Left Right Minds - Company Blog

Angela Cameron Fine Art Is Chosen By 2010 Olympics

Shane Birley — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 20:41:30 +0000

We have some very exciting news to share today. One of our clients, Angela Cameron Fine Art has been chosen by the Vancouver Olympics to hang her art work in their VIP room at the Olympic Village.

But don't take our word for it, here is a bit from their news release:

It took the 2010 Vancouver winter games Olympic committee Vanoc, minutes to choose Angela Cameron's fine art photography to decorate the city of Vancouver Mayors Media Room and VIP lounge.

Her signature brand impressed the Olympic organizers to have this artwork showing in the prestigious VIP lounge and the Mayors Media office at the 2010 Winter Games Olympic Village.

The artwork will be viewed by athletes, dignitaries, media and celebrities over the course of the 2010 winter games.

If you want to check out her website, you can find it here.

Welcome to The New Fancy Website

Shane Birley — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 05:46:36 +0000

I suppose it is fitting to say something about the new site. The first thing is, we're not done yet.

But enough about technology. Here is our official message:

What a year it's been! We've launched new sites, worked with new clients, sent artists on tours, produced several shows here in Vancouver and continued our work with Plank Magazine. For 2010, we're excited to announce that we will be co-producing a new summer theatre festival at the Vancouver East Cultural Centre... we'll be looking for volunteers and donations in the new year!

But now it's holiday time and Left Right Minds will be closed from December 23, 2009 until January 4, 2010. We'll be checking our e-mail but if you need to reach us, the best way is by cellphone (Shane Birley 778.386.7220 or Allyson McGrane 604.671.0890).We hope you've all had a lovely 2009 and we are looking forward to working with you in 2010!

That about does it for me at this point. I am off to ready myself for more Christmas excitement and finish up a few things before a well deserved break. I wasn't able to get back to everyone today but if you have any emergencies, don't hesitate to drop me an e-mail.

Season's Greetings and Left Right Minds Winter Hours

Allyson McGrane — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 03:38:21 +0000

Left Right Minds is closed for the holidays from December 24th, 2009 to January 4th, 2010. We'll be checking our email but if you need to reach us in case of emergency, please call Shane Birley at (778) 386-7220 or Allyson McGrane at (604) 671-0890. Thanks and happy holidays!

Up In The Air Theatre Releases Johnny Grant: A Rollicking Adventure Story - "Dan's Eye"

Shane Birley — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 05:41:46 +0000

Daniel Martin from Up In The Air Theatre dropped me a line today for some help with his website. He said he was having a few problems embedding a Youtube video into his web site. I sent him a few words of help and got him up and running fairly quickly. Then I got a little curious about the video because I remembered that he and Dave Mott had disappeared into the wilds of Montana to do some research for their next project.

"What's the video about?" I asked.

"You have to see it. Just watch it. It makes Dave and me look like a couple of goofs." He replied.

This is theatre in the making, boys and girls - pure, unadulterated live performance. From the amount of effort going into this production I can tell that it is going to rock. I can't wait for part two!

Technorati Tags: daniel martin, david mott, up in the air theatre, theatre, johnny grant

containR Build Has Begun

Shane Birley — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 21:59:26 +0000

Hey, Left Right Minds followers. One of our clients, Springboard Performance, has a great project called containR that launches this week. If you are in Vancouver, why not head over to the Vancouver Public Library's main downtown branch and check it out.

Think of it as green cinema meets performance films. Recycled shipping containers are reconfigured to house free screenings of Canadian and international dance, sport and performance films that celebrate physicality in art and sport.

Presented by Springboard in partnership with the Vancouver 2009 Cultural Olympiad, containR is a street installation at the nexus of video, public art and urban design. Sited on the northeast corner of Vancouver’s Library Square, containR sits at the cross roads of mountain and urban culture; art and sport cinema, embracing public art and sustainable design.

By using reconditioned shipping containers and integrating alternative energy sources, the installation references Vancouver’s rich history as a major port as well as a centre for green design. It also features artwork by Vancouver artists Zak David (aka Virus) and the dark.

containR asks the question: where is the line between art and sport? How does a dance performance differ from a snowboarder’s ‘performance’ on the slopes? What are the differences between how the body is used by athletes or artists? How is this reflected in cinema? containR allows the viewer to draw their own conclusions.

The project will run from today until March 1st, 2009. It will also be re-appearing in different places around Vancouver in the coming months.

