June, 2009 • Volume 1.3 Complimentary

Denise Fortinlighting up the Sarnia-Lambton art scene

SARNIA-LAMBTON ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

Running Red Lights

Lambton Mainstreet Players

A fist pumping mantra that will soon findits way onto the lips and the underpants of millions.

We like the cut of your jib.

Graphic Designand LayoutCCI Studios

Darryl GrahamKevin Murphy

Bryan ReidPhotographyIan Alexander

Lauren BainesJ.R. Clubb

Angela ColvinAnnette HoveyAllan Kirkland

Hailey McHargIan McLean

Dennis MitchellWayne NantaisMelissa Upfold

Cover artDenise Fortin (main)

Melissa UpfoldAnnette Hovey

have travelled otherwise. I hope that reading Fix does the same for you and that you will not only read about what is happening with the artsy entertainers of Sarnia-Lambton but also be inspired by what is being created and contribute to it.

Truly yours,

Jessica PedlarManaging Editor/Publisher

When I started this magazine, I began as a writer. But as I move forward, meet new people and see new things, I find that I have evolved into much more than someone who sticks to a pen and paper. Meeting others and the seeing or hearing the art they have created has inspired me to try new things. Never thought yourself a painter? You’ll never know until you pick up a brush and soak a canvas in colour. You don’t have to create gallery-worthy pieces - you don’t even have to create fridge-worthy pieces - but create something. Experiment and enjoy doing it. Try your hand (and your eye) at photography. Take pictures of the beautiful scenery or wildlife that Lambton County has to offer. Take pictures of your family and friends. Take pictures at concerts or other events. With a creative mind and a camera, the possibilities are endless. Only practice singing in your car? Why not record something and play it back for someone you love or better yet, burst out of your shell and sing for them in person? What do you really have to lose? Perhaps you won’t find yourself on a stage in front of millions any time soon but you might surprise yourself and end up with a few fans (yes, relatives count). Write something. Write anything. Write a poem, a short story, a novel, a letter or an entry in a journal. You never have to show anyone if you don’t want to. Just do it for yourself. My experiences have led me down paths I never would

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Our Contributors:Writers

Ian AlexanderMargaret BirdAngela Colvin

Wendy CornelisE. Ebbs

Jessica IrelandAllan Kirkland

Adam MinerDennis Mitchell

Rose MoorePeter Noble

Jessica PedlarKristin Ray

Trent RogersLorna Schmidt

Jess ValleeBrendan Wiley

Editor portrait by Sam Bradley

Fix Magazine265 Front Street N.

Unit 411, Suite MSarnia, Ontario N7T 5S6

www.fixmagazine.ca

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Our county is a forum for inspiration. Take it all in and give a little back.

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SARNIA-LAMBTON ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

May, 2009 • VoluMe 1.2

CoMpliMentary

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Artwalk 2009

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At the Victoria Playhouse Lauren BainesCoconut at Empty Fest Hailey McHarg

Ghost Wolf Hailey McHarg

Gallery Lambton’s First Friday video art screening at Trinity Lounge

Jessica Pedlar

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Artopia Jessica PedlarThe Perpetrators Hailey McHarg

Sound of Fans at Puck Around Hailey McHarg

Sandro Manzon in the pit at Curtain Call Hailey McHarg

Mike Stevens Hailey McHarg

PHOTOPhoto review of the latest and greatest events found in and around Lambton County.

Submit photos to photos@fixmagazine.ca

Ndidi Onukwulu’s violinist at Paddy Flaherty’s Hailey McHarg

Dane Hansen at the Sarnia Library Hailey McHarg

Dirty Boeuf at Empty Fest Hailey McHarg

Nick McKinlay at Urban Nature Centre Hailey McHarg

“Deep End”, 2009, 11” x 14”, 2009

hallucinatory colour

LLocal Artist, Denise Fortin, has been lighting up the Sarnia art scene recently. Her First Friday showing at the Lawrence House in March featured many of the positively charged pieces from her latest collections including the bright colours and spiritual undertones she is known for.

Fortin has lived in several cities across Canada and feels that now, by the peaceful waters of the St. Clair River, she has found her niche in art creation. The artist has thoroughly studied and researched many means of creating positive energy and expressing it in her work. She describes the way she channels her inspiration from both the sub-conscious and conscious through the practises of Yoga and Reiki atonements, which are apparent in such collections as Deities and Shadow People.

With the use of acrylics and watercolours, Fortin is quoted as wanting to show her “reverence to yoga which has brought so much to my life and has, in turn, redefined me.” She also

notes the “importance of release and acknowledgement of dark energies” as being key in the production of much of her work which can be viewed in downtown Sarnia at the Urban Earth Center as well as in Wallaceburg at the Creative Eye Gallery.

As for the future, plans are to show again in 2010 in First Friday Events in Sarnia and to continue to practise her art “in the zone and free flowing.” No matter what the universe may hold for her, Denise Fortin is showing promise of an electric artistic career in Sarnia-Lambton.

Ian McLean returns to Artopia Gallery and Framing with his latest series of paintings exploring imagined private residential exteriors. Swimming pools, hot tubs and luscious but enclosed spaces are painted in exaggerated and hallucinatory colour. At once seductive and mysterious, familiar and voyeuristic, McLean continues to explore connections between environment and the human condition.

An established local artist, Ian McLean has exhibited extensively in Ontario and teaches art at Northern Collegiate in Sarnia.

Kristin Ray

Denise Fortinbright colours luscious spacesand spiritual undertones

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Teatime with the Skeletons by Denise Fortin“Why Americans Are So Often Restless”, 24” x 36”, 2008

Denise Fortin

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Ian McLean: New Work, opening June 5

from 6:00-9:00pm at Artopia Gallery and

Framing, 136 Christina St., Sarnia, ON.

(519) 332-0278

Beautiful Love by Denise Fortin Decadence by Denise Fortin

“Hot Tub/Petri Dish”, 16” x 16”, 2008

Ian McLean

thriving in our community

wonderland home

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Sarnia Artists Workshop (SAW) is a group of people who share a common interest in the study and promotion of visual arts. Members of the Workshop mentor and encourage one another, and also work to foster the advancement of visual arts in the community. During the winter months, members meet weekly at workshops that include instructional sessions in drawing and painting. This varied indoor programme demonstrates various techniques. Upcoming and past workshops include demonstrations of transfer techniques for collage on tiles, the creation of jewellery using polymer clay, painting with pastels as well as demonstrations and instructions on water colour techniques.

SAW is an active and thriving group of artists. Its members

When many people are first told about Wearable Wonderland they often have no idea what it is. Is it a fashion show? Is it a display of costumes inspired by the Lewis Carroll book about a young girl falling down a rabbit hole? It is neither but instead is a new and exciting concept that has been described as “an artistic exploration of all types of body adornment, taking art off the walls and onto the body.”

Premiering in September of 2008, this collaboration between The Lawrence House Centre for The Arts and The Raw Sistas Collective, Wearable Wonderland was held at the Imperial Theatre to a small but enthusiastic crowd who were impressed by the creativity and originality of the show. It showcased the work of a dozen local designers, models and musicians, some of whom had travelled a very long way to be a part of the show.

Although the show will not be held until mid-October, organizers are issuing a Call For Submissions now and expect this years event to be twice as large as it was last year.

