here:

Alexandra Wright Interview

I appreciate Alexandra’s way of looking at life and people as neither good or bad. There’s good and bad in everything, and all shades of nuance in between. That is something to make peace with, not fight.

In that spirit, and in line with Alexandra’s haunting definition, what are you carrying?

How would you define haunted?

Have a think on it. Maybe it’ll get the juices flowing towards writing a song you love ❤️.

The other night I decided to throw out a prompt to an open mic community I host in Kelowna, BC, Canada to see if it would affect the performer’s song and story choices.

Here’s the prompt:

“Play a song or songs (written or cover) that have changed the course of your life.”

The results were marvellously heart warming, reflective, and inspiring.

I shared one that impacted me from the night on the podcast today. Listen here:

A Song That Changed Your Life

The power of a simple question will never cease to amaze me, and I extend the invitation to you to consider it for yourself.

Has a song ever changed the course of your life? If so, how?

I’d love to hear about it. Especially if it became a song you love ❤️ .

PS - Thanks to all those who voted for Bella Montana to get to the next round of the talent contest she was in. She got through to the finals at 13 years old and being the only solo performer against 6 other bands. She very much held her own, knocked it out of the park! Way to go Bella!

Here is her performance, including two of her original songs if you’d like to watch:

These are the words of a man versed in many creative arenas. The wonderful Bob Wiseman said this on a thought provoking episode of the podcast today while reflecting on the surprise and awe of what can spill out during a performance.

Bob is a master of improvisation, and explores music in multiple forms. Whether it’s on the piano, scoring a film, creating film to back his own performances, teaching others, or writing about it all in memoir style books, every stream offers something fresh.

He spoke about moments where he has been so deeply entranced and affected by performances that he felt he should stand up with the audience and applaud the piano after the fact.

He affirmed that the magic of shared music really shines when we step aside from anything blocking the curious path forward, and allow to come out what wants to come out.

Listen to him elaborate on that, along with so much more:

Bob Wiseman Podcast 🔥

Is there something you could attempt or do differently than you have before, just for the sake of trying and seeing what happens? How might you be able to get our of your own way?

If you give it a go with your songwriting or performance, I’d love to know what happens. Especially if it leads to a song you love ❤️.

Thanks for a wonderful April of WSYL member calls ❤️. Lovely hangouts were had. Good laughs were laughed, and thoughtful discussions went down.

Yesterday in our story/sharing focused call, we got into a question posed by Diane Barbarash about strategies for calming the nerves when sharing songs, and being the best ‘you,’ you can be onstage.

Have a w…

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Warm greetings to you!

Today, I am putting out a community call request. Our youngest member and songwriter, Bella Montana (13 years old) is in the running for an epic talent show, and could use some support getting to the next level to share her song.

I spoke more about Bella and this event on the podcast today, as well as the idea of how we can lift each other up. Have a listen here:

Listen to the Share the Love episode

No one does this on their own, which in the do-it-yourself age is easy to forget. Knowing songwriters like Bella are out there at such a young age is inspiring, and gives me hope about where we’re all going.

If you're down to vote and support, aim to do so today or tomorrow, as the next round (semi-finals) is this Saturday.

It's super easy, doesn't require signing up to anything, and makes a world of difference. You can do that here:

Vote for Bella

Writing songs we love is one thing. This whole community becomes extra special when we use our combined efforts to help share the songs of others, as well as our own ❤️.

PS - It will ask for your top 3 votes. Another awesome member of the community, Dale Ziech is also in the mix, so feel free to send some love his way too 🙌🏻🙌🏻.

I have grown up constantly hearing that a wide range of people fear public speaking more than death. Has it been the same for you?

It got me thinking today about why this might be the case. With a little internet surfing, I found an interesting Psychology Today article by Glenn Croston touching on links to early human days fending off predators to survive.

Safety as a species was more likely a guarantee if humans huddled together in groups. Strength in numbers. Social code and fitting in weren’t only for personal fulfillment, it was protection.

If anything were to compromise status in a community, it might have led to ostracism — ie. being kicked out of the group. When left to solitary devices, chances of survival were slim.

The idea of speaking out and potentially causing a ruckus could, as a result, have likely led to death.

Therein lies the fear, but no necessarily about death itself. It’s more to do with rejection. The thought of being left out in the cold. Dying, yes, but more specifically, dying alone.

It makes me think of being on stage, or any moment we as creatives put ourselves out there in song, story, or otherwise. We are risking it all, aren’t we?

But is ostracized death the only possible outcome here?

No. Of course not. But that doesn’t get talked about as much. What about the times when sharing and speaking publicly actually strengthen your connection to community?

I spoke about three situations in my song sharing life where I forgot the words, some where I thought I was going to die of embarrassment.

