Dan Fewings and Jimmy Bowskill in 2014. Bowskill, who has recently been performing with The Sheepdogs and Blue Rodeo, will be coming to The Garnet in downtown Peterborough on Sunday, March 10th for two shows as part of the Peterborough Winter Folk Festival. Dan Fewings will opening both shows. (Photo: Wayne Eardley)
The Peterborough Winter Folk Festival is celebrating its fifth anniversary this March with a series of concerts at venues in downtown Peterborough, culminating with a free children’s concert at Lansdowne Place Mall.
Organized by the Peterborough Folk Festival, the annual winter event features both out-of-town and local musicians.
The festival kicks off at 8 p.m. on Tuesday, March 5th when Vancouver-based indie rock band Mother Mother performs at The Venue (286 George St. N., Peterborough).
Another Vancouver-based indie rock band, Juno award winners Said The Whale, will open the show.
General admission tickets are $34.50 plus taxes and fees, available at ticketmaster.ca. Doors open at 7 p.m. for this age-of-majority show.
VIDEO: “Get Up” – Mother Mother
VIDEO: “UnAmerican” – Said The Whale
On Wednesday, March 6th, New York City trio Too Many Zooz, who achieved YouTube fame for their self-defined genre of “brass house” music as subway buskers, will perform at The Historic Red Dog Tavern (189 Hunter St. W, Peterborough).
Vancouver’s eight-piece gypsy-rock/funk/latin/ska/punk band Five Alarm Funk will open the show.
Doors open at 9 p.m. and the show begins at 10 p.m.
VIDEO: Too Many Zooz performing at Union Square in New York City
VIDEO: “We All Scream” – Five Alarm Funk
On Wednesday, March 7th, local musicians take the spotlight when Dylan Ireland (Express and Company) performs a free show at The Twisted Wheel (377 Water St, Peterborough) with special guests Melissa Payne (currently on tour with Matt Mays), James McKenty (The Spades), and Karl Lawson.
Doors open at 6:30 p.m. with the music starting at 7 p.m. There’s no cover.
VIDEO: “Every Other Night” – Dylan Ireland
On Friday, March 8th, Hamilton’s comedic musical master B.A. Johnston returns to Peterborough to perform at The Historic Red Dog Tavern (189 Hunter St. W, Peterborough), where he’ll be celebrating the release of his new record The Skid Is Hot Tonight.
Local bands Beef Boys and Television Road will open the show.
Doors for this age-of-majority show open at 9 p.m. with Television Rd taking to the stage at 10:30 p.m., followed by Beef Boys and B.A. Johnson. Tickets are $6 at the door before 10 p.m. and $10 after 10 p.m.
VIDEO: “Deep Fryer In My Bedroom” – B.A. Johnston
On Saturday, March 9th, local roots-rocker Ben Rough will perform a free show at The Twisted Wheel (377 Water St, Peterborough), celebrating the release of his new record Hold Me Closer Cabin Fever.
Prince Edward Island pop and adult alternative singer-songwriter Rachel Beck will also be performing.
Doors open at 6:30 p.m. for this early show, with the music beginning at 7 p.m. Admission is free.
VIDEO: “Light A Match” – Ben Rough
VIDEO: “I Wanna Dance With Somebody” performed by Rachel Beck
Also on Saturday, March 9th, Toronto/Niagara-based 11-piece band My Son The Hurricane brings their fusion of funk, jazz and hip hop with New Orleans style grooves to the The Historic Red Dog Tavern (189 Hunter St. W, Peterborough).
Niagara singer-songwriter Katey Gatta will open the show with a mix of covers and original tunes.
Tickets are $20, available at ticketscene.ca. Doors open at 9 p.m. for this age-of-majoirty show, with the music beginning at 10 p.m.
VIDEO: “Ransom Money” – My Son The Hurricane
VIDEO: Katey Gatta
On Sunday, March 10th, Baileoboro’s native son Jimmy Bowskill — who’s recently been performing with both The Sheepdogs and Blue Rodeo — will come home to perform two shows at The Garnet (231 Hunter St. W., Peterborough).
Dan Fewings, who has performed with Jimmy in the duo Bowskill and Fewings, will be opening the shows.
The early show begins at 7 p.m., with the late show at 9:30 p.m. Tickets for either show are $15, available at ticketscene.ca
VIDEO: “I’m Gone” – Jimmy Bowskill
VIDEO: Jimmy Bowskill with The Beauts
VIDEO: “Somebody Loves You Darlin'” by Ralph Stanley peformed by Bowskill & Fewings
Last but not least, local musicians Kate Suhr and Melissa Payne will be performing a free children’s concert at 11 a.m. on Wednesday, March 13th at Lansdowne Place Mall (645 Lansdowne St., Peterborough).
Peterborough parenting author and speaker Ann Douglas with a copy of her latest book, "Happy Parents Happy Kids", published by HarperCollins Canada and available on February 19, 2019. (Photo courtesy of Ann Douglas)
A funny thing happened when I set out to write my latest parenting book.
I almost ended up not having a book to write.
Ann Douglas’s latest book Happy Parents Happy Kids is published by HarperCollins Canada and will be available February 19, 2019 online at Amazon and Indigo and at selected book retailers across Canada.
Here’s how things played out time and time again during the earliest stages of my book research: I’d approach some parents, tell them about the book, and ask them if they’d be willing to be interviewed.
The parents would initially express great enthusiasm for the project, telling me that there was a tremendous need for just such a book, and that, in fact, they couldn’t wait to rush out and pick up a copy of the book for themselves.
And then, boom, they’d turn down my request for an interview.
It wasn’t that they didn’t want to help, they were quick to explain: it was just that they didn’t feel qualified to help. Yes, they were parents, but it’s not like they were especially good parents. In fact, they were pretty much doing it all wrong …
The first couple of times this happened, I simply shrugged my shoulders and moved on. But it just kept happening. And that was my first clue that something about parenting had changed. Not only was the most educated generation of parents ever experiencing a massive, collective crisis of confidence: they were also being flooded by feelings of anxiety, guilt, and being overwhelmed.
That realization got me thinking. Does parenting actually have to be this hard? Why is it so hard? And what will it take to make things easier and better for parents and kids? The book that I ended up writing — Happy Parents Happy Kids — is my attempt to answer those questions. Here’s what I figured out along the way.
Something is different about this moment. Everything about parenting feels impossibly high stakes. And both parents and kids are feeling that pressure.
“Happy Parents Happy Kids” is described as “the ultimate no-guilt guide to boosting your enjoyment of parenting while at the same time maximizing the health and happiness of your entire family.”
Parenting doesn’t happen in a bubble. As parents, we can’t help but be affected by what’s happening in the wider world — and by social and economic policies that too often only serve to make life even harder for our families.
Because the way things stand right now, parenting isn’t just hard; it’s almost impossibly hard — and for reasons that have little to do with parenting.
The good news is that many of us are starting to connect the dots between those policy decisions and what we are actually experiencing within our own families.
And we’re starting to recognize that many of the things that are making parenting almost impossibly hard are too big for individual families to solve on their own.
Systemic problems require systemic solutions, in other words.
As I noted in the book, “In our culture, we have a tendency to treat parenting as a private problem we should be able to solve on our own — and to beat ourselves up when we can’t. But here’s the thing: the village has a vested interest in the health and wellbeing of its children because they represent the next generation of citizens …
“That’s how things are supposed to work. We’re supposed to feel supported by our fellow villagers. There are, after all, so many thing the village can do to make things easier and better for parents and kids — and it’s actually in the village’s best interest to do so.”
