Andrew Queen

Artist Information

Biography

Andrew Queen is on a mission to get kids singing about food: growing food, sharing food, local food, healthy food and of course, eating food! His latest release, GROW, offers up generous helpings of original tantalizing tunes, seasoned with silliness and sprinkled with sweet sing-alongs, guaranteed to leave folks with a belly full of laughs and hungry for more. It won a Parent's Choice Award and... was just nominated for a Canadian Folk Music Award!!!

Andrew has been making his mark on the Canadian folk scene as an animated storyteller through song. His signature fairy tale songs deliver messages of kindness, cooperation and community building, intermingled with irresistably singable refrains. Delighted young listeners hang on the edge of their seats, singing with Andrew’s action-packed call and repeat adventures, while erupting in googles of giggles.

Hailed by the press as a "troubadour teacher" and "children's music comic laureate," Andrew was voted Canada’s Favourite Children's Artist of the Year at the 2011 Indies. His sophomore album, Too Tall, won a Parent’s Choice Award plus Children’s Album of the Year at the 2010 Canadian Folk Music Awards.

Andrew cut his teeth singing, songwriting, playing jug and washtub bass with Toronto band, Jughead. In 2004, he released Alligator Tracks for the younger crowd and never looked back. Andrew performs solo and with guest musicians at festivals, libraries, schools, community festivals and charity events across Canada.

People big and small can’t help but sing along with his high energy, big laughs, and tall tales . . . Andrew dishes up one super-sized order of fun!

Check out live videos at
www.youtube.com/andrewqueenistootall

Roots Music Canada Review of GROW
http://www.rootsmusic.ca/2012/06/25/andrew-queens-grow/

FolkWorld Review of GROW
http://www.folkworld.de/48/e/kidz.html

Parent's Choice Review of GROW
http://www.parents-choice.org/product.cfm?product_id=30264&StepNum=1&award=aw

FREE song downloads
http://freesongsforkids.com/audios/JustDowntheRoad
http://www.smartboater.ca/features/andrew_queen/

Parent’s Choice Review of Too Tall
http://www.parents-choice.org/product.cfm?product_id=27620&StepNum=1&award=aw

Roots Music Canada Review of Too Tall
http://www.rootsmusic.ca/2010/03/15/andrew-queen-too-tall/

CM Magazine Review of Too Tall
http://www.umanitoba.ca/cm/vol17/no1/andrewqueentootall.html

Instrumentation

Andrew sings and plays a Martin D-16 accoustic guitar. Every now and then he throws in a bit of jug & kazoo.

Discography

Andrew Queen, GROW: 2011
Andrew Queen, Too Tall: 2010
Andrew Queen, Alligator Tracks: 2004
Jughead, Wrong Side of the Tracks (DVD): 2004
Spadina Avenue String Band, Self-Titled: 2002
Jughead, Speedwobble: 2000
Jughead, Got 'Em, Need 'Em: 1996
Jughead, Uncorked: 1994

Official Website

http://www.andrewqueen.ca

Links

• Facebook
• Twitter

Audio

• Macaroni and Cheese
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• Stone Soup
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• Big Troubles for Little Red
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• Fried Ham
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• The Witch's Brew
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• Green is the Scene
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• Three Billy Goats Gruff
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• Whoa Jack!
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• Too Tall
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• Just Down the Road
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Lyrics

• Stone Soup
• Big Troubles for Little Red
• The Billy Goats Gruff
• Whoa Jack!
• Macaroni & Cheese
• Cinderella
• I Love Boating
• Just Down the Road
• Crazy Purple Day
• Three Pig Jig

Video

Cinderella

Photo Gallery

Press

• GROW is a fresh harvest of the wonderful, renewable resource that is Canadian children’s music. [+ Show ]
  

  I’ve had Andrew Queen’s new album, Grow since February and many times I’ve thought about writing it ...I’ve had Andrew Queen’s new album, Grow since February and many times I’ve thought about writing it up for Roots Music Canada, but just didn’t have enough motivation to get past the inertia that exists in a life with three kids, piles of laundry, and a heavy clay soil garden.
  
  I finally got pushed over the edge this week and the compulsion came from a surprising place.
  
