Bernadette Wong’s With A Bang show is at Gerrard Art Space from May 22 to June 9.

Bernadette Wong will be showing her surreal landscapes at Gerrard Art Space, 1390 Gerrard St. E., from May 22 to June 9. The show is called With A Bang.

Wong draws on childhood memories, recurring dreams and nightmares and world issues for inspiration, sculpting and texturing her acrylic paintings. She considers herself as a storyteller, using a vibrant colour palette and high contrast compositions of light and dark areas.

In her artist's statement, she writes that “the soul of a painting should take precedence over its technical correctness. Armed with a set of acquired technical skills, an artist sets forth to create his imaginary world from the recess of his psyche.”

There will be an opening reception on Saturday, May 25 from 2 to 5 p.m. For more on Wong, visit bernadettewong.com. The Photography Show continues until May 19. For more on GAS, visit gerrardartspace.com.

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Ben Stellino is showing her work at Wunderland Gallery and Espresso Bar until the end of May. Her photo Comfort, above, won her an award including a new camera in a Toronto Star photo contest.

Beach photographer Ben Stellino is currently showing her work at an exhibit titled The Moment, at Wunderland Gallery and Espresso Bar, 1905 Queen St. E., one block east of Woodbine.

Stellino has been “puttering around with photography for a long time, but I decided to get serious with it,” she said. She may be known to some Beachers as the owner of the former Konditor café.

After winning a Toronto Star photo contest with a photo called Comfort, Stellino jumped into digital photography, thanks to a prize package. Now she's concentrating all her spare time outside of her day job into her camera. However, the technology upgrade from 35mm film hasn't changed her love of photographing people.

“The essence for me is capturing the moment,” she said. “It's always been about capturing the moment.”

Stellino expands on her theme in her artist's statement, writing that “living in the moment allows me to see the poetry in life and invites magic to happen …  Every photograph has a beautiful tale to tell, and at the root of it all, I’m just a storyteller.”

Wunderland is open from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday to Wednesday, and from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. from Thursday to Saturday. The Moment runs until May 31. For more information on Stellino and her work visit benslenz.ca.

PHOTO: Ben Stellino

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Shabnam Khosrowshahi will be displaying her photographs at Artfest at the Distillery over the Victoria Day long weekend.

Beach photographer Shabnam Khosrowshahi is offering East Enders a reason to head a bit to the west over the Victoria Day weekend, for Artfest at the Distillery.

The show draws artists and artisans from across the province, but those unfamiliar with Khosrowshahi's work may find it worth the trip.

Khosrowshahi came to Toronto in 1998, but only moved to the Beach a little over a year ago. She and her husband came for the boardwalk, the water, the shopping, the architecture and, of course, the large and thriving community of artists in the area. She's already settling in, having recently took part in her first Beach Studio Tour.

Khosrowshahi replied with a laugh and the word “forever” when asked how long she's been taking photographs. “Basically I've been taking photos since I was 10 … I was always curious about it.”

Although she has a fairly distinctive style, when she sets out with camera in hand there's no agenda.

“The only plan is, 'I should go out and take photos',” she said.

Though she learned on film, Khosrowshahi has since made the leap to digital cameras. That doesn't stop her from doing her own printing. She sells her work framed, matted (in easily framed sizes) and also in greeting card format.

Artfest in the Distillery runs from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily, from May 18 to 20 in the historic Distillery District, south of Front Street East, between Parliament and Cherry Streets. For more on the show, visit artfestontario.com. For more on Khosrowshahi and her work, visit morningdewphotography.ca.

Watercolour specialist Jenny Reid displays two of the four small sized works she will have on display at the Gardener’s Cottage for the Beach Guild of Fine ARt’s annual Small Paintings for Small Spaces show, on May 17 to 20.
PHOTO: Jon Muldoon

Guild member Anna Clarey said the annual show is a great chance for newcomers to the art world to begin a collection.

