GASM

September 1996: Andy Simpson puts ad on radio station TheBear looking for "Compose/arranger for help to complete new musical." October 1996: Simpson recieves a phone call. The caller is Gerry Madden.November 1996: Simpson & Madden meet for the first time at Carleton Place High School, where Simpson is performing in a coffee house show. His set includes songs by Rare Earth, Queen and The Who.Deember 1996: They meet at the Simpson's house shortly before Christmas. They discuss working on a musical called ROBINSON CRUSOE. A musical that Simpson wrote at 12 years old.January 1997: Pre-writing begins for RC.June 1997: More pre-writing is done at the Simpson house... er, garage. Two sessions happen. Madden records demos for the songs and Simpson listens to them over the phone and gives the "OK." This continues until 1998.March 17th, 1998: ROBINSON CRUSOE is scrapped. Simpson writes a war story, set in the year 3015. He hears the song "Johnny I Hardly Knew Ye," and rewrites the story as a romatnic epic set in the year of 2112. Then, he rethinks the idea, and sets it in the 19th Century.April 1998: Madden suggests that the story be moved to World War 2 (1939-1945).June-October 1998: Work begins on War Story. 50 songs are written.November 1998: War Story becomes The War That Wasn't Won. A rock opera set in WW2. Johnny and Enid are written in as lovers. Foxx is written in a few days later.2000: The War That Wasn't Won now becomes The Fork, another suggestion from Madden.January 2001: Recording sessions begin for The Fork in Carleton Place.September 2003: Mixing begins for The Fork.October 2003: The Fork is finished recording, mixing and remixing.November2003: Simpson meets with Healey Disc in Ottawa and gets the double album remixed, mastered and pressed.January 2004: After several false starts, The Fork is pressed. 500 copies are made.January 24th, 2004: The Fork is released. Reviews follow.February-September 2004: Theatre companies turn down GASM to stage The Fork as a musical.September 2004-September 2005: Madden, Simpson, Kerry and Graham Ingram work on The Fork musical. Ideas are developed and a script is written.2005: Recording sessions for next two GASM albums begin.2006: GASM records Gordon Lightfoot cover, "Canadian Railroad Trilogy" with Lightfoot's blessing.2007: First follow-up album is completed.2008: Robinson Crusoe sessions restart.