Travelling is a passion. A rare occasion to restore and replenish a soul with the energy that each working day depletes. It is an opportunity to get out of the routine, to get to know other people and to become familiar with the habits and traditions of the places they call “home.”

Each morning, I awake in the unfamiliar surroundings of another town, city or country. I feel that there is an opportunity for me to capture a moment, often a single one, that I will share with family, friends and perhaps even those who, although unknown, feel the same passion for photography that I do. I feel excited to venture into the day, keenly aware that my senses are heightened to observe my surroundings through the eye of a lens.

Perhaps because of travelling, as of late, a thought has dawned on me: one could spend their lifetime travelling the world, becoming aware of culture and beauty, learning to appreciate incredible and fascinating differences but for me the

are encouraged to showcase their work at various venues throughout the year. Work can currently be viewed at the offices of Bob Bailey, MPP for Sarnia Lambton. A number of its members have again this year entered the “Paint Ontario” show which is held each spring in Grand Bend. Last year one of its members, Gretchen Knapp, was a “Paint Ontario” award winner. The Workshop’s annual show and sale “Art at the Lake” is held at the Sarnia Riding Club each November. SAW is a member of the Lawrence House Centre for the Arts, Gallery Lambton and Gallery in the Grove in Bright’s Grove.

For information or to become a member of SAW, contact Marie Thrift at (519) 336-8626.

Check out SAW online at http://saw.sarnia.com.

most rewarding and lasting effect of travel is that it also allows you to see “home” in a different light. A new awareness and appreciation for the everyday scenes that happen in my own community.

Exotic Thailand is a perfect example. A flourishing, colourful floating market and a fantastic experience of culture. Yet this picture represents her daily life, her common scenery. This could be compared to a daily commuter on the highway to work. As routine to her as a man sipping his morning coffee behind a variety store counter is to us.

Familiarity often disconnects us from the beauty of life and the people that fill it. Appreciating distant lands can bring back a greater appreciation of the closer ones. So maybe the next time we see a tourist taking a picture of where we call home, stop and look at what they see through their eyes. You might just see something new.

Sarnia Artists Workshop

wearable

Lorna Schmidt

Dennis Mitchell Angela Colvin

bringing a part of the world

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M Make sure that you add an effect to enhance the look or feeling you are going for. If your intended viewer becomes too aware of the effect, they stop seeing the image and focus on the effect instead. Add your effects like seasoning. You want to enhance a steak with salt not dump the whole salt shaker on it. And be sure to match the effect to the style of the image. A gritty, grungy strongly exposed kitten may be what you are going for but compare the impact that type of effect would have on an older, weathered man with years of age and experience on his face. Alright, fire up that Photoshop! Let’s get everything lined up and ready. See the Menu bar? (It starts with FILE EDIT IMAGE...) Go over to the right hand and select WINDOW. A drop down menu appears, so select WORKSPACE. More Menus! Now select ESSENTIALS (Default). Nothing will probably happen on the screen, we just need to make sure that we have the same windows open and the same options available.

What you just selected is the window layout that gives you the most commonly used tools and tool groupings called “Pallets.” Take a look at the bottom right for the section called “Layers” (Figure A). This is arguably the most powerful feature of Photoshop. Remember the old overhead projectors in school? Think of the layers pallet as those plastic acetates that went on the glass of the projector. You can add layers of effects to the original image without making any changes to the original. Stack ‘em up on top of each other. Re-arrange their order. Very, very powerful, since whatever effect you apply to a layer only effects the layers underneath it in it’s order all without messing up your original. Don’t like the effect you are ending up with? Simply delete or hide the layer and you’re back to a fresh image. Adjustment layers are another part of the menu, allowing you to make changes to the colours, or tone without altering the original.

When you make a change to the original, you can undo your work, moving several steps back but if you close your file those “undo steps” are lost. Make your changes in the layers pallet. A good starting point is to make a copy of your original layer and then hide the original (click the eye) so you won’t accidentally apply a change to it. How? Click on your photo image in the layers pallet and drag it down onto the square icon to the left of

the garbage can. Presto, new layer of your image ready to mess with. If you prefer, click the eye beside the original background layer to hide it. Now you have a safe, returnable way to edit your photo. So lets try something. If you haven’t done so yet, open up an image and do the above steps. Once you have two layers, notice that you can select each layer just by clicking on it. That’s important, since whatever you do in Photoshop will effect the selected layer. Be sure you have the desired layer selected before you make any edits/effects. As mentioned, you can also make adjustments to layers without actually “applying” the adjustment to the actual image using the Adjustment Layers option. It’s the black and white circle in the middle. That allows you to tweak your saturations, exposure, contrast, and more as shown in Figure B. Click the black and white circle, then select the Hue/Saturation layer to add a layer to adjust the, you guessed it, hue and saturation of your image. Figure C shows the new slider window that appears. Grab the saturation arrow and slide it down (left). Watch the effect on your photo. Crank it to the right. Now go back to the layers pallet and click the eye beside the adjustment layer you just made. There’s the beauty of layers.You haven’t done anything to the original image. So let’s recap.You can add layers for a couple of reasons, either to create new safe ways to edit the content of your image or use an adjustment layer to change the colours, add contrast, brighten it up, etc. So lets make a cool effect. This will be a very simple, basic way to create an effect. More precise ways are available, but they are a bit more involved. Let’s keep it simple for this one. We are going to make a gritty or colour bronzing effect to an image to introduce some filters and adjustments. 1. Create a copy of your background. 2. Hit CTRL+SHIFT+U (PC) or CMD+SHIFT+U (mac) to make it black and white. 3. Now click on FILTER up top in the menu bar. 4. Select ARTISTIC, then FILM GRAIN and set all the values to 7. You should now have a grainy black and white image showing. Wow. That’s um, great. Half way there. The Layers pallet has another great feature. 4. Right underneath the LAYERS title in the pallet is a drop down box that shows Normal. Click it and select SOFT LIGHT from the drop down menu. 5. Right beside that drop down box is a box marked Opacity. Make that 50%. Almost done. 6. Now go back up to the FILTER menu and select BLUR, then GAUSSIAN BLUR. Set it to 7 and select OK. Click the eye beside the layer you made to see the difference. Try different layer types (Multiply, Screen, Overlay) to see the effects. Adjust

the opacity to strengthen the effect. Play with the settings in the FILM GRAIN and BLUR menus. Skip the blur step to add a bit of grit instead of colouring. Each photo is different so explore. If you don’t like the effect, no problem, just delete the layer and try something new. Your original is safe, ready for any type of adjustment.

ultimatethe introduction to

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How to add some cool effects to your photos and artwork.

cool effectspart 2

FIRST RULE OF EFFECTS CLUBDO NOT TALK ABOUT EFFECTS CLUB

DON’T OVER-DO IT.

SECOND RULE OF EFFECTS CLUB

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FIG

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FIG

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DON’T MESS WITH THE ORIGINAL

THIRD RULE OF EFFECTS CLUB

Miss the first article?Look for it online in theMay issue - Volume 1.2

Allan Kirkland

Any photo can be impacted by a few tecniques.

I’ll show you this one next month.

