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« May 2009 | Main | July 2009 »
Oscar award winning director, Norman Jewison, actor, director, writer and author, David Steinberg and Roots Co-founder Michael Budman were caught at Sotto Sotto in Toronto last night all sporting the Roots Satchel (aka The Roots Village Bag).
It looks like it is essential bag for a big night on the town.... no matter what city you're in!
In today's Globe and Mail, Canada's national newspaper, you'll find a brief mention of Roots Co-founder, Michael Budman's interview with Fox Business News that occurred on Monday.
Last week I had the chance to take part in Luminato's "Lunchtime Conversations" at our Bloor St. store. It's a good thing I was there early because there was not a spare chair in the place! I got the chance to listen to Moderator John Macfarlane (Editor of Walrus Magazine), Stephen Marche (author and contributor to Walrus) and Guy Gavriel Kay (author) discuss topics ranging from the effects of marketing on literature, the feelings that great reading can give the reader, and different approaches that authors take towards developing characters.
The two men seemed to have great ideas, opinions and questions for each other. They were entertaining, funny, and insightful, and as the discussion progressed at one point, Gavriel Kay even suggested that he would give a "Twitter-length answer" (meaning that he would keep it short).
Throughout the conversation it was clear that both men had their own opinions on all topics covered, but also agreed upon some major points. For example, both men felt that the only way to describe how a reader feels when experiencing a good read was as "a shiver", quoting Nabokov. This seemed to resound deeply with the audience because it is something that we have all experienced. They also agreed that modern writers are now in a position where they have to change their style to make it fit a genre because that is what is marketable. Guy however, challenged this practice, stating that it was a "trap" and that sometimes it isn't even the marketers that trap the author into a genre, it's the readers. He went on to discuss the idea that sometimes when readers enjoy a book they want to categorize it so that they can discuss it.
All-in-all this was a great discussion and I would personally like to thank both of the authors, John Macfarlane and "The Walrus" as it was an exceptional experience. For more information on the remaining Luminato events, you can visit the event website.
Here is some more information about the authors from this event:
Stephen Marche is the author of Shining at
the Bottom of the Sea (2007) and Raymond
and Hannah (2005). He currently writes "A Thousand Words About
Our Culture," a monthly column for Esquire
magazine, and "Close Reading," a weekly column for the National Post, in addition to opinion
pieces for The New Republic, Salon.com, the Globe and Mail and the Toronto
Star. He received a doctorate in Early Modern Drama in 2005 from the
University of Toronto. "The Crow Procedure,"
a new work of short fiction, appears in the 2009 Summer Reading Issue of The Walrus.
Guy Gavriel Kay is the author of ten novels and a book of poetry. He won the
2008 World Fantasy Award for his most recent novel Ysabel, and his work, which breaks down the barriers between
the worlds of fantasy and historical fiction, has been recognized worldwide. He
assisted Christopher Tolkien in the preparation of J.R.R. Tolkien's unpublished
The Silmarillion, and holds a
degree in law from the University
of Toronto. His short
story "Summertime, When The Visigoths Go Pillaging," appeared in the
2008 Summer Reading Issue of The Walrus.
Island Records, arguably one of the most prestigious record labels in the U.K., is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year.
What is Island Records you might ask? Only the label responsible for discovering Bob Marley and the Wailers, Cat Stevens, and U2 to name a few!
The Story
In 1959, Chris Blackwell started Island Records on a shoestring budget in Jamaica. At the young age of 22, he had fallen in love with the music of a pianist called Lance Hayward, who had been performing in his hotel. Blackwell took him into a recording studio. He continued to take local artists into the studio and Island was soon enjoying a string of number one hits in Jamaica. Blackwell moved to London a few years later and became a music mogul in 1964, when he brought 14-year-old Millie Small from Jamaica to London to record a song called My Boy Lollipop. For the next few decades, Blackwell tried to find artists who were likely to have long careers, which resulted in signing artists from a variety of different musical genres (ska, reggae, rock). The label has encompassed all different strains of music, but they have all contributed to some sense of a label identity, where any music of quality would find a home.
Roots Connection
In addition to Island Records, Blackwell founded and runs Palm Pictures, an entertainment company that produces innovative music and films. Roots co-founder Michael Budman is a longtime friend of Chris
Blackwell, and both have been interested in the arts and entertainment
industry. When Palm Pictures produced the Goldeneye Film Festival in Jamaica in 2004, Roots became the original official sponsor. “This is a spectacular event in a truly unique setting with a great mix
of highly talented people from the film industry,” says Michael. “I’ve
long admired Chris Blackwell’s work and Roots is proud to be associated
with the Goldeneye Festival.” Festival guests received exclusive limited edition Roots Varsity Bags made at the Roots leather goods factory in Toronto. Pretty neat, huh?
Sources
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/8058612.stm
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/4974348/Island-Records-how-they-became-an-artists-paradise.html
http://www.island50.com/press
If you're ever at home at looking for a new entertainment option we suggest trying a new website, www.theauteurs.com.
The site says it is 'An Online Movie Theatre and Gathering Place for Film Lovers'. What we found was a wide selection of videos and movies from around the world to choose from and an active community help you find your next favourite movie.
So take a few minutes and check out the site. You just may find the shortest commute to a movie theatre you've ever experienced doesn't require a car.
We just love to give you insights on some of our favourite Roots accessories for the summer. This time the spotlight turns once again to the people behind the Roots creations: The Designers. We recently interviewed Lynne Morris, Senior Designer, to find out her "must-haves" for the summer:
Must-Have Summer Item# 1: For women, Lynn suggested the Paisley Print Scarf.