“It’s a really great way for someone to get their first piece of affordable art,” she said.

Watercolour specialist Jenny Reid, who also paints in other mediums, is one of the artists who will be hanging work at the Guild weekend show. She joined the Guild just over a year ago, and is looking forward to her first exhibition with “some very good artists.”

Reid took art courses in her native England, and studied fine arts at university in South Africa.

After emigrating to Canada in 1979, she took up watercolours after a friend pointed her to a night school class. She was attracted to the medium’s fast drying and cleanup time, a real plus when raising four children.

However, the urge to create has always been there, and she comes from “a long line of photographers,” another medium familiar to her.

“Since I was born I’ve been interested in art,” she said.

Reid and her husband, Neville, regularly organize painting trips for small groups to Italy, a location – and situation – which never fails to inspire.

“When you get a group of artists together, there’s an energy that’s formed that’s really conducive to painting,” she said.

It also doesn’t hurt that “the light is wonderful.”

Reid has work in collections around the world, and has a painting in the East York Foundation’s and City of Toronto’s permanent collections. She has won numerous awards, and is a founding member of the Toronto Watercolour Society. Find out more about her work at jennyreidfineartist.com.

The show runs from 3 to 8 p.m. on Friday, and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, Sunday and Monday. Admission is free. For more information on the Guild, visit beachguildoffineart.com.

The main stage opens up Friday night at 7 p.m. with Jon Knight and Soulstack, a southern Ontario five piece featuring dual guitarists. The group mixes urban blues and Memphis soul. Chuck Jackson takes the stage at 9 p.m., with Chuck Jackson’s Big Bad Blues Band’s Tribute to Big Joe Turner. Canadian blues fans will recognize Jackson as Downchild Blues Band’s singer since 1990, but here he will be paying tribute to one of his major influences.

Chuck Jackson

Saturday’s party gets started early at 1 p.m., with The 24th Street Wailers. The Canadian crew features a frontwoman split between vocals and drums, and has been earning rave reviews in the band’s short existence. At 3 p.m., Scott McCord and the Bonafide Truth take over. Memphis soul, jazz, funk and blues are played with a rock approach as McCord belts out the tunes over a seven-piece backing band. At 5 p.m., New York City’s Alexis P. Suter Band help Suter showcase her vocal talents. Toronto stalwarts Fathead will help get the party rockin’ as the sun sets, setting the stage for Saturday night headliner Eugene Hideaway Bridges. The son of blues guitarist Hideaway Slim, Bridges also claims family ties to Tina Turner. He’s played in countless blues, soul and gospel groups over the years, led by himself and others. His latest CD, Rock And A Hard Place, features blues, soul, jump, funk, gospel, rock and beach music, and his live show should prove to be a musical journey.

Sunday’s festivities get underway at 2 p.m., with Morgan Davis. Originally from Detroit, Davis has been playing the world for almost four decades. Paul Reddick brings his songwriting skills to the stage at 4 p.m., and the weekend closes with Deanna Bogart, a multi-instrumentalist who combines genres into something she calls “blusion.” Her high-energy show should provide an exciting end to the weekend.

The Waterfront Blues Festival is free. There will also be award-winning barbecue, vendors and the “Don’t Lose the Blues” contest, including a draw for albums and a Danelectro guitar. For details check out waterfrontblues.ca.

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Patti Loach, Brad Hampton and Ellen Bodie

Patti Loach and Brad Hampton star in The Picture of Happiness, directed by Ellen Bodie, on Saturday, June 1.

The cabaret show tells the true story of a photograph Hampton found in his grandmother’s basement when he was 23 years old. The photo shows two soldiers sitting on a picnic blanket, taken just before the Second World War. When Hampton asked his grandmother who the man was sitting with his grandfather in the photo, he was informed that “we don’t talk about it. We never talk about it.”