Hailey McHarg photographyseeing life through a lens Hailey McHarg bobs and weaves through the crowd. People barely take notice of her lithe frame and almost-white dreadlocks as she crouches, aims and clicks away. It’s a Friday night in Sarnia, and a local band is playing at a local pub – this is where McHarg is usually found. But she’s not in the audience, passively enjoying the scene – she’s up front, capturing it on her ever-present camera. She’s recently become a well-known fixture in the Sarnia arts’ community, photographing everything from plays to concerts. She is in the midst of starting her own professional studio but for her, photography has always been less of a job and more of just how she sees life. “In my head, the way my brain works – I see in photographs,” she explained. “I see everything in a four by six frame.” McHarg is quick to smile, earthy and artistic. She always seems comfortable in her surroundings; the local arts’ scene is part of what she’s all about. She stands out in a crowd of older women and men, in an oversized plaid shirt, flared jeans and a tank top with her hair pulled back into a thick ponytail. Yet she’s able to blend in, peering from behind her camera lens periodically.She was given her first camera when she was 12 years old for her birthday by her father, who also has experience in photography. Throughout high school, she became a bit of a Renaissance woman, getting involved in theatre, picking up the drums and guitar, painting and dabbling in photography. It was only three years ago that she decided that her medium would be the lens and her canvas would be the things she knew the best – theatre and music. McHarg said her knowledge in these areas is what sets her apart from other photographers. While she won’t be doing weddings, her interest and experience in the arts lets her take a different picture than a photographer who has never played the drums for example, she said. Her reasoning for opening her own studio was to focus on her love of band photography. Her deep respect for performers heavily influences her photos and brings them to life. “My first thought is that I want to showcase the musician,” she said. “The musician is putting out audio and the photo is only visual. I want to capture the audio and the performance.” For her, taking a photograph of a musician is figuring out who the performer is – she wants to ensure she’s representing their essence in a picture. “I want to do the performers justice,” she said. For example, she explained that she

If ever professorial activities could be poetical, then Lois Nantais has found a way of doing just that. Her research and analytical-based background in the social sciences has offered her an interesting platform from which to develop and project her inner self through poetry. Lois’s compulsion to write and teach with passion has taken her along an unstructured creative path that will not only increase her own awareness of all that surrounds her but also promote her love of the arts. Poetry offers Lois a complete change of pace from the academic world and allows her to travel in the conscience moment, being aware only of straight sensory experiences. By allowing her passion for expression to drive her focus, she is able to honour every moment experienced, by writing poems with carefully chosen words - words that come directly from the soul. “Using my recent graduate studies on Jungian Analysis (the purpose of which is to establish an effective relation between the ego and the unconscious in order, ultimately, to facilitate a transformation of the psyche – a process in which dream interpretation is vitally important), I applied this to my own experiences, using poetry as the platform, to see what I could discover. The results were startling and what emerged showed

would never photograph a punk rock singer the same as she would a female singer-songwriter.“If you can hear the music they’re playing in the photo, then I’m

a happy, happy lady,” she said.McHarg’s photos are full of the energy and the passion of the performer. Whether it’s the swagger of a lead singer or the quirky qualities of an accordion player, it shows in the way the picture was taken. Being a photographer, McHarg is used to being a little behind the scenes. But

she set some goals for herself while in New York last summer at the All Points West music festival, watching photographers in the first row, getting shots of the bands. Now she feels ready to get noticed. One of Hailey’s goals of having a large-scale installation will be achieved this summer during Sarnia’s Artwalk. Her show at the Imperial Theatre is entitled Public Displays of Affection but does not feature the kind of displays you’d expect. It will involve photographs she’s taken throughout

the past couple of years of artists performing in public without getting paid. Her overall vision for the show is to showcase and have others recognize the passion of these individuals.“They love what they do so much that they do it in public for free,” she said of her subjects. Some are high schools students performing in school plays, bands performing at bars or actors at the Imperial Theatre.As her talent becomes as recognized as her bleached dreadlocks, McHarg acknowledges how she got here and what it took to keep her moving forward.“I had a lot of support from anyone I took photographs of,” she said. “If the people you took a photo of like it – you’re good to go.” Those interested in seeing more of McHarg’s work can visit www.haileymchargphotography.com or they can see her show at the Imperial Theatre from June 5 - July 1, 2009.

me that we, as people, still know very little – we all consist of body, mind and spirit and are on a long upward curve to enlightenment,” said Nantais. Nantais is inspired by everything around her and her writings express the dimensional elements of the human conditions of

pain and limitation, joy and beauty – all of which emerge when she sets her spirit free to do so. Lois is in the centre of all these spiritual happenings and her soul can emit the energies she experiences, along with her aura, to the planes beyond – thus allowing her to share her passions with others and the outside world. Writing is Lois’s form of private mediation, releasing her soul’s need to communicate, reaffirming her innermost desires and celebrating her presence and journey here on earth. “I have a busy mind and it can get into trouble over-processing.

Poetry allows me quiet reflection, and it’s extremely healing and revealing,” she added. Lois’s poems have been published in several Canadian literary journals, including Room, Variations, Quill, and The Harpweaver. She is a member of Writers in Transition (a Sarnia-based literary group), Canadian Poetry Association and The Ontario Poetry Society.

HJessica Ireland

Margaret Bird

writer profile

Lois Nantaiswriting and teaching with passionWayne Nantais

Lois Nantais

A man once challenged Ernest Hemingway to write a story that would say it all. In only six words. He wrote: “For Sale: Baby shoes, never worn.”Last month, we invited readers to submit their own six word novels. If you missed our original story, we want you to capture the essence of a feeling or experience in a distilled form. Take a story that you would like someone to know. Compact it and share your story with six powerful words. When you’re done, you can submit your six word novel to Fix Magazine to be considered for printing in an upcoming issue. We hope you will give it a shot and submit something great.

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6the six word novelPaul WitheridgeNever opened. Small stain.

Parachute available.

Montgomery Hollowayhandle of toboggan.

Lost: Saint Bernard,

Montgomery Hollowayannounce his death.

Harold’s surprised wives

Montgomery HollowayLawnmowers shouldn’t trim hedges.

Exit Fingers.

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Submit your novel to6words@fixmagazine.ca

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from Essex countyE. Ebbs • Books generously provided by The Book Keeper

White Is for Witching is the absorbing story of Miranda Silver, her small family and the Dover hotel in which they live. Many eccentric or unusual teens in fiction are annoyingly contrived and unsympathetic – not so Miranda. Oyeyemi’s deft pen has created a character who is very sweet, very vulnerable and, most importantly, very real. Miranda is a teen with an unusual disease. She suffers from pica, a rare disorder that causes her to crave and consume inedible things. She will eat plastic or pebbles or anything, but chalk is her favourite. During the brief years covered in the novel Miranda struggles with her pica and

with her supportive but sadly disconnected family. She struggles with the people of her village and school, whom she cannot understand, and, though she is not aware of it, Miranda also struggles to resist the sinister influence of the hotel.

Miranda’s mother Lily dies when Miranda is sixteen. This trauma in her life makes Miranda’s pica worse and the already unstable girl becomes a little more unhinged. The hotel, endowed with a creepy sentience, encourages her growing madness and isolation in subtle ways. Miranda becomes more confused and puzzled by her own thoughts. She loses the will to fight her pica, loses her awareness that it is something she should fight. The hotel is chilling; its desires are incomprehensible; its methods are subtle.

But do not be misled. White Is for Witching is not a horror story about a demonic building or haunted house. It is a melancholy gothic tale … desperate, gripping and unsettling.

