Category Archives: Promotions & publicity

LEGENDARY MUSICIAN “NASH THE SLASH” IS SUBJECT OF NEW DOCUMENTARY….now nearing completion

When I first arrived in Toronto in the mid-70s (from Australia, via UK), I was obsessed with disco and all the popular dances – I quickly became one of Toronto’s “disco dollies” who danced at all the popular clubs, getting the crowd hot and thirsty, and becoming known as a draw for the crowds. The high point of my club career was dancing on stage with Barry White & The Love Unlimited Orchestra when they passed through Toronto. Loved the man, loved the voice, loved the kaftans! But disco was already on the outs and I was looking to embrace something new and by accident I discovered the underground world of alternative, punk, electronic and, well, let’s just say the bizarre world of Nash the Slash. I guess I was drawn to his theatrics as well as his musical skills. A one-man band who could rock out with his violin & mandolin and pull in jaded punters who were looking for something new, something independent, something extraordinary.You may have heard of Nash the Slash but if you haven’t, Nash was a unique musician who bound his face in bandages to perpetuate the mystery of anonymity. He straddled the worlds of punk rock, prog-rock, classical and industrial (before it had a name.) And he was considered a ground-breaker in contemporary music circlesHe was an extraordinary entertainer who attracted attention from others of his ilk: debuting in 1975, Nash the Slash used then unheard of tape-loops, a drum machine run through fx pedals, a glockenspiel and an electric violin and mandolin to create a live score for the legendary 1929 Salvador Dali/Luis Bunuel surrealist film, Un Chien Andalou.

And according to Lester Bangs of Rolling Stone magazine….“Nash the Slash is the kind of opening act that makes the headliner work that much harder.”

Along with other local indie bands like Songship (fronted by Mary Margaret O’Hara & Peter Mifsud), I would follow Nash wherever he played, marveling at his deft violin playing, as well as his distinctive compositions. I was working at a concert event at The Diamond Club (now The Phoenix), when I got to hang out with him backstage after a rousing performance – poor guy was drenched in sweat so with a promise from me not to tell anyone what he looked like, he started peeling off the layers while I held out a plastic shopping bag to collect the sodden bandages. I will keep my promise.When I learnt about the documentary being made about him and the need for funding, I offered my publicity services to Colin Brunton, Exec. Producer of Nash the Slash Rises Again!  I recently chatted with Colin (pictured below) and asked him to share his memories of Nash and tell us about the Go Fund Me program so I could reach out to his fans through my blog and social media networks….Colin, what first inspired you to make a film about Toronto’s mysterious musician, and entertainer? And when did Side Three Media take the lead?  Nash was a good friend of mine, and I’d always wanted to make a film about him, but the idea really took root when he passed away in 2014.  I had an idea of how to approach it, but schedules didn’t work out, and Side Three got the rights a couple of years later.  I teamed up with them a year or so after that.

You had a great relationship with Nash that started in the 70s – how did that come about?  I met Nash in 1973, when I was a teenager working at Gary Topp’s Original 99 Cent Roxy Theatre in the east-end of Toronto. The Roxy was a vital gathering place for the counterculture, turning people on to not just an eclectic programme of films, but also cutting-edge music between shows, and it had a reputation as a place where you could openly smoke weed. It was wild.  Nash was a regular there and lived in an apartment behind the projection booth, a living Phantom of the Opera.  We became friends. As our careers progressed, I’d hire him to do film soundtracks, and we kept in touch until the end. I wasn’t allowed to phone him before noon. Toronto had an amazing underground/alternative music scene back in the mid-70s and into the 80s – how did Nash (and you) navigate those waters? How did Nash become such a cult figure?  The mid-seventies in Toronto was a defining period of culture in this city:  pre-packaged hippie culture was on the outs, and the world was begging for something new. It was an exciting time.
Nash was a wildly creative musician with an artistic integrity not often seen anymore. He also had a flair for promotion and was able to keep his true identity a secret for decades.  His shows were mind-blowing: a one-person electronic orchestra on stage surrounded by banks of equipment and tape-machines, custom FX boards, an electric violin and electric mandolin; film images projected onto a screen; jigsawing violins to death and breathing fire.  Totally entertaining. What most fascinated a group of twenty-year-olds we had a test-screening for was his ability to do all of this without computers; he was one hundred per cent analog. He was a very clever guy. Genius. Did Nash produce music videos and if so, did MuchMusic support him by frequently showing them across the country back when MM was a real music tv network?  Nash was just too weird for the mainstream, so he did everything himself: promotion, management, marketing, everything. He was the first musician in Canada to create his own record label; the first to use tape-loops; the first to run drum machines though FX pedals. He never received grants to make videos, and record companies weren’t interested. Nash had a few videos that got played, but without a major label behind him, he never made it into heavy rotation on MuchMusic. But he gave great interviews and was a favourite amongst City TV’s “The New Music” which he was on a lot in the 80’s.

