School of Hard Knocks Latest Project by Andy Simpson and Gerry Madden - theHumm December 2022
School of Hard Knocks Latest Project by Andy Simpson and Gerry Madden - theHumm December 2022
By Kris Riendeau
Carleton Place’s Andy Simpson has been making music for at least as long as theHumm has been publishing. Over the years we have covered Andy’s ambitious undertakings and enjoyed seeing him perform on local community theatre stages. During the pandemic, Andy kept busy working on another new project his musical partner Gerry Madden — this one entitled School of Hard Knocks. We contacted Andy to find out more about his plans for this fifth album.
theHumm: Can you give our readers an overview of this concept album?
Andy Simpson: The story takes place in the fictional town of Madsonville, Ontario and tells the story of the staff, students and administration of the middle school there during the first three months of a new school year. We meet characters such as Simon Young, who is 14 years old and a brand-new student at this school; a beloved teacher called Mr. Greene; and we see the changing of the guard when the current principal is replaced by the incoming principal, Mrs. Valerie DeMort and her assistant, Ms. Belle LaStrange.
We also learn that the school – and the town – is haunted by a Troll. While the children and the staff like Mr. Greene, DeMort and LaStrange do not. Tensions build until the teacher is dismissed on false allegations — a claim that was spearheaded by the Troll, who influenced DeMort and LaStrange’s thoughts.
What was your inspiration for this project?
This concept was drawn from personal experiences that I had both as a child and while working as an Educational Assistant in schools in my hometown of Carleton Place. I was looking for something to write about for our next project, and there it was, right in front of me. I strung together the story of me working as an E.A. with memories of my childhood, and made it a storyline for the album.
As a child, I was moved from school to school through my elementary years, so I was the “new kid” a few times. I didn’t really mind that; but then the bullying started. I was horrendously bullied by other children — on the playground, in gym, the change room, you name it. I was smaller than other kids and had difficulty walking and keeping my balance (later diagnosed as Cerebral Palsy, Stage 1, at 20 years old), so I was an easy target for bullies. Every single line in Bullying Song on the album was either said to me or done to me in the changerooms.
I didn’t really know it at the time, but I had (and still do have) a few learning disabilities in addition to my physical disabilities. The school system tried to make things easier for me, I grant that. I still feel I fell through the cracks though. All that said, I think I came out on the other side of things alright. I survived. Bullying sucks, but I got through it.
I will point out that this story is a work of fiction, based on true events. There are a couple of songs on the album that are born out of my imagination — and also what I heard from Gerry’s riffs when I was writing the lyrics and coming up with the storyline. The fictional elements, I think, make the story a little more interesting and, of course, a little more dramatic.
Musically and artistically, who were your collaborators and what did they contribute to School of Hard Knocks?
Gerry wrote the music and I wrote the lyrics and the story. We recorded the album with Kirk Armstrong, who also played all the guitars and keyboards on it. He also engineered and mixed it.
On the artistic side of the album, all the artwork was done by my friend Jesse Gibson. The photography was done by Michaela Koster.
The pandemic was tough on performers, but it did offer opportunities for creative pursuits. Did working on an ambitious project like this one help you get through the past few years?
Yes, I think so. We actually wrote and recorded everything before the world shut down for what seemed like an eternity. The finger snaps and the “Sh!” sounds on the “Schoolyard Shuffle” track were the last things recorded for the album. We were going to mix it the next week (March 13) when everything just... went away and I wasn’t able to get back into the studio. The album was supposed to be released in September of 2020 but that never happened.
While this was happening, I wrote the stage version of the album, adding dialogue and scenes here and there in between the musical numbers from the album. My friend Jesse Gibson, who did the cover art and the sound effects as well as co-producing (I Feel Like) Charlie Brown on the album, co-wrote the stage script with me. He added some scenes and characters that enhanced the story.
In 2021, Kirk started to send me tracks from the album as he mixed them. I would listen, make notes and send them to him, and we would go back and forth until every track was mixed.
By the start of 2022, I was bound and determined to get the album out. So, to start with, we would release two singles a month from the album in the hopes of gaining interest. This started in January and moved to the end of May — two singles a month. Each single was released on the same day in each month.
Then, finally, in November, we released the full album in physical format and online.
