Gregory and the Hawk

Gregory and the Hawk's soft melodic sounds brings forth a new meaning to the indie music scene. Meredith Godreau's interpretation through her acoustic-folk ballads show the softer side to music, as well as the indept meanings of her songs, captivating you with each listen.

Acid City: What inspired you to start writing your music?

not too sure, i really loved songs, particularly song form, i had a thing for it as a little kid. i would listen to stuff on the radio. i remember the day i figured out that if i kept singing the chorus - in time - over the verse that when the chorus hit again it would be perfectly synched. it was magic all then. i was totally into it

Acid City: What do you feel as you write?

time passing faster

Acid City: Was music apart of your life when you were younger?

yeah i took lessons on piano, then clarinet, then violin, the viola, then oboe... my family's musical too we would sing a lot

Acid City: Biggest ambition as an artist?

transcend business

Acid City: What is your favourite song to perform?

the ones that start crappy and end great so you wish they weren't over

Acid City: Do you find it strange when other people are covering your songs?

well, i've only seen one of my songs covered once and that was by my intoxicated friends. and it was the most natural thing that could have happened, being that i think they just did it cause i'd been cursing at them all night. no just kidding. or, sorry, jk *wink* hehe

Acid City: Do you wish to stray or go towards the "hollywood" lifestyle? Why?

oh man that is an intense question. i have a girlfriend who goes to a gym in hollywood. that is as close as i can get. it would be nice to be rich and lived a famed life in wild of northern canada, but i expect that will come from my many unexpected discoveries as a marine archaeologist not as a musician

Acid City: What were your best and worst experiences on stage?

there are times when i've had the desire to mosh. i didn't do it, but the desire made it great... no truly horrible experiences. it's music! it's amazing, it's never so bad

Acid City: If you werent writing music, what do you think you'd be doing?

probably playing somebody else's music

Acid City: Most played on your ipod at the moment?

broken ipod, but i've got this discman totally hooked up to my car... pj harvey and mice parade is all i've listened to lately

Acid City: Where do you go to unwind?

woods with a river

Acid City: Do you feel any pressure to look or act a certain way by being on the music scene?

besides the pressure a person puts on themselves, i don't think there's any need for feeling pressure by outside sources, i think if you feel bad pressure you should slowly back away, keeping your hands and arms inside the car.

Acid City: What message do you wish to convey to your listeners?

your power to chose is precious and that you'll get a second chance if you hang on. infact i was thinking about that genesis song this morning "when you've had too much of this life, well hang on..." that's a god one. but a lot of times, people take it too seriously. forget about life and whether or not you have to ability to hang on to your life or not. there is no ability. i think you just have to hang on. i guess why i write music is just a form of waiting until the having-to-hang-on subsides and you can move on to more fun things. mad respect to phil collins

Acid City: Which song means the most to you and why?

i couldn't say

Acid City: Where do you see your music in 10 years?

ten years from now i hope i have abandoned almost everything i prefer and have found new tastes and whatever i write reflects that, but you can never tell, more than i think about my own music, i think about what i wish for music that;s mass consumed i really hope that goes crazy. i have faith it will. i mean, people are insane... how could music not go crazy right?

Acid City: Cup half empty or half full?

whichever is more expensive

Acid City: Sunrise or sunset?

ok i don't know

Official Myspace: www.myspace.com/gregoryandthehawk

The Dark Knight

one word to describe this movie? epic.

it's been months since i, like many others, have been awaiting for this movie to come, and finally it has, along with all of it's amazing screenworks, non-stop action, as well as exploring the darker and emotional side of our human perspectives. i guess it was an excuse to let out our inner 'fanboys/fangirls' of the 1980's batman comic books (developed by bob kane and bill finger). however, the movie brought out so much more compared to the drawings and sketches imprinted in the mere books we all loved to read as a child. through the first five or six minutes of the movie, you'd already be gripping tightly upon your handrail, anticipating the rest of the heart-racing excitement there was to come. after the first few scenes of the movie, we get introduced to the villain of the movie; the joker, played by (the now deceased) heath ledger. ledger's acting capabilities and performance were shown to the extreme through this movie. his character was played out perfectly, and his portrayal of the crazed-psychopath clown was indeed flawless. the layers of his emotion were so deep, yet could be seen in his eyes, face and body, with every line he spoke. he truly WAS the joker. though, your sorrows would still sway out for him, knowing that he'd never have another performance, but alongside of that, his acting in this movie definitely screams oscar-material. there is no misunderstanding, that the highlight of this movie was heath ledger. hats off to you, heath! you would have gone very far in your career.

