Featured On: Mondays
Hometown: Highland, IN
Currently: Chicago, IL
Myspace: myspace.com/allisonbazarko
Platform: Mac PowerBook
Recording Software: GarageBand
Instruments: Guitar - 11 years; Clarinet - 23 years

Her mother says that Allison was singing her ABC’s in perfect pitch before she could even talk. It’s no surprise that her interest in music has stayed with her throughout the years. Currently, you can catch Allison playing her original music throughout the Chicago area, or participating in several collaborative projects. She is part of the award winning vocal trio, Foiled Again (www.foiledagain3.com), of which she is the vocal arranger. She also arranges vocals on commission and is the resident vocal arranger/musical director at Chicago’s Navy Pier. When Allison isn’t writing or performing she is most likely working her day job at an ad agency downtown, or has her nose in a text book studying for her clinical massage therapy certification. She is thrilled to be taking part in this project, and looks forward to the challenge.

Listen to Allison's songs at the Baskethouse Site

What is the SONG-A-WEEK CHALLENGE?

[[[[The Song-a-Week Challenge was a podcast and Online Workshop that ran for six months, beginning in the fall of 2006. Over the course of the podcast, 185 fantastic new songs were recorded. At the end, Andy Mac was the last man standing.

Here are the original rules:]]]]

Each songwriter writes one song a week and posts it to the site, along with the lyrics. It doesn't matter when the song was written, but the song cannot have been recorded before. Collaboration is allowed, but if two featured songwriters are collaborating, they still need two songs. Each songwriter gets one free pass week. After that, if they miss a week, they lose the challenge.

Two or three songs a day are featured on the podcast, which you can subscribe to for FREE.

Audience participation is strongly encouraged, it's good to know there are people out there. Please leave your comments on the blog site.

Click here to go to the Baskethouse Site where you can listen and comment on the songs and learn how to subscribe to the podcast.

Click on the artists to the left to learn more about them.

Featured On: Tuesdays
Hometown: Nashville, TN
Currently: New York City
Myspace: myspace.com/ctprice
Platform: Mac laptop and PC desktop
Recording Software: Digital 8-track, Cubase SX, Nuendo, ProTools
Instruments: Piano - 11 years; Guitar - 4 years; Mandolin - 4 years

C.T. Price has been a published ASCAP singer/songwriter since the age of 18. Originally from Nashville, Tn, CT is no stranger to the music scene working as a session musician and performer for the
last 7 years. He has written and performed in several national commercials.

His voice has been compared in reviews to artists like
the late Jeff Buckley and the haunting and soulful
sound of his lyrics and melodies have been compared to
those of Radiohead and Ours. Thanks to Drew Brody for
making this podcast possible!

Listen to C.T's songs at the Baskethouse Site

Featured On: Tuesdays
Hometown: Santa Monica, CA
Currently: New York
Platform: Mac
Recording Software: GarageBand or Digital Performer
Instruments: Guitar - began as a wee lad

Oliver was raised in Old Los Angeles
By his father Phillip and his mother, Bess
Dad, a pipefitter and part-time chimney sweep
Mom, a dancer who made grown men weep.
Oliver left home at age 49
To find his fortune in the copper mines.
Little more from him was heard,
Until a secret message with an unknown word
Tied with a string to the leg of a bird
Which lighted down on top of his knee
As he slept through his lunch break In the old 93.
He read the note and then whistled a song,
Which you can hear on the Podacast and sing right along.
Sing right along with a hey and a ho
Sing till the sounds in your throat start to glow
And the moisture of love from your heart starts to flow
And suddenly you know which direction to go
And you jump in your skiff and merrily row
To a spot down the river where the campfires glow,
And you find the way to live out your days,
Where the oud and the zither and lightning-bug plays
With a gut full of whiskey and a song in your mouth
Way down in the wilderness, way down in the South.

Listen to Oliver's songs at the Baskethouse Site

Featured On: Tuesdays
Hometown: Southampton, PA
Currently: Brooklyn, New York
Platform: Mac, Powerbook G4 Laptop and G5 Desktop
Recording Software: ProTools
Instruments: Guitar - 12 years; Bass - 1 year; Piano - 4 years

Hailing from Southampton, PA, Kevin Plessner calls Brooklyn, NY home. Since graduating from the Berklee College Of Music in 2003, he's lived and worked in recoding studios, assisting productions for such acts as David Crosby & Graham Nash, and Sting. In addition to his own music, he also plays bass in the band Monuments and plays guitar for Drew Brody and vocalist Pamela Quinn.

