First Night Jitters? No Problem,

Before the first night of Folklorama is always stressful and uncertain, will the stage be finished, will the performers be confused, will the show run longer than the allotted time slot, will an audience show up? All these things are legitimately concerns, but every year everything comes together and runs smoothly as it did last night. The performances on stage were top notch and well rehearsed and the show itself, which we formatted differently from last year, seemed to run without any glitches. The one thing that was noticeable was the smaller than average crowds for all three shows. The disadvantage of hosting a Pavilion on the first week is that the crowds are small early in the week because of the long weekend, but they gradually grow toward the end of the week. The second week is traditionally more successful financially because of the momentum carried from the first week via word of mouth and media reports and reviews.
Some highlights and observations from Night 1:

• The martial arts groups will perform 15 minutes before each main stage show, the first night was the Manitoba Kendo Club. It was especially cute to see some of the younger (kids) members bashing each other with the kendo sticks and their little screaming voices from under those large helmets. This year we are back with all three MA groups, judo, karate and kendo.
• For the first time in many years, we have three different singers that will perform throughout the week. Kenji Miyamoto was accompanied by his daughter Mitsuko who provided some interpretive dancing in the background. Kenji drew loud appreciative applause after each performance and you can tell he really enjoys performing on stage. Shayna Paulicelli for the fourth straight year is back and as I've said in the past she's a natural and a born performer. A powerful new song that combines Japanese and English lyrics will be a crowd pleaser all week. She is scheduled to perform for all but two nights. A third singer Yuki performs mid week on.
  
• I didn't notice this before, but look closely at the photo with the taiko drummers against the back wall. They are standing on little risers that can be adjusted for height...thought that was kind of cool.

Overall a good night, maybe a little tweaking here and there, but should be a good week as long as the air conditioning holds out. In case your wondering about other aspects of the Pavilion I probably won't go there, I'm writing this from the point of view of a entertainment coordinator. I'll try to keep each day brief as it's hard to write something every night as well as working a 9-5 job, last year I stayed up late a minimum of 2 or 3 hours to write after coming home after 11pm. Thank you civic holiday!

A Little Pre-Folklorama Ramble

This year's Folklorama motto, "How far will you go?" can be interpreted, oh so many ways. It can be used to describe an unique approach, pushing the limits and maybe going to extreme measures. I doubt this is the case because Folklorama always plays it safe, Pavilions are not allowed to make political statements nor are they allowed to tread in controversial subject matter despite the historical significance (such as the internment of Japanese-Canadians by the Canadian Government) and for Folklorama to push it's limits means trying to attract a younger demographic by holding late-night parties (booze-fest) at select Pavilions since many view Folklorama as a seniors bus tour-type of event.

It can also mean, how many countries (Pavilions) can you see in 2 weeks? I heard a while back that they might bring back the passport pass where you could purchase an all-you-can-see passport for a set amount of $ and you would get each Pavilion's page stamped with a different stamp, sort of like seeing all these different countries. It was a popular idea 10 years ago, but I'm thinking it was too cost worthy for the Folk Art's council to swallow. In the past I remember there was also a Folklorama bus that was free to passport holders that ran a couple of routes from Pavilion to Pavilion. It cut time finding a place to park or if you didn't have a car you didn't have to reply on public transit to find yourself to the Pavilions.

More than likely, "How far will you go" refers to how far will you travel to Winnipeg to see Folklorama (from out-of-town), obviously one of it's major sponsor's Westjet takes delight in this tie-in and other years (maybe this year too, I'm not sure) a contest entrant has received a free flight to anywhere Westjet flies. Yes, the power of the sponsor! I received a list of all the official sponsors that have the exclusive right's to everything from beer, banking institutions, hotel services, soft drinks, and money transfer services...yes, Western Union is the official money transfer service of Folklorama 2008...what the hell? Even at our Pavilion, which is a school the other 358 days in the year, one of the vending machines is covered with paper to cover the fact the machine has "Coke" products inside. All official sponsor signage must be visible in the Pavilion and a two and a half minute CD that again recognizes the sponsors must be played before every show. I'm not saying there's anything wrong with corporate sponsorship, I'm just saying each Pavilion is starting to look like the MTS Centre where the boards, the ice and every inch of the building (including in the bathroom) is plastered with advertising.