Jessica Grant’s first novel is a welcome breath of fresh air for the Canadian literary scene. Grant welcomes her readers into a story which is bright, witty and warm. Come, Thou Tortoise is a delightful change from the dark and troubled narratives of many works of quality fiction, Canadian and otherwise. Absorbing and worthwhile as such books may be, it is refreshing to read a story of family, death, love and life which is joyful rather than melancholy. And joyful it is, despite a plot involving break-ups, mortality and other sorrows of adult life.

Audrey Flowers is a smart, caring woman. She is unselfish and open to happiness. When Audrey learns of her father’s impending death she must abruptly leave her home in Oregon to return to him in Newfoundland. She leaves behind Winnifred, her ancient pet tortoise. Winnifred is a self-absorbed but insightful creature who occasionally acts as narrator. In a dry matter-of-fact voice she either reminisces about her past or describes her current situation and Audrey’s travails. Her viewpoint is restricted both physically and psychologically because she is a tortoise with a tortoise’s ideas about what is important.

Grant takes us through some difficult and sad episodes in Audrey’s life, but the story never becomes maudlin or melodramatic. She uses language in a way that is creative and, frankly, fun. Come, Thou Tortoise is the work of a bright new talent and is highly recommended.

book reviewsWhite is for witching

Come, Thou Tortoise

Helen Oyeyemi

Jessica Grant

Hamish Hamilton

Knopf Canada

II first heard of Jeff Lemire when I came across a review of a book called Essex County Volume 1: Tales From the Farm. My brain, tickled by familiarity, led me to dig deeper. Sure enough, the title did refer to somewhat local geography. Storyteller, Lemire, though now an urbane Torontonian, originally hailed from Woodslee, ON, a small town northwest of Leamington. Intrigued, I tracked the book down and rarely has taking such a chance paid off so well.

Tales From the Farm is framed in subject matter that most of us in this area can relate to at least tangentially – rural life, family, hockey and childhood fantasy. We are introduced to 10 year old Lester, orphaned and living on his Uncle Ken’s farm. Lester, a barnyard superhero in cape and domino mask, befriends Jimmy Lebeuf the former professional hockey player who now runs the local Esso station where Ken gets his diesel and Lester, his comic books. Lemire makes us care about these characters within a page or two of meeting them.

In volume 2 of the trilogy, Ghost Stories, we meet Jimmy’s great uncle Lou Lebeuf. Lou’s reminiscences take us back in time to introduce Jimmy’s grandfather Vince as he and Lou leave their small hometown to join the Maple Leafs in Toronto. No great hockey fan, I was pleased to discover that it isn’t the only “sport” being played in Ghost Stories. The brothers compete with each other off the ice as well - with lifelong repercussions.

The Country Nurse brings the trilogy to a close, tying together all the threads that Lemire has laid out throughout the series. Anne Quenneville is a nurse who travels the roads of Essex County caring for her familiar rural patients, ministering to them not just physically but emotionally as well.

This series will be collected in a single volume this August and is a poignant examination of isolation and loss, regret and reconciliation; all in our own backyard. Lemire’s distinctive black and white artwork, which I love will be an acquired taste to some. I highly recommend you spend some time in Essex County.

Trent Rogers

greetings

Images copyrightTop Shelf Productions

B Brian and Tammy Vickery are known for the wondrous creations from the oven at Alternate Grounds. This writer never leaves hungry after a visit at the café located across from Centennial Park in Sarnia. The Vickery’s were kind enough to share some things they have learned from their experiences in the glorious world of baking with Fix. To prevent your cookies from burning, choose thick baking sheets. Set your oven rack so it’s in the middle of your oven and always pre-heat your oven. Every minute counts when baking cookies. Check for doneness a minute or two before the suggested bake time and check often. Allow the cookies to cool on a baking sheet for at least two minutes before transferring them to cooling racks to keep them from breaking.Cool and wipe baking sheets clean with a paper towel between batches. Better yet, use parchment paper to line your sheets. It helps with clean-up and helps cookies bake evenly. Do not substitute wax paper for parchment paper. It is not the same and will not work.

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Grind flax seeds and mis with water until an egg-like consistency is achieved. Combine flour and spices, leavening agents and salt in a bowl. In a large bowl, combine carrots, seeds and raisins. Mix these and add brown sugar and flax seed mixture. Add oil last. Add dry mix to wet mix. The batter is supposed to be dry. Add more flour if needed. Scoop onto greased cookies sheets using a ¼ cup measure and flatten the cookies. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes.

1 ounce vodka1/2 ounce crème de cacao

1/2 ounce Bailey’s2 ounces creamShake over ice.

3/4 ounce blueberry vodka3/4 ounce mango malibu 1 ounce mango juice1 ounce blueberry juiceA splash of 7UP

Jessica Pedlar Hailey McHarg

Alternate Grounds cool drinksfrom the kitchen ofbaking tips

Raspberry DelightBlugo

warm weatherGluten-free Carrot Sesame Energy Cookies

LUNCH LOUNGE MARTINI HOUSE

full servicelunch & dinner

take out orders welcome

~ menu on-line ~

live entertainment~ call for dates ~

featuringour new summer

menu!!

When baking, follow directions. When cooking,go by your own taste. ~Laiko Bahrs

4 cups grated carrot1 cup sesame seeds

2/3 cup pumpkin seeds1 cup raisins

1 1/3 cups brown sugar1/2 cup canola oil

1 2/3 cups gluten-free flour1/4 cup flax seeds mixed with water

2 tsp baking powder1/2 tsp baking soda

2 tsp cinnamon1 tsp nutmeg

1/4 tsp salt

Alternate Grounds

Breakfast • Lunch • DessertTeas by Tammy • Catering

Monday to Friday 7am - 5pmSaturday to Sunday 8am - 3pm

519-344-2228 • www.alternategrounds.citymax.com410 Front Street, Sarnia

Martini recipes courtesy of Sean Barlow of Limbo Lounge.

Life is one grand, sweet song, so start the music.

Melissa Upfold

running red lights

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– Ronald Reagan

MUSIC

Sarnia’S Summer party

headquarterS

Come for the food, stay for the fun!

485 Harbour Road • Sarnia, Ontario • 519-337-8466www.stokesbaysarnia.com

newly renovated patioCome CheCk out sarnia’s largest and

with a great view!

A fist pumping mantra that will soon find its way onto the

lips and the underpants of millions. Running Red Lights (RRL) is the next quintessential,

mythical, legendary rock band. The Toronto based band has no shortage of ego or super models typical of future mega stars. Four outrageous personalities and individual styles fuse together to construct a garden of sound as unique as a fingerprint. Running Red Lights members Scarlett (lead vocal), Andy Powell (bass), Dave Puzak (guitar) and Kevin Howley (drums) have all individually and uniquely played integral roles in the ongoing evolution of RRL’s musical brew of anchored rhythms, silky guitar, pop driven vocals and soulful beats.

Running Red Lights assembled together in March of 2006. Andy, Kevin and Dave were initially recruited as hired musicians for Scarlett’s original project, however, it was difficult to dispute the musical connection, beyond typical band chemistry, that emerged after only a few weeks. Shortly

after debuting at the Halifax Juno Festival, the band scrapped the Scarlett material and began carving a sound that would encompass the songwriting and musical talents of everyone. In the span of little over three years, Running Red Lights have written a generous portion of material that might fill an entire classroom of ipods. However, due to the wealth of individual talent and assorted influences, developing a collective and concentrated sound has been a gradual and time-consuming affair. Aided by renowned rock producer, Gavin Brown (Billy Talent, Three Days Grace, Midway State, Thornley) the band has gone through a rigorous development process that has unlocked a distinctive and explosive combination of sounds. RRL has managed to filter massively diverse influences ranging from U2, The Cure, Pretenders, Phil Collins, Michael Jackson, The Killers, Fleetwood Mac, D’angelo and Kayne West through their own distinct musical perspectives.