Parents are feeling incredibly judged. The consistent message that they’re receiving from our culture is both crystal clear and devastating: “You’re doing it wrong.”
If there’s one parenting narrative that’s been amplified and celebrated by the media in recent years, it’s the idea of the helicopter parent: that ever-present overprotective parent who is constantly hovering in junior’s vicinity. But here’s the thing: it’s a myth.
Or, to be fair, the idea that helicopter parenting is the defining parenting style of our time is a myth. Sure, there was that one parent who did that one over-the-top thing that one time — but that doesn’t mean that all parents are perpetually in hover mode.
Unfortunately, the helicopter parenting narrative has a tendency to get inside your head. Whenever I speak to a group of parents, there’s inevitably at least one parent in the crowd who will raise a hand and make a comment that starts with, “You’re probably going to think I’m a helicopter parent …” And, almost invariably, the story they feel compelled to preface with such a shame-filled disclaimer is, in fact, a story about really great parenting.
Here’s something else that concerns me. I’ve noticed that fear of being labelled a helicopter parent is causing parents to pull away from their kids or to parent in unnecessarily harsh ways. If we want parents to be able to nurture and support their kids in a way that actually allows children to thrive, “the village” needs to ease up on the shame and the judgment that so many parents are feeling.
Instead of trying to pin the blame on parents, it’s time for “the village” to step up.
A shared commitment to nurturing all of the children in our communities would make life so much easier for parents — and not just because there would be more hands available to help with the physical heavy lifting of raising kids. The emotional load would become correspondingly lighter as well.
After all, if it’s the entire village’s responsibility to care for a particular child, it’s the entire village’s responsibility to figure out how to help child or a parent who is struggling.
What it all comes down to is a willingness to allow ourselves to feel blessed, not burdened, by our interconnectedness: to treat the fact that we’re wired to turn to one another for support as a source of strength, not weakness, and to build a society on that basis.
And that would be a complete game-changer for parents, giving them so much less to feel anxious about.
Every Thursday, we publish live music and performance events at pubs and clubs in Peterborough and The Kawarthas based on information that venues provide to us directly or post on their website or social media channels. Here are the listings for the week of Thursday, February 14 to Wednesday, February 20.
If you’re a pub or club owner and want to be included in our weekly listings, please email our Nightlife Editor at nightlife@kawarthanow.com.
7-9pm - Nicholas Campbell & Friends ; 9-11pm - James Higgins
Coming Soon
Thursday, February 21 7:30-11:30pm - Jazz and Blues ft Rob Phillips Trio w/ Marsala Lukianchuk
Friday, February 22 5-8pm - Rick & Gailie; 8:30pm - Lindsay Barr
Saturday, February 23 5-8pm - Rick & Gailie; 8:30pm - Parkside Drive
Sunday, February 24 3-6pm - Washboard Hank & The Wringers; 6:30-9:30pm - Po’Boy Jeffreys
Boiling Over's Coffee Vault
148 Kent St. W., Lindsay
(705) 878-8884
Friday, February 15
6-9pm - Open mic hosted by Gerald Van Haltere
Coming Soon
Friday, February 22 7-9pm - Adam Crossman & Kyle Pullan
The Cat & The Fiddle Cobourg
38 Covert St., Cobourg
(905) 377-9029
Coming Soon
Saturday, February 23 8pm - Bruce Longsteen & The Covert Street Band
The Ceilie (Trent University student pub)
1600 West Bank Dr., Peterborough
(705) 748-1011
Coming Soon
Wednesday, March 6 7-10pm - Trent Oxfam presents Inali Berger & spoken word/open mic (LGBTQ+ friendly, no cover)
Champs Sports Bar
203 Simcoe St., Peterborough
(705) 742-3431
Thursdays
7pm - Open mic
Chemong Lodge
764 Hunter St., Bridgenorth
(705) 292-8435
Thursdays
5-9pm - Pianist Barry McMullen (dining room)
Fridays
5-9pm - Pianist Barry McMullen (dining room)
Wednesdays
5-9pm - Pianist Barry McMullen (dining room)
The Church-key Pub & Grindhouse
26 Bridge St. W., Campbellford
(705) 653-0001
Friday, February 15
5pm - Queen & Sons; 8pm - Morgan Rider
Saturday, February 16
9pm - The Bravos
Wednesday, February 20
8pm - Whiskey Wednesday w/ Ken Tizzard
Coach & Horses Pub
16 York St. S., Lindsay
(705) 328-0006
Thursdays
10pm - Open Mic w/ Gerald Vanhalteren
Fridays
9:30pm - Karaoke Night w/ DJ. Ross
Wednesdays
7-11pm - Live music
The Cow & Sow Eatery
38 Colborne St., Fenelon Falls
(705) 887-5111
Saturday, February 16
10pm - Side Street
Dr. J's BBQ & Brews
282 Aylmer St., Peterborough
(705) 874-5717
Saturday, February 16
1:30-5pm - PMBA Deluxe Blues Jam hosted by Dave Mowat Bands (donations accepted for Peterborough Musicians Benevolent Association)
Coming Soon
Saturday, May 11 Doc Yates w/ Greg Williams & Kansas Stone
Dreams of Beans
138 Hunter St. W., Peterborough
(705) 742-2406
Friday, February 15
9pm - Olias, People You Meet Outside of Bars, Light Organ, Of Doom ($10-12 or PWYC)
Coming Soon
Friday, February 22 8pm - Yesnoyes (no cover)
Friday, March 29 9:30-11pm - Graham Show (no cover)
Frank's Pasta and Grill
426 King St. E., Cobourg
(905) 372-2727
Friday, February 15
9pm-12am - Karaoke; 12am - DJ
Saturday, February 16
8pm - Urban Angel; 11:30pm - DJ
Wednesday, February 20
8-11pm - Open Mic
Coming Soon
Saturday, February 23 8pm - Breezeway Band w/ Griffin McGill
Ganarascals Restaurant
53 Walton St., Port Hope
905-885-1888
Coming Soon
Friday, February 22 7pm - Mark Sepic
Ganaraska Hotel
30 Ontario St., Port Hope
(905) 885-9254
Friday, February 15
8pm - Ontario Street Theatre presents Fridays at The Ganny: "An Ode to Dolly" ft Washboard Hank & Sweet Muriel, Shaun Savoy, Kate Suhr, & more w/ special guest Molly Parden ($20)
Saturday, February 16
2pm & 10pm - Cellar Door
Wednesday, February 20
8-11pm - Open Mic Night w/ Clayton Yates & Rob Foreman
Coming Soon
Friday, February 22 8pm - Ontario Street Theatre presents Fridays at The Ganny: "Walk The Line: A Tribute to Johnny Cash" ($20, all proceeds to Green Wood Coalition)
Saturday, February 23 2pm & 10pm - Jessica Soul Band
The Garnet
231 Hunter St. W., Peterborough
(705) 874-0107
Thursday, February 14
9pm - All Request Pop-Up Prom w/ DJ Lon Juray (no cover)
Friday, February 15
5-7pm - Forselli Friday w/ Pine Box String Band; 10pm - The Venisons w/ The Stagger Inn Band
Saturday, February 16
8:30pm - The Cabaret, Cabaret! ft Conner Clarkin, Dani McDonald, Justin Hiscox, Caitlin Currie, Whitney Paget, Liam Parker, Khora Tatyana, & more ($2-$10 or PWYC, all door proceeds to PARN)
Tuesday, February 19
7:30pm - Housepanther, Wrecker, Peachykine, Shirazi ($5 or PWYC)
Wednesday, February 20
7-10pm - The Song Circle Tour ft Ben Heffernan and John Muirhead w/ Mary-Kate Edwards and people you meet outside of bars
Coming Soon
Thursday, February 21 8pm - Youngbloods w/ Campbell Woods, Ellen Froese, Nicholas Faraone ($5-10 or PWYC)
Friday, February 22 8pm - Jessica Pearson and the East Wind, Lunar Bloom, Mary-Kate Edwards
Saturday, February 23 7-9pm - X-Pollinators and The Pine Saps w/ special guests
Sunday, February 24 7pm - Show and Tell Poetry Series (STPS) ft Gordon Johnston, Jillian Kew, Melchior Bodnar-Dudley ($5 or PWYC)
6:30-8:30pm - Line Dancing w/ Marlene Maskell ($7)
Coming Soon
Saturday, April 13 7pm - Dinner and dance patry ft Rye Street ($20 includes dinner, $5 music only at 8pm)
Gordon Best Theatre
216 Hunter St. W., Peterborough
(705) 876-8884
Coming Soon
Saturday, March 16 8pm - The Red Finks "A Young Person's Guide To Science" album release
Junction Nightclub
253 George St. N., Peterborough
(705) 743-0550
Sunday, February 17
10pm - Country Night w/ DJ Bill Porter ($5 cover)
Kawartha Coffee Co.