Have a listen here:

Forgetting the words podcast

As you can see, I have not died from speaking publicly. Lots of people tell me I am a natural public speaker. That I just have or got that gift. This couldn’t be further from the truth.

Well that’s not entirely true. I did get it from somewhere.

I got it from witnessing others on stage forgetting their words and recovering gracefully.

I got it from speaking publicly more than once, and learning how to improve each time.

I got it from royally screwing up 100’s of times to the point where the screw up moments and their results are now often my favourite memories of past performances.

It’s okay to mess up. It’s part of making the next time better.

It’s all part of growing the love for the songs we write. Even when we forget the words ❤️.

Voice.

We use our voices in a variety of ways.

The words we say and the situations we use them in range greatly in the amount of intention we use.

In everyday chats, it can be easy to go along with the flow of surface level conversation to fill time and space without much thought. It’s simple, doesn’t take a lot of energy, and you’re off and running to the next thing.

But there’s something missing there.

Depth.

I had the tremendous honour of interviewing the one and only Fred Penner on the podcast today.

If you are unfamiliar with Fred, he is a multi-time Juno Award winning singer-songwriter for hist children’s albums work, he hosted a children’s show with CBC for 13 years (over 900 episodes), has been a performer and writer for over 50 years, and still finds ways to challenge himself as a creative being and writer.

Fred is a recipient of the Order of Canada, the highest recognition given to a Canadian citizen, and one of the most present people I have ever met.

Something that struck me in our conversation is when he shares about the integration of story in his songs, and the moment at which the main message really comes through. Fred said that in those moments, he feels his voice becoming more real.

It radiates differently.

He feels it, the audience feels it, and somewhere in the middle is where the opportunity to impact each other and connect lives.

To hear Fred speak more about this, along with many more writing and performing gems, listen here:

Fred Penner Interview 🎤

Have you had a moment where you felt your voice becoming more real?

What made it happen? How did you access it?

If you haven’t had that feeling before, I invite you to go exploring. I can’t help but think that somewhere on that journey, you’re gonna find your real voice.

When you do, give a go at writing a song from that place. I’m willing to bet it’ll turn into a song you love ❤️.

A couple of weeks ago, I had the unforgettable opportunity of playing a house concert with former podcast guests Craig and Dane Milton of An Evening in the Valley.

Craig and Dane’s last appearance on the podcast is one of the most listened to podcasts of Write Songs You Love history, so if you missed it, I highly recommend having a listen.

We got together in our jammies the morning after the show to debrief the experience from points of view I talk about a lot here (particularly the concept of layers), but also something more rare.

For the first time ever, Dane performed a couple of his original tunes in the show, and shared about what that experience was like.

Get your most comfy set of jammies on, and listen here:

This was an incredibly unique chain of events that was a blast to document in real time. I want to celebrate how cool and inspiring it was to see Dane, in his mid 70’s, performing his songs for the first time.

If you’d like to see it for yourselves, check it out here:

For those who have heard me speak about seeking out rich soil and look for many layers to write about, check out this song I wrote for Craig, Dane, and their Evening in the Valley community.

This whole experience embodies everything I love most about writing and sharing songs.

I call this a 10/10.

If you’ve had a show or sharing experience that felt like a 10/10 for you, I invite you to share it, or at least reflect on why it was so special.

Like this scenario, it may result in writing a song you love ❤️ .

I have been attending a songwriting workshop this week with a Canadian icon — Mr. Fred Penner.

Fred built a powerful reputation over the years, particularly among youth and family audiences with his engaging music and TV show. If you’ve ever heard the song The Cat Came Back or Sandwiches, it’s most likely because of Fred.

On the first day of the workshop he gave us an exercise that focused on holding a friend in mind. He defined a friend as someone who makes you instantly light up when they walk in the room.

I love that definition.

The exercise involved thinking about that person for one minute, and you can experience it for yourself on the podcast today.

Listen to the episode for the exercise

Fred went on to point out how unique this kind of exercise is for many reasons, and that often we frivolously lose time scrolling social media without paying it much mind.

But when you give yourself a concentrated minute to lock in on someone special, inspiration and emotion flourishes. So much so that a song may sprout from that space.

Likely a song you love ❤️.

I was listening back to my latest interview with progressive folk/roots artist Jon Deuling this morning, and something he said struck me.

“What a beautiful story that would be.”

He shared this in reference to thinking about one of his dreams of one day having a band with his wife and kids. His dream is of particular significance because not everyone in his family feels comfortable singing in public.

But the hope is there. The vision that one day, this experience could happen, and what a beautiful story that would be.

It’s a great example of dialling in our compass towards creative land made of the richest soil. A path built and led from the heart.

