simple plan - songwriters association of canada

SONGWRITERS MAGAZINE FALL 2008 1

FALL 2008, Volume 11 Number 3

ALSO IN THIS ISSUE …

POST-ELECTION BLUES: WILL THE TORIES KEEP CUTTING INVESTMENT IN THE ARTS?

20 THINGS CHRISTOPHER WARD WANTS YOU TO KNOW ABOUT WRITING SONGS

S.A.C. AT THE ATLANTIC FILM FESTIVAL, BLUEBIRD NORTH,SONGWRITERS IN THE NEWS … AND LOTS MORE!

ALSO IN THIS ISSUE …

POST-ELECTION BLUES: WILL THE TORIES KEEP CUTTING INVESTMENT IN THE ARTS?

20 THINGS CHRISTOPHER WARD WANTS YOU TO KNOW ABOUT WRITING SONGS

S.A.C. AT THE ATLANTIC FILM FESTIVAL, BLUEBIRD NORTH,SONGWRITERS IN THE NEWS … AND LOTS MORE!

ThE TREWSREfINE ThE MESSAGEThE TREWSREfINE ThE MESSAGE

ALI SLAIGHT INTO THE SPOTLIGHTWILLIAM HAWKINSCANADA’S GREAT “LOST” SONGWRITER

ALI SLAIGHT INTO THE SPOTLIGHTWILLIAM HAWKINSCANADA’S GREAT “LOST” SONGWRITER

SIMplE plANFlexing their creative muscle

$4.95 CDN M A G A Z I N E

SPECIAL 25th ANNIVERSARY ISSUE ... NEW LOOK, NEW FEATURES, MORE OF WHAT SONGWRITERS NEED TO KNOW!!

Songwriters Association of CanadaAssociation desauteurs-compositeurs Canadiens

PUBLISHED BY

2 SONGWRITERS MAGAZINE FALL 2008 SONGWRITERS MAGAZINE FALL 2008 3

The summer and fall have been busy with many S.A.C. supported events. Back in May, we teamed up with

the folks at NSAI (Nashville Songwriters Association International) and hosted a file sharing discussion panel for Music Row North, a Toronto conference, showcase and celebration of songwriters.

It was good to see many of you at our Annual General Meeting in June, where a featured performance by new S.A.C. Board member Emm Gryner was the hit of the night.

Other recent events included: The Humber Summer Songwriting Workshop, which was held in July and was once again a resounding success. We also hosted a file sharing panel discussion during Our Future in Music, a conference that took place in St. John’s in August.

We were present at the MIAC trade show in Toronto in August and hosted an open mic and demo panel at the CCMAs in Winnipeg in September; a songwriter show-case called Soundtracks and Stories at the Atlantic Film Festival; a special songwriters panel at Pop Montreal in October; and a file sharing panel and demo evaluation panel at the WCMAs in Edmonton.

We also hosted our songwriter showcase, An Evening in the S.A.C., at the Ontario Council of Folks Festivals in October.

Hopefully some of you managed to get to the Radio Star New Songwriter Workshop series that was sponsored by CMW, Sennheiser, and 12 Astral Media radio stations, in partnership with the S.A.C. They featured S.A.C. Board members, Emm Gryner, Blair Packham and Jim Vallance.

Humber Summer Songwriting Work-shop alumnus Ron McNeil (’06) was the recipient of a single song contract with OLE Music Publishing during their Hits-ville event at the CCMA’s in Winnipeg in September. After this event, Ron told me he attributes the success of his songwriting development to his experience at the Humber summer songwriting workshop. Ron’s song “Places I Ain’t Never Been” was co-written with Larry Wayne Clark and made it around all the bases to be signed to a single song deal. Way to go Ron!

I look forward to seeing many of you at upcoming events as well. Maybe we’ll see you at: the Hey Big Ears demo evaluation panel; the “Reality Cheque” panel; our Song-shop and file sharing panel at Nova Scotia Music Week; a Master Class with John Ca-pek in Gander, Newfoundland; Songposium

workshops in November in Toronto and Saskatoon and in Edmonton and Victoria in the New Year; S.A.C. In The Schools events through the fall and winter right across the country and more events bringing songwrit-ers and industry professionals together.

Now that the federal elections are done, we’ll be trying to figure out who the new players are in the Departments of Heritage, Industry and Finance in hopes of connect-ing (or re-connecting) with them to ensure that programs like the Canada Music Fund continue and that even more funding is put into the development of Canadian music, both domestically and abroad. With copyright reform, the continued support of the Canada Music fund as well as ongoing discussion on monetizing music file sharing,

there is still plenty to talk about. We look forward to being at those tables!

In July, it was with regret that I accepted the resignation of Beverly Hardy, our Manager of Operations. Beverly had been with the S.A.C. for the last 10 years and has helped to develop many of the pro-grams that are still running today. A special lunch was held for her that was attended by staff and she was presented with a plaque and some gifts of thanks for her dedication to years of service with the association. We will miss her and wish her well in her future endeavours. Good luck Bev!

As always, feel free to drop into the Soho St. office in Toronto or give us a call and let us know what you are up to. We welcome your comments and questions on upcoming events and activities in your area.

Keep on writing,Don Quarles

Executive Director

ExECUTIVE DIRECTOR’S MESSAGE

CONTENTS

DON WITh CApE BRETON SINGER/SONGWRITER BRuCE GuThRO

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EDITOR greg Quill MANAGING EDITOR Don Quarles DESIGN ambrose Pottie CONTRIBUTORS Don Quarles,nick Krewen, christopher Ward,Dale leung, greg Quill all photos courtesy of s.a.c., unless otherwise stated.

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songwriters magazine is a publication of the songwriters association of canada (s.a.c.)and is published three times a year. members of s.a.c. receive songwriters magazine as part of their membership. songwriters magazine welcomes editorial comment. Opinions expressed in songwriters magazine do not necessarily represent the opinions of the s.a.c. address submissions, inquiries and changes of address to:

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BOARD OF DIRECTORS President eddie schwartz Vice-President Bill henderson Vice-President greg stephens Treasurer Jim vallance Secretary greg Johnston Past President stan meissner Directors Joan Besen, amelia curran, emm gryner, marc Jordan, Blair Packham, christopher Ward

ADVISORY BOARD Jann arden, randy Bachman, tommy Banks, liona Boyd, John capek, tom cochrane, lisa Dalbello, richard Dodson,rik emmett, micky erbe, roy Forbes, David Foster, alan Frew, Dan hill, Paul hoffert,Paul Janz, ron hynes, ron irving, arnold lanni, geddy lee, mike levine, colin linden, rita macneil, sarah mclachlan, murray mclauchlan, Dean mctaggart, Frank mills, Ben mink, adam mitchell, gary O’connor, Declan O’Doherty, Blair Packham, Dave Pickell, raffi, cyril rawson, sam reid, tyler J. smith, ian thomas, David tyson, sylvia tyson, shari ulrich, valdy, Jim vallance, nancy White

the s.a.c. gratefully acknowledges the support of the sOcan Foundation and the government of canada, through the creators’ assistance component of the canada music Fund

Fall 2008 Volume 11 Number 3

fEATuRES:

5 AlI SlAIGhT Making her own moves By Greg Quill

6 20 QuESTIONS Christopher Ward reveals as much as he dares in a candid conversation about professional song craft ThE BIG QuESTION: Did the Tories learn anything from the pro-arts protests during the election, or will they keep slashing music-related arts programs? By Greg Quill

