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Kevin O’Meara

Updated: Dec 10, 2020

We haven’t been praying for rain in Ottawa all summer, but local singer-songwriter Trevor Bushey’s latest single almost makes me want to rethink my relationship with the sad heavens above.

Trevor has been making the rounds on the Ottawa scene for a few years now, having a documentary (see bottom of this post), a full-length album, an EP, and a brand new track under his belt. His debut LP ‘De Anima’ – Greek for ‘On The Soul,’ presumably after Aristotle’s work of the same name – was released in March of this year, and constitutes a masterpiece of Do-It-Yourself recording running the gamut from Lo-Fi folk, experimental rock, vocal jazz, to punk. It features Trevor’s unmistakable voice, erudite lyrics, and unusual guitar techniques alongside a ramshackle band of trumpets, violins, pump organs, singing saws, and other sounds difficult to identify. His follow-up 5-track EP ‘Softish’ was a return to basics, featuring little else but his mesmerizing voice, unique song structures, and subtly virtuosic fingerpicking to focus on.

The latest single ‘Harbour Hope’ is a synthesis of his two approaches, with the minimalist arrangement of his familiar voice and guitar stylings supported by a syncopated shaker, muted guitar and walking bassline. The musical elements never quite seem to resolve, and the reticent instrumental backing is apt for his lyrical paen to uncertainty. Seeding a garden twice would appear to be an act of desperation, and it is unclear to what extent Trevor himself truly harbors hope. His double and even triple-tracked vocals imply that his quiet voice and words require support, even if is only himself that could possibly provide it. His voice sounds as though it is emanating from an old 78” recording playing in a dusty attic above your head – it wafts in the air slightly out of reach, nostalgically reminding you of a misremembered past, or perhaps a past you never had.

Following in his articulate tradition, Trevor has written a song featuring the word ‘anatropic,’ but still manages to come off easy and mysteriously provocative. His lyrics often read as though he has memorized a thesaurus, or at least read his fair share of 19th century texts on experimental botany. The track’s theme of growing a garden doubles as a surrender to a quasi-religious higher power whose preordained direction will make everything turn out right, or perhaps, an acceptance of the disordered, absurd, and ultimately meaningless existence we have been thrown into. Hints of Epicurus, Voltaire, and Sartre permeate the peripheries of his psyche.

Whether or not it is for naught, the sunflower cranes its neck to the sky with resolve in search for a higher power, its source of energy. In the end one can only resign oneself to what may be, leave it alone, and pray for rain.

Danielle Blais

Artin Avaznia: Go Back and Get It

Written by Danielle Blais, Photography by Jason Champagne

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At 21, Artin Avanzia already has many experiences under his belt; leaving school to become a professional dancer and artist is just one of them. Now he and a collective of local dancers will be unveiling his most involving project thus far; The Velvet Rope: A Dance Short Film, in tribute to the album by Janet Jackson.

Artin began making music videos to showcase his talents around the same time he enrolled in Carleton’s social work program, though he had been developing his choreography skills long before. In his second year of school it became apparent which of these two futures was to become his vocation, and Artin decided to take a risk and give himself the opportunity to concentrate on becoming a professional dance choreographer.

“I wanted to use this time to take myself to another level, to elevate myself and my craft.”

While in school, Artin was unable to dedicate the time he needed to augment expertise in a profession that necessitates near-constant improvement. After accepting his new role, Artin took it upon himself to embrace every aspect of the music and dance industry; creating album reviews, improving his video production, generating vlog posts based around travel and music, all of which led to an increase in his viewership and found that his subscribers could already tell that this was an amateur no longer.

Artin has always had a love affair with music videos, especially those by his teachers and legendary artists Britney Spears, Justin Timberlake, and Michael Jackson, who wove complex motifs into their performances and lifted the focus above the music and into its carnal expression. He feels that his generation of dancers was the last to really develop alongside this phenomenon of cinematic production, and it’s how he - like many others - learned their craft. Artin is a product of his time; he is what happens when you don’t give up on a dream.

“As a solo artist, I hope to elevate the foreground and creative representation of the craft with my self-produced dance visuals. With the incorporation of different plot settings, storylines and costumes, this is my attempt to introduce a new perspective to the song and defy the conventional description of a dancer.”

It is intoxicating to watch Artin dance. In documenting this piece I collaborated with the talented Jason Clifford Champagne, who specializes in black and white photography. Artin brought his cousin, Tina Sol, who, with their mutual friend Sofia Snook, have worked together for many years to create independent projects surrounding dance score. We met up at the Bridgehead by Preston and then walked a short distance to an overpass where we began the shoot. It followed the length of a long industrial building, but the left side was open with spots covered by brush and undergrowth. It was late in the day, a pearl-grey sky giving us clear light even under the overpass. Tina moved around us quietly with a GoPro, and we had some Janet Jackson - a formative teacher for Artin - playing in the background.

Artin is a very confident dancer and not afraid to play around to see what works. He expresses his love for learning, be it by experimenting under an overpass or working with other dancers to create something collaborative and emotionally powerful, illustrated by the mindset that subsumes him as he slips into his flow. Jason took a few static shots before asking him to dance. “Well, what do you want?” with Jason down on the ground testing out different light shots and angles, “Something Janet-inspired.” Artin delivered. He moved smoothly, a telling sign that he had practiced until he could do this in his sleep - though you could never mistake his eyes askance.