  My husband brought home a copy of Sharon, Lois and Bram’s 25th Anniversary release of One Elephant, Deux Éléphants from a garage sale. Listening to it in my kitchen with my five-year-old reminded me that singable, fun, “uniquely Canadian” (from One Elephant’s liner notes) songs are important, worth listening to, worth sharing, and worth celebrating.
  
  So let me tell you about Grow.
  
  I grew up on Sharon, Lois, & Bram, Raffi, Fred Penner, Eric Nagler. They told me I too could “come follow the band,” and their recordings all but insisted I sing along. S,L&B’s vision of “a new kind of children’s recording” first realized in the 1978 release of One Elephant is the same embodied today by Andrew Queen.
  
  Grow’s promotional material describes Andrew’s recipe, “Mix equal parts award-winning children’s music with irresistibly singable refrains. Season with sweet harmonies and sprinklewith silliness.” Grow is a fresh harvest of the wonderful, renewable resource that is Canadian children’s music. I was singing along in the 1980’s and now my Hannah is belting out those singable refrains.
  
  As on the infectious campfire-style Too Tall, you’ll find some of Andrew’s signature nursery rhyme rewrites on Grow. There are three of them and my favourite is “Stone Soup”: “We each bring a little and we’ll all have a lot.” The community effort celebrated in that song seems to be a big part of this album.
  
  There are eight accompanying musicians and a peck of singing kids joining Andrew to make the lively, organic music. Grow’s mission “to get kids connected with their food and thinking about eating locally” is not driven too hard and there are plenty of just fun (even gross) songs that kids will love belting out.
  
  The album was on heavy rotation in our van through February and March while we had a grade-three student visiting from Korea. All of the kids loved singing along together and we sent him home with his own signed copy.
  
  Now that I mention it, let me put in a plug for the physical CD. I’m old-fashioned, I’ll admit it and it won’t be a surprise to anyone who knows me, but there is something about holding a physical representation of the music – plus you can get it signed and I think that looking at liner notes and images and relating song # 6 with the title that goes with it is really appreciated by kids.
  
  “Can I see the case now?” Hannah will ask of her seven-year-old brother. They’re connecting to something. In this case (whoops, didn’t see that pun coming) there is a lot to see: beautiful whimsical illustrations, recipes, stories and the full lyrics to all the songs. (You’re supposed to sing along, right?)
  
  So seek out Andrew Queen at a festival near you, get a copy of Grow—and don’t forget to prowl yard sales for those wonderful family recordings of your own musical childhood.

• "Guaranteed to tickle funny bones with the zany adaptations of familiar tales and traditional comic campfire songs" [+ Show ]
  

  What is the reason for the Troll's antisocial behavior in "Three Billy Goats Gruff?" Was Old Mother ...What is the reason for the Troll's antisocial behavior in "Three Billy Goats Gruff?" Was Old Mother Hubbard responsible for the original Stone Soup recipe? And the famous old lady who swallowed a spider? In Andrew Queen's new take on the song, "The Witch's Brew," that old lady is an amateur compared to the witch who "swallowed a goblin/Whose eyeballs were wiggling and waggling and wobbling." Canadian children's artist Andrew Queen sings and plays guitar, jug, gut bucket and jaw harp, along with other top-notch folk musicians. Queen and co-writer Karen Stille are guaranteed to tickle funny bones with the zany adaptations of familiar tales and traditional comic campfire songs he performs. Underneath the silly stuff, Queen inserts messages about being aware of where healthy food comes from and valuing local farms that grow it. The accompanying lyric booklet includes yummy recipes, too.

• "One of the best childrens songwriters in the English speaking world!" [+ Show ]
  

  Superb Canadian childrens songwriter Andrew Queen came already to FolkWorld's attention in one of my...Superb Canadian childrens songwriter Andrew Queen came already to FolkWorld's attention in one of my previous columns.[45] While his last album, "Too Tall", was already a favourite in the Moll family, his latest album "Grow" is an even bigger hit. In fact it is so popular that since it arrived 6 weeks ago, it has never left the CD player in our car and is played - and sung along to - on a daily basis. And we all (yes also the parents) still love it!
  
