A Mothers Day Show is Coming to Cornwall

I created this poster below for Jonny Yumang, a fellow singer/songwriter and friend in my local area of Cornwall, ON, Canada. This will be a Mothers Day Show on Saturday May 10th at the Army Navy Airforce Club (ANAF) 14 Marlborough St, Cornwall, ON. Tickets $15 each and can be purchased at Melody Music in advance (104 Pitt St) or at the ANAF Club itself. Cash Only.

I helped Jonny with his Christmas Elvis Show at the Royal Canadian Legion in Cornwall December last year. I worked as a freelance stage hand working with the equipment that they had. I also operated the sound boards and effects required. I accompanied Jonny on some of his songs playing a tambourine. We even did a few duets, and I sang a few Christmas songs in the second half of the show. It was a huge success, and a full house. Nice to see Jonny back in the music game!

Above is the stage that I decorated with what I could find. I also set up our speaker system for the show and electronics, including the computer which contained the backing tracks. The show was structured into 3 parts; the first being Elvis Christmas songs, the second being Other Christmas songs (which I did a few also), and finally a DJ set of a compilation of Christmas classics for the audience to dance to until the end of the evening.

Jonny Yumang (left) myself (right) in the picture above. We rented a spotlight and also bought a disco light for this show and the events going forward. It really makes a difference for the performers on stage to stand out. A nice detail, that really goes a long way!

The upcoming Mothers Day show will feature the music of Englebert Humperdinck, as well as other songs of love. A great chance to take your Mother, Auntie or any loved ones out really. There will be flowers raffled courtesy of Flowers Cornwall, (1325 Pitt St.). I will be covering the show with video and photos, another service that I offer my clients, as well as the many other things that I do. Be sure to explore the website to see!

The show begins at 7pm and goes on until 10pm, we hope to see you there! Travis Lafave will also be accompanying Jonny with his Flying Guitar 🎸

Well that’s all for now folks, until next time…

James Hardiment

Long Needed Dance Bar Returns to Cornwall

Shooters Pub and Nightclub is a great spot in the West part of Cornwall, Ontario, close to the ruins of the former Domtar Plant, and Riverdale neighbourhood. The club has had a long story, it’s been an adult dance bar for most of its history, before it was converted into Roadhouse Pub. It was briefly a Joey’s restaurant too.

Now, the place is under new branding, Yogesh Patel; who owns 2 East Side Mario’s, as well as Mexi’s located downtown, near the Cornwall jail museum; amongst other businesses in town, and beyond. I had the honour, and privilege, of being the DJ at the venue over the summer of 2024. It was a retro themed night, a mix of Afro, and European dance from the 1980s. Many good friends turned out to show their support. I have become a regular, and strong, unofficial promoter, ever since. The food is good, pool is free, and the kitchen is open late. They have tacos, nachos, fish and chips, burgers, loaded fries, appetizers, pizza. The specials are really awesome too, and cost saving!

The staff are warm, and friendly; always smiling. Fridays, and Saturdays are packed with dancers. It really becomes a nightclub around 11-2am. I’ve even been here at full capacity sometimes; which is amazing to see, especially with how different, and ever changing the bar scene has become. I miss dance bars, glad to see them start to return. During the day, it tends to be quieter, and feels more like a restaurant. There’s a couple of slot machines if you want to try your luck.

Sundays at 7pm-11pm my good friend, and fellow DJ Glōm, hosts karaoke nights. They are always a good time, and the sound system is incredible. Some of our favourite duets include; Video Killed the Radio Star - The Buggles, as well as Barbie Girl - Aqua, to name a few…I couldn’t recommend a cooler place to spend your free time, than Shooters Pub and Nightclub. There’s a growing turnout, with people from as far as Morrisburg, and Winchester, coming down to sing.

The venue is located at 830 Second St W, Cornwall, ON, Canada. I look forward to meeting you all in person, for a pint or two at some point. Good friends, good music, good fun.

 

Hopefully I can do some more shows there soon. I’ve been so busy working around town. If you’d like to book me for a show; be it live singing, or DJ mixing the boards, please get in touch through booking forms on this website.

