Let the Music Play!

Check out what’s hot on the Island music scene during 2011 Music PEI Week

By Meredith Morrison

You’ve heard them on the radio.  You’ve seen them perform at your local bar or pub.  You’ve probably even waved to them on the street.  And more than likely, they know your sister’s-brother’s-uncle twice removed.

They are Island musicians, and this January, it’s their time to shine.

The 2011 Music PEI Week and Awards Gala, underway January 14 to 23, celebrate the best of Island music from East to West.   It is a week long celebration honouring and recognizing all that Island musicians have accomplished throughout the year.  If you haven’t had the pleasure of taking in this annual event, quite simply, you have been missing out.

I’m ashamed to admit it, but last year was my first time experiencing Music PEI Week.  I’m ashamed because from the first moment I walked into The Mack on that snowy Thursday evening to attend the SAC Songs & Stories showcase, I knew I had been missing out on so much incredible talent I never even knew existed.

For too long, I had been so caught up in Top 40 playlists and countdowns that I never really took the time to really listen to what was going on in my own backyard.  But after experiencing the soulful acoustic performances of Catherine MacLellan, Dennis Ellsworth, Tim Chaisson, Meaghan Blanchard, and Liam Corocoran & Alec O’Hanley of Two Hours Traffic, I was speechless.  Literally.  I had no words to describe the unbelievable talent that was on stage.  What I had the privilege to witness that night was as good, if not better, than what most of us probably have downloaded on our iPods.  I walked away from The Mack that night with a whole new appreciation for what was happening with Island music.

This year, it’s your turn.  Whether you’re an aspiring songwriter trying to break into the industry, an artist with an eye for music imagery or just a plain old music lover, there’s a place for you at any one of Music PEI Week’s events.  Get to know this year’s nominees by taking in a multitude of performances, showcases and workshops – they’re taking place at venues across the Island.  The caliber of what Island musicians have produced this past year has exceeded even the highest expectations.

And if 2010 gave us an indication of what’s in store for the future of Island music, then we need to strap ourselves in – it’s going to be a wild ride.

For more information on Music PEI Week, please visit www.musicpei.com

Profiling: Haunted Hearts

By Kate McKenna

Haunted Hearts
Album:  “Howdy”
Nominated for four Music PEI Awards:  Album of the Year, Group of the Year, Songwriter of the Year, and Country/Alternative Country Recording of the Year

Haunted Hearts is an Island-grown melody powerhouse; veteran musicians Dennis Ellsworth, Dan Currie, Mike MacDougall, Blue Gillis and Johnny Ross have formed a band built on equal parts heart and soul.

What started as a venue for Ellsworth’s songs became much more.  Their sound is a mixture of folk, country, and Americana.  Howdy is Haunted Hearts’ second full-length release, pounded out only one year after 2009’s Thank You Goodnight.  The Hearts are most known for a kickin’ live show – they’ve played all over Charlottetown and are heading over to play some shows in New Brunswick in the New Year.

Haunted Hearts recorded Howdy live off the floor, resulting in a clean, folksy sound that mirrors their live performances quite nicely.  Ellsworth’s easy-going attitude towards music and songwriting shines through via his knack for writing songs that sound natural but showcase the tremendous talent of band members.  Ellsworth ‘s love of music and playing shine through, both in speaking with him and listening to his album.  Haunted Hearts is a band completely devoid of pretension and completely full of… well, heart.

The band’s prior album already earned the band some accolades.  They took home two PEI music awards.  Will they double their quota this year?  Only time will tell.

Profiling: The North Lakes

The North Lakes
Album:  COBRA
Nominated for two Music PEI Awards:  Alternative Rock Recording of the Year and New Artist of the Year

The North Lakes started the way all great bands do – in the basement of the drummer’s parents’ house.

In the summer of 2009, drummer Michael Carver and his longtime friend Nathan Gill started jamming with Chris Francis and Gillian Arsenault to create what would become the first lineup of The North Lakes.

Amid posters of U2 and novelty road signs, Carver, Gill, Francis and Arsenault wrote the first roster of North Lakes tunes – among them, their most popular song to date, Cold Ottawa Wind.

