Blue Rodeo - 25th Anniversary Tour

The twenty fifth anniversary of the release of Outskirts brought Blue Rodeo to a sold out Oshawa crowd at the General Motors Centre.  It was an evening of retrospection and a double set musing over three centuries of music 

The first big roar of the night was to the opening beat of What Am I Doing Here?  There was a great chuckle in the audience as Greg Keelor remarked that the song was written about one of the worst gigs that the band ever played.  He recalled that they “were the headline act of what seemed like the battle of High School bands.”

Although this was a sold out performance there were many empty seats.  Only after a few songs did the audience fill out.  Jim Cuddy welcomed the crowd.  “It’s Saturday night inOshawa.  I see they serve beer here.  So beer was more important than the first couple songs?  It’s alright.”

This anniversary tour is very simple.  Having walked the whole venue, there was no sign of any merchandise for sale.  This truly was a night of music and retrospection.  Blue Rodeo came to entertain their fans and thank them for twenty five years of memories and support.

As a band they have grown over the years.  On this particular evening they were a septet:  drums, piano/organ, steel guitar, lead guitar, bass, and two lyrical and melodic lead singers.  This is oversimplifying things, but as a whole Blue Rodeo played with great chemistry, energy, and exuded great joy.

The stage was beautifully lit.  The design was simple and colourful, giving just enough warmth to the industrial cold steel and concrete that we were surrounded by.  I am sure that the intoxicating herb waffling from in front of me did its part to properly warm the hearts and minds of the happy Oshawa crowd.

At the end of the first set which was followed what must have been a celebratory twenty minute intermission, the band decided to surprise Colin Cripps (lead guitarist) with a birthday cake.  He blew out the candles and was serenaded by the crowd with a warm Happy Birthday.

The second set was a quiet affair.  The band unplugged their instruments to treat the crowd to an acoustic set.  They sat together at the front of the stage and performed some new songs from their forthcoming album this fall.  The new songs were well received by the audience. 

There were two highlights of the acoustic set.  The first was the song One Light Left in Heaven.  It was simple, melodic, and tearful.  Jim Cuddy’s voice pierced and boomed throughout the venue.  The second highlight was the acoustic rendition by Greg Keelor of Dark Angel.  It provided a perfect balance and showed why Blue Rodeo continues to echo our Canadian consciousness.

The band ended their acoustic set and led the crowed with some favourites and sing-a-longs.  They were joined on stage by Wayne Petti from Cuff the Duke.  After the first song, Jim Cuddy humorously asked for some distance between Wayne and Greg, as they were becoming a distraction through their closeness.

There was a great Oshawa Choir in the sold out arena, but it took a few encouraging words from Greg Keelor to get there.  He told the audience that they needed to “make their head ring like a bell, and make their genital sing.” 

Lost Together was the closing number in the first encore and it left everyone satisfied and happy.  I am sure the beer and organic air had something to do with it as well, but all credit must be given to Blue Rodeo.  The second encore was an acoustic performance by Jim Cuddy and Greg Keelor.  It showed their great friendship and partnership.  It hinted of things to come.

Leonard Cohen on Tour (in Kingston)

The crowd sat quietly awaiting their muse. I realized early that this was not the typical beer and weed crowd I am so accustomed to running into as a live performance photographer. An announcer gently proclaimed to the faithful that the “show would commence in ten minutes”, and he gently repeated his message with five minutes left to go. There were no big burly bouncers at the front of the stage, and there was no roadies busying themselves with final touch ups. The setting was brightly lit and quiet, awaiting and longing, for darkness and sound.

The crowd finally cheered and enthusiastically welcomed their hero to the stage. Leonard Cohen, dressed in a sharp black suit and a Stetson hat took the microphone and Danced the audience to the End of Love. He often sang with his eyes closed, sharing the same emotions he must have felt so long ago, reconnecting with his adoring fans. Near the end of the opening song he knelt next to Javier Mas, serenading his guitar.

Unlike other shows, one song is all we were granted to shoot as photographers, but somehow that was enough. I often feel that I am often intruding on an intimate moment between two lovers; the artist, and his beloved.

The show was very formal and theatrical. Leonard Cohen was extremely grateful to be on tour, and continued to thank each one of his accomplished musicians several times throughout the evening. He took his hat off to every single member of his great international ensemble.

One of the biggest reactions early on in the show was to the hit Everybody Knows. Leonard Cohen’s voice continues to be hauntingly deep and rich. It is amazing how closely he reproduces his recordings in a live setting. He sang about what is wrong with the world with great precision and emotion. It is also here that the audience had a chance to be treated to a beautiful twelve string solo by Spanish guitarist Javier Mas. He was magnificent and deserved a night of his own.

