This is part 1 of Ken's interview with Simone Schmidt aka Fiver. Please watch this channel for part two coming shortly.

Simone Schmidt is a musician and multidisciplinary artist who recently moved to so-called Sackville, New Brunswick for work. Schmidt grew up as a settler in Toronto during Mike Harris' Common Sense Revolution and has been involved in resisting austerity since grade school. Schmidt's musical practice involves research-based songwriting, improvisation, analog recording, and a deep fascination with form. They have performed with units like The Highest Order, One Hundred Dollars, and their solo project, Fiver. Their chapter in Displacement City (U of T Press, 2022) describes the City of Toronto's organized abandonment of housing-deprived people during the early pandemic, from their perspective as a community organizer.

Photo credit : Alexandra Stairs
This episode also includes original tracks from Simone's back catalogue including:
'House of Lost Words' from Audible Songs From Rockwood, which you can but here: https://ideefixerecords.bandcamp.com/album/audible-songs-from-rockwood
and 'Dayton' from Lost the Plot, which you can buy here: https://crowncrowncrown.bandcamp.com/album/lost-the-plot

To find out more about and to follow Simone's work, please check out the following links:

Website: https://www.fiverfiverfiver.com/

Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/fiverfines/

Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/fiverfiverfiver

Twitter: https://twitter.com/UhhFiver

For updates on the pod and more, follow Ken here: https://www.instagram.com/ken._moffatt_/

Ep. 09— Simone Schmidt(part 1): The Utility of Metaphor

This is my profile. There are many like it, but this one is mine.
My profile is my best friend. It is my life. I must master it as I must master my life.

Without me, my profile is useless. Without my profile, I am useless.

The Swithen tells the REAL legends of King Arthur in a serialized story, starting with the birth of Merlin. These are the ACTUAL legends from 500 years ago, not some new made-up BS, in modern and relatable tellings. Find out the real stories of Merlin, Arthur, Lancelot, Guinevere and the Knights of the Round Table, in the long-form epic fantasy series that, unlike other series, is NOT made up as we go along. This entire, complex, decades-spanning epic saga was completely laid out 500 years ago!

Downstream from what explores the links between art, and social justice. We interview a group of cultural creators, artists, and activists to speak about the link between art and social change. Season Two includes interviews with sound artist and educator Ben McCarthy; Educator, visual artist and musician Samantha Wehbi; Educator, multidisciplinary artist Natalie Wood; Labour and Pro Democracy activist and educator Winnie Ng; Singer-Songwriter and Activist Simone Schmidt .


The first season included interviews with Kiké Roach and Alex Bierk along with series co-creator Ken Moffatt.  As with the practice of art the interviews span a great many topics and a wide variety of creative interventions.

Downstream from What is created under auspices of the Jack Layton Chair at Toronto Metropolitan University We appreciate the support of the Dean of Arts and Dean of Community Services 

Feel free to reach out if you have any questions or comments.

Ep. 09— Simone Schmidt(part 1): The Utility of Metaphor

Downstream from What?