  Already on his previous album, Andrew Queen showed that he is at his very very best with his song adaptations of well known folk tales - and this time there are directly three of these: There is "Stone Soup" featuring all sorts of nursery rhyme characters; and "Whoa Jack" a catchy and inventive song telling of Jack and the bean stalk. And - the highlight of the album - "Three Billy Goats Gruff" with very clever lyrics and full of great lines for young and old to sing along to (taster:
  "Who's that trip tropping over my bridge
  I am a hungry troll with an empty fridge")
  and with an end to the song which varies from the folk tale and is much better than the original!
  
  Beyond that, a key theme throughout "Grow" is food, with Andrew Queen songs about childrens favourites - such as "Macaroni and Cheese" (a dish which makes a surprisingly great chorus!) and a "Pizza tree" - or about local produce. There are a couple of colour songs (orange and green) and "There ain't no flies on us" is yet another great one to sing along to. And all these great songs feature also great music (excellent folky line up including guitar, fiddle, accordion, mandolin, piano, drums, tuba).
  
  This is one of the best childrens songwriters in the English speaking world, and this gem of an album will remain, I have no doubts, an all time favourite in my family.

• "Queen sings with joy in his heart and a smile on his face!" [+ Show ]
  

  Canadian songwriters Andrew Queen and his wife, Karen Stille, have composed a collection of 14 tunes...Canadian songwriters Andrew Queen and his wife, Karen Stille, have composed a collection of 14 tunes that is sure to tickle the fancy of listeners. Queen sings lead as he retells folktales with a twist (“Stone Soup,” “Whoa Jack,” “Little Red Hen,” “Three Billy Goats Gruff”), rewrites the text of familiar tunes (“The Witch’s Brew,” a Halloween spin on “I Know an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly”; “Ain’t No Flies on Us!,” adapted from “Ain’t Gonna Rain No More”; “The Pizza Tree,” borrowing from “On Top of Old Smokey”), and focuses on food (“Mac and Cheese,” the favorite food of picky eaters; “Fried Ham,” a traditional camp song; “Just Down the Road,” encouraging everyone to buy food from the local farmer). Each song has a down home, country feeling as a mandolin, a banjo, an upright bass, a fiddle, or spoons often play a large part in the accompaniment. Queen sings with joy in his heart and a smile on his face. Harmonies are tight and used sparingly. A booklet with lyrics and recipes is included. An excellent accompaniment to a unit on food and nutrition.–Stephanie Bange, Wright State University, Dayton, OH

• "GROW is a pleasant, jaunty concept album about food" [+ Show ]
  

  I’m not a huge fan of concept albums because they take themselves way, way too seriously, and becaus...I’m not a huge fan of concept albums because they take themselves way, way too seriously, and because it’s usually the result of pretention and unchecked hubris from a musician who thinks because he can write an expressionistic song he can somehow tell a long narrative through an innately non-narrative form. But maybe concept albums are absolutely perfect for kids. (Or song cycles rather.) As they are supposed to introduce kids to music and teach them something about the world around them, an album of songs on the same subject really hammers a point home, and demonstrates connections between different things that the little one may not have noticed as of yet.
  
  I think of this as I listen to Grow by Canadian singer-songwriter Andrew Queen. It’s a playful, refreshingly non-cloying kiddie record all about food: veggies, spaghetti, strange brews, and cheesy mac. Yes, kids albums often have songs about food because that’s something kids can relate to, but Queen and Karen Stille go to different places with it, and don’t talk down to kids, always a danger in this genre. The songs are an even mix of originals and inventive adaptations of folk songs; “The Pizza Tree” replaces the spaghetti in the “On Top of Old Smokey” kiddie parody “On Top of Spaghetti” with pizza, for example.
  
  The music itself is jaunty and pleasant, rocking a bluegrassy, Union Station-meets-NPR kind of vibe. The musicianship across the board is excellent and confident with standout performances from mandolinist Nicolas Tjelias and Luke Mercier on the banjo, and Queen on the jug, gut bucket, and jaw harp. This is one you won’t mind having on in the car and is a great way to introduce kids to something other than straight-up rock or pop.

• "Concert at Campbellford has dual purpose" [+ Show ]
  

  TRENT HILLS -- Andrew Queen is a man on a mission, two of them in fact, and they'll come together Fe...TRENT HILLS -- Andrew Queen is a man on a mission, two of them in fact, and they'll come together Feb. 20 at the Aron Theatre when the popular children's entertainer performs songs from his newest release, "GROW."
  
