I would like to thank you for wishing me “good luck” in my job search, after you called to cancel the only job interview I’ve been offered since moving back up north, because someone who lived in the neighborhood showed up and you gave the job to them. At least I didn’t have to drive 2 hours and sit through an interview first.
Now then, if you please: fuck off and die. I hope she burns your stupid garage to the ground.
Sincerely, with squalor,
EM
2347 Hastings Street East
Vancouver, BC V5L 1V6, Canada
(604) 251-6022
Get directions
AHA MEDIA saw a variety of adorable animals and an exotic variety of fish at this neighborhood pet store!
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In this video, Bunnies eat and play at Multiplex Aquarium & Pet Supplies in Vancouver
This was filmed by April Smith of AHA MEDIA on a Nokia N95 mobile cameraphone. April is passionate and skilled in making Nokia films by exploring mobile media production through the camera lens of a cellphone. For a better quality version of this video, please DM April Smith @AprilFilms on Twitter or Facebook.com/AprilFilms
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Below is a photo of a rose -toed tarantula
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In this video, Guinea Pigs rest at Multiplex Aquarium & Pet Supplies in Vancouver
This was filmed by April Smith of AHA MEDIA on a Nokia N95 mobile cameraphone. April is passionate and skilled in making Nokia films by exploring mobile media production through the camera lens of a cellphone. For a better quality version of this video, please DM April Smith @AprilFilms on Twitter or Facebook.com/AprilFilms
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In this video, White mice play at Multiplex Aquarium & Pet Supplies in Vancouver
This was filmed by April Smith of AHA MEDIA on a Nokia N95 mobile cameraphone. April is passionate and skilled in making Nokia films by exploring mobile media production through the camera lens of a cellphone. For a better quality version of this video, please DM April Smith @AprilFilms on Twitter or Facebook.com/AprilFilms
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In this video, a Lucky and Very Large Arowana swims at Multiplex Aquarium & Pet Supplies in Vancouver
This was filmed by April Smith of AHA MEDIA on a Nokia N95 mobile cameraphone. April is passionate and skilled in making Nokia films by exploring mobile media production through the camera lens of a cellphone. For a better quality version of this video, please DM April Smith @AprilFilms on Twitter or Facebook.com/AprilFilms
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Below is a photo of children after visiting the Multiplex store
Hey, tell us a little information about yourself. Who are you and where are you from.
The owner Ibrahima Diallo (30) is originally from Guinea West Africa living in Zurich since 1998. Married since 2001 to Nina Diallo (26), having a little son of 3.
What is life like up in Switzerland, as far as music, fashion, and popular culture.
Zurich is the largest city in Switzerland, people traveling to Zurich to visit clubs, fashion shows, art exhibitions, etc. Hip-Hop, Electro, House and at the time all mixed, that’s what people looking for….of course fashion is very important It’s a way to express the way of life and clubbing means comparing outfits with the others…even you are not up to that, it does happen automatically…Once a style or trend is discovered, everybody is following it…As store owners we would describe the Swiss people reserved and not very open to break the style with a new trend. It takes very long to make trends be understood over here. Of course people do watch MTV but the most clips are very late in…so compared with our fam in Brooklyn, etc we can say if it is something hot in the states it takes almost a year to call it hot over here….they are not ready to understand it before….
The American market has still a big influence in music and fashion….
Zurich isn’t the biggest place, so we have a few customers like DJ’s, artists, and open-minded people, they appreciate to have something unique, something new, something special, so that’s where we are trying to be focused….
Tell us a little about Diallo The Store and the people involved.
Diallo The Store is a family-run business since 2005, located in the centre of the city…10 minutes from the Zurich main station -15 minutes from the Zurich airport. We are open Monday – Saturday. My husband and I do job sharing; everything is in our own strategy, management, etc. We work with the city and train 4 young boys to get diplomas as assistants. They work and go to school, which is really fun and gives them a lot of experience. They are between the ages of 15 and 20 years old…so we are total 6 people….
What kind of brands does Diallo The Store carry?
As a family business we are not able to have the mass but something for the mass. So we do care about having brands, trends, and styles which you won’t find in Zurich or Switzerland. For example, we are the official RMC Account: www.rmcjeans.co.uk. We do just have 1-3 pieces and the next stuff is coming in…so we are not a fix…this is the hole style what should be always a step forward to the Swiss market……we love to work with national or international upcoming brands is easy to make them understand the Swiss market and our philosophy….all we guarantee is originality and quality….so Diallo The Store is about a unique selection of style and at the end of brands.
What are some of your favourite brands out right now?
