Vanessa Davies Live

Response to Xpress Cover Story "Ottawa Sucks"

2012-02-10T14:02:00.000-05:00

It is high time that Ottawans stand up and take responsibility for who it really is: the cognitive surplus capital of Canada. A long-time advocate and performer, I was incensed by the Ottawa Xpress’ recent cover article, “Ottawa Sucks” and its summary of the so-called “debate” in the Ottawa Citizen and Globe and Mail about the lack of culture and support for it in the nation’s capital. A debate requires two sides; this article only represented one. The article itself, by Cormac Rea, was really about the SAW Gallery’s new exhibition, which attempts to (re)present what is a collective self-flagellation, while chanting in unison, “Ottawa Sucks”. Sadly, the core important message of the article – that there’s a new exciting exhibition in town - was drowned by all the self-hatred.

I find it impossible to continue to watch the media flagellate this city and its citizens for its “lack of arts and culture”. In my two short years as a co-producer and co-host of the Friday Special Blend on CKCU, a local arts radio show, there was never a shortage of events to attend or arts blogs to follow, many of them well-attended or sold out. Andrew Cohen and his ilk’s reprinted vitriol for this city not only perpetuates untruths and inaccuracies, but veils the media’s paradoxical role in promoting cultural activities while simultaneously slagging arts supporters for not doing enough. By publishing such blatantly false trash, you risk causing the very thing you sought to avoid, namely, public participation in artistic and cultural activities.

Cultural studies have long recognized the media’s role in politicization and socialization of individuals in the polis: if Ottawans are told consistently that they live in a city with no culture and that they don’t participate in what culture they have, they will believe this fallacy and cease participating altogether .The danger of this is that Ottawans, and the rest of Canada, will ignore the richness that resides here and opt for petulant comparisons with Toronto and Montreal that are factually distinct and based on oversimplifications and inaccuracies. Ottawa for its size is in a category of its own because of the cognitive surplus of its citizens.

First, the factual distinctions: Ottawa is smaller in population size than both Toronto and Montreal, but vastly larger geographically. It has also been a city for much less time and home to many transient diplomats, bureaucrats, entrepreneurs and academics. Its downtown core is smaller; it is a commuter city. Because of its smaller population, it has a lower proportion of what I will call single-income professional artists. Ottawa also receives less grant money comparatively with Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver and Calgary. Part of the burden of being the national capital is that no level of government (save for municipal) wants to appear as showing favouritism, especially in a fractious, regionalist federation like Canada. Although it may be smaller, its culture is rich and the crowds come out in the most unconventional of places.

What needs to be done is a longitudinal economic and sociological study about consumption and production habits of this city’s residents, professional and otherwise, to truly determine whether Ottawa’s so-called identity crisis and self-flagellation is warranted. As an anthropologist, I would be interested in partnering in such a project. One theory I have is that if incomes in Toronto and Montreal are higher than Ottawa’s, one could justify lower consumption of cultural goods based on disposable income levels, disparity and relative costs of living. And yet despite these hurdles, Ottawa thrives.

To say that Ottawans are not interested, passionate or supportive of arts and culture is patently false when new venues open their doors and the established venues are booked years in advance. It was thanks to more than 20 years of lobbying by community groups that the Shenkman centre has become the success it is in Orleans; and the same goes for the GCTC, St. Brigid’s Centre for the Arts, Centrepointe Theatre and, although it has faced high profile financial difficulties lately, the Gladstone Theatre.

I consistently hear that “Ottawa is a great place to raise a family” and that “the government is a great place to work if you have a family.” Following a recent conversation with a former high-ranking bureaucrat at Heritage Canada who conducted a national study on the arts, I learned that parents are the single largest funders of the arts. If Ottawa attracts families and provides flexible work schedules, then it follows that parents likely have the incomes to put their children in after school programs geared at the arts, attend rehearsals and performances. I have been performing and advocating on behalf of the arts in this city since high school and my own parents have been behind me every step of the way. Ottawans are consuming and care about culture: they’re busy investing in tomorrow’s artists, artists who will eventually flock to Montreal, Toronto, and Vancouver for studies and then return to their city to cultivate its culture, like the owners of the Gladstone Theatre, founders of Odyssey Theatre, Third Wall Theatre, and Dance with Alana Studios, and the Capital Chamber Choir.

Secondly, I think a longitudinal survey of Ottawa’s arts scene would show that Ottawans instead of being only passive consumers, are active producers because of a cognitive surplus. This city is full of productive artists with multi-faceted interests, like law Professor Natasha Bakht, a renowned contemporary Indian dancer, Canada Dance Festival Board Member and most recently, co-founder of the Ottawa Dance Directive; musicians like Jill Zmud, who interviewed me for a job at the Immigration and Refugee Board and then graciously concluded the interview by answering my questions about her music, which I had discovered at CKCU the previous Friday. I later found out, in addition to recording an album and touring, she’s also leading an initiative to make university education accessible to Ottawa’s homeless. Artists like Professor Jim Davies, an American cognitive scientist who, while only an Ottawa resident for a few short years, has published poetry in ByWords Literary Journal, had one of his plays produced by Sock ‘N Buskin Theatre, and could be found on stage every Sunday with Insensitivity Training, one of Ottawa’s five regularly performing professional improvisation comedy troupes (Bet you didn’t know there were five!). Artists like Jason Pelletier and Melanie Yugo, both of whom deal daily in health and culture policy respectively for the federal government have hosted Spins and Needles for years and shown Ottawans - and many others from Montreal to New York to London - that the capacity to create is literally in their own hands; or artists like Ritallin, a spoken word poet and activist who worked for a number of years as a labour policy analyst at HRSDC and who co-founded along with John Akpata, CHUO radio host and consistent candidate for Ottawa-Vanier in so many elections I have lost count, Ottawa’s spoken word scene. CapitalSlam sells out twice monthly in the Mercury Lounge. It is possibly the largest and most active spoken word scene in Canada. These artists are involved, aware and they draw a crowd. So what are Andrew Cohen and his ilk whining about? Good question.

I haven’t even gotten to the people who tirelessly promote the arts in this city in addition to balancing jobs and life: the ubiquitous Jessica Ruano whose thumbs are in so many artsy pies I can’t list them all here and if I did they would be out of date because she’d be on to the next thing before this article was published. My co-host Sue Johnston, hosted the Friday Special Blend for 8 years while she worked full-time at Industry Canada, or David Yazbeck, Partner at Raven, Cameron, Ballantyne and Yazbeck, one of the top human rights and appellate firms in the city, who sits on the Board of the Ottawa Folk Festival and advocates on behalf of artists in a dispute with the National Art Gallery, or Dr. Jill Taylor whose dental practice, the Tooth Gallery, draws a massive turnout at her monthly vernissages that feature up-and-coming visual artists. So Ottawans, get up and start taking credit for the cognitive surplus of talent in this city and the improvements it has made to the buffet of arts and culture available. This is your city; it’s time to stop beating it into the ground.

Vanessa Davies co-hosted and co-produced the CKCU Friday Special Blend from 2008-2010 and was a Director with Arts Ottawa East from 2004-2007 which successfully lobbied against Ottawa City cuts in 2004 and for the construction of the Ottawa East P3, what is now the Shenkman Centre. She is currently a performing actor, dancer, singer and law student at the University of Ottawa.

