Sean Ward

Comic artist, musician, trend setter and philosopher, Sean Ward does it all. Author of Benny Bunny on Wheels, Mr. Lollipop and The Sean Ward Electric Comics Freak-Out, evil genius behind Peanut Punch Crank Calls and rap master responsible for “Paid to Party”, I recently had the privilege to pick his brain on what makes the man behind the legend, and where he sees himself in the big picture. A glimpse at this extremely talented, Toronto based, self-made entertainment mogul's vast repertoire of hilarious, artsy and radically unique creations can be found at http://www.seanward.net and http://www.myspace.com/seanward



Jessica Rodriguez: I know its probably next to impossible to do this, but I'm banking on your above average intelligence to humour me.

Sean Ward: Heh, OK.

JR: Summarize yourself in one sentence.

SW: Sean Ward is Beatles meets vintage Def Jam on the retro space age, pre-psychedelic acid pop tip as a Saturday morning cartoon. How's that?

JR: Incredibly condensed! You say that one of your main goals is to help bring artists together.

SW: Yeah, like helping them get going, get producing work, and pushing themselves.

JR: How do you envision yourself doing that?

SW: The main way is through the work itself, I hope. I try very hard to work something into the stories I tell that's going to be inspirational to people who have a vision to do something big or unique. So the more I learn and grow, the more I'm able to put into it, you know, on that level. And then it's through being an example. I've always been pretty open about how I live and what goes on behind the scenes, and that's so that people can see how it happens and what it takes. It's not easy but if someone says they stepped up to the challenge because they've been watching me or reading my blog or following my adventures, then I feel like what I'm doing is working.

JR: How far along that process do you feel you are?

SW: Farther all the time. I have given speeches at schools, I've conducted workshops, it's very hands-on. When I do a signing or an appearance and some dude's watching me draw him a sketch or whatever, and he's telling me about how he thought that if I could do it maybe he could do it, and now he's working on his own movie or music or whatever, those are the moments that give me juice. That's what makes it easy to keep going when it gets difficult.

JR: As an artist you bridge over many different disciplines, from comics to music to acting, although you mention that right now you want to focus on comics. Do you think having such a broad range of artistic outlets dilutes your passion or ability for any given one?

SW: I fight with this all the time. That's something I have to continually face in myself, 'what's with this compulsion to always be starting all over again?' But at the same time, it's about taking my art seriously and treating it like a business and thinking about how I can differentiate myself amongst people who are all talented and all visionary. My comics are the heart and soul of everything else that I do. Take out the comics and the rest doesn't hold together because you've lost the context. You've lost the philosophical connecting thread, does that make sense? Yeah, comics are the main thing for right now, but it all fits together. On the one hand, its an expression of my own issues and insecurities that I always have tostart new whenever I just get going on something, but on the other it's me expressing what I'm about.

JR: About your comics, the characters you create are all very distinctive, both physically and in personality. Do you base them off of people you know, or are they completely fictional?

SW: It's both. I have modeled certain characters on real people, but most of my main characters jumped pretty much fully form


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Dayna Manning

If Dayna Manning doesn't become a household name within the next few years, I will have a real bone to pick with the Canadian music industry. This lady has everything that it takes, plus talent! :)



At the same time it is nice to feel as though you are witnessing something great before everyone else knows about it, and that's how I felt when I first heard Stratford native Dayna Manning's 2006 release Folkyo. The whimsical and harmonious combination of soothing vocals, raw emotion, and great production value is something worth commenting on because very few artists achieve it on a regular basis. Especially when, like Dayna, they do it all on their own.

Dayna releases records on her own label, runs her own business, and writes her own music. While you can't always tell just from listening to her songs, she has a reputation of being quite the stellar guitar player, a trait that draws some notable guitarists in the biz to her intimate live shows.

Today Dayna is working on a live album that, according to her, is going to be very raw and will include the best songs from her three records to date, Volume 1(1997), Shades (2002), and Folkyo (2006).

