10 wards in 10 songs: Windsor through music

A music project hopes to bring Windsor together — by highlighting what makes each of the ten wards in the city unique.

It's called the 'Wards of Windsor' and it's an album featuring 10 local artists and their songs, which comes to life this month after two years of work.

Leighton Bain spearheaded the project and contributed a song about the Riverside ward. 

"I was born and bred there, so I wanted to discuss the heartbeat of this neighbourhood," said Bain. "I wanted to capture that feeling of being a Riverside teen."

Bain wanted to look at the smaller stories that made up the big picture that is the city of Windsor. 

"I started sending a few messages, to my friends who were songwriters in the Windsor scene ... everybody received the idea with open arms," said Bain. 

When Bain asked musician Max Marshall to be involved with it he thought the project made total sense.

"When he approached me with the idea I was like 'Oh I already have one. I have a song for you,'" said Marshall. 

Marshall's song is about "real people" in the ward encompassing the Walkerville neighbourhood. He called it the 'Windsor Hum' but it's not about the west end's infamous industrial noise. 

"It's about these problems in plain sight," said Marshall. "It's all transparent problems ... like the Windsor Hum is the omnipresent unsayable thing in the background that only a handful of people can pick up on."

The album launches Nov. 30 with two live shows at Mackenzie Hall. 

All profits from both digital and vinyl sales will benefit the Women's Welcome Centre Shelter in Windsor. 

Artists, songs and the wards they represent:

• Ron Leary's 'The Ancient Seeds of Ojibway' for Ward 1.
• Andrew MacLeod's 'Sort it Out' for Ward 2.
• Michael Hargreaves' 'Downtown' for Ward 3.
• Max Marshall's 'The Windsor Hum' for Ward 4.
• Brendan Scott Friel's 'Border City Town' for Ward 5.
• Leighton Bain's 'The Rangers of Riverside' for Ward 6.
• Tara Watts' 'The Glade' for Ward 7.
• Pat Robitaille's 'Down the Line' for Ward 8.
• Steve and James' 'County State of Mind' for Ward 9.
• Sebastian Abt's 'Underpass' for Ward 10.