Fundraiser: Capital Chamber Choir On the Rocks with a Twist

2012-01-27T08:57:00.000-05:00

I have the great privilege of singing with the Capital Chamber Choir, an ensemble dedicated to the performance of Canadian contemporary Chamber music. This is a unique niche in Ottawa, and our director, Sara Brooks, goes to inspiring lengths to access this repertoire, often contacting small publishing houses abroad. The composers also occasionally attend rehearsals and concerts, which is a tradition long lost if an ensemble only produces the classics. Furthermore, it commissions composers and musicians and provides them with a market for their oeuvre; an important endeavour as Arts funding and education declines.

I discovered the Capital Chamber Choir in 2010 when I was covering its upcoming concert for the Friday Special Blend, a CKCU radio programme I was co-producing and co-hosting at the time. When I heard them perform, I was moved by their artistic vision, sound, dedication and poise. One year later, I auditioned and joined their Soprano section. The repertoire is challenging and I look forward to growing as a singer under Sara's direction and through the support of the ensemble.

It is with pride and hope that I invite you to join us on Friday, February 17, 2012 at the Manhattan Room in the Empire Grill at 27 Clarence St. in the Byward Market for an intimate concert and silent auction. Tickets can be purchased at http://www.eventbrite.com/event/2606349662.

Thank you for your support!

Pax in Terra: Capital Chamber Choir Concert next week

2011-11-18T15:35:00.000-05:00

This fall, I had the privilege of joining the Capital Chamber Choir's soprano section. Having discovered the choir in 2009 when I interviewed them in my capacity as co-producer of CKCU's Friday Special Blend, I have since followed them closely, attended concerts and even encouraged my talented housemate to audition for them. I found their approach, repertoire and professionalism refreshing in Ottawa's choral landscape.

It is with that introduction then, as a previous spectator, that I invite you to our concert next week, November 25, 2011 at 8:00 p.m. at All Saints' Anglican Church in Sandy Hill. Tickets range between $10 and $20 and will be available at the door.

We will be performing works by Canadian composers, Timothy Corlis, Dominic Patriquin and Eleanor Daley, in addition to classical works by de Victoria and Biebl.

I hope you will let us enchant you!

I think I won't: A review of NAC's "I think I can"

2011-05-16T22:09:00.000-04:00

I couldn't stay. No matter how much I thought I could. I wouldn't. I COULDN'T. So I didn't.

Here is my review of what I saw before I walked out of the theatre 20 minutes in.

I think I can, the NAC's presentation of the Dora Mavor Moore award-winning musical that claimed to use hip hop and tap to reach and portray adolescent angst and bullying, was the most stereotypical unoriginal caricaturized portrayal of kids today. It was insulting to the nuanced, sophisticated, intelligent SmartPhone-toting mini-adults I know and see regularly.

I wanna see that musical!

The scene opened with a tap sequence and a promising multi-layered set. The dancing was impressive, even to one unfamiliar with the tap lexicon. Particularly convincing was the character who danced with a limp.

However, the show quickly disintegrated into a series of overused tropes about 10 minutes into the performance. Again, the portrayal of science was reduced to the over-quoted E= mc (squared). And all kinds of disparate concepts were conflated - the writers had clearly either badly parodied science teachers or misunderstood the facts when they wrote the script.

The bullying sequence where "the bully stole my homework but I can't say anything" was once again overused. Stealing homework is the least of kids' worries. When I was mentoring elementary students in high school in the early 2000s, we were dealing with e-bullying, swarmings, gangs, drugs and sexual favours. I think some of those kids wished they could have had their homework stolen instead of enduring some of the experiences they did. Ten years on with the addition of Facebook and Twitter, I can only imagine the challenges of social networking for the socially stunted student or young shunned scholar.

The second problem the company encountered was the lacklustre use of their space. Despite a multi-level set, they spent most of the time tap dancing in formation on the stage.

Then there was the problem of consistency within the world Byfield and Gibson created. It detracted from whatever insight they were trying to communicate about kids today. The kids never spoke. The teacher spoke in her weird, mangled Scottish accent, but the kids moaned and gestured ridiculously. What's the message? Kids have no voice? The inconsistency between human interaction on stage made no sense and it destroyed the willing suspension of disbelief for the reviewer and ultimately undermined the message of empowerment.

The scene with the supposed cheerleader and the boy with the limp droned on too long.

Were I one of the kids in the audience on Saturday night, I would have felt insulted and exasperated that these are still the tropes we think of when we pander to "Youth" theatre. No wonder the NAC Theatre was only half full on a Saturday night. If Peter Hinton wants to keep his theatre full, he had better stop pandering and start envisioning.

Photo Credit: Daniel Alexander, NAC.ca

EFF Defending Rights in Government Attempt to Access Users' Twitter Records

2011-02-26T15:56:00.000-05:00

Press Releases

February 8th, 2011

Legal Battle Over Government Demands for Twitter Records Unsealed by Court

Hearing Set for February 15 in Alexandria, Virginia

Alexandria, VA - A federal court in Alexandria, Virginia today unsealed motions filed by the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), the American Civil Liberties Union, and others concerning government attempts to obtain Twitter account records about three individuals in connection with its WikiLeaks investigation. The documents were originally filed under seal late last month.
One of the newly-available motions is a request to unseal the still-secret court records of the government's attempts to collect private records from Twitter, Inc., as well as other companies who may have received demands for information from the government. The second motion seeks to overturn the December 14 court order requiring Twitter to provide information about its users. The third motion was subsequently filed to unseal the original two motions, A hearing on the first two motions is set for 10:30 a.m. on February 15 at the U.S. District Court in Alexandria, Virginia.
The ACLU and EFF represent Birgitta Jonsdottir, an Icelandic parliamentarian and one of the Twitter users whose records were sought by the government. The motion was joined by attorneys from the law firm Keker & Van Nest LLP and the Law Office of John D. Cline on behalf of Jacob Appelbaum and Rop Gonggrijp, respectively, as well as local counsel in Virginia. The government had also requested information concerning Appelbaum and Gonggrijp's Twitter accounts.
"We are troubled that the original court order requiring Twitter to turn over its users' private records was filed under seal.," said Aden Fine, staff attorney with the ACLU Speech, Privacy and Technology Project. "Except in truly extraordinary circumstances, Internet users should receive notice and an opportunity to go to court to defend their constitutional rights before their privacy is compromised. That's what is happening now, and we are hopeful that the court will unseal the rest of the sealed materials."
"Twitter is a publication and communication service, so the information sought by the government relates to what these individuals said and where they were when they said it," said EFF Legal Director Cindy Cohn. "This raises serious First and Fourth Amendment concerns. It is especially troubling since the request seeks information about all statements made by these people, regardless of whether their speech relates to WikiLeaks."
Attorneys for Jonsdottir are Fine and Benjamin Siracusa-Hillman of the ACLU, Rebecca Glenberg of the ACLU of Virginia and Cohn, Lee Tien, Marcia Hofmann and Kevin Bankston of EFF.
For more details on attending next week's hearing contact press@eff.org or media@aclu.org.
For the newly unsealed documents:
https://www.eff.org/cases/government-demands-twitter-records
Contacts:
Cindy Cohn
Legal Director
Electronic Frontier Foundation
cindy@eff.org
Rachel Myers
Media Relations
American Civil Liberties Union
media@aclu.org

Finding Artistic Outlets in Law School

2011-02-04T13:31:00.000-05:00

Despite being a full-time student who is enjoying her studies immensely at the University of Ottawa - which means I seize every opportunity for a guest lecture, court visit and volunteer - I have made supporting and being involved in the arts a priority. I think this is partially because I have been inspired by other professionals, such as Professor Natasha Bakht and David Jewitt, who maintain interesting careers, families and artistic commitments. It is possible to do what you love and love what you do.

