People

Fairlith Harvey: “Geeks After Dark” and the New Vancouver Night Life

Steve Ferguson — Fri, 15 Jun 2012 07:00:20 +0000

- Vancouver, British Columbia - I took the train downtown dressed as the Riddler. People were doing their best not to stare at the green suit, purple tie, and cheap bowler hat with a question mark. I walk down Granville Street amongst the crowds feeling a little out of place, even though Vancouver is a host to many people from many walks of life. I should feel like I’m perfectly blended in with this eclectic crowd on this Friday evening.

It’s not until I get within sight of the Cellar nightclub on Smithe that I see a line up of others dressed in a multitude of costumes. I breathe a sigh of relief, and then feel a little ashamed that these hundreds of people in costumes better (and some far more revealing) than mine have no issue letting their inner geek out.

Dave Thompson: Wormwood, the Film Community, and Acting

Joel Bain — Fri, 29 Jul 2011 07:01:02 +0000

- Toronto, Ontario - Many musicians have made the jump from music to film, challenging their creative skills in the thespian art. Sometimes it translates poorly, while for others, it comes naturally, as their experience in the performance of music on the stage and in music videos lends greatly to an ability to act out scenes without musical accompaniment or lyrics. However, to make the jump from being a musical producer to a film director represents a rather unique challenge, and it is one that Dave Thompson is taking on himself.

I had the chance to talk to him about his newest film project, Wormwood, and many of the challenges that he has faced in the process, in addition to learning a bit about his journey through music towards film. When one talks with him, it is not hard to get the sense that Thompson is highly motivated, seeking out this new creative passion of his without compromise. Dave Thompson is a music producer and mixer at Digital Underdog Productions in Toronto, Ontario, though Canada is not his original home. He was born and raised in Sydney, Australia to a family that could hardly be described as musical to say the least.

The Icarus Account: Honesty, Independent Music, and Navigating the Business

Joel Bain — Fri, 22 Jul 2011 07:00:53 +0000

- Fort Myers, Florida - Today, in the digital age of music, the average music connoisseur is flooded with a variety of bands, each pleading that their music be given a spin. I remember in the early days of MySpace when I would receive about five band friend requests a day before MySpace gave us the option of blocking band requests. Many of the bands sounded the same, but once in awhile a band came across with a unique sound or a unique voice. The Icarus Account is one such band, bringing a memorable acoustic, harmony-driven sound to a vastly over-saturated acoustic pop/rock scene.

The Icarus Account is comprised of twin brothers, Trey and Ty Turner, who hail from Fort Myers, Florida. Since their formation around 2007, the brothers have developed a loyal fan base, resulting in them postponing their academic pursuits in 2009 in favour of their musical ambitions, despite still being unsigned. I talked to them about some of the challenges of trying to make it in today's digital music age, as well as a bit about their music, and their backgrounds.

Monk Turner: Free Music, Creative Commons, and the Home Studio

Jacke Karashae — Fri, 08 Jul 2011 07:00:32 +0000

- San Francisco, California - The independent recording artist Monk Turner has earned a reputation as a leader in the free music movement and as the Galactic Defender of the Concept Album. His latest album, a joint project with Fascinoma titled Emergency Songs, has been downloaded thousands of times and has received dozens of positive reviews, including my own on Sour Grapes Winery. I had a chance to sit down with Turner over Skype and learn about the experiences that brought him to his current level of popularity and success as an independent artist as well as his involvement in the Creative Commons project and his views concerning music in today’s society.

Richard Mogg: Independent Filmmaking, Killer Easter Bunnies, and S.O.V.

Doug Ferguson — Fri, 29 Apr 2011 21:21:17 +0000

- Vancouver, British Columbia - I first met Richard Mogg while attending film school just over a year ago. The co-producer of my first short film had worked with him in the same film program two years earlier and brought a number of graduates on board to help out a rookie like me. During that shoot, there was some down time where we chatted about what he has been up to since he graduated. He told me of a feature film he had been working on and was planning to shoot in the Summer. Now his first feature is complete, so I took the opportunity to chat with him about the film and his plans for it.

Garland Chang: Acting, High School and Police Raids

Steve Ferguson — Fri, 14 Jan 2011 18:34:00 +0000

- Vancouver, British Columbia - Garland Chang has two sides. The first is the one you’ll meet at Burnaby South Secondary, walking down the halls, with his head down, silently filing from class to class. He finds this all tedious, and doesn’t mind mentioning it. The second is when he’s acting, whether on stage or in front of a camera. I saw Garland give a riveting performance as Deputy Governor Danforth in Burnaby South’s performance of The Crucible in 2010. I had certainly met him before through my brother (a fellow student), but when he swept on to stage with that flowing cloak and that dark scowl, I was taken aback. There was an underlying anger I had never seen before, and he spat his lines with stunning venom. And yet once the performance was over, the fire was gone; indeed, the character had possessed him.

Tylor Piffer of The Light Machines: The State of the Music Industry

Joel Bain — Thu, 30 Dec 2010 08:18:00 +0000

Tylor Piffer of The Light Machines on stage: Photo credit: Kim Akrigg- Vancouver, British Columbia - Tylor Piffer came to my attention in October 2010, when someone suggested I check out the tunes of his band, "The Light Machines," which is comprised of Tylor (vocals and guitar), Jeff Zipp (lead guitar), and Nick Beddow (bass). Usually when friends tell me to check out a new and up-and-coming band, I listen to their music and am largely disappointed. Very rarely do I hear anything new or unique, even from new upstart bands. Furthermore, the talent is still often in development, so my track record for enjoying new bands that friends try to tell me to check out has not been great. Then I heard The Light Machines and was quite impressed. Here was a band that actually seemed to have some presence, creativity, and a solid voice to lead it. I decided that Tylor Piffer would make an interesting interview to discuss the state of the music business, as the frontman for a band still trying to make it big. The music business has changed so much since music went digital and in many ways, we've seen positive changes, but there have also been some negative consequences. We discussed this in the interview, so I hope you'll enjoy!

Sara Saleem: Once Upon A Time In America

Joel Bain — Sat, 16 Oct 2010 01:37:03 +0000

- Boston, Massachusetts - I came to meet Sara Saleem about six months ago and we quickly got to know each other as good friends. She is presently a student at Framingham State University, where she is working towards her teacher's accreditation with an emphasis in Special Education and Development. As a Pakistani-American, she quickly came to mind when I was trying to think of who would make a great first interview for Sour Grapes Winery. Furthermore, as a rather Americanized young Muslim woman, I felt she would have some interesting insight into the life of a first-generation immigrant and also into the experience of American Muslims in light of the recent controversy regarding the Islamic Centre to be build near Ground Zero and the threatened Qu'ran burning in Florida. Enjoy!