New Age Aquarians

Yesterday night I had the privilege of attending UC Follies' production of 'HAIR' performed at HartHouse Theatre on the St. George Campus at U of T. Directed by the ever-impressive Shak Haq, and comprised of a cast reaching numbers of at least thirty, this was a production full of that 60s flare which is often forgotten about in the culture of the youth of the 00s.

Emmett O' Reilly played the rather, intense, character of Burger. Aidan Sharp played the sensitive character Claude, Bronwen Drummond was Sheila, Madeline Foley the rumbunctious Jeannie and Arianna Benincasa the heartbroken Chrissy. Each of these actors abound in talent and radiated a heat of talent which wafted around and smacked each audience member sitting there that night. O' Reilly in particular used his hands and the intonation of his voice to raise the bar in terms of character development and his consistent attention to detail of the character's nuances and quirks. Foley's slapstick humour brought the rather meek audience to chuckle with laughter, and brought me and a friend of mine to roar with it. Her solos were something fantastic as well. Benincasa's Chrissy was light and likeable and her solo embodied the definition of vocal control.

The ensemble seemed to have been experiencing the after-affects of a long day and long haul through the blizzard. Or maybe they had U of T's mountainous heap of readings on the brain. Whatever it was, the seemed to lack the extra ounce of chutzpah, however continued on with the show just the same. 

The costumes were out of this era. Colours and patterns and bell-bottoms, the movement on the stage was a spectacle in itself.

And the music...oh, the music.

Listen for yourself,

I highly recommend those of you who want to experience the trip of the 60s once again, or for the first time, to head on out to HartHouse Theatre and support the talent UC Follies has to offer.


www.uofttix.ca




Peace, Love.

The Genius that is Jack

How much do you know about Jack White? If you're an avid rock listener you will know he has been a member of The White Stripes. You may have heard about his being part of the Raconteurs. You also may have heard about the band he masterfully organized, The Dead Weather.

But what of his musical innovation? What of his aura? His artistic personality?

I, more of a Dylan and Beatles listener, will try my best to collate my personal knowledge of the man along with what I gather to present to you the clearest syncopation of Jack.

Born John Anthony Gillis, and often referred to as Jack White III, he is renowned for his cheeky lyrics and profoundly for his Rolling Stones' acclamation as being named one of the best guitarists of all time. 

Realistically if what you want is every detail amassed about this man, check out what Wikipedia has to say about him. 

I am here to write about the music. 

He began playing the guitar at the tender age of six and as a teenager was highly influenced by the rock n' roll which emerged during the 60s. The sound which arose out of the studios he recorded his music in was such that altered the route rock n' roll would take during the 90s. Not only are the guitars he uses authentic of the 60s and 70s, but he employs different effects which assist in the rapid modulations of his pitch during solos - producing a distinct sound. He uses amps and distortion generators to achieve a sound unlike many rock artists which were producing music around the same time as he. He even produces a "fake" bass tone by playing two of his guitars through an amplifier set to one octave down, creating a low rumbling sound heard droning in many of his songs, most notably in "Seven Nation Army". It's great shit, man.

With the Raconteurs and The Dead Weather he uses different guitars, all given names, and even plays   instruments like the piano, drums and tambourine.

It is his innovative use of machines that had not been tinkered with in such a way that created the sound Jack was looking for. He is now put in the same list as Hendrix, Morrison, Zeppelin to name a few. 

And, just for your information, he has twenty ideas underway for his next album. "Blunderbuss" part two? We shall see. 

Europa

About a week ago my best friend and I decided to travel to Europe this summer.

We are graduating from university this year, she from Ryerson and I from U of T, and therefore decided it would be best to embark on our journey in the sweltering summer month of July.

Having some travel background, however, being the furthest things from travel novices, this will be the first time for the both of us in planning our own trip start to finish. By ourselves. On our own. Together.

Her travel experience consits of spending about a month in her homeland of El Salvador, and about the same amount of time spent in the Philipenes for a volunteer program. Mine consists of traveling to Italy and France with my family at the age of thirteen and spending a week in Egypt when I was eighteen.

Both these trips were planned by organized leaders, teachers, or parents. Perhaps the magnanimity that is planning a three week vacation has not phased us. We feel no fear or hesitation, but only the sheer vivacity that accompanies an excited mind while in the midst of imagining sitting on the soft pebbled beaches of Capri.

So far, this is the list I have come up with.

1. Arrive in Roma, Italy
2. Italy to Paris,
3. Paris to Spain
4. Spain to Portugal

To tantalize you a bit, check these out:

Capri, Italy

Ibiza, Spain

Paris, France

We're damn excited.

The Sincerest of Apologies

Hey there, folks. I do apologize for the lengthy vacation I took from this blog.

Now that I am back I can assure you I will do my best to stay.


-E

What is it about Time...

Ever wonder about where you'll be in the next six months? The next year? The next couple years? Ten years?

Ever wonder about who you are and how much you've changed?

"I would've never done something like this a year ago."

It is through experience that makes us wise. What's that saying?

"Through bad judgement comes experience. Through experience comes good judgement."

Or something along those lines...

Time changes things. Everything. You are the sum of your experiences. The more you experience, the more you change. What if you do not want to change? There are aspects of your person that might never change. They are engrained: values, morals, etc.

