#julia agris

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Black Beauty / Model: Sephora K 

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#OCDoesMusicMonday: Metronome Jones

Local rock band Metronome Jones have a new EP coming out soon and I got a chance to preview it for you!

The members consist of: Matthew Yorke (vocals and guitar), Ben Matte (bass) and Matt Holmgren (drums) - and they have been together since 2011. You may have heard the trio through Live 88.5’s Big Money Shot, which has boosted other local bands like Hollerado and Amos the Transparent. That has been obviously a big step for Metronome Jones.

L-R: Ben Matte, Matthew Yorke and Matt Holmgren

The band’s bio states:

Refusing to curb their inspiration and instead drawing from numerous influences including rock, funk, metal and punk, the band makes excellent use of Yorke’s vocals, a raw, overpowering treble that simply needs to be heard live.

Throughout the entire EP you can hear the band’s multiple influences resulting in what Metronome Jones does best. Each song differs a little from each other (“Cause I Said So” is quite Aerosmith/Dean Lickyer-y compared to tracks like “Goner” and “Manic Enough”) but Yorke’s scratchy vocals, Matte’s funky bass lines and Holmgren’s pacing keep the band’s unique sound.

The first time I listened to their new single “Waiting on the Winter” I hit replay. It’s everything a single should be: catchy and energetic. To me, it is a perfect song to demonstrate the band’s sound.

My favourite song has to be “Awkward Time” because it just feels groovy! It is one of the slower songs on the EP and I usually get flack for liking slower paced songs but I feel like slower tempo songs shift their focus to lyrics instead of straight up catchy hooks.

This EP will definitely be added to my soundtrack once the weather starts getting cooler.

From what I’ve read these guys put on a hell of a show, even when they’re hitting a slower song.

You can find Metronome Jones at their EP Launch Party: on August 21st, 2015 at Zaphod Beeblebrox.

LINKS

Website | SoundCloud | Facebook Page | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube | e-mail: [email protected]

By: Julia Agris

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My Favourite Looks from the H&M/Foxes Collab

H&M has been known for collaborating with rising artists for their H&M Loves Music Collection and I, for one, was super excited for this one as I lalalove everything about her!

"My fashion style is playful boy meets girls - car boot sale - chic."

Foxes', aka Louisa Rose Allen, dreamy music is of the experimental pop genre with a dark streak. The twenty six year old Grammy Award Winner Brit exploded onto the scene with her feature on Zedd's song "Clarity". Since then she has released an EP and a debut album, Glorious. She signed to RCA Records and opened for Pharell on his Dear Girl tour all because of this:

She even appeared in one of my favourite TV shows, Doctor Who, covering a Queen song. 

2015 has been a crazy year for her already: back in July she slayed her one day tour of several cities in the UK, which broke the Guinness World Record for "The Most Live Concerts in Twelve Hours in Multiple Cities". Including this collab with H&M she has also been working on her her second album, entitled All I Need, which is expecting a late 2015 release.

Foxes also has quite the rep when it comes to fashion as well. Her perfect mix of vintage and grunge looks can be acquired from thrift shops or, her favourite brands, Chanel and Moschino. Back in 2014 ASOS.com wrote a feature on her #flawless OOTDs and she takes part in an outfit challenge:

She made a playlist for Markus Lupfer at LDW'14, became the new face of Adidas AND collabed with River Island. So the H&M collab was an obvious next step. Below are some of my favourite looks:

Lace dress, $39.99

Knit top, $34.99 + Short skirt, $34.99

Platform shoes, $49.99 By: Julia Agris

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Throwback Thursday: Bring It On

I have a guilty pleasure (ok, not guilty at all) of watching a lot of stuff from the eighties to the noughties - so it’s like this segment was made for me.

Style inspiration can be drawn from anywhere and for me it'll be evident that I love taking ideas from these "throwbacks" and mixing them up with modern styles. To kick off this new series I picked Bring It On (2000) because I recently went on a Bring It On marathon this weekend - thanks, Netflix.

Torrance Shipman, the Toro’s new cheer captain, has found out at the team’s shoe-in win routine was stolen from the East Compton Clovers and tries her hardest to bring it on.

