THE PRODUCERS PANEL: EVOLUTION OF A HIT Vision and ambition. Self-analysis. These are the qualities that can produce a hit record. This set of panelists would know: JUNO Nominations and wins, Grammy Nominations and wins, innumerable hit records, up to five decades in the Music Business. Working with artists like Shania Twain, Jully Black, Justin Beiber, the Tragically Hip, Great Big Sea, the White Stripes, and Rush, just to name a few, demonstrates the talent on the podium. “Evolution Of A Hit” was convened on May 10th, at the Toronto Marriot Hotel, part of the line-up in the Music Summit conference during Canadian Music Week 2014. Questions included: “What did you do when you began that you would never do now?” (Work on Christian Metal and Bar Mitzvahs. Try to be a Singer). “What did you do right?” (Focus on the song.) “What makes an artist attractive to work with?” (Songs, songs, songs). And “How often do you work on spec?” (starting out you always work on spec). The inclusive mood created by Moderator Ralph Murphy allowed the Panelists to open up, with quotes like “It’s about the painter, not the brush, [when everyone has the] same tools” (Richard Chycki), “Personality is a huge deal; if you don’t have one, rent one” (Ralph) and “We have the right to be afraid … it’s do or die, but there’s no dying.”(YoungPete) The final words of advice belonged to Ralph: “What you have to bring to the table is the song, the performance, the attitude, the personality, you have to be a complete package … a lifer.” MODERATOR: Ralph Murphy: A successful songwriter for five decades and member of that very small group of professionals who make a living consistently charting songs. Add to that platinum records as producer as well as success as publisher of the widely acclaimed “Murphy’s Laws of Songwriting” articles, along with a book by the same title - an instant industry success. PANELISTS: YoungPete Alexander: Multifaceted, talented drummer from Atlanta, Georgia, who is quickly garnishing attention for his unique production and songwriting abilities. He has most notably worked with Jully Black; their songs being repeatedly nominated for the Juno Awards. In addition, his song “Recalculate”, was chosen to be a part of the opening ceremonies at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver. Gavin Brown: Canadian Record Producer and songwriter who has produced and/or written for Three Days Grace, Billy Talent, Metric, Barenaked Ladies, Hoobastank, Sarah Harmer, Royal Teeth, Gentlemen Husbands, Thornley, The Tragically Hip, Stereos, Tea Party, Skillet and more. Richard Chycki: Earned more than 75 gold and platinum albums in his career, mixing and recording such heavy-hitters as Aerosmith, Rush, Dream Theater, Mick Jagger and many more. Ongoing work includes tracks for Alex Lifeson, Rush and young contemporaries like Skillet and Simple Plan, making him one of the most in-demand mixers and engineers today. Jim Diamond: One of the most influential rock producers of the last decade. Based in Detroit, he’s been doing garage rock before The Strokes and the White Stripes brought the genre to the mainstream. He has produced or worked with the White Stripes, Von Bondies, the Fleshtones and The Dirtbombs, among many others. Adam Messinger: Grammy Award winning Canadian producer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist whose partnership with singer/songwriter Nasri has functioned as a writing and production team for a wide scope of artists, including Justin Bieber, Shakira, Pitbull, Christina Aguilera, Chris Brown, and Michael Bolton. Their work has resulted in Grammy Award nominations and a win in 2012. Adam’s work with new reggae-pop band Magic! (fronted by Nasri) produced the debut hit single "Rude”. Ghislain Poirier: A signature skill of effortlessly linking disparate genres and talent for remixing has led Ghislain to collaborations with MCs and DJs from global hip hop, soca, grime, dancehall, booty bass, and much more. Electro sensations Crookers, dancehall queen Natalie Storm, dancehall veteran Burro Banton, London’s tough Warrior Queen, and Trinidadian soca master Mr Slaughter have all connected with Poirier, as well as longtime collaborators Face-T and Boogat. Hawksley Workman: A staple of the Canadian arts scene for close to 15 years as a singer and songwriter, broadcaster, performer, producer, poet, playwright and multi-instrumentalist, receiving JUNO Nominations and wins along with widespread critical acclaim. He has produced JUNO and Polaris Prize nominees and winners like Tegan and Sara, Sarah Slean, Serena Ryder, Hey Rosetta! and Great Big Sea.

• published: 24 Jul 2014
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