Formerly from Lively, Angie Nussey moved to Toronto to continue her music career. Almost a year ago, she released her third album "Paint and Turpentine" which she won two "2005 Toronto Independent Music Awards" for "Best Female Performer" and "Best Song" for "Forbidden Thoughts". Angie is a very talented and a very sweet person.

I chose one of her early songs "Smiling Today" because I wanted to end the video with a message that recovering from drugs is very difficult but can be done. Angie makes reference to smiling today "but not yesterday" many times in the songs and that made me think of some of the clients I work with. You can learn more about Angie on her website at "www.angienussey.com".

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"I'm honoured to be play a small part in the "What We've Learned Project." I've known numerous people in my life who have suffered from drug and alcohol addiction. I support any project that helps people to find a new path in their lives. It is a very brave and honourable transition for them."
- Angie Nussey

   

I picked Chris' song "Millennium" because it is a very layered song, suggesting, in my opinion, that dependence can be in many forms. The tone of the song also sets the stage for the seriousness of the issue which is why I placed it at the beginning.

Chris is a singer, songwriter, and guitarist from here in Sudbury who has been playing around the scene for many years and released his first album last year entitled "Beauty and Suspect". Chris is very passionate and has a gift for writing very interesting, emotional lyrics and music.

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"I'm very happy to be a part of this worthwhile project. If this video teaches anything, it is that by the time you take drugs for the first time it is too late to turn back. For the majority of us, not taking drugs that first time is not only the best decision we can make, but it is also a very easy decision."
- Chris Kivinen-Newman

   

What can I say about Matt Foy? Well, he is a talented musician and songwriter. He played every instrument on his album. More than that, he is a character. Nice guy. I needed a funny, upbeat song to break the seriousness and Matt came through.

It is very hard to find funny songs with independent artists but Matt's album is full of fun, upbeat songs. What is great about Matt is, when you hear him or his band live, you get a variety of vibes like acoustic, rock, ragee, and even ska. You can check him out at The Townhouse or visit "Laughing Buddha" to purchase his album.

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"I hope that this video can warn the kids of the dangers of drug addiction and that organizations like the Sudbury Action Centre For Youth will help in teaching them to make the right decisions to fully realize their potential"
- Matt Foy

   

I needed a rock song to complete the movie and did not hesitate to ask one of the best rock bands in Sudbury "Faster Friday". I have known the drummer Joey Fiorino for many years and wanted to include him in the project in some way. The band is comprised of some of the best and most experienced musicians in Sudbury.

I chose "Wasted" because, as soon as I heard the song, I knew it would fit with my vision of the slogan sequence. The song also had a great rock tone which was missing from the video. The band is currently working on an album and you can check them out on the Sudbury night scene.

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"You know I've seen a lot of great musicians and friends go down and lose everything because they think that drugs enhance there playing or life. It never does and it always makes a mess of everything"
- Steve McArthur (Faster Friday)