The Fishbowl – 315 Front Street West, Toronto
EVENT DATE: Saturday, November 25th, 2017 @ 9pm
Theme: margins
Featuring:
Lily Frost and the Gentlemen Callers
Date: Saturday, November 25th, 2017
Hear Here is partnering with SKETCH, to support opportunities for young people on the margins to access creativity and succeed.
SKETCH believes that young people navigating poverty, living homeless and on the margins have unique creativity and perspectives. Their contributions are needed to build inclusive and vibrant, culture and community.
A prolific songwriter, Lily Frost currently has 12 albums under her belt, under 5 different labels — Warner, Nettwerk, Aporia, Boxton and Marquis. Lily Frost comes from the Montreal underground mod scene. She moved to Vancouver and went from busking rockabilly to spearheading the Cocktail nation with her band The Colorifics who led the Blue Lizard Lounge scene throughout the 90’s.
Her efforts are now focused on curating a show that combines swing, rockabilly, burlesque, dance and fashion in an event called Big City Social. Ideally, this show will hit the road to her most responsive markets of Mexico City, Los Angeles, and Toronto.
Elizabeth Anacleto is sometimes funny… and sometimes not, but she does try, oh how she tries! She has studied clown, bouffon, and improv. Basically, her desire is not be boxed in by any of these genres, but instead strives to be a comedic general contractor, an engineer if you will. The different forms of performance she has explored are just different routes or devices into that primal place that she hopes will trigger a giggle, or guffaw in your solar plexus. She is a recipient of the Mark Purvis Award at the Toronto Festival of Clowns. She has studied clown with Helen Donnelly, Jan Henderson, Dave McKay and Jeff Krahn; bouffon with Adam Lazarus and Nathaniel Justiniano; and Improv with Bruce Hunter, Allan Turner and Second City. She can be found performing at various seedy cabarets around town. Catch her if you can… or if you dare… bwahahaha!
Dwayne Morgan began his career as a spoken word artist in 1993. In 1994, he founded Up From The Roots entertainment, to promote the positive artistic contributions of African Canadian and urban influenced artists.
Morgan is a 2017 finalist for the Sheri-D Wilson Golden Beret Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Spoken Word, and a 2016 finalist for the Premier’s Award for Excellence in the Arts.
In 2014, he was the recipient of the Renaissance Planet Africa Award for Career Achievement, and was acknowledged by the Ontario Black History Society as a Community Trailblazer.
Bänoo Zan is a poet, translator, teacher, editor and poetry curator, with more than 160 published poems and poetry-related pieces as well as three books. Song of Phoenix: Life and Works of Sylvia Plath, was reprinted in Iran in 2010. Songs of Exile, her first poetry collection, was released in 2016 in Canada by Guernica Editions. It was shortlisted for Gerald Lampert Memorial Award by the League of Canadian Poets in 2017. Letters to My Father, her second poetry book, was published in 2017 by Piquant Press in Canada.
She is the founder of Shab-e She’r (Poetry Night), Toronto’s most diverse poetry reading and open mic series (inception: 2012). It is a brave space that bridges the gap between communities of poets from different ethnicities, nationalities, religions (or lack thereof), ages, genders, sexual orientations, disabilities, poetic styles, voices and visions.
Toronto-based, Renee started singing at the age of 14, when her voice matured. Like magic, a star was born.
She performed in multiple school musicals but at the age of 18, when someone gifted her a small, pink ukulele, she was inspired to compose her first song. Renee, who attended school in Tobago for a portion of her lifetime, wrote quite a bit of poetry while living on the small island – these writing skills would later contribute to her song lyrics.Renee has been blessed to write an endless number of songs since then, about various life happenings. Freedom, suicide, depression and Love are among some of the topics Renee explores with her music.
Her first performance at an open mic event (RISE Edutainment) in the year of 2012 has led her to be asked to perform at a growing number of venues over the past few years.The spontaneity of her entire music career takes Renee by pleasant surprise.
Looking ahead, with a piano, guitar, ukulele, and neverending inspiration, Renee continues to prosper and shine.“Shine bright!”
Renee is one star, in this huge galaxy.
