7 Musicians I Would Love to Collaborate with
If I could collaborate with any musician in the world, living or… living, I would pick the following individuals to create albums with.
Nuno Bettencourt
Who?
Nuno Bettencourt is most known for his work with the Funk Metal band Extreme during the late 80s and early-to-mid 90s and their hit song “More Than Words”.
He has since been involved in a variety of bands and projects, including The Mourning Widows, DramaGods, Satellite Party and more recently, Rihanna. He is considered one of the most accomplished rock guitarists alive.
Why?
I think it would be awesome just to trade riffs and learn from the best. Guitar collaboration projects don’t always measure up to the hype they create (I’m definitely not comparing myself to the masters), but I think Nuno and I could create some great hooks, explore some new musical territory and maybe even develop some twin guitar licks.
Nuno is super versatile, so no matter how ambitious we got in terms of scope or genre, I’m sure we could come up with some great music.
Ivana Santilli
Who?
Santilli is a Canadian R&B singer and multi-instrumentalist.
Why?
I’ve always loved the sound of a Fender Rhodes, and when I think of Rhodes players, I can’t help but think of Ivana Santilli (and she has a great, smoky, vintage-y voice besides).
If we collaborated, I’m sure we could cover a lot of ground, from jazz to soul to funk to R&B, but I think it would be just as cool if we experimented with electronica and rock.
Another cool angle would be to write a few stripped-down, acoustic guitar and keyboard numbers.
Remy Shand
Who?
Remy Shand is another Canadian R&B/soul singer and multi-instrumentalist.
Why?
It wouldn’t be much of an exaggeration to say that I developed my falsetto voice while repeatedly singing to Remy Shand’s only official release, The Way I Feel (affiliate link).
I know that Remy is a versatile guy, and whatever he contributed to the project would be nothing short of stellar (bass, keyboards, vocals, etc). Undoubtedly we could make some great grooves and harmonies together, and since I already have a few songs that are stylistically similar to Remy’s, we could flesh those out as well.
Harry Hess
Who?
Lead vocalist of Canadian melodic rock band Harem Scarem.
Why?
I’ve always loved the melodic rock/power pop genre, and I can’t think of a better vocalist to collaborate with in that genre than Harry. I don’t necessarily have a great voice to carry a rock tune, but Harry does, and I’m sure we could come up with some great harmonies too.
Harry is also an accomplished studio engineer, and has a great ear for vocals and instruments.
Pete Lesperance
Who?
Guitarist of Canadian melodic rock band Harem Scarem.
Why?
Pete Lesperance is quite easily one of the best guitarists in the melodic rock genre. He also writes songs, plays keyboard and sings.
At one point, Pete was collaborating with Our Lady Peace’s Mike Turner under the name Fair Ground, and that was a great project with a different feel from Harem Scarem’s music.
I’m sure that no matter what type of music we created together, it would be melodic and hooky.
Josh Ramsay
Who?
Lead vocalist and chief songwriter for Canadian punk rock band Marianas Trench.
Why?
I like practically everything the Trench has ever done. Unlike many bands in the same genre, they back their music with talent.
Aside from creating some awesome hooks, I think it would be awesome if Josh and I did a concept album.
Again, vocals have not always been my strong suit, and I would love to work with other vocalists who could help me realize some of my musical visions.
Besides that, I’m sure Josh and I could create some great music plain and simple.
Dan Reed
Who?
Lead singer of the Dan Reed Network.
Why?
The Dan Reed Network was a largely overlooked funk rock/electronic rock band from the 80s, but they had a lot of catchy songs with great hooks.
I’m a sucker for rock with a groove (Pat Travers, Rick Derringer, Lenny Kravitz, etc.) and I think we could make some great groove rock together.
But even if we went in more of a laid-back acoustic direction, I would be elated.
