Tag: Featured

Categories
Concordia Student Union News

CSU president steps down

Photo by Madelayne Hajek
Photo by Madelayne Hajek

President Schubert Laforest officially resigned from the Concordia Student Union citing health reasons last Thursday night.

Laforest addressed the issue in a public letter stating that due to a case of mononucleosis and strep throat, he was unable to withstand long workdays and properly lead the executive for the remainder of his mandate.

“This is really the only option,” said Laforest. “It’s just irresponsible for me to put myself at risk and put the CSU at risk by staying in that position — I have to put the wellbeing of the CSU before that.”

The executive discussed other options but Laforest said it was ultimately his resignation that would be best for the union and stated that it was the “hardest decision of his life.”

“My doctor said that that the way it looks now is it might last another seven weeks to, worst scenario, six months,” said Laforest. “It could be indefinite.”

The resignation is effective as of 5 p.m. Tuesday. Laforest pushed the date past the weekend to have the opportunity to finish initiatives taken regarding ongoing problems with the information technology services issues and the search for a new general manager.

In an open letter to council and students, Laforest stated that he had tried to work through his illness but it was simply not manageable.

“Before receiving the latest results, I had hoped that if I was adamant enough I would be able to recover quickly or, at the very least, make myself work through it. However, I have come to realize that is neither feasible nor in the best interest of all the parties involved. It would not be fair for me to delegate my duties to my executives in the hopes that I recover rapidly, nor would it be fair for the Concordia student body to be represented in this manner,” the letter read.

Schubert Laforest. Photo by Madelayne Hajek

Shortly after the resignation came to light, the A Better Concordia slate issued a statement of its own, commending the now former-president’s “selflessness to put the executive and that of the Concordia Student Union above those of his own.”

“Obviously, we’re very grateful to Schubert for all he’s done this year, including all the long nights and rough days. Struggling with health issues recently, he’s still stayed strong in his conviction to serving the Concordia Student Union, leading us as a team and helping us individually with our mandates,” the letter read.

At the upcoming meeting this Wednesday, council will appoint a new president. Furthermore, should the executive’s recommendation for VP internal and clubs Nadine Atallah as president be accepted by a simple majority of council, then a second appointment will be made to fulfill the vacated role of VP internal and clubs.

Left in the dark

Most councillors were unaware of the resignation of Laforest until they read about it in the student press Thursday night. For Councillor Chad Walcott, there was no indication of Laforest’s departure prior to articles detailing the resignation.

“As far as I know, no one knew,” said Walcott.

Walcott explained that the lack of notice reflected the year the executive was having in terms of communicating with council.

“It’s unfortunate that it got leaked but at the same time but we could have been given a preemptive heads up and that’s indicative of this year where things have been brought up at council,” said Walcott. “When do we get consulted on this?”

Councillor James Vaccaro said that he was informed that the email server used by the executive crashed and that the email forwarding the resignation letter didn’t make it to council as Laforest intended. However, Vaccaro told The Concordian that ceaseless infighting and “petty arguments” over the undelivered email was affecting the productivity of council.

“We should be acting towards the best interests of the union at a time that is clearly difficult instead of continuously infighting,” said Vaccaro. “It’s frustrating to see bright and passionate people fighting amongst each other instead of working together to bring great things to Concordia.”

Categories
Student Life

Nerdy never looked so chic

Rachel Sin showcases her Fall/Winter 2013 collection at the Arsenal art centre on Feb. 3, 2013, a collection she named “Geek Girl Gone Chic”.
Rachel Sin showcases her Fall/Winter 2013 collection at the Arsenal art centre on Feb. 3, 2013, a collection she named “Geek Girl Gone Chic” (Photo Maddy Hajek)

There’s a certain dress code that needs to be respected during Montreal Fashion Week. Heels are a no-brainer essential for women; a quick change from boots to pumps by the coat check line is an easy fix when transitioning from the outdoor blizzard to an indoor cocktail. As for the perfect outfit that can transition from day at the office to front row on the runway, that’s a dilemma Rachel Sin understands all too well.

“As a working girl, you’re running from meeting to meeting and the last thing you need to worry about is your clothing,” said designer Rachel Sin. “At the same time, you want to look good and you don’t have time to change from one outfit to another. I think those are all things I think about and it’s from personal experience.”

It’s no coincidence that after only one season at Fashion Week last September, Sin was given the opportunity to showcase her new collection in the main room this year. Women across Canada have fallen in love with Sin’s designs because they are effortless and flattering. Her eponymous line is functional and chic, allowing women to transition from day at the office to dinner downtown. She designs for the “want-to-do-it-all woman” because she understands “that” woman; she is that woman.