The family secret and subsequent conversations with his mother inspired The Picture of Happiness, which Hampton connects between his life and that of his grandfather in 1943. Hampton, Bodie and Loach use song and storytelling to tell the story through a colourful cast of characters.

Hampton (bradhampton.ca) is a singer and actor who has been working as an actor for more than 20 years, first in Calgary and now in Toronto. Loach (pattiloach.com) is involved in jazz, theatre and classical music and studied at University of Toronto’s music program and the Royal Conservatory of Music. Bodie is a voice and acting coach, actor and director, originally from Calgary, where she met Hampton.

The Picture of Happiness is intended for small venues, and will take place in a home on Pine Crescent. Tickets are $35 or $30 for students, seniors and arts workers. For more info and links to ticket sales, visit thepictureofhappiness.com.

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Linda McRae
PHOTO: Mo McMorrow

Acoustic Harvest presents BC-based Linda McRae (lindamcrae.com) on Saturday, June 1 at St. Nicholas Anglican Church, 1512 Kingston Rd.

McRae played accordion and bass with Spirit of the West, but now performs on clawhammer banjo, acoustic guitar, accordion and “porchboard stompbox,” combining universal lyrical themes with old-time sounds. Her latest album, 2012’s Rough Edges and Ragged Hearts, was nominated for Contemporary Album of the Year at the Canadian Folk Music Awards.

Tickets for Linda McRae are $22, and doors open at 7:30 p.m. This show will wrap up the 16th season for Acoustic Harvest. For more information, visit acousticharvest.ca or search Acoustic Harvest on Facebook.

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Relish Bar and Grill continues its quest to provide a haven for live music on the Danforth, a block east of Woodbine. Every Monday at 8 p.m. Bentroots offers up “swampy N'Awlins” blues, while on Wednesdays The BTBs play jazz-funk fusion. David Macmichael's power pop can be heard on Fridays at 9 p.m. Saturday is New Music Night.

Upcoming guests include High Winds playing jazzy originals at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, May 14, singer-songwriter Steven Rainken at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, May 21 and the Babershop Quartet at 8 p.m. on Tuesday, May 28.

Art lovers check out the work on display at Todmorden Mills for Danforth C&TI’s annual end-of-year art show.
PHOTOS: Andrew Hudson

As the jazz band picked up and more people streamed into the gallery at Todmorden Mills last Wednesday, art student Emilee DeSommer-Denis took a measure of the night's success.

“People are actually coming to us instead of watching the hockey game,” she said. “The Leafs aren't going to win anyway, but I'm impressed.”

Students at both the Danforth Collegiate and Malvern Collegiate high schools staged end-of-year art shows last week.

Especially for Grade 12s, getting ready for the final show must have felt like the playoffs.

At Malvern, Liona Bravo and Lillian O'Brien Davis had to start planning the final pieces they showed on May 6 way back in September.

For her installation piece, Bravo chose to explore a looming choice – a career in art or a career in science.

To illustrate that split, she placed a model brain on a tray and detailed all its sense areas with Grey's Anatomy-style diagrams. Behind it, she mounted a series of whimsical, impressionistic travel snapshots.

Grade 12 student Liona Bravo tells a friend about her piece, "Conveying Chaos," at the Malvern Collegiate art show on May 6.

“I wanted to use the piece to try and sort out my ideas,” she says, adding that she is leaning towards psychology. “I really like order and organization.”

For O'Brien Davis, the standard order is to paint an abstract in monochrome.

But for her final show, she did the exact opposite – a pair of self-portraits in bright colours.

'A dat wid you sistren' and 'Binghi Dawta Girl', paintings that Grade 12 Malvern student Lillian O'Brien Davis showed in her installation 'Back to Black' at Malvern's end-of-year art show.

One confident, one shy, both the paintings reflect her Jamaican roots in sunny, tropical contrasts.

“For the reds and yellows, I just dipped the brush right into a pot and didn't do any mixing,” she said. “It was fabulous.”

