Biographies

Leaders Junkyard Jonny            Junkyard Jonny, aka Jonny Olsen is the leader of the group. He has been juggling since the age of 13, drumming since the age of 4 and clowing since the age of 0. Jonny has an honours degree from the University of Waterloo in Environmental Studies where he founded a group called Recycle Cycles, and received an A+ for his thesis in Eco-Entertainment for Children. Jonny has played drums and percussion with many local Ottawa bands, and has hosted a percussion radio show on the local Ottawa University radio station. Jonny speaks English and French fluently and is currently learning Spanish. Juggling Joe            Juggling Joe, aka Josef Chladny is the new awesome juggler in town. He studied at L'Ecole de Cirque de Verdun and he loves anything to do with circus. You can tell by his dazzling tricks that the circus loves him. Joe has many great hat tricks, balancing tricks and juggling tricks, but Joe's specialty invloves juggling five clubs made out of pop bottles, electrical tape and dowel. Recycle Ross            Recycle Ross, aka Aytahn Ross is an acommplished montreal circus performer. Aytahn has over 15 years of professional experience and has been seen by millions of people in twelve countries around the world. With such as highlights as the Just for Laughs festival the Montreal Jazz Festival to his name, Aytahn is known for his elegant silliness, natural charm and graceful skill. Recycle Rylan            Recycle Rylan, aka Rylan Schwarze is an 18yr old magician from Brockville, Ontario. He has been performing magic shows for the past 5 years with his company, Ry Guy Magic. From large theatre stages to small close-up venues, he mystifies people of all ages with his sleight of hand skill and mind-boggling mysteries. Recycle Rylan also performs circus arts such as unicycling, juggling, and diabolo. He has been playing music since the age of 6 as well, specializing in piano, trombone, and of course, drums!

Assistants Dumpster Dylan            Dumpster Dylan, aka Dylan Roberts, is a full time drummer in the Ottawa area. He has a Music Degree from Carleton University and has studied jazz drumming in New York City. You can often see him playing for the Ottawa-based folk-rock trio The John Punch Band, but you may catch him playing in any number of bands, in any style of music on any given night. Dangerous Derek            Derek Debeer, aka, Dangerous Derek is a renowned drummer who has toured the world with South African star Johnny Clegg. From Zimbabwe, Derek now lives in Ottawa with his two children. Derek has an easy going likable character, but don't be fooled because his drumming style is defintitely 'dangerous'. Boom Boom Bryan            Byran Valeriani, aka, Boom Boom Bryan hails from St-Adele, Quebec but lives in Kemptville. An accomplished drummer and drum teacher, Bryan plays with local soul band Soul Obsession. DJ Duct Tape Dayv DJ Duct Tape Dayv, aka David Luciak is a distinctive DJ/bassist from Montreal. Dayv's stylin' breakbeats, and groovy junk bass playing is the talk of the town. He has played in bands with colourful names such as The Red Phone,and Head Smashed In Buffalo Jump, Snazacuda Quartet, and Loser Cruiser #2. Marvelous Mark            Marvelous Mark, aka Mark Wilson is has been a professional drummer for over ten years, based out of Ottawa. After studying Jazz and Commercial Music at Toronto's famous Humber College percussion program, he has toured all through North America and Europe. In 2009 his original rock group "Harpoon" won $300 000 winning the Big Money Shot competition. Mark is also a drumset teacher having taught hundreds of young drummers in the Ottawa area and loves to share his passion for making music. Stupendous Steve            Stupendous Steve, aka Dylan Steve Gowans began drumming at the age of 10 and hasn't stopped. Since that point he has honed his skills with numerous musical groups and school bands in almost every style of music. Although Dylan has less time to play as he attends the University of Ottawa, he still finds the time to teach drum lessons on the side. Terrfic Terri            Terrific Terri, aka Terri-Lynn Mahusky, a fantastic fiddler, hails from the Ottawa Valley where children are born with fiddles in their hands. Terri-Lynn has taken part of countless fiddle competitions, played with Celtic artists such as Celtae, Neil McDaniel and has toured Europe with a police band. She is always up for playing a tune or two. Eric The