How Far Will You Go?

I'm heading up to the cabin on Saturday so I won't be posting for about a week or so. I think the nice weather is still ahead so hopefully I won't have to wear rain gear and fleeces.

Folklorama is coming up and it'll occupy most of my time when I return, so I'll leave you with a clip from the Folklorama commercial that is gracing small screens everywhere. If you're wondering if that's Sumi (in the only speaking role) behind the fan...it is! I laughed my ass off when I first saw this, but boy she does a great job! I think she should pursue some kind of acting career after this. You can see her everywhere, on posters, the cover of the program booklet (pick one up at your local LC), ads in magazines and newspapers and on the back of Winnipeg Transit buses.

If the clip doesn't work, go to the Folklorama website (and click on the "video" in the left column) and ask yourself, "How far will you go?"

The Answer Is No!!

The question is can you freeze a metal Sigg water bottle? As I found out it was a big mistake, even leaving the lid off it the water expanded (not upwards) and split the thin metal on the side. I actually Googled the question and the responses were as "long as the lid is off it would be fine", don't trust everything you read on the internet. Days later I checked the Sigg site and it adviced against freezing their bottles. Oh well, I guess I can't get my money back!

New And Improved! aka: "Sick Puppy Manifesto"

Welcome to the "new" and "improved" site for red eyes!

First of all, I would like to apologize for the lack of posts and updates on this site because there's almost nothing I hate more than non-updated blogs. It's not like nothing exciting has happened in my life, maybe it's been too exciting since I seem to be too busy to write and share all the stupid things I think about while I'm at work or zoning out in front of the computer screen.

Secondly, the title of this post is probably misleading, much like the "new" Tide there's nothing new or different about this blog, but it will seem "new" because I haven't written anything since early Spring and it will be "improved" because I will share all the clever information I have backlogged in my brain. This doesn't mean there won't be any changes, no sir, I have plenty of interesting ideas to make this site worth checking out every day (or two...?). Here is a list of the general ground rules and content I promise to cover over the following months:

• This site will remain the non-music pursuits in my life, so legal and non-legal mp3's might be hard to find here. If you enjoy your music cool and your concerts hot, check out my live music blog, Teenage Dogs in Trouble.
• I'll continue to post videos when I'm stuck for something to write about. I know personally I can spend hours on YouTube watching Yogi Bear episodes and music videos, so if anyone has any recommendations or requests I'll spread the word. Better yet, if you make a video you want to share with the world, let me know.
• I might resort to the ol' personal blog formula of detailing all the mundane happenings in my life. "What my cat ate, what I watched on TV, what I ate for lunch and who I ate it with...", this sometimes leads to the "too much information" category, so I'll try to stay clear of info that might offend all my close friends (you know who you are), or worse bore them to death.
• More photos! Everyone loves pictures and I rely heavily on the internet for many of my photos, but like many of you I do own a camera, it's automatic and digital so it's foolproof, right?
• Reviews, reviews! I like to watch more than participate so there'll be no shortage of events to watch and criticize. I like to think I'm critical and hate everything, but in reality I'm easily satisfied. If a play or movie entertains me and I don't fall asleep I probably won't slam it. Like most people I have lots and lots of personal biases and things (and people) that bug me...so be warned!
• Winnipeg...I love and hate this city, but I live here so a lot of my content will be from a Winnipegger's point of view. There's a lot that happens in this town, good and bad that I can't keep my mouth shut about. I haven't read many good blogs that have originated from Winnipeg, so pass on any links, it's good to have many POV's from this town.

