Final blog- Songwriting/Blogging Challenge 2015

Just getting this in under the wire! I procrastinated once again, even though we had six full weeks to write and produce a song to pitch to Matt Dusk- here is the ORIGINAL CHALLENGE from Matt himself.

Even though I didn't have time to create a full-fledged production for a professional pitch, I had to throw something down for this idea that came to me late last night. I was getting desperate for inspiration so I began checking out Matt's online presence, looking for insights into his life and interests. Which is what I should have done in the first place!

After reading all the biographical information from his website, I noticed a link to his Instagram account and began trolling it for ideas. What I found, other than photos of him with some talented Toronto musicians that I have had the pleasure of gigging with myself, were a few themes.

He likes fancy vintage cars, car racing, skiing, and to use his word is "obsessed" with James Bond. He also dresses very fashionably on stage and in videos, in tailored suits. So I decided to try and write him a James Bond theme song- or if I couldn't quite reach that pinnacle in one night, a groovy tune that incorporated those ideas.

So here is my very rough demo for the final challenge:

DOUBLE-OH DANGER

We also had a few other questions to answer, as per THIS POST:

1.  Your Name: Julie Mahendran


2.  What was the hardest challenge or hardest part of the challenge for you and why? Getting anything done on time! I was lucky enough to be very busy with other music and performing work during this time, so I have no regrets on that front. It certainly showed me the value of setting aside as much time as I can each day to work on songwriting, because otherwise it's really to difficult to make a deadline while producing work of any quality.


3.  What did you enjoy most about participating in this experience? My collaboration with Michael Proudfoot was probably the most enjoyable experience- it was only one of two collaborations I had time for, and the only one that produced a final product. As many others have commented, it really is liberating to have additional creative input. It is also helpful to get critical feedback from someone else during the creative process- not to mention that many hands make light work!


4.  What is something significant that you learned from taking on this challenge? (It can be about yourself or about the challenge): I learned that I don't need to be a solitary struggling writer, that I should reach out as much as possible to co-write.


5.  Would you do this type of challenge again?  Why or why not? Yes, I would do it again because I enjoyed the structured environment of creating within certain parameters- and because I would like the opportunity to make more connections with other Canadian songwriters.

Cheers to the S.A.C. and our hard-working organizers for putting on this event!

J.

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