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Matt
Artfest at the Distillery: Ghada Fasho
At Artfest Toronto, artists will be showcasing their artwork for thousands of Torontonians. The show will take place at The Historic Distillery District on Labour Day weekend from August 30, to September 2, 2013.
Abstract and Portrait Artist, Ghada Fasho will be one of the attractions at the event.
Fasho is a Canadian artist who resides in Oakville, Ontario. She specializes in abstract oil paintings, portraits, and pen and ink drawings.
Fasho took interest in art at a young age. She started drawing when she was five years old. She continued to take art until the end of high school.
Fasho says her parents were very supportive regarding her love for art.
When Fasho was in University, she switched programs so she could focus on becoming an artist.
“When I went to U of T, I switched my major from Math and Chemistry, to Art History. I believed that I could never be a good artist if I didn’t study Art and Architecture.”
Portraits that Fasho work’s on are of family and friends. She will occasionally ask her friends and family to dress up in a variety of clothing to pose for her.
“I try to capture a likeness as well as the soul and spirit of the sitter. Eyes can reveal the soul of the subject. I love to paint in pastels as well as oils. Each medium has its distinct beautiful quality.”
Fasho has done commissioned portraits of men, women, and children. ”One Portrait on my website is of a girl dressed up as a pioneer at Pioneer Village.”
Eight years ago, Fasho began doing abstracts. Since then, she feels she has improved as an artist; it has also allowed her to free her mind, be more original, and to think outside the box.
“I wanted to learn more about the principles of good composition, and what makes a work of art successful and a compositional masterpiece.”
Fasho has combined her knowledge of composition, experience with mixing and “applying paint in a more creative way.” She states that she can bridge her “style of painting abstracts” to her “style of painting portraits.”
Fasho says her abstracts and her style of painting have been influenced by legendary artist Claude Monet. ”My love of architecture and sculpture has greatly influence my work as well.”
Nelson Shanks, who she says is “perhaps the best living portrait artist today” has also influenced her work.
Fasho’s advice to an aspiring artist would be to “create art because you have a passion for it” and to not be afraid to experiment. “Take chances and make mistakes; it’s a part of learning.”
Fasho has been featured in newspapers and magazines including: the Toronto Star, and Thornhill Month Magazine in 1989, and the Pickering-Ajax News Advertiser in 2010.
Check out her website here and keep an eye out for her work at Artfest in Toronto!
Elisha MacMillan: Manifest Dance
Throughout the duration of our lives, we often forget the true benefits of exercising; whether it be running, hitting the gym, or playing sports. There is one key component however that we tend to overlook – dance.
Meet Elisha MacMillan, a young and ambitious entrepreneur who says dance can help us find balance, peace, and success.
MacMillan has been dancing since she was three years old. She first started dancing in classical dance forms including: Ballet, jazz, and tap. When she was twenty, she started to do African dancing. She first started learning dancing from Central Africa and then West Africa.
In February, MacMillan will be going to Guinea, West Africa to study traditional dances. “I connect with the power of the dances and the rituals. There are different reasons to dance there. It’s not just for fun but sometimes it is. MacMillan says that people dance at celebrations including: Weddings, funerals, baby naming ceremonies, harvests, and full moons.
“When I go, I study with artists there, and then also people in the villages. So some of the people I train with are professional artists who perform in companies there, and then other times in the villages. It’s kinda the real deal – people showing you – what to do and they’re dancing for a reason – a ceremony.”
MacMillan has taken the dancing she has learned over the years and has wisely applied it to her business.
“My business is Manifest Dance, and I’ve combined the power of dance with my business and life coaching background. So that people in my program receive one on one coaching, so they’re setting goals for their personal life and their business. They’re setting intentions; they’re creating visions for themselves for where they wanna go, short-term and long-term.”
People in MacMillan’s program receive movement videos twice a month.
“These movement videos help them to come in to deeper communication with their body. And they follow along. I believe that our bodies are very wise, and we have a lot of wisdom in our bodies. So when I work with clients, I help them come in to deeper communication with their body and to learn how to communicate with their bodies. So our subconscious operates in symbols. So when our subconscious is speaking to us in our dreams – it works in symbols and messages. So our subconscious is connected to the collective conscious or what some people call the universe or God. And so when we dance, our intention – we’re bringing and communicating to our subconscious what the plan is. So we’ve written it, we’ve set our goals, we’ve envisioned it, so intellectually we get it. But our body is still not necessarily on board in understanding what’s going on. So when you align body, mind, and spirit, then you cultivate the power to manifest, and to create in reality that which you’re envisioning. So some people have heard of the law of attraction. You write it down or make a vision board – it will happen, and a lot of people find that it might not work to just do that. So there’s a missing element which is including your body in that process.”
MacMillan originally had a dance business where she was “teaching empowerment to women and youth through movement.” She also had a career in “African dance”. During that time, she gained valuable insight, knowledge, and skills that she applies to her life today. MacMillan was making a very good income. She lived in Guinea, West Africa on and off, and she was travelling the world – performing in Canada and Ethiopia. Despite all that, she felt that she needed a change, not only in her personal life, but also in her career.