This film should fill in some gaps in Canadian music history – with the recent success of documentaries on MuchMusic itself, Doug & the Slugs and now The Tragically Hip, it seems the country is finally ready to celebrate unique Canadian recording artists. How do you think Nash would feel about being celebrated in this manner?  I’ll tap my foot to Doug & The Slugs, and I like Gord Downie, but Nash was more creative, original and daring. Canada is famous for ignoring their own and no one has been more grievously ignored than Nash the Slash.  Once this film gets out into the world, I’m sure he’d say, “It’s about fucking time!After several Gov’t & private funding rounds, the production still needs another $40K for completion, hopefully the bulk of which would come from both the Canada Council and the Toronto Arts Council. But most likely you’ll need $s from fans of Nash and the public, hence the crowd-funding campaign. Any message you’d like to send out to fans of Nash and the Canadian music industry as a whole?  We’re hoping the arts councils come through, but we’re not banking on it.  We need support at the grass-roots level:  people donating, no matter how small. They get their name in the credits, a shout-out on social media, and bit of a dopamine rush.  And they’ll be able to say that it couldn’t have happened without them; it’s a chance to have their name attached to something very cool and kind of underground.  Toronto’s going to be a lot more interesting with Nash the Slash back in it.

So good luck to the filmmakers: Colin Brunton, Kevan Byrne, Leanne Davies and Tim Kowalski.  This is a film that needs to be made and shown – they are currently only $40K short of their goals. If you’re a music fan, esp. lovers of indie artists and Canadian music history, visit the GoFundMe page and even if it’s $20, please donate tohttps://www.gofundme.com/f/nashtheslashrisesagain

Follow the producers on these social media platforms:
www.facebook.com/NashTheSlashDoc 
www.instagram.com/nashtheslashdoc
www.x.com/nashtheslashdoc
www.tiktok.com/@nashtheslash24

OSCAR-WINNING DIRECTOR GUILLERMO DEL TORO CALLS ON THE EVASONS FOR ADVICE FOR HIS LATEST FILM “NIGHTMARE ALLEY”.

Over the past few weeks, my TV has been dominated by ads for an exciting new feature film, Oscar-winning director Guillermo del Toro’s noir-themed “Nightmare Alley” which opens this Friday, December 17th. The film stars Bradley Cooper and Rooney Mara along with an outstanding cast of A-listers including my fave Aussie ladies, Cate Blanchett and Toni Collette. I was thrilled, then, to receive a message from the world’s leading mentalist duo, Tessa and Jeff Evason, telling me about their participation in the film, too.When del Toro was going over the script, he wanted to ensure authenticity for the various scenes showing how mentalists work with their audiences. So after a few international phones calls and emails, he was introduced to the Evasons who are considered the best working mentalists in the world!I met Tessa and Jeff several years ago and they told me that one day we would work together – yes, they nailed that one for sure…now here we are.  I spoke with them 2 days ago and asked them to share the experience of getting the phone call that has brought them into a whole new circle of friends and business opportunities.