58 Bolton St., Bobcaygeon
(705) 738-1500
Friday, February 15
7-11pm - Un-Valentine Karaoke Night
Coming Soon
Saturday, March 9 8-11pm - Dance Party with The Kelly Burrows Trio ($10)
McGillicafey's Pub & Eatery
13 Bridge St.. N., Hastings
(705) 696-3600
Thursday, February 14
8pm - Karaoke w/ Jefrey Danger
Friday, February 15
8pm - House Brand
Mckecks Tap & Grill
207 Highland St., Haliburton
(705) 457-3443
Thursday, February 14
6-8pm - Valentine Day's Dinner ft Bethany Houghton
Coming Soon
Friday, February 22 6-9pm - Tamica Herod (no cover)
McThirsty's Pint
166 Charlotte St., Peterborough
(705) 743-2220
Thursdays
9pm - Live music hosted by Tony Silvestri and Greg Caven
Fridays
10pm - Live music with Brian Haddlesey
Saturdays
10pm - Live music with Brian Haddlesey
Sundays
8pm - Open stage hosted by Ryan Van Loon
Mondays
9:30pm - Trivia Night hosted by Cam Green
Wednesdays
9pm - Live music hosted by Kevin Foster
The Mill Restaurant and Pub
990 Ontario St., Cobourg
(905) 377-8177
Thursday, February 14
7pm - Jakeb Daniel
Coming Soon
Thursday, February 21 7pm - Milligan Thyme
Oasis Bar & Grill
31 King St. E., Cobourg
(905) 372-6634
Sundays
5:30pm - PHLO
Pappas Billiards
407 George St. N., Peterborough
(705) 742-9010
Thursday, February 14
7-10pm - Open Mic
Saturday, February 16
1-3pm - Shipwrecked Saturdays
Partista Café
23 Bridge St., Bancroft
613-630-0063
Coming Soon
Friday, February 22 7-11pm - Open Mic hosted by John Foreman
Pastry Peddler
17 King St., Millbrook
(705) 932-7333
Friday, February 15
5:30pm & 7:45pm - Valentine's Dinner Night ft Terry Finn & Norma Curtis ($45 per person)
Pie Eyed Monk Brewery
8 Cambridge St. N., Lindsay
(705) 212-2200
Saturday, February 16
8pm - Dean James w/ Jesse Adam & Cameron Von ($15, in advance at www.deanjames.ca)
VIDEO: Dean James EPK
Publican House Brewery
300 Charlotte St., Peterborough
(705) 874-5743
Friday, February 15
8-10pm - Bobby Watson
Saturday, February 16
8-10pm - Doug Horner
Coming Soon
Friday, February 22 8-10pm - Joe Bulger
Saturday, February 23 8-10pm - House Brand
Red Dog Tavern
189 Hunter St. W., Peterborough
(705) 741-6400
Friday, February 15
9pm - Haus of Accounting & Co. presents "The Love Ball" Drag Queen Show & LGBTQ+ Dance (PWYC in advance, $5 at door)
Saturday, February 16
3-6pm - Celebrating Black Arts Vol I Open Mic (all ages, $5 or PWYC); 12am - Black Lives Matter Dance Party & Fundraiser ft DJ ElephantTree ($10 or PWYC)
Tuesday, February 19
9pm - Open mic hosted by Davey Mac
Coming Soon
Thursday, February 28 10pm - Sun K ($5 at door)
Friday, March 1 Tascu
Saturday, March 2 9pm - Emily Burgess & The Emburys w/ The Actual Goners ($15)
Wednesday, February 27 7:30-11pm - Peterborough Poetry Slam presents Soul Buffet dinner and feature showcase with Fannon Holland & Dijah Redd ($10 or PWYC)
Saturday, March 9 7pm - "Hot Damn It's a Queer Slam" poetry slam and open mic Ft SofiaFly ($10 or PWYC)
Serendipitous Old Stuff Lounge
161 Old Hastings Rd., Warkworth
(705) 924-3333
Thursday, February 14
6pm - Valentine's Day Dinner ft live music w/ Jonah McLean ($75/person by reservation)
The Social
295 George St. N., Peterborough
(705) 874-6724
Friday, February 15
9-11pm - Boots and Hearts Campus Tour ft Robyn Ottolini and Boots and Hearts 2018 Emerging Artist Winner Kris Barclay
Saturday, February 16
9-11pm - Taxi Band
Wednesday, February 20
10pm - Ace & The Kid
Coming Soon
Friday, February 22 9-11pm - Elyse Saunders
Saturday, February 23 9-11pm - Tripsonix Party for SPD from PRHC
Wednesday, February 27 10pm - Cale Crowe
Southside Pizzeria
25 Lansdowne St. W., Peterborough
(705) 748-6120
Friday, February 15
9pm - Punks on Pizza ft Titan Arum, Junko Daydream, Trigger Warning, & more ($5)
The Twisted Wheel
379 Water St., Peterborough
Thursday, February 14
7-10pm - The Power of Love w/ Washboard Hank, Sweet Muriel, and Sean Conway
Friday, February 15
7-10pm - Selina Martin Trio w/ Allena Hand ($15 in advance or $20 at door)
Coming Soon
Thursday, February 28 7-10pm - Twisted Wheel's Backroom Bazaar hosted by Washboard Hank w/ special guest Jenny Allen
The Venue
286 George Street North, Peterborough
(705) 876-0008
Coming Soon
Tuesday, March 5 7pm - Mother Mother w/ Said The Whale ($45.50 to $111.99, available at www.ticketmaster.com)
Wednesday, March 6 7pm - The Reklaws w/ Jade Eagleson & East Adelaide ($25, available at www.ticketmaster.com)
GreenUP's Sustainable Urban Neighbourhoods (SUN) program is looking at ways to make the Kawartha Heights and East City-Curtis Creek neighbourhoods in Peterborough more sustainable. Here, students from James Strath Public School install a garden in the Kawartha Heights neighbourhood, as part of the planting phase of the SUN program. (Photo courtesy of GreenUP)
On January 23rd, municipal staff members, community partners, and 45 Peterborough residents braved the snow to attend an action plan gathering organized by GreenUP’s Sustainable Urban Neighbourhoods (SUN) program.
