Looking for Me?

Last summer, was a big leap in my transition, from a mostly studio based artist, into a live setting again. Whilst it is true, that I’ve performed live, I had never toured around with it the way I am doing now, the last performances I had done, of my own original music, prior to 2023, were back in my high school days!

2020, during the whole national closing down ordeal, that all Canadians went through, I spent that time continuing my second album, a project at that point in time that was going to be called ‘Corrupted’, but would eventually become ‘Rescue Me’, as we know it today. All I did during those days was work my full time job, at a local tire warehouse in Cornwall, Ontario, Canada, then headed home, to work on my craft in my free time. I was able to collaborate with some surprising people, from all over the world, as well as closer to home. I’ve mentioned these folks in previous blog articles. From Cape Town, South Africa/Old Orchard Beach, Maine/Ottawa, Ontario.

By the time 2023 rolled around, things had started to calm down a bit, and places had reopened fully, as it was before the lockdown. I was able to go out to bars, and began to sing regularly at Rendezvous Restaurant, in Cornwall. It was there I met my friend Rodney Rivette, owner of Rockstar Party Productions, who runs the karaoke nights on a Wednesday, Saturday, every week (as of writing this) starting at 8pm. During my fun, and sometimes wild nights at that great venue, I was able to meet, and sing alongside some wonderful talent. Typically, I would drink 0% beer, which would allow me the freedom to drive wherever I wanted to after, say if I wanted to sing karaoke at another bar, I would not be limiting my transportation options.

That’s where I would meet Jonny Yumang, a highly talented, respected, and seasoned performer who even made a cameo appearance in my music video shot that summer, called ‘Señorita Por Favor’. I look forward to working with him, as well as the other great performers that I’ve had the pleasure of dancing, and crooning beside. No windows broken by our voices yet, and believe me we’ve tried…

Whilst singing karaoke, I met a fan of mine Bertha, who asked if I would be able to perform for the White Knucklerz RC, a local riding club that raise money for children with life threatening illness, and help them get their dream toy. I agreed to meet up with them, and on July 15th 2023 I had my first original live show. It was lots of fun, but a very hot and humid day, I would quickly discover. After that I went on to perform again, for the Martintown Grist Mill on that same month. The crowd was small that day, perhaps 10 people or so, and it was sweltering with heat, but I still managed to pool in $80 in tips, as well as sell one of the bracelets that my friend Mel had made for me to sell to fans.

Pictured: Rescue Me album opened up, it was a CD in a vinyl record style.

Later that year I created my CD versions of both ‘Wine’ (my 2017 album), and ‘Rescue Me’ which I released at that moment. I sold the pair $10 for Wine, and $20 for Rescue Me. In total by the end of the year I’d sold over 30 copies! I sign each copy for my fans. A print shop in Summerstown, close to the local small airport, called P&L Printing, helped me create my labels, and cover cards, I duplicate the CDs myself using a tower.

Pictured: My new album merch has arrived, ‘Rescue Me’ shirts have been selling nicely too. I’m in the process of ordering more as of writing this article.

So as it stands now, if you scroll to the bottom of my homepage on my official website: www.jameshardiment.com

You will find a contact form, which allows you to book me for a live event this 2024 season. My base rate is $250 and that price will increase by $100 based on how many extra performers or crew that I’d require. That base rate is based on a show that lasts up to 4 hours with intermission. I will do charity shows, if I approve of the organization, for free, I just ask that I am allowed to set up a merch table to sell my CDs, and Shirts, etc. to support myself (15% of proceeds will be donated to the host and their charity).

You can also just email: jameshardiment@outlook.com

I look forward to this new season, and can’t wait to engage, and connect with more of my incredible fans!

Until next time…

James

Mixing Things Up…

So for those new to my blog, my name is James Hardiment, I’m a British born, Canadian singer/songwriter based near Cornwall, Ontario, Canada. I’ve been back in the area for many years now. I invested a lot of money this summer on speakers, mixing boards, microphones, and more so I can finally perform my original music to a live audience.

My style, as I have mentioned in previous blog posts, is a combination of pop, rock, alternative, dance, and Italo Disco. I was lucky, and honoured, to perform in front of audiences this past summer, both in Martintown, Ontario, and also a charity event in Cornwall, Ontario, Canada. I have more shows in the works, but I spent the rest of my summer trying to finish mixing my album myself. I had about half of it mixed up in Ottawa, by the super talented sound engineer, Josh Hart, who mixed my first album. It’s not my first time mixing music, however I liked to get a second pair of ears on the project, I was also lacking the equipment to do so for awhile.