”I was touring and making good money, and I was not fulfilled. I was also teaching classes to women, so I was trying to figure out, ‘What’s missing here? What do I love best about my career? I’m basically as far as I imagined I would go, and I’m not satisfied.’ And my favorite part of this whole career was actually teaching classes. It wasn’t performing at all. So I asked myself, ‘Why do I love to teach so much?’ And it’s because I worked with a group of women ages twenty to sixty-five over a few years. I got to see how the dances changed their lives, so they not only became more confident and grew to love themselves, but it had a ripple effect in their business life – in other aspects of their personal life. And I saw how people if they become empowered, they also tap in to some of their personal power, and that changes everything, so I decided to become a business and life coach. So I’m passionate about this of watching people become empowered and grow and reach their dreams. So I did a really intense study for six months, and went on for another six months to become certified with the coaches training institute – they’re based in California. I had two businesses, my dance business and my coaching practice, but I wasn’t satisfied. So I’m asking myself, ‘Why am I not happy?’ I’m not looking really forward to my coaching calls even though I get a lot out of it and it’s really fun, and I’m teaching dance but it’s not completely fulfilling. So I started bringing more dance in to the coaching and more coaching in to my dance until they just became one. It made sense, and then I saw the connections and how they work together and that’s how Manifest Dance was born.”
MacMillan says her target audience are “women entrepreneurs who are overwhelmed in their work who are looking to have fun and find balance in their business and also to work less hours but make more money.” MacMillan however, also has male clients and clients who are not entrepreneurs.
“Anyone who wants to manifest more love, happiness, or money in their life; I have two clients who are working on manifesting their life partner – attracting that love of their life in to their reality.”
MacMillan says because she had always danced, she never understood the benefits because she had “always done it.” It wasn’t until she started African dance and going to West Africa that she recognized that “dance had medicinal properties.”
“If I was sick and I danced, I could become better. Or that it can also be a preventative medicine because you express emotions through movement – even people who run or play sports or do any kind of physical activity, they’ll feel high after. They’ll feel elated, they feel happy. So that’s part of the sacred power of dance is just processing emotions so that it doesn’t turn to illness.
MacMillan says that the other aspect is that dance has been “passed down for thousands and thousands of years by all of our ancestors worldwide.”
“And anything that gets passed down that many generations for that long by the whole wide world is powerful. It’s more than just celebration. So the sacred power in dance as a tool is also to be able to attract and manifest in to your life what you want. So our ancestors for example might have needed rain or an abundant harvest or protection in war or healing, and that’s what they used it for, and they recognized that it worked, so they continued to pass it down.”
In February 2014, MacMillan is slated to star in a documentary, which will be filmed in Guinea, West Africa. The running time will be forty-five minutes and it is going to be screening in New York in April 2014.
“We’re about to begin filming about my journey through dance and my discovery of the power of dance. And there’s going to be a big event and I will be speaking. This is a very high time, I’m excited.”
MacMillan was chosen to star in the film by the company, Creative Love.
“They teach people how to use the power of attraction to attract their life partner, attract love, and they recognize that in their work. There is an element of rituals that would be beneficial and dance is the oldest way – dance with music. It’s the oldest form of ritual in ceremony.”
You can find more information about MacMillan’s business on her website at manifestdance.com
Also Like Manifest Dance on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/ManifestDance
Freddie Mojallal: The Autumn Portrait
Gone are the days of depressing country music that drives listeners crazy.
Freddie Mojallal from the West Coast, known as The Autumn Portrait is making waves on the radio. He and his heartfelt and well-crafted lyrics are capturing the ears of listeners throughout Toronto, and around Canada. He and his three piece band has travelled the country and performed at NxNE, one of Toronto’s largest musical festivals.
Mojallal grew up in Vancouver; since he was a teenager he has always been involved in music.
“I’ve been playing guitar since I was in high school. I’m self-taught, and I just started playing with my friends that I’d always be the guy whipping out the guitar and writing songs; we’d write silly songs together on weekends when everyone else is going out.”
After travelling throughout Canada many times, Mojallal felt that living in Toronto was an opportunity that he couldn’t pass up. Especially considering that he is a musician.
“I just thought there was more of a hub in Toronto and more going on, more opportunities and, in every aspect – the music. Now everything I do is related to music here whereas in when I was in Vancouver, music was kinda half of what I was doing – to kinda do the regular job stuff – as well. I still do that here but it’s all related to music – music venues or recording artists and stuff like that.”
Despite his love for Vancouver’s scenery, the every-day life as a musician and the music community is why Mojallal stays in Toronto.
“Vancouver’s really pretty – a beautiful place but, Toronto’s just so vibrant and everyone’s so awesome. I think it’s kinda cool just to walk down the street and see well known artists, doing their thing, living their day-to-day lives. You don’t see that as much in Vancouver.”
Mojallal explains the meaning behind The Autumn Portrait.
“I was born in autumn, I was born in September and all the songs that I write are a portrait of my experiences, especially my current album, Tired Love. The whole thing’s kinda based on my personal experiences and I had moved cities for someone, and it’s based off of a relationship that didn’t work out, and hence I came to Toronto. And I think it has a good ring to it.” Mojallal says, “kinda like a City and Colour thing,” referring to the recording alias used by Dallas Green.
Mojallal describes his music as “heartfelt folk music.
“I just put everything out there; all my lyrics are kind of open and raw and heartfelt. It’s just honest and sincere, and I know there’s a lot of people doing that, and I think that’s great. I think that’s what music should be about; it should be about sincerity and opening up because there really shouldn’t be any kinda barrier between the artist and the listener.”
Mojallal prefers to be “open and honest” with his lyrics rather than writing something he doesn’t believe in.
“I’ve written songs like that and it just didn’t come across as sincere, so I’m sure there are lots of artists that are kinda being open and honest with their songwriting and I think that’s great. So, there should be more of that – that’s the stuff I love listening to.”