10 ThE TREWS East Coast rockers find their voice with No Time For Later By Nick Krewen

12 SIMplE plAN Sell 7 million records, take a break in Florida, stretch musical muscle … what could be simpler? By Nick Krewen

15 WIllIAM hAWKINS The best Canadian songwriter you’ve never heard … till now By Greg Quill

17 S.A.C. AT ThE ATlANTIC fIlM fESTIvAl Canadian songwriters showcase their work for international film makers By Don Quarles

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U.S. DIGITAL ROYALTY RATES SET IN LANDMARK DECISIONThe U.S. Copyright royalty Board has decided not to raise the royalty rates paid to songwriters and music publish-ers for physical product and permanent downloads. After a closely-watched proceeding, the three-judge CrB panel in September set the rate for songwriters and publishers of 9.1 cents per song for digital downloads, but decided that the rate for physical products should remain at 9.1 cents, effectively equating the value of physical discs with downloads from Internet retail-ers such as Apple, through its iTunes store, and Amazon.com. This was less than the 12.5 cents per song the National Music Publishers Association and other songwriter lobby-ists had wanted, but better than the rate of six cents suggested by the rIAA on behalf of record labels. The CrB also set a rate of mastertone ringtones at 24 cents. Music publishers will have the right to seek a 1.5% late fee, calculated monthly. These latest decisions follow the announcement of a rate of 10.5% of rev-enue for limited downloads and interac-tive streaming services, less any amounts owed for performance royalties.

UPCOMING EVENTS October 23-26, Ottawa: OCFF, S.A.C. Demo Panel/File Sharing Panel and Songwriter Showcase.

November 6-7, Gander: S.A.C. Songwriters Masterclass Workshop with John Capek.

November 6-9, Pictou County: Nova Scotia Music Week, S.A.C. Songshop and File sharing Panel.

November 15, Toronto: S.A.C. Songposium workshop with Jim Vallance, Janis Nixon, Martin Tremblay.

November 22, Toronto: ANDPVA, S.A.C. Songwriter Showcase.

November 23, St. John’s: Canadian Folk Music Awards.

November 29, Saskatoon: S.A.C. Songposium workshop with John Capek, Ariel Hyatt, Steve Chisholm.

December 2, Vancouver: S.A.C. Music Supervisor session featuring Rebecca Rienks.

December 3-6, Vancouver: Transmission conference.

January 18-21, Cannes, France: MIDEM 2009.

January 31, Edmonton: S.A.C. Songposium workshop with Jim Vallance, Ariel Hyatt, Ryan Zimmerman.

February 7, Victoria: S.A.C. Songposium workshop with John Capek, Ariel Hyatt, Mark Adams, Don McLeod.

February, Date TBA. Toronto: S.A.C. Power Songshop.

February, Date TBA, Vancouver: S.A.C. Power Songshop.

February 26- March 1, Cornerbrook: East Coast Music Week.

February 18-22, Memphis, TN: International Folk Alliance Conference.

March 11-14, Toronto: Canadian Music Week.

March 13-22, Austin, TX: SXSW 2009 Festival and Conference.

March 29, Vancouver: Juno Awards.

THE WEAKERTHANS SCORE AT WCMASWinnipeg alt.country-rockers The Weakerthans were the big winners at this

year’s Western Canadian Music Awards ceremony, walking off with Outstanding Independent Album, Songwriters of the Year and Video of the Year for their Reunion Tour album. The sixth annual WCMAs, staged oct. 19 at the Myer Horowitz Theatre in Edmonton and hosted by by CBC’s Jian Gomeshi, celebrated the best recording artists from Manitoba, Sakatchewan, Alberta, British Columbia and the Yukon. In all, 19 awards were handed out. Among other winners were Edmonton‘s Corb Lund (Outstanding Roots Recording - Solo), for his album Horse Soldier! Horse Soldier!; Paul Brandt (Outstanding Country Recording) for Risk; Winnipeg rockers The Liptonians (Outstanding Pop Recording) for

their self-titled debut album: Altered Laws (Outstanding Jazz Recording) for Metaphora; Saskatchewan’s Little Miss Higgins (Out-standing Blues Recording) for the Junction City; State of Shock (Outstanding Rock Re-cording) for Life for Love and Lies; Twilight Hotel (Outstanding Roots Recording – Group) for Highway Prayer; and reggae revivalists Souljah Fyah (Outstanding Urban Recording) for Truth Will Reveal. The WCMAs also paid special tribute to Edmonton music legend Senator Tommy Banks, Vancouver Celtic-rockers Spirit of the West, who were both inducted in the WCMA Hall of Fame.Feist, k.d. lang and Nickelback were all acknowledged in the International Achievement category. The Weakerthans – Stephen Carroll, John Samson, Greg Smith and Jason Tait – also won SOCAN’s ECHO Songwriting Prize, for the song “Night Windows”, in october. The ECHo is adjudicated by an independent panel of 10 music community tastemakers who select the five songs they feel best show the variety and creativity of new Canadian songwrit-ers, then decided by a public vote in the month preceding the presentation.

DOC WALKER SWEEPS CCMASHometown boys Doc Walker were the big winners at the Canadian Country Music Awards staged at the MTS Centre in Winnipeg in September. of the eight awards handed out at the awards ceremony, five were presented to

Doc Walker, including Group or Duo of the Year, Album of the Year and the coveted Fans’ Choice Award, which was handed to the band by Ultimate Fan contest winner Kendle Leitz, from Calgary, AB. Breakout Canadian country music artist Jessie Farrell took awards for Female Artist of the Year and CBC’s Rising Star.Last year’s Independent Male Artist of the Year Johnny Reid won for Male Artist of the Year.

Taking advantage of the summer break in her studies at the prestigious Berklee School of Music in Boston, 20-year-old Ali Slaight spent her “down time” record-ing at home in Toronto.

The grand daughter of legendary Canadian radio programmer/broadcast-ing mogul Allan Slaight, and daughter of longtime Standard Radio poo-bah Gary Slaight – recently retired, after the family business and the nation’s biggest radio property was sold to Montreal’s Astral Media – released her first six-song EP, Trace The Stars, late October via a distri-bution deal with Universal Music Canada.

A collaboration with Canadian producer Justin Gray (Joss Stone, Bret Ryan, Kim Stockwood) and writer Simon Wilcox (Three Days Grace, Jorane), the daughter of famed Canadian guitarist and songwriter David Wilcox, Trace The Stars features four songs co-written by Ali.

The lead-off single, “Great Expecta-tions”, which has already been playlisted on 1050 CHUM in Toronto, is a Simon Wilcox composition.

If Slaight’s voice sounds familiar it’s because she has been quietly honing her chops – under the guidance of star vocal

coach Elaine Overholt – on recordings since her mid-teens. She has been featured on a handful of high-profile compilations – Women and Songs 11, The Cool Jazz Collection 2 and The Real Divas Torch Light, Vol. 2, and with the Berklee student trio, Take Three, on the seasonal offering Home For Christmas, which has received substantial national airplay.

The same trio – Slaight, Bess James and Stacey Kaniuk, calling themselves The Roomies – recorded Dylan’s “It Ain’t Me, Babe” on Toronto jazz pianist/composer Bill King’s side project, The Saturday Nite

Fish Fry’s Dirt Road Blues CD last year.Slaight’s first release, 2007’s “The Story

of Your Life”, was a Top 10 Canadian radio hit. It was also prominently featured on CBC-TV’s recap of Beijing Olympics highlights.

