In The Country With Dave Woods

Singer/Songwriter/Recording Artist SEAN HOGAN arrived on the music scene in 1996 with the release of his debut album. He quickly became popular with radio, CMT and the fans. In 1997, Sean was named the first-ever CCMA Independent Male Artist of The Year. Then, in 2003, the CCMA honoured with the award for Roots Artist of The Year. Over the years, you've heard his songs including Catalina Sunrise, I'd Rather Have You, Silver Lining Girl & What Would You Have Me Believe. In 2004, he created and launched the now annual Canadian Country Christmas Concert tour which assists communities across Canada with funding for food banks, hospital foundations and other essentials for those in need. In 2011, Sean began a tough battle with cancer and now, as 2012 begins, this survivor is ready to bring us new music. Tune in as I talk with this multi-talented Canadian artist about his music career, songwriting, performing live, his brand new album entitled Phoenix and much more.

Saskatchewan Country artist Catherine Lewans has worked with some of the world’s best musicians & songwriters through her emerging career - including a duet with Country star Dierks Bentley at Credit Union Centre in Saskatoon. Dierks recognized her talent when they spoke before the show and, much to her delight, invited Catherine to perform his hit Long Trip Alone as part of his encore. She completed her debut album Kickin’ Up Dust in December 2009. Her inspiration for the project came from her experiences growing up on a farm outside Shaunavon, Saskatchewan and the heart-breaking loss of a friend who passed away suddenly. The album has been warmly received by radio and lead to her being named the 2011 Saskatchewan Country Music Association Female Vocalist of the Year. Catherine is excited to have the opportunity to write with some great Canadian & Nashville-based writers as she works towards writing & recording her next album set for release in 2012.  

The Broad River Band is a group of session and performing musicians brought together by Cowboy Bob Fisher. Their debut CD Country Singer was recorded at Crazy Pearl Studios in Waco, Texas. “The process of recording this album was wonderful and as natural as it comes,” says Cowboy Bob.  “These musicians have worked together for many years and some of us since we were kids learning. The best part is we are all still learning from each other. Even after 50 years plus of playing.” Influenced by bands like Lynyrd Skynyrd, The Allman Brothers, Kansas and the Eagles, these southwestern musicians came from all directions to gather and tell stories in song. Proud of their Texas heritage and showcasing the enormous amount of talent in the great state of Texas, they have created something truly special.  

Ontario's Stephanie McIlroy has had a busy and exciting 2011. She's living up to the philosophy of her debut CD Life Is Not An Act by going for her dreams with all her heart. And just in time for the holiday season, she's releasing It’s Christmas Time - a song based on Stephanie's recollections of Christmases of her youth. Through the song, you'll get to know Stephanie and her family and how they celebrate this special time of year. Singing since the age of five, this talented singer/songwriter has always had a desire to pour out her heart to audiences. She never recognized music as a talent to pursue until her late twenties. Growing up in farm country near Windsor, Ontario - in the small town of Merlin (same town Michelle Wright is from) - Stephanie spent countless hours sitting in her room listening to the radio.  

This NSAI Songwriters Special features Christine Tier. She released her debut album in 2007.  Featuring 12 original songs and an all star cast of musicians, the album moves seamlessly from country to jazz to indie-pop.  The song Missing placed as a runner up in the American Song of the Year competition in 2008. Christine's second full length album is in the works and this time her signature genre blending will be peppered with a bit of Brazilian influence from her years playing in the Toronto samba band Escola de Samba.  Because Christine is a practicing lawyer, her music takes a little longer, but she makes it worth the wait.

Thomas Wade first appeared on the Country music scene in 1996 as the lead singer of Thomas Wade & Wayward. Their debut album produced 7 singles on the Canadian Country charts - including the Top 10 hits Zero to Sixty, She's Getting Serious & Lying Here With You. They won 7 CCMA awards and received 3 Juno nominations. Thomas went on to have success as a solo artist with hits like Running Away With You & Some Guys. Now, Thomas Wade, Colin Amey and Denise Wade are WADE AMEY WADE, delivering an organic blend of Country and Rock. With songwriting friend Tim Taylor, Thomas and Colin set about writing a Christmas song (I Can't Wait For Christmas) with proceeds to benefit fellow artist Sean Hogan who was diagnosed with an aggressive carcinoma (Stage 4A throat cancer) this past summer. Tune in as Thomas talks about his past hits, his new start with Wade Amey Wade as well as the group's very special Christmas song.