It’s all about the mix; people love the Kanye West, Pharrell Williams N.E.R.D. style…colourful, crazy, and not to baggy.
What new upcoming events or releases are you currently working on?
We will stay loyal to our strategy, even it takes longer to sell something but if you have sold something the customer will be coming back!
Sharing minds, and being open to projects…we once had a fashion show in a club. We would love to do that again in the future. The rest is word-of-mouth propaganda talking with people wearing the stuff on the streets….and keep going on!
What would you say are the most difficult aspects or being in your line of work?
To make people moving for something new and unique! To make people wear something which is not the norm to the masses! To make people understand the stuff you got!
The fashion and music worlds are often tied together…What music artists out right now are grabbing your attention?
The most showed love comes from the States and France, because they understand what we got! The rest are national DJ’s, national artists…like Stress, Afura, etc…club owners, producers – people who are not shy to watch over the boundary! Check our Facebook friends!
Diallo The Store
Schoffelgasse 6,
8001 Zurich,
Switzerland
Tel: +41-43-268-9374
http://www.diallothestore.com
http://www.myspace.com/diallothestore
Interview with Cindy Dickinson, Director of Interpretation at the Emily Dickinson Museum in Amherst, Massachusetts:
(Cindy’s first job out of the Winterthur Program in DE, was as curator at the Emily Dickinson House, prior to the formation of today’s Emily Dickinson Museum: the Homestead and the Evergreens. She lived in the house, and was crucial in the formation of the museum as it is today. The house has been a part of Amherst College since1965 when it was purchased by the college to be used as faculty housing. The Homestead is where Emily Dickinson lived, and the Evergreens next door is the home of her brother. The two houses united to form the Emily Dickinson Museum in 2003.)
*Please note: These answers are summarized, not transcribed exactly!
Who hired you? How did your position come to be? What was your job description?
I began working in 1996. At that time the museum was just known as the ‘Emily Dickinson House’, it was run through the Office of the President at Amherst College. It had previously been run through the Office of Public Affairs. That office began arranging tours of the house for select people in the late 1960s, lead by Jean Mudge who lived there with her husband. It was she who started a more official guiding program. But the first public tour schedule was developed more in the1980s by Mrs. DeBevois, the widow of a trustee of the college, who was living there at the time. After that Carol, who had previously been a guide, became the curator, which essentially just meant running the guide program. Carol had attended Winterthur so she was, in fact, a museum person. When she was leaving, the college decided it was a good time to re-evaluate the purpose of the house. I was brought in as the first full-time person at the house, my job title was ‘curator’. I was also the sole full-time employee. There were some volunteer guides, and we had a contract with a house keeping service.
How many people were involved in this newer conception of the museum?
There was a committee of people, which contained, at least, a couple of faculty members, and the head of Public Affairs at the college. It was a small number of people. There was no official museum consultant. Kent Farber, who is now the chair of the museum’s board, was hired by the President’s Office to do a feasibility study on both houses, (the Homestead and the Evergreens) to see what the future could hold for them. The study was more about viability than about marketing. He did call around other historic sites that dealt with authors, so he did do some benchmarking. He also dealt with institutions having to do with Emily Dickinson specifically, like the Houghton library. (A library at Harvard which owns many of Emily’s personal belongings.) At some point they decided a full-time curator position was needed. They had not thought of advertising outside of Amherst; it was Carol the previous curator who suggested that they hire someone with museum credentials. At that hiring point they called Winterthur and other places to find applicants.
Was this committee thinking much about their audience? Mission statement? What purpose would they serve to the community?
Yes, they were thinking about audience because a number of people were already coming to visit the house. When I came the annual visitation was at 5,800. At its peak during the year the house was open for four days a week in the afternoons in the summer. I think Kent was really thinking about how to show the place more as if Emily Dickinson had actually lived there, as opposed to a faculty house that happened to have her bedroom in it. I don’t think they cared too much about traffic. Admission was not a concern. It was more of an embarrassment factor that they had this resource and weren’t using it.
When I came in we formed an advisory committee of initially six, and then nine people. That first year we applied for and received a MAP grant, Museum Assessment Program, provided by AAM. The grant pays for a museum professional to come to your site and ask you lots of questions and write up a report for you on how to develop your museum. They can make some valuable suggestions. And the great thing then is that in the future you can use the fact that you have had a MAP plan made, to get more grants. You know, ‘AAM says we need to do this, so if you give us money we can do it’. And we were kind of an easy case. So many things came out of the MAP grant.
