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THE LAST GIRLS OF SUMMER
FINAL CALL FOR SUMMER FASHION Words by BRADEN ALEXANDER Photography by VALENTIN MITTELSTET Styled by CHANELLE SALNIKOWSKI Makeup by AIMEE CARDINELL Hair by HALEY GOLIN
Rebecca (left) wears swimsuit by Joe Fresh, sunglasses and pink bandeau from Hush, crop top from Top Shop and bangles from Vintage Glory. Akosua (right) wears romper and belt from Paramix, and sunglasses and bangles from Vintage Glory.
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August is typically, around the world, a rather depressing month. Students and teachers ready themselves for another school year. Lifeguards ready themselves for the end of outdoors pools. And Anna Wintour readies her readers for fall fashion. But this is SANDBOX, not Vogue, and like true Winnipeggers, we’re not going to say goodbye to summer until we have to. So while the rest of the fashion world is looking to Fall/ Winter ’10, we took to the fine sands of Victoria Beach
with two of our favourite models (Akosua, from Swish, and Rebecca, a hidden gem) to celebrate the last of what has been a truly beautiful summer. The girls frolicked in the season’s fashions from local shops where, if you’re lucky, you might be able to find them on the sale rack soon. We hope you enjoy what turned out to be our best fashion shoot yet and make the most of August—while it lasts.
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Akos wears dress, gloves and sunglasses from Hush, tank top by Joe Fresh and shoes from Aldo.
Rebecca wears shirt from F&Q and skirt by Joe Fresh.
Akos wears jacket and sunglasses from Vintage Glory, shirt and harem pants from F&Q, and shoes from Brown’s. SANDBOX MAGAZINE
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AUGUST 2010 | FASHION
Akos wears dress, gloves and sunglasses from Hush, tank top by Joe Fresh and shoes from Aldo. Rebecca wears swimsuit by American Apparel.
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Rebecca wears shoes and bathing suit by Joe Fresh, cardigan from October. Akos wears jacket from October, shorts by American Apparel, shoes and bag from Paramix.
Akos wears top from Vintage Glory and visor from Aldo Accessories.
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AUGUST 2010 | THE SOUND
CRAZY EXGIRLFRIENDS THE ALARMINGLY HOT MEMBERS OF THE EX GIRLFRIENDS TEACH US A LESSON IN ROCK. Words by NIKI TROSKY Photography by LISA VARGA 8
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I once watched a guy on stage at The Albert chew on a broken beer bottle. At the time I thought it was the most entertaining five bucks I could have spent. And then I saw The Ex-Girlfriends. I met Sigourney Burrell & Ida Sawabe, two-thirds of the all-girl rock band, for coffee and found myself flushed from their oozing sensuality. Being in close proximity with sober Sawabe, the band’s drummer, is down right blush-inducing. She speaks of explicit content with the most eloquent and intelligent voice that it’s hard not to get turned on. “Did you see the sky this morning?” she asks. She was innocently raving about the colours of the clouds and when I asked what she was doing up at 5:00 a.m. she casually responds, “Oh, I was fucking my guitar. She’s a real good lover. Her name is Dana. She’s dirty and sticky.” Burrell—guitarist and vocalist for the Ex-Girlfriends— is a beauty of the stunning variety. Ida calls her “the powerhouse, the beast, the one who forges forward with the sword and makes shit happen.” She’s the kind of girl who will give you a flirtatious wink when she says she doesn’t support graffiti, who can shred the bowl at the skate park barefoot, and who is currently adorning the city with her jewelry line, Ruby Feathers. Real Dubois, who in true rock star fashion could not make the interview, is the third set of hot legs in this tripod. She has an adorable face and a punk rock attitude—a combination that requires one to reconfigure preconceptions. Her bandmates say she is responsible for most of the song writing and dub her as “the one with the strongest musical talent.” The band’s first recording, “Breakin’ Up Ain’t Hard To Do,” has some serious guitar licks, a surfer-rock quality and are accompanied by some hard-hitting drum beats. The lyrics are delivered with an ‘I don’t give a fuck’ attitude and the combination is impeccably punk rock. Burrell unapologetically admits that their second recording “sucks” and is not worth mentioning. Sitting with Burrell and Sawabe, one can quickly gauge that they are genuinely stoked by each other’s company. They shimmer and sparkle together and this is what Sawabe would describe as their strongest quality. “Our unity and our love for each other comes through in our