Together, they imagined ways to make the Kawartha Heights and East City-Curtis Creek neighbourhoods in Peterborough more sustainable, all while having a little fun too.
Each week, GreenUP provides a story related to the environment. This week’s story is by Hayley Goodchild, Sustainable Urban Neighbourhoods Program Coordinator.
Activities at the gathering included a speed-drawing icebreaker where participants sketched out their neighbourhood visions, followed by a community mapping exercise to brainstorm ideas across multiple themes like active transportation, urban forests, and stormwater management. Each group also discussed the resources and strengths that exist in their communities to support their plans.
Participants explored dozens of ideas that would make their neighbourhoods more resilient to climate change, from green roofs and rain gardens to neighbourhood walking corridors and local environmental education programs.
The input generated at the gathering, and also from future events, will form the basis of an action plan for each of the neighbourhoods. Action plans will be released in the fall of 2019, and will identify actions that residents and other stakeholders can take to reach their environmental goals.
Why does the SUN program focus on only two Peterborough neighbourhoods?
“Neighbourhood planning allows for urban renewal solutions that are customized to respond directly to residents’ interests and priorities and local environmental conditions,” explains Adriana Gomez, senior program manager with Toronto and Region Conservation Authority’s Sustainable Neighbourhood Action Plan (SNAP).
SUN is modelled on and delivered in association withw the conservation authority’s SNAP program. In other words, plans that are tailored to the specific needs of a neighbourhood are more likely to resonate with the community than a one-size-fits-all approach.
On January 23rd, municipal staff members, community partners, and 45 Peterborough residents attended an action plan gathering organized by GreenUP’s Sustainable Urban Neighbourhoods (SUN) program. Here, participants share their ideas for the East City–Curtis Creek SUN Action Plan. (Photo: Karen Halley / GreenUP)
In Peterborough, the Kawartha Heights and East City-Curtis Creek neighbourhoods each have unique features, many of which have been identified by the residents who live there. For example, participants at the action plan gathering quickly identified Curtis Creek as an important neighbourhood asset and opportunity for transformation in East City. As a result, this waterway, which snakes through the area, is likely to feature prominently in the neighbourhood action plan.
Another benefit of planning at the neighbourhood level is that it brings people together to share ideas, resources, and energy. It is easier to get involved when your friends and neighbours are tackling a local issue together. As Gomez points out, “Residents feel pride in working for their own community.”
Laurie Riley, a Kawartha Heights resident who attended the gathering, agrees.
“I encourage others to embrace their knowledge and learn how, as residents, we can be more aware of our individual properties and the many ways we impact the Peterborough environment as a whole.”
A speed-drawing activity at the recent Sustainable Urban Neighbourhoods gathering saw participants sketch out their vision for their neighbourhood. (Photo: Karen Halley / GreenUP)
Also, changes at the neighbourhood level can impact the wider urban environment, which helps the municipality, conservation authority, and other stakeholders reach their long-term targets efficiently. Neighbourhood planning is one piece of the puzzle when it comes to building a city that is more resilient to climate change.
Planning is just one part of the SUN program, which is a three-year initiative funded by the Ontario Trillium Foundation until the end of 2019. In addition to planning, SUN has installed 740 square metres of gardens and tree-planting projects across both neighbourhoods, with more to come this year.
These projects demonstrate actions that residents can take to transform their own properties in the future. They also provide more opportunities to engage with residents about the action pans.
Do you have ideas to share? Join the conversation! SUN is organizing additional community planning events in both neighbourhoods this March.
NeighbourPLAN, another neighbourhood-based GreenUP initiative, supports residents in reimagining public spaces in three diverse Peterborough neighbourhoods (Jackson Park-Brookdale, Downtown Jackson Creek, and Talwood) using a collaborative process known as co-design. (Photo courtesy of GreenUP)
Don’t live in East City-Curtis Creek or Kawartha Heights? Check out NeighbourPLAN, another neighbourhood-based GreenUP initiative.
NeighbourPLAN supports residents in reimagining public spaces in three diverse Peterborough neighbourhoods, Jackson Park-Brookdale, Downtown Jackson Creek, and Talwood, using a collaborative process known as co-design. For more information on NeighbourPLAN, visit greenup.on.ca/program/neighbourplan/.
Residents in Downtown Jackson Creek are encouraged to attend NeighbourPLAN’s Resident Committee Meetings on the second Tuesday of every month from 4 to 6 p.m. at the Brooklawn Apartments. To learn more, contact Kortney Dunsby, NeighbourPLAN Coordinator, at kortney.dunsby@greenup.on.ca or 705-745-3238 ext. 206.
Lindsay actress Anwen O'Driscoll in a publicity photo for the CBC Television series "Burden of Truth", in which she plays the recurring character Taylor Matheson. Anwen will appear in six episodes of the upcoming original Netflix series "October Faction", and took a trip to Los Angeles in January 2019 to meet with studios, casting agents, and producers in the hopes of expanding her television acting career into the U.S. (Photo: CBC Television)
Lindsay actress Anwen O’Driscoll doesn’t give the easiest interview. While she’s polite and warm, she’s also guarded about the projects she’s working on.
And although she’s already gained some recognition due to her budding television career, she doesn’t see herself as a “star.” She still acts like a normal (if slightly quirky) young woman, but there’s little doubt she has a star quality. Even if you haven’t seen her perform on stage or on television, Anwen is very impressive.
One of Anwen O’Driscoll’s headshots. The 19-year-old performer began acting at the Lindsay Little Theatre when she was seven years old. (Photo courtesy of Anwen O’Driscoll)
On a cold Saturday evening, Anwen and her mother stopped by my place on their way back to their Lindsay home after a long day of preparation in Toronto for Anwen’s six-week business trip to Los Angeles. As I served the pair coffee and turned on my tape recorder, a thought came into my head: while I’ve interviewed a lot of TV stars over the years via the telephone, this was the first time I was actually interviewing one in person in my own living room.
One of the brightest young talents in the Kawarthas, 19-year-old Anwen has already successfully achieved what most local actors never do: she has managed to move beyond local community theatre to create a budding career in television. Currently a supporting character in the highly successful CBC Television legal drama Burden of Truth, Anwen has also just wrapped filming for the upcoming original Netflix series October Faction, set to debut in October 2019.
A gifted young woman who takes her craft extremely seriously, Anwen deserves the right to be called a TV star, but she’s still grounded enough to consider herself just another young actor from Lindsay.
“I started acting when I was seven year old at the Lindsay Little Theatre,” Anwen says. “My mom home-schooled my brother and sister and I, and she wanted to put us into something social. We started theatre and I fell in love with it.”
Growing up on a horse farm in Lindsay, Anwen comes from a family of artists and actors. Her mother is published playwright and director Altraire Gural. Her brother Tyrnan appeared at the Toronto Fringe last summer in the role of Shiny the Golden Boy in Planet 12’s Boy Wonders. Her younger sister Ilan is not only a talented artist, but is due to make her film debut next summer in the big-budget superhero film Shazam.
And Anwen’s Burden of Truth co-star Star Slade, who plays the key role of Luna Spence, came to live with Anwen’s family as a young teenager. She grew up with Anwen as her third sibling, and remains Anwen’s best friend.
Despite her television career, Anwen O’Driscoll continues to appear on the stage at Lindsay Little Theatre. Here she is pictured (on the couch) in the Lindsay Little Theatre production of Clare McIntyre’s feminist play “My Heart’s A Suitcase” in May 2018. Also pictured is Anwen’s sister, artist and actress Ilan O’Driscoll. (Photo: Sam Tweedle / kawarthaNOW.com)
Knowing at a young age that she wanted to pursue acting seriously, Anwen made her first television appearance on the YTV tween-comedy Life With Boys at the age of 11.
