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MAY 2010 | FASHION
THREE IS A CHARM
Words by BRADEN ALEXANDER Photography by LEN PETERSON, JEFF HAMMERBACK & CASEY HARRISON Styled by JEN TROSKY Makeup by MORGAN COMRIE Clothing by The Urban Boutique and The Urban Bakery. Furniture by PULSE Furniture.
A LOOK INTO THE TWISTED PSYCHES OF THREE OF THE MOST TALENTED, CREATIVE AND BIZARRE WOMEN SHAKING UP THE SCENE IN WINNIPEG. Sula Johnson, Melissa Trainor and Niki Trosky aren’t your typical party girls. In fact, they’re likely to be the masterminds behind the party. The three women were drawn to each other’s creativity and love of play and soon started planning events together, most notably last year’s “Down the Rabbit Hole,” which had what seemed like half the city crammed into an abandoned warehouse for a wild night of debauchery. “We like throwing events that add an extra beat to the Winnipeg pulse. We love this city and we love to play in it,” says Trosky, a teacher, artist and owner of her own video/ writing/photography/styling company called Love Life Productions. “We all bring our own shit to the table,” says Trosky, and all three are quick to stress that no one is the leader of the troupe. They’re more interested in creative collaborations. “We all have a driving force to express ourselves,” says Johnson, “We come together with our own inspiration and the magic just happens.” For their next trick, they’ll bring us “Cake or Death,” a party happening at Mystique Nightclub on Thursday, May 6. “Cake or Death is about the dichotomy of life,” says Trosky. “The dark and the light. The playful and the 2
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possessed. It’s an opportunity for people to express themselves in a way that they are secretly craving.” Partygoers are encouraged to play up one side of the binary and come dressed in anything from frilly chiffon to black leather bondage gear. The photo shoot the girls created to promote the event has the girls in party dresses, covered in frosting, viciously force feeding each other cake. “The photo shoot was a last-minute inspiration from the Lady Gaga video for ‘Telephone.’ Sula showed it to me and the first thing I said was, ‘we gotta step this up a notch,’” says Trosky. “We had no clear intention of what that looked like and just rolled with it.” For this issue the girls took to the edge of the city in clothes from The Urban Boutique and furniture from PULSE Furniture and did what they do best: combined the stunning and the strange. But why go to the trouble of dressing up and creating photo shoots and ridiculous parties like they do? “Because they are ridiculous and fun and something to look forward to,” says Trosky. Johnson adds, “We like to create environments for people to express themselves and their imagination. It’s a fun place to spend time.”
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MAY 2010 | FASHION
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Words by SUZY BODIROGA Photography by BRITTANY DONA-LYN Hair by HALEY GOLIN Makeup by DAENA GROLEAU
HEY SISTER, SOUL SISTER INGRID GATIN’S MUSIC COMBINES THE SWEET SOUNDS OF FOLK, GYPSY AND A LOT OF SOUL. SANDBOX CATCHES UP WITH GATIN TO TALK THE ALBUM, TOUR, AND NEW MUSIC VIDEO. SANDBOX MAGAZINE
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MAY 2010 | THE SOUND She’s got those big, little kid eyes; the kind that literally sparkle with excitement. The kind that exude a sort of kittenish curiosity—one that is sweet and innocent, playful and wild. Appropriately so, Ingrid Gatin’s current tour is named Wild Heart, sharing its name with a track on her first, full-length album, Broken Tambourine, which debuted October of last year. The tour kicked off on April 30, with a party in the heart of Winnipeg’s Exchange District. The soiree celebrated the release of Gatin’s first music video, for the track “How Did I Get So.” Despite Gatin’s recent manic schedule, we met for coffee and conversation shortly before her departure to talk about her recent musical endeavours. I had met her once before at the filming of her new music video just a few weeks prior to our interview. I was immediately drawn to those great big eyes, paralleling an equally great big personality. I was shocked to learn Gatin turned only 23 this year; judging by her maturity and confidence she seemed wise beyond her years. However, a spontaneous burst of laughter proved this girl was young at heart. “Well I do feel like my life is pretty intense at this moment,” Gatin says of the recent hustle and bustle. But she’s not complaining. “I do most of my work myself. I’m my own booker, promoter, and manager. Stress is very easy to succumb to and trying to find that balance is a continuous battle.” If there’s one thing stylistically that really sets Gatin apart, it’s her trusty accordion—and this ain’t your opa’s polka. As soon as she pulled out the old, clunky instrument and dominated it, I immediately knew, this girl is kind of kick-ass. It was only two years ago that she dug up the instrument at the second-hand shop Antique’s and Funk and began to play around. It gives Gatin’s music a definite old-world feel, emulating an eastern European, gypsy sort of vibe. “It’s portable. You can’t bring a piano around. And it’s an intense sound, [I’m] so glad I did,” she says of selecting the instrument. “There’s a lot of room to experiment.” Gatin delved into music at a young age, first by playing the piano. “When I was four years old, I forced my mom to let me take piano lessons,” she says of her early training.