Technorati Tags: containr, sports, environment, dance, film festival

Walking Fish Festival Submission Deadline Extended

Shane Birley — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 05:35:33 +0000

Up In The Air Theatre, one of our clients who doesn't blog as much as we think they should (hee hee), has announced an extension to their Walking Fish Festival call for submissions. Here is the press release:

UPINTHEAIR THEATRE
presents

The SEVENTH ANNUAL WALKING FISH FESTIVAL
June 10 - 14, 2009

You now have plenty of time to finish that draft, write that cover letter, burn that script to disk or update those resumes. We at Walking Fish and Upintheair Theatre are pleased to be extending our call for script submissions, creation pieces and director applications through to the end of the month. Drop your package in the mail by Friday the 30 of January, and we'd be delighted to consider your work for the Seventh Annual Walking Fish Festival on Granville Island this summer!

Please forward this call far and wide to any artists who may be interested in submitting.

Call for Submissions

Playwrights. Directors. Theatre Artists. All Welcome.

Upintheair Theatre in Vancouver is now accepting new scripts, fresh proposals for creation pieces and applications from directors for their annual emerging artists' theatre festival, held on Granville Island in early June. Make good on your New Year's resolutions to submit your plays, direct a show, create a piece, get involved, gain experience and exposure... apply!

Script & Non-Script Submission Deadline EXTENDED: Friday, January 30th, 2009.

Script Submission Guidelines

Scripts submitted should be as minimalist as possible: sets consisting of a few easily movable pieces, featuring no more than six characters with a running time of 10–25 minutes, 2500 words max (shorter scripts encouraged!). Artists are welcome to submit a maximum of three plays or proposals. Please include your name, address, daytime telephone number, email address, and a 30 word summary of the play on a SEPARATE COVER SHEET. Please do NOT head or foot your pages with playwright's name. Please number your pages, use a standard 12 pt font and at least 1.5 spacing. Submit ONE unbound copy of the script and ONE electronic copy on CD or DVD. Both versions are mandatory. Submissions via email will not be considered.

Non-Script Based Submission Guidelines

Walking Fish welcomes creation pieces of any theatrical nature, and has showcased a wide variety of new and untraditional works over the years. We provide the following outline of the information we need to assess your proposal, and we encourage you to keep submissions simple.

Proposals must contain the following information to be considered by the festival:

A list of names and short (one page) resumes for all participants.
Performance history of the main group/individual.
Maximum two-page project outline including subject matter, description of the envisioned performance and creative process, projected technical requirements of the piece and estimated running time (max 20 min).
An explanation of how your project will provide opportunities to bring artists from disparate backgrounds together: i.e. will your project make use of writers, directors, actors, stage management, visual arts, dance, music or other disciplines? Please include address, daytime telephone number, email address, and a 30 word summary of the project on a SEPARATE COVER SHEET.

Winning submissions will receive dramaturgy and production through the Walking Fish Festival.

Director Application Deadline EXTENDED to Friday, January 30th, 2009

Potential directors should submit a theatrical resume and cover letter explaining their experience and interest in directing at the Festival. No professional experience is required, but an understanding and passion for the role of the director is a must. Applicants will be contacted for an interview in February, 2009.

Mail All Submissions To:

Walking Fish Festival Submissions
Upintheair Theatre
4096 Commercial Street
Vancouver, BC V5N 4G3

Left Right Minds 2008 Holiday Hours

Shane Birley — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 01:21:08 +0000

The holidays are upon us and next week most people will be enjoying time with family and friends and, hopefully, taking some time off to reflect on 2008. Left Right Minds has had an amazing year of growth and 2009 is already shaping up to be bigger and better. We thank our clients, friends, and, especially, our families for their support and love throughout the year.

Holiday Hours

December 24, 2008 - Closed
December 25, 2008 - Closed
December 26, 2008 - Closed
December 29, 2008 - Closed
December 30, 2008 - Closed
December 31, 2008 - Closed
January 1, 2009 - Closed
January 2, 2009 - Closed

Emergencies

As usual, if you have any emergency, we have staff on call over the holidays and we will be able to address any major concerns you have. We may be away from our e-mail and the best way to contact us will be using the following numbers:

Shane Birley
(778) 386-7220

Allyson McGrane
(604) 671-0890

Chris May
(604) 418-8231

We will be open with our standard hours starting on January 5th, 2009. Have a great holiday and a Happy New Year! And, don't forget, we hope you can make it out to our open house on Friday!

Left Right Minds Christmas Open House 2008

Shane Birley — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 23:21:00 +0000

Left Right Minds wants to invite you to our First-Ever LRM Christmas Bash!
When
Friday December 19 from 2:00 pm to 8:00 pm

Where
Left Right Minds office at 406 - 857 Beatty Street (buzzer 40)

Come on down to our Christmas Bash on Friday, Dec. 19, 2008.