  One goal he's set for himself is to get kids singing songs about eating healthy food grown locally, the other is to raise money for a Trent Hills family's son who has a rare, progressive disease, MPS VI, caused by an enzyme deficiency.
  
  All proceeds from the sale of tickets to the Family Day concert and a portion of the CD sales will be donated to the Isaac Foundation that Ellen and Andrew McFayden set up after their son Isaac, now seven, was diagnosed with MPS VI in October 2005. The registered charity supports research into innovative treatments and potential cures for Maroteaux-Lamy syndrome, which can stunt growth, impair vision, cause stiffness in joints, affect breathing, and enlarge the liver or spleen.
  
  "GROW is an album about community-building and acting local," Mr. Queen said in a press release. "The McFaydens have demonstrated such dedication, grace, love and strength in the face of unbelievable challenges. I can't think of a better way to celebrate Family Day and my album release than recognizing this family and supporting their research efforts."
  
  Mr. Queen raised money for local causes at two previous Family Day concerts; the first was for the music program at Kent Public School, the second for improvements at Kennedy Park, he told The Independent.
  
  His wife, Karen Stille, suggested The Isaac Foundation this time out. The McFaydens were one of the first families the couple met when they moved to Trent Hills seven years ago, and a benefit they attended last "was really a moving event," he said.
  
  Ms. Stille also wrote most of the lyrics for the songs on the new CD.
  
  "We've turned into a songwriting dynamo," said Mr. Queen, whose second CD, "Too Tall," won the 2010 Canadian Folk Music Award for Children's Album of the Year and received a Parents' Choice Recommended Award. One of its songs, "Big Troubles for Little Red," placed second in the 2009 International Songwriting Competition.
  
  "GROW" promotes buying local and supporting local family farms, Mr. Queen said. Its point of view is captured in a new music video that will be premiered at the concert. "Just Down the Road" was filmed and produced by Stephen Rapos of Fiddlehead Studios in Warkworth.
  
  "The big message is to get kids thinking about where their food comes from and thinking about eating healthy," Mr. Queen said. All kinds of fruits, vegetables, meats, cheeses, breads, butter, and preserves are available "within a short drive," and the area people responsible for their production deserve to be supported.
  
  "It's a good feeling," he said. "You can start to feel a little control over the food that's coming onto the table."
  
  The concert begins at 2 p.m. at the Aron. Mr. Queen will be joined on stage by local musicians Tim Hadley (upright bass), Luke Mercier (fiddle/banjo), Janet Mercier (vocals) and Ken Layton (drums).
  
  Tickets can be purchased for $5 at the Aron Theatre, Kerr's Corner Books, The Grindhouse Café and the Campbellford-Seymour Community Foundation, or for $7 at the door. To learn more about Mr. Queen and The Isaac Foundation, visit www.andrewqueen.ca and www.theisaacfoundation.com.

• Andrew Queen gets kids singing about eating locally! [+ Show ]
  

  EMC Entertainment - Soup's on! Andrew Queen's Stone Soup Fall Harvest Tour has begun in support of h...EMC Entertainment - Soup's on! Andrew Queen's Stone Soup Fall Harvest Tour has begun in support of his brand new album, GROW! The album is a tasty concoction of songs for kids and connoisseurs of fine music and it's all about food: growing food, cooking food, sharing food, healthy food, junk food, eating food, and even being eaten (think mosquitos and blackflies!)
  
  The album began a few years back when Andrew and his wife, Karen Stille, were sitting down to a delicious dinner with their family and it occurred to them that not one of the foods on their plate was grown in Ontario, or even Canada for that matter. The meal, in fact, originated from three different continents and had travelled thousands of kilometres to grace the plates of their humble home in Campbellford.
  
  This just didn't sit well for the song-writing duo. They began exploring their local food economy and making gradual changes to their family's eating and shopping habits that would result in relying less upon imported foods for their diets.
  
  "We realized that here in Ontario we are blessed with a bounty of delicious and nutritious foods and that in this day and age it just doesn't make sense burning all that fuel to ship food across continents and the world," says Queen.
  