Mahlikah Awe:ri Enml’ga’t Saqama’sgw (The Woman Who Walks In The Light) is a Haudenosaunee Mohawk/Mi’kmaw drum talk poetic rapologist; poet, musician, hip-hop MC and recording artist, arts educator, social change workshop facilitator, performance artist, keynote speaker, artist mentor, radio host, festival curator, Director of Programming for Neighbourhood Impact for the TD Centre of Learning Regent Park, and founding member of Red Slam, an Indigenous HipHop movement. Red Slam’s debut 14 trax LP, Right Level is a mash-up of lyrical content relevant to indigenous struggles and resiliency. Awe:ri is a KM Hunter OAC Literary Arts Award finalist, 2017 TD Diversity Arts Award Finalist, and published in 7 literary anthologies.
Oddane Taylor is is a Canadian entrepreneur, rapper and singer. Having migrated to Canada in 2002 from Kingston Jamaica, Oddane Taylor knows “It’s Now Possible.”
Rising from homelessness to becoming an inspiring musician, performing artist, entrepreneur, youth worker and motivational speaker, his impactful lyrics speak of triumph over the odds. His infectious melodies and meaningful thymes incorporate a range of styles drawing from Reggae, R&B Soul, Pop and Hip Hop/Rap.
Dr. Diamond is the President of OCAD University. She holds a PhD in Computing, Information Technology and Engineering from the University of East London, a Masters in Digital Media theory from the University of Arts London and Honours Bachelors of Arts in History and Communications from Simon Fraser University. She is an appointee of the Order of Ontario and the Royal Canadian Society of Artists, and a recipient of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Media.
While retaining OCAD University’s traditional strengths in art and design, Diamond has guided the university in becoming a leader in digital media, design research and curriculum, new research in Inclusive Design, health and design, as well as in sustainable technologies. She also played a leading role in establishing the University’s Indigenous Visual Culture Program.
She is a data visualization, wearable technology and mobile media researcher, artist, designer and scientist. She holds funding from the Social Science and Humanities Research Council and and continues to write and lecture on the subjects of digital media history and practice, visual analytics, mobility and design strategy for peer-reviewed journals. Her artwork is held by collections such as the Museum of Modern Art and the National Gallery of Canada.
Patrick de Belen is a rare breed of artist. This Toronto-based Filipino spoken word poet, performer, speaker, host and educator is one whose formidable acclaim as a performance artist and writer is equaled by his commitment to his community, and his status as an enduring source of insight, energy and mentorship for young poets across North America. As a performer, Patrick has garnered praise and admiration for his ability to blend sharp social commentary with an exhaustless wit, charm and creative candour. This combination of talents has made him a national slam champion, as he was at the 2012 Canadian Festival of Spoken Word, and a performer of note on such platforms as CBC, TED Talk, NEXE and others. He is also the first ever recipient of the Spoken Word Poet of Honour award at YouthCanSlam–Canada’s national youth poetry festival, an award he won on the basis of his dual talents as a poet of remarkable ability and an educator of enduring devotion, passion and intelligence.
Off the stage, he is committed to his work in arts education/mentorship; involved in partnerships with a long list of institutions and organizations including jails, schools, health centres, libraries and more. He is also the director of BAM! Toronto Youth Poetry Slam and the facilitator of the Filipino Storytelling workshop series, “Poetry is Our Second Language”.
Melodically inclined machine music, set for the dancefloor. Hymns for heavy hearts. Tall tales, well told. As a double bassist, Owen recorded and toured internationally with a pantheon of Canadian alt-folk songwriters for more than a decade, including Rae Spoon, Christa Couture, and Dan Mangan. His omnivorous musical appetite has recently led him to begin exploring a different kind of storytelling, weaving together strands of techno, house, and folk musics from around the world. He’s delighted to be invited to cook up some warm treats for the body, mind, and soul to share at Hear Here.
A prolific graf writer, b-boy, DJ and MC, Qrock does it all. A member of the Mighty Zulu Kings and DDT (Dirty Defiant Tribe), Qrock has earned worldwide recognition as a b-boy who, years ago, changed his direction to focus on the whole hip-hop experience. From New York to LA, Atlanta to Toronto, Qrock moves crowds with his multi-faceted performances that combine MC and DJ duties with breaking and painting (graf-writing, getting over, help me out with a good term).