Torrance Shipman

{{{ by jjuliaannee }

As Head Cheerleader, Torrance was always ready to spring into action (literally). Take advantage of the sportswear look by wearing attention-grabbing sneakers - can anyone say comfortable?! For most of the movie Torrance can be seen wearing 90's strappy tops when she's not in uniform. Rep your Toros pride with a red letterman's jacket!

Missy Pantone

{{{ by jjuliaannee }

Missy comes across as a tough girl and I really think that they nailed casting Eliza Dushku for this part *heart eyes* and I'm going to be a little biased here by bringing some of Faith (from Buffy the Vampire Slayer) into this look. Wear a pair of cargo pants, that fit you in all the right ways, and throw on a bad ass heeled black boots. Missy had a gymnast body so she's not afraid to rock a crop top but wear a cut out bandeau underneath in case someone asks you to do a "front handspring step-out, round-off back handspring step-out, round-off back handspring, full twisting layout."

Cliff Pantone

{{{ by jjuliaannee }

Channel your inner musician cutie pie that crushes hard on the girl of his dreams by rocking a band tee (preferably The Clash) and some red Converse. Keep it totally old school by wearing some flashy headphones and a Casio digital watch. Oh, Jesse Bradford!

Isis

{{{ by jjuliaannee }

Isis does not have a huge part in the movie but every time she is on-screen she is showing off her school pride. The East Compton Clovers mean everything to her so throw on anything green and yellow. Her style is pretty casual, as she can throw down cheer moves at any second, so find a comfy pair of white high tops and stretchy high waisted jeans.

Aaron

{{{ by jjuliaannee }

Aaron is Torrance’s older boyfriend that goes off to university so play up that prep school look with heeled oxfords and plaid. For some reason Aaron is shown wearing a red sweater like 95% of the time but that makes this perfect outfit for the winter-spring transition.

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Weekend Reads: Holidaze

(Photo)

Christmas is less than two weeks away! Here are some party tips, gift guides and more to keep your sanity get in the holiday spirit!

GIFT GUIDE: essiebutton shares her favourite beauty gifts

Check out Too Faced's new Spring 2015 palette

Holiday Makeup Tips from about.com: 

Add Shimmer

Shimmer adds drama to your look. You can get shimmery eyes in several ways:

Try a shimmery cream or buy a powder shimmer and mix the shadow with water. The water will help create a dense metallic pigment that's not too soft. Some shadows are barely there, but you want your shadow to have heft.

Apply shimmery shadow on your lid just above the iris in your eye and on the inner corner of the eye. This will open up the eye, lighten up what is usually a dark area of the lid, and helps eyes look amazing in photos.

If you do go with the shimmery eye, don't go overboard with the shimmer elsewhere on your face. Apply shimmer to no more than 2 places. For example, shimmer your eyelids and your cheekbones but don't also add a batch of shimmer to your decolletage.

Other spots to shimmer: Add a shimmery highlighter to the cheeks, the nose and above each eye. You can put shimmery powder on your decolletage and on the cheeks. Shimmery lips are also hot. Just don't go overboard.

Apply a shimmer moisturizer (Jergens Soft Shimmer Skin Radiance, from drugstores) to legs if you're going bare.

#NOWPLAYING: "Change Your Ticket" by One Direction

Refinery29 shares eight different ways to wear your eyeliner

Glamour.com gives us twenty super easy yet chic "Beauty Ideas to Try for Holiday Parties"

NEW MUSIC VIDEO: "Like I Can" by Sam Smith

Scroll through H&M's holiday campaign featuring Lady Gaga & Tony Bennett

CUTEST COVER: Olly Murs covers Wham's "Last Christmas"

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Music Monday: "Girls" by The 1975

Alia & I finally saw The 1975 live in Montreal early November and to combat my post concert depression I am finally pumping out this post.

The 1975 have been around since 2002 under names such as: The Slowdown, B I G S L E E P and Drive Like I Do - but have only recently garnered such well deserved attention. Once the Manchester band finally signed to Polydor UK/Dirty Hit they easily hit mainstream radios across the pond.