  The next thing you know, Stille had written the lyrics to their new flagship song, Just Down the Road which is an anthem to eating local and saving the family farm. Queen, who added the music, feels the song will have a much broader appeal beyond the kids' music market: "It is a fun, catchy tune. The lyrics are so important and the musicianship is amazing." Indeed, Queen is joined on the track by Travis Good on electric guitar, Luke Mercier on fiddle and banjo, and Tim Hadley on upright bass.
  
  Stille then wrote a song which retells the classic folk-tale, Stone Soup. The story has origins in several different countries across the world and teaches a lesson about sharing, community building, and that together we can all create something much greater than any of us can on our own. There was no stopping the song-writing duo once they realized they were onto something and decided it was time to get into the kitchen to create the recipe for a children's album dedicated entirely to food.
  
  The result is GROW! a sumptuous stew of songs all about food and designed especially for kids. Queen is certain their parents and teachers will be proud to serve up healthy servings of the album for seconds, thirds, and so on.
  
  Queen is beginning the Stone Soup Fall Harvest Tour this Saturday at the Purple Onion Festival in Millennium Park in Peterborough and will be wrapping it up in Campbellford at the Aron Cinema including a special Video Release Party and screening for Just Down the Road on Friday, November 25. Other stops in the tour celebrating local food include The Stone Soup Festival at the Frink Centre on Sunday, October 2, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Toronto's Brickworks Farmers' Market, Soupfest in Bradford and Foodstock in Honeywood.
  
  The two songs Just Down the Road and Stone Soup will be available for free download this autumn for anyone who wants a taste of the album.
  
  For details on the tour and to find the free download you can go to .
  www.sonicbids.com/andrewqueen

• Local musicians scoop up Indie awards [+ Show ]
  

  Trent Hills — Local music fans have helped two local musical artists win Canadian Independent Music ...Trent Hills — Local music fans have helped two local musical artists win Canadian Independent Music Awards.
  
  Children's musician Andrew Queen was named Favourite Children's Artist of the Year, and alt-country guitarist Travis Good and his band The Sadies, were named favourite Folk-Roots Group of the Year at the March 12 Indie Awards in Toronto. Good, originally from Hastings, is Queen's nephew and the son of country music legend Bruce Good of The Good Brothers.
  
  The award is Queen's third in one year. He also won the 2010 Parent's Choice and Canadian Folk Music awards for his children's album, Too Tall.
  
  The Indie award winners were determined entirely by online voting.
  
  Queen said he is "so excited and honoured to be chosen as Canada's Favourite Children's Artist for 2011."
  
  But the reality of winning the award "is still just starting to sink in."
  
  Queen said the award has given him "a huge confidence boost" and reaffirmed his "drive and desire to make children's music my main gig." The award is especially satisfying because the competition was stiff, he said.
  
  "Two of the bands are currently nominated for a Juno. But my fans really came through and flooded the Indies with their votes. I have all of you to thank for that."
  
  Queen said a strong online presence can make all the difference in being able to mobilize large numbers of fans.
  
  "The Sadies have piles of video on YouTube, with thousands of views, which means they can tour North America and, even if they haven't played a city before, there will be loads of people there who already know what to expect. I have a few videos on YouTube but mostly I contacted fans using Facebook."
  
  This latest Indie award "is all about me as a musician, singer, songwriter, performer and recording artist, the whole package," Queen said. "I'm looking forward to taking this up to the next level so that future generations of kids will think of me alongside the ranks of people like Raffi and Fred Penner. I may be Too Tall but I'm always growing."

• "Too Tall" Andrew Queen reigns supreme at Canadian Awards [+ Show ]
  

  Andrew Queen is on top of the world. The area children's entertainer and teacher returned from a ...Andrew Queen is on top of the world.
  
  The area children's entertainer and teacher returned from a trip to Winnipeg last weekend as this year's recipient of the Children's Album of the Year.
  
  Too Tall, Queen's second CD as a children's performer, took top spot in the 2010 Canadian Folk Music Awards and the singer/songwriter couldn't be happier. One of five nominees for the prize, Queen was looking at the program not long before presentations began when, "I realized this is really possible." It was only then, he says, that he seriously considered writing an acceptance speech. It proved a timely choice.
  