When you get to the end of this interview, make sure that you take a listen to Dayna's pop-ballad, "In The Meantime", from Folkyo. If that's not a hit-worthy song in the folk, pop or rock worlds, then I don't know what is!

Interview: Dayna Manning

Occupation: Singer/songwriter

Sound: folk-rock, thoughtful pop, country (sans cheese)



What separates you from the crowd?

I'm hard to put in a category. I'm folk and pop and rock and country. People get confused at first, but once they get into a few different songs, they get it. Also, I think I'm unique because I play many instruments and I take part in the production and engineering of my records and have a really good grasp on the guitar.

What was your approach to creating Folkyo?

Low budget, do it yourself. It turned out to be my best record I think.

What can we expect from your future release?

I'm working on a live album. Very raw, the best songs from my three records. It will be done when I get a few more live recordings. I thought I would have it finished more recently. We were recording these two sold out, back-to-back solo shows here in Fort St. John BC last weekend. The night before I put a knife through my left index finger, the one you put on the the neck of the guitar, which doesn't work when you've sliced it to the nail. I was devistaed, but there was no way I was canceling sold out shows, so I spent the day learning how to play a lot of my songs with three fingers, tuning things differently and changing some songs from guitar to piano. I couldn't play some of the really fancy guitar stuff, but I got through most of it. The recording turned out pretty good in spite of the accident, but we're missing a few key songs.

What's your favourite song of yours?

"A Walk On The Moon". It's the first song I wrote, when I was 15, and now at 30 I cannot believe wrote it at 15. I also am very proud of "In The Meantime"; I really like the melody.

Describe the music scene in your hometown, and in Canada?

Stratford ON, where I'm from, is a challenge because most of the economy revolves around professional arts. It's hard to have a healthy local arts scene when you don't even have a theater in town that you have access to because it's unionized and there's no way you could afford to put something on there. I found it oddly competitive there, and necessary to leave to get noticed.

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Kardinal Offishall

In the last two years the music industry has seen the dramatic growth of MCA recording artist Kardinal Offishall. His 2001 release "Firestarter Vol.1: Quest for Fire" showcased Kardinal’s unique writing and production skills.

Quest for Fire introduced the world to the T dot (Toronto) sound, which included a collaboration with Epic recording artist, and fellow Toronto native, Glenn Lewis. The strategy of the project was for MCA to license and then release some older Kardinal material to use as a tool to familiarize consumers with the name Kardinal Offishall.

What MCA received was an overwhelming response from radio and club DJs wanting to know more about this artist and his music. There was also immediate evidence of the establishment of a significant fan base. There was so much interest in Kardinal in fact, MCA decided to release two videos in support of the two hit singles. The first single, "Bakardi Slang" depicted life in T dot and was an instant hit in Toronto. Bakardi Slang also became an international hit, as Kardinal witnessed while touring the U.S. and Europe. The impact of "Bakardi Slang" became fully evident when superstar reggae artist Bounty Killer (No Doubt, Swizz Beats ) approached Kardinal

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Trish

Trish is the epitome of a triple threat, earning the right to reach for the sky and fly with the stars. Perhaps it’s the relentless depth of her passion or the intoxicating quality of her voice, but the dance-driven, electro-pop infused entertainer has an undeniable star power. Earning the coveted title as the “next big thing”, her music intertwines the elements of electrifying R&B and captivating funk with an edgy hip-hop feel.


Born on a leap year into a family of musicians, the stunning beauty was taught the value of arts at a young age. Her father is a guitarist who has shared the stage with icons such as Peter Tosh and the late Bob Marley. Trish was constantly surrounded by a creative outlet that enforced singing and performing as a form of self-expression. Even before graduating high-school, she had developed an impressive resume as a runway model.

“Can you imagine if all singers sounded and performed alike?” Trish says of her project. “My musical taste is so diverse, that definitely comes across in what I release.” With a voice to match her charismatic spirit, Trish has a tone that catches the attention of the audience and with a four-octave range so rare, industry professionals have begun to take note.

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