Monday 9 March 2015

Songwriting Challenge - Week 4

Week 4 - Write a country tune

Wow what a fantastic exercise - this competition is certainly taking me out of my element. Not only as a songwriter but also as an instrumentalist. So far I've had to sing (Yikes), play piano and now try playing a couple guitar tracks on this tune. I did bring in a dear friend of mine, Tony Raybould, to help me lay down a vocal track.

I think my song ended up being a little too influenced by pop but after listening to a bunch of top 40 country songs I thought I'd take a stab. The song is called Believe and I tried my best to stay away from relationship topics, drinking beer, and hanging out with buddies. This song is all about giving people hope. I actually wrote this tune a while ago and will record it on a new Motown/Funk/Soul project I am doing but I thought I could tweak the song for this challenge.

Thanks so much for listening
Brian Asselin

 https://soundcloud.com/brian-asselin-music/believe

Monday 2 March 2015

Week 3 - Learning As I Grow

Hello Everyone

Well here is week 3 and I am submitting again close to the wire.

This weeks challenge was to write a song geared towards children. I have, during my songwriting adventure, written to a particular subject before so this week I thought I had a head start - boy was I wrong. I am trying to learn to record and write at the same time which definitely has its disadvantages. Another disadvantage this week was trying to get a singer to come in and sing my melody. At the end of the day I had to do the vocals myself and saying that it was a struggle is an understatement but here it is mistakes and all - I hope you like.

Learning As I Grow

https://soundcloud.com/brian-asselin-music/learning-as-i-grow


Monday 23 February 2015

Week 2 - Songwriting Challenge - Take A Chance On Me

Well this is a first for me! Here is my song for this weeks songwriting challenge. I went a bit more on the Motown side than I originally expected - I was trying to go for a Meghan Trainor sound. I tried to engineer the track myself on my home computer using Pro Tools but please keep in mind that recording my own material is something very new for me.

The vocalist on the track is the ever so talented Rebecca Noelle. I have had the pleasure of working with her on many different projects and she definitely made any melody or lyric idea I had sound much much better.

I tried to get a trumpet player in but unfortunately it didn't work out so I put in the entire horn arrangement using my saxophones. The top line should be an octave higher and should be played on trumpet. I know there are lots of editing problems that I didn't have time to fix but I am pretty happy with the final product.

Thanks so much for listening
Brian Asselin
www.brianasselinmusic.com


Take On Me - https://soundcloud.com/brian-asselin-music/sac-challenge-take-a-chance-on







Monday 16 February 2015

S.A.C Challenge 2015

It is with great pleasure, excitement, and to be honest a little hesitation that I enter into the Songwriters Association of Canada Challenge 2015. I have been writing fairly regularly since 2010 but never have I had to meet a deadline. My goal is to write six songs in six weeks - so here we go. After looking at some of the other songwriters who joined the challenge, I am honoured to be included with such great company. Some of you I have had the pleasure of meeting while others I have listened in awe to your songwriting on the S.A.C. website. 

One of my favourite Canadian singers is Matt Dusk - I have always been a fan of the crooners, maybe thats why I play tenor saxophone (same range as the male voice). I am beyond thrilled to have the opportunity to have Matt Dusk listen to some of my material, but I want to make sure I do my homework first. 

Here is a little about me :)

My name is Brian Asselin and I am a tenor saxophonist/songwriter living in Ottawa, Ontario. I have always tried to include my jazz studies in my songwriting whether it be adding a horn section or writing in a Motown genre. Over the past couple of years I have had the pleasure of collaborating with Delbert Nelson from Detroit (The Legendary Funk Brothers). Together we formed a band called Delbert & The Commotions and have released our first CD entitled Let Me See You Dance in 2013. I also have a Youtube channel that features my songwriting which has over 1.5 million views to date. Looking forward to what the future of 2015 has to hold! 

All the best,
Brian