Saturday, September 29, 2012

SNEAK PEEK: Ed Sheeran x Faze Magazine


Earlier this month, UK favourite Ed Sheeran came back onto Canadian soil for a Toronto show at Echo Beach and while he was in town he hung out with the Faze Magazine team for a fun cover shoot and interview. I got to interview him back in April and my article was published in the most recent issue of Faze (featuring Marianas Trench on the cover) and it was nice to see him again! Lorraine Zander (founder) & Dana Krook (managing editor) even made some impressive Ed Sheeran cupcakes for the shoot (photo above) and they were amazing! Such a nice touch :)

You can catch him on the next issue of Faze coming out later this fall. Keep an eye out!


- Christina
Follow my adventures on Twitter: @christinaaa28

Wednesday, September 26, 2012

Joseph Gordon-Levitt x Dita x Flaunt

Today seems to be JGL-themed...not that I mind...

Just released last week, check out this awesome video from Dita Eyewear and Flaunt Magazine - featuring the one and only Joseph Gordon-Levitt:

Dita x Flaunt x Joseph Gordon Levitt from The Confluence on Vimeo.

Such a stud.

I woke up to an email last week from The Confluence (a PR firm in LA) with this video attached and it was wonderful.

- Christina
Follow my adventures on Twitter: @christinaaa28

TIFF 2012 - A Gift From ET Canada


Joseph Gordon-Levitt helped me win a prize.

Okay, sort of. Thanks to my photo of the gorgeous actor (who I hope my future husband will slightly resemble) at his Looper premiere at TIFF earlier this month, I won a stellar TIFF swag bag courtesy of ET Canada. My photo was chosen to be featured in their TIFF fan celeb spotting gallery on their website and the prize was one of the awesome gift bags from the multiple lounges that took place throughout the festival. 

After being contacted that I was a winner, I couldn't wait to see what I had won...so I was SUPER excited to come home to this a couple days later:

 
 Oh the suspense.

I opened up the mysterious box and found a bag full of goodies from EGPR's Essentials Lounge:

Things are just better when they're free...

Here are a few of my favourites:




And since everyone loves JGL, here is the photo that won me the swag:
You're welcome.

- Christina
Follow my adventures on Twitter: @christinaaa28

INTERVIEW WITH: The Young Guns

Hey everyone!

Earlier this month, I got to interview a super cool rock band from the UK for Faze Magazine (will be out online soon), who go by the name Young Guns. With a unique sound and killer stage presence, this five-guy group has gone from small club gigs in the UK to performing at Reading 2012 (the UK's largest music festival) and now touring throughout the US with Seether. Made up of Gustav, John, Ben, Simon and Fraser, the band played a show in Toronto at The Horseshoe Tavern before heading down to the States.

I got the chance to interview three out of the five band members - Gustav, Fraser and John - and they gave insight into their newest record Bones, how they've become a family, and what it's like to live a rock star life on the road.

Check out their new video for their single "Bones"


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What went into the making of your latest album, Bones?
G: A lot of stress and pain. I think writing and recording an album is always a very stressful experience. I think if you’re doing anything creative that’s important to you it’s going to be a bit stressful. We wrote it last summer and then recorded it in a studio in Thailand, which was amazing. I think it’s our strongest collection of material that we’ve ever written. It’s probably the best summation of who we are as a group.

Why Thailand?
J: We got an offer to record there. Our producer that did the album previously has a studio in East London, this tiny little horrible studio, so dark and dingy and stuff. Long story short, we could get a studio for the same rate as we could in London, so it was a pretty obvious choice which one we’d pick. And it worked out for the best.

G: We were super keen on the idea of recording somewhere very different than anywhere else we’ve recorded up until that point.  For us, the second record was all about being a better band and trying to remove ourselves from everything. So going somewhere like Thailand was a good way to do that.

How did that influence your writing?
F: We wrote and pretty much completed 8 out of the 10 of our songs. We left a few songs open-ended so we could go and spend a few nights drinking and record it. Those songs in particular, I think Broadfields and Everything Ends, those songs you can really feel the energy of that place.

G: I don’t want to sound too hippy-ish about it but it was about being inspired by where we were and having a bit of that energy and enthusiasm make its mark on the record itself. So I think in that respect, we really managed to capture the way we felt in Thailand on the disc and that’s a really nice thing. There was a lot of writing that came out of where we were and lots of lyrical ideas that came out of memories that were triggered, like for example there was a tropical storm that reminded me of how I felt when I was a kid looking out my window at a storm one day. And that’s where all the lyrics of Broadfields came from, I re-wrote the entire thing in like an hour or something like that. It’s nice to have little features and little facets of the record that wouldn’t exist if it wasn’t for the fact that we had gone.

You’ve done a lot of big festivals this year - Do you prefer doing festivals like these or touring?
F: It’s a really different experience. If you play your own shows, you know you have a crowd there that knows your songs whereas when you play a festival you have to work the crowd a bit more because there’s a lot of people who might just be passing by and maybe they’ve heard of you and they want to check you out. Festivals are some of the biggest shows we’ve ever done and recently we did Reading Festival and t’s probably one of our favourite ever shows. They’re both good, but they’re just different.

