| Pulse Niagara |
| Thursday, 16 April 2009 00:00 |
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In the Soil: Growing Right in Front of Our Eyes Pulse Niagara JULIET DUNN QUINTET/PETER SHEA TRIO Juliet Dunn is not only a seasoned professional, but a very versatile artist who has travelled the world sharing her musical gifts. Dunn has performed at a lounge/bar in Marrakech, Morocco, a cruise ship in Brazil and the Caribbean, as well as a lobster bar in Hong Kong. She’s also performed musical theatre in Paris, Vancouver and at Niagara–on–the Lake’s Shaw Festival. On top of having an already impressive resume, her dedication for the arts shines through and through, as she only started performing when she was in her 20s. “It’s true, I was a late bloomer when it comes to music and performing. I did more dance when I was a kid and loved expressing myself to music. I actually always wanted to be a ballerina,” laughs Dunn. “I also performed in the musicals at school, but only chorus work. “It was when I got to Paris and fell into a gig with a french band called Grooveallegiance...we rehearsed for two months and then performed to a huge audience at La Cigale in Paris. That was definitely when I realized how much I loved to sing.” Currently, Dunn performs with two bands, The Juliet Dunn Quintet, and the Shea D Duo. The quintet performs pure jazz tunes, while the duo combines to create jazz, pop and soul songs. “There’s a little bit of crossover with the jazz tunes that I sing... that we can sometimes plug into our Shea D Duo shows, but we do like to keep it different,” explains Dunn. “When Peter and I met just over two years ago we decided to combine our efforts and came up with the Shea D Duo idea. Actually, it was Peter’s idea, so it was lucky that my last name started with a D. Peter had been singing a lot of pop and soul over the years so there was a great opportunity in his songs to add nice harmonies.” In the Soil will present a great opportunity to catch Dunn and Shea in both an intimate and casual setting. P The Juliet Dunn Quintet and The Peter Shea Trio perform at Stella’s on Sunday, April 19 at 1pm.
JILL ALLINSON It’s tricky to balance the life of an enviromentalist and a musician at the same time. When asked if she’s interested in pursuing a career in music, this 17–year–old Wainfleet resident had this to say: “Music is something so natural and real to me...I would love to. However, our enviroment needs my help, and my passion for the earth is strong. Music will always be in my life because I love it. I’d like to classify music as a part of my lifestyle.” Allinson started playing the piano and performing at the young age of five, a year later she could be found performing at the Wainfleet Music Festival. “I enjoy all music, there’s no bad songs. Everything depends on moods and feelings,” expresses Allinson. P [JORDY YACK] Jill Allinson will perform at Strega Cafe on Wednesday, April 22 at 8pm.
JESSE T. REID Jesse T. Reid is a familiar face in the local Canadian/roots/folk scene. Reid is an amazing storyteller. His voice is smooth like a good bourbon, his guitar, his tome. His songs contain a balance of both fictional material and personal experience. “As far as the fiction is concerned, there’s always a bit of me or someone I know in the characters, though the situations are sometimes ‘cut from the whole cloth,’” explains the singer–songwriter. Reid’s last album Gravelly Bay was independently released in 2006, and a third album seems to be on the forefront. He’s been writing and recording sessions in both Port Dover with Dan Walsh and in Niagara Falls with Roger Marin. “You need money to get a record done quickly and efficiently and I’ve just been relying on goodwill and favours. I’m excited about finishing it soon, and it sounds great so far,” maintains Reid. It’s hard to pin down exactly why Reid is such a master with words and an acoustic guitar, but it could have something to do with his experience sailing from sea to sea. The singer–songwriter spent eight years sailing across the globe, playing gigs and doing activist work. “I haven’t been at sea for a few years. After spending years all over the world getting tossed into dirty jails, getting sprayed with ice–cold water cannons and never being home long enough to cultivate a proper relationship with family, friends and lovers, I decided to call that quits, at least for a while, and see what happens ashore. Reid explains that his heart is still with activist work, but he’s becoming much more selective with his battles. “My frontline actions are now relegated to putting bibles in the fiction section at bookstores.” P Jesse T. Reid performs at the Merchant Ale House on Saturday, April 18 at 1:30pm.
