Song Demo, Myspace Friends & The Beatles

New Song Demo! “Coffee Love”

After many tosses and turns and explorations into various musical forms, I’ve found myself at the end of the journey, back with an acoustic guitar. However, It is a different world, there’s a new world at play when I write, and I figure that’s just as exciting a change as if I were actually to go electronica… which isn’t out of the question yet either! ‘Coffee Love’ is the first of my new little ‘acoustic & vocal’ chippings, constructed from 14-17 September 2009, and is an early attempt at playing slide-guitar, so don’t be too tough!

Hear “Coffee Love” at Todd’s Myspace (music player)

New Myspace Friends!

This is a Beatles-themed entry, which would be no surprise to anyone who knows me already… Back when I was recording my first record, in the fall of 2004. I was already a fan of the british rock magazine “Uncut”. I found for the first time, the July issue, with my idol Paul McCartney on the cover & bought it. Appearantly in the free CD for this issue, Paul hand-picked a compilation of 17 tracks including a selection of: his own work and his friends George Harrison, Brian Wilson and Donovan. Through this compilation I became reluctantly aware of some wonderful new (to me at least) artists… there were two songs in particular that I was the most obsessed with “The Way” by GLENN AITKEN, and “Carried” by STEADMAN. Two british acts that just hit my ear the F’ING RIGHT WAY…

In the not too distant past, Glenn Aitken added me on myspace and was delightful enough to respond to a message I sent him! Having pulled out the Uncut Compilation (Paul McCartney’s Something For The Weekend…/Glastonbury Groove), I started listening to it again, and fell back inlove with both forementioned songs. I decided to finally search out Steadman online, and found that while that band was no longer active at this time, the frontman Simon Steadman now lead a band in L.A. called London To Tokyo.

Glenn Aitken on myspace music
London to Tokyo on myspace music

Knowing how much I benefit as a listener having exposed my ears to these acts and their music, I thought i’d do my small part to bring them into the ears of more canadians by linking them to this newsletter. Please check them out!

The Beatles’ Rockband & Revisioned Discography

What do I think personally? Well given all the skeptisism and cynisism out there regarding anything Beatles that’s been released since the Beatles band retired into solo projects and else.. I chose (as ever) to be very excited and happy for it. Not that i’m obsessed with commercialism and beleive in paying for things I don’t need as a Beatle fan, and especially things I already have… I’ve been very excited about everything that I was aware of being released: The DVDs of “A Hard Days Night”, “Yellow Submarine”, “The Beatles Anthology”, “The First US Visit”, “Help!”,, ect. And the CDs “The Capitol Albums”, “Let It Be, Naked”, “1″, “Love” ect… I’m not very up on current video games, but i’ve followed the Guitar Hero appeal and I’m just happy to see that among everything else, the Beatles have their own game, and really, what continues to be wrong about younger generations appreciating an all-time great rock’n roll band? The answer continues to be “nothing”. As for the re-release of the discography,, why the hell not? The first time we heard it on CD, it was before they knew how to re-present things properly, the improvement has to do with perception obviously.. I like it enough, leave it alone you conspiracy-theorists!

The All New! BEATLES.COM! (fully loaded!)

Todd In SNAP KW & Other Recent Press

I’m in the September 2009 edition of Snap KW- in the feature for the Maxwell’s Music House Songwriters Comp ‘09, see the site for more info; featured in this update is a downsized version of the digital print you can find at SnapKW.com and more specifically the link below…

Page on Snap KW with TD photo
Article on Roaming Reviews site about the Competition

Also, I’m mentioned and talked about in a July Echo Weekly magazine and can be seen on the front cover! (Vol. 12/Issue 40). The article is about I.R.I.S. celebrating it’s 1 year anniversary, how it started, and that i’d be leaving the radio show, as I now have… If you missed seeing me on the news-stands in Kitchener/Waterloo, or Cambridge or Guelph, you can still read the online version!