Born in Midland and now calling Barrie home, Amy Rose entered her first singing contest Barrie’s Promenade Days at age 5. That was when her parents realized their daughter had talent to sing. She began to enter other talent competitions including Kinmount Fair which she won 3 years in a row - and got to meet one of her idols, Jason McCoy.  By the age of 10, Amy was mastering the art of yodeling with lessons from JK Gulley. At the age of 13, she released her first album Amy Rose - One Special Girl under an independent label. The release of this album landed her a spot on a Gospel tour where she opened for Conway Twitty’s daughters Joni & Kathy Twitty. Over the years, Amy has shared the stage with The Wilkinsons, Emerson Drive & High Valley. Eventually, in the summer of 2010, Amy teamed up with Glenn Coulson & Marty Beecroft of After Tuesday Productions. Tune in to hear Amy talk about her music career and hear her latest Country single called I Just Want You To Know.

Manitoba's multiple CCMA and Juno winning DOC WALKER has delivered the hits to Country radio, CMT & fans with songs like She Hasn't Always Been This Way, Rocket Girl, Beautiful Life & I'm Gonna Make You Love Me. They are currently performing across Canada on their Are You With Me Tonight? Tour 2011. In August of this year, the group released their 5th album for Open Road Recordings called 16 & 1 featuring Country Girl & Do It Right.  As always, the album features the songwriting skills of all three members of the group (Chris Thorsteinson, Dave Wasyliw & Murray Pulver) - and also includes covers of songs by Bob Seger and Canada's Crash Test Dummies. Tune in for an up close & personal interview (including 2 songs) with Chris from Doc Walker that will take us from the group's early days to their latest stories.

Country artist Drake Jensen - born and raised in Glace Bay, Nova Scotia and now calling Ottawa, Ontario home - has released his first Christmas single Little Toy Trains to radio. The song is even more special because all proceeds from iTunes downloads will go to the Make-A-Wish Campaign in Canada.  Drake’s goal is to have 10,000 downloads of the single as this is what it takes for a child with life-threatening medical conditions to have their wish come true. When asked why he chose to align himself with the Make-A-Wish Foundation, Drake explained: “This campaign encapsulates the reason why I have regenerated myself musically...before I started on this journey I had already decided that if I couldn’t use the music as a vessel for my message and to help other people, I wouldn’t have started again.” The Little Toy Trains campaign will wrap up on December 16th at the National Arts Centre (Fourth Stage) in Ottawa with Drake presenting a cheque to the Make-A-Wish Foundation from the downloads. 

Tune in for this NSAI Toronto Chapter Songwriters Special featuring Caledon, Ontario singer-songwriter John Cheesman. John has been writing songs since the age of 14. He first ventured into songwriting after being assigned a school project. Moved by the death of his musical hero John Lennon, John earned an A + for his tender ode to his idol - and thus the journey began. On this show, you'll learn about John's many accomplishments in music since then and hear a demo of one of his songs, "I'm Not Superman".

Singer-songwriter Jacqui Sharkey was born in West Donegal, Ireland but grew up in Scotland and then eventually returned to Ireland. She started playing various venues at age 17. Her music style grew into a combination of Rock, Pop, Country and Folk. Along with singing, she found the theatre calling her name. She eventually went on to play the lead female role in many musical theatre productions. Now, at last, Jaqui has recorded her first full-length album called A New Dawn. The project features songs that she has written along with songs made famous by others - songs like You Needed Me, When I Dream, I'm Not Lisa, and She Can't Save Him. Tune in for great stories about her music career, songwriting and more - and hear some great music from this talented UK recording artist.

In September 2011, MICHELLE WRIGHT was inducted into the Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame. The road to that honour has been paved with awards from the CCMAs, the Junos & The Academy Of Country Music. She's had 25 Top Ten hits in Canada (7 of which hit #1), 5 gold and 2 multi-platinum albums as well as worldwide record sales approaching 2 million units. Her hits include Take It Like A Man, He Would Be Sixteen, What Love Looks Like & Nobody's Girl. Michelle is about to release her first live album called The Wright Songs: An Acoustic Evening With Michelle Wright. She is also getting ready for her Christmas tour across Canada beginning in early December.

Born in Hamilton, Ontario and raised in B.C., Todd Richard gained exposure on the Country music scene in 2008 when he took part in CMT Canada's Karaoke Star. He made it to the finals which led to an opportunity to perform at the CCMA Kick Off party in B.C. It was there he met popular Canadian Country artist Rick Tippe. They began writing together and 7 of their songs appear on Todd's just-released debut CD Journey On. The album was produced in Nashville by Bart McKay and features many of Nashville's top session players. The title-track and first single is a tribute to cancer survivors. At age 10, Todd had his first opportunity to see his dad perform on stage and judging by the audience's response, he was sure his dad was a star. From that moment on, Todd knew he would walk a path in life that would have him singing, writing and entertaining music fans.