The Live Rush program started at the National Arts Centre (NAC) when I was an undergraduate student at the University of Ottawa and I am pleased to re-join the program. My husband and I were subscribers to the Dance series at the NAC and enjoyed the 2009-2010 season. This year the Live Rush program enabled us to continue as patrons of the arts on a revised budget, for which we are both very thankful. We attended Ted Robinson's performance last fall and recently saw A Year of Magical Thinking. February is going to be a busy month with Savion Glover, Atlantic Ballet Theatre, Wayne McGregor, and the Mariinksy/Kirov Ballet.

However, patronizing the arts is only one facet for me, a performer. As a Master's student, I learned quickly that I was happiest when I was busy. The arts are a crucial part of having a balanced life in which I am professionally productive and intellectually stimulated. By dancing, acting and singing I make new friends, create beauty, and use another part of my brain and body. The exercise alone is beneficial! This is why I decided in the middle of the exam period in December to perform at the Gladstone Theatre as a dancer in their production of It's a Wonderful Life. It was rewarding to put in long days of studying knowing I could step into another world and dress up and perform each night. I slept better, felt better and studied better because I was able to blow off steam and stick to a schedule. In the end, I performed better on my exams. I think I gained important time management and self-knowledge that will see me through a demanding and enjoyable career in law.

Last Radio Show

2010-06-18T11:50:00.002-04:00

Today was my last day on the air as the host of the Friday Special Blend. I am getting ready to pursue travels and law school in the coming weeks and months. CKCU has been a great experience and I would recommend it to anyone!

This experience has connected me profoundly to my community. I cherish all the conversations I have had over the years with so many artists. They are a huge inspiration to balance my creative pursuits with
Thank you to family, friends and CKCU listeners who have taken the time each week to listen to the show. I truly appreciate your dedication and thoughtfulness. Special thanks to Susan for giving me this incredible opportunity to grow and learn, as well as give back to my community.

Have a great summer and keep in touch!

Success: Legs were Broken!

2010-05-24T12:58:00.001-04:00

My first performance as part of a professional dance company was a smash success!

What an opportunity to perform as part of the Natasha Royka Dance Company at the Grand Re-Opening of the Museum of Nature! I am so thankful to have had this opportunity to grow as a dancer and performer and to have been part of this landmark event.

Costumed by Bugs and Balloons from New York City, we dancers roamed the museum silently interacting with guests, while staying true to the animals and reptiles we were portraying, and entertaining museum-goers while they waited patiently in line on two of the hottest days in May.

It was magic watching people's faces, especially those of children, transform while we transported them to a world where lizards and frogs are life-size, where fairies waltz and make mischief, and where butterflies smile and dance.

Rehearsing for the event included dance improvisation to build a movement repertoire, endurance training and stretching, and character development. Our troupe was a dynamic mix of actors, dancers and singers who take direction very well, who capitalize on glitches and, above all, and relish feeding off the audience's reactions.

We danced from Saturday morning, starting with the Nature Fest parade that proceeded from Ottawa City Hall to the Museum, until 5 pm. On Sunday we danced from Noon until 10:30 pm at which point we ushered the audience outdoors to behold the light show. I was in the moment at all times and did not feel the time pass at all. In fact, I was a bit shocked at how quickly time flew and was sad to see it all come to an end after so much anticipation and hard work. Our next performance will be in June at Summer Solstice.

Congratulations to all the dancers, volunteers, staff and support staff who made this whole event a success! Take a bow!

REVIEW: Vincent Dance Theatre, Marc Boivin and Brian Webb

2010-04-24T10:41:00.001-04:00

It was a busy week for dance in Ottawa. The Canada Dance festival is two months away, yet we found ourselves out two nights this week observing (what was billed as) some of the most provocative contemporary choreography.

Vincent Dance Theatre, NAC Studio, April 22 2010

The NAC Studio warmly welcomed Charlotte Vincent's Vincent Dance Theatre's production of Broken Chords. The show closes tonight and I would highly recommend attending a performance. The piece centers around the pain of "breaking up and breaking down" (NAC programme). Tongue-and-cheek humour is contrasted with the suffering of exclusion, regret and veiled emotion. The dancing is varied and flawless, and constantly defies gravity and constraint - including chairs 7 straight rows deep. The use and contrast of live musicians add a depth of emotion, dynamism and symbolism to the piece. If it's any measure of quality, my husband and I were able to sustain an hour long conversation about the piece after we had left the venue.

Marc Boivin, Arts Court, April 23, 2010

Marc Boivin's Impact was an intriguing abstract performance that used digital multimedia and dance to mirror the physical changes and vulnerability associated with aging. The innovative use of the dancer's lower leg to represent a child taking its first steps attracted the wonder of the audience, but was a one-off occurrence that missed an opportunity to grow. Overall, the dancing was polished, but somewhat uninspiring and repetitive.

Brian Webb, Arts Court, April 23, 2010

If this is the future of contemporary dance (in Ottawa), then we are doomed. To see such sub-par performances as that of Brian Webb and Marc Boivin move into Arts Court in the wake of Le Groupe's tragic exit is disheartening. Webb's piece looked as though it had not been choreographed at all, save for some half-baked arm movements and body throws that were about as entertaining as watching a fish flop around on the floor. Titled The Effects of Sunlight Falling on Raw Concrete, it actually looked as though he was half-heartedly improvising a parody of Boivin's performance by using a similar combination of steps. At one point, he emerged from one of his sequenced body throws looking as though he had forgotten the choreography altogether. It would be generous to say that his performance was thoughtful enough to parody contemporary dance and culture by insulting the audience for paying to see his choreography, but I don't think he even put that much thought into it. He has another performance tonight. Save your money because this installment of Dance Series 10 at Arts Court is not worth your time.

Dancing Away the Summer

2010-04-20T12:34:00.000-04:00

After an audition this past Saturday, I have been chosen to perform with the Natasha Royka Dance Company, formerly known as PhOOM! (Potentially Haphazardous Objects in Motion). It is a professional contemporary dance company that has been featured in Ottawa area festivals and outdoor events. This is my first position (ha ha, great pun!) in a professional dance company and I am really looking forward to working on my craft.

At the audition, I definitely felt like I danced with more confidence than any other audition I have had in the last 2 years. I feel validated and grateful that Natasha recognized my progress and determination enough to give me this opportunity to perform; indeed, she has been the facilitator of my growth this past year through her pilates and dance classes.

I am so excited to rehearse for 4 hours on a Saturday - I haven't had a regular rehearsal schedule since the LSESU Dance Society - and be pushed by such a talented, articulate dancer and choreographer.

Our first performance will be at the Canadian Museum of Nature's Naturefest where we will be enchanting the audience as costumed insects, May 22 and 23, 2010. Hope you can make it out!

I will keep you posted about future performances!