Why? Because we would LOVE to see you all in celebration of the holiday season! Check out the official, pug-approved invitation at
www.christmas2008.leftrightminds.com!

To RSVP, please contact:

Marta Baranowska at mbaranowska@leftrightminds.com with the subject heading "RSVP to LRM Christmas Bash 2008" or simply pick up the phone and call us at 604.873.6373! If you don't RSVP, feel free to swing by anyway... we're gonna have lots of food and drink and pug love for all.

NOW Orchestra Records CD Release Party!

Shane Birley — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 02:36:36 +0000

If you're itching to go out this coming Saturday night, we have a cool party for you to attend! NOW Orchestra is having a CD release party for their latest albums. Here are the details:

The Albums
Jeff Younger's Sandbox - The Nudger
Bruce Freedman's African Groove Band - Live at the Cellar

What
NOW Orchestra Records presents a CD Release Party!

When
Saturday, November 29, 9:00 pm.

Where
The Western Front (303 East 8th Avenue).

Cover
$10 at the door - or for $20 you get in and get both cds.

Who
The NOW Orchestra, for more information www.noworchestra.com.

On Saturday November 29 at the Western Front, NOW Orchestra Records is pleased to have both Jeff Younger's Sandbox and Bruce Freedman's African Groove Band. Jeff Younger's Sandbox will perform their blend of groove, sound and texture with a wonderful sense of playfulness, focus, kick-ass intent and determination that is a pleasure to witness. The Bruce Freedman African Groove Band will bring lyrical grooving improv consisting of simple, beautiful melodies and arrangements appealing to all who listen.

Music starts at 9:00 p.m.

Come check it out and get yourself two new albums, just hot off the press!

Technorati Tags: now orchestra, now records, cd release party, jeff younger, bruce freedman

The Roundhouse Community Centre Parking

Shane Birley — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 04:00:44 +0000

There have been many calls to our office in the last couple of days asking about parking for our events at the Roundhouse Community Centre. This is just a quick post to let you all in on a little Roundhouse secret - they have underground parking available. I will be the first one to admit that I didn't realize they had an underground parking area. It is somewhat hidden away to the east of the community centre and the driveways leading to the parking are mostly brick and don't look really look like driveways, so, you may miss them.

We've created a quick little map for you to help get to the event and find parking if the street level parking is full.

View Larger Map

Louis Riel Day Celebration This Saturday, November 15th, 2008

Shane Birley — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 23:03:59 +0000

As we mentioned a few weeks ago, the Third Annual Louis Riel Day Celebration is almost here! This is the third and the best Compaigni V’ni Dansi event yet and we hope you can pull on your jigging shoes and join us for some family entertainment this Saturday.

Compaigni V’ni Dansi will partner with a group of live musicians to co-present a performance at the Roundhouse Community Centre on November 15, 2008 in celebration of Louis Riel Day. This show will include traditional Métis dance featuring the Louis Riel Métis Dancers and live musicians (a fiddler, guitarist, and a caller for square dances). We expect that this evening's performance will be both an artistic event and a true community celebration. It will feature a variety of traditional Métis dance, including jigging, square dances, solos and group performances.

Programming for the evening will include:

Our professional ensemble, the Louis Riel Métis Dancers.
Contemporary dance excerpts by Yvonne Chartrand.
All dancers, led by the Louis Riel Métis Dancers, performing the Red River Jig. Audience members who know the dance will be invited to perform onstage with the professional dancers.

With this year's celebration, we hope to build on the success of the last two years. Our host will be Edmonton guitarist and entertainer Winston Wuttunee.

The night will be filled with dance and some other new surprises. Come on out and celebrate with us!

Technorati Tags: louis riel day, louis riel dancers, compaigni v’ni dansi, jigging

Creative City Cabaret an Unforgettable Evening!

Shane Birley — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 07:52:05 +0000

Some people thought we were completely nuts. They said to us: why would we ever want to put politicians on a stage and have them show off their creative talents?
Because the arts are important, that's why. Last Saturday night proved
it. The Creative City Cabaret was a unanimous success. People
clapped, laughed, and had a great time. Here are a few of the
reactions we've seen.

On Craigslist:

Reply to: pers-911620713@craigslist.org
Date: 2008-11-08, 11:59PM PST

Where
the hell were you, Vancouverites? I just got home and it was a great
evening and a totally unique format instead of the same old boring
round of speeches, backbiting and media rants we have been going
through. And about 75 people bothered to come out to have a great,
practically free evening laughing at and with the people who want to
lead the City. The room could have held 250 people. You can't say you
didn't hear about it. My elderly mother heard about it. Don't complain
if your Council stinks if you don't take this kind of opportunity to
see these people from a whole other side.

