shannon butcher sings

Calling for Backup

Tonight I'll be singing backup for the talented singer-songwriter Courtney Farquhar!  Courtney's new album Nowhere I'd Rather Be is jam packed with beautiful songs and it has been a real treat to spend time learning them for the CD release.

Here's some words about Courtney:

Although hard to pigeonhole and place into one specific genre, Courtney Farquhar's sultry and sophisticated vocals tread the lines of both jazz classics and traditional country music.
Toronto-based singer/songwriter Courtney Farquhar broke on to the scene in 2004 when her song, “That’s What Happens” made it onto Warner Music’s Women and Songs 7. Since that time Courtney has released a six-song EP and toured across Canada and Europe.

Courtney’s debut album, Nowhere I’d Rather Be, was co-produced by Ben Riley and Dylan Heming and features an A list of musicians adding their talents including Mary Margaret O’Hara and Ron Sexsmith.

Musically rustic with contemporary undertones combined with Farquhar’s unique and dark-hued voice, Nowhere I’d Rather Be is a solid debut.

Happy Birthday Sesame Street!

On this occasion of your 40th birthday, I would like to personally thank you Sesame Street for all the fabulous music you have brought to children and to the young at heart!

Of course there are the classics - Doin' the Pigeon, C is for Cookie and The People in Your Neighborhood - but I also remember the little songs that would show up in sketches like Letter B and What Does a Dreaming Dragon Dream Of?  So good!  This could be source material for a whole new album.

To think what it must be like to be a songwriter for Sesame Street.  To find that perfect combination of sophistication and imagination.  Really impressive.  I've found a list on good ol' Wikipedia of songs from over the years.  The composers are not always listed but I see that Joe Raposo, Christopher Cerf and Jeff Moss are responsible for most of the greatest hits.  I would love to have met them and asked about their writing process.  How were they able to craft such perfect messages and melodies within the limits of a 60 second attention span?

I think I now have a new personal goal to get a song on Sesame Street one day.  Joy in My Heart maybe?  I'll have to book some meetings with the children in my life and get brainstorming on some new tunes!