The picture above is after my performance, Surrationality, choreographed by Francesca Cookney, at the LSESU Dance Society in 2008 in London, UK.

FSB Playlist 9.04.2010

2010-04-09T21:09:00.000-04:00

Playlist FSB 19.03.2010

2010-03-19T11:51:00.000-04:00

Hawksley Workman - Song for Sarah Jane
Bell Orchestre - Stripes
Jay Malinowski - There's a light, Narceritos
Interview with Brad McNeil and Al Connors of Crush Improv - Monday All-Star Make-em Ups @ Cajun Attic 7:00 pm with the Canadian Improv Games judges
Meredith Luce (Sunday @ the Manx Pub) - Lawnmower Dogs, Pennies in the woods
Joel Leblanc Quartet - Third and goal
Beautiful Nubia - Coming Soon
God Made Me Funky - Phantastik, On the line
Interview with Deniz Berkin & Matt Clark of IFCO - IFCO Winter Gala, March 20th Library and Archives
Jason Collett - Rave on sad songs
Elizabeth Shepherd Trio - What Else, the Taking (tomorrow night @ Mercury Lounge)
Hawksley Workman - (We are no) Vampire bats

Review: Rachid Ouramdane's (Loin....) @ NAC

2010-03-19T11:35:00.000-04:00

Last night I witnessed my first performance where the audience booed a professional dance performance at Canada's capital arts institution, the National Arts Centre - and I can't say it wasn't entirely undeserved.

The 55-minute long programme addressed the issue of torture and its effect on families, memories and cultural identity. It travels from Algeria to Vietnam and America. From a purely information point of view, it was interesting. Artistically, it was stunted. The performance incorporated a lot of media but was really a mish-mash of half-baked ideas and soundbites: spoken word, interviews and soundtracks on film. The coolest feature was the rotating loudspeakers on stage. The problem is that the audience was there to see dance, not a movie. The lame, repetitive movements contained contrast but were not overly original or lead to progression. In fact, the constant picking up of microphones or clicking foot pedals was distracting, but not as distracting as the subtitles that accompanied the quick and monotone recitation of poetry.

The statement the choreographer, Rachid Ouramdane, was trying to make was not best executed, perhaps, with a single person on stage, either. Lines and character were not well-defined. One audience member commented that the accompanying film provided some momentary relief from the movement on stage with its backdrops of landscapes and faces, but in doing so detracted from the point of assembling at the Studio: to watch great contemporary dance, which this piece certainly was not, despite considerable investment by the French government and others.

FSB Playlist 12.03.2010

2010-03-12T11:07:00.001-05:00

K-OS - Dance in your car
D'bi.young - Animal Farm (performing in Bloodclaat @ The GCTC)
Ana Miura - Dragonfly, La Dee Da
Ryan Mitchell-Boch - Leaving this world behind
Harry Manx - Running in my heart
Urinetown the Musical - Cop Song
Interview: Natasha Royka (Choreographer) & Matt Minter (Director), Sock 'n Buskin Presents Urinetown: The Musical
Urinetown the Musical - It's a Privilege to Pee
The Polymorphines - Let Love Fly, bring your love back home
BBC News
Interview: Chelsea & Phil from Insensitivity Training Improv Troupe talking about the Ottawa Improv Festival March 11-14
Joanna Chapman-Smith - Urbanity, Arbitrary Lines
Jason Collett - Rave on Sad Songs
Interview (re-air): Von Allan talking about his graphic novel, the road to god knows where, launching @ Perfect Books Sunday 4-7 p.m.

The View from Here: Fall on your knees by Ann-Marie MacDonald

2010-03-08T13:40:00.000-05:00

What's a girl to do with a day off that she's too sick to enjoy? Blog, of course.

I will endeavour to keep these reflections on Ann-Marie MacDonald's Fall on Your Knees coherent in spite of the two days' worth of decongestants, plugged ears and periodic sneezing and wheezing.

In the last two years, I have come to detest modern tragedies. I am talking about the drivel generally found on Oprah's book lists: hard-core dramas full of barely likeable characters where circumstance, not choice, is the order of the day: think Million Little Pieces meets White Oleander. It was with grim hesitation I picked up Fall on Your Knees at a recent book-swap party. It had received a dozen respectable accolades and the jacket's promise of a jazz-era story lured me. However, once I had read the first hundred pages, I could foresee the same withered hopes, the same trite enabling, pity, guilt and curses only parents could wield upon their own children. I expected to put it down out of sheer boredom. But I didn't.

This book is written more like a poem than a novel. Sentences are short and sometimes choppy. MacDonald plays with memories and re-creates scenes to project characters' perceptions directly into the heads of her readers, so if we see through Frances' eyes, sometimes we do not recognize the difference between the reality and fiction within the story.

MacDonald also plays with olfactory senses without cumbersome exposition. The smell of the hidden cedar box and the memories it instantly conjures is expressed in a five word sentence; the disgusting taste of stuffed cod heads, contrasted with memories of tabbouleh or the horrific snip snip of steak and kidney pie is pungently concise. The sensory overload I enjoy about poetry keeps me engaged in the novel.

The changing perspective swirls memories, prejudices, anxieties in a constantly evolving and fresh way that is sorely lacking in books like White Oleander, which allows the reader to gradually uncover the story. I feel as if my veins conduct the electricity that emanates from the characters, and I am electrified over and over. With each sentence, I yearn for the thrill of MacDonald's language.

In contrast to the language in which they are encased, the characters are not all that interesting, despite the tangibility of their feelings. I am not reading the book to find out what happens to them, which I think is an obvious drawback. They grow up in a circumstance of frustrated and stunted success for women in North America, a baggage I know continues to beat up generations to come. James' character is stalwart but generally flat and it was predictable that Frances would be the woman to sell herself. Boooooring. I find myself asking, "why is the end tragedy of a woman always the selling of herself?" I am tired of the oppression, selling, sex and shame cycle that plagues women in this genre. In fact, I would argue that I have become desensitized to its overuse by authors and that it is an impediment to my ability to relate to the character, rather than an effective force of empathy or realism. Why are these antiquated terms of honour still salient in the modern novel, supposedly being largely consumed and tolerated by a predominantly female readership?

I have a third of the book to finish. Despite its flaws, I look forward to being transported to the end by its crisp and poetic language.

