Just Us Folk

In his song, ‘House of Love’, Ron Sexsmith describes a “dirty happy home” where the children are “free range.” While that’s most likely not an accurate depiction of his house in Stratford ON, the singer-songwriter’s life has changed for the better since moving from Toronto. Ron and his family lived in a nice neighbourhood in a house with a reasonable rent, but their landlord was getting on in age. With uncertainty about the cost of their future living expenses they began to explore other options. Ron’s wife, Colleen Hixenbaugh, had been doing some work with Loreena McKennitt in Stratford, and occasionally Ron would tag along to check out the city. “I think she was trying to get me to see it as a potential place to live,” he said. “It took her a while to convince me. But once we found a house and made the decision to move, I was, ‘Yeah, get me out of Toronto!’”

Finding an artistic and social community went a long way in establishing a comfort zone for Ron, where he could create. “Once I have a routine, I’m good. I have that now,” he said.

‘House Of Love’ can be found on Ron’s new album, Hangover Terrace, which was recorded last year in London, England with producer Martin Terefe. The album title is a metaphor for the emotional baggage left behind by the pandemic years. “I felt that everyone has been put through the wringer,” he said. “I had a few falling outs with people, and everyone’s nerves seemed a bit raw.”

While it’s not a dark album, Hangover Terrace deals with a fair amount of soul searching. In the end, the writing process was quite cathartic. “I think it’s got a nostalgic vibe,” he said.

The move to Stratford has had added benefits for Ron’s career. Before recording the new album, he was asked to write music for the Stratford Festival’s production of “As You Like It”, running from the beginning of May until Oct. 24 of this year. The music has been described as the “emotional through line” of the production. He wrote eight pieces, which were then whittled down to four for the final version of the play.

Ron wasn’t as familiar with “As You Like It” as he was with some of Shakespeare’s other works, so he had to rely on the director’s instructions about character dynamics and the fact the play was being set in a dystopian world. Ron’s main guidance came from the play’s lyrics themselves. Much like when Elton John gets a set of lyrics from Bernie Taupin, if some lyrics looked like a ballad to Ron, that’s what he would write.

“I was excited to be involved because I love theatre,” he said. “It’s amazing to go to opening night to see the play come together. It was very cool.” The eye-opening part was seeing how his songs had been interpreted by the festival’s music arranger. For example, one song was turned into a square dance number which was not how Ron had recorded it initially for the festival. “It was interesting,” he said. “I hope it means I’ll get to do it a little more.”

Writing the music for “As You Like It” wasn’t the first time Ron has stepped outside his usual creative process. In 2017 his novel, “Deer Life”, was published by Dundurn Press. It was a thin book, but it took me a long time to write it,” he said. Ron’s story of witchcraft, bullying and revenge, including his own illustrations, was well received by critics. At first not sure what form his story would take, someone in the publishing industry guided him into making it a novel. He’s currently trying to adapt it into a musical. “Obviously the novel could have been better if an actual novelist wrote it,” he said, “but I’m really proud of it. It has personality, and it has heart.” Ron did try to write what he called a “prequel/sequel,” he added, but only got five chapters into it before giving up.

With the release of Hangover Terrace, Ron is preparing to tour across North America, Australia, New Zealand and Europe with the possibility of going to Japan. Now that Ron is in his 60s, he said, he’s more conscious of taking care of his voice during the rigours of life on the road. “I’m looking forward to touring, but I’m also looking forward to when it’s over so I can go home and rest,” he said.

For more on Ron Sexsmith and Hangover Terrace, go to https://ronsexsmith.com.