nista

Nista is a band of fabulous folks. Check out their music and shenanigans.

listening to: basia bulat - heart of my own

Though it was only an early cut, the song was already powerful enough to reach out and yank at my heartstrings. When I listened to the playback of "Gold Rush" during a photo shoot at Hotel 2 Tango in September 2008, I knew the finished product - and the album it would join - would be something special.

While taking pictures of the lovely Katie, I was able to a tiny part of the recording of Basia Bulat's latest album, Heart of My Own.

I had been intrigued by Basia's music for years, after hearing her distinctive voice in my Foundations in Singing class and as a host and frequently-played artist on CHRW during my time at Western. Her debut album, Oh, My Darling, was so fabulous and honest and strangely comforting that it constituted a large part of my new-to-Montreal, wandering-the-city-with-my-ipod-and-camera soundtrack.

After listening to her first effort so much, I'd grown accustomed to the softly gritty and wistful voice that lives on it. When I heard a much louder, more confident voice singing about a fool going north on Gold Rush, I was blown away by the vocal power she had developed in such a short time.

Heart of My Own features a stunning vocal performance by Basia, with evocative lyrics and melodies that slide right into your head and stay put. Equally impressive is the roster of musicians she's enlisted to infuse her well-crafted songs with virtuoso phrasing and complementary melodies. The musicians provide the scintillating sub-plots to her overarching narrative of adventure and independence.

Pick up a copy and listen for yourself, and watch this adorable video for a preview. For my fellow Montrealers, you can catch Basia's performance February 12th at L'Astral.

Basia Bulat - The Shore - A Take Away Show from La Blogotheque on Vimeo.

evening with an artist

Last night was awesome! Over drinks and fabulous food at Liverpool House, I got to photograph* one of my favourite musicians, Amy Millan.



*I know this isn't a great photo, but I wanted to choose one of the ones that definitely won't be published.

on bodies rock summer '09

Two photos of a whole bunch to come. I am so proud of these guys! They played a rockin' show at the i(heart)music festival in Ottawa this weekend, and were mentioned in The Guardian's music blog last week.

Getting pretty good momentum going before going on tour next month!

on bodies

On Bodies, a band consisting of Mark, Sheena and Brian (my dear friends and boyfriend) recently finished recording its EP. The launch is happening a month from today, but I am too excited to wait until then to tell you about them.

A snippet from their bio:

On Bodies’ anatomy consists of a melodious torso with three separate, distinct heads: Mark Ambrose Harris, whose deep dramatic baritone serenades an introspective set of keys; Sheena Hoszko, whose raw soaring vocals blend beautifully with the distorted lines of her bass; and Brian Fauteux, who knits it all together on the drums, providing an unbreakable backbone for the band’s sweeping compositions...

If this piques your interest, go check out their Myspace, Facebook fan page, or CBC Radio 3 page.

And, if they eventually post their song "Ballad for an Old man," you might just hear me busting out some opera in the background. I feel lucky to have even been a tiny part of this fantastic album.

rainy day tunes

I just walked home in the cold rain, in a skirt and uncomfortable tights. My hair is clinging to my face and I am chilled to the bone. I am both spent and overstimulated. I work during the days, and then I work on other stuff from the moment work ends until my bedtime in the wee hours. It's exhausting, but I hear this is how you "make it."

After work I took the bus to a café. I drank huge mugs of tea while typing, over the din of old men yelling at each other in Portuguese. Then I showed up at the restaurant for this week's meeting. Like the insanely welcoming, mothering woman she is, B served us burgers with every gourmet fixing you could imagine. Neighbours stopped by to join the meal, sharing stories and our big bottle of rosemary lemonade.

We brainstormed and planned, while a group of older men played amazing jigs and reels for their weekly Irish jam. B is the kind of woman who magnetically attracts creative souls, so it's no surprise that even when the restaurant is closed, it is still full of people.

And yes, it was surreal, conversing over enthusiastic Celtic tunes. It gave the night a dreamlike quality. So when I walked home close to midnight after a long, long day, I was okay with the miserable weather. My boots clicked on the pavement with a purposeful rhythm, as if I were marching to the last strains Irish tunes that streamed out the door after me. I am tired, but I'm walking with purpose. I'm on a mission.

a musical debut

After one year of songwriting and practice, my band mate and I debuted our 12 song collection to an equal number of friends tonight.

My band mate and I are very different people. He is from a super Italian area and we joke that we speak different languages. In fact, we do actually speak different dialects of English and I often have to ask him to translate his slang for me.

Musically, however, our communication is crystal clear. I am really proud of the music we've been working on, and I'm very excited to share it with you all in a few months time.

After receiving feedback from our audience tonight, we're going to pick 5-6 songs to record starting in January. Before you know it, you may be getting a cd in your mailbox or zip file in your inbox from our band, Vignettes.

perks

Despite being an intern, and therefore the lowest on the totem pool, I still get pretty cool opportunities at my internship. Yesterday, for example, I got to interview and do a photo shoot with Justice. Full story and photos to come when the issue is released in December.

underdressed and overexcited

I was walking hurriedly home as the rain started to fall, when I heard a male voice yell out to me:

"Hey girl!"

