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MAKING IT WORK

ISSUE 2, DEC – JAN 2012 FREE!

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IT’S THE MOST WONDERFUL TIME

OF THE YEAR

5TIPS FOR

HEALTHY HAPPY HOLIDAYS!WITH MEISHA WIDE

ANTWON TAYLOR

GOT PRODUCT?TIPS FOR ASPIRING ARTISTS

THE REAL CUT ABOVE CELEBRATES 20 YEARS OF SERVICE!

PG 2 | DEC – JAN 2012

DEC – JAN 2012 | PG 3

PG 4 | DEC – JAN 2012

DECEMBER – JANUARY 2012

CONTENTS

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR:Send comments about any aspect of GRANDSCALE Magazine to info@grandscalemagazine.com . We may or may not be able to respond to your letter. We reserve the right to edit all submissions. Letters published in GRANDSCALE Magazine become the property of GRANDSCALE Magazine.

The Blended Family: Making It Work pg.10

It’s The Most Wonderful Time of The Year pg. 12

Health & Fitness5. 5 Tips for Healthy Happy Holidays

Indy’s Who’s Who6. Nancy Ford-Winters

8. Iren Golder

Political Corner9. The Smart Vote

Hair/Fashion14. Classic Style

Co-Founders: Darrell Johnson, Keith PotterCreative Director/Editor: Christina SparksSr. Graphic Designer: Brian CoyleStaff Writers: Antwon Taylor, Candice Broadus, Erica Scott, Juanita F. Carothers, Meisha WidePhotography: DLH PhotographySales Associate: Jessica Johnson

DEC – JAN 2012 | PG 5

1.2.

3.

4.

5.

TIPS

APPYHEALTHY5 FO

R

HOLIDAYS!You may still be on a Black Friday buzz with many retailers trying to stimulate the economy with deals & steals that they think you can’t live without, but don’t forget about giving yourself the gift of health while you’re filling your sleigh to bring joy to others. This holiday season let’s take a moment (or two, or three) to focus on what it is that you can do to improve your health or maintain a healthy lifestyle. If you’re anything like me, it’s sometimes a chal-lenge to be a little self-centered so I’ve given you 5 simple tips that you can in-corporate into your life to help you focus on YOU this holiday season and into the New Year.

Create S.M.A.R.T. Goals: Set a weight goal for the holidays that is not going to add more stress to your life. Start small and be sure that you’re creat-ing a S.M.A.R.T. goal: Specific, Measur-able, Attainable, Relevant, Time-bound. This system of goal setting should also be used if you’re planning to make life changes in 2012.

Check yourself: Recent studies show that overeating during anytime of the year is controlled more by our emo-tions than what is in our environment. In Obesity journal Heather Niemeier, PhD, reports “We eat in response to feelings

-- and for many people, the holidays can drum up a whole treasure chest of feel-ings, both good and bad.” These feelings are natural. Recognize them and reflect on the memories but don’t rely on the food to bring back or cover up those feelings.

Eat MORE fresh food: Don’t settle for the 12 inches that your favorite sandwich franchise has to of-fer for $5, find some of the best fresh produce grown right here in Indiana. If you shop for fruits and veggies that are in season you can find yourself saving some money too. Win - win or should I say “WINNING!” Visit one of these winter markets: Down-town-Indy Winter Farmer’s Market (Sat-urdays, 9 a.m.-12:30 p.m., City Market, 222 E. Market St.), Northwest- Winter Organic Green Market at Traders Point Creamery (Saturdays, 9 a.m.-12:30 p.m., 9101 Moore Rd., Zionsville), Northeast-Binford Indoor Holiday market (Satur-day, December 3rd & 10th, 9 a.m.-noon, Hawthorn Plaza Shopping Center, 62nd and Binford Blvd)

Get physical: As much as you may hear that there are other solutions for weight loss, you cannot achieve the best results without including exercise in your lifestyle. Several local fitness centers will

offer trial membership passes, especially if you are a “displaced” member from an-other fitness center. Take advantage of the free introduction or orientation to speak with a fitness professional before you start any regimen. If you over do it, you’ll have more of a negative effect than you would if you take it slow.

Each one, teach one: In the spirit of giving, share the wealth of knowledge about these tips with at least one person: your workout partner, a co-worker, or a loved one. If your goal is to maintain, share your story about how you achieved your goals. You never know whom you may inspire. Catching a good attitude this season will go a long way.

For more about these tips or advice on health & wellness, reach me on the web by email widelens.wellness@gmail.com or @MyWideLens on Twitter.