If you've read something that prompts a comment, please leave one. Whether you agree or are offended, a comment proves that this blog is read by someone and there is nothing sadder than a blog with no readers, much like that tree falling in a forest thing.

The Big Snit

I hadn't seen the Big Snit in years , but it still provides a good laugh or two. This film gained Richard Condie an Oscar nomination for Best Animated Short back in 1985. It didn't win, but it solidified Condie as one of Canada's best known animators.
They sure don't make em' like they used to...Enjoy!

Arrgg!!

Starting February 7th, the University Of Manitoba's Gallery 111 will host an exhibit from Winnipeg filmmaker Richard Condie. Condie is best known for his Oscar nominated short animation films, The Big Snit (1985) and La Salla (1996) as well his hilarious, Getting Started from 1979 which rose Condie to prominence. The exhibition, Arrgg!! will display for the first time Condie's animated cels, pencil drawings, dope sheets and other memorabilia. This is a major coup for the gallery as Condie has donated his works for the University's archives and the exhibition will display just a small sampling of his vast contribution.

If you've never seen the Big Snit or Getting Started, I recommend you first watch these classic films. Then when you see the individual cels on display, you'll come to appreciate the painstakingly hard work that goes into making a 10-minute animated feature. These are done "old school", hand painted and without the use of computers along with painted backgrounds by Condie's sister, Sharon. The show runs until March 7th.

CBC Embarrasses Itself Once Again!

When I thought CBC couldn't sink any lower with it's pathetic attempt to gain an audience by making up contest after contest of lame TV (and radio), they goofed big-time during CBC's broadcast of the NHL's annual All-Star game. First some insight, in the last few years CBC has presented all kinds of "contests" in hopes of gaining a younger audience, without having to award any real prizes or rewards. Here's a small sampling of past series and contests:

• The Greatest Canadian- CBC held a online poll to see who the top 50 Canadians of all time were. On TV they dragged this program on week after week eliminating top contestants. The top 10 real life Canadians (Gretzky, Bell, Banting, Cherry, Fox, MacDonald, Trudeau, Suzuki etc..) were represented by CBC advocate personalities (Mary Walsh, Evan Solomon, George Stromo, Rex Murphy etc.) and their in-studio cheering sections. A good example of CBC's self-congratulatory approach to programming. A bad idea to have on-line voting as an annoying Winnipeg DJ made the top 50. This was lame, lame, lame!

• Hockeyville- "The search for the community that best embodies the spirit of hockey and hometown pride". The way this is accomplished is that someone from the community makes a video montage of off-key singing and laughing good-times then submits it to CBC. This is somehow judged against hundreds of other communities then the top teams compete on a multi-week TV game show (much like TGC) where reps compete against each other through stupid in-studio games, singing contests and lots of pleading and begging. how does this embody the spirit of hockey? Pandering and very embarrassing!

• Canada Reads- is an annual "battle of the books" competition organized and broadcast by CBC radio. During Canada Reads, five personalities champion five different books, each champion extolling the merits of one of the titles. The debate is broadcast over a series of five programs. At the end of each episode, the panelists vote one title "off the island" until only one book remains. This book is then billed as the book that all of Canada should read. elieve it or not this has been ongoing since 2002. To stay in tuned with a younger audience, CBC has had a range of personalities and celebrities such as Jim Cuddy (2x), John K Samson (2x), Scott Thompson, Steve Page (2x), Megan Fellows and Kim Campbell. Did these people actually read the book? At least this one has some merit and plays well with the intellectual crowd that tunes into CBC.

• Test The Nation- "Canada's IQ test" Hosted by Wendy Mesley (there was a time when I actually took her seriously), this stupid excuse to air crap is disguised as a play along at home contest to compare yourselves with the in-studio teams of stereotypes. Again an idiot celebrity advocate for teams (sections of the studio audience divided into 8 or 10 groups) represented different professions or personalities such as bloggers, crossword puzzlers, celebrity lookalikes, flight crew, college fratboys, chefs, tattoo artists, mayors, fitness instructors, blondes, brunettes..you get the idea. A series of questions and problems are asked and after each segment of the test an update of the results are tabulated in real-time. This drags on for 2 hours, in the end we find out what type of person is the smartest..very scientific! It's unbelievable how silly this show is, it was so successful the first couple times it was on, I think it's going to be on more frequently. Believe it or not most of the celebrities have some connection with CBC.
  

