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Mike Bankhead

Viewing: songwriting - View all posts

Episode 89 - Briget Boyle 

The ways that we can be broken are also part of the pieces that put us back together…

 

Briget Boyle is a songwriter with new single called “Mandolin” out today!  This is the second single from her upcoming album, Heartbreak Residue.  We get into Briget's writing process, the meaning behind this particular song, and detail on Briget's background in the music industry. There is some real poignant moments in our conversation, and you'll really get to see into Briget's heart in this conversation.

 

LINKS

Official…

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03/17/2023

in songwriting, piano, art, music industry, guitar, Briget Boyle, Mandolin, Heartbreak Residue

Episode 87 - The Wag 

If you leave a Wag show and you're not smiling, it's probably you…

 

Here's how The Wag's official website introduces the band:  Got songs? Got harmonies? Got fun and unbridled enthusiasm? Then you’ve got The Wag! Hailing from the Bayshore area of New Jersey, this 4-piece unit has been entertaining and moving audiences for 20 years but still sounds as fresh as it did on day one! With 4 alternating lead vocalists, catchy melodies, and sophisticated harmonies, they will take you on a journey of pop rock…

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03/10/2023

in Music, songwriting, bass, singing, singers, music industry, drums, Accordion, guitar, New Jersey, The Wag, Blue Bottles and Copper Coins

Episode 82 - Simona Smirnova  

It fascinates me how people have such different backgrounds, but we still come together... and we make music together as one unit...

Simona Smirnova is from Lithuania, but currently based in New York City.  She's a singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, composer, teacher, generally interesting person, and true music professional. She specializes in the kanklés, which is a traditional Lithuanian instrument.  (I'd tell you more here, but I want you to listen to Simona talk about it.)

Simona has just…

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02/07/2023

in Music, songwriting, solfege, piano, art, singers, folk music, music industry, music education, Lithuania, kanklés, Simona Smirnova, New York, zither

Episode 79 - Jovi Espina 

All these songs really mean a lot to me and help me to kind of decipher my thoughts...

Jovi Espina is a songwriter from Virginia who is currently based in Los Angeles. She has been making music since she was ten years old. I got a chance to see her play at an open mic, and I can tell you from my first person observation that she is a very poised performer who plays with confidence.  In this conversation, you'll learn about her writing process, what her childhood smelled like, and all sorts of interesting…

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01/28/2023

in Music, songwriting, piano, singing, Richmond, guitar, Jovi Espina, Act Accordingly, Virginia, Dream Street, emo

Episode 78 - Nina Nepa 

Why am I being so secretive when it's just a song?

I met Nina Nepa in Los Angeles at an open mic event.  Both of us managed to overcome our nerves from being in a room full of strangers and play our songs.  Since listening to her play that day, I've wanted to chat with her about her music for this podcast.  Well here you are, Nina is the guest on today's episode.

Nina is from Pittsburgh, currently living in Los Angeles.  She plays piano and writes songs. She describes herself as a mechanical engineer…

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01/18/2023

in Music, songwriting, piano, Los Angeles, cantantes, keyboards, music video, singers, Pittsburgh, Nina Nepa

Episode 76 - Brenda Carsey 

Let me tell you a tale of blunder, confusion, and woe. I procrastinated when it came to editing my conversation with Brenda Carsey, but it was going to get done in the early afternoon, and everything was ok.  I'd have this episode up and out, ready to tell folks to go listen to Brenda's new album Cognizance on January 9th anywhere you stream music. I'm in my DAW, working on the file, and I clicked the wrong thing... I couldn't see exactly what it was, but strange things were happening, so I tried to cancel…

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01/06/2023

in Music, songwriting, pop, piano, funk, jazz, Los Angeles, bass, singing, guitar, Cognizance, Brenda Carsey, alternative soul, neo soul

Episode 75 - Olivia Frances 

Photo by Libby Danforth

these three hundred songs, they're all assets... they're all pieces of magic that started on a blank piece of paper

 