Listen to Kevin's songs at the Baskethouse Site

Featured On: Wednesdays
Hometown: Old Saybrook, CT & Bath, ME
Currently: Middletown, NJ
Website: www.causewaymusic.net
Myspace: myspace.com/causewaymusic
Platform: PC laptop
Recording Software: Zoom MRS802 Digital 8-track recorder
Instruments: Zach plays guitar/piano - started playing guitar in 7th grade, started playing piano (very little) a year ago

Causeway is a male/female duo known for their tight harmonies and catchy original songs. Their sound and style likens them to that of great 60’s/70’s songwriters such as: Fleetwood Mac, James Taylor, and The Beatles. Their accomplishments, since their start three years ago, include performances at:

-2005 NACA National Conference, Minneapolis, MN -New York Singer/Songwriter Circle, New York, NY -2006 NACA Mid Atlantic Festival, Gettysburg, PA -2006 Original Sessions National Band Search Finals, New York, NY
-2006 NACA Central Conference, Little Rock, AR -2006 NACA West Conference, Reno, NV

Their frequent shows in New York City (The Bitter End, The Living Room, Crash Mansion, and Arlene’s Grocery) have led them to share the stage with artists such as Gavin DeGraw, Amos Lee, and Tyler Hilton.

Listen to Causeway's songs at the Baskethouse Site

Featured On: Wednesdays
Hometown: Buffalo, NY
Currently: Brooklyn, NY
Myspace: myspace.com/AndyMac
Platform: Dell laptop
Recording Software: Boss Digital Recorder
Instruments: Guitar - 10 years; Piano - 3 years; Drums - 12 years

With his catchy hooks and an earnest blend of heartache amid desire, it's no wonder that 2006 has seen Andy Mac's career skyrocket. With his debut album, "Music for a Bright Moon Sky", Mac has made the perfect collection of songs for the ride home. Recently, Mac has been creating a buzz on the New York City scene and his songs have been featured on both Fox TV and MTV.

Listen to Andy's songs at the Baskethouse Site

Featured On: Thursdays
Hometown: Detroit
Currently: New York
Myspace: myspace.com/patrickthomasmusic
Platform: Mac laptop
Recording Software: GarageBand or Digital Performer
Instruments: Guitar - since age 13

These days it seems like everyone in the Detroit music scene has forgotten about Motown. Everyone that is, except Patrick Thomas. Raised on Detroit's soulful classics and deep pocket grooves, Thomas set out in 2002 to explore the sounds that made his hometown famous. These influences combined with those of his college years (Radiohead, Jeff Buckley and David Gray) came together in the studio to forge the sound of 2003's Ghost Town Radio.
Critical acclaim and local recognition garnered The Patrick Thomas Theory a showcase at South By Southwest in Austin, Texas. The trouble was that there was no "Theory" to take on the road as the album's backing band was comprised of studio musicians. Patrick quickly assembled a group of talented players from across the country and a steady life of touring began.
"I learned so much about myself as a person and as a songwriter in my years touring with the Theory. And in such a short time, I feel like we accomplished a great deal." The list of accolades is long indeed. With opening slots for the Black Crowes and North Mississippi All Stars, promoters started calling and soon the band was scheduled alongside Lifehouse, Better Than Ezra and legends like Journey. Thomas has also played with contemporaries like Will Hoge, Citizen Cope, State Radio and many more. Along the way Detroit Music Awards recognized Patrick with nominations for his vocals and songwriting and the band also picked up local awards for best live performance.
Ghost Town Radio stands as a testament to the songwriting and vision of an emerging artist. Now, with hundreds of broken strings, thousands of dancing feet, and shattered van windshields in his recent past, Patrick Thomas is opening a new chapter. In late 2005 Patrick embarked on his first solo college tour. The success of this tour and a new focus on the writing styles of Bob Dylan and Paul Simon went hand and hand with a move to New York City. New York has brought a new life to Thomas and a new energy to his music. Fall of 2006 will bring with it a solo album recorded in the woods of Vermont and another national tour. While Patrick Thomas is evolving constantly as a songwriter, his honest lyrics, gift for melody and soulful voice will not disappoint old and new fans alike.