Leonard Cohen had a wonderfully honest conversation with the crowd throughout the show. He apologized for forcing everyone to listen to his melancholy thoughts. “I wake up every morning and I look in the mirror and I say to myself. Lighten up Leonard. Life is not that bad”, he told the audience.

The most moving moment of the night came when he recited his poem For Those Who Greeted Me. It is the inspiration and served as the introduction for a Thousand Kisses Deep. I reproduce it here in full because it is filled with great depth and moving imagery. To be completely candid, I arrived as a photographer and reviewer, but I left different. I left with tremendous respect and admiration for our Canadian icon. It saddens me that I haven’t been exposed to his great work earlier.

For Those Who Greeted Me

You came to me this morning
And you handled me like meat.
You´d have to live alone to know
How good that feels, how sweet.
My mirror twin, my next of kin,
I´d know you in my sleep.
And who but you would take me in
A thousand kisses deep?

I loved you when you opened
Like a lily to the heat.
I´m just another snowman
Standing in the rain and sleet,
Who loved you with his frozen love
His second-hand physique -
With all he is, and all he was
A thousand kisses deep.

All soaked in sex, and pressed against
The limits of the sea:
I saw there were no oceans left
For scavengers like me.
We made it to the forward deck
I blessed our remnant fleet -
And then consented to be wrecked
A thousand kisses deep.

I know you had to lie to me,
I know you had to cheat.
But the Means no longer guarantee
The Virtue in Deceit.
That truth is bent, that beauty spent,
That style is obsolete -
Ever since the Holy Spirit went
A thousand kisses deep.

(So what about this Inner Light
That´s boundless and unique?
I´m slouching through another night
A thousand kisses deep.)

I´m turning tricks; I´m getting fixed,
I´m back on Boogie Street.
I tried to quit the business -
Hey, I´m lazy and I´m weak.
But sometimes when the night is slow,
The wretched and the meek,
We gather up our hearts and go
A thousand kisses deep.

(And fragrant is the thought of you,
The file on you complete -
Except what we forgot to do
A thousand kisses deep.)

The ponies run, the girls are young,
The odds are there to beat.
You win a while, and then it´s done -
Your little winning streak.
And summoned now to deal
With your invincible defeat,
You live your life as if it´s real
A thousand kisses deep.

(I jammed with Diz and Dante -
I did not have their sweep -
But once or twice, they let me play
A thousand kisses deep.)

And I´m still working with the wine,
Still dancing cheek to cheek.
The band is playing "Auld Lang Syne" -
The heart will not retreat.
And maybe I had miles to drive,
And promises to keep -
You ditch it all to stay alive
A thousand kisses deep.

And now you are the Angel Death
And now the Paraclete;
And now you are the Savior's Breath
And now the Belsen heap.
No turning from the threat of love,
No transcendental leap -
As witnessed here in time and blood
A thousand kisses deep.

The poem is very reminiscent of Dylan Thomas’ villanelle Do not go gentle into that Good Night, and Robert Frost’s Stopping in the woods on a Snowy Evening. The melancholy images did not win the evening and all was not lost. Leonard Cohen offered a touching moment of hope when he exclaimed that “there is a crack in everything, but that’s how the light gets in”.

After a brief twenty minute break, Leonard Cohen returned to the stage. It was a well deserved break as he went on to play, past curfew, for over three and a half hours. Upon his return, the audience was asked where oh where they had learned their sense of compassion, and were told that the rich have their channels in the bedrooms of the poor. This is quite the image to ponder in the quiet corners of our hearts.

I’m Your Man drew a great reaction and a few laughs, and Halleluja brought everyone to their feet. Everyone embraced the star of the evening in a standing ovation and no one wanted to leave. Eventually though, it was time to go, but I believe everyone took a little bit of Leonard Cohen home with them.

Theory of a Deadman and Big Wreck rock GMC

Big Wreck and Theory of a Deadman played the General Motors Centre in Oshawa, on Friday, November 30th.  The arena was not filled to capacity, which is disappointing, as these are two phenomenal Canadian acts. Their songs are very melodious and infectious.  These are our musicians, and it was wonderful to see them on the same bill.

This was not a Bieberesque song and dance.  There were no gimmicks.  There was no pyrotechnics.  There was not even a smoke machine in the venue.  There was no elaborate stage set up, just the simplicity of colour in lights.  Each band hung their own banner and performed on a wide open stage.  The rest was just music.