Before plunging into the fashion world, Sin studied architecture and graduated from Carleton University with a Master’s degree. Although Sin has been in fashion since 2009, she cannot help but allow her architectural background influence her designs.

“A building has to be functional and at the same time, for me, clothing just really needs to be wearable in the sense of versatility. It will take you from day to night,” said Sin.

While in the past, Sin sought inspiration from the architectural world, this season she tapped into her quirky side and has given us a collection a little more fun. On Feb. 7, Sin showcased her fall/winter 2013 collection at the Arsenal art centre, a collection she named “Geek Girl Gone Chic”. Through her designs, Sin reaches out to other women like herself; the high school nerd who grows up to be a confident and successful woman.

With hair up in a loose bun, burgundy red lips and eyewear from Georges Laoun Opticians, Sin’s models strutted down the runway with full force and attitude. Along with the classic winter shades of black, white and khaki, Sin adds a pop of colour with a bright aqua, rich emerald and a vibrant poppy. In some of her designs, Sin balances the structured ponti stretch knit (a fabric favourite of the designer) with a “fun, whimsical” sheer, polka dot pattern.

While Sin did incorporate her signature feminine peplum shirts and form-fitting, knee-high dresses in the collection, she also includes beautifully tailored, tuxedo-inspired pant-suits with black or white stripes running along the side of the trousers.

My personal favourite was the trendy and very elegant cape blouse. “I call it the Boardroom Superhero look,” said Sin. “The working woman inspires me. I like to see women that are independent, strong and know what they want.”

What Sin wants is a challenge; to take on the United States in the hopes of acquiring space in department stores. There is no denying that Sin’s success stems from her understanding of what women need and are looking for when they browse through their walk-in.

To purchase Rachel Sin designs visit http://www.rachelsin.com/

Categories
Sports

Kevin Figsby’s coaching journey

Brianna Thicke

 

Photo Brianna Thicke

“When you do get that kid in, you’re with him almost everyday for four or five years. You watch them grow, you watch them develop through all kinds of life’s different up and downs. Most people don’t get to see that, and it’s phenomenal to see that. To see a first-year mature and graduating, it’s a phenomenal experience.”

That was Kevin Figsby’s reply when asked what his favourite part of coaching was. It’s being a mentor for these kids every single day, an “extended parent,” as he said. That’s what draws him to the job of coaching, ever since he first came out of university.

Figsby changed the face of Concordia University’s hockey program since first taking over in 2000. He’s instilled an exemplary set of values in the players that are based on two extremely important values.

“Two things that have been instilled in our program is pride and tradition,” said Figsby. “And it’s something we really believe in. You respect the traditions of the people that have been here before you and you take pride in doing it.”

The guiding values and strong core of the team can be attributed to Figsby’s staggering reputation as a coach. Growing up in Pointe-Saint-Charles, Figsby was introduced to community involvement and volunteering from a very young age. It has shaped him not only in his coaching career, but also in his life as well. It’s through these experiences that he’s managed to implant community values in every Stingers player passing through the program for 13 years.

“I think it’s an important mission of the university to make sure the players are involved in an academic, social and community perspective as well,” Figsby said. “It’s one of my big beliefs that you have to be involved with community.”

Throughout the years, Figsby has been involved with countless organizations, raising funds as president of James-Lynn High School where he used to be a student and starting his own organization in his hometown called the Pointe-Saint-Charles Hall of Recognition. Over the years, the organization has raised more than $350,000 for scholarships.

“The scholarships provide almost $25,000 a year for kids to pursue post-secondary education,” explained Figsby. “These are kids from Pointe-Saint-Charles that no one really gave a chance to.”

Although his community involvement is enough to jam pack a schedule, Figsby has made it far as a coach as well, earning himself the title of master through Hockey Canada and has received the highest coaching certification in the world. He’s only one of 31 coaches to have received this honour. He’s coached team Canada at the World U-17 Championships and won a bronze medal in 1995, with current NHL goaltender Roberto Luongo on his roster. He won another bronze medal in 2011 coaching Canada at the World University Championship in Turkey and was invited as a guest coach to the Montreal Canadiens’ training camp in 2005.

If there’s one thing Figsby’s sure about, it’s that staying in coaching was the best decision of his life. Before he became a full-time coach at Concordia University, Figsby had a major position in the banking world. When he was promoted to a director of sales and marketing in North America, he was told he would have to drop his coaching job as head coach of the AAA Lac St-Louis Lions. And he did. This, he says, was his only regret.

“I chose the bank over hockey and over coaching,” he said. “I was probably the most miserable individual you could meet for that period of time, because the passion that I had, the thing that drove me from a creativity perspective had been coaching.”

It isn’t much of a surprise that when he was offered the head coaching position at Concordia in 2000, he accepted it without a backwards glance. It goes to show that no matter the situation, your passion will prevail. He’s been here ever since, has seen the program grow and improve and has been an enormous part of the organization as soon as he stepped onto the scene.