The RRL sound is not only the result of individual styles,

but also a communal style that unfolded during a steady, three year cover gig tour. The band perfected the craft of live performance, playing a slew of Ontario dives, doozies and gems, developing not only a musical brand but also a burgeoning fan base. RRL’s inflammable energy and rock solid musicality has made them an audience favorite in Sarnia. Paddy Flaherty’s has been RRL’s Sarnia headquarters for the past year and a half, where they consistently manage to pack the respectably sized pub with screaming admirers.

Unfortunately for fans, RRL’s long anticipated debut album will be a well kept secret for at least another few months as they continue to record and perfect. They predict the release of an EP by May followed by an independent music video. When questioned about the upcoming record, front woman Scarlett grins widely and says with as much confidence as any one can have in the unpredictable world of music, “I genuinely expect this record to make not just ripples in the industry but massive f&!%in’ waves.”

Indeed the current state of the music world is uncertain and bands are obliterating by the hundreds under the growing obstacles and pressures of the business. However, RRL remains focused, courageous and optimistic. ‘We’re not trying to compete with or chase whatever music trend is of the moment,’ drummer Kevin Howley comments, “our style is completely fresh, which I think is key in today’s attention deficit society.” There is no question that the band is confident and possess a go-getting, bulldozing attitude that has undoubtedly earned them the name Running Red Lights.

You can catch RRL this summer at Bayfest when they open for The Counting Crows and The Trews. Visit RRL online at www.rrlmusic.com

Scene

20

Artistic success is hard to define but where commercial success is objective rather than subjective, it is artistic achievement which seems most tangible to the artist. It’s unknown whether a record is going to pay for your next car but with hard work you can guarantee it’s a document of growth and source for future inspiration. When working on Jagged Little Pill with Alanis Morissette, Glenn Ballard remembers it as an exciting and inspiring process but had no inkling of the world-wide phenomenon it would be.

One of the most inspiring experiences I’ve had as a producer was with Court Lajoie. Previously, I’ve discussed how attentiveness in preproduction can illuminate production; and Court’s record Mindshift is an example of how those first few days liberated us to experiment wildly with different sounds and textures later on. There is freedom in the form.

Court brought a collection of songs on her laptop she recorded with it’s internal mic. They had guitars, basses, harmonies and drum loops. I spent a few days with headphones and a notebook, daydreaming of what was possible before we got together to dissect them. Afterwards we spent a week paring down the song list; adjusting lyrics and structures and adding virtual instruments.

This July will mark four years that Sarnia boys Pat Ovens and Doug Nahrgang of The Sarnia Scene (TSS) have been putting on extremely successful punk, ska and fun rock shows. Their successes include the very recent Spiral Beach show at the Trinity Lounge, countless Over The Top and Johnstones shows, the Misfits show held at The Industry Theatre and many others.

TSS started when both Ovens and Nahrgang were 15 with an online message board that Ovens made before MySpace and Facebook were big, to be used for discussing upcoming shows. The boys met and decided to start hosting their own shows.

“Ironically, we did it for the love of punk rock, just for the sake of having shows. Then the government forced us to make it a business. We are now in the system,” says Nahrgang about staying true to their roots. The two are now trying to embark on shows other than punk and metal, with appearances from bands like the Spiral Beach, an electronic hard-rock-pop new wave circus, that still attracted The Sarnia Scene punk and metal crowd who were more than accepting to bounce around to the fun, loud tunes.

“The audiences Pat and Doug bring have so much energy and fun. More than what can be said for most venues we play in

preproduction into The SarniaPreproduction is like under-painting. Some elements need to be

roughly added in before the real work can begin. On “Memory,” we decided to construct twenty-four tracks of Court’s voice to create a choral-group that performed her guitar part - note for note. A virtual version of this group was created first so we were able to hear how it would sound before printing sheet music and recording takes.

With all the preproduction in place we moved forward with a highly creative and organic production inspired by background textural elements in records by U2, Ani DiFranco, The Beatles and others that seem to contradict the upfront information. It was like developing a custom auditory paint set. Court and I looked for ways to create a sense of unity with the strange atmospheric ingredients we created.

A combination we used several times was the blending of a Hammond organ I had coupled with Court’s dusty-sounding accordion running through a guitar amp; which became this interesting third instrument. To capture the inspiration of the summer night and the sound of crickets on the song “Country Road,” we recorded outside - which was better than using a sample of night sounds over a “studio performance.” For certain songs, we threw duct tape and odd percussion elements onto the drum set to make it sound more industrial. Later, a percussionist was invited to play metal bowls filled with various amounts of water as part of our strive for the unconventional.

Preproduction is like a GPS unit that lets you get lost with the security of knowing you can always find your way. In terms of artistic success, it’s the part I believe has the greatest return on investment. As for commercial success, the only insight I have is something James Iha of Smashing Pumpkins said: “accentuate what little talent you have and make sure your hair looks great.”

No thanks James, I’m going to stick to the art. Toronto,” Daniel Woodhead of Spiral Beach comments on the Sarnia Scene success.

“It’d be cool if we could get Stokely-big, like they did with Bayfest, but we really want to keep to our original audiences with small, but really fun shows,” says Ovens about the course of their success. The two openly admit to their amount of professionalism on events as big as the Misfits show. Despite paying for the bands’ riders (food and supplies) out of their own pockets and losing money in order to have a successful show, Pat and Doug are extremely positive about their experiences.

“The drummer from the Misfits gave me a hundred bucks out of his own pocket,” laughs Nahrgang “They were great guys, and they knew that we lost a lot of money, so after the show, they took us to the casino and we spent all their money. It was awesome.”

The two say that these shows are not about them, they’re about giving kids something to do instead of drinking and getting the local names across this town. It’s all about the crowds that come out and spend five to 10 bucks for a night. To them, it’s about building a community.

And that they are.

productionThe third part in a series of articles written to guide aspiring musicians through the recording process. Adam Miner of DNA Music

Ian Alexander

A

T

Hailey McHargDNA Studios

F I

J

BREVIEWS

From start to finish this album is a rollercoaster of blues-like acoustic ballads and energetic rock songs. Right to Stand is the long awaited LP from The Tree Streets or Brendan Fraser, Dave Russell and Colin Jolly. It starts off with the prominent drum beat and a catchy guitar riff of “Never Enough.” Most of the songs on the album are reminiscent of classic rock with complicated guitar parts and simple bass and drumming. The echoing vocals and acoustic guitar in “Rocking Chair” is a dip in momentum after the much faster paced “Caught Look’n” and “White Girl.” The guitars go quickly from rock to bluesy and slow in the beginning of the song “Beside You,” showing the dimension of guitar styles that Fraser can play. The percussion and bass lines are drawn from old blues and rock ‘n roll beats to provide the backbone of each song. “Where the Colour Go” starts off with a complicated bass line and turns into long guitar wails that add to the haunting yet charismatic vocals of Russell. Right to Stand is definitely not filled with the same old rock everyone is used to hearing; you’ll be up and dancing to this unique and soulful album.