From Peter Birnie from the Vancouver Sun on Canada.com:

If the upcoming civic election were won on artistic talent, Peter Ladner would be, hands down, Vancouver's next mayor. Not to fault his chief rival, Gregor Robertson, for trying to show his guitar skills at the Creative City Cabaret on Saturday night, but Ladner had it all going on.
Stitched together by the creative minds at the arts management group Left Right Minds, the cabaret was an attempt to allow mayoral candidates and some others running for political office to show off their skills as actors, singers, dancers, etc. The evening succeeded only in fits and starts, and offered many moments of jaw-dropping awe at the deep, unsettling weirdness to be found on the campaign trail.

Take mayoral candidate Scott Yee. Please. It was early in the night and the audience had been lulled into complacency by a charmingly clumsy presentation from the COPE slate. Bad jokes behind fake beards were followed by a cute video urging everyone to "Vote Beard," before the Beard himself, Councillor David Cadman, offered a rambling and folksy string of bits from songs (only slightly off-key) culminating in an ode to the oysters that can't live in the city's sewage.

From Travis Smith from Hop Studios:

I dropped by the Roundhouse last night to attend the Creative City Cabaret, a collection of performances by candidates in the upcoming Vancouver elections. My friends at Left Right Minds asked me to blog the event, and I was happy to help out and to see the potential city leaders in a non-political event that was to showcase some of their creativity and human side.

...

At the end of the performance, all the candidates came up and took a bow together - that was a real wonderful moment and made me feel like Vancouver was a small town, not a big city.

Was it a success? I think so. Truly some bad performances, and yet a kernel of heart-felt wonderfulness, and a chance to see the human side of the people who will, some of them at least, be running Vancouver. Thanks, Left Right Minds.

From 24 Hours Magazine - Vote For Me by Ian King:

If you listen to urban guru Richard Florida, the cites that will be urban powerhouses are going to be the ones that attract creative types and keep them there. So how about combining debate and performance ahhts in one show, as at the Roundhouse on November 8? Why Not? 24 hours's Ian King liveblogged the event.

9:01 -- Where my net conection at? Gotta bug Shane and Allyson about this!

9:13 -- and the cabaret is opened by a flute 'n taiko combo that's moderately well-received by the several dozen spectators here at the Roundhouse.

9:17 -- things are finally underway, with host Ryan introducing himself as Barack Obama, a joke that fell flat. The first group from COPE, with council candidate Ellen Woodsworth and school board candidates Alvin Singh and Jane Bouey.

COPE is poking fun at itself as a 40-year-old party, stuck in the old days. There's too much truth behind that joke, because when you see a crowd of COPEsters, the first thing you notice is that it's oh so old and oh so white.

From Langara's The Voice:

An 80-year-old tap-dancing environmentalist upstaged top mayoral candidates Gregor Robertson and Peter Ladner at a civic election-themed talent show in Yaletown last weekend.

At the Roundhouse Community Centre, the Creative City Cabaret brought
candidates for the election onstage to showcase their hidden talents,
on Nov. 8.

The cabaret was the brainchild of Left Right Minds, a management and consulting company that aims to connect arts with business.

According
to Chris May, the company’s tour and production manager, they wanted to
stir up interest in the Nov. 15 election while bringing awareness to
the arts and raise money for a shared theatre space in the city.

“These people want to run this city, and we want to see them being
creative, in a situation where they aren’t comfortable,” said May.

On Youtube and the NPA:

NOTE: We
were intending to live blog the event but the wireless connections in
the theatre were not working properly and we were unable to post from
the event. We will be posting those in the next few days.

Technorati Tags: left right minds, creative city cabaret

Setting Up The Creative City Cabaret

Shane Birley — Sun, 09 Nov 2008 07:23:23 +0000

We've been at the Roundhouse Community Centre for the last couple of hours and have been hard at work setting up the lobby and having a few of the candidates come through to do a few quick rehearsals. What we have seen thus far is amazing! The enthusiasm the candidates have is addictive and we're very excited about tonight as it should be a lot of fun.

Hope to see you soon!

Technorati Tags: left right minds, creative city cabaret, live performance, roundhouse

Creative City Cabaret Breaking News: Peter Ladner Will Be Performing

Shane Birley — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 23:57:48 +0000

We've had the confirmations (and a few "maybe" answers) but, over the last 24 hours, our mayoral candidates have become downright competitive and most are declaring that they want to get on stage! We can't say what their talents are but here is is the latest list of who will be performing at the Creative City Cabaret this Saturday night!