“Fabulous” is a fine word for the only piece at Danforth Collegiate to combine Mozart, battle ships and a beaten pair of Chuck Taylors.

Designed by Leland Lamb, a Danforth grad now at Sheridan College, the piece shows runners that have sprouted real cloth and wood sails and masts like a pair of canonizing battle ships of the 18th century.

“My heart and sole is in them,” he joked.

Showing her four pieces – a woodcut with blue ink on handmade paper, an abstract vertebrae, a fairy bottom and a panel of ravens – DeSommer-Denis was as excited by the place where she had hung them.

“Getting to work in a gallery like this is terrific because it also introduces all of our students to jobs in the arts that aren't just 'artist,' whether it's curator, gallery director or matting and framing.”

As she heads off to Lakehead University where she hopes to become an art teacher who can one day stage a final show like the one at Danforth, DeSommer-Denis seems to know what she's in for.

“The staff here are amazing,” she said. “They've put in two weeks worth of 10 o'clock nights at school. They work hard.”

On Saturday, the 100 year old Fox Theatre, the longest running cinema in Canada, will be open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Guided tours, including an opportunity to see inside the projection room, will be offered every half-hour. The Fox is located at 2236 Queen St. E. at Beech Avenue.

Also open on Saturday is Scarborough Arts at 1859 Kingston Rd., where a 1920s-era home now houses the Bluffs Gallery. The gallery features paintings, drawings, photography, textiles and jewelry, and for Doors Open, a special exhibit commemorating Scarborough Arts’ 35th anniversary will be on display. The building will be open from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information visit scarborougharts.com

Fool’s Paradise, the home of Scarborough artist Doris McCarthy, will be open Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. McCarthy bought her home and property, at 1 Meadowcliffe Dr. on the Scarborough Bluffs, in 1939, but her mother, feeling the purchase was too extravagant, referred to it as “that fool’s paradise of yours.” From then on McCarthy referred to her home as Fool’s Paradise, and lived there until her death in 2010. Tours will be held by staff from Ontario Heritage Trust, to whom the property was donated in 1998. More information is available at heritagetrust.on.ca.

Another famous Beach home, Kew Cottage – or the Gardener’s Cottage – will be open both Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The home, located on Lee Avenue in Kew Gardens, was built in 1902 by Beach pioneer Kew Williams. It later became home to the park’s head gardeners in charge of Kew Gardens’ abundant flower beds. Local historian Gene Domagala will lead a tour of the area starting and ending at the Cottage, while inside artwork by the Beach Guild of Fine Arts will be on display.

The Beach’s homage to Art Deco architecture, the RC Harris Water Treatment Plant, will be open Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The plant, commissioned in 1929 by Toronto’s first Public Works Commissioner, Roland Caldwell Harris, is designated under the Ontario Heritage Act for its architectural and historical significance. Tours are self-guided but plant staff will be available to answer questions. The plant is located at 2701 Queen St. E. at the foot of Victoria Park Avenue.

Toronto Fire Station 227, 1904 Queen St. E. at Woodbine Avenue, houses the iconic clock tower landmark at the western edge of the Beach neighbourhood. Construction of the station took place from 1905 to 1906 and it features a Dutch/Flemish Renaissance architectural style. Stop by Saturday and Sunday between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m., see what happens inside an active fire station, and chat with the firefighters about fire safety.

On Sunday, the Beach Hebrew Institute, 109 Kenilworth Ave., will open its doors between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. The edifice, originally built as a Baptist church in 1895, is now one of the city’s oldest functioning synagogues. It was designated a historic building in 1982. Visitors will be able to look around the building, hear a  concert from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. celebrating Jewish Music Week, and take in a photography exhibit. For more information visit beachhebrewinstitute.ca.

Cameras are welcome at most locations. Visit the website at toronto.ca/doorsopen/2013 for more information.