Why she loves it: It can be used as a scarf or a shawl. It is large enough to wrap around your hip. The bright colour is GREAT for summer time!
How she would wear it: For a head-turning look, Lynn recommends folding the scarf in half into a large triangle, placing the point to the centre front of you, and wrapping the other two ends around your neck and pulling closer to your neck. Alternatively, you can wear it as a sarong and tie it on top of your bathing suit.
Must-Have Summer Item# 2: The Drake Che Cap in black was Lynn's favourite for guys.
Why she loves it: It has a more modern look than regular baseball caps. It offers comfort thanks to the back strap. It's a very clean design, as it has very few seams and no stitching on the peak.
How she would wear it: This cap can be paired with athletic wear for the weekends or with casual clothing.
Added bonus? It makes you feel good as it is made from 100% organic cotton.
Must-Have Summer Item# 3: Airstream Backpack
Why she loves it: This is a small sized backpack that holds a lot for day travel. Lynne recently used it on her design inspiration trip to Japan and described it as "the most practical bag" she's ever carried. She would choose it in white for the summer. At only $34.00, this backpack is an inexpensive splurge.
Lynne definitely gave us three awesome accessories for summer. Want to see other picks from the Roots designers? Check out other hot summer must-haves from the experts.
Feeling like Jazz this summer? Throughout the summer and all across Canada, jazz music is hitting almost every major city! Great music, food, drinks, and fun are guaranteed for all who attend these weekend long festivals. If you are into the music or just the musicians check out the Jazz festival coming to a city near you!
I was lucky enough to attend two of Luminato's Lunchtime Conversations the other week, and the chat on Tuesday included a surprise performance from a local retirement home!
Tuesday's chat had a larger than average panel: the packed audience heard insights from Alexina Louie (Composer), Mike Ross (Actor, Composer), Tom Allen (CBC Radio Host), Lance Horne (Composer), and Mark Campbell (Librettist) discuss their contributions to A Poe Cabaret: A Dream Within a Dream.
The Poe-inspired compositions feature the Canadian premiere of librettist Mark Campbell and composer Lance Horne's opera The Tell-Tale Heart featuring Sean Clark (tenor) and Horne on piano, fresh from its debut in New York. Mark tells the audience he likes to start at the beginning of a libretto and not read through to the end so it's a "naturally revealing process and the libretto ends up surprising you in the end." Which Lance is quick to point out half-jokingly, "that's so annoying!"
Mark Campbell, Lance Horne, Tom Allen, Mike Ross, Alexina Louie, Mitchell Marcus
CBC's Tom Allen seemed to represent the story-telling side of A Poe Cabaret: A Dream Within A Dream. He mentions that even his ancestors were preachers, and that story-telling is something that has always been present in his background. For him, Poe tells stories with layers, which include lots of vague questions. He loves that "a piece of music is written to tell a story, and that can end up depicting so much."
A member of the audience asks what the panelists do when they experience writer's block. Mike Ross reveals that it happens to everyone, and the best method for him is to go back to the basics; in this case, the actual text of Poe. Once he read the poetry over again and allowed himself to get lost in the words, inspiration slowly creeped back in.
Tom Allen, Mike Ross, Alexina Louie and Mitchell Marcus
It was interesting to hear Alexina Louie (composer of The Raven) discuss how her younger years of being "painfully shy" helped her become a better composer and pianist: she expressed her emotions through music and playing the piano. For The Raven, she wanted to write a piece of music for each of the 18 stanzas, and called her sister (who has a Masters of English) to discuss Poe's words in each stanza to get a better idea of how she could relay his words into music. She was inspired by Schubert's Death and the Maiden because it incorporates death, love, longing, loss, and weirdness, which she also saw in Poe's work. She said, "musically I just had a ball!"
At the end of the discussion, the audience was treated to a surprise performance from the Pine Villa Retirement home's choir, who had prepared 5 different songs to sing. It was delightful to see the choir belting out classic songs, and a couple of them even got up to dance! Overall, it was a great event!
Last week I attended one of Luminato's lunchtime chats at Roots on Bloor St. and had the great opportunity to hear Avery Saltzman (Artistic Director of Harold Green Jewish Theatre Company), Tzipi Pines (Artistic Director of Tel Aviv's Beit Lessin Theatre), and Moria Zrachia (Director and Choreographer of Zisele) share their insights on Zisele, Yiddish music, and Jewish Theatre.
Roots loves giving back to the community, and this time we thought we'd include our loyal customers in the process. We're offering $25* off your next watch purchase in exchange for turning in your old watches. All watches will be donated to Dress for Success, a charity that contributes to the relief of poverty in Canada by outfitting individuals for employment.
Drop your watch off at a Roots store OR send in your watch to shop online. Here's how:
Step 1: Mail Your Watch
Mail your watch, phone number, and email address to:
Roots.com-- Trade Your Watch
498 Markland Street, Unit #5
Markham, Ontario
L4C 1Z4, Canada
Step 2: Watch Received By Roots
A Roots customer agent will contact you when we have received your watch.
Step 3: Purchase Your New Watch Online
Customer will be credited $25 off their next watch purchase. New watch must have a minimum retail value of $95.
Shop Women's Watches
Shop Men's Watches
* Get 25% off any new Roots watch priced $95 or more when you bring in your old watch. Cannot be redeemed on the purchase of multiple watches where the combined retail value exceeds $95 before taxes and shipping. No coupon code required. Offer is not redeemable for cash, nor is it valid for any previously purchased merchandise. Offer cannot be combined with any other promotions.