Until next time, don’t ever stop trying in art, business, or life…

James

A Rock Star For the Evening!

Thursday, June 22nd, 2023 was the day that I performed karaoke in front of my largest crowd yet (estimated to be about 300 people) at the Lions Club Bandshell, in Lameroux Park, Cornwall, Ontario, Canada. For those new to the blog I am a singer/songwriter called James Hardiment, who has been performing karaoke regularly in town now for months, to practice for my upcoming original live performances this summer 2023. The event was hosted by both the Lions Club, and Rockstar Party, which is a live entertainment company based in the city owned by Rodney Rivette, who amongst other things is also a musician as well, and a darned good one at that! It was part of the larger “Arts in the Park’ festival taking place over the coming months.

The team behind the scenes was large enough, the ones I knew from the bar karaoke scene were; Christopher Chalette, and Brittany Robinson. Not to mention the various stage hands, and also the camera man filming the event onto the projector behind us as we sang. Really cool set-up, Rodney knows how to put on a great show as usual! Brittany sang an Abba song too which was great, Chris got up too, and Rodney. I sang 2 songs, “Pop Musik” by M, followed by, “I’m in a Hurry”, by Alabama. It was a whole different experience for myself, I hadn’t performed on a big stage since my high school days, it was probably my biggest gathering to date. I was surprised at how composed I kept myself, not going to lie though, my leg did start to shake a little bit.

When the show began it was a little too bright with the sun, but by the time I performed it had set significantly which helped to see the lyrics on the screen in front of me. The audience seemed to be pleased, there was much applause, which I am grateful for, it always nice to see people happy. I really want to help support the arts in the community, and get as many people involved as I can. It’s fun to let loose and sing sometimes, takes away the pain, or sorrow that a person might feel, deep in their heart…not talking about anyone in particular, just in general of course! Rockstar Party offers a wide variety of genres to perform, and Rodney makes that extra effort to use really cool tricks to make you sound as great as possible, no auto-tune though sorry!

My friend and fellow performer Jonny Yumang took some pictures of me on stage as I sang, which I have since cleaned up in my editor program to show the people who missed the show. Check the website regularly for upcoming live shows this summer, I will be posting them soon! It will be at the top in the menu section, all goes well. There are plenty of great musicians, film screenings, etc which are coming to the park this summer, so be sure to check the Arts in the Park schedule:

https://www.cornwall.ca/en/play-here/arts-in-the-park.aspx

Don’t forget Rockstar Party will return with more Karaoke in the park soon with the Rib Fest Idol competition. Check their official page for more updates:

https://cornwallribfest.com/ribfestidol/

You can find all of us around town performing karaoke in the meantime, Rockstar Party hosts at Rendezvous Restaurant at 1213 Pitt St. Cornwall, Ontario, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday from 8pm-12pm or later on the weekends. Be sure to join their group on Facebook for event updates too, they also do sound for many different live acts as well.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/2244363646

So if you are looking for some things to do in Cornwall this summer 2023, it looks like the events are starting to kick off, which is always my favourite time of the year. Things are open again, let’s get out there and have an amazing warm season together as a community. I’m loving the music scene here in town, I knew very little about it in all honesty, I seem to recall helping to sell merchandise for a local band called Graham Greer (I believe they are going to be at Arts in the Park this year also!) with an old high school friend called Josh back in the day as they performed one night in Ottawa, and some of my friends have had various projects, but now I’m at the bars I’m meeting more and more cool musicians. You can also check out the “Cornwall Ontario Area Musicians”, page if you are looking to meet or collaborate with fellow artists:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/187277234633703

Until I write again…

James

Milling Around Martintown...

I took a visit from my place in Long Sault, Ontario, Canada up to the lovely little community of Martintown, situated beside the Raisin River about 5-10 minutes away from my home. For those of you reading the blog for the first time, my name is James Hardiment. I am a singer/songwriter based in the area that was originally born in the UK in a place called Rochdale, just outside of Manchester in the United Kingdom. I’ve spent over half my life in Canada now, attending high school here in Cornwall, Ontario (about 15 minutes away from my house).