music,” she says. “These girls are the hottest girls I know.” Sawabe and Dubois were originally in a band called The Wild Things with Julia Kyle. When they disbanded they haphazardly ran into Burrell while she was out skate boarding. It was love at first sight. At the time, Burrell owned a guitar but she scarcely knew how to play it. They downed a bottle of Jag at their first rehearsal and the girls taught her to play. “She was bad,” smiles Sawabe, “but she got good fast.” According to Sawabe, The Ex-Girlfriends were officially named by Real. “We’ve all dated some major hot musicians and we’ve broken some hearts along the way, so the name seems to fit. To me, the name reminds me that no matter how devoted I feel to a man, I will always embrace my freedom and cherish the free spirits of my girlfriends.” When I ask them what their weakest point would be, Sawabe answers, “Having too much fun. I used to get so fucked up at shows I couldn’t even play.” Burrell is quick to add, “when we’re on tour we are more professional than we are in Winnipeg. If you’ve seen us play a sloppy set, just give us another chance because we are actually pretty tight.” The Ex-Girlfriends can be raunchy and totally ex-rated. They are no strangers to stripping down on stage and they seem to enjoy making out with each other. In the same breath they have sugar sweet values when it comes to committed relationships. “It’s nice to be united in love,” says Sawabe. “I think love is sacred.” “I think everyone needs to kiss and hug more,” says Burrell, “That’s the essence of us. Free spirits living in the moment.” And with perfect ‘in the moment’ timing she blurts, “Hey maybe we should give out condoms at our next show.” “Hey maybe we should make condom sized stickers with our faces on them!” encourages Sawabe with a laugh. It’s a brilliant idea. That’s how these girls rock and roll: effortlessly with a moment-to-moment magic that channels the inevitable beauty of being fully alive and drop dead gorgeous. Don’t miss a chance to check out their scene and if they happen to be a little loose, trust that you’ll get your money’s worth.
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BEAUTIFUL MAN Words by JEFFREY VALLIS Photography by BRITTANY ALYSE
IAN JANSEN GIVES US A REASON TO GIVE A DAMN ABOUT BASEBALL SEASON. There’s nothing better than a hot summer’s day in Winnipeg: the air conditioning turns on, the beachgoers head out, and the shirts—specifically of the male variety—come off. Whether rollerblading, biking, playing basketball or cruising in their convertibles, guys can’t seem to keep their clothes on when it gets hot outside. And we’re definitely not complaining. Nor were the 16-year-old girls who unknowingly stumbled across our baseball diamond photo shoot with this month’s Beautiful Man and readily plopped themselves down for the full feature. The man of the hour, 22-year-old Ian Jansen, was born and raised in St. Vital, and followed his passion to North Dakota and, most recently, Northern California, to the small beach town of Santa Cruz. With a carefree playboy attitude and aspirations to one day live the “Entourage lifestyle,” Jansen’s the kind of guy you should be wary of. But, like us and the 16-year-old girls in the park, you’re bound to fall for his ice blue eyes and casual charm.
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AUGUST 2010 | BEAUTIFUL MAN
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SO, WHY BASEBALL?
out a little bit.
I don’t know if I just loved the game or if I wanted to be different than the other 99 per cent of the kids that played hockey. But I started playing when I was seven and haven’t regretted it since.
WHEN YOU GOT IT, FLAUNT IT. BUT SERIOUSLY, WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO WITH YOUR LIFE?
NOW, FAST-FORWARD 15 YEARS AND YOU’RE LIVING THE DREAM IN CALIFORNIA, HEY?
It’s amazing. Everything I thought it would be. You finish class, head to the ball diamond and once you finish that, you head to the beach and that’s your day. I could do that all the time. PFFFHH! WHO NEEDS CALIFORNIA? GRAND BEACH IS ONE OF THE TOP 10 BEACHES IN THE WORLD. SUPPOSEDLY. WE’RE PRETTY SURE. IN ANY CASE, WHAT ARE THE CALIFORNIA GIRLS LIKE?
Fine, fresh and fierce. Haven’t ya heard? It’s pretty tough to compete with that. YOU SEEM TO HAVE MASTERED YOUR GIRL POP, SUMMER ANTHEMS. IS THAT HOW YOU ATTRACT THE LADIES?
I don’t do anything special. I actually like it when girls are aggressive and make the first move. WHAT ELSE DO YOU LOOK FOR IN A GIRL?
Just someone that’s down to earth, easy going and fun to be around. Have you ever heard the song “Gimme That Girl” by Joe Nichols? That’s pretty much bang on, that song—doesn’t hurt if she’s blonde, either. HAVEN’T HEARD IT. WE’RE REALLY INTO ENRIQUE IGLESIAS, RIGHT NOW. HOW DOES IT GO?