I didn't have a chance to obtain a reviewer pass, so these are just some of my impressions from the pit.  The lighting was simply beautiful, and the leading men fun and expressive.

Creating Theatrical Posters

By Ratul Debnath


Posters are a great tool for promotion and if you still believe in the power of print, you know how far a good poster can go, to reach your audience. Posters are not limited to print though. Blogs, social networks, mailing lists can all extend the reach of your visual communication.

We recently shot a campaign for promoting Humbug: a theatrical fashion performance presented by Pie Media Group, in support of the Sick Kids Hospital. Director and producer of the show, Sandra Roberts styled the shoot to carry the same vintage vibe that the book and movie "A Christmas Carol" (a Charles Dickinson brain child) was based on. The script of the event is based on it, thus, the root of inspiration. 

For those of you who haven't read the book, Scrooge is an old, rich, heartless businessman who hates Christmas and gets intervened by three ghosts on Christmas eve to resurrect his soul and revive his sense for humanity. Main characters for this shoot being Scrooge, both in his early years and when he gets old, the three ghosts and Scrooge's nephew. 

As with any good production, you need a strong team as a backbone. A team of exceptional talent got together to make this happen. Stylist Sandra Roberts, hair stylist Karli Rockbrune, makeup artists Melissa Hall, Jenni Lin Baldwick and Julia MacNeil and photographer, yours truly, started with a very clear unified vision of the end product and the models stepped right into character from the get-go.

The nephew, a role played by Glenn Coulson, is a modern day, successful businessman and philanthropist. Rich but kind; proud, but down to earth. Since his character is based entirely on present times, his styling was designed to emulate that.

This is a portrait of Scrooge in his early years, with his first, but lost love, roles played by Micheal and Lindsey. The styling and makeup takes you back in time, around the forties with the big bow tie, round framed spectacles, laced umbrella and thin distinct eyebrows. But her Wildfox sweater and Hunter boots definitely portray the multitude of layers of this show.

The three ghosts of Christmas (from left to right): Kirsten (ghost of Christmas past), Tiny Guy (ghost of Christmas present) and Michellyn (ghost of Christmas future).Dark makeup and neutral expressions really added to the ghostly feel of this shot.

Finally, the character the script revolves around: old misanthropist Scrooge. Played by Frank Ferragine, who had his hair sprayed white and heavy makeup to portray a man in his late sixties. I still haven't asked him how his kids reacted to his look when he picked them up from school Halloween day with his makeup still on, right after the shoot. Frank came up with the brilliant idea of incorporating new Canadian bills to make clear that the story is set in the present, although the miser that he is, he hasn't bought anything new over the years. I used a wide angle lens to make his head seem bigger and almost give it a cartoon look with expressions seeming more animated.


One of the final products (image below) that went to print for the Mady Centre windows was designed by Ainsley from Orange Sky Creatives, fusing modern typography with the vintage inspired pictures. A clear example of great talents from various arts, successfully collaborating to create one vision. Come to the show to witness this team live, in flesh, and in full throttle. 
Ticket and show info available at http://piemagazine.ca/news.html.

ulookslim - Life Is Beautiful

ulookslim

 

We here at Pie recently partook in some of the services offered by Cheryl @ulookslim. The magic happened in beautiful downtown Barrie at the BliSS Barn, 119 Dunlop St East, Barrie, ON.
Optimizing well-being, body transformation, connecting with your inner self, and crafting real change by setting realistic goals. These are the words that drive Cheryl's passion and success.

"The desire to live healthier, perform better and show up for life is within all of us. I believe this journey can be fun, exciting and effortless."
 
Here is a brief rundown of the wide array of services offered by ulookslim:

Wave Rides
This specialized computer system can "work-out" your muscles and give you greater tone & shape. Electro-muscle stimulation is just like a physical workout and builds real muscle; target your trouble spot & poof! effortlessly transformation.

Quantum Scalar Wave Laser
Healing light & rejuvenation therapy. Deletes traumatic cellular memory allowing the body to unwind and relax, therefore healing itself.

Nutritional Management Program
Eating & understanding what your eating. Way more than a diet program, its a full on made-for-u lifestyleenhancement program created by their very own nutritionist.

Integrated Body Work 
Open up to healing with a 1 or 2 hr session that integrates massage, reflexology, reiki, aromatherapy, guided imagery, and laser therapy.

Juicing Programs
Refreshing, natural and easy. Juicing offers you vibrant health through highly absorbable natural nutrients.

Universal Contour Wrap
Quick and often dramatic inch loss through a detoxification wrapping process. Lose up to 6 inches in 2 1/2 hrs!!