“I still have that passion for coaching right now. I love coming here everyday,” said Figsby. “The university is moving forward and those are things that inspire you everyday.”

Categories
Arts

A slice of honesty, a look at our truth

Photo by Jonah Migicovsky
Photo by Jonah Migicovsky

In this day and age people live their lives with eyes closed, traversing the cities in which they inhabit by hurrying from one destination to the other. There is an entire world behind the scenes which we do not see. The world where beauty can be found in a decaying building that has lost its glory. A world where peace nestles in the image of a girl cradling an axe. This is the world that Jonah Migicovsky captures in his photographs.

In a time saturated with superficiality, retouched photos and filtered Instagram snapshots, Migicovsky’s photography is a refreshing slice of honesty. In many of our lives we are constantly in a desperate search for escape, for a good time. We are afraid of the darker side of life. The impoverished side. Migicovsky captures the reality of this life.

Migicovsky draws our attention to the extreme self medication of our era. His still life series entitled Sweet-Tooth depicts candy in place of narcotics. Candy on a table, carefully cut into lines, ready to snort. A pipe filled with Pop-Rocks, ready to smoke. Migicovsky explained how he uses photography to unveil the aspects of his life (and possibly the aspects of our own lives) that are less accepted by society. This series takes time to truly look at the type of crutches we use to prop ourselves up in our daily lives.

In his series Alley Cats Migicovsky explores the vistas of Montreal through the eyes of street artists. Capturing them at work and in their element, he offers another perspective on what many people consider vandalism. Migicovsky believes that “graffiti can give a second life to forgotten and dilapidated buildings.” These monuments that are unnoticed and slowly decaying are given attention when showcased as a canvas for others artwork.

Photo by Jonah Migicovsky

Migicovsky’s stroke is broad and all encompassing moving from still life, to portraits, to controversial visual commentary, such as his picture of topless Barbie dolls. Through this photograph (which is a call out to society’s fixation on perfection) and many others, we are invited by Migicovsky into his world.

Frustrated by the superficiality of society, Migicovsky’s work rests on the tangible. Believing that “the negative does not lie,” Migicovsky employs traditional photographic techniques and manual equipment. He is not interested in digital imagery. Migicovsky says he uses traditional film in order to highlight how life is saturated by media that it is edited to such an extreme that what is real has become subjective. When capturing images on film rather than on memory cards you always have the negative: that roll of film which preserves an actual event; a girl with beautiful eyes, a building brought to life through someone else’s art or a gun held loosely in someone’s hand.

By looking at Migicovsky’s work we are asked to pause. Through his lens we are given a raw look at our lives: the places we go, the things we do and the things we pass by. An antidote to the airbrushed facsimile of what is expected from art, Migicovsky challenges what we have come to accept.

Migicovsky is currently studying photography at Concordia. His full portfolio can be found at www.jonahmigicovsky.com

Categories
Student Life

The way of the Arctic party warrior

Press photo
Crowds settle in for a night of electronic music (Press)

So you may have seen the visually-striking posters of people posing in their ski gear, or recently overheard someone bragging about having the best one-piece snowsuit. You may have heard stories of friends feasting endlessly on toasted marshmallows and beer while lounging around a bonfire.

Whatever it is, people are talking about it in one form or another. We’re talking about Igloofest; the city’s famed annual winter music festival. If you haven’t been yet, you’re in luck! For the first time ever, Igloofest has added a fourth weekend to its annual event, giving us the perfect opportunity to convince you to finally join in on the fun. You haven’t experienced Montreal until you’ve danced in a snowsuit in sub-zero weather.

Igloofest was created in 2007 and can be described as the winter sibling of Piknic Electronik, Montreal’s summer electronic music festival held at Parc Jean-Drapeau.

Each weekend runs for three consecutive nights, from Thursday to Saturday. The nightly heart-pumping lineup is composed of seven DJs playing across three stages simultaneously in a multi-purpose compound smack-dab in the city’s Old Port. Do the math and you have almost 80 electronic musical acts from all around the world spinning hypnotic beats to fight off the freezing temps. Acts playing in the coming week include Taal Mala, VJ ZEF, Oneman, Gridspave, Tommy Four Seven, Jay London and Moody Jones, just to name a few. Be sure to check out the DJ list before you pick your night.

Tickets can be bought online or in person at the box office, but the earlier you get them the better. I would suggest purchasing them online to avoid the ticket line. The online tickets run for $18.50 per night and tickets at the gate are $20. If you’re a hardcore party-goer, you can get an IGLOOWEEKEND ticket, granting access to all three nights of one weekend for just $40. The party starts at 6:30 p.m. and wraps up at midnight.