“I loved acting so much and I loved movies, and I would watch them and I wanted to be in them,” she recalls. “So I asked my Mom how we could do that and she looked online and started researching.”
“My mom knew to look at something that was associated with ACTRA, because most people make the mistake of going with agents that charge you,” she adds. “ACTRA has a list of agencies they recognize, and we went for agents that specialized at working with children on film.”
Anwen O’Driscoll with “Burden of Truth” star Kristin Kreuk. (Photo: Anwen O’Driscoll)
While working on her craft, making audition tapes and acting reels, and performing on the Lindsay stage, Anwen had a few small roles through her early teens, including a small one in the Emmy-nominated TV film Flint starring Queen Latifah and Betsy Brandt.
But it has been Burden of Truth that’s put her screen career into overdrive. One of CBC Television’s highest-rated programs, Burden of Truth stars actress Kristen Kruek as Joanna Handley, a Toronto-based lawyer who goes back to her small home town of Millwood to defend a pharmaceutical company being sued by a small group of teenage girls stricken with a mysterious disease that causes them to twitch uncontrollably.
Once in Millwood, Joanna begins to uncover a larger conspiracy and, teaming up with small-town lawyer Billy Crawford (Peter Mooney), switches sides to defend the girls — despite putting her career and her relationship with her father in jeopardy.
VIDEO: Anwen O’Driscoll in a scene from CBC TV’s “Burden of Truth”
Anwen plays Taylor Matheson, the first girl stricken with the mysterious twitching disease. Before auditioning for the role, she studied YouTube videos of people with similar ailments, which inspired an extreme experiment to ready herself for the audition.
“When I was going to the audition, I decided what better way to practice than to do the twitch in public on transit in Toronto,” Anwen says. “People were staring at me, and some people moved away from me, but I felt confident going into the audition after that.”
Anwen’s audition captured the attention of the casting directors in a big way and, as she later found out, they expanded the role of Taylor from what was initially supposed to be a two-episode part to a regular cast member and an intricate part of the plot.
“I was supposed to be in the first two episodes and the other characters weren’t supposed to be connected to me at all,” she says, “But after my audition they changed my character to be one of the other character’s daughters. I didn’t really know that until after they wrote me in. The writers saw my audition and loved it.”
The Taylor Matheson character has also proved popular with viewers. While other characters have been written out of the second season of Burden of Truth, which is currently airing on CBC on Wednesday nights, Taylor’s story is continuing into the current season.
Anwen’s profile gained even more traction when Burden of Truth was aired this past summer on the CW Network for the U.S. market, where it received moderate ratings but a second wave of fans.
Anwen O’Driscoll with her “Burden of Truth” co-star and best friend Star Slade at the Canadian Screen Awards. Anwen and Star grew up together in Lindsay, when Star came to live with Anwen’s family as a teenager. (Photo courtesy of Anwen O’Driscoll)
“I knew when Burden of Truth aired in the U.S. because Star and I were getting more attention on social media and a lot of new followers online,” Anwen explains.
“I got some really nice messages from people just saying that they connected to my character. They were from people I don’t know, saying that they appreciated what I represented, because they had gone through sicknesses themselves.”
Of course, being on television comes with a certain amount of fame, which Anwen is still getting used to.
However, she points out that the few times that she has been recognized are usually when she’s in the company of Star, who has a more prominent role on Burden of Truth. She shares an apartment with Star when filming in Winnipeg as well as when working in Toronto.
“I don’t get recognized too often because I’m not the main character, but Star and I have been recognized when we are out together and we’ve been asked to have our photos taken,” Anwen says.
“It’s a bit surreal. It’s definitely weird. I never thought I’d get to the point where that would be a thing, because that’s never what I wanted. I didn’t get into this for fame. I just did it because I love it. Acting makes me happy.”
After filming the second season of Burden of Truth last summer, Anwen returned to Toronto to film her second series, October Faction, throughout the fall.
Adapted from the IDW comic book series written by Steve Niles and starring J.C. MacKenzie, Tamara Taylor, and Megan Follows, everyone involved in October Faction is tight-lipped about the series. So getting Anwen to talk about the show is a bit of a challenge.
“I can tell you that it’s a story about a family of monster hunters,” she says. “It’s a horror supernatural teen drama and there are all the vampires and magic and fighting monsters and that sort of stuff. I play a supporting character named Cathy Macdonald. I’m the comedic relief, but my character is not in the comic book. She’s a bit of a goof ball. But that’s all I’m able to say.”
Netflix describes the series as “the adventures of a retired monster-hunter and his family, which includes a thrill-killer, a witch and a warlock” and, according to IMBD, Anwen’s character Cathy Macdonald appears in six of the 11 episodes of the series.
In “October Faction”, the upcoming Netflix series about the adventures of a retired monster-hunter and his family based on the comic book by Steve Niles, Anwen O’Driscoll will play the role of Cathy Macdonald (which doesn’t appear in the original comic) in six of the 11 episodes of the series. (Photo: IDW)
With a bit of encouragement, Anwen does reveal a little bit more about her character.
“I’m playing a much different role than in Burden of Truth,” she continues. “On Burden of Truth, Taylor is very reserved and has a lot of baggage, but with Cathy I could just totally have fun with. They let me go loose and do whatever I wanted. I was able to play around with the character a lot more.”
With two TV series now on her acting resume, this winter Anwen gained representation through the exclusive Los Angeles-based agency The Burstein Company, which has led to a six-week once-in-a-lifetime trip to Los Angeles for a series of meetings, auditions, and workshops, in the hopes that her career in television might grow into the U.S market.
While her management team has been setting up meetings with studios, casting agents, and producers, Anwen spent much of January getting new headshots done and putting together a new demo reel.
“The things that will be happening in Los Angeles are called generals, which are meetings with directors and producers,” Anwen explains. “They aren’t necessarily auditions where I act in the room. The people I am meeting with see my headshots and my demo reel, so they’ll already know what I do.”
I ask how she feels about the possibility of being in the common scenario where she’s auditioning in a sea of other actresses who look just like her.
“That doesn’t bother me so much anymore,” she answers with confidence. “When I was younger it’d bother me, and it’d be very stressful, but my view has changed. It’s competition, but every actress is completely unique.
“The casting directors are looking for a certain thing. You could have your hair slightly longer than another girl, and that’d be what would get you noticed. It’s not because of your skill or because you’re a bad actor. There are so many things that go into choosing who gets a role.”
Anwen O’Driscoll (right) appears as Lana with her best friend Star Slade as Simone in the 2017 STEM-related web series “Emerald Code”. (Photo: Shaftesbury Films)
I also ask Anwen if she is feeling any pressure about her trip, with so much anticipation and excitement amongst her family and friends and her colleagues at the Lindsay Little Theatre.
“Right now I don’t feel that there’s any pressure,” she says. “I hear that things in L.A. can get crazy and there will be two or three auditions in a day, but I know that my management team is really good at taking care of me. I’ll be well mentally and not just thrown around from meeting to meeting.”
Anwen left for L.A. in January after my interview with her, and over that time I’ve contacted her and her family a number of times. Anwen has been staying in West Hollywood, where the famous Hollywood sign looms over her neighbourhood. She has had little time for sightseeing or recreation, being kept busy meeting producers and directors.
Anwen is very protective about her business and is vague about what has been put together for her so far, but I did receive an encouraging message from her.
