Local Spotlight – Allister Bradley

Tune in all this week as Jay features Allister Bradley on the Local Spotlight – daily at 3:40 during Weekdaze!

Allister Bradley is a singer/songwriter (with three full-length studio albums and regular radio play to his name), producer/engineer (having produced 11 studio albums and one live album, over 100 singles or demos, and music for three films), and session musician (having played on seven commercially-released albums for other artists) with a strong sensitivity to song structure, catchy melodies, and stories that move the heart and soul. His generosity and spirit bring out the best in every artist with whom he partners.

Perhaps a hard person to get to know, Bradley is more likely to be listening to the conversation than dominating it, only because he loves to put himself in everyone else’s shoes for a moment. He’s a humble man with a quiet wit, which is why his songs are often surprising for their insight, passion and emotional intensity. To meet him on the street, one would never guess at the depths of emotion playing, or perhaps churning, inside him. Step inside Bradley’s songs, like “Goodbye, Bedford Falls”, “Not Today” or “If Ever I Cried” and you’ll meet a man who pays attention to the pain, the pleasure, the conflict and the joy of those around him.

Bradley quietly released his debut album “No Games” in 2004, an album which still enjoys regular radio play. Two of the songs earned award nominations in 2006, one for Canadian Smooth Jazz Awards’ Best Original Composition, another for Toronto Independent Music Awards’ Best Male Performer.

The follow-up album, “Too”, was released in March 2008. Bradley describes the album as “Sting having cocktails with Norah Jones, while Billy Joel and Bruce Hornsby argue over the cheque.” Piano-dominated arrangements play in and out of various styles, from 70’s R&B through emotional ballads and cheeky jazz-inspired pop. With songs ripe with emotion, social consciousness and occasionally a sense of humour, you’ll get a pretty good idea that this songwriter is constantly thinking beyond Friday night’s dinner… The album enjoyed quiet critical success, with a 1st place finish in the 2008 Great Lakes Songwriting Contest, two top spots plus the grand prize award in Mike Pinder’s 2008 SongWars, and another Canadian Smooth Jazz Award nomination for Best Original Composition.

Bradley’s third album, “Never Came Down”, was written in 2009 and recorded over the next two years with studio sessions at Barber Shop Studios in New Jersey, at VNG Productions in Guelph, Ontario, and at Bradley’s own Left Side Studios in Kitchener, Ontario. The production of the album is something Allister took on himself, including orchestration, tracking and mixing duties. Years of producing for other artists finally gave Bradley the itch to take on his own studio projects. The album was finished in July 2011 and has received terrific response from fans and from industry insiders.

Apart from writing and recording his original songs, Bradley has developed his recording skills into sidelines as an independent record producer and film composer. Having worked with dozens of singer/songwriter/musicians in Canada, the United States, Great Britain and Spain, he’s finding ways to satisfy every creative part of his being, including maintenance and new development on his artist website, www.allisterbradley.com. When he’s not busy creating, he can often be found mentoring other songwriters. To that end, Bradley enjoys his position as Technical Director of SongStudio, Toronto’s premiere songwriting workshop, held each summer since 2005.

He is currently writing for his fourth studio album, due for release in mid-2015.