Filmmaker Victor Buhler takes questions following a special screening of his documentary, A Whole Lott More, at Kingston Road United Church on May 2.
PHOTO: Andrew Hudson

Even on a small screen at Kingston Road United Church, Victor Buhler's documentary A Whole Lott More had a big impact on the people gathered for a special screening on Thursday.

Shot in Toledo, Ohio, the film tells the stories of three people with developmental disabilities—Wanda, Kevin and T.J.—who are struggling to find or keep their jobs in a city hit hard by the US recession.

When the film opens, in 2009, both Wanda and Kevin have well paying, rewarding jobs at Lott Industries, a Toledo factory that employs some 1,200 workers who have similar disabilities.

T.J., meanwhile, has just graduated from high school and decides to look for a job outside Lott, even though his mother is on its board of directors.

The film presents no easy answers—today, Lott Industries is still in survival mode after losing a major contract for Ford autoparts—but it shows the real potential for people with disabilities to find meaningful, profitable work.

"It was very good," says Patrick, one of the many people with developmental disabilities who came out to see the special matinee screening in the Beach, which was hosted by the Pegasus Community Project for Adults with Special Needs.

"I learned about getting a job, because I want to be independent," he said, noting that he is now taking a job skills course at Community Living Toronto that he hopes will lead to a position at Best Buy—a company that hires one of the three workers starring in the documentary.

Buhler says he hopes the film gets more companies used to the idea that workers with developmental disabilities are worth taking steps to hire.

Just getting the film made was a struggle, he said, despite support from groups like Britdocs, the Sundance Institute and Toronto's own Hot Docs festival, where the film debuted last week.

"Finding money for disability films is not easy," he said, noting that A Whole Lott More took four years to shoot, largely because of the way funding came in.

"It's hard with any film, but it's one of those subjects that you have to invest in on a long-term basis."

But Buhler said a harder part of filming is that when he started, he thought A Whole Lott More would be a success story.

Founded by parents of children with disabilities, Lott Industries has run for 55 years. Before the recession hit, the factory could pay all its workers the maximum salary of $10,999 that US workers can make while still receiving Medicaid.

That changed after Ford cancelled its contract.  Joan Uhl Browne, then president of Lott Industries, called on the municipality to change the Lott's operating terms so it could hire more able-bodied workers and still keep its non-profit status.

But while Browne saw Lott chiefly as a business, Buhler said the county officials looked at it mostly as a social service and rejected the idea.

“I think, unfortunately, that is the lesson of the film—those two worlds need to intersect in the right way for progress to happen,” he said.

A Whole Lott More screens once more at the Hot Docs festival, starting at 9:15 p.m. in the Bloor Hot Docs Cinema on Saturday, May 4. Wanda, Kevin and T.J. will join Victor Buhler on stage to take questions afterwards.

For tickets, visit www.hotdocs.ca, and to see a trailer or learn more about the film, visit awholelottmore.com.

Ella Cochrane, right, and her sister India hold up a poster of Ella's elephant design for a CHARM IT! charm bracelet contest at Mastermind Toys.
PHOTO: Andrew Hudson

But from trunk to tail, the elephant design she drew for a CHARM IT! charm bracelet contest looks spot on. Contest judges selected Ella's design as one of 36 finalists, 13 of which will actually be made into charms when the winners are announced on May 15.

"My favourite animal is an elephant, and it's supposed to be an Indian elephant because my sister's name is India," Ella says, adding that she looked up photos of Indian elephants in traditional dress to make the drawing.

Ella also gave kudos to her teacher Sarah at the Leslieville School of Art for sharing some great tips on drawing her favourite animal. "I thought it was really cool because she spent a lot of time teaching me," she said.

To see the contest winners, visit www.shopcharm-it.com/contest on May 15.