Being a member of the Focus Art Association in Cornwall, a non-for-profit visual arts club, which I was briefly the Vice-President of last year, I often get emails about local art related events in the community and surrounding areas. Last week I received an email regarding an art event up at the Martintown Grist Mill, when I got in touch they explained the events would be held on various Sundays this summer. When I told the organizer that I was also a singer/songwriter she offered me a chance to perform, I’m still working out the details but if it goes ahead as planned I’ll be sure to let you guys know on my official musician Facebook page! (If you scroll to the bottom of this site all my social links are there!)

According to the sign outside the Grist Mill, it was constructed by Malcolm McMartin’s son in 1846, Alexander, who went on to become a politician, militia leader, as well as a successful businessman. His father Malcolm owned many mills which provided a local service, deemed essential, in an era of poor transportation, it helped to create the town itself, and it’s named after the McMartin family. The mill would operate commercially until 1947. Created with the local fieldstone, the structure is 30 x 55 feet, and 4 stories in height. In 1986 it was near collapse, but has since been restored to the public, serving as both a museum, and local event space, since 2004. In 1997 the Martintown Mill Preservation Society, a non-for-profit organization took ownership and maintain the property, members will also guide you through the space, teaching you about the community, its roots, and origin stories.

It looks like if I do perform it will be outside on a stage that has been constructed in the front entrance of the mill. There appears to be plug ins so I should be able to plug in my speakers, and equipment to play the backing tracks. There will be plenty of musicians performing over the summer hopefully, liven up downtown Martintown a bit! I went down to the river and spotted a Heron, I snapped a picture but I was too far away for it to look good, with just my phone. Earlier in the year there is a big canoe race on the river, would love to check it out someday.

Inside the building you can still see some of the original equipment on display, much of the original gear has been transported to Upper Canada Village, which is a museum town that has a working historic mill for tourists. (Not too far away up the number 2 highway West from Cornwall, it’s a nice drive in the summer months for sure.) The 2nd level of the Grist Mill now serves as a museum, telling the rich history of the settlement, and some of the key people who made a difference over the years. Some artifacts are on display, and old signage, tools that would have been used, scale models of the local structures, and more. It was very interesting to delve deeper into a place I drove past on a regular basis, but actually knew very little about.

I hope to interview one of the members of the Preservation Society soon and go into more detail about the place. That was one of the goals of the blog, and podcast, to showcase towns, and people in the area which are trying to make a positive difference to the community. Many people will go off to a resort or major worldwide destination for a holiday, and that’s fine there’s nothing wrong with that, but there is so much to explore in our own backyards! I just want to show you there’s more out there locally than just work and home, especially now as things start to open back up again, and the world goes back to whatever normal is these days.

If you’d like to learn more about the mill you can visit their official website, I’ll post the link below:

www.martintownmill.org

Be sure to follow me on social media as I mentioned before to find out when I’ll be performing, I’m excited and grateful for this amazing opportunity, I love how supportive people have been for us local artists in the community. Hope to see you at some point, until then you can always check the blog to see what I’m getting up to.

That’s all for now,

James

Brockville Reawakens

The summer is getting closer now, today was finally nice weather for a change! I was actually able to wear a tank top, begin to work on my natural tan on my arms. It’s so surreal to think that a few days it go it was cold, grey, and miserable. That’s how the weather is in Canada, for those reading from overseas, or in other parts of North, and South America. Ontario, the Province (basically like a state), I reside in gets very hot and humid in the warmer times of year (May til around the fall months). In the winter it gets bone chillingly cold, not necessarily as cold as more Northern parts of the country. I live near the USA border, as do most Canadians, the communities further North, in this vast land, tend to be smaller in population. There are some large cities though, Northward, but the largest Canadian cities are all near the USA, in the Southern parts of the nation.

I took a visit today to a lovely little tearoom called Cosies, located in the heart of downtown Brockville, Ontario, Canada. I’ve done a piece on them before. For those new to the blog, my name is James Hardiment, I am a singer/songwriter based near Cornwall, Ontario, Canada. It’s a little border town that borders New York State in the USA. Brockville is also on the border, a little further down the St. Lawrence river, which divides the 2 countries apart from each other.