Listen to Patrick's songs at the Baskethouse Site

Featured On: Thursdays
Hometown: Wilmette, IL
Currently: Williamsburg, Brooklyn
Website: www.drewbrody.com
Myspace: myspace.com/thebaskethouse
Platform: iMac G4
Recording Software: Cubase SE
Instruments: Piano - 8 years; Guitar - several months now

DREW BRODY is a singer/songwriter/composer and a self-taught piano and guitar player. In addition to his solo work, he is the lead singer for the rock band M-LAB, plays piano with the Honky Tonk Happy Hour, and composes music for BannerNY Productions (including Outstanding Play at the Fringe Show 2005 Lightning Field).

In the summer of 2006 Drew hosted and curated a weekly acoustic folk music series called Baskethouse at the Bitter End, a highly successful weekly free show where musicians played both covers and originals - to pay homage to old great songs and give a context for new great songs. The summer series spawned the idea for the podcast, all in the spirit of exploring and encouraging songwriting.

Listen to Drew's songs at the Baskethouse Site

Featured On: Thursdays
Hometown: Oceanside, NY
Currently: Brooklyn, NY
Myspace: myspace.com/kirasongs
Platform: PC Desktop
Recording Software: Reason
Instruments: Guitar - since age 17

From the grassy-green suburbs of Long Island wanders a little singer+songwriter, Kira Velella. She attended SUNY Purchase College where she was a studio composition major, and here lapped up much of the local music. She continues to seek out this genre of "freak folk" music which she came to find and love. This scene with its quirky sound and poetic,
thoughtful but candid lyrical approach has strongly influenced her writing in the past few years. Now post-Purchase days and nights, she is traveling by foot, train and Jet Blue with guitar and luggage a-rolling behind her. It has been a patient/impatient process of nurture/neglect working on cracking open people's hearts (crrack!), reaching in gently and, without warning, examining unapologetically.

Listen to Kira's songs at the Baskethouse Site

Featured On: Fridays
Hometown: Lexington, MA
Currently: Brooklyn, New York
Myspace: myspace.com/monument
Platform: Mac laptop and desktop
Recording Software: Digital Performer, Reason, ProTools
Instruments: Guitar (age 15); Bass (age 26); Piano (age 5); Drums (age 28)

Gabriel Berezin is a guitar player, singer and
songwriter of the rock band Monuments. Influences
vary, but the last three albums he listened to the
whole way through were Plastic Ono Band by John
Lennon, Bitches Brew by Miles Davis, and Talking Book
by Stevie Wonder.
The idea of Monuments started in 2001 right after
9/11, which Gabe was particularly close to working a
temp job on the 97th Floor of WTC 1. He left for work
late that day. A whirlwind of anger, paranoia,
questioning, alienation and detachment followed and is embodied in his songs. Monuments' EP, Worlds is the first chapter of this struggle, and their forthcoming
album will continue the story.

Listen to Gabriel's songs at the Baskethouse Site

Featured On: Fridays
Hometown: Glen Rock, NJ
Currently: Fair Lawn, NJ
Myspace: myspace.com/jaymiegerard
Platform: PC laptop and desktop
Recording Software: SoundForge, FruityLoops
Instruments: Guitar - age 13; Bass - age 18; Piano - age 18; Drum-Machines - age 19

Jaymie Gerard was singing before she was speaking full sentences, and when she picked up her mother's old guitar at the age of 13, there was no stopping this songbird from flying! Her lyric writing came to her as naturally as the melodies did; now, at 24 years old, Jaymie has over 250 songs, each a story, a moment, an experience of herself and the people around her. Her rhythmic guitar playing and sultry, playful voice are the perfect blend - exciting, enticing and honest. From the age of 15, Jaymie has been a featured performer in the NYC Metro area. In addition to her solo acoustic work, Jaymie is an electronic music producer.

Listen to Jaymie's songs at the Baskethouse Site

Featured On: Mondays
Hometown: Latham, NY
Currently: Williamsburg, Brooklyn
Website: www.basementband.net
Myspace: myspace.com/basementband
Platform: Mac PowerBook G4 with Mbox
Recording Software: ProTools 6.9 or GarageBand
Instruments: Guitar - 8 years; Bass - 4 years

Jeff Malinowski is a 23-year-old, Brooklyn-based singer/songwriter. Jeff’s current musical endeavors include playing guitar in the alt country trio basement band and accompanying another NYC songwriter, Suzan Hurtuk, on bass. Jeff (barely) pays his bills by working as an audio engineer in Manhattan.

Listen to Jeff's songs at the Baskethouse Site