The Old Port is close to Place D’Armes and Champ de Mars metro stations. The STM is offering free one-way rides home as long as you purchased a bus tickets prior, going on every Thursday until Feb. 9. If you’re planning on bar-hopping until the wee hours of the night, another option would be the unlimited night pass for $4. The pass is valid from 6 p.m. to 5 a.m.

Montrealers are well-known for their do-or-die party attitude. The most exciting part of Igloofest is the Sapporo-sponsored one-piece contest. The one and only rule is quite simple; you have to stand out—whether you’re wearing a medley of cornea-scarring fluorescent colours or sporting a unique design on your ‘80s-inspired splash pants. The prize, besides peer notoriety, is the sheer fact that you have gone through the festival’s rite of passage. But, before you flaunt your best suit, be sure to remember the large crowd and sometimes slushy conditions of the outdoor playground.

That being said, here are the most obvious pieces of advice: wear layers, get yourself a good pair of boots and try to get a good meal in your belly before heading out. You certainly don’t want to shiver and shake in the arctic temperatures when you should be moshing to your favorite musicians. Although the dance floor can get very crowded, take advantage and use the body heat to warm yourself up. If you’re freezing, you’ll end up being an Igloofest bore.

Another fun aspect about Igloofest is its dedication to social media. Right beside the dance floor is a huge screen showcasing each tweet that features an Igloofest hashtag, so be sure to bring your smartphone if you want to get in on the Twitter fun. Not to mention, it’s a great way to get your friend’s attention if you lose track of one another.

And if you’re planning on going, I’ll see you in the crowd. I might be trying to pull off a zebra onesie … or maybe not.

Categories
Opinions

P.K. Subban: Not a legend just yet

Image via Flickr
Image via Flickr

“It doesn’t matter how many times I step on the ice at the Bell Centre, I have the same feeling every time: my head’s ready to explode, I want to kill somebody cutting across the blue line and I want to score the goal and celebrate. And I’ll do it by any means possible to win a hockey game. That’s how I feel playing there. I’m not sure I’d have that feeling anywhere else.”

This is how P.K. Subban described playing in Montreal in an interview with Dave Stubbs from The Gazette. It’s magical, seeing him dressed in the red, white and blue of the Montreal Canadiens. The way he moves the puck, the way he swiftly avoids players as if they weren’t there. He’s electrifying. One of the greatest prospects for the years to come.

But that’s all Subban is for now – a prospect. A great one, at that, one the Montreal Canadiens should strive to keep. Nevertheless, he still has a lot to prove. Therefore, signing a two-year, $5.75 million contract on Monday was definitely the right move for Subban.

But he had us on the edge of our seats for quite a while. For months, Subban and his agent struggled to agree to terms with Marc Bergevin, the Canadiens’ general manager, for a deal that would see Subban sign with Montreal. To break it down simply, Subban was looking for a long-term, expensive deal, in the likes of what his teammate Carey Price secured, and the Montreal Canadiens wanted to give him a shorter contract, so that he could prove himself worthy.

“I want to be paid what I think I deserve,” he would say in interviews. It seemed like the deal would never come.

It’s no secret that Montreal is enamoured by the thought of Subban. Some may argue that we even have a serious, although not deadly, dose of P.K. fever. We love him, on and off the ice, and he’s charmed us all into a trance. That’s why we have to admire Marc Bergevin’s persistence and tenacity for insisting on a short-term deal. It was the right thing to do. Previous Montreal GMs, such as Gainey and Gauthier, would have probably cracked under the pressure and signed Subban to a ridiculous six or seven-year contract worth tens of millions of dollars. It would be way too risky at this stage in Subban’s career to do this. But knowing their characters and the pressure caused by famously impatient Montreal fans, it would’ve been the case.

Deals like the one you were asking for, Subban, don’t happen at your age unless you’re Sidney Crosby or Alexander Ovechkin. Yes, you’re a world class defenceman, and yes, we’re lucky to have you, but like everyone else, like your teammates before you, you need to pay your dues on your way to ultimate stardom.

“For my style of game and for what I do for the team, the amount of minutes I play and for what I bring to the table, I have to be fairly compensated,” Subban told The Gazette in an interview before he was signed.

It was last Monday that Subban realized that the Canadiens weren’t budging, and their surprisingly good start to the season without one of their top defenceman probably pushed the blue-liner to seriously reconsider his position. As veteran Gazette reporter Pat Hickey put it, “the Canadiens could be a better team with Subban filling one of the top four defence spots. But there’s no guarantee and Subban’s position becomes more difficult with each day he remains unsigned.”