• Hockey Song Challenge-Make a video singing Stompin Tom's, The Hockey Song to win a trip to Winkler, Toronto and Ottawa for Hockey Day In Canada. Another video contest where a majority of the entrants will submit irritating footage of cute hockey playing children mumbling off-key and looking generally confused. I saw a clip preview of some of the entrants and we were also treated to people singing into spoons (and hockey sticks), bad guitar playing singers, groups of old men standing around outdoor rinks and endless amount of montages of blurry shaky dark images, don't people know how to edit? I might have entered if you were able to submit an original hockey song...I'm sick of that song!

This brings me to 2008 all-star game, CBC was to broadcast the winning Hockey Song video between the 2nd and 3rd periods of the game. It had been hyped on commercials for weeks leading up to this game for the BIG announcement. Ron Maclean announced the winner was the Twin City Harmonizers and they played the video. The video was kid's on an outdoor rink one by one singing a line from the song, could this be anymore boring and predictable, this is entertainment? Actually this wasn't the winner, when the video was finished Maclean said the 3rd place video was shown by mistake and there was no time to play the 1st place one, talk about being shafted! The 3rd placers must of thought they won and the 1st placers lost their moment of national TV glory because the incompetent CBC is too stupid to care or take notice. (Here is the real 1st place video...hmmm... it seems to be the HNIC theme they are humming at the beginning...old guys singing...this is really the 1st place video? Wow, should have entered!)

It may not matter to the execs at the Mother-corp, but fans should be worried. I remember years ago when CBC would cut off overtime playoff games because of time commitments to reruns of Tommy Hunter that they deemed more important. I think now CBC realizes that the only program that has a dedicated audience or real viewer ship is hockey, not sitcoms, dramas or arts programs, though I enjoyed the Dragon's Den. Since the CBC builds it's whole television schedule around the NHL season (the summer is all reruns and movies), it should stick to what it does best...if that's possible.

Happy New Year! Russian-Style

This game from the Russian-Super league would make even Don Cherry proud. On January 8th, 2008, the Ak Bars vs Traktor combined for an amazing 378 minutes in penalties on the play.

As you know, I'm not an advocate for violence or fights in general, but a good hockey brawl is always good for the soul. I haven't seen a full out bench clearing brawl like this in a long time (except for those 8 year olds in Ontario).

Sorry for the long hiatus between posts, you know how it is, Christmas and holidays always means less time on the computer. Oh well, every things back to normal again and in 2008 I promise more updates and more frivolous news stories.

2007 Geminis Puppets Skit

There has been lots of discussion about this clip from the Gemini awards in Regina a few weeks ago. The Jerome and Rusty puppets were retrieved from the CBC by the late Friendly Giant's family after this was aired. They were upset because the CBC did not ask for permission for their appearance in the video. They probably felt the integrity of the characters were disrespectfully portrayed. I can understand their displeasure, but I still laughed my ass off! Judge for yourself, I'm sure this was the highlight of the usual boring awards show.

Blue And Green Going Grey

Grey Cup that is...! Yes, the match-up the league most feared, the Saskatchewan Roughriders and the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. The league was hoping for the East/West divisional leaders (and large market teams) to go head to head, but instead got the small market prairie rivals. You have to feel bad for the Toronto fans who had hoped for the hometown team to be in the big final...actually I take that back, Toronto..hahaha! I'm sure Bomber fans had a similar feeling last year when they hosted the Cup and failed to make the final, so it'll feel pretty good to have 60,000 fans on Sunday hating the Bombers.

