Independent Professional Projects

Mark Schram: Poems for Cigarettes

Poems for Cigarettes is the first official release by Winnipeg spoken word/music act Northfield. Featuring Steve Currie on vocals, Mark Schram on guitar, and Steve Kesselman on bass, the three formed Northfield after Schram signed up for a gig at the Harvest Moon Festival without any semblance of a solo act or a band. With the help of poet extraordinaire Currie (winner of the 2012 Winnipeg Poetry Slam) and the many-talented Kesselman (guitarist for local band Departures), the group put together a 45-minute set that was described by Schram’s father as “a bit strange…definitely interesting,” and by others as “oh, sorry…I was over watching Del Barber.”

After their roaring success at the Harvest Moon Festival, Northfield decided the next step to becoming a real band was making an album, so over the next five months they wrote and recorded a five-song EP and filmed a music video for the first single, Leaving Tonight. The EP, somewhat pretentiously titledPoems for Cigarettes, can be purchased on iTunes here.

Check out Northfield at http://www.poemsforcigarettes.com/ or visit the Facebook page.

Matt Williams has written, recorded, and produced an EP with western Canada as a backdrop. Under the name Fauves (“wild beasts”), West is a sparse, guitar and vocals collection of five stories that are set everywhere from Winnipeg’s Osborne Village to the Pacific Ocean. A portion of the proceeds goes to the West Central Women’s Resource Centre, which serves to “empower women to help themselves, their families and their community to safer, healthier lifestyles.”

You can buy West here: fauves204.bandcamp.com/

Maria Cristina Laureano’s IPP is called: After the Cocoon

Her IPP is a website and launch.

The website (afterthecocoon.com) will feature a collection of stories and photographs of Canadian burn survivors and will have an official launch. At this launch there will also be a photo exhibit of the participants of this project with brief descriptions of their stories.

Maria chose her IPP because of her own experiences as a burn survivor.

When Maria was nine-months-old she accidentally pulled a pot of boiling water on herself resulting in 2nd and 3rd degree burns on her upper body, most of which can be easily hidden by clothes.

After benefiting from burn survivor support communities and going through her own recovery process, Maria wanted to create a resource where others can find out the experiences of burn survivors, particularly those who are recently burned or are still going through their own recovery process.

Maria will be having an official launch of her website, which will be held at the Fire Fighters Museum on the evening of February 9, 2012 to coincide with her 25th burn anniversary. It is located at 56 Maple Street, which is a short distance away from Red River College – The Roblin Centre and City Hall and will be open to the public with no charge.

For more information about the project, you can visit:

Website: afterthecocoon.com

Facebook: After the Cocoon

Twitter: @afterthecocoon.com

Email: afterthecocoon@gmail.com

Matt TenBruggencate is a Public Relations major that is really good at Public Relations, Journalism, Media Production, Advertising, Being Awesome, Helping People Out, Escaping College Security Guards After Hours, the list goes on…

He’s basically a superhuman, we’re actually not sure he sleeps. He’s TRES involved in the community. TRES CRAY one might say… Just like his IPP-

Heartbeat is Matt’s radio show/podcast/social media mishmash to take the pulse of Winnipeg’s arts and culture scene. Made up of interviews, storytelling, news segments and music from the heart of the continent, Heartbeat tries to get a grip on the pretty and painful city of Winnipeg by chatting up some of its most articulate, engaged people. Heartbeat plays on Red River Radio every Thursday at 7pm, then podcasts the following day.

Ryan Kessler is writing a historical novel set in Northern Manitoba. In the story, a pilot returns to Canada after the First World War to become a bush pilot. But he isn’t like most bush pilots. This flyboy is responsible for flying children to and from residential schools.

Ryan is writing this story because he has a keen interest in history and a passion for storytelling.

Read some of his stories here:

http://www.therkess.blogspot.ca

Mark McAvoy’s IPP is a podcast about video games. His love of podcasts is genuine; his love of video games, unhealthy. The podcast will have 12 episodes, each with a distinct theme and guest. He has already begun releasing the episodes; you can find them at:

http://www.supergamerpodcast.com.

Kate’s IPP is a series of short stories loosely based on characters in her immediate and extended family. The book travels from Pakistan to the Canadian Prairies, England and the heart of Zimbabwe, Africa. Hopefully funny and sardonic, Kate’s book will most likely be the cause of repeating a third year. (Just kidding!)