“‘Great Expectations’ picks up where ‘Story Of Your Life’ left off,” says Slaight, who began her fifth semester at Berklee, studying songwriting, perfor-mance and music business, in September.

“It basically says that there’s nothing stopping you from achieving what you want, if you set your mind to it.”

Haydain Neale, front man of the band jacksoul, is continuing to recover from his accident back in August last year. Neale sustained serious injuries, but is continuing to improve and steadily progressing with his rehabilitation.

Both Michaela and Haydain recently celebrated a birthday, and Haydain has been doing great with his physiotherapy work and has had several rehearsals with his band, practicing popular jacksoul tunes.

He has been walking in a special therapy pool and doing other physi-cal and voice therapies, keeping him busy almost every day of the week. On a recent visit by the S.A.C.’s Executive Director, Don Quarles, Don told Hay-dain how much he has been missed by the association and Board. Haydain said,

“There is still much to be done”.We all know that Haydain’s focus

will be on his family upon his return but we still look forward to having him bring more of his music to the world and continue to join us in the mission to help all Canadian songwriters. Hang in there Haydain!

To send well wishes to Haydain and his family, you can do so at [email protected], or by mail c/o the S.A.C. head office 26 Soho Street, Suite #340, Toronto, M5T 1Z7.

Costs for his rehabilitation continue and if you wish to contribute to help offset these expenses, a special fund has been set up for this purpose. Donations can be sent to the S.A.C. office, payable to: “The Haydain Neale Family Trust”, or through PayPal via the jacksoul.com website.

GREAT ExPECTATIONS: ALI SLAIGHT STEPS UP BY GREG QUILL

HAYDAIN UPDATESONGWRITERS IN THE NEWS

PHoTo: STEPHEN UHrANEY

PHoTo: CoUrTESY UNIVErSAL MUSIC CANADA

PHoTo: BrooKS rEYNoLDS

PHoTo: MAPLE MUSIC

Winnipeg’s The Weakerthans took three major awards at the WCMAs and SOCAN’s ECHO

Songwriting Prize.

Doc Walker – big winners at the CCMAs in Winnipeg.

CONT. ON PG. 10


T he Canadian music community is again holding its collective breath after numerous high-profile, nation-wide

protests over the Harper government’s $45-million cuts to major arts programs brought cultural policies into the forefront during the run-up to October’s federal elec-tion, but failed to prevent the Conservatives from returning to power with a slightly increased minority.

The big question is whether re-elected Prime Minister Stephen Harper has taken heed of the message conveyed in hundreds of formal and informal protests that took place across the country in the weeks before the election – some, like famed Quebec singer/songwriter Michel Rivard’s brilliant video satire Culture In Peril, which scored more than 500,000 hits on the Internet’s YouTube, made headlines, while others are credited with galvanizing a strong pro-arts voter turnout – or continue cutting funds as part of the Tories’ secretive, non-inclusive,

in-house “strategic review” of arts and culture programs.

During the summer, before the election

was called, Harper cut some $23 million from major programs regularly accessed by the music industry They include the key $4.7 million ProMart program, an artists’ travel support fund operated by the Depart-ment of Foreign Affairs, and the $9-million

Trade Routes program that supports film and music exports, administered by Heri-tage Canada.

Harper countered mounting criti-cism with claims that his government had increased arts funding by some $80 million in the last four years.

But a subsequent investigation by the Globe and Mail concluded: “A close look at federal budget documents suggests that nearly $45-million in recent federal fund-ing cuts are symptomatic of a larger trend under the Conservatives that has seen dollars gradually shifted away from arts and culture, and funneled instead into other branches of the Department of Canadian Heritage that focus on the department’s social mandate.

“Although there is some truth to the government’s claims, they derive their force from a vague definition of ‘culture’– which can comprise everything from piano

1. What got you started writing songs?

Growing up, all that mattered was road hockey and music and only one of them was going to help me meet girls.

2. What comes first-- the music or the lyrics?

There’s no set approach.

3. At what point do you think about the ar-rangement of the song?

rarely. The song is for the most part separate from the arrangement for me.

4. Where do the lyrics come from?

My notebook. ok - I really don’t know. I

read a lot, so no doubt stuff seeps into my subconscious from there along with overheard conversations and signs on passing buses.

5. Have you ever written to a pre existing lyric?

No.

6. Have you ever written to a pre existing track?

Many times.

7. What are your favourite themes to write about?

Anything that has emotional resonance.

8. Is there a concept that you have yet to write about that you’d like to write a song about?

Sometimes current events move me, but I find I’m rarely capable of responding artisti-cally.

9. Are there any rules to songwriting that you consistently adhere to?

If it doesn’t feel right, fix it.

10. Is there a songwriting rule that you con-tinually ignore?

Standard meter.

11. Is there a genre specific “rule” that has enhanced your last couple of cuts?

Engage the listeners’ senses with the lyric.

12. Ever suffered from writer’s block?

No, I just write some bad songs.

13. Any remedies for writer’s block?

Keep going.

14. Do you work with a producer on demos or do you self produce?

I usually work with a track genius.

15. What was the track you least expected to place?

“Beautiful Goodbye”.

16. What’s the most obscure royalty cheque you’ve ever received?

None of them is obscure. They are all my little children coming home to daddy.

17. What’s your favourite studio experience?

Having rose Stone from Sly & The Family Stone sing on Alannah Myles’ second album. She explained that odd thing she sings in “Hot Fun In The Summertime”. I’ll tell you about it sometime.

18. What’s the lamest comment you’ve ever heard in response to one of

your demos?

“I like the chorus, but that last line, ‘if you please’, is a complete copout.”

19. What’s the longest period you’ve gone without writing?

Up till about age 14.

20. What’s the strangest co-write experience you’ve had?

Trying to channel Diana ross’ inner life.PRO-ARTS PROTESTS ACROSS THE COUNTRY MADE CULTURE A HOT-BUTTON ELECTION ISSUE... BUT THE MESSAGE MAY HAVE FALLEN ON DEAF EARS

The Big Question: Will the Tories Keep Slashing Investment in Canada’s Culture?

The Big Question: Will the Tories Keep Slashing Investment in Canada’s Culture?

“Fewer Canadian acts will be able to take part in showcases in major

foreign talent conferences. Hundreds of small businesses in the

Canadian arts sector representing millions of dollars in cultural

revenue will be affected.”

CONT. ON PG.8

BY GREG QUILLBY GREG QUILL

20 QUESTIONS WITH … CHRISTOPHER WARD

The Songwriters Association of Canada Presents

A one-Day Intensive Seminar for Songwriters featuring Music Industry Vets Jim vallance, Janis Nixon and Martin Tremblay

SATuRDAY, NOvEMBER 15, 2008 – lE MERIDIEN KING EDWARD, TORONTO

Acclaimed songwriter Jim vallance (Bryan Adams, Aerosmith), as well as music industry veterans Janis Nixon of Uni-versal Music and Martin Trembley, Virgin radio’s Program Director, will be on-hand to impart invaluable wisdom and advice about the business of songwriting. Songposium will begin at 9:00 a.m. on November 15th with Jim Vallance presenting “Anatomy of a Hit”, a fascinat-ing look at the songwriting process from conception, to rough demos to successfully delivering a hit to radio. Universal Music’s Janis Nixon will then be on-hand to deliver essential information about “Cyber PR”, a practical discussion and overview of Web 2.0 and how to utilize and apply the internet to the business of songwriting. The “Radio Programmer” segment will be lead by Virgin radio’s Program Director Martin Tremblay, who will reveal how the station selects new songs and what it takes to balance the tastes of radio listeners with the needs of advertisers. Songposium will conclude with “Demo Evaluations” – an opportunity for participants to submit a song for evaluation by the panel of experts – visit songwriters.ca for submission guidelines.