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Zilberschmuck Art-Jewellery, 910 Kingston Rd., presents Three Elements Exhibition, May 7 to 31. Award-winning metal artists were asked to create a piece of jewelry, hollowware or sculpture based on three elements from the periodic table, using their birth year, birth date and the combined birth dates of the artist and their parents. Each combination of numbers is unique to the artist. Like the artist's DNA, each piece will be unique to the artist and his or her personality.

Included in the show is a beautifully unique ring called Triology by Montreal artist Claudio Pino,  far right, and Stem Vase by Newfoundland artist Wesley Harris, at right, created using caesium, vanadium and cerium.

For more information call 416-699-6000 or visit zilberschmuck.com.

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Beach artist Lynda Freeman is hanging several of her latest acrylics at Essentia, 2180 Queen St. E. through the month of May.

Freeman received her art training and education at the Pratt Institute in New York and took a Bachelor of Fine Arts from York University.

After retiring as a teacher, Freeman has turned her creative energies toward her art, and she also teaches acrylic painting to adults here in the Beach.

“I enjoy a variety of uplifting subjects, but really enjoy figurative work,” she says.

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Cobalt Gallery, 870A Kingston Rd., presents Translations, a solo photographic exhibition by Felicity Somerset, May 2 to 26.

Somerset, a member of the Beach Photo Club and F8, continues her exploration into how close-up photography can be translated into abstract compositions. The images may be delicate or bold but they are always mysterious, and colour remains an important feature in all her photographic compositions.

For more information on her work, visit Somerset’s recently redesigned website at felicitysomersetphotography.com.

For more information on the show and gallery hours, call Cobalt Gallery at 416-694-0156 or visit cobaltgallery.ca.

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The senior Visual Arts students at Danforth Collegiate and Technical Institute present their annual exhibition – XHIBITART13 – May 8 through 19 at the Papermill Gallery in Todmorden Mills, 67 Pottery Rd. This is an excellent opportunity to see what the kids are up to, how they are approaching art and how they view the world. For more information call Danforth's visual arts department at 416-393-0620.

There will be an opening reception with many of the artists in attendance on May 8 from 5 to 8 p.m. For more information and gallery hours, call the Papermill Gallery at 416-396-2819.

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The 20th annual Spring Beach Studio Tour runs May 3 to 5 at a number of homes throughout the area.

This is an excellent opportunity to wander through the Beach as spring buds are just beginning to bloom and visit many  studio locations where you can meet, speak with – and purchase works by – local artists, anything from fine art to jewelry, fabric art, pottery or photography. Find out more about the tour, including participating artists and their studio locations, by visiting beachstudiotour.ca.

Ian White

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Julia Dawson

Kingston Road United Church is proud to present Vocal Gems, a concert by soprano Julia Dawson,  May 5 at 1:30 p.m. at the church at 975 Kingston Rd. Dawson is the daughter of Tim Dawson, the man behind so many of the recent musical performances at KRUC, himself a bassist with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra.

Dawson recently earned her Masters Degree from Rice University in Houston, Texas, and is looking forward to studying voice at the famed Academy of Vocal Arts in Philadelphia in September.

Dawson is expected to invite her father up to perform a duet for voice and bass by Beach composer Ed Hayes, a piece they played for her graduation recital. For more information visit juliadawsonsoprano.com.

Tickets for Vocal Gems are $20 for adults and $10 for students, with children 12 and under free. All proceeds go to the church’s ramp repair project. Tickets are available at the door or by calling 416-699-6091. For more information visit kruc.ca.

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Building on the success of last year's inaugural festival, SING! The Toronto Vocal Arts Festival returns to Harbourfront May 9 to 12. Featuring world-class concert performances, school workshops and a public singalong, SING! is a weekend-long celebration of the voice.

“The response to last year's festival was overwhelmingly positive,” said artistic director Aaron Jensen, former member of the successful Canadian a capella group Cadence. “Since then we've grown, both in size and with respect to artistic vision.”