Cosies was having a special celebration in honour of the new King of Great Britain being crowned, King Charles III, in his Coronation ceremony. They had a sticky toffee pudding on the menu as a special item, on top of the usual British delicacies, and it was absolutely faboulous (a picture of that British comedy show Ab Fab is on the walls, amongst others too!). Abi Goodyer, the daughter of the owners Alison, and Paul Goodyer, had baked them fresh today. It was so warm, rich, and sweet. My tastebuds were delighted by the sweet British treat. I think the last time I’ve actually had the desert, was back in 2020 before the pandemic, when I went to visit my Nana in the UK. It’s sort of a spongey, brown cake, with toffee poured on top of it, and a healthy dollop of whipped cream, sort of like a hat, or crown, on the cake. I also ordered a pot of tea, Yorkshire Gold, with milk, as I usually do. The way us Brits like to drink our tea, I never could really get into the whole herbal, and flavoured teas that are so popular over here.

After dining at Cosies, I said my goodbyes and ventured around the downtown core, King St. specifically, the tearoom is actually at 45 King St. West, very close to the courthouse, which is just up a hill on a side street, which is divided in the centre with statues, fountains, lawns, and flowers. The fountain wasn’t working yet, I imagine they will switch it on soon, now the snow is gone, but I’m not sure. I took a look up that area as well, and discovered a bit about the courthouse, and it’s history.

Pictured: The Leeds-Grenville County Courthouse building, in the heart of Brockville, and it’s downtown core. The building is seeped in lots of interesting history.

Finally competed in 1843, the current courthouse that you see, in the pictures above, was designed in a Neo-Classical style, by Toronto architect, John George Howard. The actual construction of the building was lead by a man, named Benjamin Chaffey, who was a contractor based in the area, at that time. It’s a very imposing, impressive structure, reminding people of what happens if they disobey the rules of the town! Not sure if that’s what he was going for, but that’s how I interpret it anyways. On the top, I noticed a clock, and a flag pole, with a statue of a woman, holding the scales of justice in her hand. Known as “Sally Grant”, this is actually a replica of the original statue, carved from wood by William Holmes, a Brockville carpenter (the original) in 1844. The present statue, was created by Smith Falls sculptor, Bob Kerr, and installed in 1981. The current piece is known as “Sally Grant II”, the original is now in Westport’s museum, and has been restored.

I also noticed some lovely churches near by as well, and took a few nice pictures of them, and the flowers too, that were in full bloom. Truly a beautiful place to live! Maybe some day I might move to Brockville, or at least get a summer home out here. I’d love to continue to support Cornwall, Ontario though, I can’t just leave it behind. I’ve spent most of my life moving around to different places, it would be nice to finally settle down somewhere permanent, and continue to work on my art.

Down near the waterfront, there was a local farmers market going on. I wanted to learn more about it from the organizers, but I didn’t see a booth set up by them. There was lots of cool things for sale, such as jewelry, clothes, and baked goods. It was actually fairly busy too, which is great to see. I love to see the little guys out there, mom and pop shops, having a good day for a change! Every Thursday, and Saturday, from May to December, the stalls are set up on Market St. close to the Railway Tunnel. Known as the Brockville Farmers Market, it also has a history to it, according to its official website. Maybe I’ll write more about them in the future! I know my Cornwall, Ontario based chef friend has been looking to get into Brockville markets to sell his spices. Probably not this year tho, I think cutoff to sign up was at the end of last year.

Lastly, before I go, there was one other thing to mention, the 1000 Islands boat cruises are opening up again in the coming weeks, and months. The 1000 islands, is what they call the chain of islands that are located all across the St. Lawrence river, close to Brockville, and many other communities along the water. I’m hoping to do a piece on them at some point, perhaps go on a tour, and see if I could do a vlog style video with a friend.

That’s all for this adventure, until next time!

James

Falling in Love with the North - Part 1

Last summer I, singer/songwriter James Hardiment, ventured up to Northern Ontario, Canada, with my father on a road trip. We started in Long Sault, a small town close to Cornwall, Ontario, where I currently reside, and eventually ended up in Thunder Bay. The trip we split into 2 days so we weren’t driving in the dark, and could also take our time exploring. For those unaware the province of Ontario is vast is scale, to put it into perspective you could fit France, and Spain inside of it, or a 1/3rd of India!