I finally bit the bullet, and invested significant amount of personal funds into a new laptop, mixing software, plug-ins, video editing software, and more gear to improve the overall quality of my work. Now that’s finally starting to pay off in a big way. The album is complete, as of last week, and the CDs are made, a process in which I was heavily involved in the creation process. I had an awesome local print shop, based in Summerstown, Ontario, print my CD labels, and cover artwork, onto a nice glossy paper. P&L Printing, and I couldn’t recommend them more! The turnaround time was close to lighting fast, and the end result still gives me tingles! As of writing this I’ve sold over 10 copies in the first few days. Which for an indie artist, that does almost all of his marketing by himself, is a pretty awesome achievement.

Special thanks to Yafa Goawily, and Modern Primitive Cornwall Square, in Cornwall, Ontario, Canada, for allowing me to sell my CDs, and photography at their Open House Event on Saturday November 4th 2023. It was really fun showcasing some of my work to the shoppers that passed by.

I spent the better part of an evening burning my CDs one at a time using a vinyl style of disc last week on a Thursday evening. It took about 6 hours to create 40 CDs with one burner, I set up in a quiet corner of Jack’s Pub in Williamstown. A great little restaurant, and bar, which I hope to write a piece on soon, a lovely spot nestled just outside of Cornwall. Their food is so good, the staff so warm, and friendly, and it doesn’t seem as dramatic as the city bars can be sometimes, which is a nice change of pace.

It feels good to finally complete this album, another accomplishment to be proud of in my life, which I try to make the most of while I still can. So many people I have known over the years are no longer with us anymore, some unfortunately younger than myself. I try to work on my passions, dreams, and help others with theirs along the way.

‘Rescue Me’ album interior of the CD, I went with a retro vinyl style for my discs. ‘Cute 4 Ya Height Records’, was a name inspired by a drunkard fellow I encountered at the bar once who was measuring girls with a tape measure, telling them that they were “pretty cute for their height”, it was rather bizarre and amusing at the same time. The same fellow once gave my friend an Asian pear as she was working, tried to give me a block of caramel straight from his jacket pocket in no packaging. Keep in mind I did not know who he was either. That’s part of the fun of entering the nightlife of your local town!

“Wine” CD is currently selling for $10

“Rescue Me” CD is currently selling for $20

Contact me if you would like a copy, on social media, or email, all the links to my socials are at the top of my website as buttons. Be sure to like, follow, share, and subscribe to my channels.

Thanks again fans, for your continuing support,

James

Sabadell Sound

Last year, 2022, I composed a song, part of a larger collection to go onto my upcoming album. The album shall be called ‘Rescue Me’, after the song I released in the Easter of the same year. For those new to the blog, I am a singer/songwriter called James Hardiment, who is based near Cornwall, Ontario, Canada. This track I worked on I decided to call ‘Sounds of Sabadell’.

Sabadell is a town in Spain, where a certain sound was created in dance music, back in the 1980s. Fast synthesizer riffs, lots of melody, and harmony. It was a Spanish branch of the Italo Disco style, which began in Italy, and branched out across mainland Europe. It replaced ‘70s disco, and featured synthesizers, drum machines, with the occasional sax, or guitar. The vocals were usually sung in English, sometimes mixed with other languages too. Artists such as David Lyme (real name Jordi Cubino) pioneered the sound, which dominated the dance music in Spain back then. He tended to sing the verses in English, and then throw in some Italian words for the choruses. Check out songs such as ‘Bambina’, and ‘Bye Bye Mi Amor’ are examples of this. Great songs by the way, and you can find some a pretty cool, lip synced TV performances from back then. There’s an awesome one, on a Japanese television program, that features a whole team of backup dancers, dressed in fun costumes. Jordi is dancing on the stage in an awesome black tuxedo, paired with a white dress shirt and bow tie. I love how classy dance music was back then sometimes, romantic too. Today it’s all rude and crude party songs, or so it seems anyways!

The sound, as I mentioned, has been a big influence on me. I find myself listening to Spanish Italo Disco the most, I love to dance to it. Other artists I should note include, Daydream, Squash Gang, Marce, and some next generation artists which I enjoy, as Italo has made a comeback, include Vincent International, and Stylove. The English is typically sung with a thick accent, which I find adds to the charm, and makes it more European in flavour.

I’ve written a few songs in the style, which have been so much fun, ‘Mistletoe Lady’ a Christmas track, ‘Rescue Me’, and ‘Sounds of Sabadell’. There are a few more in the works too, I look forward to releasing them all soon enough, I want to get the album out by the end of the year, hopefully anyways. ‘Sounds of Sabadell’ is all about dancing in the monsoon rain, wishing I was with the girl of my dreams, dancing together all night in Spain to the sounds of Sabadell.