FSB Playlist 05.03.2010

2010-03-05T15:07:00.000-05:00

The Hilotrons - Lost in yichang
Amos the Transparent - the love you had for the life you choose
Blackie & the Rodeo Kings - Swingin from the Chains of Love
Joanna Chapman-Smith - Melodies, Paris Song
Kevin Fox - The Signs
Good 2 Go - Accessorize
Missy Burgess - We all ride the same train
Amos the Transparent - Can you remember how it feels to be free?
Sarah Slean - Hopeful Hearts
Ghost is Dancing - September '01, The darkest spark
Bop Ensemble - Flower
BBC News
K-OS - Equalizer (Go! Remix)
Rascalz - Fitnredi
Misteur Valaire - Press2
Delhi2Dublin - Supafunkadholic
Klezfactor - The Jewce
Hugo Torres-Cereceda - Amor Por la Vida, Me voy al Sur
Nomadic Massive - Nou La
Wio-K - Sunlight
Harry Manx - Afghani Raga

FSB Playlist 26.02.2010

2010-02-27T11:34:00.000-05:00

Kevin Fox - Sweet Dreams (Are Made of These)
Cinderpop - Cinnamon Winter
The Fugitives - Breaking Promises
Kate Maki - Bloodshot & Blistered, In Comes the Light
Gravity Wave - Bang, Fish Hook, Yo-Yo
Mary Kastle - Do it for a day
Ernesto Cervini Quartet - Little Black Bird
Coco Love Alcorn - Where do robots go before they die
The Peptides - Stereo Stereo, Wild Boy
BBC News
God Made Me Funky - So in effect
Interview - Company of Fools
Bob Somers & DJ Co-op - Wails On (Record of the Week Club)

Interview - Stephen Brockwell, Editor, Rogue Stimulus: The Stephen Harper Holiday Anthology For a Prorogued Parliament
The Artist Life - Let's start a riot
Ismaila Alfa & Mark Penner - Walkman (Record of the Week Club)

Playlist FSB 12.02.2010 - hosted by Sue Johnston & Matthew Crosier

2010-02-27T11:16:00.000-05:00

Sadie Hell - Sadie Hell, Onward Hop!
The Swingers - Three live pieces
Coco Love Alcorn - Compassion, I got a bicycle
Interview - Basil Alzeri - Fait Maison Performance Art
BBC News
Arts Report by Barb Gray
Lhasa - Is anything wrong?
Staple Singers - New Home
Sam Cooke - Somebody Have mercy, when I fall in love

Aretha Franklin - Spirit in the dark
James Brown - SOul Power

Let Go

2010-02-10T18:12:00.000-05:00

This is a CODE Motion Picture, directed by Elif Isikozlu available on the Vancouver 2010 website. It's gorgeous and assumes a rhythm of its own. It's also an innovative way to film dance.

Playlist FSB 05.02.2010

2010-02-05T11:14:00.000-05:00

7:00 AM

BBC News
Halabisky's Uprising - Rebellion #1
Broken Social Scene - Fire eye'd Boy, Windsurfing Nation
Harry Manx - Where fools die
The Acorn - Even while you're sleeping
Rick Scott - Crystal Clog
Metric - Grow up and Blow Away
Interview with Artist Zachari Logan - Lazarus Series on Display @ La Petite Mort Gallery. Vernissage tonight @ 7pm

8:00 AM

BBC News
Balloon Orchestra - Air Drumming for balloon drum quartet, three breaths for three balloons (Jesse Stewart Live @ Winterlude - Confederation Park, Sunday Feb 7 @ 1 & 3 pm
Meredith Luce - Heading Out
Marie-Josee Houle - Marie M'Appelle
Interview with Dan Dicaire, Insensitivity Training Improv Troupe - Free Perogies Feb 7 @ 9pm @ Yuk Yuk's - 5$ @ the door
Marie-Josee Houle - Blase d'la vie
Interview with Melanie Yugo about her Winterlude Urban Cozy Project - debuts tonight @ Confederation Park @ 9pm
Serena Ryder - Sweeping the ashes

FSB Playlist 29.01.2010

2010-01-31T15:41:00.001-05:00

7:00-8:00 a.m.

BBC News
Marco Calliari - L'Americano
Prozzak - Just Friends
Ember Swift - Float
Interview - Company of Fools - Shakespeare's Danish Play OnStage @ The Gladstone 28JAN-27FEB
Ernesto Cervini Quartet - Coconut Bill
Joanna Chapman-Smith - Melodies
Sweatshop Union - Pot of Stew
Sarah Noni-Metzner - Mansion of Happiness
Indio Saravanja - Clouds

8:00 - 9:00 a.m.

BBC News
Fembots - Good Days
Gypsophilia - Sa-ba-da-ow!, Jewish Dance Party
Interview St. Cecilia Singers - My Spirit Sang all Day On Stage @ St. John the Evangelist Church Jan 30
Organic Funk - Shark Taming
Molly Johnson - Diamond in my Hand, Lucky
Frank Prioetti Morph-tet - Verte de Fougerolles
K-OS - Dance in your Car

On Stage: St. Cecilia Singers

2010-01-29T16:40:00.001-05:00

I am excited to announce I will be performing as a first soprano on January 30th, 2010 with the St. Cecilia Singers. It is the first concert of our 2009-2010 Season. We sing Renaissance and Early music, but our programme will include Canadian and contemporary works.

The concert will take place at 8 p.m. at St. John the Evangelist Anglican Church at the Corner of Somerset W. and Elgin Streets.

Tickets are $20/$15 with valid I.D. and can be purchased at the door or at Leading Note on Elgin.

We will also be performing in Fitzroy Harbour on February 6, 2010.

Shadow Sculptures

2010-01-26T14:36:00.001-05:00

This is by far one of the coolest installations I have ever seen. I hope something like this is exhibited in Ottawa soon. Photo Credit is unknown, but I accessed them here: http://all4yourfun.com/artwork/shadow-art.html

Playlist FSB.22.01.2010

2010-01-22T11:09:00.000-05:00

January has flown past! There is so much to see and do - while keeping warm! Here's what we featured on this morning's show. You can also check out our playlist at www.ckcufm.com. Click playlist and type in Friday Special Blend.

Kate Maki (new album, Two Song Wedding) - Bloodshot & blistered, In Comes the Light
Interview w/ Greg Frankson - Artists' Alliance for Mental Health launch Jan 28, 8 pm @ East African Restaurant, $8 @the door
John Geggie - Credo
Interview w/ authors Mandy Moore and Leanne Prain - Yarn Bombing
Interview w/ Mel Yugo - Spins and Needles' Winterlude Urban Cozy Project
Martha Wainwright - I will internalize
BBC News
Barb Gray, the roving arts reporter
Interview w/ Max Middle, Grant Wilkins, Pearl Pirie and artist Michèle Provost - Abstracts/Resumes - Fibred Optics 28 Jan @ 7pm @ SAW Gallery - FREE
The Peptides - Stereo Stereo
Interview w/ Ashok Mathur, author A Little Distillery in Nowgong

Bywords Warmed the Night

2010-01-18T12:10:00.000-05:00

We had a great turnout yesterday at Swizzles Bar for the annual fundraiser, Bywords Warms the Night, which was generously hosted by Dusty Owl. It was a pleasure and an honour to perform alongside fellow members of the Bywords Selection Committee. I performed three of my feminist works: Whipped Dreamy, Believing Eden and Hymen Reconstructive Surgery, the latter of which had never been performed, and I was delighted at the enthusiastic response it received. We rasied $420 for Cornerstone Women's Shelter, which burned down earlier this winter. Thank you again to those who supported me and contributed to the fundraiser.

Playlist FSB 15.01.2010

2010-01-18T12:00:00.000-05:00

Kim Barlow - Pony Camp, Kay's House
Interview with Adria Vasil - Ecoholic Home
16mm - Darling Democrat (Lovers' Remix)
Night Flowers - Man of the People, Pep Rally
The Swingers - Hesitate, Looking for a way
Mark Berube and the Patriotic Few - Til the Morning
BBC News
Django Libre (new cd!) - My Sweet Dame
Monica Freire - Na Laje
Interview with the Swingers - Every now and then, Mary, Beat Below
Spirit of the West - And if Venice is sinking, Sadness Grows
The Constantines - Hard Feelings

Open House: Natasha Royka Movement Studio

2010-01-10T12:26:00.000-05:00

My friend and dance instructor, Natasha Royka, recently rebranded her studio and is having an open house today from 4:00 pm until 6:00 pm at 11 Florence Street, near the corner of Bank and Florence in Downtown Ottawa. Bring cookies to share and any curiosities or passions about dance! If you can't make it and want to check out her classes and find out what she's all about, visit www.natasharoykamovementstudio.com.