Growing up in the United Kingdom, a tiny island nation beside mainland Europe, the size difference was extreme. Everything is bigger in North America, cars, houses, trees, mountains, waterfalls. It’s pretty much on steroids especially when you get to places like the Rocky Mountains, which are out West, a few provinces over from Ontario. Canada is the 2nd largest country in the world by land mass, topped only by Russia.

We ventured through Ottawa, the nations capital, on the first day of the journey, and continued Northwards though places like Renfrew, Pembroke, and eventually passing through the town of North Bay. I would always get Thunder Bay mixed up with North Bay, it was hilariously frustrating sometimes. When we passed through the city we noticed a lot of indigenous craft stores, and gas stations, along the route. We were debating on entering one, but we wanted to keep moving, and the traffic was very heavy on the main road that we drove through, at that time of day.

Once we had departed North Bay, we travelled in a Northwest direction, and eventually approached the city of Sudbury. Sudbury, like many of the populated communities in this part of the world, is known for its mining industry. It’s currently the largest city in Northern Ontario, with a population of over 166,000 people. There is a giant nickel coin on display in the town, we stopped there for a photograph. The region is famous for its nickel mining, as well as lumber. It makes sense, there’s plenty of trees around! Canada is basically trees with the occasional city or town.

Pictured: James Hardiment stands besides the giant nickel in Sudbury.

After Sudbury, we moved on towards Sault Ste. Marie, and checked into a hotel. That night we went to a wing place beside the hotel that gave a deal to the guests. The food was very good, and the portions were generous. In North America the portions are much bigger than growing up in the UK. You usually end up with plenty of leftovers, unless you are really hungry. Maybe that’s changed at this point, I’m not too sure, I haven’t lived there since 2007.

The next day, leaving Sault Ste. Marie, suddenly the landscape changed dramatically. We were surrounded by breathtaking scenery, mountains towered all around us. Ascending, then descending, as we navigated the single lane road, which would change to 2 lanes on one side, to allow cars to pass easier. It would alternate sides as you continued along the highway. Lakes, ponds, rivers, and creeks, surrounded the rock giants. It was probably some of the most stunning views that I had seen in a long while. I haven’t really travelled too far since the pandemic began, and my region is fairly flat in comparison.

Pictured: Mountains along the way, a little bit past Sault Ste. Marie. The scenery is like something from a postcard!

After Sault Ste. Marie it becomes a series of very small communities, spread across a vast area. We took a break in a town called Wawa, which has a giant statue of a Canadian goose. Wawa is known for its fur trading in the 19th century, and then later gold and iron ore mining. Most of these remote communities have a strong connection with some kind of trading, or mining, extracting, industry. The town has only been known as Wawa since 2007, prior to that it was called Mitchipitocen, and was founded in 1899.

Pictured: James Hardiment stands in front of the giant goose in Wawa. I told you the nature was on steroids in Canada!

Another community worth a mention, was the very small town of White River. Best known as the birthplace of the Winnie the Pooh character we all know, and love today. In 1914, a trapped bear cub was purchased by Captain Harry Coleburn, in White River, who named the creature Winnipeg, Winnie for short. I’d show the statue to you, but I don’t want to anger any Disney copyright lawyers, since it features the cartoon characters likeness. There is also a nice Hertiage museum with local artifacts to see.

Aguasabon falls is a really spectacular sight, as you pass through Terrace Bay. The speed in which the water rushes over the waterfall, is truly something else to see. Hidden away from the town by forest, you wouldn’t even know it was there if you just kept driving along the highway. We only stopped briefly to see the falls, and then proceeded onwards to Thunder Bay.

Pictured: Aguasabon Falls in all of its beauty and splendour, truly a sight to see!

Eventually we would reach our final destination, the city of Thunder Bay. I will talk more about it next time. Thinking of making this a 3 part series, there’s too much for one blog post!

Anyways enjoy your weekend. Sorry I’ve been a little behind on my blog posts lately.

James