Mojallal’s influences stem from The Lumineers and Glen Hansard. He also likes famous artists from the past including Leonard Cohen and The Beatles. His musical tastes also ranges to today’s hits. “I have a weakness for pop so I love anything with a good hook essentially, so I don’t listen to a lot of radio besides CBC but, if I catch something you know, Top 40 – that’s good too. I’m open to it, a good song is a good song, doesn’t really matter.”
The Autumn Portrait’s latest album is about heart break and a lost love. Mojallal says that he “basically wrote it about one person.” The album was written, mixed and produced by Mojallal in his own home. ”I just started everything on the guitar and my voice, and built on top of that. And I just put lyrics first this time, says Mojallal. “Tired Love in particular is it’s just kind of a break up album for lack of better terms.”
Help Me See the Light which is accompanied by a music video is the only “happy song” on the record says Mojallal. “That song’s just about kind of finding that companionship within a relationship, and having someone there for you that you can kinda count on, kinda your better half.”
The video, directed by Ryan Nolan features Philip Tetro from MTV’s hit show 1 Girl 5 Gays. Mojallal reached out to his friends in the Toronto music community and he was able to recruit “twenty or so people” to take part. It was a “fun concept” says Mojallal.
“I always wanted to have kind of a fan video or fan/friend video where everyone kinda sings a line in it. And so it’s more focused on them and not me so much. I think Ryan came up with the idea of, ‘Let’s add to that and throw some paint in there.’ So yeah, we got a bunch of house paint and a bunch of canvases; each person in the video painted their own canvas. And that canvas became their own backdrop. So whenever you see a scene with someone singing, that’s their own painting in the background. So it’s something that they can be proud of and share with their friends.”
One of Mojallal’s most memorable experiences was when he booked a tour to go from “Vancouver to Halifax and back.” He performed in a whopping forty shows during a span of six weeks. “I booked it all myself, I was really proud of doing that.”
While touring through Canada a second time, The Autumn Portrait who were coming from Calgary, made a stop in Thunder Bay only to find out that a show they were to perform had been cancelled.
”We showed up to the venue and the venue had no idea about the show, which tends to happen. Shit happens sometimes. So I just made the best of that and turn that bad circumstance in to an opportunity, and The Trews were in town the next day and then, with some perseverance – ended up opening for The Trews the following night. And this was in Thunder Bay. So they’re a bunch of great guys and their whole team is amazing. So having no show – to opening for The Trews turned out to be a career highlight for sure.”
Unfortunately, The Autumn Portrait was unable to hangout much after the show due to having to drive eighteen hours overnight to Peterborough.
Despite a cancelled show and having to rush to the next city, Mojallal had nothing but good things to say about the experience in Thunder Bay. The Trews were “really humble and a good bunch of guys” says Mojallal.
“I guess their song Hope and Ruin became like a theme for that whole tour. I’m a big fan of those guys anyways so that was just a privilege and honour to play. When you get to play – not just only with talented people, but when they’re down to earth and really nice it just makes a huge, huge difference too.”
The Autumn Portrait is currently in the process of writing the next album. Mojallal still has yet to decide whether to record it himself or in a studio. ”If I can find a happy medium, that would be good. I like the idea of doing it live and doing it in a house, and instead of going in to a studio – spending a bunch of money and losing that feel, because I think the reason I like the current album is because it has so much feel – it’s not a compressed sound where you might get in a studio sometime and you lose that feeling.”
The Autumn Portrait also plans on making “lots of more videos.” Mojallal thinks it’s really important to “have a visual with your songs.”
The Autumn Portrait plans to tour Europe next summer.
”I was gonna do it this summer but it just didn’t work out this summer. So that’s what I’ll be working on and hopefully I don’t have to go through a big break up to write another album. It’s a lot easier to write a sad song than a happy song.”
The Autumn Portrait links:
http://www.theautumnportrait.com
https://www.facebook.com/theautumnportrait
https://twitter.com/AutumnPortrait
http://www.youtube.com/theautumnportrait
In Depth with Brittney Grabill
Brittney Grabill is a singer/songwriter born in Edmonton, Alberta. She recently finished a campaign to fund her upcoming album that will be launching in January 2014.
“So I am recording my first original album and it is funded by, I have some help with a radio station in Edmonton, with the funding. And so, me being an independent solo artist – it’s just usually me and my guitar when it comes to performing. So when I go in to the recording studio, I pay all these professional musicians to come in and play, so that’s where the bills do add up.”
Grabill says she loves the aspect of both the modeling and having the artwork in regards to the images and the marketing.
“So that’s where I was like, you know what, if I could have a little bit more help financially, I believe that the overall product is going to be just that much better.Better marketed, better better look, better everything. Just being able to have that little bit of extra funds coming in.”
Grabill decided to use Indiegogo has her campaign to help fund her album.
“I looked at a couple of different campaigns and I loved this – the Indiegogos’ layout for an artist when it comes to crowd funding. And the fact is, is that when someone donates money to help make the album, they’re getting something in return; they’re the ones getting the first signed album. I’ll write a custom song for you or for a friend, and I’ve had some people give it to a gift for their sister for her birthday, me writing her a song. I try to be really creative with what I was able to offer people to find value in return, and only other thing I can add – just the importance of the campaign is for me to stay an independent artist because the money that I make, I reinvest in to my art.”
Grabill is trying to stay an independent artist so she won’t have to be “held down by a label” in regards to being loaned money. “I take pride in trying to be independent in that sense, so that’s why I’m trying to go these outlets.”
