Dalton Cyr Seriously Skillful Songwriter/Performer

“A Prodigy in the truest sense of the word…” – Rick Stevenson, Director of Prodigy Camp

Dalton Cyr Profile

Following in the footsteps of artists like John Lennon and Paul McCartney, Dalton Cyr is “self-made.” Lennon and McCartney would sit in their bedroom and write songs and believed in getting as many hours of live performance as possible to perfect their craft. They didn’t sound exactly like what was currently on the radio, but instead gave their own unique perspective to their music.

Much like the Lennon/McCartney era, Dalton Cyr is taking the same approach to his music. He works continuously on his songwriting and performance skills, honing his craft. He’s chosen to give his own fresh spin on the pop rock world and it is evident that fans are welcoming the change.

UpsidedownDalton Performs his original “Upsidedown” to the thrill of his fans!

Having recently attended The Prodigy Camp just outside Seattle, Washington, Dalton Cyr was chosen as one of the most promising songwriters in the world. He went to work with songwriting mentors Noah Gundersen and Kris Orlowski as others had gone before him. But when he got there with the three songs he’d written to work on, his mentors had nothing to add, saying his songs didn’t need their help. This should tell you something about the caliber of writing this young man puts out…and at the time of camp he was still only 12 years old.

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Blackberry Jam is Jammin’ on Song Writing

BlackberryJam 2013Adrian & Julian “Blackberry Jam”

BlackberryJamRedChair

 School could not end fast enough for Adrian and Julian, 16 year old identical twin singing duo who prefer to spend their time making music.  

After Rivenmaster announced  a chance to win a scholarship to the 2013 Prodigy Camp Project, a summer program that brings together 20 of the most promising teenage songwriters and filmmakers to hone their craft, they actually got a call from the camp encouraging us to apply.  Julian said,

“The chance to collaborate with other artists from around the world was really exciting to us.”

 

Blackberry Jam has come a long way since third grade where they got their start entertaining their classmates with comedic singing routines at “Lunchbox Special”. This past year, as high school sophomores they took a songwriting class and spent 90 minutes each day writing music and lyrics. For 6 weeks the twins work through the creative process, trying out different lyrics and riffs on their new song Seven Seas.  Adrian said,

“Songwriting is hard! The music part is easy, but the lyrics just don’t sound right.”

A breakthrough came when their teacher suggested they collaborate with Desiree Hazleton, a classmate who was particularly skilled at writing lyrics.  

“In the first session we had an entire verse and chorus written. Desiree would just crank out the lyric and it was so easy to put the music and vocals behind her words.”

Within a few sessions they had an entire song, and ideas for 4 more projects. Collaboration was the key to success.  By the end of the semester, their latest song, “End of the Night”, was finished.

End of the Night“End of the Night” Original By Blackberry Jam

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