Excellent            Eric the Excellent, aka Eric Eggleston has been a fixture in the Ottawa music communtiy for decades. His band The Eric Eggleston Band has won Ottawa's Big Money Shot competition, has toured Canada, Sweden and parts of Europe and can often be found entertaining the crowds of local Ottawa pubs with their funky Rock music. Eric is the Owner and Operator or recording studio Johnny Hall Productions. A graduate of the “In the Studio with Bruce Swedien” masterclass in Los Angeles, Eric has also mentored with Grammy-winning mixer & producer Michael Brauer and David Kahne respectively. Dumpster Don            Dumpster Don, aka Don Estabrook is a natural wacky character who performs dazzling acrobatic and juggling tricks. One of the best technical jugglers in Canada, Don has perfomed with the Jugglin Duos "Just Us" and "The Screaming Beavers". When Don is not performing, he teaches high-school math and psychology. Speedy Spence            Speedy Spence, aka Spencer Parent is a young drummer but amazing for his age and known for his fast awesome beats. If you give him a real drum kit he won't mind dazzling the crowd with a super speedy drum solo. He also plays for many local Ottawa bands and is not a bad juggler too. Landfill Lil            Landfill Lill, aka Mary Lillian Gellner is perhaps one of the best female drummers in Canada and has the best smile and energy of all of them. She currently drums full time with the touring Celtic/Pop band Searson. Trashcan Tony            Trashcan Tony, aka Tony Raybould is one dashing drummer. Tony drums up a storm in perfect unison to the show's tricks and routines. Tony has played drums for many local Ottawa and Vancouver bands and has even performed with Charlie Major and Shania Twain.

Previous Performances Street Level Festival Shows Alliston Potato Festival Almonte Festival of The Arts Arboretum, Central Experimental Farm, Ottawa Belleville Sidewalk Sale Brockville Riverfest Brockville Ribfest Brockville Buskerfest Burk's Falls Fair Charlottetown Festival of Fathers Citygate Shopping Centre, Hong Kong Cornwall Winterfest Cumberbarn Festival, Renfrew Detroit Festival of the Arts Delaware Tall Ships Festival Dorset Snowball Winter Carnival Dundas Busker Festival Detroit Festival of the Arts Festival Of The Islands, Gananoque Fort Erie Friendship Festival Gloucester Fair Great Northern Exhibition, Collingwood Havelock Rock and Rail Festival Halifax Busker Festival Herbfest, Almonte Huntsville Festival of the Arts Jean Charest Campaign, Ottawa Kids Park, Kitchener Ont Kingston Busker Festival Lynx baseball Stadium Log Farm, Ottawa Manotick Haunted Harvest Festival Mississauga Moonlight Madness Munster Strawberry Moon Festival Nelson Streetfest, B.C. Nepean Days, Nepean Old Home Week, Smith Falls Orangeville Busker festival Ottawa Busker Festival Ottawa Children's Festival Ottawa Senators, Corel Centre PEI Bridgefest Redondo Beach Junkfest, California Renfrew Snowfest Rideau Canal Festival Sault St. Marie Busker Festival Saunders Haunted Farm, Muster Sheffield England International Street Festival Singapore River Buskers' Festival Skopje Buser Festival, Macedonia Spencerville Fair Split Bukser Festival, Croatia Sebenik Children's Festival, Croatia St. Stephen Chocolate Fest Sugarbush Festival, Vanier Stittsville, Villagefest Sydney Busker Festival Tulip Festival, Ottawa Toronto StreetFest Toronto WinterFest Vancouver 2010 Olympics Winterlude, Ottawa Windsor Buskerfestival Main Stage Festival Shows Brockville Fall Fair CHEO BBQ, Ottawa Canada Day Celebrations Barrhaven Canada Day Celebratons Parliament Hill City of Kitchener First night City of Ottawa First Night Deep River Summer Festival Dickison Days, Manotick Elora Festival of Singers Edmonton Klondike Days Festival and Events Conference, Ottawa Festival Lindsey Academy Theatre Festival Jojo, Hammond Festival of The Maples, Perth Great Northern Exhibition, Collingwood Kincolith Crabfest Lakealive Festival, Cambridge London Children's Festival Merikville Fair Merveille Des Sables, Gatineau Metcalfe Fair Musical Ride, Lefaivre Niagara Poultry Fest Nanjing Euro-Americas Clown Festival, China Nepean's 20th Birthday Ottawa Children's Festival Ottawa Folk Festival Ottawa Home Show Ottawa Jazz Festival Ottawa Winterlude, Jaques Cartier Park Perth Stewart Park Festival Peterborough Folk Festival Russell Fair Renfrew Valley Fest Salmon Fest, Newfoundland South Moutain Fair St. John Festival by the Sea St. Thomas Iron Horse Festival