Playlist FSB 08.01.2010

2010-01-09T12:37:00.002-05:00

Lynne Hanson - Eleven Months - Eleven Months (@ Black Sheep tonight)

Ernesto Cervini Quartet - Here - Mestropholis

Organic Funk - When it Began - Organic Funk

Mark Berube - What the Boat Gave - Til the Morning, flowers on the stones

beautiful nubia and the roots remaissance band - brothers in arms

Penderecki String Quartet - Everything we See in the sky

16mm - Darling Democrat (lovers Mix)

Bell Orchestre - Icicles/bicycles

Lynne Hanson (seeking Juliet)

Ninety Pounds of Ugly - Out of your League

2010 off on the Right Foot

2010-01-07T13:30:00.001-05:00

This week saw me strike a new beginning with an old flame: contemporary dance. After discovering that my fall semester learning Flamenco, at the time, was not fulfilling the things I love about dance, I decided to join the Contemporary Dance Class at the recently re-branded Natasha Royka Movement Studio.

I have admired flameco from a distance for three years or so, to the point that I whimsically dreamed of flitting off to Valencia after my Master's to learn to dance in Sevilla. And what's not to admire? Those controlled passionate movements, sharpened poise, turbulent rhythms and that technique, oh that technique! I couldn't reconcile my excitment with my ensuing disappointment: it was hard to admit the physical limitations of my own body and my desire to master the movements faster than I actually could. In the process I gained a new physical self-awareness about control over movement. The physical limitations manifested themselves in my profound fear of injuring my joints, especially my hips and knees. Every time I dropped my foot I was conscious about controlling the movement for self-preservation rather than aesthetic.

I rediscovered my love for dance and choreography while a member of the LSE Dance Society (I am in the red tights, pictured on the right, photo taken after our performance of Surrationality at the annual Dance Society Showcase). It was then I became more conscious about how much i loved moving through space and responding to music as a contemporary dancer. In my flamenco class, I found there wasn't enough movement through space in the class. Granted, it was an introductory flamenco class, so learning technique while somewhat stationary is a necessary part of learning. I find myself wondering whether I gave up too easily, but remembering feeling defeated and bored after every painful class reminds me I made the right decision.

In addition to the liberating feeling of moving through space, physically and connecting with fellow dancers and music, I dance for exercise. I love challenging my body to stretch. I love pushing limits of my own strength. And I love, love, love using my body in new ways.

I am excited to grow as a dancer under the tutelage of Natasha Royka. I am definitely dusty and rusty from Christmas, flamenco and everything since LSE. But I am so happy to have gotten off on the right foot in 2010.

For anyone interested, Natasha Royka Movement Studio has an open house this weekend from 4-6 on Sunday, January 10th. She specializes in movement and pilates and her studio is located at 637 Florence Street, at the corner of Bank and Florence.

Submit! Submit! Submit!

2010-01-02T16:58:00.000-05:00

I have some creative and academic writing projects on the burner at the moment. Here are some upcoming dates and sources if you are interested in submitting or performing:

Bywords, January 15, 2010
In/Words, January 30, 2010
Capital Slam, first and third saturdays of every month, Mercury Lounge, ByWard Market
Dusty Owl (coming soon)

The winter is long in Ottawa; wishing you a great start to productive and creative year!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

2009-12-25T07:00:00.002-05:00

I would like to send a sweet thank you to our dedicated listeners for another great year! We look forward to sharing the coming year of artistic discoveries with you.

We will kick off our first show in 2010 on Friday, January 8th, at 7:00 a.m.

Until then, warmest wishes that you all have a relaxing, safe and peaceful holiday.

Enjoy the best of the season from the Friday Special Blend!

P.S. Check out our playlists if you still need ideas for that special gift!

Playlist FSB 18.12.2009

2009-12-24T15:17:00.002-05:00

BBC News

Joanna Chapman Smith - Things are going to wrong

Sarah Hallman - Snowballin

Interview : Authors Rick Smith and Bruce Lourie: Slow Death by Rubber Duck ( Rebroadcasted in response to the recent media attention to harmful chemicals in sex toys)

Roxanne Potvin - No Love for the Poisonous

Urban Aesthetics - See the Sunshine through the Haze

Phillip Brown - Winter Hymn

Interview: Anne Michaels: The Winter Vault, voted one of the best books of the year

Hour 2

BBC News

Barb Gray's Arts Report

Klezfactor - Klezmachine

Interview: Steve Martin, Director, The Gladstone Theatre

Kim Barlow - Gingerbread

The Wailin Jennys - Firecracker

Feist - So Sorry

Hammerheads - Steppin' Out

Playlist 11.12.2009

2009-12-11T13:26:00.004-05:00

Members of the improvisation comedy troupe, Insensitivity Training. Used with permission.

Insensitivity Training will be performing this Sunday, December 13, @ 8pm @ Yuk Yuk's on Elgin as part of a fundraiser for Operation Come Home. Tickets are 10$ and all proceeds benefit OCH.

Jim Davies of Insensitivity Training kicked off this week's Special Blend show with a few mind-bending improv games.

In the mix you heard:
Mark Berube - Looking for Another

The Peptides - Stereo Stereo

Elizabeth Shepherd - Shining tear of the sun, Parkdale

Gerry Kendall Band - Real Good Night

Prozzak - Just Friends

Geoff Berner - Luck in Exile, The Whiskey

Joanna Chapman-Smith - In the quiet

In our second hour, we featured:

Paper Moon - What are you going to do with me

Interview with photographer Tom Evans to talk about his latest work

Joanna Chapman-Smith - For Good - Carnival Song

The Mike Essoudry Octet - The River

The Peptides - Wave Goodbye

Playlist 4.12.2009

2009-12-04T15:46:00.000-05:00

John Allaire - Angels (John will be performing tomorrow night at the NAC Fourth Stage as part of their Christmas Goose fundraiser and concert)

Interview with Steve Martin, Director, The Gladstone Presents The Farndale Avenue Housing Estate Townwomen's Guild Dramatic Society's Production of a Christmas Carol - Dec 3-19, 2009.

Darylectones - Mr. Ogilvie's Store

John Allaire - Bourbon

Gabrielle Destroismaisons - All I want for Christmas is you

Perfect Lie - Big Mack Daddy (featured tonight at the Vernissage of Komorov's Works @ La Petite Mort Gallery - 7-10 p.m.)

Interview with Komorov - Fleshlight @ La Petite Mort Gallery Dec 4-27

Blackie & the Rodeo Kings - Swingin' from the chains of love

Ron Sexsmith - Brighter Still

Interview with Jesse Stewart and students, Mike Dandino and Matt Charron. Carleton University's Contemporary Music Ensemble presents Wunderkammer, a free interactive concert, tomorrow night on the 9th Floor of the Loeb Building, starting at 7:30.

Blackie and the Rodeo Kings - Vale of Tears, Lean on your peers

Lindsay Ferguson - 8th Wonder, Breakthrough

Playlist 20.11.09

2009-11-20T17:35:00.000-05:00

7:00-8:00 a.m.