Channeling his inner Bob Dylan, Jeff Tweedy, and Woody Guthrie, Gill’s songwriting was initially heart-heavy country-rock.  With the eventual addition of Chris Robison on guitar and Roger Carter on drums and organ, The North Lakes became a genre-jumping powerhouse of strong melodies and even stronger lyrics.   Perhaps their varied sound comes from their even-more-varied backgrounds: The North Lakes borrow members from The Barnkats, Racoon Bandit, Milks and Rectangles, and ex-bands New Royalty and String Theory.  However their recipe blends, it comes out well – North Lakes have been positively reviewed by a host of writers, most notably Chartattack.

The band’s first release, an EP called COBRA, showcased a maturing band.  The dual vocals of Gill and Arsenault create a neat dynamic, the defiant drumming of Carver, and the solid basswork from Francis make a strong foundation.  Finally, the addition of Robison and Carter make one hell of a full melody.

What can we expect from this band?   If they keep growing at the rate they are now, we can expect a solid full-length with clever verses, strong hooks, and a fantastic live show.

Check out what’s hot on the Island music scene during 2011 Music PEI Week By Meredith Morrison You’ve heard them on the radio.  You’ve seen them perform at your local bar or pub.  You’ve probably even waved to them on the street.  And more than likely, they know your sister’s-brother’s-uncle twice removed. They are Island [...]

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G! Gets Zesty: Stay Fresh for 2011 (Dec/Jan 2010/2011)

What makes your tongue curl up with excitement?  What drives your cravings?  For me, it is food that tastes good.  Using fresh ingredients is the number one way to satisfy your cravings and make eating an experience to remember.

Ever go to a fancy restaurant and be blown away by how good the food tastes?  Most of the time, it can be correlated to fresh ingredients prepared properly and ready to order.

I want to give you a few simple tips on how you can keep it fresh in your kitchen for the New Year.  Visit the grocery store and buy what you want to prepare for a couple of days.  This year, make it a point to not waste your money on letting fresh produce spoil.  Plan your meals accordingly and capitalize on ‘in-season’ foods.

Here are some food ideas to get your mind flowing and thinking outside the box.  Stay fresh for 2011.

Asparagus Walnut Salad

This asparagus bacon walnut salad really follows the Zesty motto: quick and easy, yet packed with flavour.  This asparagus dish will easily work as either a side dish or a salad depending on both your mood and your dinner plans.  It literally takes no time to make and requires very little preparation.

In this particular case I used turkey bacon as it was on sale.  Even though I have never tried it before, I enjoyed it immensely.  I noticed a number of similar qualities to real bacon minus the grease.

Sassy Pineapple Mango Salsa

Pineapple and mango paired with hot sauce?  Am I crazy?  Oh, I don’t think so…

Here, we pair both pineapple and mango for an amazing salsa and give it a little zing with cilantro and red onion.  No one in the Zesty household is a huge fan of onions, so I toned down the red onion to avoid any discomfort.  The sweetness of the fruit balances the kick of the onion while the cilantro gives it an earthy flavour.  To really pack a flavour punch, hit it with a dash of hot sauce and cracked black pepper.

You will not be disappointed with this one!

Ingredients
* 2 cups of fresh pineapple, cut into small chunks
* 2 cups fresh Mango, diced
* 1/4 cup red onion, diced
* 1 cup of fresh cilantro, chopped
* 1/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil
* Zest and juice of 1 lime
* Several dashes of your favourite hot sauce

Method
1. Put pineapple, mango, red onion and cilantro into a medium-sized bowl.
2. Add lime zest and juice, oil and hot sauce.
3. Toss well and let flavours mingle for at least one half hour before serving.
4. ENJOY!

Mango Sweet Potato Salad

Sweet, sweet, sweet characterizes this salad.  The combination of sweet potato, mango and honey…if you have a sweet tooth, this dish will be calling your name.  It may also be calling the toothbrush, but what is eating if you can’t live on the edge once in awhile?  This salad has great texture because of the mixture of the greens, potatoes and mango.  You’ll have a hard time not going back for seconds.