Tessa & Jeff, tell me how you became specialist consultants on Guillermo del Toro’s latest Hollywood blockbuster, Nightmare Alley – how did he find you?  It was the summer of 2019, we were at our cottage in Canada. We got a phone call from the office of producer Miles Dale. He said Guillermo del Toro was on the other line and he would like to chat with us about his upcoming film, Nightmare Alley. We looked at each other, wondered if it was a prank call, but it really was Guillermo on the line. OMG! He was just so friendly and warm, and incredibly nice. He told us we had some mutual friends, Teller (from Penn & Teller) and Derren Brown (mentalist from England), and that when he asked them if there was two-person mentalism team that he should speak with, they both said we were the ones.Without giving anything away, what did the Oscar-winning director ask of you?  Guillermo said that he was a huge fan of magic, and a member of the Magic Castle (private club in Hollywood, which we are also members of). He felt it was important that he remain true to the original story, and to also be respectful of magic history. Our task was to read the script (and every revision that followed) to provide notes about any scenes that pertained to methods, psychology and the performance of mentalism. On the first phone call, Guillermo  told us about his love and respect for magic. He was sensitive about exposure of secret methods, and he didn’t want to reveal any more than necessary in his movie, while keeping the storyline as authentic as possible. He wanted our perspective, as experts in the field of two-person mentalism, to advise and give insight line by line, scene by scene. Anyone who hasn’t studied what we have studied, to the depth and degree that we have studied and performed, has no idea what is possible with two-person telepathy. Some things in his original script sounded great and made for an interesting story, but just weren’t practical for a mentalism team to actually perform on stage during the era when the story takes place. Nightmare Alley was originally a novel by William Lindsay Gresham published in 1946. It has always had a degree of controversy among magicians and mentalists, yet it’s a film that we all love because we can relate to it in so many ways.

Del Toro is a big fan of magic and mind-reading – did you find him open to suggestions for certain scenes?  Oh yes! He was quite receptive to the many notes and ideas we contributed. We read quite a few revisions of the script. We had a blast doing it! You know for us it was really about keeping the scenes that involved mind reading and mentalism as realistic as possible, while at the same time remembering Nightmare Alley is a movie, not a documentary, and therefore it had license to bend the truth. Production had an unfortunate major delay due to the pandemic, and we imagine they had to make quite a few changes along the way because of that. We’re very keen to see the finished product.

You have created a great reputation in the corporate events world for presenting astounding feats of mentalism – have you been able to sustain work throughout the pandemic? Did you adapt by conducting events online?  We’re so fortunate to be working with some of the best entertainment agents and bureaus in the business. The agent who represents us, also represents many of the best magicians and mentalists on the planet. His name is Bill, and more than a business associate, he is a friend. He has given us so much encouragement and guidance before and during the pandemic. At first we were like everyone else, thinking life would soon get back to normal. As time went on, we resisted doing virtual shows. But then we tried doing a few guest spots on virtual charity events and we found that what we did worked really well virtually – sometimes even more unbelievable than live performances. Since then, we’ve been doing virtual shows regularly and we love it! Today, for example, we woke up early to do an 8:00am show for an audience in the UK, then later in the day we did a show for a North American group, and at 3:00am we performed for a group in Japan! We literally travel around the world to do 3 shows in less than 24 hours – how amazing is that?!

Do you think virtual shows may be the way of the future for corporate events and public shows?  We have no doubt that virtual meetings and events are here to stay. And fortunately for us, magic and mentalism is one of the best forms of entertainment for online platforms. Attendees become active participants, and the more interactive the show is, the more engaged the audience becomes. It’s not just about watching the performer, a big part of the appeal for attendees is watching each other, so Zoom shows work really well. Many of the groups we have performed for tell us they plan to continue doing virtual events even after they return to doing live events. During these strange times, we’ve thought a lot about the performers who successfully transitioned from Vaudeville theaters to film, and later to radio and TV. Who knows where we’re headed with virtual shows, but we do know this is a time where we need to embrace change. In many ways it’s an exciting era and we’re thrilled to be part of it!

“They turned a roomful of arms-folded skeptics into intrigued believers.” – Toronto Star

“They left audiences aghast with their abilities” – Carte Blanche, South Africa

“Their mind-reading act was one of the most incredible displays this reviewer has ever witnessed.” – Evening Chronicle, Newcastle Upon Tyne  What is the most exciting thing about being involved with Nightmare Alley? Would you like to be the go-to experts for other films or tv shows?  Nightmare Alley is one of our favorite movies of all time, and Guillermo del Toro is such a legend. What an honor to be involved on any level! The most exciting thing about it is probably just to have had the opportunity and to be able to include it on our resume. Life is all about variety and having as many amazing experiences as possible. This certainly has been a significant highlight for us, and yes, we definitely would love to be the “go-to experts” for this genre for other films or tv shows or media appearances.