Grabill describes the campaign as “super successful.” Since starting the campaign, Grabill began to notice a trend of other artists and film makers starting their own as well.
“The crowd funding and if you ask for help, people as just human nature – they wanna help you. So I kinda had to get past the aspect of ‘Are people gonna be thinking I am begging them for money or will they think negative of me because of this,’ and I was like, ‘No, you know what,’ like people understand this is a product and they’re buying it. I’m just so excited about this new album.”
Despite feeling uncomfortable about the campaign at first, it has since been very beneficial for Grabill. The campaign is now half-way towards reaching its goal. “Having it where it is right now is going to be a huge help – such a huge help so I’m really happy about it and I thank my producer and my boyfriend as well for pushing me to do it. It’s been awesome.”
When Grabill was young, she was introduced to singing by her sister. Despite not becoming involved in music until years later, she still found a unique way to practice. “So my sister was a signer and I remember her coming home for hours and hours and practicing just signing, and so she’s seven years older than me so I would stand outside of her door for like hours while she was practicing, and there was a mirror there and I would just lip sync to her.”
Grabill was also in to sports when she was younger; however, a future in sports was derailed due to a medical procedure. “I had scoliosis; it’s a curvature of the spine, so I had a bad case that I had to get surgery for.”
Despite being unable to play sports, it allowed her to put her focus in to the entertainment industry. She first got started with modeling and acting, and then then music. “My grandpa bought me my first guitar so I started learning from there; I have such a supporting family and group of friends so that’s been a really, really huge help in this industry that’s for sure.”
Grabill says her influences growing up were her sister, her parents, and legendary musicians including Jon Bon Jovi and Ray Charles.
“I’ve had so many people, again when you ask for help, people are willing to help, and even with the campaign, if they don’t have the money to help me out – at least even them sharing it on their page – that’s a huge help too you know, getting that music out there. So I find the people on like social media – that’s awesome and I’ve had some of my dad’s friends or mom’s friends or just adults that I’ve met along the way that have helped a lot financially too, because I just have a vision of where I’m going and it’s just like any business, you do need a little bit of a capital to begin with and obviously I believe that my product is growing so I think it is a great thing to invest in which is why I’m okay with the campaign being there and being like, ‘Hey you guys, you know I just need this help right now,’ and keep building it; my mom and my dad though have been huge, huge supporters.”
Grabill has been a big supporter of The Stollery Childrens Hospital. All proceeds from her song, ‘Autumn’s Song’ are donated to the Hospital’s Foundation.
“That’s where I had surgery – at the Stollery Childrens Hospital when I was thirteen for scoliosis, and they had a specific machine actually that they used during my surgery that was only available in Edmonton at the Stollery and in a hospital in Toronto at the time. And it saved my quality of lifestyle in a huge way because I had some complications in the surgery. So because of that machine, the Stollery had – and that’s where like, because I know the people at the Stollery – all the money that’s donated there goes, well I’m not sure 100%, but from my understanding, the reason they do fundraisers is to fund new equipment, so that people can get the proper help they need, again the complications in my surgery, they found it because of that machine. And that has been a huge help, so just a way for me to give back.
All proceeds that are donated are matched by the World Financial Group Charitable Trust. “They’re gonna double what I raise,” says Grabill. “And they’ve always kept all their promises; I think that that’s an incredible company that gives back to communities. And they’ve always doubled everything we’ve raised for the Stollery – crazy.”
In 2011, Grabill and her dad went to the Winnipeg Folk Festival. She got to meet and learn from several musicians and bands. “So a guy from Ireland – Andy White, The David Wax Museum, that band I got to learn from. I got to learn from just incredible musicians. So that was just a young performers project that they had, and then you do that for the day and then the next day, you’re actually on one of the stages at the Winnipeg Folk Festival performing there. The whole weekend, I brought my dad, so me and my Dad had just an incredible time watching these artists and I remember being so inspired by watching k.d. lang – was one of the end performers – and unreal, it’s so cool.”
Grabill is heavily influences by female icons from the fifties and sixties such as: Ann Peebles, Marilyn Monroe, Betty Grable, and Connie Francis. “I think the collaboration of, it’s just fun, I find that that the music at that time was was a revolutionary time with a lot of things going on, and people just wanted to have that escape and that fun. Even like the horns and stuff – like trumpet and trombone in to the new album too. Holy man, is it ever an experience. I really love listening to that music and how they recorded it back then is inspiring, and there’s just a texture to it like I don’t know how to explain the sound that I just really connect to. I just found that they were really fun and like really unique when it comes to the instruments and the harmonies. I love listening and I just love the harmonies too from the bunch of different ladies back in the fifties and sixties. So I think that the women had a lot of guts for what they were singing about in some cases in what they were doing. So I just found that it was pretty inspirational – the women back then in music.”
Earlier this year, Grabill released an EP titled Dreams are all you Know. The EP features original songs that she has written during the last couple years. “I found that recording it, instead of having like a goal for the end project, we kinda just recorded one song, one by one, so when we brought it all together, it’s five songs. When we brought it together, it was just like a huge genre mix which I thought was really fun but I was like, ‘Okay, I gotta think like a businesswoman too, like who am I targeting? And, ‘Who am I speaking to?’ Because of this, I could be like in this one song, I could be talking more so to country fans, and this song I’d be talking more to the pop, and this song I’d be talking to more of the rock fans. Like it was an interesting little mix. So, it was an incredible learning experience, so I think that for me right now, with this new album I have transitioned in to the folk/pop element that I see myself long-term, and what kind of music that I write that really speaks to me and vocally that I feel comfortable, but also still challenging myself the same. I’ve just had so much fun with this new album, I think that I’ve found the genre that right now fits for where I am in my life time. Like, this new album too, I’ve been doing so much personal development this year and finding out what speaks to me and so it’s always going to be changing – that’s if you’re not living, your dying. So that’s where this music is going to keep on evolving. I’m just kind of finding my niche, more so than anything.”