  At the ceremony in Winnipeg, the list of nominees was read before the winner was finally announced. "When I heard my name the second time I was just shaking all over," he says, but managed to compose himself long enough to offer a list of thanks to his fellow musicians, family and friends.
  
  As well, he adds, the humour of the height difference between award winner and presenter was not lost on the cheering crowd.
  
  Queen's wife Karen has provided ongoing support as well as help promoting his work as an entertainer, he says, while children Ivan and Lewis have been an unending source of inspiration. The musicians involved, including "magician" Nick Chelios also deserve much of the credit, Queen adds.
  
  And, he says, the recent recognition has already opened a few notable doors in the Canadian music industry.
  
  A supply teacher throughout much of Hastings County, Queen has spent many years as a musician and expects to see a few more opportunities for live performances since Too Tall got to the head of the class.
  
  "I'd really like to play more of the schools," he says.
  
  Queen has crossed the country, performing in festivals and joining other musicians in the recording studio including playing jug with Toronto band Jughead for their gold record hit The Hockey Song. Since releasing his first children's album, Alligator Tracks, in 2004, he has also been a featured performer at libraries, schools and community events. He has also appeared at the Shelter Valley Folk Festival, Hillside and Northern Lights.

• Roots Music Canada Review of Too Tall [+ Show ]
  

  It was 13 degrees today in the Garden City of St. Catharines, Ontario. What better day to review And...It was 13 degrees today in the Garden City of St. Catharines, Ontario. What better day to review Andrew Queen’s 2010 campfire CD, Too Tall?
  
  “Please file under children’s music,” reads the label, but this album qualifies as fantastic family fare—definitely on the folk spectrum, but with story telling to evoke laughter not tears.
  We met Andrew Queen around the very same campfire depicted in the album art, at the Shelter Valley Folk Festival near Grafton, Ontario. While that was the best way to experience Queen’s sing-and-dance-along tunes, the atmosphere can be almost duplicated in any setting with a couple of keen kids. We’re lucky to have a pair.
  
  Five-year-old Gideon’s favourite cut is a toss-up between “Hello my Name is Joe” (an action-packed campfire chant with new music by Queen) or “The Hockey Song” (yes, that hockey song, originally performed by Toronto band Jughead, of which Queen was a member). After only two weeks of play, Gideon has both songs memorized and he can be heard belting them out at any dull moment of the day. Three-year old Hannah shares her brother’s love of “The Hockey Song,” but also loves to sing along with the chorus “who’s afraid of the big bad wolf” in “Big Troubles for Little Red.”
  My personal favourite is the ska-esque “Cinderella”—one of Queen’s signature gussied-up fairy tales that sing like they were meant to be songs not stories.
  
  Queen’s accessibility comes from this mix of funny and familiar: there’s a twist for the adult audience and a straight forward sing-along lyric for the younger set.
  
  Too Tall is a good follow-up to Queen’s 2004 release, Alligator Tracks. There you’ll find two more of those fabled fairy tales and lots of other singable songs. Both albums feature a few Andrew Queen originals and a collection of traditional tunes. Alligator Tracks was slightly less ambitious, with Queen being backed by just three accompanying musicians. Too Tall boasts a broader instrumentation thanks to a great group of folk musicians adding everything from spoons to upright bass.
  
  Too Tall is too much fun! Gideon ranks it 12/14.
  

• Too Tall receives Parents' Choice Recommended Award [+ Show ]
  

  The highly elevated Andrew Queen plays acoustic guitar, sings in an expressive, rich voice, and comp...The highly elevated Andrew Queen plays acoustic guitar, sings in an expressive, rich voice, and composes songs that have kid-appeal written all over them.
  
  Expertly backed by the Crocodaddies, which includes Luke Mercier on fiddle & banjo, Tim Hadley on the doghouse (upright) bass, Dan Ouellette on harmonicas and Nik Tjelios on mandolin, the album begins with "Big Troubles for Little Red," a jazzy bluegrass twist on an old fairy tale. Other highlights include the western swing of "I Love Boating," a lively nonsense song "Hi De Ho," which uses the kind of scat singing that Cab Calloway pioneered, and Queen's wonderfully silly tale "Hello, My Name of Joe," where the song's button factory working protagonist takes multi-tasking to new extremes. Queen and company also put some fresh spins on traditional tunes, with great participatory choruses on "Glug Glug/Hello My Baby" "Comin' Round the Mountain," and "The Other Day." Cajun and French sung treatments of "La Bastringue" and "Alouette," adds a continental flavor.

