“In July 2012, I first attended SongStudio and met Allister Bradley. Gentle, tireless, and always smiling – Allister. By the summer of 2013, I had gained the confidence to ask for a fly-by demo session and help with a song that needed a B section. Not only did Allister patiently explain, he helped write said B section. I remain thrilled to have co-written ‘Lie to Me or Leave Me’ with Allister, not only for the resulting demo but for the Catherine M Thompson Song Project: ‘Cool Cat’ – with Allister at the keys!
As an a Capella singer-songwriter, I often find it difficult to perform with musicians. But there is a natural simpatico that comes of working with Allister – he listens and he gets it. I know he will stay with me. So, it has been my pleasure to sing at many SongStudio open mics with Allister’s accompaniment.
Our biggest adventure so far was ‘Cool Cat’, of course. Looking for a way to score or chart the single, ‘Swing Daddy’, I spent a couple of afternoons in Allister’s studio, working out backup vocals and interludes. Naturally, in 2016, when Chris Birkett produced ‘Cool Cat’, I wanted Allister to join the musicians at Revolution Studios. Allister’s jazz and electric piano can be heard on six of the seven tracks. For launch rehearsals, Allister led the seven-piece band, patient as always, organized, and the strongest support a singer-songwriter might need. Our ‘Cool Cat’ launch series took place in early 2017, at Free Times Café in Toronto, Taste of Columbia in Bronte, and C’est What? in Toronto. I knew Allister would be there to lead and to solve any issue that arose, from which mic I should use, to where each musician best fit the different performances spaces.
SongStudio 2018 will be my seventh. I look forward to seeing Allister and working with him again, knowing that any song I present to the class or at an open mic will be caught clearly by his recording genius.”
Catherine M. Thompson, Singer/Songwriter
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