The band consists of: Matty Healy (vocals & guitar), Adam Hann (lead guitar), Ross MacDonald (bass) and George Daniel (drums) who came together to play a gig put together by their "idealistic hippy council worker". Since then they've released 4EPs, a self-titled album that has debuted at #1 across UK charts, remixes and a few more singles such as "Medicine".

Matty has been quoted saying they draw their musical influence from various places such as Michael Jackson, motown, The Rolling Stones, Brian Eno, Sigur Ros - even calling their genre "guitar'n'b". This fluid sound is what caused them so much trouble early on trying to get signed, receiving negative feedback such as: "You don’t know who you want to be, 'cause all your songs sound different from one other and you don’t know what you want to do." However their adaptive sound has allowed them to go on tour with: The Neighbourhood, Bastille, Muse and Montreal's own Cruisr.

The reason why I picked "Girls" for this post is because it was one of the songs that got me obsessed. It's catchy pop tune and eloquent lyrics made me fall hard for music again. Also it's just about their only video that is in colour - as "a tongue in cheek" way to show them selling out and changing their iconic style of black and white.

Not a pop band

{{{Polyvore}

Dressed in black from head to toe is always option. Keep it "not pop" by throwing in some stompin' punk boots and leather accents. Mix up the textures to keep the outfit from looking plain or even worse like pajamas.

Where’s the fun in doing what you’re told?

{{{Polyvore}

Here's a perfect example of another all black outfit that gives off a completely different vibe because of the cut and detailing. It's getting a little too cold for straight up bras and panties so cute high-waisted shorts or tight black pants are the next best option. Stay classy and work those high heels.

Eyes bright, uptight

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This is a good one to transition over into colder weather by throwing some tights on. To me, wedges are so much easier to walk in the winter when the ground is uneven. Plus they look so cute paired with tights. Keep the vibe of summer fun around with a pop of bright pink lipstick and neon sunglasses. 

Just girls

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MORE BLACK ♥ Step up that black blazer by looking for ones with zip, trim and even lining details. The cut is also important for example, if you're going for a more casual look then rock the middle look. Also try blue mascara it is so much fun!

What happened to just messing around?

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Another colder season friendly outfit, perfect for fancier occasions or hanging out with the girls. Floral can easily be worn as long as it's on a darker background or if it's a nice fade. Even floral accessories like those sunglasses work.

And you think you’ve made it

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Each of these monochrome-y outfits are good for rating casual to dressier. Although each are quite simple - clothing wise - the accessories make the outfit like that statement necklace or those metallic heels!

God, help me now

{{{Polyvore}

Black and white stripes will always have a place in my heart and I'm excited they're still trending. I like to keep the palette classic by sticking to black, white, red and silver. Make your nails match your lips because you can!

Told her from the start, destined to be hard

 {{{Polyvore}

THE ACTUAL DRESS IN THE VIDEO IS GORGEOUS but these are the next best ones. Red lace is perfect for the holiday season and what else goes better with it than gold accents? Find a pair of royal purple pumps to show everyone who rules.

Breakin’ hearts

{{{Polyvore}

Other than the all black outfits, I would wear any of these any day. Just like florals, neon can be worn during the colder months if it's paired with a darker colour (like BLACK!). 

By: Julia Agris

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Music Monday: #SupportLocal Hip Hop Group at Their EP Launch Party

Back in February, I discovered some local rappers at a show at The Daily Grind. This cafe continues to impress me with their bills of local talent that I find myself becoming more immersed within the Ottawa scene, which I love.

Not only do Poetic Elements have the charm and positive attitude to keep the audience’s attention but they call themselves the Gangsta Troy and Abed - how perfect is that?

Poetic Elements consists of: Nasa Kid Masai, Prophet One and Apollo the Child. This trio is a talented group of producers, rappers and spoken word poets. Their sound is surprisingly calming as the flow moves you effortlessly from lyric to lyric.

The past couple of months have been busy for Poetic Elements and on May 22nd, 2014 their first EP, entitled The Diamond Life will be dropped at their launch party. Luckily, I had some time to interview Prophet One, Khaleefa “Apollo the Child” Hamdan and Curtis “Nasa Kid Masai” Nyarko, about their journey so far.