The Acorn - Flood

Marie Josée Houle - Three Red Beads

Dr. Lee - Good for you

Meredith Luce - Sing Me back home

Interview - Shane Rhodes, featured in Arc Poetry's Annual

Sarah Noni Metzner - Mansion of Happiness

8:00-9:00

East Villge Opera Company.: The Ride, King of the Night

Emcee E - My revolution

Interview Ian Keteku aka Emcee E

Emcee E - Stop, featuring Arlen Yanch

Peter Joynt (CD launch tomorrow night @ La Petite Mort Gallery) - Microphone Specialist

Great Lake Swimmers - Your rocky spine, back stage with the modern dancers

Eden - Come Fall

Tanja Liedtke

2009-11-20T17:23:00.002-05:00

I attended a stellar performance of Tanja Liedtke's Construct last night at the NAC Studio. The choreography elicited a deep emotional response from the audience: I found myself laughing and crying and completely captivated by the dancers' ethereal movements. I especially appreciated the physical echoes in the choreography and playful ironic metaphors about building relationships, families and homes. The set and music gave an immediacty and tangibility to the production, as well.

Construct continues until tomorrow night at the NAC studio. Seating is General Admission, so arrive early to find a seat!

Playlist FSB 11.13.2009

2009-11-13T13:36:00.001-05:00

Idlers - Little Man

Megan Jerome Trio - Lullaby, Yellow Moon

Lori Lansens Interview with Sue Johnston

Misteur Vallaire - Si c'etait un veau

Karyn Ellis - bird

Agnostic mountain gospel choir - Go back home

Manraygun - Prologue, Sunday Hymn

BBC World News

Broken Social Scene - Finish your collapse and stay for breakfast

Karyn Ellis - Ten Stories

Organic Funk - Organic Funk

Karyn Ellis - Be My Girl, interview, little grey sparrow

Rheostatics - Shack in the cornfields

Delhi to Dublin - Supafunk

CURTAIN: Read it Twice, it's Real

2009-11-09T12:05:00.001-05:00

The play I starred in, Read it Twice, it's Real, opened and wrapped this past weekend. It was produced by Sock N Buskin' Theatre Co.

Our Saturday show went exceedingly well: there was great energy on stage, lines were spot on and having already done a show the night before in the Pit, we had a better idea of the acoustics and how much more we needed to project. There was even real tea in the teapot!

Congrats to the cast and crew! Extra special thanks to everyone who attended and showed their support.

The audience response was so good that I have faith this will not be the only production of Jim Davies' avant garde script. Looking forward to future productions!

FSB 23.10.09 CKCU Funding Drive Launches this Friday!

2009-10-22T15:37:00.006-04:00

Support the Special Blend and your favourite independent station by pledging donations online, by phone or in person. If you can't give now, help spread the word!

Here are 5 reasons why you should donate to CKCU:

Operations. CKCU is listener-run on annual donations, both monetary and the invaluable donation of time by myriad volunteers (yours truly included). Last year's donations are helping us improve broadcast technology in order to bring you the best programming possible.

News. We are the only station in Ottawa that brings you top quality news programming through the BBC World Service.

Personal. Each program is volunteer-run with a real person, not a computer, in studio. This is LIVE radio.

Local and Global. The Friday Special Blend is one of many programmes mandated to support local emerging artists, keeping YOU connected to YOUR community. See my earlier post about how vibrant Ottawa culture really is. The station also hosts a vast collection of ethnic programmes that help migrants and visitors stay connected to their linguistic and cultural communities, while allowing others an opportunity to learn about those communities. CKCU is streamed live on the internet and we have Special Blend listeners from as far away as Glens Falls, NY and Sarasota, Fl.

Free speech. CKCU hosts are willing to present alternative views and foster discussions you can't get from other stations. This is not sanitized, water-cooler radio.

To Donate:

Complete the secure online donation form
Call (613) 520-2898.
Drop off your donation in person on Carleton University's campus
If you would like to donate specifically to the Special Blend, please write "Special Blend" on the memo line of your cheque, or let the volunteer know your intentions when you call.

My Story: Seeking community? CKCU!

It was August 2008. I came home from overseas graduate studies burned out and unsure of my future. The one thing I was certain about was my dedication and desire to resume community involvement. Lucky for me, my co-host, Susan, was looking for a way to breathe some new insights into her show. Bang! A fabulous partnership was born. In my year at CKCU I have met and been inspired by countless artists. Our 8 weekly interview slots are booked solid week after week, truly a testament to the depth and breadth of Ottawa's arts scene. I have watched Ottawa's amazing culture scene grow, and even have been moved to participate in the growth by acting, publishing poetry, and attending the most awesome events, like Capital Slam. Volunteering at CKCU was an anchor in unsteady waters.

"From my own experience as a listener, I have often looked forward to my favourite programs and have fond memories of setting aside time to listen, laugh and engage. I grew up listening (and dancing) to CKCU programmes such as the Latin Train, Caribbean Rhythms and Barrio Latino with my mom and the Vinyl Cafe on CBC on Saturday mornings with my dad."

-Vanessa Davies, Co-Producer, Co-Host, Friday Special Blend

Now, I consider myself lucky to be among a great slate of volunteers and staff who bring you quality radio. I wake up joyfully every Friday morning at 6:00 a.m., long before the sun, pick up my co-host and Bridgehead coffee, and jump into the studio excitedly. The two hours fly by and I feel refreshed and reenergized before I start a Friday at the office. I love volunteering with CKCU and am so lucky to be able to give back the community that has done so much to support me and other countless artists.

Support the station that supports your community: Donate Now!

FSB Playlist 16.10.09

2009-10-17T05:16:00.002-04:00

Metric - grow up and blow away - Live in Ottawa at the Civic Centre, 8pm 19 OCT 2009
joanna chapman smith - hit the dreams, moment of green
leahy - B-Minor
Prozzak - When I think of you, tricky
Prufrock - Average Day (live @ capital slam 2009, Capital Slam Finalist 2009)
Josie Frank - It must be nice (Live @capital slam 2009, Capital Slam Finalist 2009)
Ember Swift - include my food
8:15-9:00 - DJ Lowpass. For his playlist, check out http://www.lowpass.net/

ByWords 2009 John Newlove Poetry Award at the Ottawa Writer's Festival

2009-10-17T01:17:00.000-04:00

WHEN: Wednesday, October 21, 2009, 8:30-10.pm

WHERE: St. Brigid's Centre for the Arts and Humanities, 314 St. Patrick Street, Ottawa, ON

INCLUDES: Launch of Rob Friday's One Man Parade and Music by Call Me Katie

Writing_Spaces

2009-10-17T00:44:00.001-04:00

WHERE I WRITE.ORG is an intriguing site of famous authors photographed in their workspaces. I found it useful in connecting with my own workspace preferences and needs. Also, from looking at the photos I noticed different approaches to writing: working in an overstimulating workspace versus working in a clear, open concept space; routine comforts, like reclining on a couch, versus a more industrial approach to getting writing done at a desk; being surrounded by books as a reminder of greatness versus sparse but brightly painted walls; pets for company versus being alone. I enjoyed reflecting on them to determine new strategies that keep me motivated and focused as well as the beautiful composition of the photos.