A few years ago, I arrived at Yellow Cab Tavern to play a show at my favorite curated open mic, Showcase Thursday. I had been told that we had an artist from Nashville in town to play with us that night. It's not every week that we get someone on tour to stop by, so I was very much looking forward to meeting this intrepid individual. The intrepid individual…

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01/03/2023

in Music, songwriting, piano, Dayton, Nashville, Olivia Frances, Cincinnati, Hanukkah, guitar

Episode 74 - Juliet Fromholt & Taylor Ruckle with our favorite albums of 2022 

 

Exactly one year ago, on 30th December 2021, Juliet Fromholt joined me for a chat about our favorite albums of 2021.  I released that conversation the next day, 31st December, and it was Episode ½ of this podcast.  It was so much fun, I just HAD to have her back this year. Taylor Ruckle joins us for this conversation.  You might remember him from Episode 27 and Episode 43, where we talked about our favorite albums of the first and second quarters of 2022 respectively. 

All three of us are completely…

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12/29/2022

in Music, songwriting, Juliet Fromholt, WYSO, Arlo Parks, Lung, Dayton, art, Brandon Berry, music video, podcasting, Fountains Of Wayne, power pop, music journalism, Taylor Ruckle, Oceanator, Feeder, K. Carter, hip hop, Richmond, Billy Woods, music industry, Amanda Shires, Brittany Spencer, Heather Redman, Ty Sorrell, indie rock, bass clarinet, Björk, Booder, Dazy, Enumclaw, Cheekface, The Beths, Momma, Camae Ayewa, Moor Mother

Episode 73 - Zack Sliver (Yuppie) 

Yuppie is happy music about hard things.

 

Zack Sliver is the gentleman in the red shirt in the above picture, taken during Dayton Music Fest at Blind Bob's.  His project is called Yuppie.  Zack is altruistic, kind, and talented, and comes with a polished elevator pitch.  How did wearing a wig in Okinawa help make him a better performer and musician?  What's his songwriting process like?  Does he still like Peculiar, the album that he released this year? Why should you eat Lee's Famous Recipe chicken…

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12/27/2022

in songwriting, Dayton, Reel Love Recording Company, Patrick Himes, painting, music video, Brian Hoeflich, DMF, Lee's Famous Recipe, chicken, Zack Sliver, Yuppie, Beavercreek, Okinawa

Episode 70 - Mary Beth Carty 

At some point, you know, it's hard to carry a piano around...

 

Mary Beth Carty is a fascinating individual, a songwriter, an artist, and a multi-instrumental musician. She can be heard singing in four (4!) different languages on her new album, Crossing the Causeway. How did the diversity in the area she grew up contribute to her music?  How did she get started playing accordion?  What did her childhood smell like?  You'll get the answers to these questions - as well as hear me list some names of a musical…

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12/16/2022

in Music, Canadians, songwriting, piano, French, music video, singing, folk music, Accordion, Bones, Crossing the Causeway, Mary Beth Carty, Mi'kmaq, Nova Scotia, Antigonish

Episode 67 - John Dubuc 

...I don't think lyrics have to be great or anything, they just have to be memorable enough and fit a bar...

 

John Dubuc is a Dayton musician known for witty lyrics and catchy songs.  We wade deep into the songwriting process in this episode.  What's the first tool that John reaches for when it's time to write a song?  What are some of his influences?  What part of a song does he think is the most important? You'll hear the answers to those questions and more in our recent conversation.

 

LINKS

Band…

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12/01/2022

in Music, songwriting, Tod Weidner, John Dubuc, Dayton

Episode 66 - Michelle Rhea Goddard 

If there was one thread I can find across all of my music, it is the deep love of storytelling...

 

Michelle Rhea Goddard is a Nashville-based songwriter who is originally from California.  Here album Breaking Bread: Songs of Reconciliation is arranged like a play, with an introduction, three acts, and an intermission. What is her writing process like? How did she come up with the idea to structure an album this way?  What did her childhood smell like?  You'll get the answers to all of these questions in…

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11/30/2022

in Music, songwriting, Americana, Nashville, folk music, music industry, Breaking Bread, Michelle Rhea Goddard

Episode 65 - Three At Home 

Three At Home is a band from the greater Boston area. I met two of them in Austin a few months ago while we were attending the CD Baby DIY Musician Conference. All three of them join me for this conversation.  They have an interesting dynamic, with two songwriters and two lead vocalists. Listen to this episode to learn what they remember as the first song they ever heard and what their childhoods smelled like.

