Region:
Kitchener, ON
Level of Experience:
PROFESSIONAL
Genre:
Jazz | Rock
I Write:
By myself | For myself | With others | For others
I prefer to write:
Lyrics | Melody | Chord Patterns | Arrangements
Songs Recorded:
The Words Are Free
Ten Years On
If Ever I Cried
No Games
Goodbye, Bedford Falls
Fall Again
Remember The Simple Things
The Lights Are On (For Christmas)
Song About Nothing
Bring Me A Beer
Not Today
Valentine's Day
Too
What A Day
Coming Home
I Win
Breakfast at Timmy's
Wait for the Sun
December Rose
Feeling Good
If Only
Mystic Wanderer
Never Came Down
Stealing Back the Time
Still Wild
Albums Released:
"No Games", 2004
"Too", 2008
"Never Came Down", 2011
Awards:
Unisong People's Choice (2009), Mike Pinder's SongWars Grand Prize Winner (2009), Great Lakes Songwriters 1st Place Winner (2008)
Other Credits:
2011 Double-Finalist, KIX Country 106.7 Songwriter Search; Canadian Smooth Jazz Award Nomination (Best Original Composition, 2006 and 2009); Honorable Mention, 2010 West Coast Songwriters International Song Contest
I am interested in:
Web Cowriting | Face to face Cowriting | Networking | Pitching Songs to Artists | Pitching Songs To Tv/Film/Etc. | Getting a Publishing Deal
Other Jobs:
Live Sound, Recording Engineer/Producer
Biography:
Perhaps a hard person to get to know, Allister 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 in 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.
No, he didn’t attend a school for the performing arts (his parents decided it was too risky to pursue a career in music), he hasn’t been playing in bands since high school, and he’s forgotten almost as much about classical music as he ever learned in those many years of 5:30am piano practice. Instead, a university degree in Mathematics and 15 years developing software for corporate interests gave way to a yearning to actually make an impact on people’s lives. The years of music lessons, high school bands, and a lifetime of listening and enjoying music, have solidified into a musical foundation that he’s built upon with specialized training in the craft of songwriting. Now that he’s out of the corporate world and back onto the stage, we can have the opportunity to glimpse into the mind of the quick wit with the extremely serious side, the shy boy who is finally telling stories the way he sees them.
Bradley quietly released his debut album “No Games” in 2004, an album which still enjoys regular airplay despite a woefully inadequate marketing campaign. 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. Not bad for a debut album…
The follow-up album was released in March 2008, with an official release concert in May 2008. Entitled ‘Too’, 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 has already enjoyed critical success, with a 1st place finish in the 2008 Great Lakes Songwriting Contest, two top spots plus the grand prize award in the 2008 running of Mike Pinder's SongWars, plus another Canadian Smooth Jazz Award nomination for Best Original Composition.
2011 saw the completion of Bradley's third studio album, "Never Came Down", a project which saw the artist not only writing the entire album of songs, but taking over the producer and engineering duties as well. Fan favourites include the rock anthem "Still Wild", the proud "I Win", and the smile-inducing "Feeling Good".
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 scored three independent films and produced recordings for dozens of Canadian singer/songwriters, 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, including a staff position at the Summer Songstudio songwriting workshops, held annually in Toronto, Ontario.