What was the official governance of the museum at that point, then, and
The advisory committee was the governance at that point, and in a way they were better than a board because they had no fiduciary responsibility. So we could just go for the expertise angle, we had a couple of Dickenson types, a couple facilities people, a couple of architecture types. Another thing that the MAP survey agreed was that we needed to change my title from ‘curator’ which has a certain connotation, to Director. I didn’t really work for the committee, I worked with them. I did report to them but they were not my supervisor. The president of the college was my supervisor…so, I had no supervisor.
So, would I be correct in stating that that was because anything you did would be better than the previous state of affairs?
Yes, I would be in agreement with that statement.
So we had a historic structure report done, assessing the value of the building. We worked on our interpretation of the bedroom. We had a furnishings plan done, which was written just for the bedroom. You know, there was only so much we could do without any collections. When I came we had about a hundred objects in the collection. (the major component’s of the objects in today’s museum were in the Evergreens at the time, which was still a separate entity.) So in that sense, and this is skipping ahead a bit, the merger with the Evergreens really fulfilled our needs at the homestead.
And what was your relationship like with the Evergreens in the early days?
Well, It was always a natural thing to look at both of the houses together. Kent had been asked to do the study of both houses, so… I don’t think at that point that they (Amherst College) had any sense they would acquire it, but we were very interested in how the two could work together. We did start working with the Evergreens early on. Greg Farmer was their consultant and he and I worked together quite a bit. One of the first things we did was to exhibit things from the Evergreens at the Homestead. In a way that was the unusual aspect of the situation, the presence of an equally interesting and pertinent historic site right next to us. And that was the challenge: How do you work together to raise money from the same people? We did all of our public programming together for the first three years.
Did they secure an endowment first? Major donations?
There is a small endowment set up, it was set up even before Amherst College acquired the Homestead. We were covered in the departmental budget. Any fundraising we did was for special projects. That was primarily grants, individual donors, solicitation; we did begin an annual fund. The dress replica was a major project. We did receive some money from the Emily Dickinson Society. We also began to acquire a mailing list, and we developed friends. The advisory committee began to create lists of people who were interested. But it all had to be worked out with the college, who the check was made out to, etc.
How did you feel about your job security? Did you think they were on the right track with this museum?
Well I was definitely excited about the opportunity. I was a little disappointed that there were not more objects in the house. I really liked the idea that it was a literary site. I liked the idea that it didn’t seem as if a whole lot could go wrong because the opening steps seemed fairly strait forward. I didn’t feel any extraordinary pressure. I think there were a few things that I did wonder about. I didn’t really like the idea that I had to live at the homestead…
How did the community initially respond?
For a very, very, very long time, we used to take reservations for everyone’s tours. That made the place seem inaccessible, so we had a long haul trying to get people around the idea that you could come visit, you know… as an ordinary mortal. Some people in town thought the college should do more with the house, other people really didn’t care. So, now, to have eighty people coming to the museum tomorrow from the Amherst Chamber of Commerce is pretty funny! I think the public perception was that it seemed like a mysterious place, that it was a ‘part of the college so it’s not something that we can engage in’. Although, people coming from out of town didn’t necessarily know that. But, you know, when I came we didn’t even have a brochure or a newsletter or a website.
Lastly, how do you continue to plan for the future? What are the challenges you face?
The biggest challenge is still identifying who out there in the world likes Emily! Back then networking didn’t exist as it does today. And that’s what you want is people electing to find you.
I guess a continued challenge is the absence of some of the material (objects belonging to Emily), but I’ve started feeling more and more like that was more reflective of the early days. You know, there is so much we may never know about her, so why should it matte that we don’t have some of her things? Guides seem to think that not having some of her material can hinder visitor experience.
Another basic challenge is, of course, raising the money to do what you feel your site deserves. Not having a bottomless pit of cash. Trying to accommodate more people in a finite amount of space. How do you adapt your interpretive message to provide a rich experience, and to a wider variety of people? With the job that I have now, the challenge has always been: how can we reach more educational audiences at a time when they can’t come to the museum anymore? The NEH grant that we had this summer was a big part of that, you know, reaching the teachers. (This summer the museum hosted two week-long workshops for teachers across the country to come to Amherst to address teaching Emily Dickinson in their classrooms).
Many, many thanks to Cindy!
Ahead of their first headline tour, The Music Magazine caught up with Alberta Cross drummer Austin Beede on the morning of September 23 for a chat about all things AC.
Hey Austin, how are you?
I’m good thanks, how are you?
TMM are very well thanks. So where are you right now?