OC: Why the name Poetic Elements and how long have you been together?

KH: We decided to go with Poetic Elements because we felt that, even though we do have fun with our music at times, a bulk of our material has a purpose. Masai and I have been together since high school so nine years. Prophet One joined us in 2013.

OC: How would you describe your music to people?

CN: Our music embodies not only our everyday life but also how we see the world through our eyes. We all grew up in the inner city so our music embodies that sometimes. But generally we just make good, classic boom bap Hip Hop.

OC: Catchy phrase - when did you realize that you had a passion for music?

PO: My buddy had a Beastie Boys cassette tape which he lent me, I ended up copying it and making my own copy on my dad’s tape deck. That was my first introduction to Rap and it became a staple in my life. It was that experience that led to the birth of my passion for music and Hip Hop.

OC: Do you have a favourite show memory/story?

CN: Yeah, we had a set at Mercury Lounge last August and we performed our song Valley Music for the first time. The crowd enjoyed it so much we performed it again right after we finished it.. The second time around though, people got so into it and rowdy that they started jumping off of the couches.

OC: Are there any artists that influence your sound?

KH: Yes and no. There’s artists that we respect in the city like Atherton, Missin’ Linx, Philly Moves, and G Grand and Jeepz. There’s also artists both Canadian and worldwide that inspired us to start rapping. However, in terms of our sound, we don’t like to compare ourselves to others. As Poetic Elements we try to do our own thing.

OC: What specific themes do you write about?

KH: Like Masai mentioned earlier, we like to write about how we view our world and surroundings. We write about where we are in this moment in time but also where we would like to be.

Here’s their latest single. “Sunshine”

OC: How do you look for inspiration?

CN: By listening to music in general, music plays a key component in our day to day life. Also, as I said before, we write about our life and where we come from. We are from Ottawa and we love our city.

OC: Where you heading in a certain direction with for your debut album?

PO: The overall message in The Diamond Life EP is to value the hard work you put into your craft. Also, life will pressure you sometimes and its up to you on how you handle it. Pressure can bust pipes or make diamonds, we choose to let it make diamonds.

OC: What can listeners expect from your debut EP?

KH: Fans can expect quality Hip Hop. Masai and Prophet One both made amazing beats for this project which Masai and I did justice to. We’re not arrogant but we are confident in our abilities.

OC: So then what makes you stand out from others?

PO: Beyond making great music, when we do our live sets we each bring something to the table which helps us differentiate ourselves.. I do live drumming with my Native Maschine and Apollo & Masai have great chemistry and crowd interaction on stage. We put in a lot of work to help polish our sets.

OC: Describe to me your personal style.

CN: My style is very casual, I won’t lie I look like a generic Hip Hop head. I love Goodwood jewelry but I keep my wardrobe simple. Nothing too crazy, although I wouldn’t mind rocking some gold rope chains!

PO: Like Masai said I keep things pretty simple as well. However, I do like to design my own t shirts and hats.

KH: I’m a tee and jeans guy but I like to rock some plaid and button ups. I’m also a sucker for anything comic, cartoon or video game related. I love that stuff!

OC: How does your sound influence your personal style?

KH: I have a lot of geek references in my verses usually, P EL, we keep it classy.

CN: As a Hip Hop head, I feel like I need to represent myself accordingly. Like you would catch a metal head rocking bell bottoms, it just doesn’t work that way.

PO: To build on what Masai said, as rapper and creators of Hip Hop I feel like how you sound should be in sync with how you look.

OC: Explain to me your songwriting process.

KH: I’m a quick writer which comes from my spoken word background. So usually when I get a beat, my verse will be done overnight. This isn’t always a good thing though. Sometimes Masai will have an idea or a concept after I’ve already wrote my verse. I’ve learned to slow my pace to make cohesive songs.

CN: What I usually do is sit down and let the beat play over and over again, eventually I find out what I want to say. It slowly builds from there until I eventually get the verse or the hook done.

PO: Depending on my mood and the artist, I find a starting point. I grew up sampling and still respect it but I like incorporating as much original music as possible. I have a strong focus on live instruments, I play most of them myself including: guitar, bass, and piano. The song Crimes which is the last song on the EP was constructed entirely by myself with no samples.