 

LINKS

Three At Home official website

Bandcamp

Facebook

Instagram

Twitter

 

11/28/2022

in Music, songwriting, bass, singing, DIY Music Conference, Three At Home, Massachusetts

Episode 64 - TINO 

This is about to be you and I on an adventure that may sometimes appear to be a little bit more rough and unrefined than what you may be accustomed to, but it is genuine

 

You might remember talented Dayton-based rapper TINO from a previous appearance on my blog.  He's on the podcast today, because today is Bandcamp Friday when they waive their cut of artist payments, and he has a new album over there right now.  Midwest Sorrow covers different sonic and emotional ground than TINO's other work.

How did…

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10/27/2022

in Music, songwriting, Paige Beller, Dayton, France, art, TINO, Gem City Podcast, stand up comedy, singing, hip hop, rap, Sidekick Complex, MOIRA

Episode 61 - Marc Aiello 

I loved parker ben parker right from the first song the first time I heard them way back in the 1990s.  My guest on this episode, Marc Aiello, played guitar in that band. Those of you around the Dayton music scene will especially appreciate this episode. If you're any sort of music fan, you'll probably like this as well, as it's simply two music enthusiasts talking about the thing they love.

 

LINKS

five seven five music - Marc's publishing company

parker ben parker

The Durable Fiction

 

10/21/2022

in Music, songwriting, Tod Weidner, Dayton, jazz, parker ben parker, ... in order to speak to you, Marc Aiello

Episode 54 - Brittany and the Blisstones 

It's emotion, right?  That's music. We're connecting with people on an emotional level...that's ultimately at the end of the day what it's all about, just connecting with other people.

Sometimes things happen in life that seem like an implausible story from a movie.  I have one of those to tell, and the stars of this story are Brittany Bliss and Reid Givens of Brittany and the Blisstones.  Brittany and the Blisstones is an indie band from Chico, California. Their sound draws from influences as diverse as…

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09/06/2022

in Music, songwriting, Gail Gallagher, bass, ukulele, DIY Music Conference, music industry, drums, Brittany and the Blisstones, Die Spitz, Eva Gertz

Episode 53 - Brandon Semler 

I love rock and roll and I love writing rock and roll songs

 

Brandon Semler lives in Austin, but originally hails from Greene County, right here in Ohio.  We met in 2019 at the CD Baby DIY Musician Conference.  We'll be headed back there again this weekend, and in fact, this episode is being posted on the morning of the conference's first day.  What kind of things is Brandon up to musically with his band, Westerly Station?  What's his new business all about?  What's the first song he can remember ever…

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08/24/2022

in Music, songwriting, baseball, Fountains Of Wayne, power pop, promotion, DIY Music Conference, music industry, Austin, Brandon Semler, Westerly Station, Missing Amelia

Episode 49 - Lesley Barth 

Photo by Harish Pathak

I definitely was not thinking about writing a book for people who teach music lessons, but it's funny how these weird little intentions... if we keep following the thread, we can get to it...

 

Lesley Barth is a singer, songwriter, recording artist, musician, author, teacher, and mom who is currently based in Nashville. She released her second full-length album, called Big Time Baby, in May 2020. We talk about the album and some of the songs on it.  (Many of them have music…

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08/04/2022

in Music, songwriting, piano, music video, ukulele, Nashville, DIY Music Conference, author, Lesley Barth, Big Time Baby, Chuck Ramsey

Episode 46 - Mariah J 

It's really all about me exposing myself honestly... exposing my heart, exposing real life experiences and challenges that I've gone through... exposing lessons from those challenges... 