As 2022 is fast approaching, are you and your US booking agent planning any live events, corporate or public, next year or are you simply working on a day-by-day basis?  Yes, we are planning live events and have quite a few dates booked on our calendar. In fact, we’ve already done a lot of live events. Our first show back after a year and a half hiatus was in August at Lilly Dale in upstate New York. It’s a beautiful little town, actually a hamlet, where psychics and mediums live and work. It’s known as the world’s largest spiritualist community. Working there was another highlight for us. Since then, we’ve also done colleges and corporate events in the US and in Canada. Next month (January, 2022) we are excited to be appearing nightly for ticketed public shows at Liberty Magic, a lovely intimate theatre in Pittsburgh, PA.To book a live or virtual show, corporate event, or learn more about Tessa and Jeff Evason and their amazing skills, visit: www.evason.com and be sure to check out Nightmare Alley when it opens in a cinema near you.

Foodora photo shoot @ Isaan Der, Toronto’s coolest Thai restaurant

Yesterday, the lovely folks from Foodora.ca home delivery service dropped into ISAAN DER Thai Restaurant in Toronto’s Junction neighbourhood, to take photos of the exquisite dishes available for delivery (or personal pick-up) via their website. Here, photographer Melissa sets up her shots….20171101_141613 20171101_143524Foodora account manager, Dana, was on hand to help direct the shoot and talk with owners Donald and Chef Ko about the fabulous menu now available to a wider online customer base. Just take a look at these dishes – you could almost eat the photos, yes?20171101_145157 20171101_151249 20171101_151944 20171101_151938Online foodie influencer Cindy of @wakeupeatthis (below) also dropped in to cover the shoot, after which we all feasted on this magnificent spread…burp!20171101_150229(0)

Click here if you’d like to order online via Foodora:  https://www.foodora.ca/restaurant/s4jx/isaan-der-thai-food

And to visit the restaurant in person, Isaan Der is located at 2961 Dundas St West (between Pacific & Keele), Toronto.  www.isaander.comlogo

 

MEDIA PERSONALITY IEDEN WALL LAUNCHES NEW BOOK OF POETRY & PROVERBS

I recently had the pleasure of meeting IEDEN WALL, Toronto tv host, writer/producer, motivational speaker and now…. author!  Ieden (pron. Eden) has just published a book of poetry and proverbs, the result of  years spent discovering life, love and career, meeting the challenges of creating a productive and authentic life.Ieden-HeadShot-Glenda“Being on my own at age 15 opened up a very unique lens through which I viewed the world. By sharing my poetic lyrics and pearls of wisdom, I have been able to impart many life lessons that I learned the hard way. I hope those reading The Wisdom of Wall will be empowered to survive the many pitfalls and speed bumps of life without suffering the way I did. And that makes me feel great.”  – Ieden Wall (pictured above)

In his book, The Wisdom of Wall, Ieden engages a wide range of topics such as human existence, social and political unrest, love, romance, spirituality, religion and much more. He explores the world and the human condition with a sharp wit, an acute sense of irony and a mysterious sixth sense.  In this book of poetry and proverbs, we find a complex mind in search for identity, lost memories, purpose and transcendence amid a dizzying gust of existential curiosity.

I sat down with the author and asked him about his inspiration for the book and what drives him to create:

What first inspired you to start writing your thoughts down in rhyme?  Strange though it sounds, I was inspired by the genius of Leonard Cohen and then Bob Dylan and Tom Waits. Even at 15 years-old, I was so moved by their depth and creativity. I was on my own so young and the raw, brokenness of Cohen captured my imagination.

Having experienced a challenging life as a teenager and young adult, how do you think sharing your wisdom and poetic insights will help others surmount their own obstacles in life, relationships or careers?  Too much wisdom can be a heavy burden, but my wish is that readers will find that special message that connects with them at just the right time and makes all the difference. The truth is a great liberator and there are many truths in my book, from cover to cover.

What advice were you given as a youngster that has stuck with you over the years?  Don’t be afraid to share what is most precious to you. Good art and great art is separated by the many depths of honesty and revelation.

To date, you’ve had a successful career in broadcasting as well as motivational speaking – how difficult is it to sit down and write in a solitary environment? Writing in a solitary environment was cathartic, in the deepest sense. I am a walking paradox. Enigmatic to myself and others. [smile] On one hand I love interactive performance art like broadcasting and stand-up comedy. On the other hand, I adore the soulful isolation that gives birth to honest, raw poetry.

