Browsing Tag

red

Behind the Band: June and the Bee

After meeting June and the Bee at Aspetta Cafe in Kensington Market, I was delighted when the band’s lead singer Emma agreed to do a Behind the Band interview.

June and the Bee & Me

What makes June and the Bee’s music unique?

We write our music using our lives as a malleable creative substance from which to draw upon. We play from a place of infectious joie de vivre and are utterly unconcerned with being anything other than what we are.

What can you tell readers about your songwriting process?

As a trio we all bring an ingredient. My brother, Eli, is the melody guy. While he plays, words are usually jumping down from the shelves of my mind and arranging themselves into lyrics. Lyric writing happens all the time. My way of processing an experience is turning it into a song. Zoe, our third member writes the wonderful harmonies. Her technical background in classical music grounds the band in an awareness of dynamics and all those elements that may seem miniscule but are responsible for the song being something we love to sing. As we have continued to grow as a band, we have started to share the different roles in the songwriting process.

Professional role model: Carrie Ferguson

When we first entered the folk scene, Carrie took us under her wing, emphasizing the importance of maintaining the essence of pure joy when playing regardless of the stresses and pressures the road ahead could present. We pride ourselves in being able to tend to that creative joy and let it radiate through our music. This joy is detached from the ego and is more about collectively sharing than about individual self-worth.

What is your approach to promoting the band?

I manage the band’s social media, regardless of the fact that I have historically been ‘living under a rock,’ so to speak. We love to keep things as personal as possible. Being from a small town, you know everyone. We want to invite all of our fans to be a part of our musical family. We usually just send out our mailing list via carrier pigeon. so if one morning you hear a tap on your window…you’ll know we are in town. If you are a part of the Facebook world, Like us because we adore you!

June and the Bee

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Never Say Never

Justin Bieber and Dancers

I never thought I would see Justin Bieber perform live, but never say never!

Though I didn’t immediately recognize opener Hot Chelle Rae, it was fun to see them play their 2011 hit Tonight, Tonight, which instantly became familiar when they closed their set with it.

More than half an hour after Justin’s scheduled stage time at the Air Canada Centre on Thursday, a dramatic ten-minute countdown began. When he emerged from the ceiling wearing oversized wings, the first thing I thought of was Pink’s showstopping trapeze act at the 2009 Grammys. Justin may not have done any acrobatics, but his entrance was more than enough to excite fans.

Justin Bieber Toronto

From there, Justin literally started the show with a bang, as fireworks went off during his first song, All Around the World. Usually stars hold off on fireworks and confetti until the encore, so it was cool that these effects were used early on.

The themes for the graphics, video backdrops and dancers’ costumes ranged from outer space to underwater. Justin changed outfits at least four times and my favourite part was how he rocked fire engine red high top sneakers. (You know how much I love all things red!)

Justin Bieber Toronto

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An Ode to Oreo

Oreo-Dunk-in-the-Dark

There’s a delightful quality to everything Oreo posts on social media. From the Super Bowl blackout to Father’s Day, Oreo creates content that seamlessly weaves in current events without ever seeming obnoxious or sales-y.

The photo they uploaded minutes after the Royal Baby’s sex was announced once again shows that Oreo’s a band who truly gets how to engage through social media marketing. Oreo is all about having milk and cookies. Therefore, placing milk, which is central to their creative, in a baby bottle in honour of the royal family isn’t a stretch. Instead, it’s cute and adds to the loveable quality of the brand and product that makes Oreo cookies a classic snack and childhood favourite.

oreo royal baby

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24 Hours, 3 Bands, 2 Cities

Molson Amphitheatre hosted an amazing concert with the Goo Goo Dolls and Matchbox Twenty on Thursday night. The Goo Goo Dolls were up first and played many of their big hits, including Slide and Black Balloon, but the crowd didn’t stand up until they started singing Iris.

Goo Goo Dolls

Although it was disappointing that the two bands were never on stage together, they were both incredible. The Goo Goo Dolls’s music is more rock-heavy, whereas Matchbox Twenty’s set list was more mellow. Going to the nearly sold out concert was the perfect way to satisfy my nostalgia for the 90s and the crowd of 15,000 fans seemed to agree.

Matchbox Twenty

Typically that would’ve been enough live music to keep me happy for a few months, but then I went to another concert Friday night in Montreal. Just in time for Canada Day, Feist opened the Montreal International Jazz Festival.

TD was a prominent sponsor, which made sense considering their large presence seen at the Molson Amphitheatre on Thursday night, where they gave out neon green wristbands printed with a #TDmusic hashtag.

Feist took the stage a few hours after my VIA Rail train arrived, so it was very good timing. (Have I mentioned that taking the train is the best way to travel?) I’m not a huge Feist fan, but I’m always down for a good free concert, not to mention the opportunity to support Canadian musicians.

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4 Reasons I Love Twitter

I’m officially a university graduate now and the day after convocation, the celebration continues: today is my fourth anniversary on Twitter.

That means it’s been four years since I first tweeted “Jewellery is not a toy” after a beaded necklace that I made broke. I still have those grey beads in a ziploc bag. Today, the manager who worked at Toronto’s Bead Cafe is engaged to a family friend. As Twitter reminds us every day, it’s a small world!

To celebrate this exciting occasion, I’ve created a list of 4 reasons I love Twitter:

1. Twitter Contests

Twitter is responsible for helping me win many products and experiences. Contest prizes have included touchscreen gloves from Target Canada, an Aroma gift card, and a Rob Thomas concert DVD. More recently, I won a free hour of bowling from The Ballroom, which I have yet to redeem. The most amazing prize, however, came from MuchMusic, who gave me tickets to see Arcade Fire!

Arcade Fire

Arcade Fire

2. Job Opportunities

To apply for my current marketing role, I submitted links to my social media profiles, not a resume. And like the characters of The Internship, they hired me following an interview on Google+ Hangouts. Social media is a crucial part of the hiring process now and I’m curious to see how the relationship between social media and HR continues evolving. Twitter helps you showcase your industry knowledge and personality, so share your commentary and keep it clean!

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