• Queen prince among songwriters in international competition [+ Show ]
  

  Trent Hills – Local entertainer Andrew Queen placed second in the children's music category of the 2...Trent Hills – Local entertainer Andrew Queen placed second in the children's music category of the 2009 International Songwriting Competition for his Big Troubles for Little Red.
  
  The contest received 15,000 entries from more than 100 countries. Canadian songwriters earned five firsts and two seconds.
  
  Judges included Grammy winner singer/songwriter Tom Waits, Jerry Lee Lewis, Timbaland, Loretta Lynn, "Weird" Al Yankovic, and several record label presidents.
  
  "You know what is so exciting to me is it is an international competition. To me it is also about who the judges were. Tom Waits, for example, is a huge deal to me," Queen said.
  
  Disney and Nickolodeon, the cable television network that produces Dora the Female Explorer, were also involved.
  
  It is this kind of exposure that Queen gets excited about but what inspires him daily is his desire to integrate music into the lives of schoolchildren.
  
  As a supply teacher he knows what goes on in the classrooms.
  
  "I see so much emphasis on math and language and I know it is important, but as far as I am concerned, it is at the loss of the arts and phys ed," he said.
  
  Queen performed recently at St. Joseph's Catholic School in Belleville where he did a set for the younger children and a workshop for the older students.
  
  "The kids were playing washboards and spoons ... I got a great response," he said.
  
  It is this kind of interaction with music that he would like to see happen more of in the schools.
  
  Big Troubles for Little Red is exactly the kind of song he would like to see used to get students more active.
  
  "I've even developed lessons for teachers so lyrics can go up on a Smart Board – like a blackboard – that the children can follow," he said. "So much of the music I do is what I call action music."
  
  Queen has been meeting with an associate producer to develop a pitch for a TV show.
  
  "I see the program as a children's show geared to seven to nine-year-olds," he said. "My direction on this TV proposal or say even a DVD would be something to go along with a music package that could be sent out to educators – and they could use this music as a vehicle for physical education as well."
  
  "I would have to get a production company to agree to do this," he added.
  
  Queen would like to offer some of the package for free on a website that teachers can access.
  
  "Yes, they would buy the music but the activities would be free," he explained. "I just want to give them an opportunity to have music in the classroom."
  
  Queen earned a Parents' Choice Recommended Award for his new children's CD, Too Tall. Roots Music Canada describes the CD as "fantastic family fare."
  
  Queen is hosting a CD release party May 16 at 2 p.m. at Hugh's Room in Toronto. Joining Andrew on stage will be several of the musicians who played banjo, fiddle, piano, accordion, mandolin and upright bass on the album as well as provided backup vocals.
  
  Queen will be performing at the Frankford Riverfest May 23, Colborne's Apple Blossom Tyme Festival May 29, the Canadian Heritage Music & Arts Festival in Madoc June 19 and the Shelter Valley Folk Festival in Grafton (Sept. 3-5).
  
  Queen's song, I Love Boating, which he put together a few years ago at the request of the Northumberland OPP, has been selected by the Canadian Safe Boating Council for use on its new website, www.smartboater.ca. The song will be made available as a free download for educators and the public across North America.
  
  Queen will perform at the launch of Safe Boating Awareness Week May 20 at Yonge/Dundas Square in Toronto.
  
  He will also participate in a national bid for a world record in which the Canadian Safe Boating Council and SmartBoater.ca along with boating enthusiasts across the country will simultaneously inflate their life jackets. The purpose of Ready - Set - Inflate is to raise public awareness of the importance of wearing a life jacket and general boating safety practices
  
  For more information on Queen check out his website: www.andrewqueen.ca

• More laurels for Queen's new album [+ Show ]
  

  EMC Entertainment - Andrew Queen's new children's album, Too Tall, has received the Parents' Choice ...EMC Entertainment - Andrew Queen's new children's album, Too Tall, has received the Parents' Choice Recommended Award, saying the artist "sings in an expressive, rich voice and composes songs that have kid-appeal written all over them."
  
