Richard Taylor on the Passion of Making Things

Last month, I volunteered at the Calgary Expo. There were many exciting panels offered, which sadly, I was unable to attend since I was volunteering in another building.

However, thanks to Flipon.TV and the Calgary Expo, most, if not all discussion panels were filmed and archived. They are available with a Calgary Expo Archive Pass for only $14.95 CAD.

I recently watched the Middle Earth panel that included LOTR/Hobbit actors Craig Parker and Mark Ferguson, along with Sir Richard Taylor and Dave Tremont from WETA Workshop. Not only was it informative but a lot of what WETA co-founder Richard Taylor said really ties nicely with any of the creative arts, including music.

One patron asked what advice they could give to those aspiring to break into the industry. Taylor listed WETA's hiring criteria in order of importance:

1. Passion

2. Enthusiasm

3. Tenacity

4. Talent

He said that you can't expect to ride on talent alone. Your passion to create fuels your enthusiasm, which helps propel you into action. Tenacity is what  helps keeps you going when the going gets tough.

Any creative endeavor, to be good at it and to be recognized for it, takes hard work. The going gets tough. A lot.  Your favourite actors, writers and musicians will tell you the exact same thing.

If you invert that list, Richard Taylor said that you'll just be creating "hollow opportunities". A cheap plastic creation.

"You're weaving a tapestry," he said. "No matter how pale or how thin the thread that you're given in your needle to weave into that tapestry — if you don't weave it with care and thoughtfulness, creativity and passion — in some way, the tapestry will be threadbare."

Have you listened to someone perform a song who hates the song? Or doesn't know it well? Now compare that with someone who performs a piece they know extremely well and are giving it their all. There's a huge difference.

As a musician, you are weaving a tapestry with sound. The notes, rhythm, dynamics and phrasing are just some of your threads. Whether you are in the practice room or on stage, at a school talent show or a music exam, weave your sound pictures with care.

Weave with not just your fingers and your feet. Create with your ears and your brain. Listen!

THWOMP Interview: On Video Games and Characters

In Part Seven of this interview series, Brad Stanton and Dave Marshall of the Nintendo® cover band THWOMP chat about video games. This interview was originally published on Suite101.com on July 2010.

Nintendo® cover band THWOMP share their music with gaming enthusiasts young and old. Inspired by the music of video game composers Nobuo Uematsu (Final Fantasy), Koji Kondo (Super Mario Bros) and more music from retro video games will appear in the band’s debut CD coming out in the fall of 2010.

Brad Stanton (lead guitar) and Dave Marshall (keyboards/percussion) from THWOMP take a break from their Animethon 17 and CD release preparations to chat with me. 

THWOMP on Favorite Video Games

Dave: "That’s a really difficult question. The list of games that I’ve played for more hours than I care to admit IS longer than I care to admit...I would say “Super Mario World” is in my Top 15, but the Mario games, aside from that one, they’re OK.

We’re all big RPG fans. We all love “Final Fantasy VI”. “Chrono Trigger” is in there too...“Secret of Mana”... other favorite games...“Super Mario Kart” and then completely different stuff, like “Ultima Online” and “Quake 1”...“Mass Effect”, really was absolutely amazing. Maybe my favorite game ever."

Brad: "It’s like you’re asking me to pick a child...[Super Mario] – that doesn’t even make my Top Ten. Not even close...“Master of Orion II”. Write that down. Put that in the article somewhere. That game is so amazing."

THWOMP on the Final Fantasy Franchise

Dave & Brad: "The only game that we actually stray outside of our format for is “Final Fantasy VII” for PlayStation because it had to be done."

Having said this, FFVII isn't one of the group's favorites. "It's one of the most popular games of all time; but in terms of Final Fantasy, that’s my least favorite," said Dave. "I didn’t really like that one very much. I think that’s where they got away from everything I loved about the Final Fantasy’s of the Super Nintendo® and started to go in this new direction they’re on now. It’s more like a TV show."

If you could be a video game character, who would it be?

Brad: "I’ve never ever thought about that. Who’d I want to be? Man, I don’t know, the guy from “Excitebike”?"

This idea got shot down by Dave, "C’mon. You can do better than that."

Dave: "I’ll go with Commander Shepard from “Mass Effect”. I’m a huge science-fiction fan. Massive. I really love that concept of that universe. I think that’s really brilliant. Rich and believable. The weird thing about that character is that you can make him who you want to. You really get to pick what he’s like.

Brad: "How about Minsc from “Baldur’s Gate”? You get to carry around a huge broadsword and a little hamster you talk to."