FSB 16.10.09

2009-10-14T17:55:00.000-04:00

I am consistently flabbergasted when people whine that there is nothing going on in Ottawa. I am at the opposite end: I feel overwhelmed by the quantity and quality of the independent programming in Ottawa that I find it hard to keep up. These next two weekends are no exception.

Here is the run-down for this week's show, if that's any indication that you need to plan and prioritize in order to take full advantage of Ottawa's arts scene(s).

At 7:30 we will hear from Club SAW about their upcoming Masquerade fundraiser for their JumpSTART mentorship program taking place next Friday, October 23.

Rusty Priske of the Capital Poetry Collective joins us at 7:45 to chat about Capital Slam's 5th Anniversary Party and Slam, taking place at 7:15 on Saturday, October 17 at Mercury Lounge.

The second hour of the Friday Special Blend features DJ Lowpass, a local DJ I recently discovered and whose mixes I thoroughly enjoy. He will be showing us some of his latest creations and chatting about the process from 8:15-9:00 a.m.

Looking forward to Friday's show! Hope you can join us!

Don't forget: Funding Drive launches next Friday. Support your local independent radio station by pre-pledging. Check out www.ckcufm.com for details.

Playlist FSB 9.10.09

2009-10-09T13:50:00.001-04:00

1.) Agnostic Mountain Gospel Choir - 10000 Dollars- Go back home- The Boig
2.) Interview Lori Lansens, Author, The Wife's Tale
3.) Joanna Chapman Smith -Contraries- Urbanity

4.) Interview: Dr. Jill Taylor and Liza Garneau

5.) Malajube - Labyrinthes- There are maybe ten or twelve

6.) BBC News, Barb GrayArts Report

7.) Interview: Cameron Anstee & Ben Ladouceur, Apartment 9 Press

8.) Tom Savage Trio - The Country Line-Leaving in a Hurry, The Country Line

9.) Interview: Warren Arcan Performance Artist

10.) Tom Savage Trio - The Country Line- Old Rock N' Rollers

11.) Interview: Elaina Martin, Producer -- Cornucopia, Natural Disaster

Check out Cornucopia, Westboro Village's Free Fall Festival this Saturday, October 10 on Richmond Rd.

Don't forget: CKCU Funding Drive Launches on October 23 - Support your favourite morning show!

FSB 9.10.09

2009-10-08T14:06:00.000-04:00

What kind of coffee do you drink in the morning?

Tomorrow, my Friday Special Blend starts off with an interview with Lori Lansens about her recent book, The Wife's Tale.

At 7:30 we explore art in unconventional places and chat about public/private art with Dr. Jill Taylor and artist Liza Garneau.

Cameron Anstee and Ben Ladouceur join us after the arts report at 8:15 to spice up the world of independent publishers in Ottawa with their new press, Apt. 9 Press.

Westboro Village's Cornucopia and Natural Disaster performance artists rounds out our show.

Catch us live every Friday morning from 7-9 on CKCU 93.1 FM. GMT-5 or online at http://www.ckcufm.com/.

REMINDER: The Friday Special Blend needs YOU - CKCU Funding Drive launches on October 23 - pledge YOUR support for your favourite independent station. Visit http://www.ckcufm.com/ to find out how.

FSB Playlist 2OCT09

2009-10-02T16:24:00.000-04:00

Luscious Jackson - let yourself get down
Capital Grass and the No Men - Straight Edge and Time is Money
Misteur Valaire - Et si c'était un veau

Interview with Capital Grass and the No Men (@Cajun Attic 3OCT)

Capital Grass and the No Men - Last Burning Candle
Danielle Grégoire - Hope

Interview with Danielle Grégoire

Arts Report by Barb Gray

Interview with Jesse Stewart and Natasha Royka , events @ Remic Rapids 3 OCT
Jam Nation: Way Down - First Time
Ego Trip's the Big - Holy War, Divine Force
Danielle Gregoire - Soundtrack, Bryan Adams (CD Release party 3OCT @ Mercury Lounge 7pm

Interview with Lainie Towell about Never Trust a Wolf in Groom's Clothing
Richard Underhill - Meet me in the Market

Have a great weekend, see you next Friday!

FSB - 2.10.09

2009-09-30T21:01:00.000-04:00

We have a full show lined up for you this week and I am so excited about it!

Capital Grass and the No Men kick off our show at 7:15. Wayne and Matt will be in to talk about their upcoming show at the Cajun Attic (349 Dalhousie/$5) on Saturday, October 3.

At 7:45 I am delighted to introduce you to Danielle Grégoire, a slam poetry artist who is releasing her first CD this weekend at Capital Slam at the Mercury Lounge - where she started! - on October 3 at 7 pm. In addition to her many credits, she is part of the Capital Poetry Collective, a teacher and musician. She will perform pieces from her album titled Optimism is a Constant Struggle.

Improvisational percussionist /music professor Jesse Stewart and dancer-choreographer Natasha Royka of PhOOM! will join us at 8:15 to chat about their upcoming outdoor performance on October 3 at the Remic Rapids on the Ottawa River. Jesse has composed a piece called Music for Stones and Water (see my previous blog post) and Natasha and PhOOM! will peform Nyx's Dance of Light. PhOOM! is one of the few professional contemporary dance companies performing outdoors in Ottawa. Come and check them out if you haven't had a chance to see them yet. The event is free with donations encouraged to support sculptor John Ceprano.

We close out the show with a post-mortem with Lainie Towell, dancer and recently jilted bride turned performance artist to find out how her latest work, "Never trust a wolf in groom's clothing", which includes chasing a limousine in her wedding gown from the Ottawa International Airport to Parliament Hill, was received.

The Friday Special Blend (FSB) airs weekly on Fridays from 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. Catch us on-air at 93.1 FM or http://www.ckcufm.com/ (GMT-5).

Stay tuned!

Read it Twice, it's Real

2009-09-28T15:56:00.000-04:00

I have just been cast as Jen, the lead, in Sock 'N Buskin Theatre Company's production of Read it Twice, It's Real, a play about a woman who, failing at love, attempts to date the perfect woman. It's a compelling play about relationships, mistakes and human frailty. I had the privilege of workshopping it in Kingston in 2007. It's great to see it being produced. Read it Twice it's Real is written by Jim Davies and will be directed by Emma Brooks. The show opens November 4, 2009. Details to follow.

Music for Stones and Water

2009-09-28T13:43:00.000-04:00

Two of my favourite performers will be at the Remic Rapids on the Ottawa River on Saturday, October 3, 2009 at 3:00. Jesse Stewart, accomplished improvisational percussionist and music professor will be performing adjacent to PhOOM!, an avant garde contemporary dance company headed up by Natasha Royka of Dance/Space 637. Rain date is October 4. The event is free, with donations encouraged to support the work of artist John Ceprano. All three artists are extremely innovative: I had the privilege of interviewing Jesse as he prepared to launch his balloon orchestra at the Folk Festival this past summer, for example.

I am looking forward to hosting Jesse and Natasha on the Friday Special Blend this coming week at 8:15 a.m. to talk about their upcoming show. You can catch us at 93.1FM or at www.ckcufm.com. We stream live.

Welcome to my blog!

2009-09-28T12:50:00.000-04:00

I recently joined the blogosphere and I look forward to passing on information about cool things I see and do.

Positions! Lights! Curtain!