also some new additions to the batman cast were maggie gyllenhaal, who in my opinion played a much better rachel dawes than katie holmes compared to the first batman movie, and aaron eckhart, playing district attorney harvey dent. i think that harvey's progression into becoming 'two-face' was very well played, and christian bale (again) played batman out exceptionally well, so kudos to that.

movie blog says this, about aaron eckhart's performance in the dark knight: "I’d go so far as to say that he nearly does just as well as Ledger does as the Joker (it’s just that the Joker is a far more charismatic and extreme character and thus much more noticeable). The fact that Eckhart just blends into the story instead of standing on top of it is a testament to the job he did as an actor. So for the next couple of years we’ll all talk about how great Ledger was (and rightfully so), and we’ll talk about how Bale is the best Batman ever (and rightfully so), but let’s not forget the job done by Aaron Eckhart, who by his performance gave this great movie it’s very soul."---- and on this note, i very much agree with this. he did do an excellent job, and played an excellent character in tying this movie together.

however, some bits of the movie that bugged me were, first off batman's voice. i mean, christian bale did a great job on playing batman, but his deep and darker batman voice kind of ruined it for me. at some points it seemed like he had an appliance attached to his mouth to keep him from speaking clearly. bad deal. but otherwise, he delivered on point and precise.

this summer seems to be the hit for comic book based movies (the incredible hulk, hellboy II, and iron man.) with the dark knight proclaiming at number one. i can't say enough about this movie, but that it is a must see. i definitely see the way they are tying in the third movie into this one, and if it is anything like the two previous movies, this will be one of the best trilogies, period.

Official Movie Site: www.thedarkknight.warnerbros.com/

LIGHTS

If you saw LIGHTS walking down the street, the first thought that pops into your head is different. On the outside, her crazy, outgoing fashion sense gets you interested. Her style makes you feel happy, and her headbands are turning into her signature. She may be small, but shes bigger than her body gives her credit for. Her voice is beautiful, calming, and draws back every memory you have. Whether it be sad, motivating or happy. She creates songs with the thought of making others feel good. Her self titled CD called LIGHTS, has 6 tracks, each better than the last. You can pick up this CD at Best Buy and even HMV. I have one, i suggest you get your copy, its money and time well spent. Her song, February Air has been used for an Old Navy commercial campaign, and slowly but surely she's making her way up with a spark. Her kind personality, and passion for music, has enough to hold her in for the long run and create a music impact. Lights, is here to stay. Acid City: What inspired you to start writing music? LIGHTS: The day i realized my head would explode if i didn't. It's a build up of emotion, ideas, words and melodies that just needs to be released. You get addicted to that feeling--there is sort of a buzz that comes with wrapping up a good song. Acid City: What do you like best about performing? LIGHTS: Singing is just fun in general, but the pleasure is ten-fold when you hear other people singing your own words back to you. Acid City: What situations do you like writing about the most? LIGHTS: Intense moments, most of my songwriting feeds off of a moment of intense emotion. It's usually one that doesn't last the night, so you have to capture it while you can. Acid City: Can you tell us what the song Drive My Soul is about? LIGHTS: It was the title actually that came first, and in a bizarre way. I was listening to an indie station that I never listen to, and a song came on that I had never heard, and I could swear the words "drive my soul" were sung in the most beautiful way, and I thought to myself, "wow, that is a beautiful phrase, it's too bad I didn't think of that." When the song title was shown it something completely different, so I looked up the song and scoured the lyrics, and "drive my soul" was never even in it. A few weeks later I was writing with one of the guys I record with and that lyric flew back to me so I rolled with it. The song basically is about the premise that I'm not the one who motivates me, I'm not the one actually driving myself. So what if the one that was driving me wasn't around? I would definitely crash. I think we all come close to those moments. Acid City: What is your favourite song to perform and why? LIGHTS: It changes every single show I do. Some songs connect for that evening, and some songs don't, depending on my mood, the crowd, the atmosphere. A typical favorite is Last Thing on Your Mind though for me. It's easy to sing and flows so well. Acid City: Your fashion sense is definitely getting noticed, does any particular person inspire you to wear what you wear? LIGHTS: If Wonder Woman is considered a person and not some Amazonian Goddess spawn, then yes! My fashion icons are Wonder Woman, Barbarella, and the flower children of the 60's/70's! Acid City: How was your experience going on tour with big bands like Protest the Hero? LIGHTS: Concentrated learning, in every way! It was so much fun. Everyone was amazing and really took us in. Acid City: If you found out you were going on tour, what is the first thing youd have ordered? LIGHTS: Phil Collins mix tapes for our van. Acid City: Who is your dream band to share the stage with? LIGHTS: If I could have a dream, I'd go on tour with Abba! Acid City: Do you think Toronto has influenced your style of music? LIGHTS: Not really, I'm not influenced musically by my surroundings as much as I'm influenced by the stage of life I'm in at the time. Acid City: Has your music changed in any way since you started playing with a band? LIGHTS: I'm a little more aware of what parts need to be accentuated for live performances, but otherwise my music has been pretty consistent. Acid City: Favourite instrument to play? LIGHTS: Synth, synth, synth! Acid City: What was your reaction on having February Air featured as the song for the Old Navy campaign? LIGHTS: Initially I was a little skeptical, Old Navy wasn't really the look I was going for, but after I heard their plans for the campaign I really liked what they came up with. It was romantic and chic and very cool--something I was stoked to be part of. Acid City: Favourite Starbucks drink? LIGHTS: Awake tea with caramel flavor shot! Acid City: Polka dots or stripes? LIGHTS: If you connected three stripes to a polka dot all in one direction it might look a bit like a shooting star, and i'd wear that. Acid City: Best place to get a headband? LIGHTS: Shoelace rack Acid City: Most played band on your ipod? LIGHTS: TATU :D Acid City: What makes a great party? LIGHTS: Too many people crowded into a small room with stellar music and good air flow. Acid City: Favourite place to hang out? LIGHTS: My server in Warcraft... Acid City: What can we expect from LIGHTS in the future? LIGHTS: In the near future, I have a song on a Billie Holiday tribute album coming out, plus a cool vocal score I did for a neat, Canadian indie movie out this fall, plus lots of touring around North America. In the not-so-near-but-still-sort-of-near future I want to put out a graphic novel, maybe be in a sweet sci-fi flick, and find a mate for my pet spider Lance. Oh, and a full length album. Acid City: Why should the world listen to LIGHTS? LIGHTS: Because it's easy to do, and you might feel 12 again. Unless you are 12. Then you'll feel 11.