We all know he has the drive and the ability to become a top defenceman in the National Hockey League. However, the fame he acquired in just two years in Montreal spread like wildfire, and, as is common in Montreal, spread through to his head as well. Luckily, Subban is much smarter and more mature than others who have walked in his path, and he took the higher road. For that, I congratulate him, and I look forward to seeing him in the bleu-blanc-rouge of the greatest team in the NHL for years to come, and hopefully lift the franchise’s 25th cup along with the rest of his teammates.

Welcome back P.K., we all hope you’re here to stay.

Categories
Sports

Brittany O’Rourke to represent Quebec at Scotties Tournament of Hearts

Photo by Stephan Jahanshahi

This year’s edition of the National Scotties Tournament of Hearts will see a former Stingers athlete in Team Quebec’s lineup. Brittany O’Rourke and her team qualified to represent the province in the Canadian Women’s Curling Championship this month.

O’Rourke graduated Concordia University in Leisure Sciences this past December. Throughout her time at Concordia, the 23-year-old represented the Stingers in both soccer and rugby, most recently as a member of the women’s soccer team this past fall.

Despite being part of varsity teams over the last few years, O’Rourke always kept curling as a priority in her life. The Dorval, Quebec native first started to curl at age 10. In the early days of her curling career, she recalls her stepfather taking her regularly to the Lachine Curling Club. To O’Rourke, curling was always a fun activity, but her passion for the sports grew as the years went by.

“I was more excited to finish curling, get off the ice, and have our lunch and play cards with the people that were there,” she said referring to her early years playing the sport. “But as you grow up, you get more competitive. It’s my nature; I’m a very competitive person. It’s only natural that you get more intense about the sport until you just want to win everything.”

Photo by Stephan Jahanshahi

Winning everything is exactly what O’Rourke and her team accomplished at last month’s Quebec Scotties Tournament of Hearts held in Victoriaville. Under veteran skip Allison Ross, O’Rourke’s team went undefeated in the round-robin stage of the tournament, winning all seven games. In the finals, the team won easily, 11-4, and guaranteed their spot in the nationals. This will be O’Rourke’s first time representing Quebec at the national level.

“It was a little surprising [to win],” she said. “It showed how much more effort we put in compared to the other teams. We came in second last year, so [winning] wasn’t so farfetched. We just didn’t expect to go undefeated at all.”

O’Rourke and her team curl out of the Glenmore Curling Club, located in Dollard-des-Ormeaux. The team plays games every Tuesday night in the club’s own league and practices every weekend.

“We want to do well,” she said. “Looking at the teams going, there should be a lot of close games, but games that we should be able to win. We want to finish at least in top half (6th place or higher).”

At the Scotties, O’Rourke will be playing some of Canada’s top female curlers, including some past World Champions.

“I don’t want to be star-struck,” she said. “I’m not there to make friends, I’m there to compete. It’s going to be nice to talk to them after games, but before games, it’s going to be death eyes.”

Even though it will be her first time at the Canadian Championships, O’Rourke has made it to the national level before, but as a junior curler. O’Rourke is a three time Junior Quebec Champion and has been to the nationals in 2007, 2008 and 2009.

“That was a huge experience,” she recalled. “It’s going to be amplified at the Scotties.”

The 2013 Scotties Tournament of Hearts runs from February 16-24 at the K-Rock Centre in Kingston, Ontario. O’Rourke and Team Quebec will face Team Nova Scotia in their opening game on Feb. 16. All the week’s action will be televised on TSN.

Categories
Arts

Who exactly is the barbarian?

Photo by Andrée Lanthier
Photo by Andrée Lanthier

Nudity, sex, violence and death all come together to provoke and thrill in this certainly not-safe-for-children theatrical adaptation of Nobel Prize winning South African author J.M. Coetzee’s novel Waiting for the Barbarians.

The play takes place in an unnamed country run by “The Empire” where news has spread about an attack planned by “the barbarians” who live on the other side of a wall partitioning the country. In an effort to crush this supposed attack the Empire’s Third Bureau, led by Colonel Joll, sets forth on a campaign to stop the barbarians by torturing and killing them. One man, known only as the Magistrate, doubts the truth of this rumour and condemns the persecution of the barbarians. His protests are further escalated when he takes in and befriends a barbarian girl who was left blind and handicapped after a raid.

The play is directed and produced by international and local celebrities from the world of theatre. Alexandre Marine (adaptor, director) is an internationally acclaimed actor and director, and winner of multiple awards in Russia, the U.S. and Quebec. Maurice Podbrey is a pioneer of English theatre in Montreal and is the co-founder of the Centaur Theatre. Podbrey, along with Marine, first showed this production in Cape Town, South Africa, then brought the members of the South African cast back with them to perform in Montreal.