“I’ve been meeting with my agents/managers so far, and self-taping for Canada. Pilot season is just starting to begin, so we will see. Even if nothing comes of the trip, I’m just so happy to be down here and have this experience. I just love the energy.”
It’ll be another couple of weeks before Anwen returns home to Lindsay, and it might be a bit longer before she learns if anything emerges out of her Los Angeles trip. However, with one hit series currently on TV and another highly anticipated series in the wings, big things are already happening for this local actress.
What is refreshing is that, despite her success, Anwen still considers Lindsay Little Theatre her home base. In 2019, she performed there in two shows, My Heart is a Suitcase and Proof, and she is slated to appear in another Lindsay Little Theatre production in 2019.
Anwen has a unique quality that is rare in small-town actresses. She is dedicated to her craft, highly professional, and bleeds real emotion in every performance she gives. She is one of the most impressive young actresses I’ve ever met.
I’m already a big fan, and I hope one day I’ll be saying “I interviewed Anwen O’Driscoll in my living room before she hit it big in Hollywood.”
A jackknifed tractor trailer and four other vehicles were involved in a serious collision on Highway 401 near Brighton on the morning of February 13, 2019. One of the drivers was transported to hospital with serious injuries. (Photo: Northumberland OPP)
The westbound lanes of Highway 401 between County Road 40 and County Road 30 east of Brighton have been reopened following a serious collision involving a jackknifed tractor trailer and four other vehicles.
The accident happened at around 9:40 a.m. on Wednesday morning (February 13). One of the drivers was transported to hospital with serious injuries.
Highway 401 westbound was closed between Quinte West and Brighton for several hours while OPP members trained in collision reconstruction measured and documented the scene. Weather and road conditions may have been a contributing factor but the crash remains under investigation.
The westbound lanes of Highway 401 were closed between Quinte West and Brighton while OPP members trained in collision reconstruction measured and documented the scene. (Photo: Northumberland OPP)
There was no updated information on the status of the injured driver at the time of this report.
The OPP is reminding motorists to drive with caution and allow yourself extra time to reach your destination. Sudden storms and plunging temperatures can drastically change road conditions and reduce visibility.
Co-founder of the Society of Beer Drinking Ladies in Toronto, Ren Navarro is a champion of diversity in Ontario's craft beer industry. She will be speaking at "Beer Diversity", an event hosted by The Electric City Brigade of Beer Betches and sponsored by Publican House, on February 17, 2019 at Peterborough Square. (Photo courtesy of Ren Navarro)
This month, food writer Eva Fisher drinks to beer diversity, joins a Viking horde, starts a farm on her balcony, and enjoys healthy beverages and organic snacks from Jo Anne’s Place Health Foods.
Beer event on February 17th celebrates diversity in and out of the glass
Erin Broadfoot is co-owner and co-head brewer at Little Beasts Brewing Company. At “Beer Diversity” on February 17, 2019 at Peterborough Square, she will speak about her story and the challenges she faces as a woman in the beer industry. (Photo courtesy of Erin Broadfoot)
Craft beer is known for its diverse flavours and aromas: strong hops, chocolate stouts, and unique seasonals. The people behind the beer? Less so, with the bearded white brewer trope becoming so ubiquitous that the recently closed local brewery Beard Free Brewing named their brand to debunk it.
The Electric City Brigade of Beer Betches is a local champion of diversity in the beer industry, and their upcoming event Beer Diversity, sponsored by Publican House, is an opportunity for beer lovers to embrace diversity in and out of the glass.
The event takes place on Sunday, February 17th from 12 to 6 p.m. in the lower level of the Peterborough Square at the Peterborough Regional Farmer’s Market location.
Beer Diversity will feature presentations by Ren Navarro and Erin Broadfoot.
Ren is co-founder of The Society of Beer Drinking Ladies and calls herself “the craft beer unicorn.” She is an acclaimed and exciting speaker with extensive experience as a beer rep.
Beer Betches founder Sara George explains:
“She’s a woman, she’s black, and she’s queer, so if you hire her you’re checking off all of the boxes that you’re required to check off. It’s a very tongue-in-cheek way of saying that the craft beer industry is not as diverse as it should be.”
Erin is co-owner and co-head brewer at Little Beasts Brewing Company. After an original career as a naturopathic doctor focusing in gynecology and fertility, she decided to completely change careers and become a brewer. She will share her story and talk about some of the challenges of being a woman in the beer industry.
Sara George, the “Head Betch” of the Electric City Brigade of Beer Betches, a women’s beer group in Peterborough. (Photo: Sara George)
Sara says that diversity is the key to making more people feel comfortable in the growing craft beer industry, and that’s something that her events champion.
“It’s very important to me because I want to see a diverse audience, because why limit beer to one group of people?” she explains.
“It’s really nice to see how comfortable people are walking through the doors of a Betches event and seeing a group of women just like them who are really excited about beer and really enjoy it, and know that they’re not going to come across any condescension and they’re not going to come across someone who is going to make them feel uncomfortable.
“That’s what I strive for in every one of my events.”
In addition to the talks, there will be a tasting featuring brews from Publican House, Smithhavens, Bobcaygeon Brewing, Little Beasts, Cameron’s, Bancroft Brewing, Town Brewery, Second Wedge, Manantler, and Partake Brewing, as well as a range of food, craft, and drink vendors.
Tickets are $30 (including two drink tickets and a sample glass) and will be available at the door.
Dine as the Vikings did at Dalewood Golf Course in Cobourg
Sean Carthew of Ontario Street Theatre (right) is teaming up with Dalewood Golf Course to present a Viking-themed dinner theatre show, with a family-friendly event on March 8th and an adults-only event on March 9th. (Photo courtesy of Ontario Street Theatre)
Forget the cutlery and tear into a Viking-style feast!
“Game of Horns The Panto: A Viking Great Celebration” is a raucous dinner theatre experience taking place on Friday, March 8th and Saturday, March 9th at Dalewood Golf Club (7465 Dale Rd., Cobourg, 905-885-8409).
Entertainment will be provided by Ontario Street Theatre with plenty of audience interaction. At the end of the meal, a Viking king will be crowned.
The March 8th performance will be designed for families, and the March 9th event will be for adults.
Dalewood Chef Jennifer Robison has designed a special menu for an evening of Viking-themed debauchery. (Photo: Dalewood Golf Club)
Chef Jennifer Robison has designed a special menu for each evening. Dinner will be served family style, and will feature soup slurped straight from the bowl, chicken for the family night, individual cornish hens for the adult evening, roasted vegetables, and a dessert. On March 9th, there will be growlers of beer from William Street Beer Co. at each table.
Your finest Viking beards and armour are encouraged. For the family show, tickets are $45 for adults and $25 for children under 12. For the not-so-family show, tickets are $65 for adults. Tickets can be purchased in advance online.
Dig in with Nourish’s Urban Agriculture Series
Nourish’s Urban Agriculture Series will teach participants the basics of growing their own fruit and vegetables. The first workshop in the series will cover the basics of starting seeds, but Jillian Bishop of Nourish recommends that participants take all five classes to get the most from the series. (Poster: Nourish)
Are you interested in growing your own food but don’t know where to start? Nourish’s Urban Agriculture series offers a chance to learn the basics from Community Food Cultivator Jillian Bishop, a star in the Peterborough urban agriculture movement.
The class offers something for everyone, from balcony gardeners to those with a large plot of land.
The first class will teach the basics of starting seeds indoors, but there are also workshops on planning your garden, growing great soil, seed saving, and building community gardening projects with your neighbours.