Meisha Wide Community Wellness Consultant

PG 6 | DEC – JAN 2012

Nancy Ford-Winters was not your average government employee. As her career in the Social Security field blossomed, she received a vision to further help disabled individ-uals overcome the barriers placed in front of them. Years later Nancy stepped outside of her government job and began her own company called Branches For-Disabilities, Incorporated. This company quickly proved to satisfy a need within the local com-munity. Branches For-Disabilities, Inc. provides individuals that are on social secu-rity with guidance and information on various social security programs, including the “Plan to Achieve Self-Support” (P.A.S.S.). This program, in particular, gives partici-pants money with a goal of achieving self-support through career training, continued education to acquire a degree, assistance starting a business, or any other facets that would help the participant achieve financial self-support.

Nancy guides individuals through the application and appeals processes to help them get the approval for the program. And while she has helped others accomplish these tasks regardless of their disabilities, many are shocked to learn that Nancy has her own disability - blindness. Nancy lost her vision over the years but her disability has not slowed down her drive to assist others. Utilizing “text to speech” technologies and a personal assistant, she has helped at least twenty individuals to establish successful businesses, and countless others acquire the training they need to achieve self-support through the P.A.S.S. program.

Despite her own disability Nancy has refused to be held back. She herself is a mother, grandmother, and successful businesswoman. Recently, The National Council for Ne-gro Woman recognized Nancy by giving her the award of “Accomplished Woman” for her efforts and successes. Being successful is what drives Nancy to not only continue her work, but to also expand. The project she is currently undergoing is one that will utilize information and technology as a means of self-education for others in order to make social security programs less confusing. Dedicated to this line of work for eigh-teen years, Nancy’s joy stems from others’ success stating, “There is nothing more fulfilling than to watch others complete their path.”

INDY’s Who’s WHO??

DEC – JAN 2012 | PG 7

by Candice Broadus

Nancy Ford-Winters

PG 8 | DEC – JAN 2012

contracts, artist development, marketing, and networking. But he still is not satis-fied with his current success. Currently, Iren is the driving force behind a move-ment headed straight for “Naptown”. His plan is to come home, build a strong team, monopolize the industry with talent from Indy, and take over. When asked what his strategy will be to complete his plan, he responded,” I’m coming, and with God’s divine order and timing, we gonna do it!”

-Candice Broadus

INDY’s Who’s WHO??IREN GOLDERGold shines best under the spotlight, and thus we shine the spotlight on Mr. Iren Golder. Iren, an Indiana native, had an early start in music. Raised in church, under his parents’ ministry, his love for music started at a young age. Singing and drumming for the lord turned that love into a passion.

As a modern day Renaissance man and single father, with no formal educa-tion in the music field, Iren has gained national recognition within the music industry. Currently residing in the ”New Hollywood” better known as Atlanta, he uses his income and knowledge of the industry to manage numerous artists in efforts to help them reach success on a “grand scale”. Managing local R&B art-ist D.Golder, assisting his father with his ministry, and setting an example for his twelve year old son is only the beginning brick in his ten year plan to build a musi-cal empire.

Iren has a vision of something greater - something more for himself and the local artists in Indianapolis. Throughout his early experiences, Iren felt there was a city wide “crabs in the barrell” mentality. It seemed as though no one was willing to help anyone but themselves. But his love for music motivated him to push be-yond the local scene, beyond the borders of Indiana, and on to a national scale.

Despite his early experiences in the local scene, Iren is now looking to pull others up. His experiences over the years have provided multiple lessons in negotiating

DEC – JAN 2012 | PG 9

November 8th, the day of great political participation. This is the day where we, as citizens of this nation, are supposed to be energized, eager, and inspired to cast our votes for our next political leadership. However, local elections hardly receive the same type of enthusiasm as does the national elections. Why is this? Does this mean that we care less? Perhaps, we are undereducated in the ways that our local leadership impacts our lives? Or…could it be possible, that our lack of vote actually represents our political stance?

Some so frequently cast an ignorant or a forced vote because they feel pressured to do so. They vote even if they have limited knowledge on who the candi-dates are. They vote even if they do not really approve of any one candidate or the other. I am here to say IT’S OK NOT TO VOTE! “No vote” is better than an ignorant or undesired vote. To be a true active participant in the political system is to be honest.

