The Desert Mothers
The Desert Mothers are me plus a rotating lineup of musicians and singers. The latest release is "Jailbreak," on Spotify and all leading services — find the top links at Linktr.ee. More at TheDesertMothers.com and on Instagram.
Featured on "Jailbreak:" Vocals: Justin Beauchamp. Keyboards: Phil Madeira (Elvis Costello, Emmylou Harris). Drums: Dennis Holt (Emmylou Harris, Taylor Swift). Bass: Dennis Murphy (Acoustic Alchemy, Billy Preston). Guitars: me.
Joining Joing(opens in new tab)
The first Desert Mothers release was "Nowhere Motel." Joining me were Pat Mastelotto (XTC, King Crimson), Byron House (Dixie Chicks, Emmylou Harris), Tom Roady (Kenny Chesney, Michael McDonald), Bruce Kaphan (David Byrne, REM), Gene Rabbai (Neil Young, Willie Nelson), and Gina Fant-Simon (U2, Sting). It was mixed by Marc Urselli (Elton John, Foo Fighters), and was recorded using Gina's online virtual studio platform esession.com. You can read about the writing and recording of "Nowhere Motel" in this article I wrote for O'Reilly Media, which includes audio files that take you step by step through the production.
The Critchleys
I started out as a musician. I became a songwriter/producer for Warner-Chappell Music when they signed Aceboy, the band my brother Owen and I created. I also wrote and produced music for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, the Emmy-winning documentary Blink, Thomas Dolby's Beatnik company (where I led the creative production department), and others. (More on these and other projects below.)
Owen and I re-united as The Critchleys for a song called "Nova Scotia's Lonely," co-written with Bob Rea, about a place you can leave, but never leave behind. It also features the great musicians Don Ross and Leith Fleming-Smith on guitars and keyboards, respectively, and was recorded at Joel Plaskett's Fang studio in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia.
Blink
Blink is a PBS documentary directed by Elizabeth Thompson, which won an Emmy and many other awards for its deeply insightful exploration of white supremacy and violence. I composed and produced the music with Marco D'Ambrosio, played guitars and some of the other instruments, and supervised overall audio production for the film. Here are a few excerpts, including the Main Title, featuring the voice of Jai Uttal:
Aceboy
My brother Owen Critchley and I came up with the idea for Aceboy in Bermuda (where your "aceboy" is your friend), and took it to Toronto, where we got signed to Warner-Chappell Music Publishing. This is an excerpt of a song I wrote that never got released, but which I've always liked, called "Crooked House." The photo shows the band playing at the Diamond Club in Toronto. From left: Tamara Silvera, me, Owen, John Whynot. Not seen: Michael Spencer-Arscott on drums.
CBC Radio: Prime Time
The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation's Prime Time was a radio interview show that covered entertainment and popular culture, running from 1986 to 1993. I wrote, performed, and produced the show's theme music, along with incidental music. I was also a contributing writer-broadcaster and guest host.
I created music for other CBC shows as well, including The Entertainers, Metro Morning, Radio Banned, and the Peabody Award-winning drama “Paris: From Oscar Wilde to Jim Morrison.”