Storybook Garndens, London, ON Super EX, Ottawa Sudbury Summerfest TD Canada Trust Merger, Sky Dome, Toronto Tour for Kids, Eganville Tour De Nortel, Ottawa Toronto Winter Festival We are all drummers/ Centrepointe Theatre, Ottawa WESTfest, Ottawa Williamsburg Fall Harvest Festival Winterlude, amphitheatre, J. Cartier Park Theatre, Club, Hall Shows Astrolabe, Ottawa Acadamy Theatre, Lindsay Acadamy Theatre, Peterborough Algonquin Observatory, Ottawa Auditorium, London Banshee, Whitby Barrymores, Ottawa Bert and Ernies, Toronto Bovine Sex Club Brockville Arts Centre Cambridge Arts Centre, Ottawa Centerpointe Theatre, Ottawa Climax, Ottawa Congress Centre, Ottawa Duke of Sommerset, Ottawa Equinox, Ottawa Universtiy Empire Theatre, Belleville Guelph Legion Hanover Sportsplex Horse Shoe, Toronto Imperial Theatre, St. John Laurentian Theatre, Ottawa Lonsestar Roadhouse, Ottawa NAC 4th stage, Ottawa Navy Club, Cornwall Palace Theatre, Singapore Rivoli, Toronto Sanderson Centre, Brantford Showplace Performance Centre, Peterborough Woodroffe Theatre, Ottawa Zaphod Beeblebrox, Ottawa Zuma's Roadhouse, Ottawa TV, Radio Shows A Channel Edmonton, Breakfast TV A Channel News, Charlottetown CBC Radio, Basic Black CBC Radio, All in A Day CBC Radio Best of Basic Black CBC Newsday CBC JONOVISION CITY TV, Breakfast TV CJOH Newsline CJOH Midday CJOH Regional Contact CJOH Home Grown Cafe (1st place) CHRO Special, Summer Jobs You wish You had CHUO Radio CKCU Radio NEWRO News NEWRO Breakfast TV Rogers Fanfare Rogers Daytime Shows for Famous People Tragically Hip Sheryl Crow Ashley MacIssac Blues Traveler Ziggy Marley Washboard Hank Goh Chok Tong, Prime Minister of Singpore Stephen Harper, Prime Minsiter of Canada Corporate Shows Alcatel Boeing Canadian Cystic Fibrosis Foundation Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario COCA CMHC Cognos Consumer Gas Earth Day Ottawa Carelton Festival and Events Ontario Heritage Canada Hummingbird Music General Dynamics Interis Consulting International Association of Interior Designers JDS Uniphase National Capital Commision Nav Canada Nortel Phillipine Development Assistance Program Proctor and Gamble Recycling Council Of Ontario Southmedic TD Canda Trust Tim Hortons Township of Cumberland World Exchange Plaza Museum Shows Aviation Museum Cumberland Museum Currency Museum Museum of Nature Museum of Science and Technology Museum of Photography National Museum of Civilization Ontario Science Centre War Museum College, University Shows Careleton University Ottawa University University of Waterloo University of Westeron Ontario York University Algonquin College St. Lawrence College Georgian Bay School of the Arts

The Beginning          Rock Paper Scissors anyone? Junkyard Symphony was developed in July of 1992 when Jonny and his guitarist friends Matt Fredrick and Christian Duquette decided to take their garage band "The Death or Glory Toads" down to Sparks Street on Canada Day for a trial run. This was their first real gig playing guitar driven songs from Gordon Lightfoot, The Grateful Dead, Neil Young and believe it or not the Divinyls, an Australian rock band known for a song called "I touch myself". Needless to say the crowd was not interested in guitar driven songs or songs about touching oneself and after two hours the band had amassed the huge sum of $6.         The band therefore decided to hit the local pub for some beverages, however somebody needed to stay behind to watch the gear, and thus a game of Rock Paper Scissors ensued. Had Jonny won, there might be no Junkyard Symphony today, but luckily Jonny lost and stayed behind to watch the equipment. While the others were in a cool bar enjoying cool drinks, Jonny sat out in the blistering Ottawa summer heat with not much to do but play his drums. Now these were not just ordinary drums. These were custom built Junkyard Jonny drums with buckets, pails, bongos, a toy bas drum, a tambourine, a frog horn and a even a bull horn. Jonny had opted to leave his real drum kit at home for the street was no place for a Pearl Export.          What happened next was magic, for as Jonny played, a crowd gathered, and gathered, and gathered, and soon the street was full of curious onlookers watching one really awesome drum solo on a really peculiar drum set. By the time Jonny had finished and his friends returned, there was $150 in the yellow Tupperware bucket and the idea of Junkyard Symphony was born. The idea was simple... people prefer peculiar percussion!