During the lockdown, I got bored and decided to write the novelization of School of Hard Knocks. I conceived it as a Young Adult novel. When working on it, I would send the manuscript to friends to get their input. One of the friends was Jesse Gibson, who wound up co-writing the novel with me. He had lots of great ideas and expanded some of my ideas and tied up loose plot threads that I had left. He added a lot to the story and I was very happy with the results. It was intended to be sold as a companion piece to the album. We will get the novel out... eventually.
What are your hopes and plans for the future of this album, and how can people follow your progress?
What I would love to see is this album be staged as a rock musical. That’s the ultimate goal for this project, as it is for our other concept albums (The Fork, We Are Right and Robinson Crusoe). I think the first step to getting to that goal is to do a staged reading of the piece for two or three nights at a local theatre somewhere and see how the audience reacts to it. It doesn’t have to be that elaborate; just actors on stage reading the script and singing the score.
Gerry and I are also putting together a live band to play the material in pubs, churches, theatres, schools, you name it. Things are just starting out in that venture at this point, so we’ll see where it goes. But ideally, I would like the band to play a few shows next year and have the reading and the novel out by December of 2023. Maybe a full stage production of the musical in 2024 or 2025. And who knows? Maybe a movie. That would be fun.
People who have heard our other albums and have heard this from demos to final product have told us this is our best work; our best album. I’m quite proud of this material. I think it’s because of the personal feelings that I have about the situation — and the people involved in the situation. But writing these songs was cathartic for me in the sense that I now have had my say about things. Now it’s out in the public and I can let the feelings and the situation go at last!
Our website is gasmmusic.com for more info, contact information and all the other stuff like YouTube, Facebook, etc.
Evgenia Badiyanova — Watercolour Whimsy - theHumm December 2022
By Sally Hansen
Art… and Soul
On her Etsy global marketplace shop, Carleton Place artist Evgenia Badiyanova describes her delightful watercolour art as “Real life with a whimsical twist.” Since whimsical is defined as “Playfully quaint or fanciful, especially in an appealing and amusing way” (wordhippo.com), it is the perfect descriptor. Her artworks are beautifully drawn and painted, and her forte is the humourous twist with which she presents her endearing characters.
Whether i......
Did You Know… - theHumm December 2022
By — Kris, Rob and Rona
… that since we began publishing our weekly Hummail e-newsletter back in April of 2020 we have put out a whopping 131 editions? Most editions feature interviews with creative local movers and shakers, and now that events have come back online they all include a round-up of upcoming happenings with links to websites and ticket outlets!
So if you sometimes forget to check your print issue of theHumm later on in the month but don’t want to miss anything, we hummbly recommend that you sub......
Back Forty Artisan Cheese Holiday Event - theHumm December 2022
On Saturday, December 10 from 10am to 4pm, Back Forty Artisan Cheese will be hosting their annual Holiday Open House at their farm and dairy in the hamlet of Mississippi Station. This festive event will provide customers with a great opportunity to stock up on some delicious cheese for the holiday season — the Back Forty gift basket is sure to please the cheese lover on your list! To make this a customer appreciation day, they are offering 15% off selectcheeses as well as free sampling......
Showing the Local Love for the Holidays! - theHumm December 2022
By Kris and Rob Riendeau
Here at theHumm we’re big on local economies. The retail and service businesses in the small towns that we cover play a huge role in the cultural life of those towns. Each store, restaurant, or small enterprise attracts and serves a particular clientele — some inside the community, some from outside. Some businesses host their own special events; others join together with local festivals to make the whole experience more vibrant. Many provide support in cash or in kind to local initiatives. All of them add their own particular flavour to the delicious mix that is small-town Ottawa Valley.......
Folkus Concert Series BringsNeighbours & Friends to the Stage in 2023 - theHumm December 2022
By Sandy Irvin
Almonte’s Folkus Concert Series is thrilled to announce that we are having a 2023 season! We’re celebrating friends and neighbours of the series — some stunning local talent, some old friends and friends of theirs from far away, and a brand-new project featuring original music created especially for you. It’s hard to believe we’ve been putting on shows since 2002!
Our first show, on January 28, will feature Jim Bryson, the Steinway piano and friends. Jim Bryson is a songwriter’s s......
Harmony Concerts Presents Lynn Miles and Anna Ludlow - theHumm December 2022
Harmony Concerts, a boutique series operating in and around the Ottawa area, is presenting two outstanding seasonal events at Studio Theatre Perth. The first takes place on December 15 and features award-winning, and always entertaining, Lynn Miles. The second will close out Harmony Concerts’ 2022 series at the theatre on December 17 with award-winning Celtic star Anna Ludlow.