I turned and looked to see a young guy, maybe a few years younger than me, wearing a black hoodie with gold Louis Vuitton motif, and a LOT of bling. He was standing on the steps of a church that always has beautiful music streaming out its windows on Sundays.

"Hi," I answered.

"Why aren't you in church?" He asked, grinning.

"Well, I don't really go to church. I haven't even been inside one in a long time."

"Well come on in, you're welcome here," He paused, adding with a wink, "You can come hang out with all the black people."

"What the? What do you mean?" I asked, laughing. "Do only black people go to this church?"

"Well I guess there are a few white people too. But it don't matter anyways, come on in and join!"

I walked in the first set of doors with him before remembering that I was wearing denim capris, running shoes, and a wet raincoat.

"Oh no I couldn't. I've seen how fancy the ladies who come here are dressed. They even wear hats! I'll come back when I'm dressed better. Well, maybe I'll just take a peek."

He pulled open the second set of doors, and I was hit by a wall of sound. Ladies and gents, children and the elderly, dressed to the nines were dancing and spinning around as they sang "hallelujia" at the top of their lungs. Some ladies near the doors glanced at me and smiled invitingly, waving me in despite my attire. I smiled back but shook my head, gesturing to my running shoes. Quietly I snuck back out. I did, however, promise Dwayne (the blinged-out guy who invited me in) to come back some time.

I have a not-so-secret obsession with gospel music and lively church choirs, and I have always wondered how I could get in on the action (despite my aversion to church-going). I once had a similar experience of being invited by strangers to join a choir in Tanzania. Perhaps opportunity has come a-knocking once again.

on bodies

These are a few samples from the shoot I did with Brian's band, On Bodies, last week. I'm keeping their official photos (to be used as press images) under wraps for now. The above ones were just for fun, playing around with lighting and reflective umbrellas.

(il)literati

In my research, I have come across the work of some fantastic writers. One person who has really stood out to me is Nigerian poet and author Ben Okri. In his book A Way of Being Free, he often seems to see clearly into the hearts of all sorts of people. One phrase that I like in particular:

"A young woman, standing on a shore, looks out into an immense azure sea rimmed with the silver line of the horizon. She looks out into the obscure heart of destiny, and is overwhelmed by a feeling both dark and oddly joyful. She may be thinking something like this: 'My soul looks forward and wonders—just how am I ever going to get across?"

I just picked up Sarah Slean's latest album, The Baroness, and am finding it to be her best yet. Definitely recommend.

This is a quiet Saturday. Last night a bunch of us went out to Main Hall, a place that always seems to bring out the crazy in everyone who goes there. I spent too long talking to a moustached man, my one friend accidentally swan-dived off the side of the stage while dancing, and most of us aren't sure how we ended up home.

I guess I was in good spirits though, as I apparently sent the following text message to my friend Peter from Brian's cell:

"Hi dallas says she lovery you and you are a favonsive."

Despite being in school for 19 years, after a bottle of wine, I am always brought back to my kindergarten level of self expression.

passion versus reason (part 2)

I went to the audition. If I hadn't gone, I would have been sitting at my desk, working on my paper, and wondering what would have happened if I would have gone.

While preparing this morning, I didn't want the guy upstairs to tell me to "SHUT UP!" again, so I grabbed my sheet music and headed up to the rooftop pool in our building. Warming up in a room full of bright morning sunlight, and fabulous acoustics, I felt pretty hopeful about the day ahead.

I hopped on the Metro by 9:30, so that I wouldn't have to wait in line too long at the auditions. Past open calls I have done have had line-ups that stretched city blocks. Imagine my surprise when I walked into the theatre to see only 10 others waiting to sign up. More people arrived eventually, but it was still a very small turnout.

After a while, I made it past the first screening audition, where I sang without accompaniment. The lady told me to loosen up and be sassy. Her instructions made me laugh, and helped me to feel more at ease for the second round. I sang my audition piece for the casting panel, and then "The Sound of Music," upon request (which, thank god, I had been practicing just in case). They seemed to be happy, and handed me some scenes to read over.

I rehearsed the scenes with the first lady who'd seen me. She was incredibly generous with her time, and her direction, which was awesome. After a short while, it was back into the main audition room to present the scenes I had been working on. We ran through them, and it felt so great. They asked me to wait outside the door.

A few minutes later, one of women on the casting panel came and told me they were interested in seeing more of me for the part of Maria. I think I started to hyperventalite at this point.

The catch is, I will have to go through a rigorous audition process that will be the feature of an upcoming reality show called "How do you Solve a Problem Like Maria." Based on the British program of the same name, the show will conduct nation-wide auditions for the lead role of the show. I am truly hesitant to participate in reality tv, but having done well in today's audition, I'm told, may help me through the process.

