Special are those times when one is able to do something he or she loves to the great benefit of others.

For Lindsay natives Dennis Carmichael and Brooks Robinson, the love interest here is their lifelong performance of music, which over the last few years has manifested itself in the form of Boots of Hazard, a four-piece country music band that also includes guitarist Craig Stacey and drummer Gavin Gartshore.

What’s new is 21 Charities, an ambitious community outreach initiative that will see Carmichael and Robinson perform their two-person acoustic show for 21 consecutive days beginning Saturday, August 25th — with each performance hosted by an organization or community group looking to raise money for, and awareness of, their specific cause.

The music marathon of giving will culminate Friday, September 14th at Lindsay’s historic Academy Theatre, bringing together representatives of each of the involved charities for a grand celebration.

“A lot of times we have had turn down charity shows because we’re booked or we’re doing a video shoot … we’ve had to say no and we’ve felt bad about it,” notes Robinson, a guitarist who lives in Oshawa.

“What we decided was why don’t we take it (performing for charitable causes) into our own hands. Let’s try to come up with an idea that’s a real community builder, something that helps a bunch of small charities that might not have the time and raise the funds that a big charity would make.”

When the two first discussed the idea, they considered a 100-performance schedule — “I just about got sick to my stomach,” says Carmichael of his thoughts on that prospect — but they eventually settled on 21 performances in 21 days as the perfect scenario.

To date, five charities have signed on, and have specific dates and show locations in place, but Carmichael notes they expect to be over the halfway mark soon. The only requirement of each group is it provides a $100 donation to The Academy Theatre, which is the duo’s charity of choice.

To book your charity or cause for one the 21 show dates, visit 21charities.com.

“This whole thing is based on a pay-it-forward kind of philosophy,” Carmichael explains.

“There are so many people who I honestly believe are like closet fundraisers: they want to be involved but don’t know how. We’re just the ringleaders giving you an excuse and a conduit to get involved in your community, raise a few bucks, and get to know your neighbours and friends. We’re giving you a span of 21 days that we’re going to promote this in the media and online — everywhere.”

Without doubt, any two people organizing and undertaking an initiative of this scope couldn’t do so without complete trust in each other, not just musically but as friends. Carmichael and Robinson have that covered and then some, having first met in their late teens when the latter saw the former perform.

“He wanted to play,” Carmichael recalls. “He was learning how to play, the band sold him on the idea and he said ‘Ya, a I really want to do this too.’ We ended up playing together and here we are. We had a separation for seven or eight years. We both needed to be apart for a little while because we had already spent over 20 years together. We’ve now been back together for about four years.

“When we were separate, we both got into country unbeknownst to each other, so then when we got back together it was through country rock. That was a kind of oddity. We got a lot of strange looks. We love it though. It’s much easier on our ears, there’s a lot more opportunity to play, and we can write our own stuff.”

In their previous band, called rhubard, Carmichael and Robinson released a six-song EP titled Iron Bridge before issuing Mad Urban Cow, a full-length album. Although they were playing a lot of rock music, Carmichael notes “We were writing what probably were better country songs than rock songs.”

“How we become Boots of Hazard as it is now, with Gavin and Craig, is we really wanted to write some songs and take this from a country rock dance band to an original act,” says Robinson, noting the July 2017 release of the Boots of Hazard single “Muddy Water”, recorded at Toronto’s Phase One Studios, took the union to a whole other level.

“The song is about the Scugog River, fishing on that river with my dad, being given a fishing pole that I still have,” Robinson says. “For the first time in my life, we are writing songs about who we are, what it is that’s real to us. I think it’s the most honest writing and arranging that we’ve ever done. We’re sitting on a dozen songs that we think are as good, if not better, than that song.”

They’ll be releasing a video for “Muddy Water” soon and, although they are aiming now toward the release of a full-length Boots of Hazard album for release next year (and possibly an EP release prior to year’s end), 21 Charities is currently the duo’s central focus. Both see the project as not just an added line item for their musical resume, but as a prerequisite for any success moving forward as a performance and songwriting duo.

“If you want to make money doing music and you want to survive, you need to get involved and touch as many people as you possibly can,” says Carmichael, who plays bass with the band.

“This is an amazing way, a completely positive way, to touch as many people as we can using the best gift we have, which is our musicianship and our songwriting.”

When all is said and done, what success will look like, according to Carmichael, is someone picking up the charitable torch and going forth with an initiative of his or her own design.

“If we can plant a seed, even just one, that somebody walks away from this and is inspired enough to try to do something, take the same amount of risk and time to do something else, that would be a success. We have three weeks to try to get one person to do that.”