Here is the release we have circulating:

BREAKING NEWS: PETER LADNER ADDED TO CREATIVE CITY CABARET BILL TO PERFORM ON GUITAR

Read on for list of candidates.

THE LIST OF CANDIDATES PERFORMING INCLUDES:

Peter Ladner - Mayor - NPA
Patrick Britten - Mayor - Nude Garden Party
Golok Buday - Mayor
Menard Caissy - Mayor
Marc Emery - Mayor
Joe Hatoum - Mayor
Leon Kaplan - Mayor
Betty Krawczyk - Mayor - Work Less Party
Bill Ritchie - Mayor
Scott Yee - Mayor
Sean Bickerton - Council - NPA
David Cadman - Council (incumbent Deputy Mayor) - COPE
Jamie Lee Hamilton - Parks Board
COPE (a group of candidates is going to do a short skit, and show a video)
VISION Vancouver

Don't forget, November 8th, 2008 at the Roundhouse Community and Recreation Centre.

Technorati Tags: creative city cabaret, performance, vancouver, roundhouse

Happy Hallowe'en from Left Right Minds

Shane Birley — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 05:53:30 +0000

From those who work hard for you at Left Right Minds, have a very cool and safe Hallowe'en. This year, we're silly and didn't throw a party but Chris still got into the spirit.

Technorati Tags: leftrightminds, halloween, bear

Creative City Cabaret Interview with the Vancouver Courier

Shane Birley — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 03:06:40 +0000

The Creative City Cabaret is getting a lot of attention since we announced it a couple of days ago. If you're out and about, why not pick up a copy of today's Vancouver Courier. In it you will see a feature article with Chris May, the coolest production manager alive, and several of the candidates running for local office.

A tap-dancing Betty Krawczyk. A joke-telling Leon Kaplan. A poetry-reading Patrick Britten. These are some of the featured acts at Creative City Cabaret, an evening of mayoral candidates showing off talents other than policy-making.

"It's about seeing another side of the candidates," said Chris May.

May is the tour and production manager at Left Right Minds, an arts, business and web consulting company behind the Nov. 8 Roundhouse Community Centre event. Work Less Party mayoral candidate Betty Krawczyk brings her Louisiana-style tap dancing skills to the Creative City Cabaret.

"We see debate after debate, and we wanted to create something where maybe [the candidates] were a little bit scared and not quite as prepared as they would be for other things," said May. "And we have the Olympics coming, along with a huge cultural Olympiad. [The candidates] want to lead the city--so let's see them being creative."

If you're thinking of coming to the cabaret, you may want to decide now. We're getting full up already!

Technorati Tags: creative city cabaret, vancouver

Creative City Cabaret Presented by Left Right Minds

Shane Birley — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 03:52:57 +0000

If you haven't figured it out already, we've been busy. I suppose you could look at our blog and make such a conclusion but, I assure you, our silence has been worth it. One of the cool things we have working on is the Creative City Cabaret! A few weeks ago, we were all sitting around discussing what could the Vancouver arts scene do for the mayoral election coming up this November. The arts in Canada have been a hot topic recently and we wanted to do our part and promote the arts in Vancouver and prove that the arts are not just a "niche" issue. Then the idea hit us. Vancouver had been branded the "creative city" only a short time before we started chatting about an event like this and we thought it
would be a great idea to feature those individuals running for mayor and for council in a way that was fun and creative.

Here is the press release we've been sending around.

Mayoral Hopefuls Get Creative

Candidates Perform at Creative City Cabaret Vancouver, BC - October 28, 2008 - We've been dubbed the "Creative City" and on November 8th at the Roundhouse Community Centre, Vancouver's mayoral candidates will jump on stage and show off their creative chops at the first "Creative City Cabaret", presented by Left Right Minds Initiatives.

Candidates will have three minutes to perform on stage in any manner they wish. From playing an instrument to telling a joke to reciting a poem to tap dancing, this year's mayoral hopefuls will get the chance to showcase their artistic talents for an enthusiastic audience. Independent mayoral candidates, including Marc Emery, Scott Yee, Leon Kaplan and Gölök Buday will be strutting their stuff along with Betty Krawczyk (Work Less Party) and Patrick Britten (Nude Garden Party). The NPA and Vision Vancouver parties have also committed candidates to perform, including the NPA's Sean Bickerton.

"This evening is about having fun, being creative, and showing a different side of the candidates," said Chris May, Touring/Production Manager for Left Right Minds. "Vancouver has branded itself the "Creative City"- they want to run the city, they can prove it!"