This year the Swingle Singers, celebrating 50 years as one of the world's top vocal groups, will take to the stage. Also performing in concert will be The Real Group, a Swedish vocal ensemble known for its pop originals and vocalese treatments of standards. A special tribute to Frank Busseri of The Four Lads called Moments to Remember will feature songs from the 50s and 60s.

Tickets can be purchased through the Harbourfront box office at 416-973-4000, or singtoronto.com/tickets.

SING! also offers vocal workshops for singers at every level, covering such topics as singing, songwriting, performance techniques and the business of music. A special school workshop day will be held for middle and high school ages, led by members of The Real Group.

Throughout the weekend there will be several free performances featuring vocal groups specializing in many diverse styles from jazz to gospel to choral. To cap off  the weekend – giving new voice to the voice – the public is invited to join the festival performers, staff and volunteers in an inspirational singalong on May 12.

For more information or to register for any of the various workshops, visit singtoronto.com.

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The Jeanine Mackie Band will be making a special appearance at The Old Mill, 21 Old Mill Rd., on May 11 from 8 p.m. to midnight in the dining room. Jeanine and her band have been popular mainstays at the Beaches International Jazz Festival every summer for years. They recently released an exciting live CD – Live at the Drake – which demonstrated why the band has such a dedicated fan base. Their renditions of traditional R&B tunes get people up on the dance floor. Expect plenty of dancing at the Old Mill. For more information visit the band's website at jeaninemackieband.com.

Tickets to the Jeanine Mackie Band at the Old Mill are $15 from 416-236-2641 or online at oldmilltoronto.com.

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Beach singer Peggy Mahon invites everyone to her sixth annual Interval House Benefit Concert, May 9 at 7:30 p.m. at the Heliconian Hall, 35 Hazelton Ave. in Yorkville. Joining Mahon for this special concert are Danny McErlain, piano, Dave Field, bass, and Don Vickery on the kit. Tickets are $30 and can be reserved by calling 416-698-2163. There will be a reception following the concert where you can meet Peggy and the band.

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The Relish Bar & Grill, 2152 Danforth Ave., continues its weekly New Music Nights when Mushkat takes the stage Saturday, May 4 at 9:30 p.m. On May 11 catch singer-songwriter Alun Piggins. For a complete list of live entertainment call The Relish at 416-425-4664, or visit relishbarandgrill.com.

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Beach singer-songwriter Piper Hayes launched her debut album, Live in NYC, at the El Mocambo last weekend. The New York City-born and Beach-raised performer studied musical theatre for two years, but decided to shift her focus to writing and performing her own tunes two years ago.

Piper Hayes

Live in NYC was recorded during a holiday visit stateside, where Hayes ended up playing a few unplanned shows, including the one where the album was recorded at Arlene's Grocery.  Danny Garcia of Firstlive Studios recorded the album, and Ray Montford of Toronto's Soundhole Studio mastered it after Hayes returned home.

Live in NYC was recorded with just Hayes and an acoustic guitar. She describes it as “very raw, powerful, and full of bitter- sweet melodies … It is an album that allows one to reflect on their experiences and get lost in a world of darkness and light.”

Hayes recently started working with a band, including drummer Emory Martin and bassist Tosh Hero. She's also started a Pledge Music campaign to promote the album and raise some funds to carry on with her fledgling musical career. The campaign is online at pledgemusic.com/projects/piperhayesliveinnyc.

Live in NYC is available through iTunes and Bandcamp. The hard copy cd will be available soon through Hayes' website at pipersings.com.

Narrated by three women of the MacKay clan, Kintyre is a family saga that spans four generations. The MacKays are a large extended family of tough farming pioneers who have carved a profitable farm out of the bush north of Kingston. The story begins on New Year's Eve as the clan welcomes in the 20th century. They are happy and content in their new home – in a new land, facing a confident future with three strong young sons well-schooled in the Protestant work ethic. Fiona, the family matriarch and the book’s initial narrator, must deal with the ravages wrought by the First World War on her family. Sara, a strong-willed, compassionate young woman married to one of Fiona's sons, takes over as the keeper of Kintyre (one soon learns that these women don't so much 'keep' Kintyre as much as it 'keeps' them). Sara’s struggles to bring the far-flung family home again form the central narrative of the novel. Kathryn, the third narrator, acts as the final voice, and the fulfillment of Sara's efforts.