G: They offer their different things. We’re playing big-ish clubs shows at home, which is great, but that’s still theatre shows, and that’s really great to be able to have that indoor atmosphere where everyone’s sweaty and everyone’s together and unified and that’s a very certain experience you get at an indoor club show. And then going out to festivals it’s a very very polar experience, it’s very different. Huge audiences and lots of space on the stage, and that’s great as well. That’s kind of living the rock and roll dream a little bit more. It’s really nice to do both.

How do you keep touring interesting?
G: We are a very strange bunch of human beings, which I think is a positive and it keeps things interesting.  We have a very strong friendship and a great dynamic. You do become a family and there’s friction and there’s positives and negatives, but fundamentally we all just get on, and when you do get on with your mates it makes anything you do a little bit easier. And that’s really important to us. We used to always hear bands that fight and aren’t really friends and have their own lives. And that’s just not how it is for us. It’s really nice for us to spend a week apart if we’ve been together all year, but after that we’re just itching to get back together. So it’s not too bad. We go out a lot and have fun and soak up every city and get drunk and play hard, that keeps our lives interesting.

Check out their latest video, for "Towers" 



What is your favourite part of being in a rock band?
F: Travelling the world

J: Not having any responsibilities.  That’s not actually true, we do have responsibilities but we just get to ignore them.

G: We do have responsibilities, you have to take care of yourself, we have to be a good band and behave in a way that won’t damage you as a person, so we have responsibilities.  But we do get to lead a bit of a champ life and travel and see the world. You don’t get paid a lot of money, but you’re collecting a really great body of life experiences, which I think is worth a lot more. And I think also is the satisfaction that comes from doing something that you love. If it goes well, there’s a rewarding feeling that you just can’t get from anything else.  So it’s just the best thing in the world.

Highlight of 2012 so far?
F: Like we were saying earlier, Reading Festival is probably one of the biggest moments.

G: It’s the biggest festival in the UK and one of the biggest in the world. It’s kind of like Coachella or Warped Tour perhaps. It’s the big one. And we all grew up as kids and going camping there and doing all that shit.  This was the second time we’ve played there now and we played at 10 at night and it was packed and everyone was singing along, so that was just magical. So that was really up there.
Releasing the record was a big deal.

J: And releasing it again in the US, last week.

G: And also we’ve been to more new places this year. We’ve been to Thailand, Japan, China, we went back to Australia. So we’ve had a brilliant year in general.

What makes you stand out from other bands?
G: When we started we always found that we had problems fitting on the right bill. We’d be stuck on a bill with pop-punk bands or metal bands or classic rock bands or whatever and we never found a band that we fit in with, sonically speaking. The shows always worked because it was cool that we could leap-frog but we never fit in with anyone. That used to bug us for a long time but we’ve come to realize that that’s a good thing. We just write melodic rock that is the result of the music that we all listened to, we listened to a big range. And I think we just don’t really sound like anyone else, certainly not in the UK and Europe. Rock is a bigger deal in North America, so that’s different, but I just think we have an individual sound and we try to write good music that anyone can enjoy.

Any advice for other young aspiring rock bands?
G: I think it’s very important that you start playing shows as soon as you can. Everything is a learning experience. You learn how to play good shows and you learn how to write good music. But I always found the most important thing is learning to be confident in a band and that only comes from playing enough shows that you feel comfortable and confident. Once you feel confident I think you get better at writing songs automatically. That was certainly the way for us. We had four songs and we needed at least six to be able to play a show. So we chucked a few more in there and hit the road and played shows every day, as many as possible, as many as we possibly could. And we never gave up, and I think that’s the two most important things: Get out there and start playing shows and learn how to be a better musician because that happens over time.

L-R: John, Gustav, Fraser

Keep an eye out for the article on faze.ca - and find more from Young Guns on Facebook, Twitter & YouTube!

Thanks again for the interview guys!

- Christina
Follow my adventures on Twitter: @christinaaa28

Sunday, September 23, 2012

My Name is Kay!


Live music is always so much better than listening to something on your iPod or watching it on YouTube - it just is.

On Sunday Sept. 16th, I went to the My Name is Kay concert at The Mod Club - courtesy of Kay herself (I won tickets from her via Twitter) - and it was so much fun. She really knows how to pump up the crowd with her energetic stage presence. She also had a microphone stand covered in stuffed animals...super cute haha. She put on a great show and I love supporting Canadian talent!

If you haven't heard her music yet, here's her first single:


Check out some photos from the show:




And we got to meet her and her DJ after the show! She's so incredibly nice.

I'll leave you with her newest video "Strangers" - I love this song!

Thanks again Kay!

- Christina
Follow my adventures on Twitter: @christinaaa28

Friday, September 21, 2012

TIFF 2012: Shit Girls Say


Although I never actually had time to go and see any of the fantastic movies at TIFF, I did however get to attend a Mavericks session at the TIFF Bell Lightbox. Through Twitter (oh how I love social media), I won an invite to the TIFF 12 Tweet Up on September 14th - an event for (hyper)active tweeters to meet and interact, face to face, rather than from behind a computer screen; and to mingle with the creators of the hilarious Twitter account and viral YouTube video series Shit Girls Say. We all got to hang out with Graydon Sheppard and Kyle Humphrey in the TIFF green room before their session in the theatre with George Stroumboulopoulos. BTW, did you know they're from Toronto? Another reason why Canada is awesome.