Your quirks may change, your interests, your taste in music, but there are fundementals of your person that are comparitvely unique and make you who you are.

What do you hope never changes?
What do you wish to keep forever...

Back to School Time, It Is

It is here and it came fast. For anyone attending University or College this semester, school starts in a week. One. Week.

Let's all take a minute to reflect. Inhale, exhale. Alright, now has anyone vomitted, lost consciousness or came down with a freakishly high fever? No? Great, we've survived.

And you'll survive your first weeks back, or if you're entering your first year, your very first week entering a University or College.

To all newcomers: this will be the time of your life. I say that in complete confidence. The only job you have to ensure this, is to lay back, smile, open that wonderful mouth of yours and talk. That's all there is to it. Talk to everyone, anyone. Say 'hi' to the passerby. The more you feel acquainted, the more comfortable you'll feel taking part in school events. Trust me.


To all been-there-done-thats': here we go again. Another year, another dollar. But come on, don't even try to tell me you're not jumping for joy inside (hey man, I am). Back to the daily grind. Back to routine. And I'm not being sarcastic! All summer you had the chance to choose what you'd like to do and now you HAVE things to do. Let's make some new friends this year. Let's participate in Tutorial. Let's walk to to that prof. and ask him the question that'd been bugging us all class. This is the year to make it happen.


Here's a list of ways to get involved (whether you've forgotten or aren't completely sure):

- Attend Frosh Week. Seriously. Or any orientation programs your school provides. This week is full of fun, laughter, screaming (happy screaming), and the possibility of making friend's you'll keep for a lifetime!

- Find the hang-out spots and spend time talking to people who hang out there. Don't be shy! Just get right up and sit with a group full of people with smiling faces. It may sound crazy, but trust me, get in there!

- Join a production! A musical! A dance group! Anything that will get those artistic juices flowing!

- Join a club! Join the Newspaper crew if you're an avid reader/writer. You'll meet awesome people who share your passion! How much better could it get?


Well, that's really it. Those are the bare necessities to make this year a memorable one. It starts with you. You'll get what you put into it, so really fill this year up!! Goodluck in your future endeavors!

-E

Summer 2011

My sincerest of apologies for the current lack of the written word on my blog. I've been busy taking advantage of my summer holiday which, sadly, is over in about two weeks. Yes. Two weeks.

Where did it go? What did I do with my time? I will now attempt, to the best of my abilities, to recall how I spent my summer. For no other reason, really, than for my personal satisfaction, and to remember.

May-June 2011

- Summer School: Contemporary Poety (did marginally well...)
- spent time with an old friend, recently-turned-mother
- watched some Hot Doc productions
- found places to hang out at night with great views of the city
- went out to Century Room with some friends
- attended the launch of In Toronto Magazine at Roosevelt Room
- attended the UTICA gala
- attended Pero Expo at VoX International party
- attended cousins' First Communion...spoken entirely in Hungarian...
- went to good friend's house party for her boyfriend's birthday
- landed new job working at psychological centre...for a month.
- BierMarkt for friend's going away party... although she never did end up leaving...
- spent the day at Cherry Beach with the girlfriends
- continued my piano lessons!
- smoked the green and ordered a pizza to the top of a parking lot then headed over to the dirty Brunny (sweet random night)
- LEVENDES FC SAGAPO POLI!
- bike trip from home down to Lakeshore Blvd!
- Kensington Market with the bestie
- lunch at Vivoli's with the ladies!
- Brunny night...and green, oh the green.
- Gullo's birthday at This is London
- read under a tree all day at Trinity Bellwood's Park
- Prostate Cancer Walk for Papa Silva!
- Bike ride to Centre Island with the Bestie
- more casual baby visiting
- Visited the Nonna in Windsor for a week...joy.
- my special broke his wrist and I truly couldn't believe it

July-August 2011

- Dave and Buster's night...now that was some really awesome fun
- Oro Beach for Angela's birthday
- Drove the sister to the airport so as to begin her trip to Halifax...and never finish it
- "A Midnight in Paris"
- attempt number one in making Fettucini Alfredo...#hugefail
- K.O. after Century Room with the girls. The night ended way too late, or is 5:30 am considered early?
- Vivid's Pizzeria with my special (arguably best pizzeria in Toronto)
- Salsa on St.Clair with baby mama & Co.
- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows pt.2 !!!!!!!
- house party at Cheech's
- Breaking Bad. Seriously got into Breaking Bad. So much Breaking Bad.
- last night before the Greek boys headed off to Greece
- Skybar/The Guvernment
- Katrina's annual Taste of the Danforth Party (I got him back...best time spent all summer)
- My special gets a cleat in the knee and loses a chunk of it. Six stiches later and no summer championship he lost but was undefeated
- St. Lawrence Market with my special!
- Swimming with my special :)
- The CNE with friends and my special
- The Paramount
- The Brunny
- SMC Frosh Leader Retreat 2011
- Ana gets her wisdom teeth removed...again
- 'Pasta and Pizza' and Chinatown with my special!!

And there is it. The most sequentially accurate recollection of my summer's events. I mean, hey, I might've not had the most extravagent summer, but I spent it with him. And I couldn't have asked for anything more.