Qrock’s aim is clear: he’s here to show hip-hop what’s up now, today. A life-long disciple of the four pillars of hip-hop, Qrock combines them all to deliver a whole new take on the direction of hip-hop culture. This isn’t a throwback; what Q does is honor Hip-Hop’s pioneers, mixing together all the elements of real street culture into a brand new spectacle never before seen in the hip-hop universe.
Bottom line: Qrock is the new thing in hip-hop. ‘Nuff said.
Jimmy Chiale is a Paris-born, Toronto-based visual artist whose popular abstract style and
hustlers ambition have become synonymous with Toronto as a city. At once rebellious and
refinned, his art combines the better of two worlds: graffiti culture’s spontaneity and freedom of
expression with the attention to detail and richness of a Picasso masterpiece.
jimmychiale.tumblr.com
Insta @jchiale
Ozmos Gonzales is an emerging artist from Victoria British Columbia now living in Montreal Quebec.
Working in sculpture, video, installation, mural, with a primary focus on drawing and painting.
ozmosagonzales.wixsite.com/ozmos
Insta @oz.gonzales
Toronto based illustrator and painter, born and raised in Southern Europe, Vlad K was involved with art since early 80’s and heavily influenced by italian graphic novel artists and still to this date. Relocating to Toronto in 90’s Vlad K continued to pursue visual arts being involved in graffiti street art and enrolling in Sheridan College Illustration program. Aside from doing local exhibits, Vlad did graphic work for street wear labels and clients such as Nike, Timberland and animation for Vice Canada. After Two successful solo exhibits in Toronto’s Cooper Cole gallery, Vlad currently works on personal projects and production design for animation studios. In his spare Vlad K enjoys taking photos and listening to music.
www.vladkato.com
Insta @Vladkato
Kreative warrior, multimedia visual artist, chef music lover of life, taking photos and documenting my surroundings.
Kalmplex.com
Insta/Twitter @kalmplex
Jennifer Toole is a Photographer & Art Director best known for her medium format fine art nudes. Her process stems from the cultivation of an organic and unadulterated relationship with her subjects. From that raw point of connection, the tension or energy of the photograph, timeless images are made.
Her work has been published by: Vogue Italia, People, Glamour, Huffington Post UK, The Daily Mail, Toronto Life, ELLE Canada, i-D, Complex and more.
In January 2015 Jennifer launched feminist website Herself.com with actress Caitlin Stasey to worldwide acclaim. Jennifer’s photos of the initial ten participants were all shot on medium format film with natural light and without retouching. Her photos from the project went viral.
Jennifer’s current project ‘The Goddess Array’ breathes new life into ancient goddess archetypes. The work aims to create a space laden with large, strong, free and new goddess iconography for viewers to revel within. A show of the first ten completed goddess works was on display at Only One Gallery in Toronto for one night only on January 25th 2016. Another show of 30 goddesses is being planned for display in L.A. in 2018.
Jennifer Toole is represented by Agency Arts for Photography.
www.jennifertoole.com
Insta @jentoole
Twitter @dailytoole
BLOG www.dailytoole.com
Gabriel Graham is a native East Yorkiquen currently practicing in Toronto. His practice is commissioned and gallery presented installation art with interventionist themes and repurposed material application. A wide ranging catalogue from display art in retail environments, to installations in various venues and for special events, to digital illustration and formal poster and graphic design to spacial design and specialty finishes for restaurant venues.
Gabriel Graham’s quilt series is an approach of integrating repurposed textile and formal painting practice, to achieve a depth and tactility or surface. The very source of our beginning or identify based on covering our flesh, out of shame, then cultural identity, then subcultural sociological stratification.
A love for the elevation of perspective on fabric, it’s innate utility and comfort, to its use in conspicuous consumption and as a visible demonstration of one’s global or cultural subset awareness. Gabriel Graham juxtaposes popular cultural reference with the very fabric of our times.