How relevant do you feel poetry is in today’s world? I believe it depends on the poet. I suppose poetry about the inner beauty of butter churning is not so relevant to our high-tech generation [laughs] but the deepest matters of the heart are always in high demand — even more so now as technology pushes us into our brains and away from our hearts.HolySpark

I hear you may be considering collaborating with musicians to create recordings of your spoken word accompanied by original music – any favourite artists on your “wish list”?  Well I’m currently trying to lure Garth Brooks away from his 60 bedroom, 25 bathroom shack in Montana and back into the recording studio. He would do a fabulous job with my poem called “No Love to be Won”.

Any advice to would-be poets/authors looking to take that first step in putting pen to paper?  Be honest. Be brave. Be yourself. Enjoy the process and detach from the outcome.

Wall has already garnered kudos and thumbs-up for his literary work from fans such as …

“A Canadian poet with a distinct charm and remarkable grace.”   –  Dr. Jonathan Sarna, Newsweek

“Wall’s ability to fuse absurd humour with the poignancy of humanity is brilliant.”  – former Mayor of Toronto, David Miller

“The Wisdom of Wall is 200 pages of grace, charm and an agile wit. Wall does something that few poets have been able to do here in Canada – he delivers deep, profound messages, with the punch of a comedian and the rhythm of a master lyricist.”    – comedy legend & Founder of Yuk Yuk’s Mark Breslin

with Mark Breslin

with Mark Breslin

“There is nobody out there quite like him. So much soul under Wall’s veneer of wry humour.” – John Terauds, The Toronto Star

“A wonderfully wise and thoughtful read.”   filmmaker Robert Lantos

SPECIAL BOOK SIGNING EVENT
The author will be selling & signing copies of  The Wisdom of Wall on Saturday October 14  (8pm to 9:30pm) at the 5-star Shangri-La Hotel (VIP screening Room, 3rd Floor) located at 188 University Avenue, Toronto. Live music and video segments will accompany the readings.

If you would like to attend, please RSVP to me at FordhamPR@rogers.com – space is limited so email soon.SLTO-Hotel-LogoThe book will also be available for sale online at EdenTV.ca or Amazon.com on October 15th.  Published by Cosmic Landscape Publishing.

NOLLYWOOD FILMMAKER OMONI OBOLI STARTS HER TIFF MEDIA ROUNDS WITH THE LOVELY FOLKS AT AFRO-GLOBAL TV & PLANET AFRICA

We had the perfect start today for Nollywood filmmaker and star OMONI OBOLI as she launched her media campaign for her film OKAFOR’S LAW, participating in this year’s Toronto International Film Festival: she enjoyed an hour long interview with Toronto-based AfroGlobal TV and Planet Africa magazine publishers.20160906_113744 20160906_120045Sitting down with show host, Patricia Bebia Mawa, Omoni (pictured below on her throne-like interview hot seat) talked at great length about being a female director and writer in what has mainly been a male domain. She also shared how she manages to maintain a fulfilling home life with her husband and children while building her career and expanding her professional horizons.20160906_120128 20160906_130347The crew and other AfroGlobal TV personalities joined Omoni for post-interview photos – as you can see she quite the hit in the studio!20160906_130536 20160906_130559 20160906_130613 20160906_130722Okafor’s Law has its world premiere red carpet next Monday (Sept.12) at 8:45pm at the Isabel Bader Theatre in Toronto. Check the official festival website for screening dates and times, and to purchase tickets online. www.tiff.net/.  And to watch this episode of AfroGlobal TV tune into Rogers channel 708 if you’re in Toronto or follow Afroglobal Television on Facebook for the video link.Okafor's Law red poster flat

 

Visiting the annual PPPC promotions tradeshow in Toronto.