  Keith Burns is a founding member of the Grammy-nominated Country act Trick Pony - winner of an American Music Award and an Academy of Country Music Award. He has also penned songs recorded by Joe Diffie, Sammy Kershaw & Anita Cochran. Michelle Poe, formerly a Dreamworks recording artist, has been an integral part of national touring bands, singing backup and playing bass for the likes of Hank Williams, Jr. and Dierks Bentley. Now known as Burns & Poe, they signed with Blue Steel Records in 2009 and have been on the road performing at shows from coast to coast. In May 2011, they released a self-titled, 2-disc album and were recently awarded Music Row Magazine’s Independent Artist of the Year. Tune in and get up close & personal with this rising duo and hear their latest radio single (and the story behind it) I Need A Job.

  Singer-songwriter Alee is an all-or-nothing kinda girl, as she sings in her song Dream Come True. Her love and respect for all styles of music can be credited back to her diverse musical background and experience along with her traditional family upbringing and Saskatchewan roots. Words such as engaging, passionate, gracious and authentic have been used to describe her performances. Her natural ability to entertain is reflected with performances and accolades which span Edmonton's Winspear stage, numerous close-to-her-heart charitable foundations and other venues. She has been a finalist in songwriter competitions including the 2009 & 2010 Calgary Folk Festival and as a multiple award winner at a North American International Country Music showcase. She has also graced the stages of Big Valley Jamboree (four consecutive years), Carlton Trail Jamboree, Westerner Days Molson Stage as well as Winterfest. 

Tune in for this NSAI Toronto Chapter Songwriters Special featuring three talented singer-songwriters. My featured guests are Shaun Devlin, Les Holmes and Paul Malysa. They'll each talk about their approach to songwriting and share one of their songs. This is the first in a series of these specials. Whether you're a songwriter wanting to learn more about the craft or a music fan who enjoys hearing how songs are written, this show will be one you won't want to miss. The NSAI's motto is "It all begins with a song." Check out this great organization online at www.nsaitoronto.com.

DON MURDOCK first starting playing guitar as a young teen and played a lot in his twenties, mostly performing the old favourites. Ten years ago, he helped form a band and together they played many charity gigs and fundrasiers. All the time though, Don wanted to write songs and create his own unique sound. One of the first he wrote was Highway of Heroes.  He wrote it to honour the memory of his mother who lost a brother in WW2. Since then, Don has continued to write and has recently recorded two new songs in Nashville. Look Into Your Eyes and Train Song will be included on an upcoming EP. Don's sound is pure Country and his songwriting is heartfelt and honest.    

  In September 2011, Ontario Country artist MARSHALL DANE was one of only 8 artists to be selected from a national list of applicants to perform at the Canadian Country Music Awards New Artist Showcase. He's riding high on the success of his energetic stage shows and his album Running Stop Signs produced by Brian Allen. The CD includes the songs Love and Alcohol, Bad Choices, and About Last Light. Marshall has had the chance to perform on stage over the last couple of years with Doc Walker, Emerson Drive and Aaron Pritchett. Currently, he's busy performing and spending time writing & recording in the studio for a new album to be released in 2012.

Ontario Country artist Tonya Kennedy - originally from St. John's, Newfoundland - has just released a brand new single Fallin' For You to radio from her forthcoming 2nd CD. It's the follow-up to her debut album Lucky I Lost You. Both projects have been produced by J. Richard Hutt at Cedartree Recording Studio in Kitchener, Ontario. Earlier in 2011, Tonya was nominated for two East Coast Music Awards - one for Country Recording and one for Rising Star. She`s showcased her songwriting on co-writes with well-known artists and writers like Jamie Warren & Sean Hogan. Tune in as Tonya talks about her new album, latest career highlights and more.

Eddie Money was born Edward Joseph Mahoney in Brooklyn, New York. Although he dreamed of being a musician, after he finished high school, Eddie decided to follow in his father’s footsteps and become a police officer. In 1968, after serving as a New York City Police Officer for two years, Money (he changed his surname in 1976) put his law enforcement career on hold to pursue music. Fans immediately fell in love with his sound, and his 1977 debut album, which went double platinum, featured hits like Baby Hold Onand Two Tickets to Paradise.  He followed the success of his debut album with a stream of Top 40 hits & videos. In 1986, Eddie released Can’t Hold Back which featured the classic, Grammy-Nominated duet with Ronnie Spector, Take Me Home Tonight. The album went platinum and also featured the hit I Wanna Go Back. Currently, he's released a new single (and video) One More Soldier Coming Home with the song's proceeds going to the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund & is beginning a Jingle Bell Rock tour with