Online version of Echo Weekly cover story with TD

First Newsletter, Re-tooling & The Long Weekend

To whom it may concern…

I’m very excited about everything I will and will not be doing in the near future with the music. I am a human in transition with only myself and close family and friends to please, and very happily free of the pressures that come with being a success story, so suck it! (haha… i’m just kidding about the sucking it). In the near future i’ll be tidying up my online footprints, clearing out as much of the old as I can, to make way for the new whenever it’s ready. New music, new ideas, and a new artist. I’ll be making myspace my main home of operation- which is just as well considering www.ToddDonald.com is what takes you here! And this is the first newsletter in the re-birthing.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m still proud of the work that went into the first two albums. The creative and production journeys were incredible. It’s been even MORE incredible to fashion them and have them be received and shared by as many people as i’ve been able to. The response over the years to my acoustic guitar and I has been nothing short of beautiful. I’ll still play the acoustic guitar, but the new sound will be different enough that while still ‘owning’ the past ten years of singer/songwriter-ing, the stage-name ‘Todd Donald’ will be shifting gears… don’t be afraid…

I will finally keep and maintain a blog, and it will be this one, thank you for reading the first entry! I’m off soon with the lovely gal for the long weekend! Happy labour day everybody!

PS: I wish Carrie all the best with the main HOST duty for I.R.I.S. on 88.3fm. I’m sure she’ll do awesomely in my shoes. Thanks for the awards, the encouragement, the interviews, it’s been a blast! Now please, stop e-mailing me for radio interviews!

More ‘Todder’ posts…

Todder

Workshopping the future Todder ‘crew’ of editors to add the ‘zine’ element to this site… it’ll be exciting to add an extra modern/interactive aspect to this site! I wouldn’t say you should expect this site to have the ‘authorities’, but I’d like to have you intrigued in the personalities themselves, and think of the crew as enthusiasts.



Shows Page


Creating an updated ‘Shows’ page to Todder! On it’s way!


SEE TODD LIVE- Sunday, August 9th

@ Maxwell’s Music House / 19+ / $10 door cover

Songwriter’s Competition ‘09 -Round II

Maxwell’s Songwriter’s Comp & more…

Maxwell’s Music House Songwriter Competition ‘09

Just wanted to let you know, I’d made it into the competition as one of the top 24 to compete. My performance was with the 2nd group of 8 on Sunday July 19th. At the end of the first round it was decided I would move to the NEXT round as one of the top 8!!! From there, the judges will here us and decide who moves on to the top four, and then the best of that wins! Some amazing artists are and have been a part of this competition so far. And i’m happy to be a part of it. Come see me at Maxwell’s on August 9th, 2009- $10 cover for ROUND 2 and root me on!

For more info visit- Maxwell’s Music House .ca

Dear Chris Lane:

I wish you all the best wherever you’ve gone or may go from here, I’m sorry we never got to jam like we always talked about wanting to, but I look around our (the musicians’) town and I see those who knew you best… I know what it’s like to love those people and to feel their love in my life- and i’m sure it will continue to find you there. May you be given the guitar you always dreamed about as well as the same that people remember seeing you play down here. May you come back in the spirit of our songs of freindship which you no doubt will. May all the best come to Aimee, your sister Leia, and everyone else that will always love you, related or no, and even acquaintances such as myself, whom you were never anything but kind to. Thanks for spending the time you were given, here in Ontario where I got even to BE an acquaintance of yours. -Cheers

Most played songs on my iPod…

AC/DC – “Skies On Fire”
BRIAN ENO & JOHN CALE – “Lay My Love”
FRANZ FERDINAND – “Ulysses”/”No You Girls”
THE HIVES – “Tick Tick Boom”
JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE – “Rock Your Body”
LYKKE LI – “I’m Good I’m Gone”
MICHAEL JACKSON – “P.Y.T. (Will.I.Am remix)”
N.E.R.D – “Don’t Worry About It”
OASIS – “Shock Of The Lightning”
RADIOHEAD – “Bodysnatchers”
SERGIO MENDES/BLACK EYED PEAS – “The Look Of Love”
SUGAR RAY – “Spinning Away”
THORNLEY – “This Is Where My Heart Is” &
THE VERVE – “Bittersweet Symphony”/”Love Is Noise”

iTodd Lounge moved here!

iTodd Lounge moved here!