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Gatin also plays the mandolin, an instrument she picked up three years ago, playing with Winnipeg’s Magnificent Sevens. Evidently, Gatin’s passion for music and the arts is one that’s been with her since childhood. Music was something that was always celebrated by Gatin’s family and having a great grandfather who fiddled, as well as a younger sister who also sings (in fact, she occasionally sings back-up for her big sister) was an ideal environment for Gatin’s talent to grow. “I don’t know what else I’d do besides being a singer or actor. It’s harder, of course it is, but it’s way better,” she says of following her dream. Releasing her first full-length album this past October has been a major milestone in her career. Gatin says it’s simple human interaction that often inspires her lyrics. “I think that definitely people’s emotions and reactions, that scope of human interaction inspires me—what really gets people to act in a certain way.” After completing the album, Gatin was ready to tackle the next step: a music video. She collaborated with the talented Ryan Klatt to create a video with a romantic feel. (Think two lovers chasing one another in the streets, dressed in their Sunday best. Oh, and did I mention this all takes place during a hail storm?) Gatin explains that on the last day of shooting, a wicked hailstorm hit, but they were having such a blast they continued to film anyway. The entire music video was filmed in the Exchange District. “I wanted the video to showcase the energy Winnipeg has,” says Gatin. With the recent release of the video, and a kick-off party to boot, Gatin headed out West with J.D Edwards, T.J Blairand the Magnificent Sevens, and The Lonely Vulcans to tour local, small town audiences. Although the Wild Heart tour is only taking Gatin as far west as Vancouver, she hopes to eventually do quite a bit of traveling, especially to far-off places. “I really wish I could go to Romania,” she says with a burst of enthusiasm, “but Canada is a great place to play music.” For more Ingrid Gatin, visit her MySpace Music page or her Facebook fan page. Her debut album, Broken Tambourine, is available now on iTunes.
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MAY 2010 | THE STAGE
TOP OF THE WORLD
Words by JASMINE PICHLYK Photography by IAN MCCAUSLAND Hair by GUY LEMIEUX Makeup by DAENA GROLEAU
ANGEL BHATHAL IS A DEDICATED STUDENT, AND CARING GRANDDAUGHTER. BUT SOON, SHE MAY JUST BE ADDING MISS WORLD CANADA TO HER LONG LIST OF ACHIEVEMENTS. Winnipeg has plenty to be proud of knowing that our very own Angel Bhathal, will be representing our city, with equal parts ferocity and dignity, at this year’s Miss World Canada competition. At the young age of 23, she has already taken on much responsibility, and continues to do so, with confidence and enthusiasm. By day, she is involved full-time with her pharmacy practicum and throughout the evening, provides care for her grandmother, who has numerous medical conditions that require constant care and attention. “Based on my experience with my grandmother, I think it’s really important to be able to be an advocate for my patients and their families,” says the future pharmacist. “I especially want to be a voice for those individuals who don’t actually have other people to be a voice for them.” But before graduating in 2011, Bhathal will first compete in the Miss World Canada pageant. The competition will be held in Vancouver from May 3 to 7 and initially garnered Bhathal’s attention because of its unique intentions. “First and foremost, it’s a fundraiser for Variety - The Children’s Charity, an organization helping disabled and special needs children,” she explains. “The pageant’s focus is on inner beauty, which speaks so much more and is so much stronger than superficial beauty.” Winning the title of Miss World Canada would mean a five-week international trip for Bhathal and the chance to compete in Miss World 2010, this year taking place in Vietnam. “I’d want to use the title to educate others, as there’s a real lack of knowledge and so much misinformation nowadays. I want to use this important media role to portray positive things, to be that voice for people in our community that really have none.” 10
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Part of the contestants score takes into consideration their fundraising efforts. “The contestant who raises the most for Variety will get the highest score, and the other girls will be compared and ranked accordingly,” Bhathal says. With that in mind, she has instigated a variety of fundraising methods, such as acquiring cash donations and prizes for silent auctions to help benefit the Vancouver event and selling the Variety gold heart pins. “They’re really cute this year, with an adorable picture of Kermit the Frog on them.” But, her most notable effort comes from her recent fashion show, Fashion with a Purpose, which was held at Stereo Nightclub in late April. No stranger to the fashion industry, Bhathal has many friends working as local designers, photographers and models, and was able to round up ample support for the show. “That in and of itself, is such a beautiful thing: seeing so many people coming together for the same cause,” Bhathal says, before revealing, “It was such a success. We managed to raise around $1,500 for Variety.” Now, Bhathal is ready to focus all her attention on final plans and details for Miss World Canada and is determined to put forth her best efforts. “I hope people will see just how passionate I am to help others; to show Canada that I am a complete leader. But I am still able to work as a team, with my community and for my community.” For more information on the pageant, visit www. missworldcanada.org. To support Bhathal in her fundraising efforts, she can be contacted at angel.bhathal@hotmail.com.