SONGpOSIuM - SATuRDAY, NOvEMBER 15, 2008 - 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.le Meridien King Edward, Sovereign Ballroom, 37 King St. East, TorontoADvANCE TICKETS: $29 for S.A.C. members & students, $39 for non-membersfOR TICKETS & INfO CAll 1-866-456-SONG OR vISIT WWW.SONGWRITERS.CA - SPACE IS LIMITED

songposium


S.A.C. IN THE SCHOOLS PROGRAM ExPANDS

The S.A.C. In the Schools program is designed to reach out to a younger audience with the objective of giving them an opportunity to learn more about songwriting through the eyes and ears of those who are making a living at creating music. It gives elementary

and secondary students an opportunity to see and hear professional songwrit-ers talk about their songs, their writing processes and what it’s like to be a

songwriter/performer. Through this initiative, it is hoped that these young people will gain a greater respect for the songwriter and ultimately listen to music differently. The S.A.C. plans to expand its S.A.C. In The Schools program and create opportunities for educators, schools and students across the coun-try to learn more about the craft of songwriting. In 2009, the S.A.C. will be partnering with the Vancouver host Juno committee to bring songwriting into Greater Vancouver area schools with the help of the SASS program (www.sasscanada.net). If know of a school that might be interested in a S.A.C. In The Schools program, visit the songwriters.ca website or contact the head office at 1-866-456-SoNG.

S.A.C. HOSTS TWO CCMA EVENTS

The S.A.C. sponsored two events at this years CCMA’s in Winnipeg in September. The first was a demo evaluation panel featuring Joan Besen (S.A.C. Board member and songwriter/performer with Prairie oyster), produc-

er/songwriter Chris Burke-Gaffney, and Barb Sedun, manager of the Manitoba Film and Sound Music Fund. The event attracted a large crowd of songwriters who received feedback on their tunes and advice on the music business. The host was S.A.C. Execu-tive Director Don Quarles. The second event was an open mic opportunity for delegates to perform original songs for an enthusiastic audi-ence. over 25 songs were performed at this event, hosted by country artist/songwriter, Jamie Warren.

recitals to (English as a Second Language) classes,” The Globe reported.

The Tories also cut $300,000 formerly set aside for the Audio-Visual Preservation Trust of Canada, which archives, restores, and makes available for digital distribu-tion, Canadian film, television and musical recordings; $1.5 million from the Canadian Independent Film and Video Fund, which helps top up the budgets of independent Ca-nadian films and triggers private investment in Canadian films of up to $120 million; and $2.5 million from the National Training Program in the Film and Video Sector.

The programs, cancelled as of April 2009, have proven their worth with a demon-strable increase in export opportunities for Canadian musicians over the last five years.

“The cancellation of ProMart and Trade Routes will severely affect our ability to cre-ate and train artists and industry profession-als to work on a global scale,” said WCMA, the umbrella organization for the five western music industry associations – Music BC, Music Yukon, Alberta Music, SaskMusic and the Manitoba Audio Recording Industry Association – in a statement protesting the cuts.

The effects of the federal funding, a small fraction of the $85 billion in cultural busi-ness and taxable revenue it generates, cannot be overestimated, said Duncan McKie, presi-dent of the Canadian Independent Record Production Association.

Canadian musicians, deprived of future promotional funding in major markets in Europe and Asia as a result of the ProMart and Trade Routes cuts, will also suffer from the withdrawal of funding to the Audio-Visual Preservation Trust, said its director David Novek.

“This fund assists the archiving and public exhibition of the work of English- and French-language Canadian composers. We deplore the decision.”

The Canadian Music Centre, which used a $25,000 Audio-Visual Preservation Trust grant last year to retrieve 9,000 archival musical recordings dating back to 1945, transferring them to digital audio formats, and their scores to digital document files prior to making them available online, will have to cease its work unless replacement private sector funding is found, said execu-tive director Elizabeth Bihl.

“This is music that would have otherwise been lost, a valuable cultural asset. Because of the cuts we won’t be able to complete our

Canadian Content Online program.”The 2008 cuts followed others made

to the Foreign Affairs budget in 2006 that virtually eliminate the cultural advocacy and representational functions of Canada’s embassies, formerly of invaluable service to Canadian artists performing and attending arts conventions abroad.

“The prospects beyond 2010 are disastrous,” East Coast Music Association executive director Steve Horne said. “Music industry conferences in Canada will yield less because showcases will be unattended by foreign music buyers, agents, label represen-tatives and radio programmers whose travel and accommodation expenses were partly paid by these federal funds.

“And fewer Canadian acts will be able to take part in showcases in major foreign talent conferences. Hundreds of small busi-nesses in the Canadian arts sector represent-ing millions of dollars in cultural revenue

will be affected.”Some Canadian music industry insiders

even fear the Tories’ may start dismantling FACTOR, the Fund to Assist Canadian Tal-ent On Recordings, for decades the essential infrastructure of the nation’s recording and music marketing systems.

They are not alone. In a statement issued before the election, the Canadian Film and Television Production Association said it fears “this latest round of cuts may be the thin edge of the wedge for more significant cuts to (the arts) sector later this year.”

Harper gave artists no hope during the election, characterizing them as “people … at a rich gala, all subsidized by the taxpayers, claiming their subsidies aren’t high enough” and as somehow different from “ordinary working people”

Despite the Tories’ infuriating silence on cultural policies during the campaign – even in the face of strong pro-culture planks presented by the NDP, the Liberal Party, the Green Party and the Bloc Quebecois, which all promised to restore funding slashed by Harper and substantial additional federal investment in the arts, as well as copyright legislation impacting the use of and remu-neration for music and other intellectual property on the Internet – there’s at least one sign Harper might have taken notice of the protests, particularly those mounted in Que-bec, where culture is a fundamental issue and the federal Conservatives are definitely not welcome.

In the belated announcement of the Tory platform just days before the election, Harper’s controversial Bill C-10, which was universally denounced as censorship because it would have allowed government-appointed bureaucrats to withhold or withdraw funding from Canadian movies and TV programs deemed by the panel as pornographic or violent, was killed.

“Although these proposals were approved unanimously by the House of Commons, we will take into account the serious concerns that have been expressed by film creators and investors,” the platform stated.

Whether the Tories will take into ac-count the serious concerns that have been expressed by other sectors of the nation’s arts industry – which employs 1.1 million Cana-dians, contributes 7.5 per cent of the Gross Domestic Product, and returns between $11 and $17 for every dollar invested – or follow through with even more reductions in federal investment in culture, remains the big question.

THE BIG QUESTION CONT. FROM PG. 7

CHRISTOPHER WARD AND HAYLEY GENE DISPLAY AND DISCUSS THE ART OF

SONGWRITING IN A WINNIPEG SCHOOL AS PART OF S.A.C IN THE SCHOOLS PROGRAM.