With so many choices it was hard for us to decide but in the end we went with the Integrated Body Work and a Juicing Program. There are millions of words we could use to describe our experience, but if asked to choose some they would be amazing, life altering and empowering!


"We offer a new way of viewing your body & weight concerns by providing relaxing, uplifting, and time sensitive body enhancing treatments with proven results. Our goal is to help you fall in love with yourself by guiding you into deeper awareness to achieving optimum health." - Cheryl Lago

To sign up for the ulookslim Newsletter click here.

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Written by Kirsten Garbutt

BLiSS Grand Opening

BLiSS Grand Opening

Photography by Stan Schurman

Photography by Stan Schurman

Saturday October 13th 2012 marked the grand opening of North America's largest Yoga Studio, BLiSS.

Visionary Ann Green has created the 8000 sq ft, five studio BLiSS Barn located at 119 Dunlop St East, Barrie, ON.

We here at PIE were invited to attend the grand opening and had a chance to sit back and indulge in the atmosphere created by the brand new BliSS Studio. Boasting floor to ceiling windows, warm reclaimed wooden barn door and a spectacular view of Kempenfelt Bay. Much attention was given to sustainable, reclaimed, energy efficient, and local production of the new Blissful home.Ann's hope is the venue will further bring the community together and teach people how to become active in a positive way. Ann's father described her as "a very determined, strong willed woman who since grade school has dedicated her life to being active in both sports and community" and after speaking with Ann for only a few moments we here at PIE completely agree!

Ann's partner in making it all come to life Wendy, spoke with us about how BLiSS Yoga Barn is "The first of its kind" truly making it a trail blazer in the Yoga frontier!

For a limited time BLiSS is offering 30 days of Yoga for 30$ and at that price who could say no! There are classes ranging from beginner to expert in Yoga, Hot Lava Yoga, Spin, and Karma Classes to name but a few with the newest class being Suspension Yoga. To find out more information on all the programs available, times and schedules please visit Ann Green Yoga.

I for one will be signing up for the Discover Yoga class to learn more about this enlightening way of life.

Photography by Stan Schurman

Photography by Stan Schurman

Photography by Stan Schurman

There is also an amazing Boutique at BLiSS which is filled with current clothing lines from:

Luluemon Athletica

Manduka

Karma

Tiny Devotions

One Tooth Activewear

The BLiSS boutique is open to class participants before and after class, to members and pass holders by personal appointment and to the public daily from 9 to noon.

 

"We are connected. We are interwoven. Let us rise to the ripple effect of positivity. Shine your light and grow community connection in love and deep soulful happiness. Dig your lil light!" - Ann Green

Photography by Stan Schurman

Written by Kirsten Garbutt

Neil Young @ K Rock in Kingston

The 2012 Alchemy tour swept through the K Rock Centre with a loud, meaningful revival.  Neil Young and Crazy Horse stood at attention during the rising of the Canadian flag and the singing of our National Anthem.  This was surprising and an unusual gesture, but one that evoked a great sense of homecoming.  After all, he was born in Ontario.

At the core of the show was an impressive theatrical performance.  The tremendous talent and energy of Mr. Young and Crazy Horse, was at times rivaled with the Elvis style microphone which stood as a statue, anchoring the performance.  As the lights dimmed, A Day In the Life, by the Beatles, filled the arena.  While the Beatles serenaded the crowd, men in white lab coats entered and began to assemble what would become a vintage musical arena.  Speakers descended from the sky, and the Alchemists worked tirelessly to prepare the stage.  Shortly before the band made an appearance, a gigantic microphone was lowered and took center stage.  It filled the space with mesmerizing psychedelic lights; a perfect entrance for the godfather of grunge.

It was easy to see that Neil Young and his friends, Crazy Horse, love to perform.  It comes so seamlessly and so easily.  Their incredible chemistry helped them to put on an energetic show, demonstrating their seasoned musicianship. 

Some of the younger fans might not have fully appreciated this genuine and heartfelt performance, filled with spontaneous musical interludes, and long guitar solos.  Those who love live music and embrace being taken on a musical journey of the moment were treated to an unbelievable spectacle.  I am always puzzled by disgruntle fans who spend their time and money and demand the artist to be an automaton, leafing through the best songs from their vast catalogue.  True, their best songs deserve to be played, but a live performance should also elevate beyond the recording.  It is a chance for the artist to speak and continue the musical experience even years after it had began. 

The evening was beautifully summarized by two drunk friends sitting behind me. 

“What a great show.  This was just a bunch of old buddies having a great time”. 

Truly, there is no need to say anything else.