When Grabill was in the studio, she did some “wacky weird stuff” with the guys she recorded with. With her music, she wants to stand out by being “honest, really honest and not apologize.”
“We’re all comfortable together because we worked on the EP together and we worked on a single before that of mine. So we worked together quite a bit. So I found that like one of the songs for example, there was a guy – my drummer – he just like, is funny with the different accents, so he was like, ‘Hit that play button! Just hit that!’ And he just said it in this funny accent and we ended up taking that and keeping it so you’re hearing all these things in this new album of little intimacies that happened in the recording studio. And I want people to take the ride on with me.”
Grabill describes some songs has feeling like “you’re in a circus.” She wants to take listeners through an experience by not thinking about vocal technique, but by just telling a story. “I just want people to know the story and connect to it. Maybe I’m not on pitch every single little second but you know what, this is me, this is the truth. And hopefully if they can connect to that, if it helps them get through something they’re going through in their life right now, that makes a big difference.”
Grabill has aspirations of touring outside of Canada and getting her music aired on radio stations around the world.”I want to be in the U.S, and performing, and marketing the album through like the Western Canada and the States. So and then in three years from now, I would like to get another original album out as well, and also with this new album, I want to push some of the singles out on the radio throughout Canada and the U.S as well.
Grabill also plans on collaborating with others. ” I think right now, my biggest thing that I have to focus on is having a team of people, for example, working with yourself, like getting this out there, that’s part of my team – getting that out. I can only get so far on my own; having a team of people makes that so much more powerful. So I’m working on the team. Getting the team together, finding those people.”
As of right now, Grabill’s upcoming album is titled Candy. “That’s the single that will be coming out but the EP, Dreams are all you Know, I picked that album title because it was a lyric in one of my songs. So, it might change, but right now it is Candy because that’s the single.
Dreams are all you Know is currently available on iTunes.
All the proceeds from ‘Autumn’s Song’ will be donated to the Stollery Childrens Hospital and matched by the World Financial Group Charitable Fund.
Here is a link to Brittney’s website:
http://www.brittneygrabill.com/
Kings Bar and Grill: Greek Food on Pape Avenue.
With Taste of the Danforth just past, many East Yorkers may still be looking to try some new types of food. If you enjoyed the many Greek foods on offer during TOTD, you might also want to consider checking out a Greek-style restaurant that isn’t on Danforth Ave.
Kings Bar and Grill. Located at 919 Pape Avenue., has been a favourite amongst local East York residents since the early 1970’s. The menu is very reasonably priced and features many signature Greek dishes including Gyros, chicken soulvaki, and steak on a kaiser.
Kings also has a variety of side items including: Greek fries, poutine, onion rings, and rice. The hamburgers, which are grilled right in front of you, are a hit amongst Centennial College students.
As you walk in the restaurant, the staff always greets you with a smile; they are also never shy at striking up a conversation.
“I want each and every one to feel welcome,” Owner Nellie Maione says.
Mary Papadakis, a regular at Kings for 30 years says, “The food is excellent, and three of my favourite dishes are the gyros, Greek salad, and Greek fries.”
“The atmosphere is always great,” she adds.
Maione says, “It’s a gathering place for the community. This is our ‘Cheers’,” (referencing the hit 80’s television show.)
During warm summer months, customers can cool down inside or sit outside on the patio by the water fountain. “There is none like this on Pape Avenue,” says Maione, referring to the patio.
After finishing your meal, you can enjoy a delicious Greek coffee or a thick chocolate milkshake.
Kings also has catering and delivery options for those having a night in.
Kings is open from 11:00AM to 10:00PM on Mondays-Thursdays, 11:00AM to 11:00PM on Fridays and Saturdays, and 11:00AM to 9:00PM on Sundays.
Referenced: East Yorker Friday August 16, 2013 – Issue 010 – info@eastyorker.ca
Sabrina Fallah: Rockstar from Ottawa
Sabrina Fallah is a singer from Ottawa, Ontario. She has performed in festivals, bars, restaurants, and charity events. She is always equipped with her guitar and always brings her energy and determination to the stage. Her music has been described as rock and punk.
“I’ve been humming tunes since I was like a baby. So my Grandpa would always sing to me and I would hum back. So I think I always had the music in me, and around fourteen, I’m like, I did a competition, and yet I cried two hours before going on that stage for the first time. I did it and, yeah since that day I’m like, I wanna do this.”
When Fallah was younger she enjoyed listening to Bon Jovi, Bryan Adams, and Andrea Bocelli. She used to play the piano, and when she was sixteen she began to play guitar.
“I’ve always wanted to be around music. I really, I can’t live without it really. It’s like, it has to be in my ear or I’ll have to hear it – anything – I just love music.”
Fallah prefers to play in front of a larger audience than a small crowd. “The bigger the better actually, because they give me more fire, but if I can get more than 1000 people, I’m like, now my body is ready to blow, like it makes me wanna really rock the stage. But I like to rock the stage, it doesn’t matter how many people, but I love the more people there -it helps me. Because they cheer you on, they scream, they dance, it makes you move.”