 

This episode keeps us in the Gem City.  Mariah J is my guest.  She's a singer/songwriter, poet, dancer, artist disruptor, cultural strategist and overall creative being who has just released an album titled Unfolding.  How did Mariah learn how to sing? How long did it take her to make this album?  How does she know…

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07/21/2022

in Music, songwriting, Dayton, home recording, audio engineering, singing, singers, Mariah J, Unfolding

Episode 44 - Franz Robert Wild (en français) 

Voilà ça c'est vraiment ce que savent faire les américains, écrire une chanson très très emotionnel sur un souvenir...

 

Franz Robert Wild is a songwriter, musician, vocal coach, and all-around music industry professional from Toulouse, France.  We had this conversation in French. For you English-speakers, we'll have another chat in English later.

Franz Robert Wild est auteur, compositeur, musicien, coach vocal et professionel de musique qui vient de Toulouse. Quand est-ce qu'il a commencé à jouer la…

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07/14/2022

in Music, songwriting, France, French, home recording, Cheyenne Blue Sky, Toulouse, Dick Rivers, Franz Robert Wild

Episode 41 - Joe Augustin (aka Achilles Tenderloin) 

 

Joe is from Richmond, Indiana, just a little bit West of Dayton on I-70. He is a singer-songwriter who performs as Achilles Tenderloin. In this episode, he becomes the first guest to play a song live on the podcast, an exclusive that you can't find recorded anywhere at the moment. You'll hear us talk about his songwriting process, building community around music and giving back.  You'll also learn about his two newest singles and plans for an upcoming album. He is a thoughtful lyricist, and that…

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06/19/2022

in Music, songwriting, Lung, Reel Love Recording Company, Patrick Himes, community, Richmond, Joe Augustin, Achilles Tenderloin, Tincture for Trouble

Episode 39 - The Kadence 

...I don't like to be labelled as one genre, because I love so many different genres of music...

The Kadence is a Dayton-based songwriter and artist. He is blessed with a gifted voice. In our conversation, you'll learn how he got started making music and get a look into his songwriting process. Have you ever wanted to drop everything and leave? If so, maybe you can live vicariously through The Kadence, as he is about to move into a Nissan Altima and drive to Los Angeles. Why is that happening? You'll…

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06/09/2022

in Music, songwriting, pop, Brightside, Dayton, cantantes, Dreamcatchers Studio, TINO, YouTube, singing, Kamden Webb, The Kadence, Nissan Altima, AntiSocial Misfits, singers

Episode 37 - Corduroy Brown (Part 1) 

I don't want watches, I just want more time

 

Alan "Corduroy" Brown is a musician from West Virginia.  I first met him through an article on the Columbus Music in Motion website, and was very glad to get a chance to get to know him better in our conversation. The debut album with his band as Corduroy Brown is called Let Me Know, and it was released in August 2021.  You'll find out how he got into music, what his influence are, what is the first thing he reaches for when it's time to write a song... but…

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06/03/2022

in Music, songwriting, pop, West Virginia, Corduroy Brown, Huntington, MIS-A, Better on the Ground, Let Me Know

Episode 35 - Greg Owens 

photo credit: Jon Estes

That's really what art is about, right?  Just connecting with people on an emotional level...

 

Greg Owens is handsome and bearded and from Nashville, Tennessee. He's an Americana artist, songwriter, recent father, and sipper of whiskey.  In this episode, we talk about his album Life, Love, and Southern Sadness and the stories he tells on it, his songwriting process, his love for 90s rock, grandmothers who are armed, Batman (?), and some other stuff. I like Greg's songs and…

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05/26/2022

in Music, songwriting, Greg Owens, Americana, Nashville, Something In the Way, Pixies, Toadies, Here's To the Past, Grandmother

Episode 33 - Sara Jelley 

My goal is always to get people to feel a little deeper, which I think is what the world needs.

 

Sara Jelley is a songwriter and musician currently based on Maui.  She is also a vocal coach.  What's the story behind her debut album, Holes?  What is her songwriting process like?  Who might benefit from taking voice lessons?  What kind of smell does Sara remember from her childhood?  You'll learn the answers to these questions, and possibly even more, from a careful listen to our conversation.

 

LINKS

…Read more

05/17/2022

in Music, songwriting, piano, cantantes, Feel Your Feelings, Sara Jelley, Holes, singing, ukulele, Vocal Magic, No Excuses

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