THWOMP is a Nintendo® band comprised of Calgarians Brad Stanton (lead guitar), Colin Mitchel (lead guitar), Scott Munro (bass), Scott Moffat (drums), David Marshall (keyboards/percussion) and Kirk McVean (keyboards). The bandmates hope that their musical trip down memory lane inspires listeners to dust off their old gaming consoles and video games. Or lead them buy or rent video games they loved to play while growing up.

For more information about THWOMP, the band or to listen to audio clips, visit their website and Myspace page.

Full interview series: Part 1 – THWOMP’s Origins | Part 2 – Band Names & Niches | Part 3 – Songwriting | Part 4 - Hey! Listen! CD Release | Part 5 - On Gigs | Part 6 - Convention Gigs | Part 7 - Video Games | Part 8 - Fun & Food

Calgary Jazz Orchestra's 2013 Pop! Concert Review

The Calgary Jazz Orchestra wrapped up its 2012/13 season on Sunday, May 5, 2013 at Riverpark Church. Pop! featured big band jazz arrangements of pop and rock classics, as well as two world premieres.

Directed by Judy Wishloff, Churchill's Blue Jazz Band opened for the CJO by performing two numbers. The jazz band first performed A Blues for Dave by Doug Beach, which featured trombone and guitar solos.

Mike Tomaro's arrangement of I Mean You (Thelonious Monk) opened with an upbeat piano solo. It showcased the trombone, trumpet, soprano sax, piano and drums.

The Beatles, Jesus Jones and the World Premiere of Calgary Suite at the CJO

The first half of the programme featured big band arrangements and compositions by Greg Baker, while the second half showcased Johnny Summers' arrangements. Jammin' (Bob Marley) began brightly in the trumpets, while the saxophones painted a groovin' night scene. The trombones cruised steadily towards the solos. Jammin' featured solos by Gerry Hebert on alto saxophone, Dave Reid on trombone and André Wickenheiser on trumpet.

The CJO presented the world premiere performance of Greg Baker's Calgary Suite ("Ten Days in July", "Rockies" and "Waiting for the Chinook"). Due to time constraints, "Rockies" was omitted.

Ten Days in July" conjured up sound pictures of Cowtown. The trombones played a recurring accented hoedown-eque motif. The saxophones and trumpets circled around like a chuckwagon race.

The solos maintained the festive mood. Johnny Summers' trumpet danced and bounced like carnival lights and bells. In contrast, Shane Statz's tenor sax looped around like a sheepdog herding sheep. Egor Ukoloff (piano) and Greg steadily built up the intensity, punctuated by shots from the band. Sarah Matheson's bari sax solo spun like the Tornado ride, while Gerry's solo rang out like casino slot machines.

"Waiting for the Chinook" began as a ballad, later becoming bright swing. The varied layers were a delight to listen to, for example, flugelhorns with trombones and muted trumpets with piano. It featured solos by Rich Harding on alto sax, Egor, Kodi, Shane, Paul Ashwell on trombone and Greg on drums. There was a lovely dialogue between Johnny on the flugelhorn and Dean Yeats on trombone.

The CJO performed two more numbers in the first set. There was an easy swing version of Right Here Right Now (Mike Edwards) and a medium swing arrangement of Help (John Lennon & Paul McCartney).

CJO Premieres The Wonderment Suiteby Johnny Summers

CJO Director Johnny Summers recounted a conversation he had with a patron during intermission. She inquired about what the band plays and the arrangements. Johnny responded by describing the elements of music as a musician's palette of colours, which is used to paint a picture musically, while the form of the piece provides a road map to follow. Jazz musicians must stay within the confines of the form while improvising.

Johnny Summers' The Wonderment Suite was premiered in the second set. Each movement captured a mood: "Awakening", "Stability", "Thrill", "Confidence", "Adventure", "Sweetness" and "Wonderment". The final number was cut from the programme due to time constraints.

"Awakening" eased the audience in, opening with a sleepy melody on soprano sax by Gerry Hebert, while the trombones played sustained tones. The rest of the sections joined in one by one. It featured solos by Gerry, as well as Gordon Wilhelm on trumpet.

"Thrill" opened with a tremendous amount of energy. Like a child searching for hidden Christmas presents before Christmas, the solos captured a building sense of excitement and the thrill of discovery using meandering lines and playful rhythms. It featured solos by Sean Craig on tenor sax and Paul on euphonium, along with Egor and Sarah. There were chatty tenor sax exchanges between Shane and Sean.

