Photo by Brad Ardley

In Concert Photo Gallery: bülow

Story by SOCAN | Tuesday December 3rd, 2019

We caught a great show by 2019 SOCAN Pop Music Award winner bülow at the Danforth Music Hall in Toronto, on Wednesday, Nov. 27, 2019. Check out our photos from the event below!

And keep an eye on https://www.bulowmusic.com/ for upcoming shows!

Photo by Julien Boumard Coallier

SOCAN Foundation and SOCAN hold first-ever Scoring Retreat at Banff Centre

Story by Howard Druckman, with files from/avec la participation de Julien Boumard Coallier | Wednesday December 4th, 2019

SOCAN Foundation and SOCAN together presented the first-ever edition of a Scoring Retreat for screen composers, from Nov. 28 to Dec. 1, 2019, at the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity in Alberta. The goal of was to provide young composers with an optimal framework to stimulate their creativity in actual work conditions, in the company of two mentors: one screen director and one screen composer.

The composer was the President of the SOCAN Board of Directors, Marc Ouellette, while the director was Michel Poulette. The latter brought two film excerpts from two different movies (Maina and Louis 19), each of about five minutes; after choosing which one they wanted to work with, each of the eight participants created accompanying music. Each one spent the two-and-a-half days individually writing that music, and each benefitted from three 30-minute sessions with both Ouellette and Poulette – one with each of them separately on the first day, and one with the two of them together on the second day.

On the last day, each composer spent 30 minutes in the studio to mixing their piece with an audio engineer, Ouellette and Poulette, after which their final clip was screened in the same studio. At the end of the retreat, each presented what they’d completed to the entire group

The participants were:

In an anonymous survey, one of the participants said, “I think everything was great. To me, the one-on-one was the best part. I think I’m going back home with more confidence. I’ve learned that I can trust myself more, and that my instincts are good.”

Attending for SOCAN Foundation were Charlie Wall-Andrews, Executive Director, and Julien Boumard Coallier, Administrator of Programs. Attending for SOCAN was Michael McCarty, Chief Membership and Business Development Officer.

See photos in the slideshow below…

“I’ve Got Everything I Need (Almost)” to be inducted into Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame

Story by Howard Druckman | Friday November 29th, 2019

The first Canadian blues record to ever to sell gold (100,000 units, at the time), “I’ve Got Everything I Need (Almost)” – written by The legendary Downchild Blues Band’s leader and co-founder, Don Walsh – will be inducted into the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame (CSHF) at the National Arts Centre in Ottawa on Friday, Nov. 29, 2019.

The song skyrocketed to international fame when it was covered by The Blues Brothers’ Dan Aykroyd and the late John Belushi, who were heavily influenced by the Canadian group, which was founded in 1969.  Eighteen albums later, after countless awards, and sold-out tours around the world, Downchild Blues Band (now known simply as “Downchild”) are considered the trailblazers of blues in Canada, and one of the premier blues bands in Canadian history, and a catalyst for the genre’s renaissance in the ‘70s and ‘80s.

The song induction will take place during the band’s 50th Anniversary Party in Ottawa, featuring special guests Dan Aykroyd, Tony D (of MonkeyJunk), Suzie Vinnick, and Andy J. Forest.

“It’s such an honour to have ‘I’ve Got Everything I Need (Almost)’ chosen to be inducted into the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame,” said Walsh. “When you write a song, you have no idea what kind of effect it will have on people, and for some reason this song really connected with fans… “As a songwriter, it’s the ultimate to have one of your songs selected to be in the Hall of Fame, alongside some of the greatest songwriters of our time, not only in Canada but internationally – like Leonard Cohen, Joni Mitchell,  Gordon Lightfoot and Neil Young. It just doesn’t get any better than that!”

Downchild first released “I’ve Got Everything I Need (Almost),” on their Straight Up album in 1973. Their label GRT remixed the cut in 1974 as a 45 RPM single, titled “Almost,” as a follow-up to their infectious first single, the Top 40 hit “Flip, Flop and Fly.” “Almost” quickly became a favourite of radio stations. The song led Downchild to tour clubs and colleges extensively in Canada.

The Blues Brothers version was released on their 1978 album Briefcase Full of Blues, and their performance on Saturday Night Live propelled “Almost” to Billboard’s No. 1 position in February 1979. From there it went two-times platinum, bringing the song to millions of listeners. The international success of the song paved the way for artists such as Jeff Healey and Colin James to forge their own blues identities at home in Canada.