The evening will begin at 9 pm on Saturday, November 8th with the candidates performing followed by two questions being taken from the audience for each candidate. After the show, audience members will be able to meet and greet the candidates in the Cabaret's backstage lounge. Admission is by donation with proceeds benefitting the creation of a shared theatre production centre in Vancouver spearheaded by NERB (Neworld Theatre, Electric Company, Rumble Theatre and Boca del Lupo).

##

Left Right Minds is a creative solutions company based in Vancouver, BC offering full arts management services, project-based support and business consultations. Left Right Minds also provides comprehensive web services including design, development, hosting and skills training. It is our goal to connect arts, business and the web.

Does it sound like fun? It should be! We will be live blogging the event, taking and posting photographs during the evening and getting some videos up as soon as we can. It should be a positive and fun night for everyone who attends. Go join our Facebook group for the event and keep checking back here for additional details as they come in. And, please, come on out on November 8th and check out what those at city hall can really do! We expect this event to get busy, so, come early and bring your friends.

Hear It NOW 2008 Featuring NOW Orchestra with Jean Derome and Giorgio Magnanensi

Shane Birley — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 04:40:00 +0000

Another event announcement for everyone out there. Coat Cooke and the NOW Orchestra have their annual show coming up and we would like you to be there for a night of great music.

Here is the press release we've been sending out:

What
The NOW Orchestra presents Hear It NOW 2008 featuring Jean Derome and Giorgio Magnanensi.

When
November 7 at 8:00 pm.

Where
Roundhouse Community Centre (181 Roundhouse Mews – Davie @ Pacific).

How
Tickets $20, $15 NOW members and $5 for students, available from Tickets Tonight: www.ticketstonight.ca or 604.231.7375

Who
The NOW Orchestra, for more information at www.noworchestra.com.

Hear It NOW, Vancouver’s annual celebration of new and improvised music will this year feature Musique Actuelle master Jean Derome and Vancouver’s own conductor extraordinaire and electronics wizard Giorgio Magnanensi.

Under the direction of Coat Cooke, the NOW Orchestra will play the 21st edition of Hear It NOW at the Roundhouse Community Centre on November 7. Since 1987, Hear it NOW has brought creative, inventive music to Vancouver audiences, showcasing the finest local, national and international players. This year is no different.

Drawn from work with his band Dangerous Zhomes, Derome’s pieces are fantastic examples of his oeuvre, specially arranged for the NOW Orchestra; while Magnanensi’s teatro dell’udito IV - a NOW Orchestra commission, conducted by the composer – is a piece for 2 saxophones (flute and objects), electric guitar, trumpet, trombone, double bass, percussion, drums, live electronics and buddha machines. Cooke contribution is a new work entitled United States of Mind.

For 31 years, the NOW Orchestra has been producing concerts and workshops of West Coast Canadian creative music, featuring some of the most important voices in Canadian improvised music. This year the ensemble has been revamped to a core of five performers led by saxophonist Cooke, featuring JP Carter (trumpet/electronics), Chad MacQuarrie (electric guitar), Tommy Babin (bass), Skye Broooks (drums+percussion). For Hear It NOW, this nucleus will be augmented by five brilliant performers including Derome and Magnanensi, percussionist Sal Ferraras, bass trombonist Brad Muirhead and electronics artist Steven Wright.

About Jean Derome
Derome is one of the most active and eclectic musicians on the Canadian creative music scene. Thanks to his large-scale musique actuelle projects, his compositions, his work as an improviser, his jazz groups and his music for screen and stage, Derome ranks as a major creative force, in Quebec and abroad. His innovation on both saxophone and flute, is combined with a unique writing style that is both sensitive and powerful and uses humour as way into its complexity.

For more information on Derome, please visit: http://www.actuellecd.com/en/bio/derome_je/

About Giorgio Magnanensi
Born and raised in Italy, Magnanensi currently lives on the Sunshine Coast. His diverse artistic practice includes composition, conducting, improvisation, circuit–bending and video art. From the early 80's he has been working as a composer, conductor, teacher, and performer in Europe, Japan and Canada. He is artistic director of Vancouver New Music and lecturer at the School of Music of The University of British Columbia and Vancouver Community College.

For more information on Magnanensi, please visit: http://www.giorgiomagnanensi.com/

The Third Annual Louis Riel Day Celebration: A Vancouver Festival of Métis Dance, Music and Culture

Shane Birley — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 01:48:00 +0000

Compaigni V’ni Dansi is one of our most unique clients. They perform and teach traditional Métis dance and culture. They always have a blast on stage and their high energy dances are worth checking out and are certain to keep everyone entertained. Come and check them out on November 15th, 2008 at the Roundhouse Community Centre.

