Songwriting for a band with Brent Jackson and the Sunshine Makers

Zoe Thiessen is a singer/songwriter, guitarist and violinist now based in Toronto after years of living abroad. Her finely crafted songs always have a hint of the fairy tale about them, and she delivers them with a warm alto that has a timbre all its own. She released her first album ‘The Lives of Saints …

In this short show, Phil talks about 5 of the most effective tips he has learned from a lifetime of playing in bands to get everyone sounding better together. Take a listen and let us know the tips you’ve learned.

Canadian children’s artist, Heather Feather, is pleased to announce her second studio album, Together, out on June 27, 2025. The 2025 ECMA “Children’s Artist of the Year,” award recipient holds a PhD in Music Theory from McGill, a Bachelor of Music from Memorial University, and is a fearless disability advocate, recently partnering with international advocacy …

Joining us today is rising Canadian country artist Cam Brown, hailing from Barrie, Ontario. Fresh off opening for Dean Brody at this year’s Troubadour Festival in his hometown, Cam is making waves with his original music. His debut single Pretty Lime Margarita recently climbed to #1 on the Canadian Indie Country Countdown and is now …

Natalie Reis is an independent folk singer/songwriter whose music is caught between bittersweet narratives and soaring melodies. Following her debut EP ‘Bones on Fire’ in 2020, Natalie has released six singles that have evolved her storytelling-lyricism and solidified her sound as a distinctive emerging artist. In the past year, she has had the opportunity to …

In this special episode, Phil and Neel talked about cadences, or the different ways to bring resolution to your chord progressions. We talked about: The Nashville numbering system and why it’s important to understand and use when talking about cadences Modally interchanging chords – e.g. flipping minor and major chords in your chord palette Cadences …

Toronto-based guitarist, songwriter, vocalist and koto player Jessica Stuart (aka JESSA) has made a music career writing and performing harmonically adventurous, and devastatingly honest indie-jazz-rock tunes around the world. Stuart is also a rare professional female guitarist, with dozens of side-player credits ranging from Mirvish Productions’ SIX to Classic Albums Live to Idioteque, and loves …

Dexter Sloan has built his sound around a blissful blend of intimacy and introspection, celebrating the deep connections between nature and humanity. Imbued with fables and folktales, he delivers truth like a puppet show, often playing characters to protect his privacy. A device Sloan has no doubt carried with him from his time as a …

“This song is intended to remind us that the love we have for each other is stronger than our pride. Love takes work. If we can overcome our egos, we can remember why love is the most powerful gift we can experience.” – Brent Jackson, Sunshine Makers Brent shared his song Rock With Me. Download …

For this special episode, Phil and Neel talked about their favourite apps and resources for songwriters and musicians. Let us know what yours are! We talked about: Our songwriting challenge to write a song in an odd time signature. We’ve added a resource about the theme song to the show Yellowjackets. Rhyme Genie and Tunesmith …