“Brand new ‘old school’ country,” as Manery deems it, is nothing short of extremely accurate. This is country music done right, y’all. If you’ve had the pleasure of catching one of these fellas’ performances at The Stubborn Mule, The Trinity Lounge, or of course, Rogers Bayfest, Tractorcaster, their debut album, captures every bit of energy and rockabilly fun they bring to the stage. Manery’s goofy and loveable, ob-rock-xious cowboy stage antics can almost be visualized while listening. The DNA Studios recording does the songs and the feel of the music more than justice in almost playfully poking fun at the genre but, overall celebrating it as the Barnburners know what they’re doing. In the song “Honky Tonk Special,” Manery adds a much needed, ridiculous southern twang to his voice, singing “...they call me the honky-tonk spayshoo.” With hurtin’ love songs, rockin’ twang and brilliant instrumental variety (stand-up bass and fiddle, clapping and audio tracks of revving motors at times) you can almost picture most of the songs being performed behind a cage at Bob’s Country Bunker, a la Blues Brothers, happily having an unnecessary amount of beer bottles tossed at them in praise. Tractorcaster should be given a try by all country lovers, music lovers, and any cynic that be hatin’ on good ol’ rockin’ tunes based on the generalization that ALL country music is becoming too sissy-pop.

In order to properly listen to this six-song EP, go to your equalizer and crank up the bass settings. This will ensure the optimum listening experience and will knock the dust off your shelves. This recording is pleasantly misleading as it begins with a prolonged synthesizer intro. It gives no warning of the thundering guitars, driving rhythm and growling vocals to follow. The thumping bass and drums provide a solid backbone and allow the guitarist to show some chops. There are some great virtuoso solos here with the occasional nod to progressive rock. This is NOT an album to relax to as the lyrics in “Stand Up and Fight” attest; “the thought of your weakness makes you meditate some more.” In general, while the up tempo portions (and there are some significant bursts of speed here) show this band at their best, the dual guitar sections and transitions show that Morbid Theory has some depth. Chaos Breed demonstrates a good mix of a slow deliberate verse, switching to a lightning quick barrage and then a methodical progressive rock bridge - all in the span of less than a minute.

Jes Kahili’s Ocean Wide, puts an inventive twist on several different genres of music. The fact that no one track sounds like any of the others makes for a refreshing and interesting composition that will appeal to a wide range of listeners. Kahili’s softer voice and tendency to use a lot of back to back, major to minor chord transitions on the quieter tracks, creates a calm and relaxing atmosphere. The subdued nature of it also allows for a nice contrast with the heavier licks, integrating just enough distortion and classic rock and roll power chords to create a truly unique sound. Heart Chakra’s addition of traditional Indian percussion is something rarely heard in the North American music scene and attentive listeners should pick up on the unmistakable resemblance between “The Maze” and Pink Floyd’s “Welcome to the Machine.” All in all, it is a great independent album that should not be overlooked. Kahili’s ability to mix various styles of music including blues, rock, funk, grunge and country, just to name a few, ensures that Ocean Wide remains in a genre and a league of its own.

The Tree Streets

Scott Manery& The Barnburners

Morbid Theory

Jes Kahili

Right to Stand

Tractorcaster

Chaos Breed

Ocean Wide Lola’s lounge

The party at the end of Christina Street.

110 Christina StreetSarnia, Ontario519•336•8088

In a band? If you want to see yourCD reviewed in send it to:

Fix Magazine265 Front Street NorthUnit 411 - Suite MSarnia, Ontario N7T 5S6 Peter Noble

Brendan Wiley

Jess Vallee

Ian Alexander

ventsCALENDAR OF

brought to you byJune

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• Guitar Hero at Puck Around• Acoustic Night at Paddy Flaherty’s • Band Night at Puck Around

• Grey is the Sky at Stokes by the Bay (8:30pm) • Bright’s Grove Canada Day Parade

• Until July 18 – I’ll Be Back Before Midnight by Peter Colley at Victoria Playhouse Petrolia

• Karaoke Guy at Two Amigo’s • Karaoke with Kip at Puck Around

• Come Play with M.E. Karaoke at Picadilly’s

• Live Racing at Hiawatha Horse Park

• Karaoke Guy at Two Amigo’s • Canadian Cancer Society Relay for Life at Canatara Park

• Off Their Rockers at K 106.3 Cruise on the Duc d’ Orleans

• Smokehouse at the Balmoral

• David Gallagher at Stokes by the Bay (9:30pm)

• Borderline at Dow People Place (7:30pm)

• Acoustic Night at Paddy Flaherty’s• Band Night at Puck Around • Karaoke Guy Guitar Hero Night at Two Amigo’s• S.&R. Community Choir at Dow People Place Entertainment Centre in Centennial Park (7:00pm)

• Karaoke Guy Guitar Hero Night at Two Amigo’s• Name That Tune at Puck Around

• Karaoke Guy Guitar Hero Night at Two Amigo’s

• Sarnia Zombie Walk in front of the Sarnia Golf & Curling Club on Errol Road West (2:00pm)

• Karaoke Guy Guitar Hero Night at Two Amigo’s

• Gary D. Parker & Friends at Dow People Place(7:30pm)

• Live Racing at Hiawatha Horse Park

• Name That Tune at Puck Around

• Artwalk in downtown Sarnia• Stone River and Sound of Fans at Norm’s Pub & Grill (10:00pm)• Detour at The Balmoral • Summer Registration Community Services City Hall• Live Racing at Hiawatha Horse Park • Funk eh! at Ups N’ Downs

• Guitar Hero at Puck Around• Doug & Glen at Dow People Place (7:30pm)

• Until June 27 – Sexy Laundry by Michele Riml at Victoria Playhouse Petrolia

• Karaoke Guy Guitar Hero Night at Two Amigo’s• The Marine Radio Seminar Series at St. Patrick’s High School, Sarnia (7:00-10:00pm)

• Name That Tune at Puck Around • Forest Excelsor Band at Dow People Place (7:30pm)

• Acoustic Night at Paddy Flaherty’s

• Truant at Stokes by the Bay (9:30pm)

• Karaoke Guy Guitar Hero Night at Two Amigo’s

• Live Racing at Hiawatha Horse Park

• Come Play with M.E. Karaoke at Picadilly’s • Karaoke Guy at Two Amigo’s• CMT on Tour at The Industry• Damn Straight at the Balmoral

• Karaoke Guy at Two Amigo’s • Karaoke with Kip at Puck Around

• Sylvie & Jimmy T at Dow People Place Entertainment Centre in Centennial Park (7:30pm) • Live Racing at Hiawatha Horse Park

• Miles Fault at Stokes by the Bay (9:30pm)

• Sarnia Newcomers Club at Lawrence House• Live Racing at Hiawatha Horse Park• Canadian Cancer Society Relay for Life at Canatara Park• Smokehouse at the Balmoral

• Artwalk in downtown Sarnia• Open Mic at Puck Around • Open Mic with Rick Steeves at Ups n Downs• Karaoke Guy Guitar Hero Night at Two Amigo’s• YMCA International Bridge Run from Port Huron to Sarnia (8:00am)

• Karaoke Guy Guitar Hero Night at Two Amigo’s• Name That Tune at Puck Around

• Acoustic Night at Paddy Flaherty’s • Band Night at Puck Around• Karaoke Guy Guitar Hero Night at Two Amigo’s• An evening of Fiddling with Christine Story & Debbie Wellington at Dow People Place (7:30pm)

