Artscene Elyse Simpson wins award and grant for label By Tina Depko OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF Sign up now for guitar, bass, drums, and piano OAKVILLE'S MUSIC STORE · WEDNESDAY, JULY 22, 2009 17 Aspiring musician making people sit up and take note She's 16, but she has an old soul when it comes to music. Elyse Simpson, an aspiring singer/songwriter, lists off her favourite bands and performers when asked about her musical influences. Most are from an earlier time. "My top five are Bob Dylan, Tom Waits, Red Hot Chili Peppers, The Beatles and Sufjan Stevens," she said. "I adore all of them because it is emotional music. But I also listen to stuff like Miles Davis, Jimmi Hendrix and Jefferson Airplane." Simpson is not just a musician. She's an entrepreneur, award-nominee, a correspondence student and promoter. She also just completed Grade 11 at Iroquois Ridge High School. It is a hectic schedule, but she makes it work. "It's a lot of fun," she said. "A lot of people ask me if I'm tired, and sometimes yes, I do want to sleep or do something else, but when push comes to shove, this is what I want to be doing and it doesn't feel like work." Simpson's musical path has been untraditional. She started playing the cello at age six, but lost interest three years later. Then, four years ago, she starting taking singing seriously, teaching herself at first, then taking two years of vocal lessons. She also started teaching herself to play the guitar and piano. The latest addition to the list of self-learned instruments is the banjo. The resultant sound is what she calls `folk fusion'. Her mom, Lynne Tomlinson, is her biggest fan. "From the moment Elyse vocalized that she wanted to sing, she has been very determined to follow her dream," Tomlinson said. "As her mother, I am totally biased about her talent, but it feels right because she is continually offered new opportunities to perform." Simpson said she did not inherit her musicality from her mother, but the young woman does credit her with exposing her to "some of the greatest music ever written." "While I was still in my mother's belly, she was listening to Tom Waits, and that is the artist I so much grew up with," she said. "What we like overlaps. She likes Janis Joplin and the `60s music she grew up with, and that LIESA KORTMAN / OAKVILLE BEAVER SONGBIRD: Iroquois Ridge High School student Elyse Simpson recieved an award and grant from Halton Region for her new independent record label, Jangle Records. Simpson, 16, hopes to become a professional musician and tour the world, playing her original, folk fusion songs. is kind of my favourite, psychedelic rock." 2009 Halton Region RBC Business Plan Simpson estimates she has written Competition, which gives Halton secondary between 10 to 15 complete songs to date. She school students the chance to win cash awards said she looks to her emotions for inspiration. for their business plans. "I write about anything that impacts me The Iroquois Ridge student has been furemotionally, not necessarily something that is ther preparing herself for a future in the bothering me, but that emotion that is on the music industry through additional education tip of the tongue but you can't describe it, and and practical experience. the best way to do it is Last month, she comthrough music," she said. "I really just want to be pleted an online Music Her first single is Pink happy and doing what I Business Specialist Motel, and she is in the Certificate from Berklee love." process of releasing her College of Music in Boston. second single, Scarlett "I realized this is really Elyse Simpson Rabbit. Her music has what I love doing and I needreceived airplay on ed to educate myself," she Internet stations Indie Love, based in the said. Greater Toronto Area, and Women of Simpson also did two co-op placements Substance, in California. this past school year. One was at Super Nova, She also recently founded an independent a booking agency in Toronto, the other was at record label called Jangle Records. Moonshine Café in Oakville. Simpson received a boost in covering her "It was good to get some practical experistartup costs thanks to a Region of Halton ence," she said. Summer Company Program grant, which And she has a music industry award nomigives her $3,000 over the course of the sum- nation under her belt, with her name being mer. put forward for Best Female at the Ontario She also took first place and $1,000 in the Independent Music Awards in 2008. While her focus is currently on cultivating business for her record label, she hopes to eventually release a debut album. She has recently started to perform more regularly, generally playing twice a month at various venues. She is a regular at Moonshine Café, and has also played Sound Academy, the Opera House, El Mocambo, Hugh's Room, Living Arts Centre, The Reverb, The Smiling Buddha, and CJ's Café. She still has one year left of high school, but Simpson already has the next few years mapped out. "At Berklee, I'd probably work towards straight music business and for Humber, I'd go for vocal," she said. "I'm leaning towards Humber because it is close to home. I'd also like to keep Jangle Records going." She also has big plans for a little further down the road. "Ideally, I'd love to be touring around Europe and everywhere, be able to play my music and share it with people, and hopefully have an album out or two," she said. "I really just want to be happy and doing what I love." For information on Elyse Simpson, visit www.myspace.com/elysesimpson.