To hear the full conversation, click below:

Listen to Jon Deuling's interview here

When we focus our forward direction on the idea of ‘what a beautiful story that would be,’ it shifts how we think, feel, and act.

Jon and his family sing every day together in the comfort of their home.

What’s your ‘what a beautiful story that would be?’

Perhaps it could be the soil for a future song you love ❤️ .

You know that moment in a show, movie, or book when the story hits the unknown? It could be the maximum point of mystery, suspense, or a situation you HAVE TO KNOW the resolution for.

When we don’t get the perfect bow wrapped ending, or we’re left on the edge with a “To be continued…” it drives our imaginations wild.

It throws the ball back to us to wonder ‘What’s going to happen next?’

I love it when songs do this. The ones that lead you to thinking you know where they’re going to land, but in the end, throw you a twist.

I broke down a few songs on the podcast today that do this really well. A couple were written by my dad, and one from former podcast guest Claire Kuzmyk.

Listen to the Songs with a Twist Podcast

Do twists excite and engage you, or do frustrate and piss you off? I’ve heard perspectives from both sides of the coin, and am curious if there are more than two sides.

If you’ve written a song with a twist, I’d love to hear it. Let me know where I can listen.

If you haven’t tried to write a song with a twist, consider this your invitation.

Who knows? It might turn into a surprise song you’ll love ❤️ .

“Journey.”

“Adventure.”

“Expedition.”

“Saga.”

I have used all of these words in the past to describe what I thought was the same thing. I have no reasons for why I have used certain ones over others.

Sometimes “Saga,” feels like a more accurate label than “Adventure.”

Sometimes “Journey,” feels more accurate than “Expedition.”

I find it fascinating how long we can go in life using words, not knowing what they really mean, and where they come from.

It wasn’t until Tuesday of this week when I was in a writing group where the prompt was “The journey,” that I stopped to pause and think about the word.

My first instinct was “Soup du jour.” French for soup of the day.

Taking a moment to research a bit, I found that journey has origins in the French language word “Journee,” which means the work you accomplished in a day, or how far you travelled.

Whatever you did, journey was all about what you did in the container of one day.

To hear more thoughts on that, I did a short podcast today on the topic. Have a listen here:

Listen to the Journey Podcast

Perhaps you already knew that’s what the original intent for the word journey came from. It was news to me, and I loved learning that distinction.

There’s something lively and magical about what can be done, accomplished, explored, experienced, or discovered in a day. What can be even more special is giving yourself a day to journey, reflect on it, and give a go writing about it that night or the following morning.

Attempting this task so close to your journey is an important piece.

The fire is still warm.

The air is still fresh.

Might just be the perfect conditions to write a song you love ❤️.

I was given a prompt by our good friend this week.

The prompt was “One day.”

In essence, a day everything, or something, big or small, changed.

It took me down a story path that leads to the roasted red pepper hummus picture below, and potentially a new song for you.

All was shared on the podcast today, which is now live for your listening amusement.

Listen to the Podcast 😋

I look forward to hearing thoughts about this one. Particularly if you have fun recipes to share in spirit of what I talked about.

❤️ On another note, thanks for the great messages and comments from the last couple of newsletters/podcasts. One from John stuck with me all week about the Songs without Words episode:

How cool is that? I wonder how many others in the community have songs they’ve been fighting with that this could potentially be the solution.

Isn’t it amazing how fast our perception of something we’ve created can shift with a simple change?

Perhaps you’ve currently got a song pissing you off that one day you’ll realize is a song you love in disguise, just waiting for everything to change ❤️.

In the last 15 years, I roughly estimate that of the 1000 plus songwriters I’ve been able to meet, connect with, or work with, around 90-95% of them write lyric based songs. Very few people in the circles I have been in primarily write instrumentals.

Of the instrumental artists I have met, about 80-90% of them don’t like introducing or saying anything about their songs when performing them.

“There’s no words. There’s nothing to say about them.”

I disagree.

Songs without words aren’t just random notes being flung all over the place with no rhyme or reason.

They can still have structures, melodies, choruses, and all the mechanics that make a song a song.

They can still invoke a feeling, message, or story in the way they are felt by the player, and how they are played.

I would go so far as to say that with a little story or info shared ahead of time, instrumental songs can evoke even more imagery and personal connection within listeners than lyric based songs.

In spirit of this, I played an instrumental tune in the works on the cello, live on the podcast today with a little story to go with it.

Listen here 🎻

Two challenges today:

*For the singer/songwriter/lyricists (Particularly if you’ve never done this):

Write a song without words

*For the instrumentalists:

Write notes, or share a story about one of your instrumental tunes.

Invite imagination.