Nicholas Pauling delivers a spine-chilling performance as the bureaucratic and psychopathic Colonel Joll. In stark contrast, Grant Swanby plays the intelligent and sensitive Magistrate, who is eventually driven almost to insanity by the cruelty he witnesses in the treatment of the barbarians. The magic happens when Swanby and Chuma Sopotela, playing the dignified and blind young barbarian girl, interact together on stage, synching emotionally and physically in tender tension. A mention should be given to Montreal’s Kimberly-Anne Laferriere, who gave an exuberant performance as the prostitute Zoe, replacing Zimbabwe-born Chiedza Mhende who was not permitted to enter the country by Canadian Immigration.

It was the brilliant set design however, that truly stole the show. Set and costume designer Craig Leo’s simple but imaginatively placed multi-purpose glass screens expanded the parameters of the stage to create a world much broader than the confines of the stage originally permitted. The light play of shadows against light, snow against fire and dances interspersed within the performance expressed emotions beyond the lines of the script, evoking a surrealism that both alienated and indulged the senses in its starkness and luxury.

The rhythmical stream of consciousness monologues and the investigation of complex philosophical and moral issues demands emotional and intellectual investment from the audience, whilst the meta-theatrical elements and the overall visual aesthetic work together to pamper and satisfy the viewer.

Waiting for the Barbarians may seem to be an allegory for South Africa’s apartheid but it would be an injustice to deny the universality of its story. The play explores a political reality and examines modern day barbarism. The surreal and omnipresent quality of the story in its exploration of the alienation of “the other” leaves the viewer with a rewarding experience.

Waiting for the Barbarians runs at the Segal Center for Performing Arts until Feb. 17.

Categories
Music

Buke & Gase are rock, noise and everything in between

Buke & Gase - Press

There’s only one band on the planet that knows how to work instruments such as the toe-bourine, the buke—which is a six-string ukelele—and the gase, a guitar/bass hybrid. This band is Buke & Gase, brainchild of Arone Dyer and Aron Sanchez, both of whom are Brooklyn natives. Their expertise is rooted in the fact that they came up with each of these instruments themselves, having turned once-commonplace music-makers into colossal innovations.

“[Sanchez] has a kick drum which is slightly enhanced,” explained Dyer. “It’s got a snare sound, a tambourine sound and a shaker sound so that when you hit the kick drum, it has more range.”

Buke & Gase has managed to remain a fairly percussion-centric duo without ever having to lay hands on a drum set. Instead of using the traditional setup, the band breaks the mold by using bells, the modified kick drum, their toe-bourine and an assortment of other instruments that have been modified to suit their desired sound. Even the band’s string instruments are “very percussive and we play rhythmic parts that add percussive drive to the music.”

Buke & Gase’s expertise is rooted in the fact that they came up with each of these instruments themselves, having turned once-commonplace music-makers into colossal innovations. (Press)

“We grew up in Brooklyn around bands like Lightning Bolt and all kinds of do-it-yourself small two-person bands,” said Sanchez. “I think that’s influenced the manner in which we make music, right up to creating instruments that allow us to be a two-person band that sounds huge, allowing us to be sonically powerful.”

Having met in 2000, the two wasted no time getting their musical careers up and running. Before they pioneered Buke & Gase six years ago, Dyer and Sanchez dabbled in electronic music together for some time, then played in a four-piece band called Hominid. For the entirety of their musical career, now more than ever, the duo has prided themselves on drawing inspiration from all over.

“We were influenced quite heavily when we were in Brooklyn by the other bands that were our peers,” said Dyer. “But the music that we like is not necessarily Brooklyn-based. Stylistically, we are very influenced by nigerian highlife. We like world music, classical, classic american rock, hip hop … anything, pretty much.”

For that reason, any given review of a Buke & Gase album or show will offer up an entirely unique and eclectic mash-up of terms in an attempt to file them under some form of quasi-genre. Cataloguing their style, however, is an unwelcome act in Dyer’s books.

“We like to not really describe it,” she said. “It’s good to get your own opinion. If you think about the instrumentation, it gives it a certain style; we play a string of instruments that could be classified as rock instruments.” They do come equipped with a kick drum, a guitar and bass sounds, but given that they have all been tweaked and modified, the resulting sound is equally abnormal.

“Usually when somebody asks me [to describe our sound], I tend to say, ‘I don’t know, listen to it and see what you think of it first before we discuss what it sounds like,’ so that they can get their own opinion.”

In 2009, the band appeared as a guest on Radiolab, a radio program also available as a podcast produced by a company based out of New York. According to Sanchez, their appearance on the show gave Buke & Gase a ton of invaluable exposure and since then, the band has never looked back.

Are they able to pinpoint one outstanding career-defining experience? “All of it,” said Sanchez.

