Karen Henderson, Centretown News
Singer-songwriter Andrea Simms-Karp gazes out at Somerset Street West.On a sunny, spring afternoon, Andrea Simms-Karp welcomes company on one of her usually solo-wanderings down Bank Street.
In a yellow knit hat and worn leather Converse shoes, the 34-year-old singer-songwriter walks confidently through one of her favourite neighbourhoods sharing a glimpse into her creative process and the musical inspiration she finds in Centretown.
Welcomed by the whiff of old, well-read books, Simms-Karp whispers, “I love this place,” then steps deeper into Black Squirrel Books.
“I like the smell. This is one of those places where you can feel all of the people who have been affected by fantastic books,” she says, cracking the spine of a John Black novel and thumbing through the pages. “It’s a very comforting feeling.”
Simms-Karp is pointing herself in a new direction, venturing into uncharted waters with the release of her new album, Barn Raising.
Under her new stage name Naviger – chosen for its nautical connotations – Simms-Karp has embarked on a voyage to explore the evolving music industry, the constraints of genre and where she and her music belong in the world.
Through all facets of her art, she maintains the importance of community – and her community is Centretown.
Barn Raising – released five years since her last album—contains seven tracks featuring a blend of pop, folk and classical genres with artfully constructed lyrics.
Unlike her previous work, Simms-Karp says this album maintains more of a pop feel.
Robert Palmai, a Canterbury High School music teacher for 18 years and a music educator for 40 years was Simms-Karp’s vocal coach for five years while she attended the school.
In her adult life, Simms-Karp participates in the Canterbury Trebles, a vocal choir founded by Palmai in 2005.
Palmai says that Simms-Karp’s music resonates within the community that inspired her because it’s reflective of her values.
“She has always had a strong sense of family and strong sense of community,” he says.
Simms-Karp has been recognized the local music scene, receiving the Beth Ferguson award for songwriting in 2004 from CityFolk, the organizers behind the Ottawa Folk Festival.
She says that the award is one of her career highlights along with appearing on the Vinyl Café and playing local festivals such as Westfest.
Penny Bertrand, president of the CityFolk board of directors, explained via email that: “The Ottawa area has produced a truly impressive array of folk/Indie artists.”
She says the Beth Ferguson award was created to recognize local female artists such as Simms-Karp.
Simms-Karp says that wandering into secret treasures of Centretown such as Black Squirrel Books might foster a “metaphorical (song) about being in a tight spot but being OK with it.”
She says that walks down Elgin Street produced lyrical symbols including: “the alley by the restaurant”, “the corner by the library” and “the warehouses they’re tearing down” as can be heard in Inverlea, the first track on Barn Raising.
In Panacea, Simms-Karp sings: “The neighbourhood it changes as it stays the same, a hundred years of give and take . . . if only I was that damn indestructible” reflecting her admiration for the strength of the old, ever-changing Centretown community.
Opening the bright purple door of a vintage clothing store, Simms-Karp is engulfed by throwback dresses, accessories, boots, knick-knacks and other items, quickly disappearing among the mountains of old pieces.
Sliding between racks of clothes and piles of footwear, Simms-Karp admires every item as fuel for her imagination, stoking the potential for songs.
“You could write whole albums in here,” she says, glancing up at the hundreds of coats hanging from racks on the ceiling. “Every coat would have a story.”
Plastered with band stickers, the door to Spaceman – a musician-run guitar shop – exudes a comforting atmosphere Simms-Karp describes as an inclusive community of peers. The store features everything from multicoloured ukuleles to vintage acoustic guitars to various electric guitars and other stringed instruments.
“Having that safety net is so important to being able to experiment and be creative,” Simms-Karp says.
She released Barn Raising digitally online for no minimum cost as an experiment to test the business model of the industry.
Consequently, Simms-Karp says she released the album with no expectation of profit. However, in its first week, she says that the album had more than 3,000 listens with more than 70 per cent of purchasers opting to pay for the music.
Simms-Karp says Barn Raising is inspired by, rooted in and in part the collaborative effort of this supportive community. Stefan Thompson, a former Canterbury High School classmate of Simms-Karp, created the cover art of a vibrant and colourful woodland creature. Simms-Karp says that on her favourite track, Inverlea, a community of singers came together to form a volunteer chorus of supporting vocals.
She says that even the album title “harkens back to one of the central themes, in (her) life and of the album…the community aspect.”
Barn raising, a tradition practised by the Amish among others, sees entire communities gather to construct a barn from start to finish in one day.
“That’s how I felt about Ottawa and the album,” Simms-Karp says. “I think it suited it perfectly.”
Simms-Karp says that in music and the rest of her life, it’s a privilege to experience Centretown.
“I feel like you never know what’s going to happen tomorrow so you have to just live in your present day,” she says. “And to live in your present day in such a vibrant area is a blessing really.”