Example - if you wrote a relaxing instrumental song inspired by being at the beach, cause you love being at the beach, try something like this:

“Picture yourself, sitting on a warm mound of soft fine sand. You’re looking out onto the stillest water you’ve ever seen. The kind perfect for skipping rocks on. It’s your last hour here before you get on a plane back to -30 degrees and snow, so chill out, and soak it all in while you’ve got it ☀️ .”

Compare that to a more common alternative I hear often:

“And here’s another instrumental song I wrote last year.”

When we take the time to invite not only ourselves deeper into our songs, but others too, we treat our songs with a respect they appreciate and deserve.

After all, they are songs we love, right? ❤️.

We’re on the cusp of Valentine’s Day—a day mostly dedicated to romantic love. Over the last 8 years, I’ve felt the pull to approach the day/time differently. Still in the realm of love, but with a wider lens for kinds of love that don’t usually get the same spotlight.

Examples:

*How love looks when times are tough in relationships.

*The love that exists when someone actually tells you there’s something in your teeth.

*The self love it takes to pursue through adversity of all kinds.

Then there’s love in memory of those have moved on to the next chapter of whatever is to come for all of us. It’s here I decided to park my thoughts in loving memory of a wonderful local man in our community, Mark Dhillon.

Mark passed away a few short weeks ago, and far too young. Today’s podcast episode is dedicated to him.

Today's podcast 🎤

I feel fortunate to have been around many conversations about heart this week, and am thankful for those who have shared them. It’s shown me a variety of paths through difficulty, which has helped to navigate my own.

Different perspectives do that.

In that spirit, I turn the mic around.

What does “Heart,” bring up for you?

I’d be happy to hear what you have to say. Especially if it’s in the form of a song you love ❤️ .

Rest well Mark.

If you were to answer the question:

What is the top magical experience a human being can have?

What would you say?

For me, it’s surprise. The place where expectations are obliterated, and possibility is born.

Like when you happen to try a song you wrote on guitar on a piano, and you feel it in a whole new way.

Or when someone invites you to write a song to honour someone else’s story, and it takes you places creatively you never would have gone before.

That’s happened a number of times to my guest on the podcast today, octopus armed artist, Shri Ananda. I say octopus armed because he does so many dang thangs under the umbrella of art.

He spoke fondly about a couple of opportunities, some involving music, some film, where he was chosen to interpret the stories of others - one of his favourite things to do.

It’s a rich and creatively explorative chat. I invite you to listen here:

Shri's Interview 🌱🎤

When you don’t see something coming, like the feeling that comes from playing a song on a different instrument, or putting yourself in someone else’s shoes, it’s an invigorating experience.

Surprise is electric.

It’s also very memorable. Often times a defining character trait of the songs we love ❤️.

P.S. My guest last week, Sandy Klose, is playing an online streaming show on Facebook of her latest album comprised entirely of Teacup Challenge songs on Saturday, Feb. 7th, at 7pm pacific time. Reply to this post for info to watch 👍🏻.

It’s the end of January, and I couldn’t think of a better way to wrap up the month than a sit down chat with Australia based, Sandy Klose.

Sandy has been an avid Tea Cuppa for a while now. So much so that she recently released an entire album (Teacup Sessions Volume 1) dedicated just to Teacup Challenge songs.

I’ve seen Teacup songs make it onto albums - I’ve put a few of them on albums myself, but never a complete collection of just those songs!

Not only that, Sandy primarily recorded every track using the stand up bass and her voice, which sounds so cool!

She shares a few on the podcast today, tells about her early writings being linked to formula one race cars and table tennis, and wisdom gleamed from studying with songwriting legend, Pat Pattison.

Listen to the podcast here 🍵

Sandy’s project is a combination of so many things I love about the Teacup Challenge.

*Trying something outside of your norm

*The bending of prompts to make them your own

*Using it as an opportunity to explore musicality in inspiring ways

Isn’t it amazing what can come from a cuppa tea?

It puts a bit smile on my heart to see artists like Sandy leaning into writing songs they love ❤️ .

If it ever feels like the creative well has dried up in one medium, why not look to another?

My guest on the podcast today, Somatic Healer, Writer, and now Singer-Songwriter, Kasia Rachfall did just that.

Kasia shared the story of how her recent release “You Hung the Stars,” actually came about from imagining what a songwriting character in her fan fiction writing might have written to another character.

How cool is that?

To listen to the full story, which also includes tidbits about building creative capacity, the pursuit of joy, and how regret can guide us, I invite you here:

Podcast Interview with Kasia

For any number of reasons, we may hit creative roadblocks that leave us blank in terms of what to say from our point of view.

But inspiration literally knows no bounds.

Venturing outside of ourselves, like Kasia did with her character from an entirely different art form, can be yet another useful tool for sidestepping creative blocks if they arrive.

Give it a try.

It may even lead to writing a song you love ❤️.