TWO YEAR PROGRAMS ONE YEAR PROGRAMSTWO YEAR PROGRAMS ONE YEAR PROGRAMS

Metalworks Institute is registered as a private career college under the Private Career Colleges Act, 2005.

THE KEATS SISTERS, SHARLENE (LOVELESS) AND JOLENE (R) PERFORM THEIR ORIGINAL SONG

“BRING ON THE NExT TOWN” AT THE S.A.C.’S OPEN MIC AT THE CCMAS IN WINNIPEG.

PHOTO, COURTESY S.A.C.lEGENDARY QuEBEC SONGWRITER MIChEl RIvARD WAS DEpICTED IN ThE hIlARIOuS ANTI-hARpER vIRAl vIDEO CuLTuRE In PERIL AS A huMBlE, WEll MEANING fOlK ARTIST CONfRONTING A NEO-MCCARThYITE pANEl Of SuSpICIOuS ANGlO BuREAuCRATS WITh NO uNDERSTANDING Of ThE COuNTRY’S CulTuRAl ASSETS OR hIS SIMplE fuNDING NEEDS. ThE hARpER CuTS pROMpTED pROTESTS lIKE ThE All-STAR RAllY THIS IS nOT A COnSERVATIVE PARTY IN TORONTO(pOSTER BElOW)

PHoTo: CoUrTESY DEPArTMENT oF CULTUrE


The live telecast, hosted by Terri Clark, included performances by Dierks Bentley with Sarah Buxton, Paul Brandt, George Canyon, Emerson Drive, Kellie Pickler, and Crystal Shawanda.

CARIBOU TAKES POLARIS PRIZEPost-psychedelic electronica pop artist Dan Snaith, from Dundas, ont., was awarded the $20,000 Polaris Prize, hon-ouring the best of Canada’s annual crop of new independent pop artists, at a concert gala featuring live or video performances by all ten contenders at Toronto’s Phoenix theatre Sept. 29. Snaith, who records as Caribou, won for his album Andorra. other finalists for the third annual Polaris Prize were Two Hours Traffic, Holy Fuck, Basia Bulat, Kathleen Edwards, Plants and Animals, Shad, Black Mountain, the Weakerthans and Stars.Modeled on Britain’s prestigious Mercury Prize, the Polaris is decided on the night of the presentation by a jury of 11 music critics, producers and performers, and awarded to the best album of the year, regardless of record sales and profile.

OLIVER SCHROER TO BE HONOURED AT CFMAInfluential composer and violinist Oliver Schroer, who died in July of leukemia, leads the field of nominees at the fourth annual Canadian Folk Music Awards gala taking place Sunday, November 23 at the Arts & Culture Centre in St. John’s, Nfld. Schroer, nominated in the Contemporary Album Of The Year, Solo Instrumentalist Of The Year, Producer Of The Year and Pushing The Boundaries categories, will be honoured in a special tribute at the awards ceremony. Vancouver roots singer-songwriter Wyckham Porteous and Nova Scotia fiddler Troy MacGillivray are close behind with three nominations each. Scheduled to perform at the CFMA gala are Figgy Duff, Murray McLauchlan, Rita Chiarelli, Enoch Kent, Asani, Anne Lindsay, and The Newfoundland Step Fiddlers. For ticket information and a full list of nominees, go to canadianfolkmusicawards.ca.

APPOINTMENTS Tamara Kater has been named new Execu-tive Director of the Winnipeg Folk Festival. She was most recently Executive Direc-

tor of the ottawa Folk Festival. Peter MacDonald is the new Executive Director of the Ontario Council of Folk Festivals (OCFF), starting November. He replaces Erin Benjamin who left the oCFF earlier this year.

PASSING: TEENAGE HEAD’S FRANKIE VENOM

Canadian punk icon, Teenage Head lead singer Frank Kerr — aka Frankie Venom — died october 15.Kerr had recently battled throat cancer and spent Thanksgiving

weekend with his family before slipping into a coma. He was 51. Born in Glasgow, Scotland, Kerr was the lead singer of the Hamilton-based band which formed at Westdale High School in 1975. Teenage Head released its first inde-pendent single in 1978 and its legendary self-titled debut the following year. The group, best known for the song “Let’s Shake” from the album Frantic City, last performed in Hamilton in August, and was scheduled to play at this year’s Grey Cup festivities in Montreal. Teenage Head will be presented with a special lifetime achievement award at the 2008 Hamilton Music Awards Nov. 13-16.

No Time For Later, the third rock opus from Toronto-based East Coast exiles The Trews, is as much a

mandate as it is a title.Make that a lyrical mandate. For their

third complete studio album lead singer and writer Colin MacDonald and his merry band – guitarist/bro John-Angus MacDonald, bassist Jack Syperek and drummer Sean Dalton – decided it was high time to kick it up a notch in terms of message delivery.

“I wanted to say more,” Colin recently admitted, “On our first album (2003’s House Of Ill Fame) we were finding our feet as pop songwriters. The lyrics were ambiguous and flowed with the songs.

“Our second record (2005’s den of thieves) was written really quickly and tended to be about this bad relationship I was in.”

When homegrown rock icon Neil Young issued Living In War in 2006, Mac-Donald felt the gauntlet had been thrown.

“Neil was on CNN and was asked, ‘Why did you write this album?’” Mac-Donald recalls. “He replied, ‘I just don’t understand why no young bands are saying anything in their lyrics. Why does it take a 60-year-old rock musician to say anything?’

“It struck a chord with us. We thought that we should start thinking about using our music as a platform for saying what we feel and believe.”

As a result, No Time For Later takes a stand. For instance, the pointed “Gun Control,” inspired by the tragic 2007 Vir-ginia Tech massacre that claimed 32 lives, is fairly blunt.

“We were in Toronto writing the songs for this album, and we turned on the TV coverage of the Virginia Tech shooting,” MacDonald recalls. “And we thought, ‘Not again. That kid shouldn’t have been able to get a gun.’

“We’re very firm believers in stricter gun control laws.”

Not everyone shared The Trews’ soapbox.

“We were playing New York City, and one individual did not like the fact we had a song like ‘Gun Control,’” MacDonald recollects.

“He said, ‘I don’t want my rock and politics mixed, and I don’t know if a

Canadian has any right commenting on American politics at all.’

“It’s totally understandable, but we were prepared for that when we wrote the song. We figured if this album gets any attention at all, it’s going to get reaction from the lyrical content.”

No Time For Later also boasts dark humour, although MacDonald isn’t sure if his audience is in on the joke.

“I was trying to be ironic in the song ‘I Can’t Stop Laughing,’” MacDonald re-veals. “It’s about going out and having the time of your life while you’re completely miserable and masking your heartbreak. Then, with ‘No Time For Later,’ I wanted to be kind of funny as well.

“But some guy came up to me in a Halifax bar and said, “I broke up with my girlfriend because she was bringing me down and it was making me depressed and there was no time for later.’

MacDonald winces.

ThE TREWS (l TO R): COlIN MACDONAlD, JOhN-ANGuS MACDONAlD, SEAN DAlTON, JACK SYpEREK

The Trews: Music and MeaningEAST COAST ROCKERS REFINE THEIR MESSAGE DELIVERY SYSTEM

“We should start thinking about using our music as a platform for saying what we

feel and believe.”-Colin MacDonald

BY NICK KREWEN

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To order tickets

VISIT www.songwriters.ca or CALL 1-866-456-SONG

The S.A.C. gratefully acknowledges the financial support of the Government of Canada through the Canada Music Fund’s Creators’ Assistance Program, administered by The SOCAN Foundation.