RANDI TOWNSEND “The majority of my extended family are musicians. The women are singers. We have barbeque jams and everyone just kicks it,” exclaims Randi Townsend. Townsend also has positive support from her brother James, a local hip–hop artist who goes by the name Jack Shitt. As for collaborations, don’t expect Randi to trade in her guitar for a mic or turntables, but, a folk–hop project could definitely be amongst us in the future. “We have to get our shit together,” says Townsend. “I have a riff ready, but need to record, that may come up eventually. We definitely support each other musically. He’s like check these verses out and I’m like, ‘cool verses.’ I like to get feedback from him before I play or record a song.” As well being a musician, Townsend is extremely active within the community. She’s the co–creator of the Down to Earth Zine with Piotr Pawlowski, involved with Food Not Bombs Niagara, the DIY collective and OPIRG–Brock. As for joining her activist work with her music, it’s something she’s still working on. “Writing personal songs about my feelings come much more smoothly than trying to put my feelings about an issue into a song.” P Randi Townsend will perform at the Mansion House on Tuesday, April 21 at 10:45pm.
HARLEY PROVEAU Harley Proveau is an 18–year–old guitar whiz who creates his own instrumental compositions and instruments too! He built his own guitar in Grade 12 construction class last year. His songs may sound simple at first, but as the song progresses his musical prowess and skill emerges. Simple tunes become soundscapes, with layers, emotional depth and delicate fingerpicking. Proveau has been performing since he was 13–years–old and was also writing classic rock and roll songs that same year. He’s most influenced by artists the likes of Pink Floyd, Neil Young and Townes Van Zandt. The future looks incredibly bright for this young guitarist whose main goal is “to start a band and continue to play and write music all around the world.” P Harley Proveau will perform at Brock’s Centre for the Arts on Thursday, April 23 at 9pm.
ERICA SHERWOOD'S ORANGE SUN While other eight–year–olds were watching cartoons, Erica Sherwood had viewing tastes that were a little more refined. Though the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles surely scored some screen time, so did films like Paul Mazursky’s The Tempest and the 1996 documentary Microcosmos. “I was about 13 and he asked me to find VHS [tapes] that we owned that had rain clips in it. That was super easy for me because of the fact I watched so many movies as a kid...I was never much of a reader; more of an observer.” The now 22–year–old St. Catharines–based filmmaker produces freelance work under Sherwood Forest Productions, a company that consists of, well, Sherwood. “When it comes to paid work, I am a starving artist like anyone else in this business where I can’t afford to have more than just me in my production company,” she explained. “As a freelance cinematographer, I work with different companies around the Niagara Region such as New Century Productions where I would shoot amazing local bands live in studio or in concert. I am also hired by people who just want to get their name out there; projects like audition tapes or demos for bands or musicians.” Sherwood explores the power of visuals through her filmmaking, finding different ways to tell stories using striking imagery rather than dialogue or sound. Her main passion lies in the filming of insects, a hobby that Sherwood prefers to carry out solo to allow for a more intimate environment free from the distraction of a filming crew. “Using language of the tongue can really take away that understanding of imagination that people crave when they watch a film. I’m mostly interested in people’s interpretations instead of telling people how to interpret what’s on screen,” said Sherwood. While filmmaking may not always pay the rent, Sherwood’s investment in the creative process can certainly be considered a full–time job. As a member of a local film crew, she works on two web series – “Deep River” and “Skitzo” – and is forever observing the world around her in search of future film projects. Her nature–focused film Orange Sun, shot in Vineland, will debut at the Niagara Artists Centre for Niagara’s In the Soil Festival this Saturday. “I am constantly writing down little ideas for shots and my passion for filmmaking is constant. When I’m in the car, I’m constantly spotting really cool locations for films and depending on what time of the season it is, there are always bugs around to film,” said Sherwood. “Sometimes I wish my eyes were lenses because this world is overwhelmingly full of beauty and I want to film it all and show people what they are taking for granted, and what they are missing out on because they don't stop and really look around.” P Erica Sherwood’s film Orange Sun will be shown at the Niagara Artists Centre on Saturday, April 18 at 8pm. |