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!
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
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.”
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.
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.”
On July 6 and 7, 2013, Toronto hosted Afrofest, which was back for its 25th year. The festival took place at Woodbine Park. Afrofest celebrates African culture, heritage, and music.
Torontonians of all ages made their way out to Woodbine Park to witness and experience the amazing performances and festivities that surrounded them.
President of Music Africa, Michael Stohr says, “It’s the right festival in the right place at the right time.” Stohr ad’s, “We are coming together with a love for Africa, it’s an African event, but it’s a multicultural event. It’s an event that celebrates multiculturalism and diversity.” Stohr also said that Woodbine Park is a great venue for Afrofest, and that “It takes a lot of energy to put this on.”
Throughout the entire day and night, vendors stood outside and served thousands of people. Vendor/Concession Coordinator, Velda Vuo said, “We have a variety of vendors selling arts and crafts, national foods, local foods, all sorts of things. There is something for everybody.”
The vendors smiled and greeted each and every individual looking to get a snack, a drink, or buy a souvenir. There were also activities for children including making crafts, and face-painting.
Artistic Director, Peter Toh also shared his thoughts on the festival. “My favourite part about the festival is the festival itself, you come in here – you see the music, you see the vendors, each of them selling some part of Africa, you see the arts and crafts people selling some part of Africa, you see the main stage with established acts, and the smaller stage with up-and-coming artists. There is something for everybody.”
As the day moved forward, the rain began pouring; however, that didn’t stop people from having fun. In front of the stage, people were dancing to the music, laughing, singing, and even jumping around in the mud, Whether the sky was blue with blazing heat, or the sky was dark with pouring rain, it didn’t stop people from celebrating the 25th year of Afrofest. It was, as Stohr had said, “It’s the right festival in the right place at the right time.”
Referenced: East Yorker Friday July 12, 2013 – Issue 008 – info@eastyorker.ca
On a warm and sunny afternoon, students from Centennial College near Pape and Mortimer can be seen flocking to California.
Located at 914 Pape Avenue on the north-west corner of Mortimer Avenue., California is the perfect restaurant during lunch hour for students due to the reasonably priced menu and the always friendly staff.
Two students from the college shared their thoughts on the restaurant. “When I ordered a poutine, which is not on the menu, they made it for me and it was delicious,” said Gena Hannah, a student from Centennial College.
Andreanna Browne says, “It’s a really nice place for students to go and unwind during school hours. One of my best memories with my classmates was at California.”
It is also a hit amongst local residents in the East York neighbourhood.
Those looking for a romantic getaway, a get together with friends, or a place to sit down and eat, need look no further.
The menu offers some of the most indulging dishes in East York: the New York Strip Lon is top notch, and the California-style burgers are to die for. They also have salads, soups, and even a few breakfast dishes.
This time of year, California is even more appealing because of its lovely patio, always adorned with well cared for shrubbery, trees, and flowers. And the bathrooms here are among the cleanest anywhere.
Referenced: East Yorker Friday July 12, 2013 – Issue 008 – info@eastyorker.ca
Located in Toronto’s east-end Beach neighbourhood at 2116 Queen Street East. Castro’s Lounge is noteworthy for its broad beer list, its vegetarian menu, and its live entertainment. The walls are filled with famous pictures that Castro’s regular Jeremy Smith describes as “Revolutionary.”
The menu us 100% vegetarian. It also has vegan and gluten-free options.
“They have great food,” Smith says. “The owners are great, when you’re a regular like I am. They know your name and what you want to drink.”
Smith says he tries to come down as much as possible, especially on Wednesday nights to see the Mediterranean Stars, a band that has been a staple on Wednesday nights at Castro’s for more than a year. “It’s just music – live music, no TV’s, the beaches are missing places like this,” Smith said.
Castro’s begins to fill up as the night goes on, especially on Wednesdays.
Sam Sharkawy, the guitarist for the Mediterranean Stars says, “Every Wednesday’s different from the last, so it is always very exciting to step in to Castro’s at 7:30 on a Wednesday night. You never know what you will get and how the night will unfold.”
Sharkawy also adds that “Personally for me I get a real kick listening to the thick musical textures created (on the fly) by the bass, violin, and accordion. And then there are the tunes that we start slow and gradually speed up (Dark Eyes, Zorba) that everybody in the joint gets to participate in.”