I don’t really want to sing. Just listen to it; you’ll get the drift. It should have been made by me. YOU WANT TO ADD ASPIRING SONGWRITER TO YOUR ACHIEVEMENTS, TOO? THAT’S KIND OF ROMANTIC, ACTUALLY. DO YOU EVER USE THESE TRICKS ON YOUR GIRLFRIENDS?
I’ve never really been a big dater. I just can’t see myself doing that when I’m this young. I don’t know why. It’s tough because I’m in and out of the country so much. I definitely don’t want to do the long distance thing ever. But, also, with the “Entourage lifestyle”, there are no girlfriends. So, gotta follow the rules.
I have a bunch of different life goals. Professional baseball player, professional model, professional poker player and then accounting is a little bit down the list, but its probably the most realistic. POKER PLAYER? YOU BIG INTO GAMBLING?
I play poker quite a bit. I’ve always enjoyed it. So, if you can make money doing it, why not? I’M GUESSING YOU’VE PROBABLY PLAYED A GAME OR TWO OF STRIP POKER ON THOSE HOT, CALIFORNIA NIGHTS?
We’ve done that a few times, but I don’t know if that’s an appropriate story. Maybe after this interview’s over. IS IT WRONG THAT WE ALREADY HAVE A MENTAL IMAGE? YOU PROBABLY GET THAT A LOT FROM THE GAYS, THOUGH.
I’ve been hit on by a guy a few times at work. It always seems to be older guys for some reason, nobody ever my age. And I’m really bad, for some reason, on picking up if a guy is gay or not. So I kind of unintentionally, I don’t want to say flirt (laughs). I guess be nice? Because I don’t really know what’s going on. And then after my buddies like, “that guy was just hitting on you, right?” It’s a little awkward. AS THE GAY ON THE OTHER END OF THAT SCENARIO, YOU’RE NOT ALONE IN FEELING AWKWARD. SPEAKING OF YOUR BUDDIES, WHAT DO THEY THINK OF YOUR NEWFOUND CELEBRITY AS BEAUTIFUL MAN?
They’re on me pretty hard already, razzing me a bit. They said ‘expect to see these pictures posted on every corner around St. Mary’s.’ Hopefully they turn out well, and then I won’t mind. WE’RE GUESSING THE GAYS WHO FREQUENT YOUR WORK WON’T EITHER.
WHAT THE HELL’S THE “ENTOURAGE LIFESTYLE”?
Pretty much four guys living in a house, picking up girls and living the life down in LA. Sounds good for a couple years until we gotta grow up. SOUNDS PRETTY SWEET. BUT HOW DO YOU PAY FOR IT ALL?
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TALENT & TITS
HAVING GROWN UP AROUND THE MOVIE INDUSTRY, THE BEAUTIFUL REBECCA TRAUB IS NO STRANGER TO LIFE’S DRAMAS. Words by BRENLEE COATES Photography by IZABELA RACHWAL Styled by NIKI TROSKY Hair by KITTY BERNES Makeup by JESSICA KMIEC Shot on location at Delta Winnipeg
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AUGUST 2010 | TALENT & TITS Rebecca Traub thought she had left the film industry behind when she took up a managing position at Joey Restaurant in the city and started saving her pennies to move to Spain permanently. That all changed when a Los Angeles producer probed her at the restaurant, found out about her film background, and offered her an assistant position to him on a film he was working on here in Winnipeg. “This was my first movie back and I got back into it by fluke,” says Traub of The Divide, a thriller starring Milo Ventimiglia. The movie ended up “pushing”—meaning production had been postponed—but Traub did enough in a short time to get noticed. The position got her her next credit: a line producing gig in LA on a film tentatively titled The Victim. She met actor Michael Biehn and his wife on set of The Divide, and they were so completely enamoured with her and impressed with her work as assistant producer that they not only invited her onto that project, but offered to put her up in their own home during filming. The Biehns weren’t Traub’s first brush with celebrity relationships either. A fated meeting on set of Population 436 changed her life at age 20 in a big way. On set of Population, Traub met star and Limp Bizkit frontman Fred Durst. The co-workers started hanging out together and “one thing led to another,” explains Traub. At one point, Traub had packed up her bags and moved to LA with the singer. They planned to get married. “We were looking at houses,” says Traub. Traub said she hadn’t paid any particular attention to Durst, but the singer was in pursuit and got hold of her number. “I’ve grown up around celebrities although Limp Bizkit was, like, my favourite band in high school,” she says of her nonchalance. So, what was the notorious bad-boy like to be engaged to? “He’s a super, super caring, sweet guy,” says Traub, adding the required ex-girlfriend critique: “a little moody, but a sweet guy.” Her dream engagement to her former teenage fantasy man ended over—believe it or not—Durst’s old-fashioned ideals. “He’s very traditional and Southern. ‘The guy works and