“Obviously we love to see a full house (on September 14),” adds Robinson. “We want people that do this to be able to say I was involved; I did something that I wouldn’t have done unless these guys said ‘Here, come on and try this.'”

As for anyone who suggests 21 Charities is self-serving, the benefactors being only the two musicians bringing it to fruition, well, Robinson has an answer for that.

“We talked about that (perception) and looked at each other and said ‘I don’t give a shit.’ Get off your ass, do 21 days for a charity of any kind and I will come to your house, shake your hand and say ‘Way to go.'”

VIDEO: Brooks Robinson and Dennis Carmichael

Carmichael adds both he and his partner acknowledge they’re not re-inventing the wheel here — musicians in communities across Canada have given freely and often of their time to help others — but rather they are also trying to create a model that can, and will, be duplicated by others.

“We would love to see this whole thing happen all over the country,” says Robinson.

“It (giving back) is in our hearts as musicians. It’s one of the only professions that is continually asked to do things for free. We’ve always given as much of our time as we could to charity. It’s always been good for us.

“If we can put our name on this and people say 10 years from now ‘You guys founded 21 Charities, it’s gone on to raise $50 million’ I would cry on my living room couch for days. The music is great but if we can make that kind of an impact, that’s really our goal.

“We know the likelihood of our becoming the next big thing is very slim. I think Dennis and I are the best-kept secret in Ontario. We work every day at music because we love to do this. To have success at something you love to do and tie that in to help somebody else, that’s a dream for us.”

At the wrap-up gala at The Academy Theatre, charities and causes involved in the project will also have the opportunity to put one item in a silent auction, with all proceeds from the sale of their item going back to them.

For more information on Boots of Hazard, visit bootsofhazard.com and to learn more about 21 Charities or to register your charity, visit 21charities.com.

After terrible weather for most of April so far, we’re finally getting some decent spring weather this weekend.

Saturday (April 21) was a beautiful spring day, and for Earth Day today and for the next two days, it’ll continue to be warm and sunny. That should take care of the last remnants of snow and ice. Rain will return on Wednesday though, so enjoy the sunny skies while you can.

But what about summer? Will it be hot and sunny this year, or cool and rainy like last year?

According to Dave Phillips, Environment Canada’s senior climatologist, we can expect a warmer than normal summer in 2018.

“I can already see the muscle shirts, the tank tops, and the beer starting to flow,” Phillips said in an interview with CTV back in March.

However, in that same interview Phillips said he wasn’t expecting any colder than normal conditions in March or April.

Okay, so he didn’t predict the freezing temperatures in April or the ice storm. We’ll give him a pass on that.

While we really, really, really want Environment Canada to be right about a hot summer, we’re taking it all with a grain of salt.

After all, last June Phillips also predicted we were in store for a “warmer than normal” summer. Two months later, after a summer marked by lots of rain and cool temperatures, he admitted it was “a bummer of a summer”.

Phillips has also predicted a “warmer than average” summer in each of the past five years (2014 to 2018). He was correct about 50 per cent of the time, which is about the same accuracy you’d get by guessing.

If you prefer to throw meteorological science and computer modelling completely out the window, you can instead turn to The Old Farmer’s Almanac, which has been publishing continously since 1792.

According to their long-range forecast for Ontario, we are in for a hot and dry summer:

“April and May will be a bit cooler than normal, with near-normal precipitation. Summer will be hotter than normal, with rainfall below normal in Southwest Ontario and above normal elsewhere. The hottest periods will be in early and late June, early July, and mid- to late August.”

The Farmer’s Almanac claims its non-scientific forecasts are 80 per cent accurate, but take that with a salt shaker — their forecast for this weekend is rainy and cool.

Today (April 21) is Record Store Day, a day held every April to celebrate independent record stores.

It’s the final Record Store Day for Moondance located at 425 George Street North in downtown Peterborough — Canada’s oldest independent record store having opened in 1972.

In January, owner Mike Taveroff announced he was closing the shop and retiring. The final day before Moondance closes for good is Saturday, April 28th.

One more week before we close on April 28. Join us today to check out the #RecordStoreDay releases plus the 70% off on most remaining stock! @kawarthaNOW @TheWireMegazine @Thewiggs23 @MichaelKHood @KawarthaTV @PtboChitChat @TrentArthur @ElectricCityOn

— Moondance Music (@MoondancePtbo) April 21, 2018

For Record Store Day 2018, Taveroff is offering 70 per cent off of most of the remaining stock.

He will have some of the new releases for Record Store Day — musicians from Abba to Bob Dylan are issuing new vinyl, while there are also re-releases from Arcade Fire, The Who, and AC/DC.

Live music fans rejoice — The Black Horse Pub in downtown Peterborough will continue on its present form.