Thanks to the generosity of the promo experts at Universal Links Inc.  http://universallinksinc.com/  I was able to attend the PPPC National Convention 2016 at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre yesterday, accompanied by my trusty side-kick and photographer, Gabriella Luchetta. PromoCan/PPPC presented their annual tradeshow featuring the newest trends in the promotions and corporate incentives business (like these wacky pens above), and I wanted to share the sights and sounds with my readers…so come walk the aisles with Gabriella and me on this virtual tour.DSC08039Everything and anything you can stick a corporate logo on is featured here. Coffee mugs, coasters, stickers, pens, apparel, frisbees, decals…all shapes and sizes are available. Companies like Universal Links source merchandise like these then offer to their clients (known as end-users) who distribute to their customers as give-aways or special promotions and corporate gifts. Gabs and I saw so many cool things we’d like to be given as “gifts”…..DSC08062 DSC08064 DSC08066We had a lot of fun with the folks in the Soft Stuff Creations booth hugging teddy bears, I even tried to hug the hunky “booth babe” manning the display but I just made him laugh…LOL!20160129_130558 DSC08073 DSC08074Of course, we went straight to all the chocolate promotions like the Taylor-Grant booth below where Gabs chowed down on samples and I made do with just looking at the yummy catalogue (I really MUST lose some lbs).DSC08080There’s always lots of fun squishy stress relievers…here are some of our favourites:DSC08093 DSC08177 DSC08180Gabriella found this cute froggy (below) which she promptly pulled apart… it’s actually a memory stick/USB as are those other cute characters behind.File 2016-01-29, 4 57 23 PMGreat to meet Karen (below) from Martini Promotions who showed us some funky sparkly apparel and reversible totes.File 2016-01-29, 4 58 24 PMDSC08148Suddenly, Gabriella and I were stopped in our tracks when we spied this stunning grey wrap jacket. Are you kiddin’ me? This is a promo item? So stylish and feels like a baby cashmere goat….wow, who made it?DSC08111DSC08109Founder and President of Redwood Classics, Kathy Cheng (below) came over and introduced herself…and then told us the story of her family business that makes high-quality apparel here in Canada. DSC08119DSC08122Kathy showed us one of the unique items that are made from re-purposed overstock like this 3M umbrella – its materials have been made into this cute cushion (below), creating a stylish functional and fashion-fwd promo gift for the company. This saves unused products going into landfill and allows companies to “re-gift”. Brilliant!DSC08115We were so engaged and inspired by her family’s story that I promised Kathy I would do a special feature blog on Redwood Classics later and interview her once she has recovered from the long hours of the tradeshow so stay tuned.

Lots more groovy products like these watches, custom labelled bottles of wine…wow!DSC08147 DSC08099 DSC08163For fans of “Caddyshack” the movie, you can even find sassy gopher golfclub covers….LOLDSC08135And here’s one of my favourite booths showcasing sparkly, glowing lights on all their products.

Thanks again to Universal Links Inc and the folks at PromoCan/PPPC who hosted the show. Bravo all of you!

SINGER/SONGWRITER LAURA ROCK ROCKS DEAD DOG RECORDS, TORONTO

It may have been a dull overcast day in Toronto yesterday but inside Dead Dog Records, 1209 Bloor West, the lights were bright and the music was blasting out “Rock’s Not Dead” by local rock singer/songwriter LAURA ROCK (known as L’Rock to her friends and fans) who dropped in for an in-store promotional visit in support of her current CD, Rock’s Not Dead.    http://www.lrockmusic.com/20151114_135711Below, the Newfie-born now Toronto-based Laura was joined by bandmates Les (rhythm guitar) at left and Bleeding Betty (bass) far right with Dead Dog’s Stephen in grey DDR t-shirt.20151114_140618Between 2-4pm, a number of Laura’s friends and fans showed up (below) to support CD sales and buy the super cool Dead Dog Records t-shirts!20151114_150348Work with me people….make the duck face! I’ve been watching way to much America’s Next Top Model…LOL20151114_145228Even celebrities showed up @ Dead Dog Records…here’s my old friend Gemini and 3x Cdn Comedy Award winner George West below with Laura. George and I go waaaaay back to the late 80’s when he was part of a brilliant comedy duo, Al & George, and has since gone on to a successful solo music, writing and acting career. http://georgewesterholm.ca/ 20151114_142556In between meetin’ and greetin’ fans, Laura and the band browsed the bins, unearthing all sorts of musical treasures…20151114_143853…and I loved the t-shirt rack and lots of other pop-culture merch.20151114_135610

20151114_135456 20151114_135522But even tho the store was rockin’, work still had to get done….20151114_135557BIG THANKS to Stephen, Maesy and Kristie of Dead Dog Records for having us in their store. If you love music, esp. vinyl, they can find anything you want or desire. Drop in, spend an hour going thru the racks and bins and I guarantee you will find something you didn’t know you wanted but just had to have! Their website is launching soon but you can follow them here: https://www.facebook.com/deaddogrecordsto

And again, here’s Laura’s website: http://www.lrockmusic.com/  or you can follow her on Twtr @lrocknroll