I shot the music video on a smart phone, my filmmaker friend Jake Adamson helped me record it. Jake is also based in Cornwall. We teamed up with actor, and model Marianne Laver in the video, which features her, and I, strolling along the Rideau Canal together in Ottawa. It was a very fun shoot, so grateful for all the help from my friends. I added a VHS filter to the footage to make it appear like an old music video from the 1980s. Then I had my friend Duncan Fyffe, record a sax solo as well. Very retro, which is what I was going for, and romantic!

The song was mixed and mastered by audio engineer, Josh Hart, who is Ottawa based. If you need a song mixed, or recorded check out his website, to get in touch:

https://www.joshhartrecordings.com

I had such a blast with the project, I just released it to YouTube this evening. Hope everyone enjoys the tune, I’m so happy with how it turned out in the end!

Thanks for reading, that’s all for now!

James

Rewinding and Finding Records

I moved to Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, at the end of 2015, I wanted to be closer to my friend, and audio engineer, Josh Hart. The pair of us had been working on creating music together, so it just made sense. I wanted to record a full album, which I would do later in the years that followed. I am a singer/songwriter by the way, originally born in the UK, called James Hardiment, who has lived in Canada since 2007.

During my stay in the nations capital city, I would explore on my weekends off. On the weekdays, I would work in various jobs, retail, car rental, warehouse, whilst I worked on the songwriting. Music is always what I’ve been most passionate about in my life, my ultimate escape from the craziness of living in the modern world. We carry in our pocket a device which tracks our every move, and rumours and gossip spread like wildfire in a split second. You can spread information, to somebody 1000s of miles away, by sending them a simple message on your smart device, so long as you have an internet connection.

I’ve always had a love for the old technology, some of it I grew up using as a child. I’m rather fond of the cassette decks of the ‘70s and ‘80s, especially the ones with wood panelling sides. I also love the way an old record spins on an old player. It’s satisfying to watch, the sound is so warm, if you have the right speakers, and player.

I would hit up all the used records stores across the city, digging out the old “45s singles, mostly from the ‘80s, my favourite decade. In my collection that I built, of LP albums, includes some rather great movie soundtracks, which I have since framed on the wall. I found it a cheaper method than buying official posters. I own Lethal Weapon, Jewel of the Nile, and some other great films too. I was able to pick up a pack of 3 frames, from Michaels, a craft store chain here in Canada.

Most of the records weren’t too expensive, even picked up a few cassettes too, as those have made a comeback too. I think I paid between $5-10 back then, it’s been a long time so that might not be accurate information. A lot less costly than buying brand new, which I do as well. My favourite dance music from the ‘80s Italo Disco I can buy from my favourite Spanish record label Blanco y Negro off their official website. I’ve collected many different rarities that way, but it’s a little more costly, plus you have to factor in the shipping from Europe. Collecting isn’t cheap, but what is these days? Even groceries are insane right now, rent is too high, I don’t even want to get into it, just focus on the positive.

I picked up some great old casette decks and players from Value Village, a Canadian thrift store chain. I even got my hands on some old Sony casette Walkmans too. There is also a great chain called Sunrise records, which pretty much opened up in the malls around Ottawa, replacing HMV. They even sell DVDs and CDs too!

Anyways I had a lot of fun collecting music, despite the hectic life I was leading, good times.

James

Pictured: An old Technics cassette deck, and a CD player, that I picked up from Value Village.

South African Sound Safari

Ever since I heard the Paul Simon album “Graceland”, released in August 1986, I have been obsessed with that South African guitar, and choir singing, famous from the country. Simon teamed up with musicians from the African nation to blend his folky sound with their traditional melodies, and a type of street music know as “mbaqanga”. It was a truly breathtaking album, one in which I honestly enjoy every track, from the super hit “You Can Call Me Al”, to more soothing songs, such as “Diamonds On the Souls of Her Shoes”. Simons voice is very distinctive to the ear, soft, and higher in octave. He is a musical genius, and a masterful lyricist of his time.

Flashforward to 2011/12 and I would discover another songwriting legend, Johnny Clegg, who grew up in South Africa. He would form 2 mixed race bands, Juluka, and Savuka between the 1970s and ‘80s. The mix of races was significant at that point, because during that time period, as the country was divided by race by a system put in place, by the then white government, known as apartheid. A song that really inspired me, was a song called “Great Heart”, it’s a very uplifting tune set in nature. It was featured in the South African film, “Jock of the Bushveld”, based on the novel of the same name. A literary classic in the country from the early 1900s. The story of a Hunter, and his dog called Jock, and their adventures together across the savanna.

2021 rolls around, I knew I wanted to do something with that kind of sound. I could play the chords used on my synthesizer keyboard, to create something that had that South African flavour. However I couldn’t play guitar in an African style. I asked around Cornwall, and Ottawa, if any of my friends could play like that. Unfortunately they would all say no, however that did not deter me. I decided to search Facebook, for South African guitarist groups.