As everyone is aware, many of our country’s young adults are engaged in one of the greatest acts of civilian politi-cal participation - protesting. Occupy Wall Street (OWS) is a protest that began in New York and has spread to over

1500 cities globally, with the purpose of fighting back against the large banks and corporations with power against the people; and, Wall Street’s role in creating one of the biggest economic downfalls this country has seen. It aims to fight against the rich who seem to set all the rules for everyone else corrupting the democratic process. So if people don’t educate themselves as to what is going on within the political arena – both locally and nationwide, an uneducated vote could further a situation that may already be working against them.

This is not to suggest that we throw in the towel on voting, but this is to say that political participation comes in many forms. Be mindful of your options. Be mindful of what is taking place in our na-tion and on a local level. Educate yourself and know what is right for you and your neighbor. November 8th may represent a day of great national political participa-tion, but so does every other day that you spend living and working freely in this country.

Juanita F. Carothers

Photo Credit: Globalization Perspective and Occupy Wall Street Movement Growth

POLITICAL CORNER

PG 10 | DEC – JAN 2012

THE BLENDED FAMILY

DEC – JAN 2012 | PG 11

According to The Merriam-Webster dictionary, a blended family is defined as a family that includes children of a previ-ous marriage of one spouse or both. The year 2010 accounted for thirty-eight per-cent of blended family marriages in the United States, and that number increased exponentially in 2011. “Blended families “or “Step families” have been an ever growing trend in this country. Of course, there are the associated stereotypes with this trend such as “the wicked stepparent” or “evil sibling,” but the more com-mon these types of families become, the more those stereo-types begin to fade.

The blended fam-ily scenario has a history of complica-tions due to a lack of the two families’ ability to mesh - but quitting is not an option! The “golden rule”, do unto others as you would have them do unto you, is one of the main concepts that should be applied heavily in these delicate situations. Teaching the children how to correctly apply this will help them to “blend” gracefully into one family. Stressing the importance of all parties respectfully speaking and listen-ing to each other will help establish a

line of open communication. Essentially when it is easier for everyone to under-stand each other, it is easier to create an atmosphere absent of tension. All family members in the blended family can then be on the same page, remain involved, and can help in situations where deci-sions are made as a family - helping everyone to feel respected.

The high expectations for uniting fami-lies typically add stress, as it is crucial that the union is successful. With that

in mind these simple, but rarely applied “DONTs” need to be considered. It is important for the children, regardless of age, to see a united front. DON’T address spousal disagreements in front of the children. Following this rule will help the children feel a sense of unity within their new family. Next, DON’T point the

finger of blame. While it is instinctive to protect your own children, all family members and their opinions need to be considered equally. This helps to avoid the common problem of unbalanced dis-cipline. Finally, DONT allow the children to cause confusion in the relationship. Confusion between the parents will cause the creation of sides, putting the parents against one another.

Always remember that communication between all members of a blended family

is essential. Al-lowing everyone to express their opinions and thoughts, at the right time, will establish a sense of unity and the guidelines for respect. Quality time as a family and between the spouses shows the children that

there is a mutual love and respect for everybody. All family units have differ-ent personalities that can clash; however sharing the love and putting God first helps to place them all on common ground.

-R. Shelton -Candice Broadus

“The high expectations for uniting families typically add stress, as it is crucial

that the union is successful.”

MAKING IT WORK

PG 12 | DEC – JAN 2012

It’s the most wonderful time of the year! The holidays have made it around once again. Once all your shopping is done, the mistletoe hung, and the presents are wrapped, you don’t have to sit around wait-ing for Santa to come sliding down your chimney. Get out and enjoy what Indy’s holiday season has to offer.

Be sure that everyone dresses in layers and takes their mittens with them to Pan Ameri-can Plaza for a spin around the ice skating rink. Located near the heart of Downtown, the Pan American Plaza is full of fun activi-ties for the novice to the expert skaters.

Want the holiday experience without the frost bite? The Indianapolis Children’s Mu-seum offers warm fun for the entire family at their annual “Jolly Days Winter Won-derland” where ice skating requires only a clean pair of socks!

At the Indianapolis Zoo not all the animals are hibernating. The dolphins are wide awake and in the holiday spirit as they put on their show. Although you can bring your own camera to capture memories of the in-door exhibits, the zoo offers photo ops with Mr.Claus himself in Santa’s Village.

Put a great ending to a great evening and head down to the Canal, White River State Park, and Monument Circle to be marveled by beautiful light displays. From our family to yours we wish you a Merry Christmas...