Lynn Miles will be accompanied by the Crusty Mittens String Quartet for her show Winter. She wrote this secular......
The Best Christmas Pageant Ever Presented by the Smiths Falls Community Theatre - theHumm December 2022
By — Submitted Smiths Falls Community Theatre
The Smiths Falls Community Theatre is pleased to present The Best Christmas Pageant Ever. This heartwarming comedic play is adapted from the young adult book by Barbara Robinson. It is being directed by Liz Stienberg and Brittany Wiessler.
Helen Armstrong is the chief organizer of the church. She organizes everything from potluck suppers to the Christmas Pageant. Things go awry when Helen breaks her leg and has to find another woman to direct the pageant. Grace Bradley steps in and things ......
Service of Nine Lessons & Carols - theHumm December 2022
By Peter Woodwark
40 is a lot of years. Half a life, most of one’s working life, the age at which one might get some sense. And this will be the 40th Christmas that the Service of Nine Lessons and Carols will be sung at St. James’ Anglican Church in Perth.
During those 40 years over ten thousand, young and old, have come to hear the comfortable readings of the Christmas story, to sing the old familiar carols, and to listen to the choir interpret seasonal anthems very old and just old, just new and hot off t......
Book Honouring Local Weaver at Textile Museum - theHumm December 2022
A new book entitled A Celebration of Handweaving and Colour: Weaving Drafts and Woven Samples from the Library of Francesca Overend, by Jean Down and Sheila Singhal, is now available from the Mississippi Valley Textile Museum (MVTM) for $35 (tax included, shipping extra). All proceeds will be donated to the Museum with thanks to Down and Singhal, friends of Francesca Overend (1934–2019). Born in Romania, Overend was a dedicated civil servant whose travels greatly influenced her innovative weav......
Perth’s Charm Sure to Get You in the Holiday Spirit - theHumm December 2022
As the flurries begin to fly, Perth’s charming town transforms into a scene from a snow globe — with twinkling lights, smiling faces and the sound of Christmas carols.
A number of events are taking place throughout the month of December, ranging from carefully-curated craft markets to fireworks displays and sightings of Santa’s elves. The holiday spirit is sure to surround you as you enjoy some heartwarming, family-friendly fun.
Stroll the streets and enjoy the old-world charm of Perth’s do......
Make-A-Wish Helps Ottawa Valley Kids - theHumm December 2022
By Kris Riendeau
Darlene Bennett moved to the Almonte/Carp area five years ago, and recently reached out to theHumm to see if we would help promote Make-A-Wish Canada. We thought that the holidays were the perfect time to get people thinking about helping others, so we contacted Darlene to find out more about this very special charity.
theHumm: In a nutshell, what does Make-A-Wish Canada do for kids, and who does it serve?
Darlene Bennett: Make-A-Wish grants life-changing wishes for children with critical ......
Moonlight & Mistletoe Market Night in Arnprior - theHumm December 2022
By — Submitted the Greater Arnprior Chamber of Commerce
The Greater Arnprior Chamber of Commerce will present the Moonlight & Mistletoe Market, taking place in downtown Arnprior on Thursday, December 15 beginning at 4pm. The event will feature Christmas caroling by the Arnprior Community Theatre, visits with Santa Claus, late-night shopping, gift wrapping at ChrisTina Studio in support of the Arnprior Foodbank, and so much more.
The Greater Arnprior Chamber of Commerce is proud to bring Moonlight & Mistletoe Market to the community for ......
Fabulous Artist for Hire! - theHumm December 2022
By Kris Riendeau
Colleen Gray, the wonderful local artist who founded and runs Art For Aid artforaid.ca , has started a new venture to help her put some funds in the bank so she can continue to work with that organization as a full-time volunteer. She is now hiring herself out for AGM, corporate and business events to do live painting, where the finished piece can be auctioned or won by draw.
Having profiled Colleen in our August 2020 issue, th......
The Faces of Almonte Country Haven - theHumm December 2022
During what seems like ages ago when communities were in lockdown, many people in our community were hit by Covid-19 with devastating consequences, while others sought to help members who were most vulnerable and at-risk. Residents came together to meet needs — making masks, delivering groceries, and providing some reprieve through companionship, albeit distanced.