The rest of iTodd Lounge, my shows, and my press clippings will soon be added… stay tuned! PLUS my radio show i.R.i.S. has it’s 1 year anniversary broadcast on 88.3fm! Tune in from 7-9pm
PS: Some wierd blog-MJ Death A Hoax? For those who haven’t found out yet, this is my music website, and will also be home for my blog as well as the iTodd Lounge videocast. Enjoy this twitter-inspired awesomeness!

PS: I’m on the Echo Weekly cover!!! Yay!!!

Todder Posts-June 3rd

New TD Music

Todd Donald’s 3rd album is in the works. How the album will be released is still up in the air. The music itself will be a huge departure from where Todd’s taken it before, surely the fact that it won’t be called ‘Todd’s Third Record’, which it won’t!, is an indicator. Todd’s undergone (ie- weightloss-so far… DIVA Class meditation-Godhood = intense, strong, positive movement both physically and mentally). Not only all that, but the music will be hyper-active, fun and danceable. No more depressed, insecure symphonies. The main creative helm will still be manned by sound-guru Brian (Baba G) Alexanian as well as Todd.

Goodness & Godness

I would like to extend a heartfelt thankyou to my guru, the wonderful Mandy, and for all the encouragement/guidance from her; as I begin my new optimistic journey through life as an undefeatable and aware human being! Checkout Mandy’s DIVA & GOD work, online…

http://www.divaclass.blogspot.com
http://www.herhappyhighness.blogspot.com

VLogs To Return?

Todd published the last vlog in Jan/Feb this year, and planned on doing another in March, but the awesomeness of all the GO! Festival 2009 interviews for the iTodd Lounge wiped Todd clean out of video-making energy… potentially for good. Who knows though… Energies ARE being spent on excellent projects though! Keep checking : )

Jesse Parent CD Launch

Todd would like to sincerely thank Jesse for not only inviting him on as a vocal arranger/performer on the EP, but he had a great time performing at Molly Blooms-Kitchener for the launch; both in a solo-original set & with Jesse’s band after. The night was a blowout and the CD’s awesome, check it out on Jesse’s myspace-

http://www.myspace.com/jesseparentmusic

First News-entry of 2009

First News-entry of 2009

Hello everyone, or anyone… I’ll be doing things differently to update on what I have going on in 2009. With the same so-called know-how i’ve been using to make the itodd lounge videocasts, I intend to do vlog type updates like Peter Gabriel and a few others have. for Myspace i’ll be uploading to YouTube and embedding the newest update right on the profile. i’ll be embedding all Video updates as entries onto the todd donald website/blog. So look forward to the Toddcasts, i’ll let you know what I have going on with my music and what i’ll be listening to around each month that i do these! I hope 2009 is treating you well!

A Review Of 2008…

A Review Of 2008…

Well everyone in music major/indie does this once a year to review their accomplishments and granture that was obtained in the most recent collection of three-hundred-sixty-five days. Why should I Todd Donald, be any different?

- Played almost 50 shows in the fine Ontario’n cities of Kitchener, Waterloo, London, Burlington and Toronto.
- Ran 30 episodes and a year’s worth of independant videocasts under ‘iTodd Lounge’ and the radio show for another year.
- As a radio DJ, voted by Echo Weekly readers as the 2nd top radio DJ.
- Won the 2008 Kitchener Youth Action Council Award for Entreprenuership.
- Won the KW Arts Award in the Leading Edge Category.

In my personal life, i’ve spent the third year’s quarter taking care of myself for the first time in almost a decade, i’ve dropped several, completely revamped my diet, dropped pop, i’m at the gym every other day, and even picked up a love of Sushi.
Special thanks to all my good friends who’ve been there for me through the hard times especially. Special thanks to all those who’ve sprinkled nice things to say throughout the year. Special thanks to Ye’s, A Matter Of Taste, Starbucks, Boa Nova and all the music venues, for all the music, coffee & wonderful food i’ve taken in this year at no limit, and extreme enjoyment!