Attention SONGWRITERS, MUSICIANS and PRODUCERS!

TORONTONov. 15, 08

SASKATOON Nov. 29, 08

EDMONTON Jan. 31, 09

VICTORIAFeb. 7, 09

Looking for musicindustry advice? Want your songs evaluated by industry professionals?

The Songwriters Association of Canada presents SONGPOSIUM, an intense one-day seminar for aspiring songwriters and those interested in learning more about the art, craft and business of songwriting. Learn from some of the foremost international talent in the music industry as they share their experience and knowledge to help you get your songs heard.

SONGWRITERS IN THE NEWSCONT. FROM PG. 4

CONT. ON PG. 14


But singer and prime melody maker Bouvier says the procurement of Danja as one of four producers – Dave Fortman (Slipknot, Mudvayne), Max Martin (Brit-ney Spears, Pink) and Arnold Lanni (Our Lady Peace) are the others – was worth it.

“If I could pinpoint one thingabout this album, it’d be experimentation,” says Bouvier. “We wanted to try different things.

“Obviously Danja, a great hip-hop pro-ducer, is very different for us. We wanted to branch out and try some different things that would keep it interesting.”

Danja offered Simple Plan new creative challenges.

“With him, we’d write from a loop or a beat,” Comeau admits. “It was something we’d never done before.” On “When I’m Gone,” singer Bouvier says Danja provided both the beat and the loop, but wasn’t satisfied with the results.

“He didn’t really know what to do with it and he didn’t think it was all that great. We felt it had a cool summer feel-good vibe.

“So we took that loop, went home and worked on that one without him. I used it on my laptop – I use Pro Tools – and we played around with different things. That’s how the song came about.”

Atmosphere also played an inspira-tional part. “The End,” Bouvier says, was inspired by a night of Miami clubbing with one-time Montreal resident Tïesto on the turntables.

“We partied until 4 a.m. in some big club in Miami where Tïesto was spinning,” he recalls.

“We were all hung over, and I was ex-perimenting with some keyboards Danja had in the studio. I came up with that little riff that starts the song, and Danja’s going ‘Keep playing that!’ and he laid a beat on top of that riff.

“The next thing you know, we had the whole melody lined up. From there, Chuck and I went outside, worked on some lyrics and then tracked the whole first verse and chorus.

“It was one of the fastest songs we’ve written and we weren’t even trying.”

Bouvier concedes that Simple Plan prefer to tinker with songs in the studio.

“It takes a while,” he admits. “We’re not the kind of guys who write a song in five or ten minutes and bang, it’s done.

“We look at it as a craft. We’ll go back and rework the lyrics a bunch of times,

and try 10 different versions of the chorus. We’ll argue about how we should end it. On some songs we spend three days, put it away and spend another week on it. As a general rule, it takes longer than we expect.”

It’s usually Bouvier and Comeau who kick off Simple Plan’s songwriting process.

“Once we find the basic idea, we demo it, then bring it to the band and everyone gets involved with making it better.

“For Simple Plan, there were a lot of ideas – 65 of them. Once you have a verse, a pre-chorus and a chorus, you’ll know whether it’s a home run or not. Some-times – as in the song ‘I Can Wait Forever,’ which I wrote at my parents’ house – I’ll come up with the whole thing on my own.”

For seven of the album’s 11 songs, Ar-nold Lanni – who produced and co-wrote No Pads, No Helmets…Just Balls, initially setting Simple Plan on its platinum path – returned to add his polish.

“We had a lot of songs ready, but a lot of them were incomplete,” Bouvier explains. “We got Arnold to have a listen and see what he thought. With the song ‘Save You’, I had written the entire chorus sitting alone in my room, thinking about the situation with my brother and the cancer he went through. But I didn’t know how to address the intro, the verse, and although I had a few ideas, I couldn’t stick with just one.

“Arnold came in, looked at the chorus, and suggested a couple of ideas for some verses. Having him there gave us the confidence to push the idea and finish the song.”

P lans for Canadian rock bands looking for international attention don’t get any simpler than this: Write lots of

catchy melodies, tour ‘til your face falls off, sell millions of CDs around the planet and continue on to world domination.

Montreal rockers Simple Plan have executed this formula to a ‘T’. Their first two albums – No Pads…No Helmets…Just Balls and Still Not Getting Any – decorated the bedrooms of Simple Planners Pierre Bouvier, Chuck Comeau, Jeff Stinco, David Desrosiers and Sebastien Lefeb-vre with platinum and gold discs galore, thanks to the punchy punk-propelled rush of adolescent anthems like “Addicted,” “I’d Do Anything” and “Welcome To My Life”, and the power ballad “Perfect.”

But seven million sales later, Simple Plan has decided to flex their creative muscles. They’re a little more grown up, a little more complex, a little more strident in their quest to demonstrate capabilities

different from the Warped Tour mentality. Sure, a love for NOFX, Green Day

and Bad Religion may still linger in their sound, but the willingness of the quintet to widen their horizons is fully evident with the songs on its recent self-titled album.

The band trumpets its new sonics right from the get-go with “When I’m Gone,” one of three tracks either produced or co-

produced by Tim “Timbaland” Mosley’s right-hand man, Nate “Danja” Hills.

“When I’m Gone” kicks things off with a looped hip-hop rhythm, then veers into something you’d more likely find on a Def Leppard album than on anything Simple Plan has previously recorded.

“When I’m Gone”, one of three tracks on Simple Plan captured on Hills’ home turf of Miami, Fla. – “The End” and “Gen-eration” are the other two – testifies to the band’s collective willingness to jump into unfamiliar territory.

“We were in an environment where all the rappers were coming in at midnight and they were rolling with their Esca-lades,” recalls drummer and chief lyricist Chuck Comeau of the Danja sessions at Hit Factory Criteria Studios.

“We were the white guys in the crappy, beat-up rental car. We didn’t really fit in, and it was all a different pace for us. It was all late-night recording.”

Net proceeds from each download sale of Simple Plan’s iTunes Store single, Save You, will be distribut-ed to cancer charities around the world, through the Montreal-based band�s own Simple Plan Founda-tion.

Save You� was penned in tribute to lead singer Pierre Bouvier’s brother Jay, who was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma cancer at the age of 28.

Simple Plan has also donated por-tions of their merchandise sales to charity, as well as 50 cents from each ticket sold on their recent and forthcoming tours. For full details on the charity organization, please visitwww.simpleplanfoundation.org.

In addition to the “Save You” single, a special companion video has been produced, featuring appearances by cancer survivors from all walks of life, including such famous faces as Sharon osbourne, Marissa Winokur (of the original Broadway production of Hairspray), Barenaked Ladies’ Kevin Hearn, and Saku Koivu (captain of the NHL’s Montreal Canadians).

“After what happened to someone so close to us, we feel that, as a band, we had to do something to help,” Simple Plan’s members said in a joint statement.

SIMPLE PLAN: Pierre Bouvier, Sebastien Lefebvre, David Desrosiers, Jeff Stinco, Chuck Comeau

LIVING WITH DANJAWith seven million albums sold, Simple Plan mixes it up with four producers on new CDBY NICK KREWEN

“I had written the entire chorus sitting alone in

my room, thinking about … my brother and

the cancer he went through”

– Pierre Bouvier

“In Miami … we were the white guys in the crappy,

beat-up rental car. We didn’t really fiit in.”