Covid is still with us, but we can come together physically now to reflect on 2020 and pay respec......
Season’s Greetings from MMLT - theHumm December 2022
As 2022 comes to a close, the staff and directors at Mississippi Madawaska Land Trust (MMLT) want to personally thank everyone for your support. Whether you came out to enjoy a walk at one of our properties, supported us with a financial contribution, or participated in one of our organized events, you helped us to protect and steward land in this unique and beautiful region of Ontario.
Land trusts like MMLT have never played such a critical role for the future of our planet as they do right now. As......
The Blakeney Project: Report for Year Two - theHumm December 2022
By David Hinks
Many in our community are aware of The Blakeney Project of the Lanark County Food Bank (The Hunger Stop) as a result of walking, cycling or driving past our two-acre field that fronts on Blakeney Road on the east side of Blakeney. We have now completed our second full year of operation and are quite excited about developments this year — we were able to harvest over 10,000 pounds of fresh produce for Food Bank clients and we were able to connect in new ways with the community through the d......
Food Bank Fundraiserby EXIT Realty - theHumm December 2022
For many people, the holidays inspire feelings of charity and good will. As needs are also high during that time of year, Wendy Ronberg, Broker Owner of EXIT Realty Vision Brokerage in Carleton Place, and the agents of the brokerage are once again looking to raise money for the Lanark County Food Bank.
Last year EXIT Realty Vision was honoured to be able to partner with The Hunger Stop – Lanark County Food Bank. This charity has been under enormous strain over the last few y......
Christmas Art and Craft Show - theHumm December 2022
The S.M.art Gallery in Carleton Place is excited to invite you all to gather around the electric fireplace and celebrate the season with local artists, fine food and glasses full of good spirit.
Come and see the wonderful variety of creative handmade works of art! The show runs from December 2-4 and 9-11 at 50 Bennett Street, Unit 1. Visit sarahmoffat.com for times and details.
Holiday Pop-up Art Sale - theHumm December 2022
Three studios in the Perth Autumn Studio Tour family will open their doors on Saturday, December 3 for a Holiday Pop-up Sale.
Celebrate and support your local makers this holiday by giving gifts that will nourish the soul and that are made by someone you actually know and/or interact with! Bring relationship back to exchange!
From east to west, you can visit Cordwood Studio (Zoë Lianga) with guest Bel Angeles. Find feltwork, preserves, frozen meals and paintings. It’s located at 590 Brook......
Museum to Host Jolly Holiday Happenings - theHumm December 2022
The Smiths Falls Heritage House Museum invites you to take in the sights and sounds of the holidays from December 1–18 at 11 Old Slys Road.
The museum will be taking part in the Merry & Bright program this year, and has two boxes available for purchase. Box 1 is $40 and is called the Local Histories Box, which includes: a hot chocolate bomb from the Rideau Candy Shoppe, a local history book (contact the museum for options), one museum membership, a custom museum sticker a......
dOMe Retreat — Wait ’til You Hear This! - theHumm December 2022
By Kris Riendeau
Have you ever heard someone describing visual art on the radio and thought “if only I could see what they are raving about”? As you read this article, please bear in mind that the experience described here truly needs to be heard to be appreciated. I’m going to do my best, but in this case a sonorously reverberating gong is worth a thousand words.
In mid-November, my husband Rob and I were in-between performance weekends for our show Sketchy Santa and were ramping up for the December issue of the......
Happy Wanderers: Evening Grosbeaks - theHumm December 2022
By Lise Balthazar
In the early 19th century, English colonizers discovered a beautiful bird in the foothills of the Rockies. Under the mistaken impression that the bird would only make an appearance after sunset, they called it evening grosbeak. However, the bird’s name in French — “gros-bec errant” — is much more accurate.
The French term “errant” means “wandering”, which perfectly describes this bird’s unpredictable migratory movements. In fact, rather than being actual migrations, those movements are essentially ......
It’s Back Already? - theHumm December 2022
By Glenda Jones
When did this happen? Only last week I was getting out the garden tools, revving up the mower and planting some annuals. And now you’re telling me I have to get out the winter gear? Suddenly, it’s colder than… well, you know. I’m wrapping myself in strings of outdoor lights, and cursing the timer that turns the lights on in the day and off at dusk. On the decent November day when I could have done this in comfort, we were tooling around the countryside admiring the fall colour.