• Come Play with M.E. Karaoke at Picadilly’s• Karaoke Guy at Two Amigo’s

• The Antennas at Ups N’ Downs• Damn Straight at Balmoral• Live racing at Hiawatha Horse Park• 14th Annual Kids Funfest at Centennial Park, Sarnia (10:00am-4:00pm)

• Guitar Hero at Puck Around

• Cruise in the Park Car Show & Swap Meet at Centennial Park (registration 9:00am-12:00pm)

• Happy Trio at Dow People Place (7:00pm)

• Karaoke Guy Guitar Hero Night at Two Amigo’s

• Guitar Hero at Puck Around• The Silvertones & The Salvation Army Band at Dow People Place (7:30pm)

• Funk eh! at Ups N’ Downs • Karaoke Guy at Two Amigo’s • Detour at The Balmoral• K106.3 Weekend Warm-up Party at Stokes by the Bay • An evening of Music at Dow People Place (7:00pm)• Come Play with M.E. Karaoke at Picadilly’s • First Friday Cultural Walkabout in downtown Sarnia• Until June 13 - Theatre Sarnia Comedy Production at Imperial Theatre

• Father’s Day • First day of Summer!• Boys Home Run/Walk/Skate/Bike at Mike Weir Park, Bright’s Grove • Karaoke Guy Guitar Hero Night at Two Amigo’s• Open Mic at Puck Around • Open Mic with Rick Steeves at Ups N’ Downs

• Guitar Hero at Puck Around• Polysar Glee Club at Dow People Place, Centennial Park (7:00pm)

• Band Night at Puck Around

• Karaoke Guy at Two Amigo’s • Karaoke with Kip at Puck Around

• Joan Spalding & the Foggy Mt. Band at Dow People Place (7:00pm)

• Lit’l Chicago at Dow People Place (7:30pm)

• David Cavan Fraser at Stokes by the Bay (9:30pm) • Karaoke Guy at Two Amigo’s • Karaoke with Kip at Puck Around• UofWO Sarnia Speakers Series at Strangway Community Centre presents “Relationships Between Singing and Health” (4:30pm)• Live Racing at Hiawatha Horse Park • Bob Payne Elvis Tribute at Dow People Place (7:30pm)• Painkiller Jane at K 106.3 Cruise on the Duc d’ Orleans • RV Show & Sale at Hiawatha Horse Park

• Karaoke Guy Guitar Hero Night at Two Amigo’s• Open Mic at Puck Around• Open Mic with Rick Steeves at Ups n Downs

• Open Mic at Puck Around • Open Mic with Rick Steeves at Ups N’ Downs

• Karaoke Guy Guitar Hero Night at Two Amigo’s• Name That Tune at Puck Around

• David Cavan Fraser at Stokes by the Bay (9:30pm)• Canada Day

23

July

SARNIA-LAMBTON ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

24

Details may change.

Before you travel, please

check with venues to

confirm events are still

taking place.

To submit a listing, email calendar@fixmagazine.caFor event details and updates, visit www.fixmagazine.ca

and

• Scottish Night at Dow People Place Entertainment Centre in Centennial Park (7:30pm)• Goodwill charity golf tournament at Sarnia Golf & Curling Club (8:15am)

• Lambton Concert Band at Dow People Place

• Seaway Sounds Sweet Adelines & Friends (7:30pm)• Seniors Boat Cruise on Duc D’Orleans II

• The 402 Express at Dow People Place (7:30pm)

• Gary Boyle & South Winds at Dow People Place (7:30pm)

• Playfair Music Youth Concert (2:00pm) and Evening Concert Band (6:00pm) at Dow People Place• Phlock to the Dock Parrothead weekend today and tomorrow at Sarnia Bay Marina

2009

production diary PetroliaREEL

Situated in Ontario’s first oil town, Victoria Playhouse Petrolia (VPP) has provided a venue for theatre productions for over 100 years. The VPP is now a modern, fully equipped, state-of-the-art, 425 seat facility that is still providing great entertainment all year round.

May 19, 2009 - June 06, 2009

Harry Sullivan hasn’t seen his son, Drew, in thirteen years. When Drew suddenly shows up at his Saskatchewan farm, their struggle to overcome their stubborn pride and to get to know each other again, creates a poignant comedy that moves with ease from tears to howling laughter. The snappy dialogue, classic one-liners and clever flashbacks create one hilarious moment as the characters “mend their fences” and Norm Foster himself is returning to the stage to play the lead role.

Fantastic, funny and a story with heart.

June 09, 2009 - June 27, 2009

Alice, a 50-something woman takes her 50-something husband, Henry, to a swank hotel for the weekend. Armed with her book “Sex For Dummies,” she is determined to re-kindle the romance. What ensues is a roller-coaster exploration of the trials and tribulations of modern marriage that has played to sell-out crowds across the country.

Sexy, insightful, and highly entertaining.

S

Victoria PlayhouseThe Comic Book Store

SCITS STOCKMENDING FENCES

SEXY LAUNDRY

Professional Summer Theatre Productions:

To win tickets to the Victoria Playhouse Petrolia production of Sexy Laundry email

vpptickets@fixmagazine.ca

Serendipitous moments happen all the time in films. It’s more rare that they happen in filmmaking. How The Comic Book Store: the Series came about is definitely one of those moments.

I’ve been operating my comic book store Future Pastimes since 1992 but before (and a little bit during) that time I went to school for and worked in film and television production. I have always planned on getting back into “the business” and was feeling the itch when Mark Tetrault originally approached me about making a short film in my store. I quickly agreed and was excited for the opportunity to be around a production again. Though I wasn’t involved much in the film, I tried to help out and offer advice on set as much as I could without being an annoying hindrance...I hope. The final product was amusing and charming and well-received by viewers but Mark and I agreed that there was some further potential there. Thus was born The Comic Book Store: the Series!

Feb. 11, 2009 - An introductory pre-production meeting at the home of Mark Tetrault. Mark has pulled together an impressive cast and crew for the shoot and given us the run of his living room. Mark is one of those organized people – you know the type. He runs the meeting a little like a college lecture complete with PowerPoint display. Acress Hailey McHarg’s favourite part was when Mark kept leaning back into the kitchen to refer to the

Rounding year six, S.C.I.&T.S. high school in Sarnia has stuck it out and stocked up its skits and songs for its SCITS STOCK show, now featuring local bands, local art and local film.

Held at the school on Friday, April 24, the show was a huge success. With The Tree Streets headlining, the show featured many local, young talents. These include Nic Swales & Red Giant, Kathryn Doull, MC Huey & The Collection Of Cups, Kate Moran, Funk a la Frog, Kurt & Marty Oblak and Trip Light with many others. The event was hosted by the FoxFM’s S.C.I.&T.S-graduate Tony Frangis. Frangis also sang lead for the hilarious white trash cover band, Ghost Wolf, who opened the show with a short film by Danny Alexander; a mockumentary entitled Who Is Ghost Wolf?

notes he had posted on the wall. I’m not making fun of him, I was pleased to see it. Movies aren’t made by a bunch of guys in t-shirts playing hacky sack in their down time – wait, actually they are but we need guys like Mark too! The meeting is informative and gets the attendees pumped for production to begin.