This will be the first ever Grey Cup meeting between the Riders and the Bombers in this the 95th classic, you have to remember the Bombers were in the West division for most of those 95 years when Ottawa was in the league. This should be a great game, at least the parties will be during Grey Cup week, despite dull Toronto fans being in a mournful mood. I'm sure there'll be tons of tickets on eBay from Torontonians trying to dump their tickets they so proudly scooped up a year ago when they went on sale in anticipation of their teams participation. There will be just as many people from Winnipeg and Saskatchewan that will be desperately seeking these prized tickets. The fans from Sask and Winnipeg love to party and there will be lots of people trekking to T.O. last minute.

This year promises to be an interesting Cup because:

• The Bombers lost Most Outstanding Player finalist QB Kevin Glenn with a broken arm suffered in the fourth quarter against the Argos.
• Back-up Ryan Dinwiddie will make his first ever start in not only the Grey Cup, but the CFL!
• Glenn is up against the Rider's QB, West MVP Kerry Joseph.
• Rider pride! There was as many as 2,000 fans at the airport greeting the team when they returned from Vancouver...just how much green will be in the stands Sunday? Should be amazing, then again there are a lot of ex-Winnipeggers now living in Toronto, but Winnipegger's like to watch games on TV.
• Will Milt Stegall win his first Cup? Would put a nice cap on an outstanding career.
• Saskatchewan last won the Cup in 1989 in Toronto, one year later the Bombers won, neither have won since.
• Riders vs Bombers-best rivalry in the league... priceless, I hope!
  

Church Of The Rock...Bottom

Though I don't take most of the stories in the Winnipeg Sun that seriously, this story caught my attention:

Kim Houle is still struggling to explain the harsh realities of discrimination to her children and grandchildren after their aboriginal dance group was turfed from a charity event's bill.

The 45-year-old mother of 10 moved into a Habitat for Humanity home in July and was asked to perform, along with eight of her kids and grandkids, at the organization's volunteer appreciation night, held Tuesday at the Church of the Rock in Fort Garry.

But as she was preparing to dress her kids and grandkids in traditional aboriginal garb Tuesday afternoon, Houle was informed they could not perform because their spiritual dance did not align with the church's policies.

"I was very angry, I was really hurt to have to explain to my kids that this prejudice is still going on," Houle said just hours after the invitation was abruptly revoked.

"Some people still think the old way, that we're basically dancing to the devil. That's what a lot of non-aboriginals thought and I guess still think our dance is about."

The Church of the Rock declined comment when contacted by Sun Media.

'OVERSIGHT'

But Habitat for Humanity spokeswoman Michelle Nyhof confirmed Houle's invitation was "unfortunately" revoked at the demand of the church.

Nyhof said the organization regretted having to cancel the dance performance, but said not checking all performers with the church prior to the event was "an oversight" on Habitat's part.

Habitat signed an auditorium rental agreement allowing Church of the Rock first right of refusal on performers, and when it presented a performance list Tuesday afternoon, church administration said Houle's spiritual dance did not meet its policies.

Nyhof said administration did not elaborate on those policies, and confirmed Houle was the only performer slashed from the bill after Church of the Rock's review.

Houle does not fault Habitat. Instead, she says the church reminded her that aboriginal people are still not free from racism and prejudice -- and blames the church for forcing her to explain that to eight kids between one and 22 years old.

Habitat still invited Houle to attend the event, but she decided Tuesday night not to attend.

As the President of an organization whose mandate is human rights, I was particularly outraged when I read this. What exactly are the church's policies? Was it because they were aboriginal? Was it the spiritual dance itself, that perhaps it didn't share the same values and spiritual policies as the C.O.T.R.? Was it just a misunderstanding and scheduling conflict?