Since graduating from Sheridan College’s animation program, Elliott has amassed a collection of murals and public artworks that have come to help define Toronto’s cityscape. Moving beyond notions of the streets being his only canvas, Elliott has exhibited works at The Art Gallery of Ontario, The Royal Ontario Museum, and LE Gallery. Elliott has also acted as an arts educator working with the Art Gallery of Ontario’s Free After Three youth arts program, and the Toronto Jazz Festival, teaching youth aerosol paint techniques.
Elliot’s most notable works can be described as a highly improvised collage of soft characters and organic shapes, layered and blended through transparencies. His character work is often mediated by past experiences and relationships while also drawing on the likeness of passers-by to complete his community-based murals.[7] Elliot has also illustrated and produced a small run of books titled “Know Love”.
In 2011 Elliot met with Toronto Mayor Rob Ford to advocate for the significance and vibrance of graffiti murals as public art. At the time Councillor Cesar Palacio had advocated for more street art as part of combatting blighted urban communities.
Erica EGR Balon is a visual artist who began her career in ’98 as a regular illustrator for The Globe & Mail newspaper’s Facts & Arguments page, which meant frequent train trips into the city for work, concerts and events; inspired by music and the graffiti visible along the way into the city. Pop culture and social themes abound as her work challenges one’s views of fine art vs. street art and the dichotomy between nature and our industrialized world. The female figures represented in EGR’s work explore themes of determination, female empowerment and acknowledge women’s ever-changing roles, while her fairies and angels represent her little sister who passed away as a young child.
Known for her custom artwork and live painting at international events, EGR’s art, from illustrations to full blown murals, have appeared in print, music videos, album covers and everything in between. She’s created artwork on just about any surface you could imagine, combining her flair for impressive large scale paintings and murals with her passion for music.
Both Graffiti Women and Graffiti World hard cover books feature the art of EGR. Her work was included in Canada’s first national exhibition of street art at the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) at the Institute for Contemporary Culture; the Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO); painting live at Toronto’s Luminato, Montreal’s international Under Pressure event and even Van’s Warped Tour events, in galleries and events worldwide including countless city walls and collections in North America, Australia, UK, Brazil and Italy.
Clients include Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), MUCH Music, L’Oreal, Luminato, Tiffany & Co., Tommy Boy Entertainment, Toyota, VW, BOSS Roland, Fender, Revolver, XXL, Honey, Blaze and Elemental magazine, UK’s Graphotism journal, IRS, Afu Ra, Naughty by Nature, Classified, BrassMunk, Holt Renfrew and Urban Decay cosmetics.
EGRart.com
Insta @EGRartist
Twitter @EGRart
Dina Roudman is a model, student and artist currently attending George Brown College and residing in Toronto. Dina travelled the world for the last 6 years modelling, learning new cultures, and being inspired by the art and life around her. She finally decided to move back to Toronto to pursue her art career and channel herself into acting. She is working on her solo art show and wants to inspire others through her work. Her work is very personal and reflects on her personal life struggles, growth and stages.
www.roudyrussian.tumbler.com
Insta @roudyrussian
David Strickland was born and raised in Scarborough, Ontario and grew up in the infamous Gilder Housing Project. His family, from Newfoundland, Labrador and Northern Quebec have strong French roots that trace back to Jacques Cartier, along with deep seeded ties to the Mi’kmaq and Northern Cree Ancestors. But being a First Nations youth growing up in the housing projects of Toronto wouldn’t stop David from dreaming big.
The rise of Hip Hop music in the early 1980’s gave Strickland an opportunity to learn this new culture of B-boying, DJing and the art of rap bringing a renewed passion into his life. He began to learn about music production after borrowing a EMU SP120 drum machine and sampler for a weekend, transforming the would be DJ-MC into an aspiring young record producer. By the year 1992 Strickland was enrolled in a Radio Broadcasting Program at Humber College and he continued his education graduating with honours from the Trebas Institute for Audio Engineering.
A couple years later he met his mentor, Master Recording and Mixing Engineer- Noel “Gadget” Campbell. He worked alongside Gadget and Sam Weller at Audio Flex Studios, SLAM and Studio 306 in Toronto. He quickly enlisted in a training camp for professional sound engineers moving on to commanding the school’s Technical Maintenance Departments as well as teaching positions in of Engineering and Production.