The History         Junkyard Jonny, aka Jon Olsen, founder of Junkyard Symphony has been playing on pots and pans since the age of four and has never really stopped. He took private drum lessons for five years as a child then entered the concert bands and jazz bands in middle school and high school. As well as being an honors student in the French immersion program, he won the overall music award and most spirited student award at high school graduation for his creative efforts in forming The Enviro Band , a collection of 20 or so concert band members who played radical rhythms on recycle bins and pickle buckets for their Earth Day ceremonies. As a teen, Jonny began juggling and learned to ride a unicycle which became useful in his part time job as a clown where he developed his passion for performing. These skills became even more useful with the birth of Junkyard Symphony in 1992, when Jonny took to the streets to earn a living as a busker. He performed with his Junkyard kit for an entire summer on Sparks Street achieving great success and a wee bit of fame. When Jonny's parents returned home that summer from a bicycle trip in the Netherlands and discovered that their pots and pans were missing, they were more than a little surprised, but delighted to hear that Jonny had earned enough money to pay for his entire year at the Univeristy of Waterloo where he studied Environmental Resource Studies.          The next summer Jonny decided to return to his favorite pots and pans pastime on Sparks Street, and although he was still having lots of fun and making lots of money he was becoming lonely as a solo performer. That's when sidekick / Lackey, Christian Duquette, a Carleton University anthropology student, entered the picture. Christian was a good friend of Jonny's who played guitar in his high school rock band "The Death or Glory Toads". Christian didn't know how to play percussion, but he was a quick learner, and he was completely wacky, so with a little bit of Jonny's guidance, Christian turned into the Amazing Lackey, and so creating the birth of Junkyard Symphony.          After graduating from University, having paid for their degrees with their enterprising talents of turning one man's trash into another man's treasure, the dynamic duo went on to achieve great fame on the many roads that they traveled, performing in schools and festivals, and spreading a little bit of happiness and environmental ethic everywhere they went. Christian's brother Jeff, who tagged along as a roady, eventually became the infamous Plunger Boy, who had a unique talent for catching plungers on his small planet sized belly.         The fun went on for nine years. They performed throughout Southern and Eastern Ontario, the Maritimes, ventured into the United States, Singapore and England. They won first place in the Canadian Association of Exhibitions National Youth Talent contest in 1994. They won Best Act the Defies Description at the Kingston Busker Rendez-Vouz in 1995. In 1997 at the same festival, they won Best Musical Act. On Home Grown Cafe, Ottawa's famous talent show, they won first place overall in the variety category. They have been featured on many radio and television shows such as CBC's Basic Black, Newsday, and Jonovision, CJOH's Regional Contact, Midday News and Newsline, and Roger's Fanfare, and they have made over 50 newspaper appearances from places all over.

The Later Years          But eventually The Amazing Lackey and brother Plunger Boy decided that enough was enough. Plunger Boy's belly was becoming sore and the Amazing Lackey had a fiancée and a stepdaughter to support, so Plunger Boy became an electrical engineer at Nortel, and The Amazing Lackey moved to Brockville to work at Brocktel. That left Jonny O all on his own. Unsure of where to go in life, and not wanting to give up on his dream of being a professional percussionist, Jonny continued performing on his own, calling the show Junkyard Jonny. The show went over surprisingly well in schools and community events and smaller venues that could not previously afford Junkyard Symphony.        It wasn't long, however, before Jonny got the urge to reform Junkyard Symphony again with a new partner. Trashcan Tony, aka Tony Raybould came on board to reform Junkyard Symphony with a a newer version of the show in which the audience could drum along with the band. This new show became immediatley popular as people loved to be inlcuded in the fun, and the new Junkyard Symphony traveled to such far away places as Singapore and Hong Kong where they were a big hit, and got to stay in five star hotels. They even played for the President of Singapore, quite an honour. It seems that rhythm truly is the universal language.