Clothing by Lee Kamenawatamin. Jewellery from Bijou. Shoes from Town Shoes. SANDBOX MAGAZINE
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A P R I L 2010 | BEAUTIFUL MAN
BEAUTIFUL MAN
JACQUES MARCOUX BARES ALL (AND WE’RE NOT TALKING HIS SPEEDO) REVEALING WHY HE INSISTS ON SHAVING HIS BODY, HIS FASCINATION WITH BEING NAKED, AND THE KEY TO PICKING UP WOMEN. Words by JEFFREY VALLIS Photography by RYAN WIBAWA
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Meet Jacques Marcoux, the 25-year-old former triathlete (hence the Speedo) and self-proclaimed “metro sexual redneck” (he wears cardigans and bowties, but enjoys beer and hunting). When we spotted this hottie at a local nightclub, our gaydar senses were instantly tingling. However, despite our efforts (we seriously brought our A-game), the dude turned out to be just another straight guy. But even though we didn’t leave the bar with him that night, we were able to convince him to slip into a Speedo and pose for our cameras. *Note: He isn’t related to former Beautiful Man Joel Marcoux, but they were close friends in high school. Apparently, hot guys come in packs. SO YOU’VE RETIRED FROM SWIMMING, BUT STILL CAN’T BRING YOURSELF TO HANG UP THAT SPEEDO, HEY?
That’s me in my element: in a Speedo. ALRIGHT, THEN WHAT’S THE REASON FOR CONTINUING TO SHAVE YOUR WHOLE BODY?
I started triathlon before I really hit puberty, or right in the middle of it, so I started shaving when I was 16. When I quit triathlon I had never really seen what my body looked like with full leg hair or full chest hair and when it started growing in I was like, “Ahhh! I don’t like this!” Not that I’m a hairy guy at all, but once you go shaven, you don’t go back. SO YOU SHAVE… EVERYTHING?
Just about… (laughs). I just prefer the look. It looks fast. It looks athletic. YOU’RE OBVIOUSLY COMFORTABLE IN YOUR OWN SKIN. WOULD YOU SAY YOU’RE A BIT OF AN EXHIBITIONIST?
Oh yeah, I’m definitely an exhibitionist. One time, my friend and I were both wearing nothing more than a sock on our… package, if you will. We went to McDonald’s and ordered, and we did that to three or four stores. Then, we were driving down Archibald and we go by Teasers where there was a huge line up of girls waiting to go into Studs. So we hop out of the car and start dancing around the girls with these socks on and the girls just started going crazy. CAN’T SAY WE BLAME THEM. DO YOU DO PARTIES AND PRIVATE FUNCTIONS, TOO?
I wouldn’t do it in my hometown, let me put it that way. But I have done nude modeling. One time, there was a call out on Craigslist for nude models. OH SHIT, WE FORGOT TO TAKE THAT AD DOWN…
underwear. At some point the manager came up to me and asked if I’d get naked and do the same thing and I said sure as long as he takes all the blame. So I took my underwear off and I was completely naked. Of course I was holding the promo sign right in front of my crotch, but people in the store could just see my bare ass. And that lasted all of 10 minutes before security came and shut the whole party down. BLESS YOU AND YOUR CAREFREE, NAKED SPIRIT.