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LAURA ROCK TALKS ROCK MUSIC WITH “WHAT SHE SAID” HOSTS CHRISTINE & SHARON

Earlier this morning, I took music client, Laura Rock (a.k.a. L’Rock) down to the SiriusXM radio studios in Liberty Village to chat with the fabulous Christine Bentley and Sharon Caddy, hosts of What She Said radio show. http://www.whatshesaidradio.com/20151104_102849Laura’s philosophy about the music industry is “all the web’s a stage and music is a way of life…not a destination”.  Her willingness to encourage other artists has been recognized throughout the industry and acknowledged on many social media platforms. She believes the “point of power is the present view. Whatever you’re willing to conceive and believe is what will come to you. It’s The Law of the Attraction”.

The Newfie-born, Toronto-based singer/songwriter shared her views on the current state of the music industry, in particular rock music, with What She Said’s listeners, resulting in an animated, fun and thoughtful 15 minutes of insider expertise and opinions. She also brought in t-shirts and CDs for the hosts (Kate Wheeler is the 3rd host) who showed their enthusiasm for free clothes…especially Christine (below)20151104_101634If you want to hear what L’Rock’s music is all about, visit her website http://www.lrockmusic.com/ or better still, if you’re in Toronto, come down to Dead Dog Records, 1209 Bloor West (at Lansdown) on Saturday Nov. 14th 2-4pm to meet Laura in person, pick up her CD Rock’s Not Dead and some t-shirts, and hang out with her band and the big loud promo truck parked outside the store playing all her tunes.deaddoglogofbookYou can also listen to Laura’s interview via the What She Said website http://www.whatshesaidradio.com/

 

OUT THERE @ TIFF WITH THE FABULOUS MELISSA DIMARCO

And so the dance begins….20150911_133522

20150911_133526The fans are lining up outside the Ritz-Carlton Hotel (above) in hopes of spying visiting celebs during the Toronto Int’l Film Festival (TIFF) – the annual high holidays for the movie industry.

Got a great start to my TIFF’ing this year…I got to visit the media hospitality suites in the Hotel Intercontinental on Front St West and my first stop was the www.OutThereWithMelissa.com suite, hosted by the gorgeous, friendly MELISSA DIMARCO (yes, she’s even prettier in person).

Her team of hosts (below) welcomed me to the suite and I had fun with the photo wall….can’t wait to see how “fabulous” they made me look – only hope their Photoshop program was working overtime..LOL!20150911_134618

20150911_134627Downstairs, there was lots of schmoozing going on, as well as tons of nibblies and sponsor drinkies….20150911_134943

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20150911_13501920150911_135023…and more networking opps with industry folks like Dixon and Bruce (below)20150911_135412and I caught these two fellas below mid-chew (sorry)…. LOL20150911_135548Young ACTRA party organizer Sarena Parmar (below right) was working the room like a pro!20150911_135614…and here she is again with Rodger Edralin of Napintas Films (centre) and one of the numerous casting guys (left) in town over the next 10 days.20150911_135634Here are more of Melissa’s great team of room hosts and her official photographer (below right) who looks quite a bit like Chrissy Teigen, don’t you think?20150911_135652

20150911_135700Sadly I left the party a bit too early as I missed fellow countryman and Oscar-winner, Geoffrey Rush (below with Melissa )Geoffrey RushAussie star Rush is famous for The King’s Speech and numerous other films but I will always remember him for his award-winning portrayal of pianist David Helfgott in the movie SHINE which holds a special place in my heart. It’s based in my home town of Perth, Western Australia, and I remember seeing the real David play in the piano bar of the Parmelia Hotel which I frequented after work in the early 70’s (I was under-age to drink booze but kids and dogs were allowed in hotel bars in Oz – civilized or what, eh?). G’day, Geoffrey…if you need any Vegemite or Lamingtons, I got a stash here!

As I left the suites I ran into the adorable and super talented Katie Boland who was making her exit with her hands full of goodie bags. Such a pretty dress!20150911_142502So a really big thanks to Melissa and the Out There with Melissa DiMarco gang, and a special thank you to Caron Nightingale, Director of Sales for APM Canada (one of the suite’s sponsors), who kindly extended the invitation to me.  Check out what APM does here:  http://www.apmmusic.com/  

I’m looking fwd to visiting the ladies of Sirius XM’s What She Said next week so check back for more TIFF news.20150911_141038