Official Myspace : www.myspace.com/lightsnoise

RIP SAINT LAURENT

"For a long time now, I have believed that fashion was not only supposed to make women beautiful, but to reassure them, to give them confidence, to allow them to come to terms with themselves."
- Yves Saint Laurent

The fashion world has recently lost a legend. Last Sunday Yves Saint Laurent died at the age of 71 in his home in Paris, after a long period of ill health. The king of fashion designers was born in 1936 and grew up in Oran, Algeria. He left for Paris at 17 where he showed his drawings to the director of French Vogue at the time Michel de Brunhoff. Brunhoff quickly published several of his designs. Following a stint at fashion school he worked for Christian Dior. When Dior died in 1957 he took over as art director, at the age of 21, and launched his first collection for the company, Ligne Trapeze, that year. The line was a huge success and won him a Neiman Marcus Oscar. Following some time in the National Service, in 1962 he created his own fashion house with Pierre Bergé. Bergé says that Coco Chanel "gave women freedom. Yves Saint Laurent gave them power." In 1966 he created his legendary smoking suit and in 1968 the jumpsuit. He designed for women, giving them clothing that would represent their freedom and elegance. By tying freedom and elegance into his pieces he managed to reflect the change of the role of women. His last ready-to-wear collection was in October 1998 for the Rive Gauche label that he created more than 30 years earlier, but he continued his couture lines. Briefly Alber Elbaz was designer but the position was taken over by Tom Ford in 1999, making the line a huge success, bigger then it was to begin with that is. At Laurent’s last show in 2002 he took his final bow while his long-time muse, Catherine Deneuve sang. Laurent battled depression, drug and alcohol addiction and when he retired in 2002, he said, "I tell myself that I created the wardrobe of the contemporary woman, that I participated in the transformation of my times.” Many of his peers credit him with their inspiration to become designers. They all view this loss as a great one to the fashion world and his life and creative genius left a huge dent in the fashion world. He, after all is credited with single hand idly changing the way women dress. As said best by Michael Kors, “the first designer who understood modern life—a woman who was on the move and powerful and sexy.”

Official Website: www.ysl.com

Push Play

A group of young and energetic artists came together and formed a spectacular group called Push Play. Acid City got the amazing opportunity to have an exclusive interview on what is to come of the band in the future. Their music is catchy, their personalities are incredible, and they have the passion to carry them through the long run. Here they are, presenting…Push Play!

Acid City: How does it feel to play with guys you've known for years?

Push Play: It feels great! Like home!

Acid City: Who came up with the name Push Play and what does it mean to you?

Push Play: We were in Derek's car and CJ said wanted to put a CD in and said to Derek, " Just Push Play! Hey that's a great name!"