The Mediterranean Stars features Sam Sharkawy on guitar, Jared Craig on bass, and Fabrice Sicco on accordion. Also featured on a regular basis are Leslie Dawn Knowles on violin, and Rhanda Bonet-Graham on vocals.
If you’re passing by Castro’s Lounge on a Wednesday night, drop in and enjoy the electrifying atmosphere.
Referenced: East Yorker Friday July 26, 2013 – Issue 009 – info@eastyorker.ca
An EP is coming out soon that is going to rock the city of Toronto. Shattered is the upcoming debut from Toronto’s own up-and-coming band Tether. Band members Mike Ritchie, James Parker, and Jad Sater talks about the bands beginnings, and the little place under the stairs.
Ritchie states that Tether was formed in September 2012; however, Parker and Sater had played together prior to that. “We all came in to the picture – pretty much just jumped right on. The drummer as well, we met him a long time ago but recently he started playing with us though.”
Ritchie, Parker, and Sater all go to UTSC, also known as UofT Scarborough. They will each be entering their second year in the fall. ”They’re in Bio-Chem,” says Parker. “I’m trying to figure out what I want to do, I think our singer’s in the same position.”
After meeting at UTSC, the newly formed band found a unique spot to jam that became their niche. Ritchie says, “We had a little place in UTSC – near one of the main halls there was a staircase, that section underneath a little like a Harry Potter moment.”
Other students took notice of all the jamming that was going on in the school. “There’s like a big meeting area, and we got in shit for playing there actually,” explains Ritchie. He then added, “They have a little confessions page for school – there are a few notes on there about us. It was nice to hear some people were listening and they enjoyed us.”
Not only did they jam in the little hideout, they also recorded some music. Sater says, “We recorded a few demos because we’re trying to play this show and they wanted to hear something – we had nothing like recorded.” At their favourite spot under the stairs, using a handy laptop and a RockBand mic, they jammed and recorded the music.
Sater talks about his passion for the music. “We’re all in school right now but the music is like the thing we dream about, that’s the thing I wake up thinking about every day.”
Despite having had no songs written to start, there was the hype was building and Tether became very popular amongst students. “There’s that metal band!” Parker jokes. “It’s just kinda nice, everyone knows who you are.”
Tether’s sound can be compared to A Perfect Circle, Three Days Grace, and Rise Against.
Tether consists of the following lineup: Sam Argo (Lead Vocals) – Jad Sater (Lead guitar, backing vocals) – Mike Ritchie (Rhythm guitar) – James Parker (Bass guitar) – Nick Buchny (Drums).
Tether has a few songs on their youtube channel that you can check out. Stay tuned for the debut EP, Shattered.
In 1982, the Academy of Spanish Dance was founded by Esmeralda Enrique, an established flamenco dancer who consistently delivers mind blowing performances, along with her talented musicians, singers, and dancers.
Enrique gives a brief background on flamenco dancing. “The flamenco dance is a style of dance that originates from the south of Spain. It’s unique to Spain, because that area was cullenized and conquered by many different nationalities. Many different cultures were there, so it has a very unique blend of musical structure and history. And as far as the dance goes, flamenco is not as old as one might think; it’s maybe about 300 years old.”
Students at the Academy of Spanish Dance can take the classes to pursue dancing professionally or for recreation. The students work with dedicated teachers, and learn in a positive environment.
In 1981, Enrique came to Toronto where she met her future husband. She decided to stay in Canada, and found a way to make her living. ”I began giving classes to different groups who had some training, but it was very limited. And eventually from there, in order for me to have a more complete presentation for all the gigs that I was being asked to do, I asked some of my students to become part of the small group, and that’s how it started.”
Enrique started dancing professionally when she was fourteen. Prior to that, she had taken several dancing classes. “Since I was a kid, my mom took my whole family to different dance classes. It helped us to develop physically, and release the energy that we had. I started with folk dancing, did some Hawaiian dancing, some Spanish dance which is different from flamenco, and eventually I saw a flamenco performance when I was maybe twelve or thirteen, and my mom asked the dancers if she would give me and my sisters classes, and she agreed. And in no time, we were already performing.”
Enrique’s drive and passion has won her numerous awards including the Guia Hispana’s Raices Hispanas Award in 2003; she was also named one of the 10 Most Influential Hispanic Canadians in 2008.
For more information, visit flamencos.net
Enrique’s creative and inspiring art of flamenco can be seen here in this video.
mattgreencc 