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brings home the bacon,’” says Traub. Even if it didn’t work out, Traub gained some once-ina-lifetime experiences to add to her list; namely, spending time with the company Durst keeps. “He hangs out with the most random people, like Cheech Maron. We went to his house one time,” says Traub. After leaving the washed-up rocker in LA, Traub nannied in Spain for a year and found a place where she feels at home. She loved the Spanish value she observed; that “you work to live, you don’t live to work.” Plus, big families are always gathered together and doing long lunches, so “you’re always around people,” she says. Since her chance encounter with the producer at Joey, Traub has found a way to incorporate her new geographic love with her career goals for prosperity in film. “Ultimately, I’d like to end up in LA producing,” says Traub, but “if I could work in this industry and live in Europe that would be perfect.” Since her offer to work in LA and the dramatic twist in her life, Traub resolved to take three weeks to visit friends and relax in Spain before her next endeavour. The 25-year-old learned an invaluable lesson from her recent crossroads and isn’t looking back. “For the last couple years I’ve been trying to plan my life, but things just keep popping up, so I hope things keep popping up,” says Traub. Given the impression she leaves on producers in one conversation and on actors after a short time together on set, she probably won’t ever have to worry about what’s next. “It’s just like an adrenaline junkie; you get off on it,” says Traub of the uncertain, condensed and frantic jobs in the film industry. Traub hopes her path will ultimately lead her to producing movies but she would do just about anything to work in any capacity on a Tim Burton movie, or with Xavier Gens again. Maybe just not in extras casting, she jokes. “That’s probably the worst job you can have in the industry.” “I’d also really love to work with Jason Statham, but I think that’s for different reasons.”
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AUGUST 2010 |ABOUT TOWN
ANALYZE THIS FREUD’S BATHHOUSE & DINER IS NOT, IN FACT, A BATHHOUSE OR A DINER BUT A BRAND NEW ART GALLERY AND THE LATEST JEWEL IN WINNIPEG’S CULTURAL CAPITAL CROWN. Words by KRISTY RYDZ Photography by KATY WINTERFLOOD Strolling down the artistic hub that is the Exchange District’s Albert St., you’ll probably miss Winnipeg’s newest art gallery and concert venue, Freud’s Bathhouse and Diner. But, then again, that’s kind of the whole point. “I have no huge goal of being known across the whole city. Usually what gets the most popular gets the most drained. The key word that has come up [about the gallery] is outsider art. We’re definitely attracted to things that tend to be more underground or obscure,” Mark Wohlgemuth, half of the gallery’s dynamic ownership duo, explains casually while perched near the window of the mellow-vibed room. The cozy, long but barely 10-foot-wide storefront space makes you feel like you’re sitting in your eccentric friend’s living room with worn plaid couches under the window and unique art sprawled down the walls. That’s often the reality according to the art manager 18
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and co-owner of the creative collective, Kristel Jax. With a history of curating shows here at home and in Toronto, the visual artist and Wohlgemuth set out to find a studio space for themselves and discovered the perfect locale to blend visual and musical art. The 23-year-old says she loves giving artistic friends, local and abroad, a place to mingle and share their work in the gallery that opened this April. Beginning August 5, I Know What My Weaknesses Are, Probably Better Than You Do, is a perfect example of the funky blend. The show will feature illustrations of Rhode Island’s William Schaff, Torontonian Beth Frey, Chicago’s Ramsey Beyer and hometown boy Ryan Trudeau. Alongside the sometimes sinister black and white, sometimes colourful comic-like pieces, Freud’s will be compiling a ‘zine expo of local publications that will feature indie comics, micro press publications, pamphlets and handmade books.