I suppose instead of jumping all over the church for it's actions, we should perhaps hear their side of the story. It never helps the situation when the accused declines comment, it immediately gives the impression they have something to hide or this in fact is the truth. I'm sure by tomorrow, the church's public relations staff will issue the standard damage control statements to defuse the situation. I browsed the Church Of The Rock's website earlier in the day, it said the usual inviting message of "we except all denomination's, multi-ethnic, all people....etc", but when I checked the link later around midnight (as I'm writing this) the site was down or removed...hmm.. sounds kind of suspicious, maybe they do have something to hide.

The church was created by pastor Mark Hughes and his wife and their church now occupies a large warehouse space in the McGillvary Industrial Park area of Winnipeg. A few weeks ago the University Of Manitoba used the church for their fall convocation during the worker's strike at the University. Are they sure the university weren't infringing on any of the church's policies for allowing any undesirables in their house of God or whatever. Last time I looked they allow aboriginals, gays and non-Christian's into university, so I'm surprised the Church didn't look over the graduate list for their "right to refusal". Any church that names itself after the wrestler Dwayne Johnson (aka: The Rock) can't be taken seriously, so in this day and age can this church be seriously that ignorant and racist....or at least until they tell us they're not.

I Want Candy! Happy Halloween

Though I'm too old to go out for Halloween and I hate wearing costumes, I still do enjoy the idea of Halloween. I always buy way more candy than I'll give away and I'm sure to check out the half price sale on candy the day after. Since the kid's have finally outgrown going out, I now have to split the profits..I mean the left-overs. They used get enough junkfood to last them until at least Christmas and that's with them eating the stuff at school, after school and before school. Now they can be more selective and if they want more than what's left, they'll have to buy it themselves.

Oh well, I better turn off the lights and horde the rest!!

Geoff Live @ NHD 9-23-07

This is the last of the Nikkei Heritage Day postings, thankfully I can move on to more recent activity after this. The afternoon concluded with a short set from me, I hadn't played anywhere for over a year so I was a little hesitant to perform in front of such a mixed audience (young and old). I was excited with the idea of trying out some new songs and a few recent ones that I have only played a couple of times. It felt pretty good, starting is always the hardest part and once you overcome nerves the rest will fall into place. My set was kind of cut short as you'll hear between track #7 and 8 when I was told "last song", I was able to squeeze in 3 Zamboni Joe hits. I'm hoping to find some gigs soon, hopefully to more of an appropriate crowd that will tolerate "depressing downer" songs and it would be great to reform the band. Let me know what you think.

1. Intro
2. Mayor Of Funtown
3. Do You Think I'm Angry?
4. Sliding Backwards (new)
5. Demise Of You
6. Remind Me To Kill Myself Again
7. Things To Say (new)
8. Cassie Says
9. Dead Hippies
10. Reminds Me Of Cathy

Shayna @NHD 9-23-07

Here are some songs that Shayna Paulicelli performed, a variety of covers that showcase her versatile vocal range. I only posted 4 of the 7 songs she performed as I didn't officially get her permission to post her live recording. Here's some news, I heard that Shayna is recording an album and it may be available before Christmas, if not, early 2008. Watch this blog for further details when they become available and again if you want a recording of the complete afternoon show, let me know in the comment section...remember I recorded this from my minidisc recorder, so don't expect multi-microphone/soundboard sound quality.

Another note: Shayna is singing karaoke-style. (her live vocals + pre-recorded music)
Enjoy!

A Moment Like This (Kelly Clarkson)
Valentine (Martina McBride)
Heaven (Bryan Adams)
Broken Wind

Jesse live @ NHD Arts Fest 9-23-07

As promised I'm posting most of Jesse's set (all but the first song) from the Nikkei Heritage Arts Fest. If you want to listen, click and your computer media player will hopefully play the track, if you want to download the songs and store it on your hard-drive, right-click and save as...I will upload Shayna and my set as well, but if you want the complete show (all 3 acts!), leave your name in the comment section and I'll arrange to get you a copy, but first have a listen as it might not be your taste in music. Like it or hate it? Let me know.

Enjoy!