We are down in London at the moment. We have a show tonight. [Alberta Cross are playing a one-off secret show tonight to showcase their new album Broken Side Of Time]
Tell us, what’s the story behind Alberta Cross… Where did it all start?
Well Petter (Ericson Stakee) and Terry (Wolfers) met years ago at one of Terry’s friend’s bar. They were both there and they just hit it off. So they started writing music together and then the rest of us – the other three of us – met when they moved to New York. We just kinda hopped on when they moved out there. We all tried out and became a band about a year and a half ago.
Alberta Cross is a pretty interesting name. What inspired that?
I’m not sure what inspired it. There are some rumours that it came from a street name. There are a bunch of different stories on how the name came about. I have no idea to be quite honest (laughs).
What would you say are the band’s influences?
We all listen to older rock music and older soul music. You know music from the sixties/seventies like Bob Dylan, Neil Young and Stevie Wonder. Petter is really into Depeche Mode and Nick Cave. He’s into a whole bunch of stuff. We are all into our own stuff but collectively we are all really into our sixties and seventies stuff.
And personally what bands do you like?
Oh tonnes of bands. I like anything from ummm lets see I like everything [TMM appear to have put Austin on the spot here]. I like French-pop bands like Air and stuff like that. I like the Beatles, Led Zeppelin and um what else do I like? Oh and Shuggie Otis. Do you know who Shuggie Otis is? [TMM at this point shamefully admits that no we have not heard of such a person]. Well he’s a guy kinda like Californian psychedelic soul stuff from the seventies – he’s really good. [TMM assures Austin we will Google him immediately]. Let’s see… I could list off so many bands here. I guess recent bands who I would be into would be Flaming Lips who I like a lot. I like Mew’s new record, have you heard of Mew? [Thankfully TMM has heard of Mew! We love Mew].
How would you describe where Alberta Cross come from, what with all the members growing up in such different places?
Well basically that’s what it is. We are all from all different areas but we all met in New York and that’s where everything happens. We all live there and we all practise there. When we think of the band we all think of New York. That’s our home base. But we are definitely like a United Nation of band. We are from all over. I’m from California, our guitar player is from California, our keyboard player is from Minnesota and England – he’s kinda half American and half English. Then Petter was born in Sweden then moved to London and Terry is from London. So we all had different upbringings. But I think that’s good for us – it keeps things fresh you know?
Sure, it gives you that variation, right?
Yeah, we get a different outlook on everything as we all grew up in different areas. We are all very different but we all get along so it’s good.
For people unfamiliar with Alberta Cross how would you describe your sound?
Musically I would say there is a touch of gospel, there’s a touch of rock. There’s probably a lot more rock and a darker vibe on this new album. I tend to describe us as rock with a little hint of everything (laughs).
Have you got a personal favourite on the new album?
I think my personal favourite would be Rise From The Shadows [TMM has a bit of a gush here about that being our favourite track too – or Taking Control we haven’t quite decided]. Yeah, Rise From The Shadows was written down in Charlottestown, Virginia. When we first wrote it it was a lot faster but we decided to strip it down and make it feel like more like a soul track.
What with you supporting a lot of bands in the UK is it exciting to be starting your own headline tour in November?
Oh yeah. It’s certainly going to be different playing a headline tour. We’ve been basically supporting bands in the UK and America so it will be our first real headline tour. It will be interesting to see who comes out so we see who is actually fans of the band and not just fans of who we are opening for.
How intimidating was it supporting a supergroup such as Oasis?
The first show with them was a little bit scary as the crowd were really loud and they obviously just wanna see the main band. So they were all just throwing beer in the air, people yelling and that kind of stuff but I think we kind of won them over by the time we finished our set. They were getting really into it. All bobbing along – it was really good. It all seems so long ago now. It was scary at first but ended up being a really good experience for us.
So when can the TMM readers expect to hear some new material?
Right now we are basically concentrating on the album and touring. There is a couple of songs that we’ve started to write but they’re in the very early stages. There are also a couple of songs which we didn’t put on the album which will probably be on the next record which are really good.
OK before you leave us, what band or artist would you recommend to TMM’s readers?
Ooo let’s see. Can it be anything? [TMM: ANYTHING you want] In that case I’d have to say Shuggie Otis again, he really is brilliant.
Monica Blaire EPK (Short Version) from Endangered Creations on Vimeo.
Recording Artist Monica Blaire explains the Monica Blaire experience, along with Roy Ayers, Dwele and Amp Fiddler!