Fallah has played in bands before, the first one being for band camp. “There were twenty-four bands and twelve could win to play at Bluesfest, and twelve could win to play at a bar. I got the Bluesfest – so happy – so now I can say I played there. But it’s very hard to play there without a band. So I got that chance, and I played a round with people and then I got a band – it didn’t last very long. When they don’t have the same dreams, you don’t stay with them right? But you know, that told me – they weren’t serious. So I kinda told them, you know what, let’s just go our separate ways, because if you don’t have the same dreams, I won’t go forward. They will because they just wanna jam. But I wanna get on the stage, I wanna get out there. So, since I left them, oh my gosh, I’ve done so much.”
“I was still young, very young, I told myself, whatever songs I did with them, I’m gonna learn solo and I’m gonna go do this.”
Leaving them and going solo gave Fallah a lot of confidence. “I can’t even put a band together that will stick. Why wait, just go do it. And then I’ve done the Bluesfest, I’ve done the Westfest in Ottawa, I did the Tulip Festival, after so many years I’ve been trying to get in, I finally got in this year.”
With her new found confidence, other bands have begun to discover Fallah over social media. “They just said ‘I search Ottawa or something – Ottawa rock singer’ and they find me, and they ask me to open up for them. So I have people finding me now, and also at gigs or at open mic’s. I have – I connect with people and they bring me to their shows, I bring them to mine. So I’m getting a lot of more shows through people as well as people finding me. So I think that’s how it is, it’s all the networking and meeting the right people to bring you to the right venues.”
When Fallah is performing on stage, she has had some problems such as a string breaking; however, that won’t rattle the poise and confidence that she brings with her to the venue each time. “Oh yeah, string breaks on a stage, it’s so awesome because I just go on like nothing happened, but you have to, I guess I have to tune up, it depends, if I had more guitars, I could change it. But I don’t, so I just pray that today it won’t break. But I do have extra strings with me, I’m always set.”
When Fallah first started performing, she had no idea what she should say on stage. “I was very like Oh my god I am, I’m actually a very shy person; I used to be so shy that I used music to get me away from it. Because it would stop me from doing things in life, not just music, like I couldn’t even answer a phone, I couldn’t even order my own. I had been through a lot of problems, so music has helped me a lot, because it makes me talk, it makes me meet people, and it makes me communicate.”
After a year of performing at many shows, Fallah has been able to improvise and just say what’s on her mind. “I used to think twice and say, Should I say that? But no, no, I just say it. Because that might be what attracts them, you know?”
Despite still learning to talk on the stage, Fallah feels “more confident” and “more up front about it.” She also says she is no longer afraid to talk to an audience.
“I used to be like, ‘What do I say now? Everybody goes through that at the beginning like, what do I say? Some of them say ‘Tell a story, or explain your song,’ or ‘Just go from one song to the next’ like I do you know. Every stage I do something different, and I take it, because it worked.”
Fallah’s most recent album was released on April 1, 2012. Songs on the album were inspired by rock legends, Green Day and Bon Jovi. “My main, main, number one influence – love of my life influence is Green Day. And Bon Jovi came slightly after because I’m like, my song Breakthrough has more Bon Jovi feel than Green Day, because it’s slower, it has more of that feel. One Chance is more aggressive, it’s more Green Day.”
On this record, Fallah wants to express her music through her words, not through others. “I’m just trying to tell the world who I am and what I’ve been through in life.” She expands by saying, “But what inspired me is I wanted to be myself on my record, and be who I wanna be and show the world who Sabrina is and not what people tell me to be – who I wanna be, and I’m glad I can do that now.”
“I get asked a lot of questions, like for advice, so I wrote a song on some people asking questions to people. My friends always come to me for everything.” This is what inspired the song Ask, which is about “not being afraid to ask for help.”
“And Breakthrough is about me the most. I used to be scared of doing music – beyond. I’m like, can I do this?’ I’m like, if they can do it, I can do it. You know, and then I said, why don’t I just write a song based on being scared of doing what you love. And then I break in through that fear right? So Breakthrough is about not giving up what you love, and going through it.”
Fallah’s says the songs on the record relate to the last five years of her life.
Fallah’s record is different from other artists’ music; the record doesn’t feature just one style. “My record has different styles of rock on it because I want it to be a variety to not get people bored of what they’re hearing.”
Fallah’s music can be heard in College and University radio stations in the United States, Europe, and here in Canada.
She hopes to one day have her songs played in movies and on television. “It would be cool in a movie; Ask should be in a movie. Asking for help is perfect for like an advertisement. I would love to get Ask out there because it’s something somebody would love, you know, always ask for help, you know, it’s like telling those kids to ask for help.”
On Sunday August 19, 2012, Fallah opened up for The Shrugs at The Brass Monkey in Ottawa, Ontario.
Here is a great song from Sabrina Fallah!
Twitter:
@sabrinafallah
Gabriello Pitman Live
Toronto’s Gabriello Pitman started his business, Gabriello Pitman Live in January 2011. He is also the Entertainment Director for Dueling Magicians, a position he has held since May 2009.
Most of his shows are solo; however, he does have duel competitions with his cousin. He performs all across Toronto; he has performed at weddings, bar mitzvahs, art shows, birthday parties.
Pitman mainly performs in the corporate world, “Especially in terms of like professional events.”