Growing your own vegetables provides an inexpensive, healthy and environmentally sustainable food source. (Photo: Jillian Bishop / Nourish)
Jillian says that growing your own food is not only cheap and environmentally sustainable, it can help you to build community by connecting you with like-minded people in your neighbourhood, whether it be out in your community garden or at the workshop series itself.
“Not only do we want to provide people with the basic knowledge and skills they need, but maybe they are going to meet people in their community that are interested in similar things.”
The Urban Agriculture Series is free, but be sure to reserve your spot in advance at https://nourishproject.ca/urban-agriculture-series
Healthy options made even more convenient with Jo Anne’s Place’s new renovation
Jo Anne’s Place Health Foods will officially open their new beverage bar, ’76 Sips, on March 18th, 2019. (Photo: Julia Luymes / Jo Anne’s Place)
Jo Anne’s Place Health Foods (1260 Lansdowne St, Peterborough, 705-749-9474) has recently been renovated, with a grab-and-go cooler, an expanded selection of fresh fruit and vegetables, and a new beverage bar called ‘76 Sips.
The beverage bar, which officially opens on March 18th, features a variety of coffee, tea, and healthy smoothies.
The smoothies will include a chocolate smoothie, a green smoothie, and an immunity-boosting smoothie, with the option to mix in healthy add ons like protein, spirulina, and collagen.
When it comes to food, Jo Anne’s Place’s ethic is to choose organic, non-GMO, and local when possible. They also have lots of options for people with food allergies and sensitivities.
Operations manager Sharon Walker notes that their newly expanded fresh fruit and vegetable section offers one of the largest selections in the Kawarthas. She says Jo Anne’s Place chooses certified organic products from Ontario whenever possible.
Products from further afield are sourced from places with rigid organic requirements to make sure that the food they sell is healthy and safe.
The new grab-and-go section has healthy convenience foods including salads, desserts, drinks and more for a handy lunch or snack. Sharon says that Jo Anne’s Place ultimately plans to offer their own line of grab and go goodies.
“That is definitely our future goal for our grab-and-go, and for the beverage bar really — to expand that option to see what else we can offer.”
’76 Sips, named after the founding of Jo Anne’s Place in 1976, will feature a rotating selection of coffee and tea. Selections will be available to purchase and bring home. (Photo: Julia Luymes / Jo Anne’s Place)
Former Prairie Oyster frontman Russell deCarle performs with his band (Steve Briggs, John Dymond, John Sheard) at Market Hall Performing Arts Centre on February 23, 2019. (Publicity photo)
It’s one thing to be comfortable with one’s past, but moving on with no regrets is a special place reserved for the truly content.
Russell deCarle
When: Saturday, February 23, 2019 at 8 p.m. Where: Market Hall Performing Arts Centre (140 Charlotte St. E, Peterborough) How much: $30 general admission, $35 assigned cabaret table seat
Russell deCarle will be accompanied by Steve Briggs (guitar), John Sheard (piano), and John Dymond (bass). Tickets are available at the Market Hall box office, by phone at 705-749-1146, or online at markethall.org.
As a founding member and lead singer of Canadian country roots band Prairie Oyster, Russell deCarle has nothing but good memories when he reflects on the band’s initial run from 1974 to 1978 and its subsequent and more commercially successful second coming that spanned the period from 1982 to 1996.
It’s no surprise that deCarle has good memories about his time with Prairie Oyster.
Besides writing and recording a number of top 10 singles and issuing eight top-selling albums, the band took home six Juno Awards and 11 Canadian Country Music Awards.
“I’m really proud of what we accomplished, but it is in the rear-view mirror,” says deCarle, who has since fashioned a very productive and satisfying solo career for himself, manifesting itself in the form of three albums and sold-out shows across Canada.
“I really don’t live very far in the past and I don’t live very far in the future,” he adds. “I’m really trying to live in the present. I’m proud of the stuff I wrote for Prairie Oyster, but now I get to tell my own story with my material. I’m very proud of what we did but it had run its course.”
Russell deCarle (right) performed with Prairie Oyster for 35 years. The award-winning band was inducted into the Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame in 2008. (Publicity photo)
On Saturday, February 23rd, deCarle will headline at the Market Hall Performing Arts Centre, joined by guitarist Steve Briggs (Bebop Cowboys, Sylvia Tyson, Murray McLauchlan), bassist John Dymond (Blackie and the Rodeo Kings, Bruce Cockburn, k.d. lang) and pianist John Sheard (The Vinyl Café, Rita MacNeil, Rita Coolidge, Celine Dion).
General admission tickets to the 8 p.m. concert cost $30 — or $35 for assigned cabaret-style seating — and can be ordered at the Market Hall box office, by phone at 705-749-1146, or online at markethall.org.
While deCarle has nothing but good memories of his time with Prairie Oyster, the rewards that his solo career has brought his way also number many.
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“One of the great things about doing my own show is I get to do my material and a lot of my favourite material,” he says.
“I don’t really do anything I’m not emotionally connected to. I have a huge repertoire. I rarely use a set list. Whatever I feel like doing, I kind of pull out of the hat and there’s usually a story to go with every song. I get to tell my own story. You can’t really do that with a band, even if you’re the singer. You have to take into account you’re representing five or six people up there on stage. It’s not just your own thing.”
Another big difference for deCarle is that he’s no longer playing bass as he did with Prairie Oyster.
“I’m in a situation now where I get to work with some of my favourite players who are also really great pals. I’m not playing bass; I play guitar so I get to work with some of my favourite bass players.
“One of the constants is I always play with Steve (Briggs). I hired Steve for a tour I did with Merle Haggard. It was a life-changing event for both of us. That was in 2004 and I’ve been playing with Steve ever since. We’re soul partners.”
The Russell deCarle Trio (Denis Keldie, Russell deCarle, and Steve Briggs) performing at the Lula Lounge in Toronto in 2014. (Photo: Jerry Abramowicz)
As a solo artist, deCarle released his debut album, Under The Big Big Sky, in 2010. He formed The Russell deCarle Trio in its aftermath, performing an eclectic mix of blues, jazz, country, Latin, R&B and Western swing with Briggs and accordionist Denis Keldie (The Extras, Denis Keldie Trio, Jeff Healey, Etta James, Doug Riley).
The trio released Live At Loud Mouse Studios in 2014, and performed at the Nexicom Studio at Showplace Performance Centre in March 2015.
deCarle’s latest album, Alone In This Crowd, was released in 2017 and also features Briggs and Keldie. At his Market Hall concert, deCarle will be accompanied by Briggs along with bassist John Dymond and pianist John Sheard.
Russell deCarle will be joined by bassist John Dymond, pictured here performing with Lee Harvey Osmond at the Market Hall on February 8, 2019. (Photo: Bruce Head / kawarthaNOW.com)Russell deCarle will also be joined by pianist John Sheard, pictured here with the late Stuart McLean. Sheard was the music director and pianist for McLean’s long-running CBC radio show The Vinyl Cafe. (Photo courtesy of John Sheard)
“These guys really dig the material,” deCarle says. “It isn’t like they’re just mercenary musicians that I’m hiring. There’s a real connection with everybody I tend to play with.”
While he admits the transition from bass to guitar was “a huge leap,” deCarle credits Briggs for much of his progress, terming him “one of the greatest teachers in the country.” And he while loves the songwriting side of the equation, he’s well aware of what he is at the end of the day.
“I’m a singer who writes songs,” he admits. “I’ve always thought of myself more as a singer that anything else. I’ve kept my range and I feel like I’m a better singer now than I’ve ever been. The voice is an instrument. You don’t just open your mouth and it’s there.
