Stereos Interview: Jessica

For some of you, "Stereos" is that musical, power pop group you saw on Much Music's edgy show "disband".  For others, the catchy sing along melody of "Summer Girl" has invaded your speakers throughout the last couple of weeks, and you can't seem to that tune out of your head! For a lot of people, the bands rise to stardom came out of no where. One minute they were on Much, and the next well...they were invited back to the ever so popular MOD. With a few powerful shows coming up in the future, including performing with Katy Perry on July 26th, this band has everything it takes to not only be the the hit of the summer, but yet another Canadian band pumping out some light hearted, party going music. I got the chance to interview the lead singer Pat K, here is what he had to say:

Acid City:  How long ago did you guys start playing together? Was it the same band members as now?

The band started out 3 years ago with Dan, Robb and me figuring out exactly what we wanted to do in terms of musical direction and then it was just writing songs for about a year until we got members. We've had quite a few members under different band names til Miles joined about a year and a half ago and we had a pretty steady lineup with some fill-in drummers.

Acid City:How did you choose the name Stereos?

Stereos basically came up as an idea during our 3 day drive from Edmonton to Toronto. We were brainstorming names and listening to tons of music. We wanted a name that was simple but still showed how diverse our sound was and the word stereo was used in a lot of Rancid songs and one of the first groups Ice Cube was in was called Stereo Crew so it ended up being a good fit.

Acid City:What was your first thought/ reaction when you found out you made it to made disband?

We were so excited, probably one of our most exciting moments. As a band that had been working so hard to get noticed we realized that the opportunity to get ourselves on TV was huge.

Acid City:How has your musical careers changed since the airing of that show?

It's pretty much a complete 180. We're now able to focus on our band 100% without going to our old day jobs that we hated. We're getting so many extremely supportive fans and it feels amazing.

Acid City: What emotion do you guys wish most to evoke from your fans when they hear your music?

We really just want people to have a good time. Our music is what we would want to hear ourselves, and the stuff we listen to is generally all about good times.

Acid City: Has the success of Summer Girl come as a shock?

Yes and no. It's surreal to see something I created in my basement on a laptop get so much appreciation and I still can't believe it's happening. On the other hand I always believed in our music and thought it deserved to be heard by as many people as possible.

Acid City:What can everyone expect from you guys in the near future?

We want to continue working as hard as possible on this band. Whether it's playing shows, or writing and recording our album (all of which we'll be doing) we want to be doing as much of it as possible.


Think Quick:

1) Favourite artist/band at the moment: The-Dream
2) Favourite hang out spot: Our front porch
3) Best venue to play a show: So far, the Sound Academy in Toronto
4) Best venue to watch a show: The Rev in Edmonton
5) Most inspiring/successful show so far: Kelowna show on our first tour in 07. It was the first time kids loved us and it felt amazing.
6) Biggest fear: Spiders
7) 3 most important things right now are: Each other, Fans, Music
8) Stereos are: Takin' over!

Luminato Disco Night Movie Clips: Jessica

Luminato Festival 09!

Carmen the Ballet: Jessica

The new Ballet Carmen, which debuted at this years Luminato festival, is an extremely controversial story. Escamillo, played by Kevin D. Bowles, is a bull at some points of the ballet. The show itself is very sex forward, filled with public displays of affection, as well as extreme costume and make up use to inhance the performance. To play the role of Escamillo can be quite challenging, due to the fact that the bull must be tough and powerful, and at the same time graceful and weightless. The choreography itself is hard to grasp, but Kevin pulled it off.I got the chance to interview Kevin and what his thoughts and feelings were towards the ballet. Here is what he had to say:


1) When did you first start dancing?


I started ‘late’. My first ballet class was at the age of 14! I had a lot of music training before that, piano and oboe, but no dance until I was 'duped' into the high school musical in the ninth grade. I started in tap and moved into jazz then -- to better my technique-- I took a ballet class.

2) Describe your favourite moment on stage?

Creation, for me, has always been far more rewarding than interpreting what has already been done. I think that doing a role that is 'ready-made' and reinterpreting it is more difficult and highly rewarding, but my most recent favourite moment on stage would have to be dancing Beaujolais from James Kudelka's An Italian Straw Hat.

3) Which ballet was your favourite to dance and why?

My "favourite" ballet is one that most people have never seen: Colin Connor's Streets and Legends. Genius! I wish you would publish this in the hope that someone would look him up! On a more familiar note I would have to say The Green Table by Kurt Joss. In Canada, I would have to say Swan Lake by James Kudelka. It is untouchable.

4) What ballet pose, move or exercise is your favourite and why?

Ballet is a form of communication. Instead of one pose or movement in particular, it is the whole system that makes it beautiful. The nuances and playfulness of the system are what defines it. What I say, or dance, is not in any singular 'step' or 'movement' but is a product of the whole.

5) How do you like the National Ballet?

The National Ballet of Canada is among the best in the world. That is a bold statement! We are respected, admired and coveted by ballet dancers around the world. Most artistic companies dream of attracting the kind of calibre we turn away. We are the best but we don't apologize; we just offer better and longer! We are the standard the the rest of the world is struggling to achieve.

6) Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

No question! I can't imagine my life without The National Ballet of Canada.

