The first Gordie Sampson Songcamp compilation is available now.

“Let’s get the best young songwriters in Nova Scotia and take them to the most inspiring place we can think of (Ingonish) and see what happens. Four years and roughly 150 songs later, the idea now has a mind of its own. Maybe it’s the simple math of how blind faith multiplies.” – Gordie Sampson

For the past four summers, some of Nova Scotia’s most promising songwriters have been hand-picked to take part in an intensive five-day series of co-writing sessions which are conducted by Cape Breton’s own Grammy award-winning Gordie Sampson, along with leaders Steve MacDougall (Slowcoaster) and Carleton Stone. The result is a motivating experience, a growing sense of community, and an inspiring collection of songs. In 2013 it became apparent that these songs deserved to be shared.

The first Gordie Sampson Songcamp compilation consists of 15 songs representing the work of 22 Nova Scotia songwriters. The songs were chosen from over 150 songs written during Songcamp from 2010-2013 and range in style from the fine folk of “Harbourtown” to the contemporary pop/rap of “All The Time In the World” to the infectious reggae groove of “Flip Flops”. What these songs share is that they are stepping stones in the careers of many fine young writers.

Some of these are studio recordings, where the song has already found its way to a record… the rest are versions that were demoed at camp and then mixed later.