Halloween came and ......
Bill 23: More Strain on the Vulnerable and Our Natural World! - theHumm December 2022
By Chandler Swain
As we were going to press, the provincial government was trying to rush through Bill 23, the More Homes Built Faster Act.
No doubt, we are in a housing crisis: the average rent for a one-bedroom apartment in Lanark County is $1,796 a month; in 2022, the average sale price of a home in the County was $736,424. Most likely, you know someone who is in a precarious housing situation.
So “More Homes Built Faster” sounds pretty good, doesn’t it?
Unfortunately, the Bill is mis-named. It will not provide for more affordable housing; it will not meet the housing needs of our aging popu......
Rural Women Face Higher Risk of Abuse, so What Now Lanark County? - theHumm December 2022
By Fern Martin
More than 40 years ago, three shelters for women and children fleeing abuse opened in Lanark and Renfrew Counties: Lanark County Interval House in Carleton Place, The Bernadette McCann House in Pembroke, and Avoca House in Eganville, which closed in 1996 after Ontario’s Ministry of Community & Social Services removed funding. These shelters have saved many lives, but the issue of male violence against women has not abated. In fact, the reverse is happening.
The Cana......
8th Anniversary Show Continues in Almonte - theHumm December 2022
Sivarulrasa Gallery’s 8th Anniversary Show continues in Almonte until December 30. It’s the Gallery’s largest show of the year, featuring sculpture, paintings, drawings, photography and mixed media works in many sizes and price points, by local artists as well as those from Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Quebec, Alberta and British Columbia.
Among the 28 Canadian creators featured in the show are five based in Almonte. “We are fortunate to ......
School of Hard Knocks Latest Project by Andy Simpson and Gerry Madden - theHumm December 2022
By Kris Riendeau
Carleton Place’s Andy Simpson has been making music for at least as long as theHumm has been publishing. Over the years we have covered Andy’s ambitious undertakings and enjoyed seeing him perform on local community theatre stages. During the pandemic, Andy kept busy working on another new project his musical partner Gerry Madden — this one entitled School of Hard Knocks. We contacted Andy to find out more about his plans for this fifth album.
theHumm: Can you give our readers an overview of this con......
Orkney — An Interview with Maggie Toner - theHumm December 2022
By John Pigeau
A good book is a good book, says Maggie Toner — no matter the publisher.
Maggie is the author of Orkney, a novel about four souls who develop and eventually come to the full essence of who they are.
“That sounds goofy,” she says, “but basically I have told the story of four people and their bonds to one another, using reincarnation as the mechanism of the story and first-party stream of consciousness to narrate it.”
The back flap synopsis reads: “Four......
Lanark County Routes Sequel Set for 2023 - theHumm December 2022
By Rose Mary Sarsfield
Lanark County Genealogical Society (LCGS) continues to celebrate our farming community and the pioneers who cleared the trees and rocks, built their homes and planted crops around the stumps. Our two-volume set entitled Lanark County Routes, East and Lanark County Routes West was a remarkable success when it was published last year.
We tapped into the history recorded in the local Tweedsmuir History books and collaborated with several of the present farmers in the County to tell the stories.
......
An Exceptional Library Fundraiser - theHumm December 2022
An exhibition entitled EXCEPTIONAL is scheduled to run at the Mississippi Mills Public Library — Almonte Branch from December 3–30. Featuring the works of over a dozen exceptionally talented loca......
Apr 27 Festival of the Maples
Apr 27 The Moth Project
May 4 - 5 Spring Fine Art Show
May 4 - 5 Spring Fine Art Show
May 4 Outskirts
May 5 Music at Mera: The Andrew Collins Trio
May 11 - 12 Art in the Attic
May 11 Engelbert Humperdinck & Tom Jones Tribute
May 16 MMLT Talk & AGM
May 24 Birds of a Feather
- IS THIS A PROTEST?
- A Classic Whodunnit Agatha Christie’s Black Coffee at Studio Theatre
- Readers, Writers, and Poets
- Celebrate Indigenous Culture in CP
- Celebrate the ClassicsWith the Arnprior Choir
- 4F Auction Concoction Food, Fun, Fashion & Favourites
- Cheerfully Made Spring Market
- Electrify to Decarbonize Lanark
- Volunteer Forum
- Frankenstein Comes to The Station Theatre