I think there’s a different element of comfort with your sexuality when you’re French. It’s a combination of the French and guys who are in sports. That camaraderie in sport, to an outsider, might seem a little homoerotic. TO US IT SEEMS A LOT HOMOEROTIC. THAT, OR WE’RE JUST JEALOUS.
I once threw a New Year’s Eve house party. Just after midnight everyone was nice and drunk, we all went into the basement and had oil wrestling matches in a kiddie pool. Girls don’t like to partake in these types of shenanigans, so all the guys ended up having wrestling matches one-on-one in their underwear. If you want homoeroticism, that was it at its finest. UGH! WE NEVER GET INVITED TO THE COOL PARTIES! AND YOU WONDER WHY WE THOUGHT YOU WERE GAY?
I think it’s hilarious. It doesn’t bother me. People have told me once they get to know me that their first impression was that I may be gay. I WOULD IMAGINE THAT MAKES IT HARD TO PICK UP CHICKS WHEN THEY MISTAKE YOU FOR GAY, NO?
It’s actually easier, because they don’t view you as a threat. You see? YOU SLY BASTARD, YOU. ALRIGHT, FINE. SO WHAT DO YOU LOOK FOR IN A GIRL?
I’m not even going to bullshit you on this one, obviously looks. If you don’t have that initial primal attraction, then there’s nothing there. You’ve got to have that initial chemistry, physically. WOULD YOU SAY YOU’RE PRETTY PICKY?
I used to bring girls on second or third dates to this big tower in St. Boniface that I used to climb all the time when I was a troublemaking teenager. That was my test to see if these girls were legit. I would make them climb the tower with me and if they made it to the top, they were good to go. It’s actually really romantic once you’re up there because you see the whole city; it’s all lit up. IF IT HELPS OUR CAUSE, WE’D CLIMB YOUR TOWER ANY DAY.
It was for a storefront and I thought it was a joke, but they were paying $80 an hour to do this. So I showed up to this store and I was in the front window holding a sign in my
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TALENT & TITS JANELLE WOOKEY: THE AWARD-WINNING FILMMAKER, THE QUIRKY OLYMPIC GAMES REPORTER, AND THE ULTIMATE FAMILY GIRL.
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MAY 2010 | TALENT & TITS Even at the tender age of eight, when her large FrancoManitoban family would assemble for games that involved role-play and staying in character, documentary filmmaker/director Janelle Wookey would immediately take charge of keeping everyone else on track. “All of our friends would be given a role and she was kind of like a director, telling everyone what they had to do,” says Janelle’s brother and frequent collaborator, Jérémie Wookey That assured vision, plus an unshakable, comfortable on-camera presence (which were both fostered by an early introduction to video and theatrics) has made Wookey the prize-winning documentary filmmaker, Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympic Games reporter, and sought-after freelance camera operator and director she is today—all by the impossibly young, barely industry-acclimated age of 23. “I was always in front of the camera when there was a camera,” says Wookey, of her on-screen confidence. She used clips from home videos of her goofing off in front of a lens to establish the story in her documentary film, Mémère Métisse, and says the footage compiled “was like one one-hundredth of me being like that.” The English-language documentary, which translates to “My Métis Grandmother,” is what she considers her greatest accomplishment to date and continues to carry momentum. (A French version was also commissioned by CBC.) The celebrated documentary follows her grandmother, Cecile St.Amant, through her journey to declare and celebrate her Métis heritage instead of renouncing it like she has most of her lifetime. The film is narrated and appeared in by Wookey, and many of its scenes are real, earnest moments captured between her and her grandmother having candid conversations about St. Amant’s past and the bigotry she experienced. “I thought I had finished my journey with Mémère Métisse,” says Wookey, whose film has already had a twoyear lifespan. CBC bought the film and will show it in Reel Canada, the traveling Canadian film festival for schools, in April.