If you haven't seen this, you've been under a rock. Here you go:



Check out some pics from the Tweet-Up:



Cookies and candy galore...

 
TIFF artistic director, Cameron Bailey

Kyle Humphrey (left) & Graydon Sheppard (right)


And then the discussion began!


They talked about everything from where the idea came from and what went into the making of the videos to how they handled the instant online stardom and even the release of their own book.

 Their book was launched this past Tuesday September 18 - get your copy now! We got to see some of the photos during the session and they are oh-so cute.

And since I know you want to watch the rest of the Shit Girls Say videos, here you go.



And their NEWEST addition, episode 4, which they showed us during the TIFF session:
 
 
Kyle and Graydon were hilarious during the Q&A and I'm glad I got to take part in the event! Thanks to TIFF for the invite!  

Be sure to check out http://www.shitgirlssay.com/ and follow @ShitGirlsSay

- Christina
Follow my adventures on Twitter: @christinaaa28

REVIEWS: The Book of Styling


As a lover of fashion and all things related to that wonderful, yet super competitive, industry, I have come across many moments where I've considered a possible career path down that direction. And although I have always loved the idea of pulling out unique pieces of clothing and putting them together to create amazing outfits (often spending way too much time in my closet), I've never really looked into what goes into becoming a professional stylist. Has anyone else thought that they have what it takes to be the next Rachel Zoe or Andrea Lieberman?

Well, before even taking a stab at styling someone else, you should definitely get to know your own personal style and fully grasp the concept of understanding what goes into that perfect outfit or look that you're going after. Where better to start than going through your own wardrobe? Everyone needs to start with the basics and this brand new book takes you through that process - helping you on your way towards fabulous days of successful styling!

The Book of Styling
An Insider's Guide to Creating Your Own Look
BY SOMER FLAHERTY

From beginning to end, The Book of Styling is a great go-to guide with tons of tips and helpful advice. It starts at Chapter One with 'The Stylist Explained,' giving you a background of what exactly is the role of a stylist. From there, you go through other informative chapters full of fantastic illustrations, fun fashion element break-downs and even spaces to create your own mood boards.  She ends with the chapter on styling as a career and gives you that little kick to actually get out there and start making things happen!

Take a peek:





About the author:

Somer Flaherty is an accomplished fashion stylist based in LA, where she also teaches journalism at the Academy of Art University. She has more than 10 years of experience in the fashion industry and her work as a stylist has appeared in various magazines, advertising campaigns and catalogues.

Published by Zest Books, The Book of Styling officially comes out next Wednesday, September 26th.

So whether you're just starting out in the fashion world or want to gain insight from Somer Flaherty, make sure to grab your own copy of The Book of Styling!

For more info: http://zestbooks.net/the-book-of-styling/

- Christina
Follow my adventures on Twitter: @christinaaa28

Tuesday, September 18, 2012

Back-To-School x Faze Magazine | Photo Shoot


In the latest issue of Faze Magazine, there's a back-to-school style spread that I got to help out with! I did some behind-the-scenes video footage from the shoot and hung out at the studio that day, which is always fun with the Faze team!

We worked with the talented Richard Sibbald  (you may recognize him as the photographer from the TV show Look-A-Like) and had a blast in his studio.

Just thought I'd share some photos :)


These awesome models are from Elmer Olsen

Turned out great!

With Richard Sibbald!

Be sure to pick up your copy of the latest issue of Faze (featuring Marianas Trench on the cover!) or order online at www.faze.ca
 
- Christina
Follow my adventures on Twitter: @christinaaa28

Monday, September 17, 2012

Marianas Trench x Faze Magazine | Cover Shoot


Hey everyone!

With the latest issue of Faze Magazine being a huge success (it's flying off the shelves and hard to find a copy these days!), I can finally post up a few more photos from the cover shoot we had a few months ago. I previously posted a sneak peek, so here's the full post!



Enjoy :) You can also order copies of the magazine online at faze.ca









Get your copy today!

Here's one of their recent music videos for 'Desperate Measures'

- Christina
Follow my adventures on Twitter: @christinaaa28

Paddle Royale @ SPiN Toronto


Last Thursday, I attended a super fun event at SPiN Toronto called Paddle Royale in support of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Toronto and organized by the Young Leaders Group. As an intern for Me To We Style, who provided cool t-shirts for the event, I was took part as a photographer for the night - but I did get to join in on the fun as well! How cool is a place where you can play ping pong, drink, and have a good time?!

Check out some of my photos from the night (full gallery on Me To We Style's Facebook page!)



The night was hosted by former table tennis champ Dahlia Kurtz


So intense





Find out more about Big Brothers Big Sisters of Toronto & SPiN Toronto!

- Christina
Follow my adventures on Twitter: @christinaaa28