So there you have it – a quick rundown of ways to convince yourself that staying fresh is the answer for your New Year.  For more information including the recipes seen here, be sure to come over and check out www.zestycook.com.

Take care,

Zesty

Zestycook.com is a blog authored by Islander Cory Gallant, focusing on quick and healthy recipes for the everyday person. Known in the food blog world as “Zest” or “Zesty,” Cory’s been featured in magazines, and was a guest speaker at the Healthy Living Conference in Boston, MA.   Cory lives in Marshfield with the lovely Mrs. Zesty and their two junior Zesties.

What makes your tongue curl up with excitement?  What drives your cravings?  For me, it is food that tastes good.  Using fresh ingredients is the number one way to satisfy your cravings and make eating an experience to remember. Ever go to a fancy restaurant and be blown away by how good the food tastes?  [...]

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The Myth and The Madness (December/January 2010/2011)

Sound too good to be true?  Then it probably is…but man, we hope not!  Ryan Cairns dispels the myths of fitness and sets us straight on the path to looking  (and feeling) good.

Myth:  New Year’s resolutions – especially fitness ones – are easy to keep.

The beginning of a new year means different things to different people; it could mean getting older, starting a new semester, or a chance to lose the weight put on over the Holidays.  For me, the beginning of the New Year means the busiest time of the year.

More gym memberships are sold faster in January than tickets to the latest Twilight film.  People flock to the gym with high hopes of getting fit, or at least fit enough to look good for that upcoming trip down South.  They promise themselves that this is THE year they will become healthier.  This ‘promise’ usually comes in the form of the famous New Year’s resolution, and in my professional experience, these resolutions just don’t work.

How many times have you, or someone you know, made the same New Year’s resolution year after year?  It happens ALL of the time.

Here are some of the reasons why resolutions fall short of the mark.

People don’t set realistic goals. Healthy weight loss is 1-2 pounds a week. Contestants on The Biggest Loser losing 10-20 pounds a week isn’t realistic. First of all, those people are extremely obese – they exercise 6-8 hours a day, and are monitored by doctors.  Remember that one pound of fat is 3500 calories.  You need to burn 500 calories a day to lose one pound a week.  Don’t try to lose too much weight too fast; rapid weight loss is unrealistic to maintain.

Too hard, too much, too soon. Most people return to the gym in January with an attitude like they can take on the world.  That’s great, but their bodies may not feel the same way.  Many people try to go too hard and end up getting hurt or burnt out before they even get started.  For the first week or two, I suggest cutting the intensity of your workouts to 60-70%.  This gives the body a chance to adjust to the stresses that will come in the upcoming weeks.

Consistency. This is the ABSOLUTE most important part of achieving your fitness goals.  Exercise works if you do it consistently.  If you are just going to go hard at the gym for two weeks every three months, that isn’t going to cut it.  Canada’s Physical Activity Guidelines suggest that you get 60 minutes of exercise most days of the week to improve health.  You can exercise for less time if the intensity is increased.

My suggestion for this New Year is to try something new.  You know what doesn’t work for you – the same thing you’ve been doing for the past five Januarys.  Try a new fitness class.  Get a new gym partner.  Try a kettlebell class.  Dust off the skates and go to the rink or the pond.  Try cross-country skiing or snowshoeing.  Hire a personal trainer and get some knowledge so you can make your workouts count.

Trying new things keeps the body from hitting plateaus and it keeps exercising fun.  A year goes by pretty quick and life is short; try something new for your health, mind, body, and soul.

Happy New Year!!!

Ryan Cairns
CSEP-CPT

Ryan Cairns is a certified personal trainer, kettlebell instructor, and fitness tester with a passion for living life to the fullest.  In addition to writing for G!, you can also find Ryan’s fitness tips online at cairnsryan.wordpress.com.

Sound too good to be true?  Then it probably is…but man, we hope not!  Ryan Cairns dispels the myths of fitness and sets us straight on the path to looking  (and feeling) good. Myth:  New Year’s resolutions – especially fitness ones – are easy to keep. The beginning of a new year means different things [...]

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