And a happy new year! Making it through another year was the task, and with the completion of that quickly approaching, its now time to plan your celebration. Don’t have any ideas on how you want to ring in your new year. We’ve got a few!

This year there seems to be a party for everyone. Dave and Busters, in its popular Castleton location, is offering a package deal of games, food, and beverages, with no need for a designated driver, as a shuttle to your hotel room is also included in the package!

The “grown and sexy” party this year will be held at the Chase Bank Tower with a Ciroc sponsorship. This party pledges the “best of the best” for the most memorable New Year’s party ever!

The “fairytale evening” this year is located at the Hyatt. The available packages include a romantic four course meal at the pres-tigious Eagles Nest restaurant, a “fantasy casino” players lounge, accommodations, live music, and a massive balloon drop at the stroke of midnight. Whether you welcome 2012 at a public cel-ebration, private celebration, or at your local place of worship, we at GrandScale wish you a happy and safe new year!

by Candice Broadus

IT’S THE MOST WONDERFUL TIME OF THE YEAR

DEC – JAN 2012 | PG 13

First off I would like to thank everyone for the overwhelming response to the Inaugural issue of Grandscale Magazine. This section of the magazine will be used to reach out to the Independent Artists, and Producers trying to break through the barriers and red tape to get their foot in the door. I hope that this information can be used by all as a baseline to evaluate their current situation, and as a means for improvement of their product. With that said, this month we will fo-cus on just that PRODUCT. Do you think you can rap? Do you think you can sing? Do you have the hottest tracks in town? Chances are that you have answered YES to one of these questions. The problem with that is EVERYONE thinks they can rap, sing, dance, and make the best fried chicken. As of this rapping, current market value on aspiring rappers is about a dime a dozen. So to each of these artists I ask the question, “What separates YOUR music from everyone else?” In this over-saturated market of sub-par talent, the supply is much greater than the demand. The bottom line is - no artist, business, or corporation can survive without a solid “Product.” From a producer’s standpoint, the prob-lem that I see with a lot of “product” these days is much of it sounds the same. Instead of being cutting edge and ground-breaking, artists are finding it easier to mimic the sound of commercial artists. To those artists I tell you that you must be able to fill a void. By that I mean that you must do your homework and evalu-

ate the current industry. Identify what the game is missing and channel your energy in that direction. There is already a Lil Wayne, Nikki Minaj, Drake, and Gucci Mane. Another major problem that I see with artists’ product is the time invested. Bottom line, If you have only recorded 2 songs in your entire career - chances are you are not ready to put out a CD. If you are planning to release a 15 track CD and you only have 15 tracks and a skit

recorded - chances are your PRODUCT is not ready. I advise artists to record at least 50 songs and from there choose only the best. PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT! It takes years for an artist to develop their craft - their SOUND. As an engineer, I think of the artist vocal track as another instrument and it takes practice for the artist to be able to utilize their voice in such a manner to bring a different vibe and tone to each track. I like to say that by the time you have recorded 70 or 80 songs, then you should be comfortable enough to make a Record. By RECORD I mean PHYSICALLY RECORD ON A MICROPHONE INTO A MULTITRACK ENVIRONMENT. You can rap in circles and ciphers, in bathrooms and bars as long as you want, but until you actually start RECORDING you will never truly know how GOOD or BAD you sound. One of the final things I will leave you

with is QUALITY. Over the years I have recorded thousands of songs for many artists, and the relationships I have built were because I never sold beats, I never sold music, I SOLD QUALITY. Having a SUPERIOR PRODUCT comes down to the QUALITY of the product. Con-sumers want to feel like they are getting a PRODUCT worth their hard earned $$$. To the artists I say “NEVER CUT CORNERS”. There is a PROCESS to

making good music. This process involves having a good PRODUCT to start with, the RECORDING process, the MIXING pro-cess, and the MASTERING process. One of the easiest

ways to separate your music from the rest is to always follow these processes. Never take shortcuts and approach each process individually so that all attention and focus can be given to the PRODUCT. With the advent of digital technology, artist’s no longer need 6 figure record-ing budgets to make quality recordings. However, spending the extra time and money to make sure that your project is mixed and mastered by a qualified engi-neer will only enhance the overall quality of the PRODUCT. In conclusion, there is no template or formula to becoming a successful artist in the music business. However focusing on having a qual-ity PRODUCT can only improve your chances of being a successful entertainer. Twon Taylor

If you would like to have your music reviewed please submit your recording in MP3 format to TwonTaylor@grandscale-magazine.com

“...THE PROBLEM THAT I SEE WITH A LOT OF “PRODUCT” THESE DAYS ISMUCH OF IT SOUNDS THE SAME.”