By the late 1990’s Strickland was working with such artists as KOS, Ghetto Concept, Jelleestone, Kardinal Offishall, Saukrates, Jully Black, Tara Chase, Marvel, Da Grassroots, Point Blank and Choclair. In 1999 Choclair’s debut album “Ice Cold” went Certified Gold in Canada winning a Juno Award for Best Rap Album. Strickland was a lead engineer on the Glenn Lewis album entitled “World Outside My Window” which won the Juno Award for RnB Album of the year, went Platinum in both America and Canada and nominated for a Grammy for RnB Album of the Year.
In 2004 David continued to make his mark in Canadian Music gaining attention and nominations for awards and plenty of radio airplay while working with Big Black Lincoln, KOS and Divine Brown. From 2005-2009 he began travelling to the United States collaborating with artist such as Redman, Method Man, Keith Murray, Wu Tang Clan , Def Squad and the Legendary producer Erick Sermon of EPMD.
Grammy Award winning producer Noah “40” Shebib and long-time friend of Strickland’s began working with Drake on his first instalment “So Far Gone”. Making waves in America the album became the first Mixtape Nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Rap Album. Shebib quickly enlisted Strickland to work on Drake’s debut album “Thank Me Later” which was released in 2010 and nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Rap Album. As the momentum grew so did the opportunities to work with artist like Jamie Foxx , Sade and Rick Ross.
In 2012 David won his first Grammy for his work on Drake’s album “Take Care” which won the award for Best Rap Album. He continues to be one of the most sought after producers in Canada with his latest collaborations on Que Rock’s Pass The Torch and Strickland is set to launch his first ever producer’s album that will combine First Nations with mainstream Hip Hop and RnB Artists. David’s life has seen many challenges but he has persevered and succeeded at the top of the Canadian music industry for nearly two decades.
For many years David has lived a traditional life, being involved with the Anishnawbe Health Center in Toronto participating in daily First Nations ceremonies such as smudging, talking circles and a weekly sweat lodge. He has combined these traditional and cultural teachings into his work and over the years developed a unique artistic expression through drawing and painting. To date he has produced hundreds of pieces and has paintings featured in several galleries throughout the greater Toronto area. Donating many works of art to communities across Canada he is dedicated to raising funds and awareness for murdered and missing Aboriginal Women and important social issues. He has close ties to elders and communities in the Maritimes and Ontario and is accepted as a Mi’kmaq brother.
David Strickland is one of the few Indigenous Audio Engineers in North America. He owns and operates David Strickland Studios in Toronto and was just recently featured in a VICE documentary by Noisey, “First Out Here, Indigenous Hip Hop. He continues to build Recording Studios for business and community projects and is a positive force in music, the arts and an inspiration to First Nation’s Youth across North America.
David has dedicated his life to this healing power because for him… it all starts and ends with Music.
www.davidstricklandstudios.com
Insta @david.strickland
Experience in studying various theories and expressions of creativity. His focuses are mainly directed towards modern and new wave creations various styles of urban mixed media compositions. Specializing in coordinating and executing large-scale aerosol mural projects with the city and private commissions in homes and businesses. Participated in projects with Canada Arts Council and worked with award winning Director-DoP George Vale in the art department. David is proficient with sound design and acoustic treatments as well as sound production/engineering with various music releases.
Twitter @DJFathom
Insta @Madewithcans
At the tender age of nine, Toronto-based illustrator Adrian Hayles discovered the expressive nature of the visual arts. With his continued artistic development, illustration became his deepest passion and talent. His desire to learn and absorb from his surroundings led him on a personal creative journey. As a graduate of the Graphic Design program at Humber College with over 10 years of working experience behind him, Adrian has established his place in Toronto’s modern art community. His style is provocative and inspiring and defies categorization.
Blurring the lines between graffiti and ultra realism, Adrian’s voice and vision is instantly identifiable. His works include countless portraits and illustrations for various magazines and collaborations with the City of Toronto to develop murals for vacant community spaces.
In the past Adrian has painted complete buildings and city blocks, designed award winning video games and animated television shows. He has also successfully developed patented the Stud Horse Foldable Artist Bench and is the Principal and Founder of Behind the Front Visual Arts Studio.
www.adrianhaylesproductions.com
#adrianhayles