JESSE MIKI "Manitoba Japanese Canadian Cultural Centre"
Winnipeg, Manitoba
September 23, 2007

Calling For (w/Alex)
Pathway To The Moon
Johnny Johnny Ooo Ooo
Wet Ground
Tragic Mirror

Nikkei Heritage Day Arts Festival... Last Week

Sorry to take so long to the report on Nikkei Heritage Day, it took place last Sunday, but I was busy compiling photos and editing sound samples. It was a fine turnout despite the gorgeous weather outside and I think that everyone that attended had a good time. The art was great, the music was eclectic and the snacks were exquisite.

Artists that displayed pieces were (let me know If I forget anyone); Brynne Takeuchi, Helen Miyata, Toki Orui, Misako Rothery, Karlene Stubbs, Miwako Hoppe, Shawne Collins, Geoff Miki, and Brandis Johnasson.

For entertainment, music was provided by Alex and Jesse Miki (vocals/solo electric guitar), Shayna Paulicelli (pop vocalist) and Geoff Miki (vocals/solo acoustic and electric guitar). Sumi Saito provided the amazing cake/cookies and Valerie Hoshizaki-Nordin prepared the veggy/cracker/cheese platers. Thank you to everyone that attended and contributed, I'm hopeful next year will be bigger and better. Actually next year will be the 20th anniversary of Redress, so communities across Canada are planning BIG celebrations to commemorate this historic date.

Tomorrow I will post some musical highlights from Jesse, Shayna and Geoff, so stay tuned!

N.H.D. Update

Just added to the entertainment festivities for Nikkei Heritage Day on Sunday is singer Shayna Paulicelli. You may remember Shayna from Folklorama at the Japanese Pavilion where she sang for 5 nights during the week. You will have the opportunity to hear her sing more than two songs and I'm betting they'll be in English, not Japanese. The afternoon music extravaganza will also feature solo sets from Jesse and myself. I haven't played anywhere for over a year, so it should be interesting. The last time I performed at the Manitoba Japanese Cultural Centre was with my band Zamboni Joe with Cheryl and David for "Art and Sushi " from November 2001.

Schedule: (times are tentative)
2:15 Jesse Miki
3:00 Shayna Paulicelli
3:45 Geoff Miki

The other component to the Art's Festival is the art show, contributions are still being received and the show will be set up early Sunday, if you want to put something into the show, drop it by the MJCCC on Saturday. My first passion is still art and I plan to submit a couple of pieces. In case you don't know, the only subject matter I have tackled in the past 10 years is hockey and in the past I have had a couple of shows featuring art that is hockey-related. I know I should spend more time on my art, but music and my computer addiction has prevented me from pursuing this activity. Anyways, hope to see lots of people come out on Sunday, there are many talented people in the arts in our community and you owe it to yourself to see who these people are. The art should be interesting and the music will be diverse and did I mention that Sumi will provide some desserts? Sounds tasty!

Come Celebrate Nikkei Heritage Day This Sunday!

Sorry for the lack of posts so far in September, I could provide you with a whole bunch of bull-shit excuses, but to be honest it is just laziness on my part. One event I'm gearing up for is Nikkei Heritage Day Arts Festival, this Sunday September 23rd at the Manitoba Japanese Cultural Centre from 2:00pm-4:30pm. Nikkei Heritage Day commemorates the date of the signing of the redress agreement on September 22, 1988, across Canada the JC communities host some kind of event on or around this date.

This year's Arts festival will feature paintings, drawings, photography, sculpture, and live music. Should be a good time, Jesse Miki and myself will provide the live music and I'm even submitting some art. There must be other musicians or performers in our community besides us, so please let me know if your talent is wasted away in your bedroom or basement and you would like to perform...it's not too late! Besides the art, there will be a vast array of goodies for the palate such as cake, cookies, fruit and the usual non-licenced beverages (coffee, tea, cold drinks).

So if your not raking leaves or watching football on Sunday afternoon, stop by for a look and listen, it might be your last chance to hear me sing and you might find a great piece of art.