The trombone section oozed with "Confidence", with a swaggering recurring motif and later, by taking over the stage. Shane's solo featured driving lines that traversed up and down the musical road. Meanwhile, members of the trombone section provided comic relief by standing and sitting like Whac-a-Moles because one of them rose up to play early.

Brian Walley's trombone solo soared and leaped playfully, while Johnny's trumpet spun and shot out a brilliant spray of notes.

The music faded away, at which point, the trombone section stood up one by one, delighting everyone onstage and in the house with a cutting contest. Who could play the slowest? Lowest? Loudest?

Adele's Skyfall closed the second set. This gritty ballad opened with a unison chord that waxed and waned into the night. Then the piano came in, joined by the bass, trombones, clarinets and flugelhorns. Johnny successfully handled that challenging, disjunct vocal melody.

The CJO also performed Michael Jackson's The Way You Make Me Feel, a crowd favourite from a couple of seasons back. For an encore, the band played Johnny Cash's Folsom Blues. Everyone went all out for their final solo of the season. Of special note, André's soft solo whispered and fluttered like a hummingbird. The audience was rapt with attention. Folsom Blues brought the house down and the audience to its feet for the second time that night.

For more information about the Calgary Jazz Orchestra's upcoming summer jazz concert, young jazz musician's competition and to buy 2013/14 concert season tickets, please visit the CJO's website.

The Calgary Jazz Orchestra entertained and delighted with its Pop! Concert in Calgary, Alberta on May 5, 2013. The jazz group was successful at painting a vivid soundscape colourful playing. This jazz concert was a fabulous way to end the 2012/13 concert season.

Lightening My Load

My family and friends know that I'm constantly searching for the perfect everyday purse. At first, I wanted a bag to hold everything.

My go-to purse for the longest time was this trusty Baggallini that sadly is no longer made, although it does look like this Everywhere Bagg is an upgraded version of my purse.:

Designed by flight attendants, the interior is roomy. There are plenty of slots and pockets to keep yourself organized, along with a removable coin purse/wallet:

And fill it, I did. It got too heavy, very quickly.

Then, I flitted around, trying smaller purses, in the hopes of just using a tote bag to carry stuff. I just couldn't find one that matched the slick design of this Baggallini.

Recently, I bought this "Mini" Flutter Cross-body purse:

The compartments are slick, although not as ingenious as the Baggalini. The water bottle holder on the side is great.

However, this type of bag also gets heavy very quickly, once loaded up. Let's just say my shoulders aren't happy with me.

When I volunteered at the Calgary Expo last month, I knew I needed something simple while on my shifts. I found this extremely compact Luggage Sling Safe handbag by Pacsafe:

It's tiny and holds all my essentials, with a bit of room to spare. I could even use it as a waist pack. Here's the bonus: there are several anti-theft features which is reassuring when you are out and about in crowds or traveling far from home. There are several locks, an RFID-blocking pocket for your passport, bank and credit cards and wire mesh throughout to stop purse slashers in their tracks.

I brought my trusty MEC dayback to hold my water bottles, snacks, hoodie and geek loot. My load was therefore evenly distributed.

You can see where this is going, can't you? My quest for the perfect purse is really a metaphor for streamlining my life.

I've learned two things that I've learned in this journey. First, my core purse can be small and simple, but it needs to be organized and secure. Second, all that searching for a perfect bag could have ended with me just switching between my already solid collection of day packs and tote bags depending on my travel needs of the day.

Solid core, flexible outside. That applies to so many areas of life, doesn't it?

First Look at the Green Interactive Feeder for Dogs

Green Interactive Feeder - Eat Slow

Maestro and I saw a really neat dog food dish on a recent jaunt to a neighbourhood pet store. It's perfect for a dog who dog eats too fast.

Called the Green Interactive Feeder - Eat Slow, it turns eating into a bit of a hunting and peck game. Fashioned after blades of grass, a dog has to root around to get to the food. It's quite different from the normal anti-gulp bowls I've seen.

The bright colour and design caught my attention right away. Maestro normally doesn't gulp his food down, although I've had to slow him down on a couple of occasions. Now, we do know a dog who does on a regular basis. We don't want him to get gastric torsion, so this eat slow dog dish alternative looks intriguing enough to try.

Anti-gulping dog feeder up close

Here's a video showing some dogs trying out the Green Interactive Feeder:

Locally, Maestro and I found the Green Interactive Feeder - Eat Slow at Pet Valu. We'll have to get back to you on whether our other fave pet stores carry them. You can purchase this funky dog feeder online on Amazon.