Dyer laughed in agreement, adding, “We’ve been invited by several of our heroes to perform with them and each time it’s amazing […] we play with such a variety of other musicians and we’ve been featured in a variety of different types of shows from classical to rock. It’s never the same thing twice, that’s for sure.”

Categories
Sports

Concordia prevails at home against Redmen

ghjh
The Stingers play against the Citadins.  Concordian file photo (Madelayne Hajek)

Coming off a big win over the Bishop’s Gaiters, Concordia’s men’s basketball team had two more tough games this past week against McGill and UQÀM. On Thursday night, at home against the Redmen, the Stingers won a tightly contested game. Concordia dropped the next game against the Citadins two days later.

It was not the best of opening quarters for the Stingers against the Redmen. McGill started the game with a three-pointer and kept a lead until the second quarter. Concordia’s offence was struggling early on. The maroon and gold missed most of their shots and had a tough time finding open looks.

It was the opposite on defence. The Stingers’ man-to-man defence was passive, allowing McGill easy drives and open three-ball attempts. McGill had a 16-11 point lead after the first 10 minutes. Guard Kyle Desmarais had six of Concordia’s 11 points.

The second quarter was much better for the home team. In the early minutes, the Stingers tightened up their defence and denied McGill easy points.

“What usually gets us going is our defence,” said Desmarais, who finished with 21 points. “I mean, when we’re doing well on defence, we’re usually doing great on offence. That’s what got us going in the second quarter.”

On offence, Concordia regained control and eventually led, when forward Kafil Eyitayo’s jump shot gave his side a one-point lead with 7:24 on the clock. In the final three minutes of the quarter, ConU scored six unanswered points to go up 29-24 at halftime.

Offensively, the Stingers were even stronger in the third quarter, amassing 19 points. After scoring four points in the first half, forward Evens Laroche scored six straight points. At 7:28, Desmarais fed Laroche for an emphatic alley-oop dunk. This gave Concordia momentum as McGill got a technical foul and Eyitayo completed two massive blocks in the following minutes.

McGill did not back down from Concordia’s sturdy offensive output. The Redmen kept up and scored 16 points of their own in the third quarter. However, the Stingers led 48-40 going into the final frame.

The visitors upped the pressure in the fourth quarter and quickly found themselves right in the mix again. In the first six and a half minutes, Concordia only scored three points. They turned the ball over six times and missed a few shots in this same span. The Stingers saw their 11 points disappear after McGill went on an 11-0 run to tie the game.

With 3:19 remaining, Jerome Blake put Concordia ahead with a clutch three-pointer. This was his second of the quarter. Desmarais scored the team’s next four points with a basket and two free-throws.

McGill answered back with two baskets and a free-throw to tie the game with 62 seconds to play.

Thirty seconds later, Laroche put the Stingers ahead with a tough shot.

With one last possession, McGill were desperately seeking the equalizer. The Redmen worked the ball in through the middle, but Eyitayo came up with another huge block.

Concordia held on to the slim 62-60 victory.

“Right now, we were fighting for the first place,” said Laroche. “We wanted it and they wanted, so it was a big battle. They came out hard and we came out hard.”

Concordia followed this game up with a 65-58 loss to the UQÀM Citadins on Saturday.

 

The Stingers will hit the court twice this coming week against McGill, once again, on Friday night and against Laval on Saturday.

Categories
Arts

A classic play comes to life at McGill Players’ Theatre

Photo by Victor Tangermann
Photo by Victor Tangermann

When you’ve forgotten that a world exists outside of the one created by the play, you know you’ve seen a good play. The Glass Menagerie, as presented by the Players’ Theatre of McGill University, is one such play.

Executed brilliantly by the cast of four—Andrew Cameron, Ingrid Rudié, Arlen Aguayo Stewart and James Kelly—Tennessee Williams’ classic play left the audience in awe.

First premiering in 1944, The Glass Menagerie is narrated by Tom Wingfield, a young man who dreams of being a writer but is tied to his gregarious southern mother and painfully shy sister. He supports his family by working in a shoe factory, a job he hates. He is constantly hounded by his mother, Amanda, and longs to do as his father did and get as far away as possible.

At the insistence of his mother, Tom invites a colleague from the factory over as a potential suitor for his sister Laura, who has failed at procuring any suitors for herself or making any headway towards a career of her own.

The Glass Menagerie is a memory play, so everything is tinged with the bias of Tom’s personal memory, a theme that was well articulated in Colleen Stanton’s lighting design.

The set and costuming articulated the time period and character personalities appropriately, as well as referencing the idea that what we were seeing was conjured from someone’s memory. Matthew Banks’ set design was well suited to the space and vantage points of the audience seated in an L-shape around the stage’s perimeter.