7) What advice do you have for aspiring dancers?

I will quote one of my former teachers: "le veux peut tout", which means whatever you want, whatever you dream, can happen and will happen, everything is possible!



8) How did you find the experience transforming yourself into the character for Carmen?
A lot of fun! The costume for Escamillo includes body paint from the waist up. I've never had to put on that much make-up! It took about 45 minutes to get into the costume the one time we tried it -- we will probably be faster the next time but it will be quite an experience every time!


9) Did you try to do anything specific to make your own twist on the character?

The choreographer for Carmen did not make a literal interpretation of the opera. Escamillo is only seen at the end of the ballet and is kind of metaphorical. (It was suggested during a rehearsal that the entire scene might even be a figment of another character's imagination!)



Escamillo is not the bull fighter from the opera but rather ‘an embodiment of the masculine’. The result is that the three of us dancing the role of Escamillo are each totally different. We all do the same steps but watching my co-workers dance the role is almost like seeing them dance a different part!



10) How do you make your character connect with the rest of the characters as well as the audience?

Escamillo is different from all the other characters in the ballet because he is almost fictitious. Whereas the other characters are supposed to be real people doing real things, Escamillo sort of explodes onto the stage in a very surreal scene. There is a lot of humour involved but the scene is ultimately disquieting. The connection to other characters is therefore not the point of Escamillo, he is rather a force that happens and then leaves.



Not unlike an act of nature like a hurricane or an earthquake, the result of his passing is more important than what was actually happening during the event. Connecting with the audience, on the other hand, I don't think will be a problem because the role is so over the top you can't help but have fun with us while we tear up the stage!

**Note** Our own ballerina/ writer Cristina got the opportunity to watch the play this past Sunday, her opinion and review will be up soon

Kensington Prairie Interview: Jessica

"We will destroy you with our soft melodies" is the bands catch phrase on Myspace, and they definitely live up to that. As soon as I started listneing to their music my jaw dropped and I instantaneously wanted to be somewhere with long grass and a warm sun above me. It's the kind of music to wind down to, pense over, read with, or any other relaxing activity for that matter. Their simple messages make the listening experience all that better, with a clear vision of what the song is trying to potray. The atmosphere and emotion they create is something quite special, and makes me realize what talent we have stored away in Canada. Here is the interview I had with Rebecca, enjoy!

1) How long have you all been together and how did you come up with the name?

Kensington Prairie has been together for two years, but KP has been going on in different forms (as Maplewood Lane) since around 1998. I (rebecca) came up with the name while driving the back country roads in Langley, BC....I drove past an old boarded up school called "kensington prairie" and I just knew it was perfect!

2) How did you decide on the genre of music you wanted to create?

I've always written "folk" style songs...even before I knew what folk music was...so, I really just wanted to make an album that felt honest and natural, with organic instruments. In our previous version of the band, as Maplewood Lane, we would take my folk songs and morph them into something a little more brit-pop...so, it was fun to try and strip the songs down again.

3) Your source of inspiration seems to be somewhat organic, what inspires the music you create?\

I am definitely inspired a lot by nature. On the west coast I was fortunate to spend hours by the mountains and oceans, and in my childhood, growing up in Africa and India, I spent a lot of time travelling and in the outdoors. I think years of road-trips, and staring out windows as the scenery flies by, evokes a lot of thinking and reflecting on life.

4) Most musicians get influenced by the places they live in. I understand that you have travelled quite a lot, did all that moving around help your musical creativeness?

Yes! In my songs, there are a lot of themes of change, moving, travelling, saying goodbye, distance, longing...and I think those are themes we can all relate to in our lives. I think, too, that the experience of isolation that one goes through when living in a foreign country spurred me to throw myself into fervently writing songs, learning guitar and spending countless hours recording those early songs on cassette tapes...channelling my experiences and thoughts into music.

5) What has been your most moving live performance so far?

I have sung at my Grandma's funeral and at both of my husbands' grandma's funerals...and I found both of those experiences very moving...it was an honour.

6) What do you want people to feel when they listen to your music? I

guess I want people to feel that longing that is in all of us for beauty...and for hope.

7) Is there any specific instrument you feel most connected to?

I would have to say slide guitar/lap-steel etc....there's something about that high lonesome sound that captures so much feeling and emotion.

8) What are your favourite things to do on your spare time besides music?

I love to spend time with our two little girls, and I like to read good english literature.

9) What is your ultimate goal as musicians?

I would like to create thoughtful art that strikes a chord with people and celebrates the wonder of the joys and sorrows of life.

10) If you could tell the world what Kensington Prairie is in one sentence, what would that be?

nathan likes to say: "we will destroy you with our gentle melodies"


Think Quick:
1) Best day of the week: Monday
2) Favourite TV Show: Seinfeld
3) Summer or Winter?: Winter
4) Favourite flower:Dahlia
5) Favourite author/book:T.S.Elliot/ Letters from the Wasteland
6) Current most played artist or song: Dennison Witmer
7) Current favourite hang out spot: the Dutch Mill, Waterdown On
8) Favourite venue to perform in: Red Rooster, Burlington On (good sound)
9) Art is: transcendent
10: Kensington Prairie is: your new friend

Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/kensingtonprairie