Now, buzzing with excitement after today, I have to wait a month and a half until those auditions get started. AHHHHH.

and, cue crescendo

Musicians play before a small crowd at the Sala Rosa during last night's Art Matters launch party

Inspired by the hum of creative activity in this city, I am sitting here this morning, eagerly awaiting the delivery of my new musical instrument. Yesterday, during a random visit to the music store, I found the keyboard I have been looking for since I first started writing my own music, many years ago. I can't wait!

wishing for wine in april

Today is my brother's birthday and he is 22. Happy Birthday! This means in a month or so, I will be getting on in years.

As you can tell, I am working hard on all my year-end assignments. Aren't you impressed? Here are some lovely things I have come across in my research (*cough* procrastination).

1) Staring at Twitter, a random yet strangely addictive site that lets you see what people across the world are doing every few seconds. I still don't know what the point is (besides gathering more procrastination ideas from a bunch of internet addicts), but I can't stop watching it.

2) Watching videos of Amy Winehouse--the incredible neo-motown singer/hard drinker--performing while under the influence.

3) Shaking my head in disbelief at purity ball paraphernalia. And on the subject of father-daughter purity balls, what I really want to know is where the mother-son purity balls are?

4) Thoroughly enjoying the bird and the bee's music. Especially the song "Fcking Boyfriend." They are opening for Lily Allen, so for those of you going to see her, enjoy!

Okay, back to work. See you when the rain subsides and more of my work is handed in.

music and purity

It's the beginning of a beautiful Saturday. The buds are starting to green the tips of trees, there's not a hint of a chill in the air, and I...

I am spending 8 hours of the day in a windowless computer lab that I work in. Drat!

Well, hopefully I will be productive, but the internet connection here is so much faster than our hotel-style internet at home, and I believe I will use the increased speed to obsessively search summer concert schedules instead of doing work. But seriously, I have to do work. There are 3 weeks left, and 4 major assignments to hand in before I am finished my first year!

Yesterday I spent the day at a sound studies conference, at which Brian was presenting a paper. The presenters were all fabulous; they discussed everything from the history of community radio in Canada (Brian), to progressive middle-eastern hip hop, to the creation of an audio guide of an old Irish community in Old Montreal. The best part of the conference, however, was the shmoozing part with all the free food and wine. After a few glasses, Brian and I decided to go out for dinner in Mile-End. I was scoping out a microbrewery/gourmet pizza place for the year-end event I am planning. I do believe that Sergent Recruteur with its fresh, fruity artisan beer and indescribably good pizzas, will fit the bill.

We moved on to a cozy live music cafe-turned dance spot at night, Casa del Popolo, to meet some friends, and then, finally to The Main for a late night snack (in my case a pickle). It was quite the day.

I went out and got a few of the CDs I have been meaning to purchase for a while now: Malajube, Arianne Moffatt, and Carla Bruni. Bruni's album is especially dear to me already, and if you listen, you will hear why. I am also loving London/Western/CHRW's own Basia Bulat. I had met Basia a few times at Western: she briefly volunteered at The Gazette and was also briefly in my Foundations in Singing class. I had often heard her radio show and a few of her tunes, and they were very cute and fun. Her new stuff is really special, and certainly worth listening to!

In more academic news, while doing research for my Media and Sexuality class paper on the Bush administration's sex education policies, I unearthed an interesting gem which is now the focus of my paper: the trend of purity balls. Please, read for yourself and let me know what you think of this kind of "party."

Thank goodness Canada has Sue Johanson. She would never stand for state-enforced teaching of misinformation

electronic chords and floating orbs

Imogen Heap played at Metropolis, here in town last night. First and foremost in my mind, the mystery behind the creepy cyborgian sound of her voice in hide and seek was solved. She sang in unison with her key-tar (see left) with an organ effect, and also had a voice effect on top of it. Very cool, and somehow less scary now. Surrounded by a space station like console of musical gadgets and toys, and a clear plastic grand piano which held her keyboard (and was lit up by fibre optics of alternating colours), the lady showcased her unique and addictive performance style. Overflowing with talent, lacking in any pretentiousness, she was a star and a hostess with English sensibility and graciousness.

I am fully aware of music journalism's fixation on the appearance of female musicians, but she seems to have a lot of fun with her image, and her aesthetics are part of her schtick...so, clothed in a dark rose taffeta corset and ball skirt, fastened with lime green laces, and a pale pink faux fur stole, she looked like a lady of the court. Her giant updo/fauxhawk (complete with pink feathers) also added a bit of punk sensibility to her onstage attire. Fun!






And, what a multi-tasker that woman is. She manipulated countless loops, effects, played keys, and sang with her loopy, scratchy, ethereal voice on top of it all. Any flub that came up during this tour kick-off, was passed off with a laugh or some quick British humour. She was laid back, even grinning when one of her supporting musicians forgot to come onstage for a song, and crept in sheepishly half-way through the number. All this transpired under 4 illuminated orbs that played videos of her doing 90s dance moves. Posh and talented, she put on a great show, and I can't wait to see her again.



Also, any artist who has flamingos in her promo merch has my stamp of approval.