“So it all started out with magic, my cousin did magic, and it really bothered me that I couldn’t figure it out. So then I just devoted more time to it – looked up some resources and start figuring out some magic, started performing a bit, him and I started performing together which was really fun.”
Pitman wanted to do more than just trick people; he wanted to make it “More of an experience.” Therefore he went on to learn hypnosis. “And then from there I’m able to combine hypnosis with the magic to make it more of a real experience for people.”
When Pitman was younger, he played the piano and guitar. It wasn’t until later that he decided that magic was his true passion. “I always competed and in order to compete, you had to perform – in front of a group of people.” He also says, “I always enjoyed performing so magic was then just the next step to perform.”
Pitman did an undergrad in physics at Laurentian University; he then came to UofT to do a PHD in physics. He then realized that the program wasn’t for him. “Two years in to that I had decided that I had enough of it and so I took a leave to do what I’m doing now full time and professionally, and now I have officially left the program. So I was studying physics and then from there I just jumped in to my own business.”
Sometimes, Pitman may want to try a new trick; if he’s not confident to perform it on stage, he might try it on a stranger on the street first. Approaching people on the street can be quite nervewracking; however, Pitman has a strategy to make it look simple. “Dr. Mike Mandel said ‘If you pretend that you have the confidence to do something and then you just pretend that you’re not pretending anymore, it’s essentially the same as having the confidence.’ So it’s like a double negative that cancel out and then you just have it.”
Pitman isn’t following the same path that the majority of people take; he is doing what he loves to do, and is having fun while doing it. “It’s pretty cool I must say, it’s a good deal, I mean I get paid for something that I love to do, so I can’t really complain about that – it’s pretty awesome.”
Building a network with people that are in your field is very important; it allows you to gain connections, learn from others, and even enhance your skills. Working and collaborating with other magicians can not only give you new ideas for upcoming shows, but can also help others with theirs.
“It’s actually really good; I think it’s really important too. I mean not even from learning new tricks like not from that perspective, but from more of a psychological perspective, like how they see things.”
From an audience’s perspective, a magic trick looks effortless; however, there are many factors that are a part of it to make sure it is successful.
“For a magic trick to work, there are lots of things that you have to do, in terms of controlling the situation for it to work because you’re creating an illusion, so there are some things that could ruin that illusion. So other people have different – different takes on how to make that trick work perfectly. So that’s where it becomes really helpful to speak with other magicians.”
In terms of particular tricks, yeah there are some specific mechanics behind a trick that maybe I don’t know and they do know. And then we’re able to learn that stuff too. Most interesting is the psychology behind it, talking about the psychology behind it and making it work.”
As a magician, you should always be prepared. Whether it be performing for a friend, a family member, or in front of an audience. “There’s of course some stuff that doesn’t work, but that’s something you gotta do in a low risk situation so, you do that on like a family member or a random person that you don’t know, when it’s not a professional situation. That way if it messes up it doesn’t matter. But in a show, it has to work, but by all means there are still times in a show where something doesn’t work that well. But as a performer, it’s hard to be ready for everything, but you have to kind of have – they call it an out. So it’s like an alternative ending, if something doesn’t work perfectly, so that to the audience it still looks as if it worked perfectly or at least close to perfectly.”
The out is an excellent skill to have; you just might need it should a trick fall flat. Pitman explains the out in great detail. “Sometimes you just have to just improvise, other times you can be ready for – like you can anticipate – if this went wrong, I’ll do this instead. Other times you just have to improvise. But at the same time like if a magic trick is gonna go bad, you can’t really fake that the magic trick worked. Like it’s obvious that it goes bad. So if it does go bad, you might want an alternative presentation such that you were ready for it to go bad, so if I try something with you and it doesn’t work, I might wanna frame it as if it’s good that it didn’t work because maybe that proves that the next thing’s gonna work even better.”
Pitman says each trick can take different amounts of time to practice, some can take five minutes, and others can take a few years. “Some tricks are self-working, they’re super easy to do, and the others are a little more complex.”
Here is a link to Pitman’s website. http://www.gabriellopitmanlive.com/
Susan Haught: Inspiring Others Through Painting
Recently, Susan Haught and her daughter Megan moved to Toronto, from Phoenix. Megan is pursuing her career in modeling while Susan is working on her painting. Both of them are ambitious and use their talents to inspire and help others.
Haught first stared painting for children who are ill; she says, “It can be a healing art” and that it can have “Healing and joy.”
“God does inspire me, he’s the one who called me to paint, and he put it in my heart to paint for children mainly, and then it pretty much branched off. He just gave me a vision for that, and a heart for children to paint for really sick children, first of all, because my daughter had her injuries, and my nephew had leukemia – I painted for him in the hospital, he’s actually older now and he’s completely fine, had a complete recovery from leukemia.”
Although Haught always enjoyed painting, she never had any idea that it was a gift. “I knew that I had a special thought or feeling when I had crayons or paint, I just thought everyone else felt that way too, I thought everybody must love it. But I wish I would have coloured or painted more but I just didn’t really know. So it’s something that came and developed later, and that’s what inspires me too was that, even though I was kind of a homemaker and mother with my daughter – her special needs, and being home and having my pets and so much to do already, that I felt that Lord gave me this special point from right where I was in my home. And our computer room is where I would paint. And then I was able to make a difference in this world from my home. Even though I’m busy, I was so busy; most people wouldn’t add something else. But for some reason I did and I enjoy it.”