Current owner Ray Kapoor confirmed Friday (April 20) that he has sold the property at 452 George Street North to Desmond Vandenberg, a 54-year-old Trent University grad who has been living and working in Toronto in the technology sector since leaving Peterborough.

The deal closes May 7th, confirms Kapoor, noting the purchase price is “very close” to the listed $850,000.

“My goal is to keep it business as usual,” says Vandenberg.

“If someone comes (to The Black Horse) in a few months from now and says ‘Hey, you’ didn’t change anything’, I’m going to be like ‘Mission accomplished … we did what we set out to do.'”

He adds that his motivation to purchase the property, which also includes upper floor apartment units, was fueled by two things: good memories of his time in Peterborough and the prospect that the building could fall victim to the wrecking ball.

“I thoroughly enjoyed my time at Trent,” Vandenberg recalls. “I waited on tables at Red Lobster and drove cabs and worked my way through school. I loved the city but work was in Toronto, so I went there and worked in restaurants … Red Lobster, The Keg, a number of independent places. But it was always in the back of mind that I want to get back to Peterborough.

“Over the last two years, I checked out every listing that came up in Peterborough. The Black Horse Pub is the kind of place I like going to. When I saw that Parkview Homes had purchased it, it was like ‘Aw, that’s terrible.’

“When that fell through, I thought here was my second kick at the can. The idea that people were getting ready to demolish that building, that’s a heartbreak. It’s a beautiful building.”

According to Kapoor, he and Vandenberg started talking in December with the deal finalized “in the last month or so.”

He adds that Vandenberg’s intent to keep the pub open in its current state is a relief to everybody, including him, the staff, and the customers.

“It leaves me sort of my legacy,” Kapoor explains. “We started it and he’s going to continue it. He likes what’s here, he likes live music, and he wants to continue supporting that.”

Moving forward, Kapoor says he and wife Nancy Kerr will take a long overdue vacation and then settle into retired life in East City.

“I’m going to miss the people,” adds Kapoor, who opened The Black Horse in August 2005.

“I’m going to miss the industry. It’s still in my blood and is going to be there for awhile until I get comfortable doing something else.

“I do want to thank the people of Peterborough for supporting me the last 40 years. They followed me from the Holiday Inn to Falstaff’s and Rockwells and the Red Dog and then here. It’s been amazing.”

On Sunday (April 22), The Black Horse will host Musicians’ Appreciation Day from 1 to 9 p.m., featuring 15 acts with all proceeds going to benefit Peterborough musicians. Both Kapoor and Vandenberg will be at that event, with the intent to formally announce the purchase to patrons.

Vandenberg’s plan means Rick and Gailie Young, the longtime musical duo that is as much of a Black Horse fixture as the St. Patrick’s Day countdown clock above the stage, will continue their 12-year run of weekly performances.

“It (the sale) is great news but it’s not great news,” says Gailie, as it means their friend Kapoor will no longer be in the picture.

“But Ray deserves this retirement. I watch him at the end of the bar rubbing his face. I know he’s had enough.”

Reflecting on the Parkview Home’s plan to demolish the building, Gailie recalls “everyone was freaking out … thank God that fell through.”

“I had a had a chance to meet Desmond last week. A very nice guy. He knows what he’s doing, like if it’s not broke, why fix it? He said ‘Gailie, you’re keeping your Crash and Burn on Monday nights and I said ‘Oh, I love you.'”

The board of Showplace Performance Centre has appointed Emily Martin to the position of General Manager as of April 18, 2018.

Martin has been acting in the position since July 2017, when the non-profit organization’s previous general manager, Ray Marshall, resigned to pursue other interests.

For the past year, Martin has provided day-to-day management for the organization and, with the support of staff and volunteers, has led Showplace through successful fall, winter and spring seasons.

“Working with the board, volunteers, and the incredible team at Showplace of Kait Dueck, Rael Corkery, Theresa Foley, Susan Oliver, Arlene Davis, Bill Batten, Maureen Lewis, Diane Stiles and Bill Porter has been an absolute pleasure over the past year,” says Martin. “I’m looking forward to continuing the amazing work that Showplace does for the community.”

Martin came to Showplace in the position of Marketing and Administrative Manager in 2014, following 10 years with Musicfest (the last four as General Manager), where she moved that organization through a significant period of change and rejuvenation.

Her other arts management experience includes positions with the Sudbury Theatre Centre and Georgian Theatre Festival. Martin is also a current board member of New Stages Theatre Company.

Showplace board chair Pat Hooper says Martin will be leading the organization through the normal financial pressures of running a non-profit organization while ensuring the needs of the aging building.

“We are confident that Emily has the skills, knowledge and expertise to lead this journey,” Hooper says.