Ingrid Rudié as Amanda Wingfield played matronly, southern and overbearing to perfection. She managed to imply that her character’s personality eclipsed those of her son and daughter, without eclipsing the actors themselves. The character of Laura Wingfield is a difficult one to represent. She has such severe anxiety that she can barely function, as well as having a slightly crippled leg. As an actor, one must appear small and quiet, without disappearing, so it speaks to Arlen Aguayo Stewart’s skill that Laura was the most memorable character in the production. Stewart’s body language spoke volumes and her emotional execution was flawless.

James Kelly, who appeared as Jim O’Connor only in the final scene, was the perfect embodiment of the egotistical former high school star that defines the character of Jim. From the moment Kelly stepped onstage he radiated smugness and even when he had no lines he was completely present in his character and in the moment.

Tom Wingfield is played by Andrew Cameron, and as both the narrator and actor in the play, he has the largest role and longest monologues to perform. Cameron excelled at playing the dynamics of a beleaguered son and caring brother, but he sometimes lost the audience during his lengthy monologues. As narrator, the audience relied on Tom to forward the play, but at times it felt as though Cameron was rushing to get through and his enunciation wasn’t always as crisp as could be desired.

Director Rowan Spencer should be commended on having taken such a well-known play with comparatively young actors and turning out a magnificent piece of theatre. The use of the stage was precise and appropriate and scene changes were well executed. If there was one flaw it would be that the glass menagerie prop was not as prominently featured as its role in the play warranted it to be. However, if you see one play this winter, this is the one it should be.

The Glass Menagerie runs from Jan. 30 to Feb. 2 at 3480 McTavish. For more information visit playerstheatre.ca

Categories
Student Life

Yoga for dummies

Graphic by Jennifer Kwan
Graphic by Jennifer Kwan

Maybe the closest you ever got to a yoga mat was when you were walking behind that girl in Lululemon pants who was holding one. Maybe your best friend has dragged you to a couple of hot yoga classes, or maybe you have mastered the art of the downward-facing dog, and “Namaste” is a regular expression in your vocabulary. Regardless of your experience, the choice between the many different styles of yoga can be overwhelming. Here is a simplified breakdown of a few of the most popular types of yoga available.

Hatha Yoga:

Hatha Yoga is a broad term that encompasses several sub-categories of yoga. The emphasis is put on the mind and body connection by focusing on breathing while holding postures called ‘asanas’. Expect a slower-paced class that is good for learning the basic postures of yoga.

Vinyasa Yoga: 

Vinyasa is all about flowing through the postures while keeping breath and movement synchronized. Expect a fast-paced class where you will transition through the poses quickly. Fluidity of movement is key. If you have a short attention span and dread holding poses for a while, this will appeal to you.

Ashtanga Yoga:

Ashtanga is similar in intensity to Vinyasa as it is a dynamic and rigorous practice that combines breathing with movement. The difference is that the sequence of poses is always done in the same order.

Power Yoga:

Power Yoga can be seen as a more North-American approach to traditional yoga. The classes are intense and fast-paced. If you want to break a sweat but do not care too much for chanting or meditation, this one’s for you.

Bikram Yoga:

This class is a series of 26 poses in a heated room. The temperature is 42 degrees and the duration of the class is 90 minutes, making it an intense and challenging practice. You will be dripping in sweat from head to toe. This is not a meditative practice either.

Hot Yoga:

Hot Yoga refers to any class performed in a heated room. Some people confuse Bikram Yoga with Hot Yoga, but Bikram Yoga is a specific sequence of postures created by Bikram Choudhury. In Hot Yoga, the heat is an added element but there are no restrictions to the type of class the teacher will give.

Moksha Yoga:

Moksha is a type of Hot Yoga. It consists of a standing series of postures followed by a floor series. The standing part of the class is more cardiovascular and focuses on building strength, stability, balance, and endurance. The floor series puts the emphasis on the abdominals and the spine. Moksha Yoga is rooted in an environmentally-friendly philosophy, and the studios reflect that.

Restorative Yoga:

In this style of yoga, props such as pillows, blocks or blankets are used to support your body and help you hold poses for a very long time. Expect a slow-paced class with lots of stretching. This is more of a relaxing practice that will leave your body feeling open rather than a workout.

Shirley So, owner of Ha Yoga, gave some advice on how to choose the yoga style that’s right for you. “All yoga styles are great, simply tune into your body before choosing a class to go to. If you feel a lack of energy or going through the winter blues, then a more vigorous practice will be helpful to boost your energy,” she said. “But if you feel restless and lacking focus, then a more gentle practice will help to balance it out.”

If you’re interested in adding yoga to your routine without breaking the bank, Ha Yoga offers 70 minute classes for $7, seven days a week.

 

Fore more information, check out www.hayoga.ca.

Hay Yoga is located on 2002 Mackay St.

Exit mobile version