Mar. 28, 2009 – With shooting to start the next week, we gather at Mark’s house again for a script read-through. Good times! A couple of the main actors couldn’t make it so we take turns filling in for them, just adding to the general hilarity. And it’s all captured on video for potential DVD extra goodness! The scripts read very well. Lots of laughs and mostly in all the right places. Our writers Mark and Seth are deservedly

proud.April 2, 2009 – The shoot begins. Things should be getting

underway mid-afternoon so that gives us a half day to clean the store up and get it looking fantastic. A great fringe benefit for the store – organization is not one of my strong points! Pretty much everyone shows up on time. There are some tense moments when Seth calls to tell us he has been quarantined at work due to an incident at one of the plants. He makes it here in plenty of time though and I don’t think he had to throw any of his “movie star” weight around. Good thing...

Next installment, we shoot three episodes over four days!

Alexander played guitar for the band with his brother Tony Alexander (known to his S.C.I.&T.S students as Mr. Alexander) on bass. Tony introduced the short film component to the show this year, putting out a call for submissions to young filmmakers, which was answered nicely with a great collection of hilarious and very well done local works.

Among them, Who Is Ghost Wolf? and Blue Point Horror by Danny Alexander (you can check him out at http://www.youtube.com/user/Dagocinematics), What It Means To Be Human by Nathan Colquhoun (found at http://www.youtube.com/user/nathancolquhoun), Lightnight Bolt Jellybeans! and Stick Scott Goes To SCITS STOCK by Ian Alexander (found at http://www.youtube.com/user/TeamHBomb), and Moustache Discrimination: A Ladder Of Water by Craig Lumley and Branden Dale, current S.C.I.&T.S students who won the film contest at the festival with a ridiculous story about a young highschool student (Lumley) who rises against bullying in his school from his peers, his principal and even the guy at Foot Locker, towards his thick, curly moustache. The film can be found at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0YVioEnVjM4&feature=channel_page.

Trent Rogers

Ian Alexander Hailey McHarg

Hailey McHarg

Lauren Baines

the series

25

S

THE ONTARIO TRILLIUM FOUNDATION MAKES A $43,300 INVESTMENT IN LAMBTON COUNTY YOUTH, CULTURE AND DOWNTOWN REVITALIZATION

Sarnia-Lambton Business Development Corporation - CFDC sincerely thanks The Ontario Trillium Foundation, an agency of The Government of Ontario, for providing financial support and an opportunity for residents and tourists to enjoy musical performances throughout Lambton County over the Summer of 2009.

The Lambton MainStreet Players is a group of talented students who will sing, dance and perform free shows to promote small rural downtown communities. These students receive a wage and a future towards attaining a career in the arts.

“Sarnia-Lambton Business Development Corporation’s strategic goals include youth retention, tourism, fostering culture and downtown revitalization in Lambton County. This valuable project is a perfect fit with all of those goals” said Community Economic Development Officer, Rose Moore. “This opportunity will give five young Lambton County performers a greater sense of community belonging while building self-confidence and esteem.”

Ms. Moore went on to note, “this project was launched successfully in 2007 and grew in popularity in 2008. The next step is to make it sustainable for the long term. The Ontario Trillium Foundation’s generous investment will help us to achieve sustainability by working with community partners and sponsors.”

In 2009, the Lambton MainStreet Players will perform at numerous venues including festivals, arts productions, public education events, sporting events, conferences, farmers markets, downtown days and workshops. The goal is to provide 150 performances throughout Lambton County in 2009.

Don’t miss the 2009 version of the Lambton MainStreet Players. They will be taking to the streets and performing in your community soon!

The Sarnia-Lambton Business Development Corporation is one of 61 Community Futures Development Corporations in rural and Northern Ontario funded by FedNor’s Community Futures Program.

Their mandate includes Community Economic Development (CED) and helping small businesses in Lambton County to be more successful, thereby creating permanent jobs and wealth in our community.

Sarnia-Lambton Business Development is governed by a volunteer board of highly skilled professionals from the local community and is staffed by personnel who are dedicated to helping the community and small businesses grow and prosper.

To find out more about The Lambton MainStreet Players, please visit www.lambtonmainstreetplayers.com

theLambton Mainstreet Players2009

www.slbdc.com

For more information, please contact:

Telephone: 519-383-1371Email: rose@slbdc.com

109 Durand StreetSarnia, Ontario N7T 5A1

Rose MooreCommunity Economic Development (CED) Officer

Sarnia-Lambton Business Development Corporation- A Community Futures Development Corporation (CFDC)

27

Presents...

Rose Moore Annette Hovey

2009

There’s a new man around town – he’s enthusiastic, he’s fun, he’s charming, he’s dedicated, he’s excited and he’s making friends everywhere he goes. His name is David Hogan (or “Hogie”) and he is the Producer/Creative Director for the Starbright Summer Festival which will feature fabulous professional stars of the musical stage this summer at the Imperial Theatre.

David is a Windsor-born “local boy” who spent many years on stage in Stratford and at the Shaw Festival in Niagara-On-the-Lake. Musical theatre is his passion and he counts some of Canada’s greatest musical talent among his “chums.” Together with David Rogers (Broadway Star Extraordinaire), Hogie founded D2 Entertainment

The Starbright Summer Festival coming to the Imperial Theatre in Sarnia beginning July 7, 2009 will showcase an incredible lineup of talent, provide loads of fun and will offer some poignantly touching moments as well.

The Heart of Broadway is a lavish production of great musical moments from the Broadway stage and stars world-class talent from Broadway, Toronto and the Stratford Festival including June Crowley, Susan Gilmour, Marcus Nance, Rebecca Poff and headliner, David Rogers.

In You’ve Got A Friend, David Rogers teams up with long-time friends, the Mantini Sisters (Ann, Barbara and Sandra) to bring us songs of the 70’s from such great stars as Elton John, Billy Joel, ABBA, Barry Manilow, Barbra Streisand and the Carpenters. David and the

and has since produced “A Grand Night for Stratford” an incredibly successful fundraiser for the Canadian Cancer Society and the Starbright Christmas Show which has played to sold out crowds for 6 years in Stratford (Incidentally, Starbright Christmas will kick off at the Imperial Theatre here in Sarnia this year).

David produces wonderful shows in no small part due to the incredible talent of his performers, but it really is his energy and creativity that drive these projects and help make them so successful. The Imperial Theatre and the City of Sarnia are very fortunate to

have this new “friend” and we hope he will be with us for a long time to come.

Mantinis are all delighted at the prospect of creating such a nostalgic joyful production and perhaps Sandra put it best,

“friends and laughter. What a great way to spend the summer!”

Tuesdays with Morrie is based on the best-selling book by Mitch Albom and will star Aron Tager and Cory O’Brien. David Hogan, producer of Starbright Summer said of Aron, “He is Morrie – people are going to love this wonderful man.”

Canada’s first lady of song, Cynthia Dale, will perform her critically acclaimed concert Songs from the Heart and she will undoubtedly touch our hearts.

The excitement surrounding Starbright is palpable and summer, 2009 at the Imperial Theatre promises to be a spectacularly entertaining season to remember.

Wendy Cornelis Jessica Pedlar

Wendy Cornelis Jessica Pedlar

T

T

we’ve got a friend

The Starbright Summer Festival

David Hogan

David Hogan

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To win tickets to an opening night performance at the Starbright

Summer Festival emailstarbrighttickets@fixmagazine.ca