Like her character Kathryn, Dowler found herself drawn to a painting of an old stone farmhouse nestled amid the rolling wintry countryside, the yellow glow of a lamp beckoning her to imagine the people who lived within its protective walls. Her voice is the measured grace of times gone by, beautiful in its descriptive powers, eloquent in its storytelling and wonderfully free of gritty realism. The reader is quickly reminded of Richard's Wright's novel Clara Callan. Even the mystery surrounding the odd appearances of strangely dressed people who disappear into a haze is handled in a way that avoids the wild drama of other blockbusters.

Janet Dowler has lived in the same house on Hazel Avenue for 41 years. Before taking time off to raise a family, she taught at both Gledhill and Adam Beck public schools. It was the serendipitous find of a painting of the farmhouse that inspired her to return to her first love: writing. Kintyre is her first novel. I hope there will be more to come.

Many of our readers might have heard that I am retiring from Beach Metro News. I have always been of the belief that when one door closes, another opens, especially when one has already made the decision to close one particular door. I consider it a moment of serendipity, then, that I chose this time to read a new book by Beach writer, medium, facilitator and healer Gena Macoretta.

Homegrown: The Journey Home is the distillation of 20 years of the author's personal journey towards spirituality, and she writes to help others along their own path towards enlightenment. It is easy at first glance to pass this off as another example of New Age thought, but Macoretta makes it more personable and accessible by using examples from her own journey. And her enthusiasm is absolutely infectious, keeping you reading long after you've grasped her point. Hers is a positive message, and one that can be successful at various levels depending on the effort you, the seeker, are willing to put into it.

Macoretta's journey grew out of long periods of depression and tribulation growing up at home. At times, she admits, she considered suicide. In her job at The Learning Annex she had opportunities to attend workshops in spirituality, and uncovered a deep interest in the subject. Now in her early fifties she admits to making headway in finding the peace she has been seeking. Along the way she has met and learned from several teachers including her personal “spiritual teacher” John, whom she quotes extensively throughout the book, Magic Cat, another spiritualist, Amiel, and the Springdale Spiritualist Church in Toronto. They offer a mix of spirituality, Christian teachings, common sense and personal responsibility, with an openness to wonder that allows one to rise above the usual cynicism and accept the possibility of it all happening. She acknowledges that whereas the old saying, “the Lord helps them who help themselves” is still very true when applied to seeking enlightenment, the process does require a stepping back from the chaos of daily life to find the quietude to let it in.

Homegrown has chapters in which Macoretta discusses her approach to fear and sadness. These are experiences that we all have throughout our lives. The trick, she says, is to accept the feelings and acknowledge them, but not let them overtake you in a way the feelings control you; don't let sadness turn into depression. She advises that readers seek professional help if necessary, then look to other teachers, or healers to help understand the feeling and overcome it.

If you are devoted to seeking a higher plane of spirituality, see auras, become a medium and commune with those who have passed on, you will enjoy Homegrown as the story of Macoretta's personal path to becoming just that. If you are someone like me who is turning a page in your own life story, facing new challenges or dealing with feelings that may have caused you to get stuck in the proverbial rut, you will enjoy Homegrown as an example of someone whose advice is to follow your passions and do what gives you joy, and has done just that.

Kintyre is available at Book City, 1950 Queen St. E.,  The Great Escape, 957 Kingston Rd., and at Amazon.com. Homegrown: The Journey Home, by Gena Macoretta, is also available at Book City, and online at trafford.com.