Artist: Monica Blaire
Client: Silent Riot Productions | Focal Point Media Group
Director: Erica D. Hayes
Sound Engineer: Chris Ferguson
Make Up Artist: Dwayne
Photographer: Love
Editor: Erica Hayes
http://www.MonicaBlaire.com
http://www.EndangeredCreations.com
http:/www.EricaDHayes.com
Please welcome Bryan Peruski, developer of the Cigar Spike. He takes some time out of a busy promotion schedule to answer a few questions for us. The Cigar Spike is quickly making its way into shops and in the hands and on the key chains of smokers across the world. Bryan sent me a few spikes a month or so ago and I’ve kept one and shared the others–the response has been good and I’ll post a review on the Spike a bit later. The spike is affordable, at just.99, and is conveniently sized. You can learn more about the Cigar Spike on his website or visit him on Twitter.
Thanks for taking time a moment to meet with us Bryan. Will you briefly introduce yourself to our readers?
My name is Bryan Peruski and I am in my mid 40’s and enjoy music, poker, hunting, football, beer, whiskey and, of coarse, cigars.
How did you get involved in the cigar accessory industry?
I have been in many businesses over the years and I have always been around cigar smokers; my father has smoked cigars since I was a young boy. I found myself to be an occasional cigar smoker in my younger years and have become more interested over time. The cigar industry is one that I have never been involved with. However, I had this idea, for the Cigar Spike, and I enjoyed it as a user, my friends liked it, and so, having been an entrepreneur for most of my life, I decided to market the Cigar Spike hoping others will concur.
What are some of your favorite smokes and how often do you smoke?
I don’t have a real smoking pattern; I smoke a cigar when I feel like it. I like the Nub; I had a chance to meet Sam Leccia and I not only like his product but also the style and presentation. I like the Oliva Serie O in a variety of sizes, depending on how much time I have to enjoy a cigar. Rocky Patel also has not disappointed me; it seems everything I try from him is very good. Also, the 5 Vegas Gold Nugget is a good, short smoke.
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How did the Cigar Spike get its start? Where did the idea come from?
I’ve been involved in music for years and I have been smoking better cigars in the last few. I initially started making the Cigar Spikes out of my guitar player buddy’s old guitar picks for myself. I then started buying a few extra picks to make them for my friends. Everybody seemed to like how they worked…and so the Cigar Spike was born in early 2009.
How long has it taken you to move from idea to product?
It has taken around 6-8 months.
What have you most enjoyed about the process of developing the Cigar Spike?
I guess just the creative process involved in designing a product and the other marketing creation involved. I have a lot of ideas on how the Spike can be presented but it’s kind of a daunting task. I am trying not to get ahead of myself and keep on target of getting the Cigar Spike word out.
What has been your experience with getting the Cigar Spike into retail stores and into the hands of smokers?
So far so good. The first production run is sold out and a new batch will be available in late September with a series of new colors and concept cards.
Describe the perfect day at Cigar Spike.
The perfect day has not happened yet…I guess it’s when “Spiking” a cigar becomes a universally accepted method for cigar smokers.
What advice do you have for people trying to break into the industry or work on an invention?
Just stay focused and try not to be discouraged by the naysayers and the helpers that you will encounter in any project…stick to your guns, it’s your idea…but always listen because sometimes you can get good suggestions.
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How is the Cigar Spike set apart from other cutting accessories?
The Cigar Spike is a small plastic (polyethylene) spike designed to create an opening in the end of premium cigars. Unlike cutting or punching, the Spike pierces a hole in the end of cigars, creating the perfect opening for a smooth draw.
The Cigar Spike has several advantages over the customary method of opening a premium cigar, including: preventing loose tobacco from entering the users mouth, giving the smoker a directional orientation to smoke the cigar, the spike shape serves as a gauge allowing use with any size cigar, and the price is lower then any other existing tool.
The Cigar Spike inaugural production run is now available in black and the maker has plans for future spikes in a variety of colors and materials including gold. Don’t be surprised to see other Cigar Spike related merchandise including shirts, gaming tokens, and golf accessories.
What do you have planned for the future? New spikes, colors, models?
Coming soon is a hunter’s spike, in orange, and a golfer’s spike in green.
What positive feedback have you received about the product?
I’ve received great feedback on this product. Here is a listing of some of the other reviews on the Cigar Spike:
Thank you Bryan for joining us today; if you’d like to learn more about the spike, or to place an order, be sure to visit the website. Also, you can read more reviews on the Spike here. As Bryan would say, next time you’re getting ready to fire up a stick, why not “Spike it!”
Speaking of “Spiking it,” tell us the cigar you’d most like to spike and we’ll choose someone at random to receive 3 Spikes from Bryan!
Spike on!