Despite not painting all the time, it’s still a hobby that Haught enjoys every once in a while. “It’s more now, I have a lot of inspiration and my time is different, our life is a different place. But that’s something that I think is important – to encourage people or mom’s or anybody who maybe thinks they don’t have enough time to work on whatever gift they have to donate or to help the world. And even a few minutes here and there can make a difference.”
Haught paints what she calls “Happy things” for charity, restaurants, spas, and homes. She is also trying to add some more flare and edge to her work by using abstract art.
She often finds herself painting palm-trees and hearts. “Maybe it’s because I love the beach – the ocean, a marine life is so close to my heart for some reason. I really like the dolphins and things like that. It’s something so close to my heart but I really love the ocean and things about it.”
Haught’s first paintings were flown to a children’s hospital in Haiti; the hospital write her a letter saying that they really enjoyed her work. “That just helped bring them joy. So I contacted a person there, and they flew them from Florida on a private jet to the hospital. So that was neat, that was a neat experience for me for our first time.”
Haught has also donated her art to the Wildlife Foundation in Florida. “It raised money for the animals, like their care -their medicine. I guess that gives them a voice that they have needs. You know, people may not know how to help them.”
Haught reflected on a quote that was recently written by her pastor. “Don’t wait for the doors to open for your gift, let your gift open the doors.” Haught describes the significance of the quote. “And I liked that, and I really base my life like that because I’m here and I just believe that you know this has been a gift to me and a calling. And so I am not afraid to get out there and to ask people, can I donate something to Make a Wish for Children or for animals to help their care. Because it can help them – hundreds of dollars later can bring them the help that they need that most people may not know where to start or what to give and then you know, they need help. And they need someone – a voice – they need a voice, so I don’t know, maybe that’s my way of putting it, but that’s what I do for them. And that’s what I want to keep doing is, to give.”
Both Haught and her daughter Megan will be designing a clothing line together. “We’ll be like the designers, Megan and I will design together, so it’s awesome to put our ideas together and see swimwear or dresses, fun things, head bands, anything that’s just fun for girls.” Haught says the clothing will be for “Girls – women and girls – girls who just need something fun to just make their day a little happier, just to put some fun in their day, and their life.”
Here is a link to Haught’s work.
http://www.etsy.com/ca/shop/10Confetti?ref=shop_sugg
Her fan page can be found at facebook.com/SusanHaughtArt
Julia McNeely: Painter and Art Teacher
Born to an artsy family, Julia McNeely has been painting for her entire life; her dad and her brother were painters as well. “I don’t think there was a starting point. I think my kids are the same way, they kind of just do it.”
McNeely, who lives in Toronto, keeps active by practicing yoga every day; she often spends the rest of her day painting. “I constantly paint, every single day, go to yoga and paint – it’s my profession.”
In 1986, McNeely graduated from OCA (now known as OCAD). She won the W.O Forsyth Award for Fire Art Drawing and Painting. After graduating from OCA, McNeely moved to Italy and painted on a farm. McNeely reflects on the years she lived in Italy. “I lived up in the hills and I worked in a hotel. I’d work the breakfast, or the bar at night but then I could paint all day. In fact, those are the years I used to put the paintings up in the main entrance of the hotel and sell my Tuscan paintings to the German tourists. I’d just write Julia with a G instead of a J, so they thought I was Italian.” During that time, she painted mostly landscapes. She also started painting cows and pigs because there were lots of cows living on the farm. “With cows and sheep, I don’t even have to look anymore; I can just draw them off the top of my head.”
In 1992, McNeely moved back to Toronto where she currently resides. “This is where my family is. I decided I couldn’t live that far away. It was a hard decision. I can go back; my Italian family is still there, they’re very sweet.”
While back in Toronto, McNeely opened up her studio with a furniture company called Up Country. “My workshop – my studio is off their warehouse and I used to take old furniture and paint the Italian scenes. And then they took it in to their store and then it became on peoples wedding registries so it was really a good little gig for a long time, and then I got married.” She then moved to South America before returning and opening up her studio again. “So now it’s permanently open, it’s not shutting down at all – ever again, it’s just life.”
In 1995, McNeely, along with her brother and father did a show together which she describes as “The three McNeely’s.” She also said that there were, “Three different styles – completely different styles.”
McNeely is always working her butt off with painting and teaching, she teaches art to children as well as adults. “Since art school, I’ve paid for myself through my paintings. Not huge amounts, but I hustle, I hang my paintings wherever I can, I’ve got shows, I’m booked up for shows until February of next year. So I always have a project going and when things slow down, I teach a little bit. And I balance everything. It’s not as simple as I’m making it sound. And then three kids, so there’s not a lot of people that could do it with three kids.”
McNeely loves animals. She says, “I like all animals, animals have been portrayed in paintings forever, it’s a traditional theme. I kinda do it with a little bit more of a modern twist – modern format, and they’re very popular, especially the pigs and the sheep.”
She says that Pigs has become her trademark. She also does big florals for different shows. When she has a show, and an outdoor booth, people often smile at her booth. “People just walk around and they smile at my booth. I’m gonna film it one day.” There’s a big – huge picture of a pig and it makes people smile.” McNeely also says, ““I like it for dining room purposes; my dining room has a pig in it.”
McNeely takes an excellent approach to painting. “If you’re too worried about the finished product, you’re not having any joy doing it, and if you do it joyfully, then you can see it – end product.”
Aside from painting, McNeely also enjoys cycling. She prefers cycling around the city instead of being in a car.
For more information on McNeely, visit her website: http://www.juliamcneely.com/
mattgreencc 