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Under the Hood, Episode 3: "A World of Pretenders"

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The players: - Sil Simone — guitars (Tom Cochrane, Triumph, Rik Emmett, Lee Aaron; Rock of Ages, We Will Rock You, Bat Out of Hell) - Harry Hess — programming & backing vocals (Harem Scarem) - Creighton Doane — drums (Harem Scarem; Alannah Myles, Kim Mitchell) - Franklin McKay — lead vocals Written by Franklin McKay & Harry Hess. Produced by Harry Hess. 100% CANCON. I was on a cross-country summer drive when the idea for this song hit me. I felt the spirit of it move me — and I knew right then exactly where it needed to go. Once Harry and I started working on it, it came together fast. Then Sil came in and added his magic, especially those shredding solos. The final version is big and powerful, with huge energy. Lyrically, it's about the search for what's genuine — in faith, in people, in ourselves — in a world full of performance. It opens with humanity's oldest questions: is heaven real or is it all a lie, divine creation or a roll of the dice? Then it turns its s...
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Under the Hood, Episode 2: "Give Me a Sign"

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  Sometimes songs are a slow build and sometimes they happen in the blink of an eye. Harry Hess and I sat down one winter weekend in early January 2024 and wrote "Give Me a Sign" start to finish. It started with a conversation, a title, a few attempts at a melody — nothing was working — and then it all came together rather quickly. Probably the fastest song I'd ever co-written. A few weeks later we were in a Toronto studio recording it, with Harry at the helm as producer. Unlike the old days most sessions are now virtual and it's rare to have everybody in the same room together. When it was finished it reminded me of a big Mutt Lange production and it's in the sweet spot, 92 bpm. I'm planning on doing a remix version featuring more of Bill's Hammond B3 vibes. The players: Bill Champlin — Hammond B3 organ (formerly of the band Chicago, 2x Grammy winner) Pete Lesperance — guitars (Harem Scarem) Russ Boswell — bass (Corey Hart, David Wilcox) Crei...
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Under the Hood, Episode 1: "This Pain"

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Metalworks Studios, Mississauga, November 2009. L-R: Chris Crerar, Russ Boswell, Franklin McKay, Mark Kelso.   November 2009. Metalworks Studios, Mississauga. I walked into a real recording studio for the first time since the 1980s — back when I was a kid in Sault Ste. Marie, saving every dollar I had to cut demos at Satellite Sound. This time I wasn't alone. This time I had a band. Mark Kelso on drums — first-call Toronto session drummer, four Junos, who's played with everyone from Herbie Hancock to Michael Bublé. Bernie LaBarge on guitar — fifty years in the business, a Juno nomination of his own, sessions with Ian Tyson and Kim Mitchell. Russ Boswell on bass — the guy behind Corey Hart, David Wilcox, and Serena Ryder. I played piano. And co-producing alongside me: Paul Gross, co-founder of Toronto's legendary Phase One Studios (not the actor), and Chris Crerar, Metalworks' senior mastering engineer whose credits include Prince's Musicology. That's what "...
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Awake: The Story Behind the Artwork

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Photography by Franklin McKay — mural by @soortattoo (Suren Davtyon), Graffiti Alley, Toronto. I love photography. Wandering Toronto with a camera is one of my favourite ways to disappear for a few hours — and Graffiti Alley never disappoints. One day the wall gave me this: a giant, hyper-realistic eye staring straight through the brick, painted by @soortattoo (Suren Davtyon). It stopped me cold. An eye that watches — it felt like the entire idea of 'Awake' captured in a single image. I tracked down the artist and asked for his blessing to use my photograph of his work as the artwork. He said yes — and I'm grateful, because this cover wouldn't exist without him. Credit for documenting the wall goes to the 'as I walk Toronto' street-photography blog (mcfcrandall.blog) — you can see the eye and its neighbours here: The alley keeps changing, but that eye is still watching. — Franklin franklinmckay.com
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Once Upon a Time...

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Close your eyes and remember the smell of a record store. The fluorescent hum. The endless bins. That thrill of flipping through CD after CD and finding something you didn't know you were looking for. Once upon a time, you could walk into HMV and find my CDs right there on the shelf — filed between Madonna and Maine, $12.99 sticker and all. The stores are gone now. HMV Canada closed its doors in 2017, and the bins went quiet. But the songs? The songs are still out there. Every stream, every playlist add, every late-night listen — that's the new record store, and you're already standing in it. Thanks for still flipping through. — Franklin franklinmckay.com  
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