Another Year Down: Folklorama Epilogue

I can't believe it's been over a week since Folklorama ended, another year that is a faint memory which is bad for me as I try to recall the highlights for the week. It was stressful during the week leading up to Folkorama, but all the hardwork put forth by the dozens of volunteers paid off. Overall, the attendance increased slightly from the year before, the same can be said about the bar and food sales which also took in more cash than last year (we're talking only a few hundred dollars more). The overall mood and atmosphere this year seemed more in control with little problems, this could be in part because it was the second year at Sisler or maybe the planning was more efficient. The topic of Pavilion venue will of course come up in discussion, do you think we should stay at Sisler? Our numbers are down significantly from Tec Voc two years ago... is location a problem? Too far from other Pavilions, any chance we can return to Tec Voc or score a prime location in the St. Boniface area?....discuss!

Immediately after the doors of the Pavilion closed Saturday night (August 18th), the Volunteer party took shape. Food was prepared and catered to feed the volunteer's that stuck around for the evening, as well as delicious cakes wonderfully created by Pastry Chef extraordinaire, Sumi. It's become a tradition the last few years to entertain ourselves with a goofy session of karaoke. Technicalities prevented the sing-a-long from taking place, so as a consolation the stage lights were aimed at the floor for a dance. Continuous dance music with it's mix of disco, classic rock and everyone's favourite social tune, "Paradise By The Dashboard Light" played as a group of us jumped, hopped, spun and stumbled our way through 2 hours of non-stop sweaty wholesome fun. I must admit it was a hell of a lot of fun, I've never danced that long before, especially without the influence of many beers. We were caught on film (watch the video clip), so there's proof that I was dancing, though Sumi said that wasn't "dancing" I was doing.

If I summed up the week of Folklorama, I would say it wasn't too bad, in fact it was kind of enjoyable. It was a pain in the ass bolting from work straight to the Pavilion, but almost everyone that volunteered did, in reality I didn't have to do too much. I wasn't dancing, singing or playing taiko drums on stage, instead I stood around, sat around, got nervous sometimes, ate cheezies and had a great time being around the performers and seeing friends and family. I have it in my head I hate doing this, but when I really think about it, it's something you're brought up to do. I can't think of a year when I wasn't involved, be it as an Entertainment co-coordinator, stage light/soundman, security, ambassador or setup and take down. I remember those gruelling days back at the Buddhist Church basement in the 70's, Sargent Park arena in the 80's, the Cultural Centre tent and Tec Voc school. We have it lucky now, almost luxurious if you compare the conditions and the amount of work to make a hockey arena or a basement look Japanese.

Sumi and I discussed what we could have done differently or tweaked to make the entertainment more enjoyable and diverse. A few things came to mind for next year; modern dance, more visual for the singer possibly dancers or musicians, both dance groups (Kaede/Aurora) performing same night, a second singer? If you watched the show or were part of the show, your comments and suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Any ideas for next year? I know that there are already discussions about a Sushi bar for Thursday-Saturday after the late show with possibly some karaoke.
I guess that's it for Folklorama 2007, once the week started it was fun and I loved being there. I had little sleep all week, getting home by 11pm then writing on the computer until after 2:30am on some nights. I didn't care if I was tired and wired, it kept me interested and involved and that's what life is all about, right? I want to thank our wonderful performers, Hinode Taiko who played 3 shows a night for 7 days..Wow! The stunning Kaede and Aurora Dance groups who provided the beauty and colour to the show. The talented Shayna Paulicelli whose voice is amazing and the Judo and Kendo Martial arts groups that energized the pre-main stage shows with excitement and loud action.

Special thanks to my cohort Sumi Saito, who kept me in line (and from being a "lazy ass") and provided me with much inspiration throughout the week. Hidden behind her upbeat cute persona, she has a wickedly sarcastic sense of humour that is refreshing and hilarious. I'm looking forward to working alongside her again next year. Enjoy the rest of your Summer!