“It’s small and intimate so you can easily connect with the art,” she says thoughtfully in a wispy, soft spoken voice that makes you lean in to catch every breathy word. She and her counterpart, the 26-year-old musician who pumps out what he calls, ‘experimental music with song structures’ under the name Kram Ran choose collections and musicians to showcase based on their own personal preferences and the desire to connect the pieces of Winnipeg’s art scene that are under wraps. “I feel that there’s a hole or a void for a truly central underground culture space. There’s lots of things going on all over the place but they are so tiny or they’re too big and boring,” he muses. “There’s lots of people to relate to and share with. It’s not really about collaborating. It’s about doing your own thing and supporting [each other].” With Freud’s serving as a link, Wohlegemuth, the gallery’s music booker, created a concert series to coincide with Winnipeg’s Fringe Festival in July called InFringe: The Bizarre and Beautiful. Attendees were treated to alternatives to mainstream music, including: Wave Hands Like Clouds from Austin, Texas, Toronto’s energetic
RatTail as well as Jax and Wohlegemuth’s own music project, Alpha Couple, during the late-night sessions. Regardless if the venture is musical or visual, the creative geniuses behind Freud’s are striving to carve out a space where the friends are plenty, the atmosphere is quirky but above all where uniqueness is paramount. “I believe that art is supposed to inspire. It’s supposed to be reaching out to things you can’t really touch in everyday life. So it has to be inspired art. Not something that’s just a hobby,” Wohlgemuth says.
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AUGUST 2010 | LIFE STORIES
KICK IT HOW CHRIS THOMPSON IS CHANGING THE LIVES OF CHILDREN ACROSS AFRICA ONE SOCCER BALL AT A TIME.
Words by MAEGHAN HEINRICHS Photography courtesy of CHRIS THOMPSON Chris Thompson left his quiet hometown of Stonewall, Manitoba for what was to be a holiday in Africa. However, after witnessing impoverished children kicking coconuts on the streets of Tanzania with their bare feet, he put in a call to his niece and nephew back home and asked them for a favour. That call transformed his holiday into a mission that would deeply impact not only his life, but also thousands of others. “I missed my niece and nephew’s birthdays, so I phoned them from Tanzania and told them how tough it is for families and kids over there and asked them if they would be ok with me buying them birthday presents in Africa and giving them to kids in Africa. They were OK with it, so I bought a few soccer balls and gave them out,” said Thompson. The immense joy the gifts brought to the children prompted 31-year-old to send out some emails to friends and family back home. Within two short weeks, he had received over $500 dollars in donations, including $40 more dollars from his seven-year-old niece and five-year-
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old nephew. That’s how Thompson’s charity, Kickballs for Kids, was born. Armed with only soccer balls purchased from donations, Thompson would hire a taxi driver to take him into some of the most crime-saturated townships in countries like South Africa, Rwanda and Burundi, to deliver balls to kids. Many of the kids couldn’t even understand that the balls were for them to keep, and would try to hand them back to Thompson after he had taken a picture of them holding it. “Once you give a ball to a kid and start walking away, then they realize it’s for them and that’s when the celebration starts. You’d see everything from them taking turns kissing the ball, to just hugging, or one guy taking it and running straight home with it,” Thompson laughs. “Sometimes it looked like they were fighting for it but they’re just cheering while they’re on top of it. Some of these kids will never even see a real ball. They live and breathe soccer but they’ll never get to touch a real soccer ball. They’re just using whatever they can make or whatever they can find that rolls.”
Although the kids would try and give them back, the adults would often try to steal balls from his vehicle, or beg Thompson for one, but he had vowed early on that Kickballs for Kids was just that—for kids. “[Adults] would say ‘I have kids’ and I wished I could give one to an adult because that would feel so good for a father to be able to take a ball home and give it to his family, but you just never know if its actually going to get there.” During his five months overseas Thompson managed to raise over $10,000 dollars in donations worldwide, allowing him to distribute more than 1,130 soccer balls to children in nine different countries. His hard work brought local and national coverage in both Canada and Africa. Being so far removed from home, Thompson was unaware how deep an impact his charity was making until he learned of a speech delivered by Manitoba MP James Bezan praising his efforts. It was moments like those, coupled with encouraging emails from people reading the heartfelt stories he posted on the Kickballs for Kids Facebook page, that kept Thompson motivated to achieve his goal of delivering 1,000 balls.
He even received an invitation to Chief Mandela’s 36th birthday celebration where he gave the grandson of Nelson Mandela 36 Kickballs for Kids soccer balls for his village. “I gave one ball to (Nelson Mandela’s) daughter-in-law. She was just so happy and had tears in her eyes and said, ‘this is going to be sitting on Nelson’s mantle.’ She thanked me for what I was doing in Africa and gave me a big hug. That was a good moment,” Thompson recalls. “My idea when I started this was to let people know that it’s pretty easy to do the same sort of thing when they’re traveling. We take so much away from a country in memories, but we often don’t leave anything behind, whether it’s just taking some toys for kids or finding a good charity to hook up with.” Thompson, now back in Canada, is continuing his efforts to raise money for Kickballs for Kids. The charity has been nominated for the Pepsi Refresh contest and is only two spots away from winning a further $10,000. You can help by voting and showing your support for Thompson and his charitable efforts in Africa.
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