Here is the press release we've been sending out:

Compaigni V’ni Dansi invites you to escape the relentless electioneering for one night and celebrate the life of a Canadian folk hero: Louis Riel.

The third annual Louis Riel Day Celebration will be held November 15, 2008 at the Roundhouse Community Centre in Vancouver. In addition to honouring Louis Riel – who inspired the rebirth of the Métis nation – the Festival is a chance to celebrate the breadth and vitality of contemporary Métis culture in Canada.

Building on the success of last year, this promises to be the biggest and best Celebration so far, featuring Juno-nominated and Aboriginal Music Award winner Wayne Lavallee; traditional story-telling from Winston Wuttunee, one of Canada’s premiere aboriginal performers; readings from the acclaimed Métis poet and writer Gregory Scofield; traditional powwow and Métis dance from rising star Madeleine McCallum and a special performance by Yvonne Chartrand of Marguerite, a solo piece inspired by the life of Louis Riel’s wife.

The evening also features the Louis Riel Métis Dancers, with special guest from Regina Jeanne Pelletier, and will conclude with the Red River Jig with everyone invited to join in.

Yvonne Chartrand from Compaigni V’ni Dansi said: “As we enter our third year, the Louis Riel Day Celebration has become a fixture on the Vancouver cultural scene. It reflects the unique cultural heritage of the Métis – a blending of French, Scottish, Irish, English, Scandinavian and First Nations. It’s a celebration for the entire community of Vancouver.”

Compaigni V’ni Dansi is the only company in Canada dedicated to teaching and performing traditional and contemporary Métis dance, creating a unique form of expression. The company shares Métis stories and culture with Aboriginal and mainstream audiences with a special interest in passing our dances on to today’s youth. Our mission is to create a repertoire of work that reflects Métis culture. We also seek out contemporary dance and artistic collaborations that bring new light and understanding to these traditions.

What
Second Annual Louis Riel Day Celebration, a Festival of Métis Culture

When
November 15, 7.30 pm.

Where
Roundhouse Community Centre (181 Roundhouse Mews – Davie @ Pacific)

How
Adult $18.00; Student/Senior: $12.75; Child: $7.75; Tickets Tonight, www.ticketstonight.ca or by phone: 604.684.2787 special group rates available, please contact Allyson McGrane at 604.873.6373.

Who
Compaigni V’ni Dansi, www.vnidansi.ca

Creative City Conversation

Allyson McGrane — Tue, 13 May 2008 02:10:03 +0000

Today I went to the Vancouver Playhouse to attend the Creative City Conversation. It's the second year for this event... and the second year running that I have only gone to part of the event! This year, I went to various conversations including Cultural Tourism Strategy, Cultural Grants and Support Programs Review, Facilities Priorities Review and Public Art Program Plan and Review.

I had several interesting conversations... but the most interesting was a discussion about making the City of Vancouver bylaws more friendly to artist facilities. Apparently, there are antiquated bylaws which prevent using existing spaces for cultural uses. I intend to do more research into this topic...

First Thursdays is back!

Allyson McGrane — Fri, 02 May 2008 21:57:38 +0000

Joyce Rosario from Made in BC is helping me get First Thursdays up again. It's meant for those of you who have a hand in running an arts organization. Basically, if
you spend your days writing grants, staring at spreadsheets,
contemplating how to grow your audience.... well, it's time to get out
of the office!

We want to have a casual get-together every first Thursday of the
month for the people who are involved in making art happen (behind the
scenes). Yesterday, we met at The Alibi Room. Next month, who knows - but we hope to see you there!

Okay, if you're really interested in coming out, we did start a Facebook group called First Thursdays - so just ask Joyce if you can join the group!

Left Right Minds at SXSW 2008

Shane Birley — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 16:24:55 +0000

Hello!

For the last five days, I have been in Austin, Texas attending South By Southwest Interactive (SXSWi 2008).  Today, I am on my way back to Vancouver and will be writing a lot about my experiences here over the next few days and share with everyone the things I know will help us to help you get closer to the bleeding edge of web technology.

Some brief highlights:

Chatting up Blogging For Dummies, 2nd Edition and meeting up with a lot of new bloggers who are looking to improve their blogs.
Having a blast hanging out with some of the people from Creative Commons and talking about where they are heading with new licenses.
Hanging out with a couple of people from a few of the live streaming web video sites that I am going to chatter about in the next day or so.  Some very interesting and very cool things going on.

Stay tuned!

Whoa, Is This Really The Left Right Minds Website?