“With every experience in the studio you learn something. I get to do such a variety of material now. I really get to work my voice and I write stuff that’s melodically interesting to sing. Joan Besen of Prairie Oyster, who wrote a lot of our biggest hits, would write a lot of times for my voice. She would really push me. I now write stuff that’s fun for me to sing.”
VIDEO: “Feel like Hank Williams Tonight” – Russell deCarle with Steve Briggs
Despite the solo tag, it’s clear that the group dynamic still remains important to deCarle.
“A lot of the reason I got into playing music, what attracted me, was the camaraderie: playing with other musicians. I’m not really the guy who plays all the instruments on my records, nor do I want to do that. I love the experience of working with a great engineer, people who are really good at what they do, and other musicians.”
For the Peterborough show, deCarle says that along with doing some favourite cover tunes, he’ll perform material from his album releases as well as a few Prairie Oyster songs. The gig, he notes, marks a bit of a homecoming for deCarle, who lives a short drive away in the Janetville area.
“Prairie Oyster basically started in Peterborough. In the 1970s, the original band played once a month or so at the Trent Inn. Dennis Delorme lived in Peterborough and still does. I first played in Peterborough in a band called The King City Slickers. It’s a very special place.”
Peterborough in the 1970s was also where deCarle first met Willie P. Bennett, the legendary folk singer-songwriter who passed away in 2008. They went on to write songs together and became great friends.
Ahead for deCarle is the Folk Alliance International conference in Montreal from February 13th to 17th. He’s also writing new material, with the plan to get into the studio this spring and emerge with a new album.
VIDEO: “Shooting Star” – Russell deCarle with Steve Briggs and Denis Keldie
In the meantime, he remains over-the-top thankful that life post-Prairie Oyster has seen him remain on top of his game and relevant.
“That I get to still do this is fantastic,” he says. “It’s a real gift that I’ve been given. I’m so fortunate to get to do what I do. I never take it for granted.
“And I never take it for granted when people show up to see me play. The music business has changed so much. There’s a lot of competition out there for audiences, so when people show up I’m just so appreciative.”
In "Copper Promises: Hinemihi Haka", Australian dance artist Victoria Hunt interweaves her experience of reconnecting with her Maori heritage with the story of Hinemihi, an ancestral Maori meeting house that was relocated from its New Zealand home to England in the 19th century. (Photo: Heidrun Lohr)
After bringing the acclaimed Australian indigenous dance company Djuki Mala to Showplace Performance Centre earlier this month, Public Energy Performing Arts is taking Peterborough audiences on another trip down under when Victoria Hunt performs her solo show Copper Promises: Hinemihi Haka at Market Hall Performing Arts Centre on Tuesday, February 19th.
Both Djuki Mala’s and Victoria Hunt’s performances in Peterborough have been organized by Public Energy’s guest curator Patti Shaughnessy, who has become an expert at programming international indigenous artists.
A dance artist based in Sydney, Australia, Hunt’s heritage is Maori, the indigenous Polynesian people of New Zealand. In 2003, Hunt went to Aotearoa (the Maori name for New Zealand) and met her relations for the first time. She was taken to Tarawera mountain and lake and introduced to tribal stories and ceremonial practices.
Maori meeting house Hinemihi after the eruption of Mount Tarawera in New Zealand in 1886. The building, which sheltered Victoria Hunt’s ancestors during the eruption, was dismantled and transported to England five years later. (Photo: A A Ryan/Hinemihi Collection)Hinemihi now resides in Clandon Park in Surrey, UK. Clandon Park has been the seat of the Earls of Onslow for over two centuries. In 1892, the Fourth Earl of Onslow William Hillier Onslow had Hinemihi dismantled and shipped from its ancestral home in New Zealand to Clandon Park, where she remains to this day under the care of the National Trust UK.
There, she heard the story of the 1886 volcanic eruption that displaced her ancestors from their land. Over 150 people died in the eruption of Mount Tarawera, but others were protected from the ash and mud by sheltering themselves in a meeting house built in 1880 from native totara wood by two local carvers.
The meeting house was named Hinemihi after a noted female ancestor, renowned in Maori legend for keeping the company of a giant lizard.
After the eruption, the survivors relocated to a nearby community and Hinemihi was left behind, almost buried in debris. In 1892, William Hillier Onslow — the Fourth Earl of Onslow and retiring Governor of New Zealand — purchased Hinemihi for 50 pounds as a memento of his time in New Zealand. He had Hinemihi dismantled and shipped to his home in Surrey, England, where she remains to this day under the care of the National Trust UK.
“Copper Promises: Hinemihi Haka” uses sophisticated special effects and evocative sound, along with beautifully suggestive dancing and the Maori language. (Photo: Heidrun Lohr)
Copper Promises: Hinemihi Haka interweaves the journey of Hinemihi with Hunt’s own experience of finding family, of reconnecting with culture, and of learning from land, ancestors, and peers.
Using sophisticated special effects and evocative sound, with beautifully suggestive dancing and her native Maori language, Hunt and her collaborators have created a world of rupture and foreboding and of resilience and joy.
“I am the house and the house is me … I dance the history of the house and she reveals my history,” Hunt says. “There are multiple ways to tell the story of Hinemihi: it’s a story of origins, a story of traumatic events, and it’s a story of colonial violence. It’s also my story.”
VIDEO: “Copper Promises: Hinemihi Haka” – Victoria Hunt
Hunt’s production of Copper Promises: Hinemihi Haka will be performed at 8 p.m. on Tuesday, February 19th at Market Hall Performing Arts Centre (140 Charlotte St., Peterborough) and will be followed by an on-stage question-and-answer session with the artists.
Tickets are $25 ($15 for students and the underwaged and $10 for high school students) and are available in person at the Market Hall Box Office, by phone at 705-749-1146, or online at markethall.org.
Barb Overwijk from Rubidge Retirement Residence and Kawartha Rotary member Janet McLeod with a few of the 80 customized Valentine's Day cards Rotary members made for residents of Rubidge Retirement Residence in Peterborough. (Photo courtesy of Rotary Club of Peterborough Kawartha)
Members of Rotary Club of Peterborough Kawartha are sending the residents of Rubidge Retirement Residence some love this Valentine’s Day.
Most people are familiar with the larger causes Kawartha Rotary takes on, including the Rotary Splash Pad at Nicholls Oval, the outdoor gym in Beavermead Park, and fundraising for the acquisition and subsequent training of police dog Isaac.
But Rotary members also regularly take on smaller projects that the club refers to as (no surprise) “small projects”.
Rotary member Janet McLeod (owner of East City Flower Shop in Peterborough) took the lead on one such project at Kawartha Rotary’s January 24th meeting.
She introduced Barb Overwijk from Rubidge Retirement Residence, an assisted living retirement residence in Peterborough for seniors, and Rotary members proceeded to make 80 unique Valentine’s Day cards for Rubidge residents.
Members customized each card using stickers, craft paper, ribbon, stamps, and craft tools. McLeod then stamped each card with the message “Hand-made with Love!” and placed them in envelopes to be distributed to residents at Rubidge Retirement Residence on Valentine’s Day.
It may be a “small project”, but it’s sure to have a big impact on the residents, reminding them they are loved.
Barb Overwijk from Rubidge Retirement Residence (second from left) with Janet McLeod and some other Kawartha Rotary members at their January 24th meeting. Rotary members made 80 customized Valentine’s Day cards for residents of Rubidge Retirement Residence. (Photo courtesy of Rotary Club of Peterborough Kawartha)
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