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Wednesday, Februar y 1, 2012 1937 - 2012 · Celebrating 75 Years Orono Weekly Times - 11 SONGWRITER Continued from pg 8 Songwriter of the Year; and B.J. Laub from Windsor, Travelling Artist of the Year. In order to enter the competition, a musician must be a resident of Durham Region (except for the Travelling category), and all music performed must be the artist's original compositions. For the New Artist category, Vanhaverbeke had to audition his songs in front of the judges, but he chose not to play the three songs from his CD. "I played three new songs for the audition,"he explains. "I was the first to audition out of everybody, so I have no clue who I was up against."It was not difficult to find original material, he says, as he almost exclusively plays his own songs, and he's been busy writing more of them in hopes of completing a full album in the summer. The songwriter says he finds his inspiration from small town life. "I'm inspired by lots of personal stuff like women, but that's kind of overdone. I'm interested in life stories and life experi- ences from people like my Poppa, my great grandfather ­genealogy, funny stories about Ireland or the East Coast, things like family, the scenery and the small town stuff." Take "Matheson" for example. One of the songs Vanhaverbeke played for the audition, it's about a small town "up near Timmins, Ontario" where his family owned a lodge for six years. "It's a beautiful spot but not many people go there. I hung out there. It's a good place to be when you're feeling down," he says. Vanhaverbeke hopes to write 20-25 songs and then pick the best ones to record, he says. And he is very happy with his new band, which includes his uncle, Chris, on guitar, mandolin and banjo; Angel Valenciano on bass; Sarah Felgemacher on drums; and Allison Warne on backup vocals. "Those four are my rocks, my support group" he states. "They take time out of their busy days to come out and play these songs. And Chris is also the guy who taught me how to play guitar. He's a classically trained guitarist and a Royal Conservatory guitar teacher." "My support group keeps me in line," he says, laughing. "It's been quite the ride, but I don't plan on stopping." Jake Vanhaverbeke will be playing at The Spill in Peterborough, with The Stone Sparrows and Express & Co., on Saturday, Feb. 11th; and at the Wing Pit in Bowmanville with The Bootleg Glory on Saturday, Feb. 18th. He will also be performing at the KosmicKamp Out in May and the Get Bent Summer Solstice Celebration in June. His CD, Weeks of Sleep, is for sale at The Snug and A Gift of Art in Newcastle, Sunday's Child in Orono, and Hands On Music and Vinyl Alibi in Bowmanville. "Everthing with the printed word" 905-983-5301