Shane Birley — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 05:48:49 +0000

It's alive! Today, Left Right Minds launched its very own web site - and within minutes (I'm not kidding!) we started receiving e-mails filled with congratulations and a few "it is about time" messages. We are happy to have, finally, got this launch off our plate as it has taken quite a long time to get our ducks in a row. If you run your own company, you know how hard it can be when, after a full day of client work, the last thing you want to do is hop back into your chair, boot up that machine (again) and start looking at your company and explain to the world what it is that you do. Not to mention, throw into the mix a company like ours that works in a variety of disciplines (and works damn hard, darn tootin'!) and you will come to realize it can be exhausting.

We started Left Right Minds in January of 2006 and from the very beginning our mix of expertise and good natured attitudes launched us down a path that we were surprised and unprepared to navigate. Work started pouring in, the word of mouth started to spread, and, the next thing we knew, it was 2007. But how can you blame those people out there that love us and want to work with us. I remember having a company meeting back in early 2007 that we really needed to get our company web site done and out the door. I laugh at that meeting now because, since then, we've asked for help and found that other companies we hired to help us out never really understood what it is we did. It was probably our fault but our vision was clear albeit crazy and grand. From my perspective, it is quite simple: we build web sites and we help artists manage their companies. Looking from the outside, it may seem like a queer little mixture. But, in reality, it isn't. The overlap in promotional discussions ultimately lead to a talk about the web and I happen to know a whole lot about how artists can use the Internet to harness a little attention for themselves. After talking at length with a few other business partners, we decided it was really us who should put this thing together and rock it out as best we could.

As time has lurched on and 2008 became a reality, we planned to take a few hours every week or two and work on getting the text complete. So, here it is. Over two years in the making. Nothing fancy - just information about us, plain and simple.

Of course, we have had a lot of help along the way and I have to send out some thankyous to some special people who helped us get our own heads straight. In no particular order:

To Ken Driediger who helped us write the content, to get rid of a few things that are not important for a web site, and, generally, who kicked our butts for months at a time - thanks, man, you really need to kick it more often.
To Pete Quily who suffered through us not being as reactive as he would have liked but his comments, feedback and many sets of rolled eyes helped us more than he knows.
To the Drupal community that I love dearly and to those of you out there that answered my questions and helped me clear my thoughts as to why I should keep this site as simple, clean, and completely filled with great information.
Aaron Mok who drank beer with us, looked at us funny, and got us the best darn person to take care of the books. Thanks, Sue!

Anyway, enough of my sputtering at this late hour. Send us some feed back and let us know what you think and I need to head home and have a few hours of non-connected time.

Canada Council - last minute consult

Allyson McGrane — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 06:00:00 +0000

The Canada Council Theatre grant for emerging artists are due on March 1. I spent a few hours helping out Cameron MacKenzie, a recent Studio 58 grad, with his first application. He was referred to me by my friend Jennifer Smith, who is the General Manager for Pound of Flesh Theatre. Cameron is planning a fall project with an ad hoc group of artists. He had done an excellent job of the initial draft and already gotten feedback from a number of his peers. We went through the application step-by-step, making sure that all the attachments were included. We reviewed the project description and spent time developing solid project objectives. Then we revised the budget to truly reflect the scope of the project. Best of luck with your application, Cameron!

A blogger talks about art

Allyson McGrane — Sat, 23 Feb 2008 20:21:59 +0000

This guy named Dave Olson is talking about his art and his blog. He's encouraging the audience to be artists, share your stuff and consider allow collaboration on projects. He wants to have cross-pollination where people work together and distribute their work for free. I wonder what the Canadian Actors Equity would think of these ideas? When will live performance join the Internet revolution?

Northern Voice 2008 - advertising on your blog?

Allyson McGrane — Sat, 23 Feb 2008 19:10:57 +0000

We're at a session that James Sherrett from Adhack is facilitating. He's looking to the expertise of everyone attending the session and asking who has advertising on their blogs and who doesn't. The question is becoming -- is it a benefit to the readers or a detriment? Yes, the money is great but no one wants to alienate their readers. Someone just said that he uses ads on pages to punish readers who click through from Google searches about Guitar Hero. The person next to me then said that why don't you ask your readers?!?! And a new suggestion is -- here's a tip jar, if you like our content, pay up!

Here are the reasons on the YES side:

non-commercial
contributor
not for readers / only archives
to pay for hosting
salary
money
business
affiliate sales
recommendations
free stuff / beer
right fit
reader tax
karma

Here are the reasons on the NO side:

fear of rejection
clutter
company site
confuse motives
temptation
ugly / aesthetically displeasing
personal
feeling pressure
kids
competitors ads
podcast reviews
neutrality

And then, we're now discussing if the whole blog is actually advertising for you! What do you think???