Acid City: What are your anticipations for your upcoming shows, and which show are you most excited about?

Push Play: We're most excited about our showcase for major labels on June 12

Acid City: Where is your dream place to play a show?

Push Play: Madison Square Garden

Acid City: Which band would you love to play with?

Push Play: Jonas Brothers, Fall Out Boy, Rolling Stones

Acid City: Having meet and greets after every show, shows how much you care. Do you feel the meet and greets make a difference when it comes to devoted fans?

Push Play: Yes, they are REALLY important.

Acid City: What is your favorite song you guys composed so far?

Push Play: Away, Away

Acid City: Do you think where you grew up had an influence on your music?

Push Play: Sure!

Acid City: If it wasn’t music, what would you guys be doing?

Push Play: CJ: Production, Derek: Finance Steve: hockey Nick: hockey

Acid City: You do a lot of benefit shows for charities, has this changed your outlook on life at all?

Push Play: It gives us perspective and it is just so important to give back

Acid City: Who do you guys look up to?

Push Play: Our parents.

Acid City: Do you ever feel pressure to act or be a certain way?

Push Play: No, we pretty much toe the line.

Acid City: Is fashion a major aspect in your life?

Push Play: CJ: Absolutely Derek: Yes ma'am Steve: No Nick: Not really

Acid City: If you were to have a movie, which actor would you get to play the part of you?

Push Play: CJ: Will Ferrel Derek: Tom Cruise Steve: Tom Hanks Nick: Robert DEniro

Acid City: Most played band right now on your ipod?

Push Play: CJ: Panic at the Disco Derek: Panic at the Disco Steve: Envy on the Coast Nick: Brand New

Acid City: What did you guys wanna be when you were small?

Push Play: ROCKSTARS

Acid City: Best part about being in a band?

Push Play: The camaraderie between us

Acid City: Worst part about being on tour?

Push Play: Nothing

Acid City: What can we expect from Push Play in the future?

Push Play: Arena Tours...we hope

Acid City: Why should people listen to Push Play?

Push Play: Why not?

Official Myspace : www.myspace.com/pushplayrox

Twilight

Picture this: you're on the bus, on your way home from a tiring day at school. You sit back at your comfortable seat on the breezy bus, take a minute to close your eyes-- enjoying the peacefulness, I suppose, and at once, you open your eyes to the mass production of apples around you. I mean, they're everywhere. Apples, apples, and more freaking apples! You're too scared to look anywhere else, so you keep your eyes closed, but it seems like the apples have taken over your subconscious mind as well! Finally, you've reached your stop, and you jet off the bus, and run to the front steps of your home, to where a nice shiny silver Volvo is parked. You're thinking, "What the hell? Mom doesn't drive a silver Volvo.." So you reach for the door knob, and suddenly apples fall from the sky, and crush you to your death.

A little on the over-exaggerated side, but really, how scary would that be?

Personally, I love the Twilight series, and I can't wait to read more of it, this coming August when Breaking Dawn comes out. But I guess I would probably be one of those people behind those dreaded apple covers. But there are some of you, who right now, have no clue whatsoever what I'm rambling about. Well, first off, I know you're asking What in the world is Twilight? Well, Twilight is a fictional book created by the amazing author, Stephanie Meyer. It is based on a young girl named Isabella "Bella" Swan, who finds her life in danger, after falling in love with a Vampire, Edward Cullen. The book is a best seller around the globe, and awarded Publisher's Weekly Best Book of the Year. The book may be over 500 pages long, but it's filled with non-stop action, and suspense that you'd never be able to put it down. It's filled with teenage lust, and complicated problems, faced between the star-crossed lovers, which is more or less familiar to every teenager out there.

Not only is this book a big hit at the books stores, but by this coming December, it will make it as a big hit in the big screen as well! Critics have been saying that Twilight may even rank out the coming film Harry Potter and The Half Blood Prince. However, I, myself, love both the series, and every other sci-fi/fantasy story there is out there. But right now, I'm sucked into the hyped-up energy of Twilight, so Team Edward ftw! The movie comes out on December 12, 2008 playing in selected theaters near you. And another plus, Robert Pattinson, aka Cedric Diggory, is playing Edward, which I fancy a heck of a lot. But there seems to be quite the controversy coming from the fellow 'Twilighters' between whether or not he'll play a good Edward Cullen. "He doesn't seem good looking enough, Edward's supposed to be this perfect being," Fangirl #736497643 says. Well y'know what Fangirl #736497643? He's human, not a vampire, like how you picture it in your crazed universe! Nobody's perfect. On another note, I personally think that all the characters are perfect for the movie, and they play off Stephanie Meyer's characters spot on. But I guess we'll have to wait another 6 months before we really find out. 'Til then, here's the trailer to keep your heart racing.