“Half of a performance is the skill set - the rest is the connection I develop with the audience. I’m in front of you giving it my all, and if I close my eyes or look away, that’s showing you I’m not confident in my own ability, that my mind is elsewhere. Why should you respect me if I’m not confident in my art?”

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After, he showed us his discipline by performing one of his own routines; its free flowing nature exemplary of an artist crafting dynamic sculpture from the air. With Janet in mind, Artin is able to express himself with grace and honest fun, becoming the physical representation of the feeling her music lends.

To reach his goals, Artin has used this year wisely. Recently, he has begun his most daring project yet: a 30-minute dance short film inspired by Janet Jackson's Velvet Rope. The album (which turns 20 this year) denounces homophobia and opened the conversation about abuse and mental health. Much of the music is centred around our obsessive need to feel special, and uses the Ghanese concept of ‘sankofa’ to tie together a masterpiece that deserves to be listened to in chronological completion in order to reveal the interdependent marvels that, much like our own lives, need to be worked through to fully appreciate the journey we set ourselves upon.

"In order to heal as a human being, you need to open up books you had closed, chapters you never finished. So I had to go back and finish parts of my story.”

Like many artists, he hopes that this would reach Janet, but most importantly Artin wishes his portrayal of Janet’s character will make his audience feel the same way he did the very first time he listened to her album in his room so many years ago.

He isn’t going on this journey alone, from the beginning he has had the love and support from his family and close friends. He is also collaborating with a wide array of local talent, those he knows will add their own flair to the piece. This includes seven Ottawa dancers; Chris WanKam, JR, Bboy Crazy-Smooth, Dirty, Geni Lou, Taylor Poscente and Armel Mzalina, their various styles ranging from break dancing, waaking, to contemporary performances. Also featured in the film is Prufrock, slam poet and hip-hop artist, who will be performing an original piece, with Tina Sol recreating the iconic violin piece originally performed by Vanessa Mae on the Velvet Rope. Also featured in the film are local Ottawa businesses, PPL. Nightclub and Planet Coffee.

Artin's dedicated team, Tina Sol, Sofia Snook, and Kalin Anguelov will be capturing every element of The Velvet Rope: A Dance Short Film. Set to be released October 7th, the film is highly anticipated to demonstrate Ottawa’s flourishing dance scene and rekindle Janet’s message through Artin’s own interpretation,

“Don’t ever let nobody tell you, you ain’t strong enough.”

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You can find Artin on his;

Khaleefa Hamdan

Updated: Dec 10, 2020


Photo by James Park

Khaleefa "Apollo The Child" Hamdan, spoken word poet and co-director of Ottawa slam poetry collective, Urban Legends, won the OG 500 Poetry Slam at the 2017 House of PainT to a roaring audience of Ottawans. Hamdan is an active member of the Ottawa cultural scene, co-host of The Home Invasion Show, on CKCU, and a regular contributor to PACE Magazine.

I watch it shake

Curl and take shape

Moving in the way it wants to

In it's own pace

Envious of the way it lives,

You should see the way my mouth gapes

My hair, the mane

Defiant in the way it hangs

I remember my father once asked me

When I would cut it down

This was back in my afro days

Back when I wore my own crown

I've never been one for monarch

Or even world leaders

I've often seen their evil ways

But this crown was mine

This was around the time

When the United States went to war

With Iraq again

Under the guise of weapons of mass destruction

Defiant

I refused to reduce the size of my hair

Defiant

I told my pops I would do cut it down when Iraq was truly free

Defiant

Free from Saddam Hussein

Free from the United States

Free from the hatred my people seemed to have shackled themselves to

A shame

How we try so hard to differentiate

Even though we are one and the same

Sunnis kill shiites

Shiites kill Sunnis

Even though we are one and the same

And what Saddam Hussein did to the Kurds

Can never be forgotten

It can never be forgiven

And so I grow my hair

And I am proud of the way it hangs

Like octopus tentacles

It tangles

Knowing it is stronger together

Like my people should be

I thank the old white ladies for the compliments

I tell them,

“No you may not touch my hair, I am not your dog to be petted. To you it is only hair but to me, it

is my antenna to the Heavens”.

And it curls

And it shakes

And it moves

In the ways my life's avenues do

It is for me, it is not for you

Samson it gives me strength

It reminds me of my heritage

Of desert sands

And palm trees full of dates

And so

I will sow a date tree seed in me

So when I die

And meet the reaper

I will always have my home with me

I want my body's decay

To be able to provide shade

In a place

Where they are so quick to throw it

Rather than break bread

I kneed the dough

Because I need the dough

Working overtime to feed my home

So fuck your hair nets

And minimum wage

I'm trying to keep my family fed

Callused hands to complete the set

In kindergarten they used to mock

My mop and my locks

Like their wasn't beauty

In the wild and unkempt

So for a little while

I lived in self contempt

I thought I was ugly

But now I realize that this wild hair is a gift

Ma ameshud sharee

Akalee whoua whoua

(I will not comb my hair

I will leave it as is)

I'm more proud of it

Now that I grew up

And I let it loose

On every stage

As I produce

Art with these words I say

And I leeeeeaaaaan back

And I oil my curls

And I repeat

Ma ameshud sharee

Akalee whoua whoua

And I repeat

I will not comb my hair

I will leave it as is

And I hope to God that it tangles

Knowing that it is stronger together

Like humanity should be

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