– Chuck Comeau

Simple Plan song “Save You” to benefit International cancer charities

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For those who believe in the redemp-tive and restorative powers of song, the strange tale of the recovery of the lost works of William Hawkins is convincing evidence.

“I was never lost,” claims the Ottawa poet and composer, whose best songs were written almost 40 years ago and forsaken when Hawkins turned his back on a burgeoning career in music for a life marked by bouts of inebriation, drug smuggling, rehabilitation and eventual ob-scurity as the owner/driver of a taxi-cab.

They have been lovingly revitalized in a remarkable two-CD set, Dancing Alone (True North Records) by producer Ian Tamblyn and a crew of Canadian roots music notables, including Hawkins’ for-mer musical colleagues Bruce Cockburn, Sneezy Waters, Sandy Crawley and Bill Stevenson, as well as Murray McLauchlan, Lynn Miles, Suzie Vinnick, Brent Titcomb, Terry Gillespie and Kelly Lee Evans, among others.

“I just dropped out sometime in the 1971, when I woke up in the Donwood Clinic, a rehab centre in Toronto, with no idea how I got there, weighing 128 lbs and looking like a ghost in my six-foot frame.”

This was some time after Hawkins, who was already a nationally recognized poet, with five collections published between 1964 and 1971 and selections of his work in two major poetry anthologies, had turned his lyrical talent to songwrit-ing, and, as manager/curator/host of Ottawa’s famed folk haunt Le Hibou, had gathered around him an ensemble of for-tuitously gifted musicians, among them Cockburn, Waters, Crawley and Neville Wells, who’s also featured on Dancing Alone.

“We called ourselves The Children,” says Hawkins, 68. “Bruce transcribed my melodies and taught me the rudiments of guitar.

“We never recorded anything … that was my fault.”

In those years Hawkins, who was a good five years older than his musical peers, was something of a local legend, both as a writer of supremely melodic songs filled with stark despair and raw self-loathing mixed with dark humour – “most of them were written inside a bottle,” he says – and as a performer and ubiquitous bohemian bad boy.

He had written the Top 10 hit “It’s A Crying Shame” for Ottawa pop band The Esquires. He had hosted poetry mara-thons featuring contemporaries Irving Layton, Leonard Cohen, Louis Dudek, Raymond Souster, Gwendolyn MacE-wen, Jacques Godbout and John Robert Colombo, as well as musical performances by Gordon Lightfoot, Judy Collins and Joni Mitchell. He had partied with Jimi Hendrix and. Richie Havens.

“And one night in 1968, opening for The Lovin’ Spoonful at Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto, the house lights went up and I saw all these 14- and 15-year-old

kids screaming, and suddenly I felt out of place. I was twice their age. I turned to Bruce as we walked off stage and said, ‘I’m finished.’

“I had a good thing going with my poetry, and a Canada Council grant, and I didn’t see any future for myself or my songs in pop music.

“I got a part-time job for a while with the federal government, and as the producer of a TV music show in Ottawa hosted by (songwriters) David Wiffen and Ann Mortifee. Both jobs drove me back to drink.

“All my troubles started when I left the stage.”

In the preface to Hawkins’ 2005 poetry collection, also titled Dancing Alone, Cockburn compares his old band mate

William HaWkins, lost and Found

Ottawa songwriter turned his back on music at the peak of his career, only to be rediscovered by peers and longtime admirers 40 years later …

by Greg Quill

“I turned to Bruce (Cockburn) as we

walked off and said, ‘I’m finished.’ All my

troubles started when I left the stage.”

“Then he said, ‘I couldn’t stop laughing. I wasn’t happy.’ And I’m, like, “Oh…damn’ – I never think anybody’s going to take what we do that seriously.

“But I really learned something touring this album: just how much music means to people. When they love it, they really want to define their lives with it, and define themselves with the lyrics that you’re singing. They look to music for complete understanding of the world.”

MacDonald clams his relationship with lyrics is one of love and hate.

“This buddy of mine gave me a book about lyric writing, and it was just talking about how you should always exercise it – coming up with metaphors and sitting down every day and writing and trying to bring two worlds together in this interesting lyrical way.

“But I got really bored and stopped doing it. I went back to just singing melodies over the guitar and listening back to see if I could find the words.

“I don’t have any set way of doing things – I try to change it up as

much as I can.”One of those novel approaches oc-

curred during MacDonald’s collabora-tion on the title track and “Man Of Two Minds” with Simon Wilcox.

“We sat down with no instruments and we just wrote the lyrics on a piece of paper,” MacDonald remembers. “We thought, ‘What’s the story here? What’s this guy going through?’ We wrote those two songs on a sheet of paper and just put chords behind them.

“It’s difficult to do and it doesn’t al-

ways work, but there’s a little bit of magic to it when it does. We put a lot of thought into the lyrics, and when we added the chords and music, it just sounded right.”

Although The Trews are awaiting the early 2009 release of No Time For Later in the U.S., MacDonald is already in writing mode for the next album.

“People really want answers,” he states. “They really want to relate to songs and they really want you to feel what they’re going through. I’m taking it more seriously.”

CONT. ON PG. 16

THE TREWS CONT. FROM PG.11

ThE TREWS: “pEOplE REAllY WANT YOu TO fEEl WhAT ThEY’RE GOING ThROuGh”.

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aB alecia aichelle

aB Don chesniak

aB ryan eavis

aB Kent Klatchuk

aB lori Kole

aB chris livingston

aB vitaliy malkin

aB Wayne monnery

aB Jacqueline Pratte

aB ashley rae

aB mike savage

aB Kimberly spears

aB Karen vande vyvere

aB sharon White

aB greg K. Wood

Bc Damian Burns

Bc claire carreras

Bc cody DeBoer

Bc alexis Desaulniers-lea

Bc Jessica Desauniers lea

Bc Yvette Dudley-neuman

Bc Jacqueline Forster

Bc arnulfo garcia

Bc angela harris

Bc aaron Korop

Bc Patricia manly

Bc sherard James moffatt

Bc gregory morgan

Bc Jennifer morgan

Bc mike moy

Bc corbin murdoch

Bc randall murray

Bc eddie Plotnikoff

Bc cheryl stavely

Bc Jorge torres

Bc george tozer

Bc David Watts

mB lynda Dobbin-turner

mB Jerry holowaty

mB Janicstarodub

nB ghislain martin

nB chris mercer

nF Bev allen

nF Bob Dicks

ns cherie Borden

ns tony Butyn

ns Dave Fogarty

ns carmel mikol

ns ruth minnikin

ns Dana ryan

nt sylvia adams

On vicki abbott

On aruna adhya

On Dallas arney

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On James Budd

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On mary Frances mcDonell

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On leanne miele

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On John O’Brien

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On christine shaw

On Phill smith

On step st. michael

On ivy steel

On mike stephenson

On rocco stragapete

On lynn thacker

On Diana tiessen

On christopher todman

On natalie tom-Yew

On Kevin White

On hong Wei Zheng

Qc Keith ambrose

Qc Karen Belfo

Qc Daphne coriolan

Qc robert ethier

Qc Jessica hart

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Qc rosamaria la Posta

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Qc michelle amy

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Qc eunice tan

sK robert glen Whitefish

sK shane Yellowbird

Welcome New Members!The S.A.C. welcomes the following new members who have joined since June, 2008