Official Movie Website: www.twilightthemovie.com

The sun was shining, the air was fresh, and the soft fragrances of Lush Handmade Cosmetics filled Queen Street. Vittoria and Jessica popped in, drawn by the colours, shapes, and textures throughout the store. Amazed at the different, natural, herbal remedies and the friendly sales associates, we of course were drawn to buying some products. Vittoria left with a couple of remarkable and eco friendly bath products. Jessica left with a pink, sparkly, bubble bath substance. Not only does it look pretty, it is not tested on animals (nor are any of the products in the store) but it makes my water pink, soapy, and sparkly! We pulled over Laura, Amber and Heather for a short interview on what Lush products and company is about. Take a look at what they do to help you and the environment.

Acid- How did Lush start?

Laura- It actually started a while ago in Pool England. The creators of our company had been working together for about twenty-five years plus. They came up with their own company, which was like a mail order business called Cosmetics to Go. When that went under they decided to try everything all over again, to start back up from scratch. They started Lush, and everybody just bought into it.

Acid- Do you know how much work is put into making Lush products? Is it a hard process?

Laura- It is definitely, we have two pitches we have one in Etobicoke and one in Vancouver, and everything is made by hand. So when we make things for example like any of our fresh facemasks, everything is hand poured, hand stirred, lots of love goes into the product. We also use sometimes-fresh fruits and veggies, and very high quality of special oils. So the product is a very high quality product and is also really ethically made. We use as many organic ingredients as possible, and if we cant get it then we make sure we pay a fair price for it, and there is no animal testing whatsoever.

Acid- What are peoples reaction when they come into the store and have never been here before?

Amber- A lot of people think they can eat it!

Heather- Ya a lot of people come in here asking, “Is this cheese?”

Laura- Totally, I think that’s what’s the most endearing things about it, its fun, its personal and its from the environment. So when people walk in the door their like “…can I…can I eat it?”

Amber- And that definitely makes people feel welcome because we can joke with them and say “Well I wouldn’t…but you probably could if you wanted to.”

Laura- And the reason why a lot of the stuff looks like its been made to look like cheese is that, is that molds were made from cheese molds, from flower pots, to things that were found when they first started and they didn’t have any money. So they had to go around and find things to make the molds from.

Acid- What’s the best part about working at Lush?

Laura- Its so much fun, very relaxed, I love interacting with people from all walks of life, and definitely being able to use the products all day long, its really really awesome.

Heather- yea, just being interested in the products that you’re selling

Amber- One thing for me is that I believe the company invests in us and we are going to invest in them and that makes you want to work really hard for this company. They care a lot for people that work for them; it’s like a family, which is awesome.

Acid- Do you have any favourite products?

Laura- I actually really like rehab shampoo, and I’ll actually show it to you. It’s got such a good pepperminty smell; it’s like a hero shampoo. We’ve got so many lovely ingredients in it: olive oil, pineapple, kiwi, and mango. It really makes your hair get nourished and super shiny.

Amber- My favourite is probably the Buffy. Which is a cocoa butter base, it has brown olives in it, and its really really great shower moisturizer /exfoliate. It’s incredible. You get out of the shower and you literally cant stop touching your skin.

Acid- So has this store been in this location since it opened?

Laura- This store has been in this location for about eleven years. Were actually having an anniversary coming up at the end of July and its gonna be really really special.

Acid- Do you feel like your store is different from other natural cosmetic shops?

Laura- There’s definitely a lot more accountability wherever we get things from. It’s very ethical and our creator is actually used to create products for the Body Shop. They just decided to do something that was more their own thing. Our animal testing policy for example, is very extensive. Its not just “we don’t test anything on animals”, we don’t test the ingredients on animals, and we also don’t buy any ingredients that suppliers give to other buyers who are testing on animals. We created an industry boycott that way.

Acid- Do you think the industry is going to grow and hit other locations?

Laura- Well Lush is actually a pretty big company, we have over 300 locations world wide. It is definitely expanding and it’s growing wider. We don’t have any franchises, its still privately owned, for us to keep our ethics apart that way and have a little bit more control over it. Ya for sure, it’s definitely exploding. I think its nice that the whole go green thing is becoming more; we’ve been doing it the entire time but its exploding as a trend, and now more people are paying attention.

Acid- In one word for each of you, how would you describe Lush?

Heather- Fresh!

Amber- You stole my word!

Heather- Vibrant!

Laura- Heartfelt.

Amber- Everything.

Official Website: www.lush.ca