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    Murder City Sparrows

    By Emma Woolley Murder City Sparrows is a band assembled as randomly as their name. “It started out as a singer-songwriter thing that Jay was doing and he needed players to do a record,” says the band’s drummer, Lanny. “So the engineer at the studio called Doc and myself to come in and do it. We got a copy of the songs of Jay singing with an acoustic guitar, came up with parts and arrangements, and just started working on the record. Everyone was playing really well together so then Jay said, ‘well, I’m gonna need a band.'” Natives of Edmonton, the members intended to call the album Murder City…

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    Irene Savatti

    By Cynthia Lessard While glancing past the authentically retro, red vinyl chairs in the cozy barbershop, I notice a bulletin board hanging in the corner. It is filled with pictures, the edges of some curled with age and faded over time. The photos capture candid moments, first haircuts, and the passing from childhood to adolescence. It is not unusual to see snapshots such as these in offices or at work desks, as many display family photos to comfort them through the working day. However, these pictures are not of stylist and co-owner Irene Savatti’s family, they are images of people who have come through her shop — her “extended family”:…

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    Jeremy Smith

    By Julia Chanter Great ideas frequently come from academics in fine research institutions, but rarely are such ideas as entertaining and innovative as the Driftwood Theatre Company. The idea took root when Jeremy Smith asked himself a question that haunts many scholars during theatre history lectures at Queen’s University: what on earth am I going to do this summer? Jeremy came up with the following solution: get some friends together, produce A Midsummer Night’s Dream in Kingston’s City Park, and see what happens. With the help of a few of his fellow students and a single microphone, he successfully produced Shakespeare’s comedy for local critics of all ages. Remarkably, the…

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    Jennifer Brewer

    By Canaan Chu Singer-songwriter Jennifer Brewer performs regularly at The Old Nick, a bar steps from Broadview station. Every Tuesday night, Brewer hosts an open stage, where she plays a selection of her songs before inviting others to perform. The stage, at the front of the bar, can be seen through the restaurant windows so passersby, too, can watch the show. Brewer doesn’t mind if the audience inside is eating while she plays, or even if they’re only half listening to her performance, because she enjoys the bar’s casual atmosphere. However, there is no lack of enthusiasm for music at The Old Nick, especially from the people who work there.…

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    Alice Klein

    By Rachel Horner The importance and influence of NOW Magazine on Toronto’s cultural and political landscape is a testament to co-founder Alice Klein’s ambition. Since helping to establish the ever-popular weekly newspaper, Toronto’s first free alternative press, Klein has steadily built a name for herself as a social activist, media mogul, and filmmaker. Born in New York City, Alice Klein came to Toronto with her parents who had fled wartime Europe. She became involved in politics and social justice causes at an early age, eventually graduating with a degree in social history from the University of Toronto. Klein was first published in 1971 — a leftist and feminist piece entitled…