A video would appear on this one page I stumbled onto, where a guitar instructor from Cape Town, South Africa, played some tunes. His finger work was incredible, so fast, and nimble, it was a breathtaking performance. I decided to shoot him a message, to see what would happen. Doesn’t hurt to ask right?

The guitarists name was Shawn Timba, he was thrilled at the opportunity, to collaborate with me on original music. We would send each other sound files over the internet, then I would prepare a rough mix, which I released onto SoundCloud. We also shot a video, he took clips of himself playing his guitar, with Table Mountain, Cape Town, South Africa, behind him. Truly spectacular, caked in clouds, and mist. I had some shots of myself wandering nature, mixed with some vacation shots of Kakabeka Falls, near Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada. My friend, filmmaker Jake Adamson, shot the video for me in Cornwall, Ontario. (I am a singer/songwriter based near there.)

Shawn Timba has a YouTube channel where he reacts to different genres of music, if you’d like to check it out! Link below:

https://www.facebook.com/ShawnTimbaOfficial?mibextid=LQQJ4d

https://shawntimbaofficial.com/

I will be posting the music video onto YouTube soon, in the meantime you can listen to the rough mix on SoundCloud here:

https://on.soundcloud.com/33qa6XhmrsXhwmeLA

That’s all for now folks, sorry I’ve been a bit behind on the articles. Just finished work, so it’s a good time to catch up!

James

Pictured: The single cover art for the song, which I created blending 2 photos together.

Putting on a Live Show

(My name is James Hardiment, I am a British born singer/songwriter based near Cornwall, Ontario, Canada.)

Lately, I’ve been busy putting all my old song lyrics to paper again. I want them all in one place, so I can transfer them to the site, for fans of the music to be able to sing along to. It can be a pretty tiresome process on the wrist, especially when you aren’t used to writing anymore! I usually sit at the bar or cafe to work on it, whether it be Rendevous Restaraunt in Cornwall, Ontario, Canada, or Carrots N Dates (a vegan cafe) also in Cornwall downtown, close to the Square Shopping Centre.

Once I successfully transfer the lyrics to the website, I can then proceed to create “Karaoke style” videos, using instrumentals of my originals, to play at my live shows, in case I forget the odd lyrics as a reference. Being a singer/songwriter that mostly works inside the studio, be it at home or professional, I often don’t remember all the lyrics to the songs that I’ve written. This is especially true of my least favourite tracks, I still like them, but I don’t find myself replaying them as much on my iPhone.

I’m gonna try to use PowerDirector for this task, it’s a powerful mobile video editor, developed by a company called Cyberlink. I first picked up a copy of the program for my editing PC back in 2014-15 at my local Staples in Cornwall. It’s a great program, and not nearly as expensive as some of the more known brands. The mobile app works very well, the occasional glitch but it’s very rare. Rendering in HD takes a few seconds sometimes! I remember back in the day (2011) it would take my computer, built for editing, like 24 hours to render something. Times have sure changed…

I purchased a cool looking, green coloured, performance microphone for a music video last Easter. I wanted to do something reminiscent of those old 1980’s lip sync TV performances on a green screen. I drew inspiration from an old German TV show called Eurotops Musikladen, which I found myself watching music videos of on YouTube, as I delved deeper into my ‘80s obsession. I was only thinking at the time of using it as a prop, but now the idea of doing a live show, is looking more and more promising.

I’ve been toying with the idea of doing live shows for various charities in the Cornwall area. I had originally wanted to take my first pop album, “Wine”, and tour the bars around Ottawa back in 2017, when it was completed, however my crazy life would not allow it! All these years later perhaps it’s time to finally take this show on the road…or at least the Seaway Valley area, where I reside now. This community means a lot to me, I love to help my entrepreneurial friends with their various business ideas. I also love to talk and network with the people of this town to brainstorm thoughts to make the place better, or at least try. I’m not a politician, but I love business, specifically marketing and sales. I have skills in music, and videography, which can greatly benefit a company. One thing I find gets the best result is to consistently post onto social media. It’s no guarantee, but if you don’t you certainly won’t grow at all.

Anywho, I’ll keep you guys posted if you follow me on Facebook and Instagram when I have a live show! Links are at the bottom of the website (the home page anyways). If you want to get regular updates on the blog I suggest to follow them too and like. I want to encourage people to share the blog articles too, to grow our audience. It’s a great little way to support someone who creates content, and thankfully it doesn’t cost money (most things seem to these days, just look at the price of everything right now!).

Until tomorrow folks…

James

Pictured: James Hardiment warms up for a song, he can usually be found singing Kareoke at Rendevous Restaraunt, 1213 Pitt St. in Cornwall on Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 9pm.