  Andrew won second place for the first track on the album, "Big Troubles for Little Red," in the Children's Music Category for the International Songwriting Competition (ISC). The ISC is one of the most highly regarded songwriting contests, with over 15,000 entries from over 100 countries.
  
  Three years ago, at the request of the Northumberland OPP, Andrew wrote "I Love Boating" and performed it at the Hastings Water Safety Festival. This track has been selected by the Canadian Safe Boating Council for use on its new national web site . The boating safety song will be available as a free download for educators and the public across North America. Andrew will perform the track at the launch for Safe Boating Awareness Week on Thursday, May 20, at Yonge-Dundas Square in Toronto. The purpose of the launch is to promote boating safety and lifejacket wear. The singer will participate in the World Record Life Jacket Inflation, Ready, Set and Inflate!

• Summer camp music inspired singer [+ Show ]
  

  March 4/10 - Havelock - Musical memories from summer camp are at the top of Andrew Queen’s list of i...March 4/10 - Havelock - Musical memories from summer camp are at the top of Andrew Queen’s list of inspirations.
  “A lot of the music I learned at summer camp,” the popular children’s singer told the Northwest EMC as he got ready to rock with Grade 1 to 5 students at Havelock-Belmont Public School.
  “I found that music was a big part of summer camps,” Queen, who just released his second album Too Tall, said. “I was lucky enough to go to a handful of summer camps and I know it’s definitely a privilege.
  “The song I Met a Bear I learned when I was six and I do it just the same as I remember except I added my own last verse. I take a lot of camp chants and put them to music. I take something that is traditionally done as a camp song and change the music and maybe change the words or theme.
  “I try to make it my own.”
  And by example, Queen hopes kids do the same thing.
  “I try to show kids that as well. You can take any song that you like and put a few changes to it to make it your own and make music your own.”
  The supply teacher simply wants children to be “creative and not worry about whether you’re good enough but just to have fun with it.
  “That’s something I really didn’t honestly learn to do until my adult life. I had fun with it as a child but I didn’t realize I could make music until much, much later.”
  Queen says his most honest critics, and the ones most likely to encourage him to pursue certain songs, are the students he meets during teaching gigs.
  “I get a lot of my ideas from kids. I take a lot of test-drive songs out in the classroom. I get to try my music out and see their response and they give me more ideas and I feed off it. I can tell if they liked it or not. If they’re not going for it in the classroom I know it’s not worth trying on the stage.”
  The stage is where Queen loves to be.
  “It’s all about participation, getting involved, being silly and having fun and having fun with music. When I perform with kids I find that they just give back so much energy and that fires me up so I can put all the more into the show.”
  Surprisingly, Queen says he doesn’t get to listen to a great deal of music because he’s far too busy with his own children.
  But when he does he’s continuously astounded by the breadth of Canadian talent.
  “I’m always amazed with I hear The Arcade Fire. It has nothing to do with my music at all but I just think they’re fantastic.”
  The same, he adds, for a band like The Deep Dark Woods.
  But it is The Sadies that really gets him enthused, in the least because Travis and Dallas Good are his nephews.
  “They really are my favourite performing band. They are still definitely one of my all-time favourite bands to see and listen to.”

Setlist

AQ ORIGINALS
Three Pig Jig
Big Troubles For Little Red
Cinderella
Billy Goats Gruff
Whoa Jack! Cut him some slack!
Goin on a Gator Hunt
I Love Boating
Hi De Ho
Crazy Purple Day
Little Tree Frog
The Cat Came Back (new lyrics)
On Top of My Pizza

ACTION SONGS
Goin on a Gator Hunt
Hello My Name is Joe
An Old Austrian Went Yodeling
If I Had the Wings
Hi De Ho
Momma Don't Allow
Little Spaceship in the Sky

OLD FAVOURITES
She'll Be Coming Around the Mountain
The Other Day I Met a Bear
The Cat Came Back
I've Been Working on the Railroad
I'se The B'ye
Old Hiram's Goat
The Hockey Song
Boom Chicka Boom

Basic Requirements

Calendar