promote your CD publicize your tour or that special gig

with a quarter-page Display ad in Songwriters magazine for just $195

(Includes GST) $175 for S.A.C. Members That’s a $100 break on our regular

ad rate!Deadline Jan.7 2009

Call 1-866-456-7664, 416-961-1588 For bookings and finished artwork requirements

BY DON QuARlES

An enthusiastic group of music lovers, film buffs and music industry folks turned up for the first annual S.A.C.- sponsored “Soundtracks and Stories” songwriter showcase which was held at the new Carlton in Halifax during the Atlantic Film Festival in September. The event featured Alex Madsen of The Divorcees, singer/songwriters Catherine MacLellan and (S.A.C. Board member) Amelia Curran, and Tim Baker of Hey rosetta, as well as a feature performance by surprise special guest host, Bruce Guthro. The event was designed to bring songwriters and artists from all the Atlantic provinces to showcase their songs and music for film and television placement opportunities with film industry professionals attending the film festival. Music supervisors and publishers from Los Angeles and Toronto were presented with a great selection. The Carlton is a new “listening” venue in Halifax and has become as well known for its great ambiance as well as the great food. The Carlton crowd received the usual pre-concert speech from host/co-owner Mike Campbell, reminding every-one to “shhhhhhh” while the songwriters are performing. reports from several attendees, including some of the mu-sic supervisors, were that this was one of the best songwriter showcases they had ever heard! This event was the result of a partnership between the S.A.C. and the good folks at the Atlantic Film Festival, and plans for next year’s event are already in the works.

Atlantic Film Festival/S.A.C. Initiative “Soundtracks and Stories” Showcases Canadian Songs for Filmmakers

SINGER/SONGWRITER AMElIA CuRRAN (RIGhT) lISTENS TO ThE DIvORCEES’ AlEx MADSEN, AS hE pERfORMS ONE Of hIS SONGS DuRING ThE S.A.C.’S SOuNDTRACKS AND STORIES SONGWRITER ShOWCASE DuRING ThE ATlANTIC fIlM fESTIvAl IN hAlIfAx IN SEpTEMBER. PHoTo, CoUrTESY S.A.C.

l TO R; AlEx MADSEN, AMElIA CuRRAN, TIM BAKER, CAThERINE MClEllAN, BRuCE GuThRO. BRuCE GuThRO BREAKS up ThE pANEl DuRING ThE S.A.C.’S SOuNDTRACKS AND STORIES SONGWRITER ShOWCASE AT ATlANTIC fIlM fESTIvAl. PHoTo, CoUrTESY S.A.C.

to the French poet Rimbaud, a flattering allusion that Hawkins sees as a singularly ironic summary of his post-Children misadventures.

“Rimbaud got lost in Africa and be-came a gun-runner,” he says. “I got lost in Mexico and became a drug-runner.”

His marijuana escapades ended with a close call, when Mounties surrounded him at a remote airport after he’d stepped from a plane they suspected was loaded with dope.

“I came out with my hands up. Luckily I was clean. They had nothing on me, though they threatened to deport me to Mexico.

“When I woke up in Donwood, I saw the light. I wanted no more excitement. I wanted to be clean and sober. I wanted to write poetry. I wanted to drive a cab, to be anonymous, and that’s what I’ve been since 1971.”

And Hawkins may have remained an obscure footnote to Canadian musical history if not for longtime friend, mentor, promoter and arts philanthropist Harvey Glatt, who had employed Hawkins de-cades ago in one of his Treble Clef record stores, before starting up the phenom-enally successful Ottawa radio station CHEZ-FM.

“Harvey gave me my first guitar,” says Hawkins, who has three grown children from a marriage long gone wrong, and five grand children. “He’s the guy who first suggested I should turn my poems into songs. He has always been my friend, sug-gesting quietly over the years that I should get the songs on record.”

Finally Glatt offered to bankroll the sessions that yielded Dancing Alone, which was launched late September. Hawkins’ lost songs immediately stunned the roots music community with their brilliance and sophistication, and with the high quality of Tamblyn’s arrangements and the spirited commitment of the per-formances by longtime admirers.

“Harvey let me choose the producer and the performers,” Hawkins says. “Then Ian forbade me to come to the studio till he was finished recording and mixing. I’m a well known manipulator and megalo-maniac.”

Some of the songs Hawkins over-hauled completely, others were recon-structed from fragments. Most, he says, were still in good shape, and easily adapted to the theatrical, folk, R&B, jug band, rock, country and jazz styles repre-sented on the album.

“I have no formal musical training. I grew up loving the songs of Cole Porter, Irving Berlin and Hoagy Carmichael. I know what a good hook is and where to put it.”

When Hawkins heard the completed recording, “I just loved it,” he says. “I asked for some re-mixes – I don’t like clarinets in ballads, so I had Ian take them out. Otherwise, I couldn’t fault it.”

The experience has rekindled Hawkins’ passion for performance.

“I’d love to play again. Some friends have put together a small acoustic group that I can sit in with. I doubt I’ll be able to go on the road – I suffer from emphysema – but I’d love to play some folk festivals.

“After 34 years driving a cab, I’m ready to quit.”

WILLIAM HAWKINS CONT. FROM PG. 15

hAWKINS CIRCA 1970

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PLACE YoUrS HErE For JUST $25 (5 LINES)to book your classified ad, contact us at: [email protected], or call416-961-1588 / 866-456-7664

halifax based singer-songwriter Christina Martin releases her new album ‘Two Hearts’, produced by Dale murray (cuff the Duke), and tours parts of canada and the us in 2008-2009. visit www.christinamartin.net for more information. music Website: www.christinamartin.net. myspace: www.myspace.com/cpmartin. Facebook Fan Page: www.facebook.com/pages/christina-martin/8426326493

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Songwriters magazine special offer!!


blue bird north

spotlight:The Roundhouse, VancouverPhotos: Dale Leung

BBN No. 60,

September 9,

2008, hosted by

Shari Ulrich

with her daughter,

special guest

Julia Graff

The next Blue Bird North takes place November 27 at the Roundhouse Community Centre, Vancouver, featuringSarah Noni Metzner, Andrea Menard with Robert Walsh, Barney Bentall and Tom Taylor, hosted by Shari Ulrich.Produced by Shari Ulrich for the Songwriters Association of Canada

Will Joe Mock

Joel KroekerJulia Graff Carolyn Arends

Shari Ulrich

W H OOO WWW III LLL L B E T H E 2 0 000 999 N AAATTT I O N AAA LLL SSS OOO N G WWW RRR I TTT EEE RRR OOO F T H E Y EEE AAA RRR ???

16th Annual

Go to www.radiostar.ca for complete contest details and prizing

WHO CAN ENTERAspiring or proficient songwriters – self-published or unpublished – who are looking for a chance to get their material recorded and/or published. HOW TO ENTERSend a CD with a minimum of 1 song up to a maximum of 3 songs, along with a typed lyric sheet, your name, address and telephone number to the closest participating radio station in your area.(Please write your name and telephone number on CD). The song must be original and not published or distributed prior to competition.All entries must be received no later than December 12, 2008.

Participating Radio Stations:

Participating Sponsors:

Award-winning SongwriterTomi Swick

Presented by:

simple plan - songwriters association of canada

Documents