Welcome to my website. I’m a passionate amateur songwriter, producer, photographer, videographer, and blogger. I write about my creative process, health issues, and just about anything else that strikes my fancy.
I’m a co-founder and co-host of the Song Talk Radio podcast and Meetup group; producer, drummer and co-songwriter of the indie-folk-rock band Beige Shelter; and I also release my own music.
I invite you to spend some time here, discover something, maybe learn something, have a laugh, and enjoy my musings. Thanks for visiting!
Words
When writing a collection of songs, whether for a album release or in general, we sometimes end up playing it safe and resorting to tried and true motifs and ideas for every song. For myself, when I become a fan of an artist or band, I like to hear a variety of songs. Sometimes the differences [...]
If you’re just starting out your home studio, or looking to upgrade your audio interface, there are many factors to consider in order to make an informed decision that gets you the best bang for your buck. An audio interface is the traffic cop of your home studio, controlling all the physical inputs and outputs. [...]
My singer-songwriter friend Jeff Greenway invited me to a BS Fridays music showcase at the Cameron House in August. I was pleased to also see Melanie Peterson’s name on the bill. Melanie is also a friend and a very talented singer-songwriter. All of the performers were unique and talented, and one singer-songwriter, new to me, really impressed. [...]
Music
My super-inventive composer friend Frank Horvat had a fantastic idea when the COVID-19 pandemic had us all hunkered down at home. He wrote over 30 short compositions for solo instruments or voice and asked musicians everywhere to post a video of them playing his pieces. We even talked to Frank about the singer-songwriter pieces he [...]
I recently finished reading a great book by Marc Myers entitled Anatomy of a Song: The Oral History of 45 Iconic Hits that Changed Rock, R&B, and Pop. Myers interviewed the people involved in historically significant songs from the 1940s to the 1990s. He ended his examination in 1991 because, as he explains it, you [...]
I first discovered Rush towards the end of high school, after borrowing a tape of Presto from the public library on a whim. I expected to hear heavy metal that I wasn't fond of, but instead I was pleasantly surprised to hear a fusion of rock, jazz, progressive, and extraordinarily well composed and performed music; [...]
Images
Once again, I attended a night of fantastic original music at the 120 Diner in Toronto. I was invited by two of the performers, Sherry Jacoby and Lora Ryan. The show was hosted by Annie Bonsignore and Roger Beckett from A&R Productions. The great thing about the Nashville-style setup is the interplay between the artists. In [...]
I recently purchased a new medium telephoto lens for my camera and put it to the test with photographing a couple of live music events. I enjoyed a "songwriters in the round" event at 120 Diner in Toronto. I already knew three of the performers, and got to meet and hear several new ones. Beige [...]
I worked closely with Tony Dagnone, the former CEO of London Health Sciences Centre, on his presentation for the 2016 CHES Conference. Tony wanted to see some creative "whiteboard" illustrations to bring some visual interest to his narrative. For these animations, I used a combination of stock drawings and my own illustrations. Most of the [...]