GOT PRODUCT?

PG 14 | DEC – JAN 2012

With an objective to “help educate the market on hair, fashion and music,” Clas-sic Style, established in 2006 by Keith Potter of “The Real Cut Above Barber Shop” and Tazae Hughes of “Blades Entertainment”, has achieved all that, and more.

This year’s installation of this annual event took place on October 23 at Cloud 9 Bar and Grill. Complete with energetic and appealing hosts, a variety of salons, barbers, stylists and models, Classic Style provided its attendees with a look into a

world many of us are not regularly privy to. From start to finish, the show pre-sented enough entertainment to keep you tuned in. VIP guests were also treated with gift bags, containing various edibles and products from a wide range of spon-sors. Providing guests with stellar perfor-mances from acclaimed artists including Lee’A Ro, Big Dave, Young Tone, and A’nem, spoken word, Christian-themed

works and various vendors, Classic Style attended to your hearts desires. The show also allowed for designers such as Kevin West and “thrifters” including Fly’s Nest to display their pieces. Contrary to the belief that the ending of a show is to be lackluster, the final pre-sentations proved to be the best! Ebony “E-Styles” Stroder’s performance spot-lighting Breast Cancer Awareness and the acrobatics presented by “B Extravagant” salon brought the crowd to its feet! Being an attendee of previous Classic Styles’, this year proved to be “different”, in its efforts to reach the audience, through dif-ferent forms of entertainment. The show, again, succeeded in showcasing a wide variety of artists, with different styles, ex-pressing themselves, without constraints. Much applause to Keith Potter and Tazae Hughes for continually bringing an event, containing a wide variety of outlooks on life...to life.

~Nicky Mac

DEC – JAN 2012 | PG 15

BIOGRAPHY:

Big Dave was born March 12, 1982 in Indianapolis, Indiana to a single mother. He was intro-duced to Hip Hop at the young age of six, deriving his early inspiration from the likes of Dana Dane, Kool Moe D, LL Cool J, N.W.A., Ice Cube, and Snoop Dog, as well asothers. Starting off just playing around when he was seven, Big Dave began to take rapping serious in 1997 and released two albums with his local group, Controversy.

After losing fellow group member and close friend, Lloyd Price Jr. aka B.L.A.D.E.S., in a car accident in December 2001, Big Dave released his first solo album entitled, “I Was Made for This.” In 2003, he entered and won Star Quest and followed this success with three more al-bums: The Take Over (2005), Alive and Well (2007), and Coalition (2008). Currently, Big Dave is working on his seventh album, 3850, and a Hip Hop project, Grown Man Music .

It is one of Big Dave’s goals to not only be a great artist, but also to be a great man and touch as many lives as he can with his music, inspiring others to live for their dreams despite what life might throw at them. Not only does Big Dave want to excel in his craft, but he also wants to excel as a businessman and hopes to bring notoriety to hishome town.

Lee’a RoLee’a Ro, born Leah Rowe, is an Indianapolis native who started singing at the very young age of three years. Inspired by her mother, a gospel singer who often devoted her vocals to those hospitalized, Lee’a always knew singing was what she was meant to do. “Everything! I love everything about singing and always wanted to do it since I was a little girl.”

At the age of 12, a dear friend who has since passed encouraged her to not only express herself vocally, but to try her hand at writing as well. She’s been writing honest, passionate lyrics that are sincere and captivating ever since. “It’s always been an outlet for me. There’s just something in me that I have to let out. It’s my story, and I have to tell it.”

After stepping away from her craft for three years to focus on becoming a moth-er, Lee’a Ro is back, continually growing, writing, performing and capturing life as only she can with sultry and powerful vocals mixed with edgy soulfulness laid over beats that definitely make you get up and dance. Look for her debut album, The Lee’a Ro Show, coming soon!

PG 16 | DEC – JAN 2012

JANUARY 15, 2012

SUNDAY JANUARY 15, 2012

The Real Cut Above Barbershopwill be Celebrating it’s 20 year Anniversary!

So if you’ve been down with The Real, come Celebrate a milestone in our community.

This will be a Black Tie Affair by invitation & with RSVP only.

5pm - 9pm Location TBA

S A V E T H E D A T E

Contact Don Potter P ski or NaShay Ransom via Facebook for more information

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facebook.com/the-real-cut-above-barbershopfacebook.com/don.p.ski