OC: Do you ever find yourself going back to certains artist(s)/albums?

PO: For sure, artists/albums like: Wu Tang Clan’s 36 Chambers, Tribesmen’s Paintbrush Tongue, and Heltah Skeltah’s Nocturnal.

KH: Definitely, I love Doomtree and each of the individual members that make up the collective. I find myself bumping their stuff routinely. As well as Cyne, they put out some dope music.

CN: All the time, lately, I’ve found myself going back to Mobb Deep’s Infamous and reminiscing about high school.

OC: Are there any artist(s) and/or producer(s) would you want to work with?

KH: In terms of producers, I’d love to work with: Pete Rock, Lazerbeak, and Headnodic. But if we were to talk rappers I’d have to say Slug, Shad, Elzhi, and Moe Pope.

CN: I’ll name three for each artists and producers starting with producers, I’d also work with Pete Rock, Nottz and Dj Uneek. Now for rappers I’d have to say: AZ, Mos Def, and Rich Kidd.

OC: As radio co-hosts of CKCU’s Home Invasion Show, how important do you think supporting local music is?

KH: Whether it’s myself, Masai, or my older brother Livin’ Large who also hosts the show we all agree on one thing. Supporting local music NEEDS to be done. Masai and I make music ourselves, we know how hard it is to get your stuff on air is sometimes. So local Ottawa artists, we encourage you to send your stuff to [email protected].

OC: Where do you want to end up in five years?

CN: On every goddamn radio station! Jokes aside, just living comfortable and doing music.

KH: To build on what Masai said, I just want to be able to live comfortably off my art; whether its spoken word or Hip Hop.

PO: I want to continue to make art and music.

You can find Poetic Elements at their EP Launch Party: on May 22nd, 2014 at the Daily Grind for FREE!

LINKS

Website | SoundCloud | Twitter | Facebook Page | Instagram | e-mail: [email protected]

By: Julia Agris

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Music Monday - Help StillNative fund their second LP

For those of you who are new to the blog then you probably don't know about my strong love for StillNative. There was never a better pair.

This greasy raw beat rock duo consists of two Ottawa locals: Patrick Steele (guitarist) and Max Savage (drummer). Their self-produced debut album topped charts at multiple radio stations and kicked off a tour in many-a-province. They've also played a couple of times during Jeff Garner's runway shows at Ottawa Fashion Week.

"Lo Fi, dirty beats, bluesy tempos, and a shot of raw beat rock in your face, StillNative have really settled into their sound...The album itself is entirely cohesive. From one track to the next you’re taken on a steady, groovy ride highlighted by well pronounced, seemingly intentional drawn out beats and riffs that keep you on the edge of your seat and pull you into the sound. I feel consumed by their efforts. This truly is a musical experience if you can lend an ear." - Jae Pyl of independentmusicnews.uk.co

Their gritty sound makes you crave more and luckily for us the boys are in the midst of making a second record.

I could go on about how StillNative has had a really good run this past year - that includes: a Live DVD, RBC Bluesfest '13, features in the Metro & on CBC and Festival de l'Outaouais Émergent - but that is an entire blog post on its own.

Steele & Savage's plans for their sophomore album are "various guest artists on saxophone, cello, trumpet, organ, backing vocals and, you guessed it, BASS.  It will feature brazilian jazz textures, afro-cuban rhythms, and a tremendous amount of fresh new sounds." However this new direction entails a whole team of people and higher manufacturing costs.

On their Indiegogo Pledge Page they are aiming to raise $3200 in 60 days. And as with usual crowd funding, their are perk levels such as: signed albums, Steele's EP, music lessons and even a house show.

If you don't want to support before you see them live you can come out to one of their last Ottawa shows (for awhile as they set up shop in Montreal). They'll be covering The Black Keys at the Rainbow Bistro on April 18th.

And if anything just share the campaign and #SupportLocal

Website | Facebook Page | Twitter | Bandcamp | YouTube | Indiegogo Pledge Page | e:mail: [email protected]

By: Julia Agris