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Ironically, after this admission, Wookey checks an email on her phone that tells her she’s won a youth jury award. Soon after this moment, she credits the Winnipeg Film Group for generating the ongoing exposure for her doc. “Winnipeg Film Group is frickin’ awesome,” she says. “I gave them 30 bucks two years ago and they put [Mémère Métisse] on their website and in festivals and I randomly get news like this.” The film has been screened at the ImagineNative Film Festival in Toronto, the National Museum of the American Indian in New York, and has been picking up awards along the way. (She won the Emerging Artist award for Mémère Métisse at ImagineNative in 2008.) Wookey also shot, directed, scripted and edited the film, with help from her formerly untrained camera operator brother, Jérémie. “There’s no one that thinks more like me or that thinks more like him,” says Wookey of her decision to enlist her brother’s help with the film. Wookey has a new documentary idea that is in line with Mémère Métisse’s themes, though it will likely feature a subject from outside her family tree this time. She plans on maintaining an Aboriginal theme to all of her projects since she is so sincerely enthused to be a member of the community and to educate the world about their issues. For example, after reporting for APTN during the Winter Games, Wookey felt an overwhelming sense of pride. “It made me want to get a big Métis tattoo all over my face,” she says. “When I told people what [APTN] was they were so surprised that Canada even had that.” Wookey received spirited reviews from producers for her on-camera hijinks which at different times had her fishing for local celebrity Michael Bublé with an A&W bag in downtown Vancouver, lounging on the beach with a Hawaiian flower in her hair to play up the fair weather during the Winter Games, and interviewing geese for sticking around the True North in midwinter. Executive producer Doug Howe asked Wookey to engage herself in the story, which edged her right into her comfort zone. “I was like, ‘Let’s go shoot a story!’ I can’t believe they let me air the stories that I did.”
Words by BRENLEE COATES Photography by VALENTIN MITTELSTET Hair by PRAISE and JACKIE Makeup by SABRINA WALL Dress from Ragpickers. Shoes by Calvin Klein (Town Shoes).
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MAY 2010 |ABOUT TOWN
ABOUT TOWN ELEGANT SPANISH TAPAS AND ARRESTING INTERIOR DESIGN MAKE THE BRAND NEW SEGOVIA TAPAS BAR AND RESTAURANT THE LATEST OSBORNE HOTSPOT. Words by REBECCA BOCK-FREEMAN Photography by LISA VARGA Carolina Konrad and chef boyfriend Adam Donnelly were inspired to open their own restaurant while Donnelly was working under star chef Tom Aikens at Dehesa Charcuterie & Tapas Bar in London, England. “We fell in love with tapas,” Konrad explains. After traveling Spain and living in the city of Segovia, the two returned marinated in Spanish culinary culture and ready to make their dream of owning their own tapas restaurant come true. “Having such young entrepreneurs take an old location and reinvent it in such a way is exactly what Osborne is all about: unique, diverse, eclectic and innovative businesses and business owners,” says Jason van Rooy, executive director of Osborne Village Biz. Konrad, only 21, and her boyfriend completely 18
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transformed the building, turning an empty space into one of the chicest spots in the city, with the help of their interior designer friend, Fiona Sanipelli. I sit down with the young business woman, just after she has attended a business meeting, and served Segovia’s lunch crowd. Her golden hair is pulled back into a ponytail and she is wearing a cropped black blazer with pinstriped detailing on the cuffs. She has a fresh, yet sophisticated, style, as if she were a close friend of Blake Lively—except she’s no gossip girl. “There is no drama here,” Konrad says. “We’re like a family, we all get along and even hang out on our days off.” The Segovia family consists of Konrad’s six dining room employees as well as Chef Donnelly’s six kitchen staff. It might seem like a big family to some, but Konrad is the eldest of six children and is accustomed to a busy life, and the stress that comes along with that responsibility. Konrad has been in the service industry since grade
ten and met Donnelly while working at Prairie Ink. Still, she says, “everything is new to us.” She admits that if an employee asks her a question she can’t answer, she’ll run to the back and Google it. According to van Rooy, the menu at Segovia is “a collection of mouth watering gems, which anyone visiting the Village must experience at least once.” With tapas dishes you can spend an hour, or linger the whole night, satisfying your savory cravings. Or, indulge your sweet side with Macona almonds, rice pudding brûlée topped with rhubarb ice cream, or a dark chocolate torte with pine nut brittle. The tantalizing cuisine can be paired with Cava, a traditional sparkling Spanish wine, or one of Konrad’s selfinvented popular cocktails like, “Friend of a Friend,” which perfectly balances vodka, lime, lemon grass, chili, coconut juice and lemon-lime soda in a surprisingly refreshing blend. It’s not just the delicious flavours that draw customers; it’s the edgy, yet elegant, SoHo design. Segovia’s exterior fuses modern and rustic style, with floor to ceiling twin massive teak doors, complete with hand-hammered iron hardware and vertical steel handles. In the bar, the raw edge teak furniture and chrome stools mix the exotic
with the modern for a distinctly glamorous feel. The open kitchen allows diners a ringside view of Donnelly’s culinary craftsmanship. Konrad says she and Donnelly are eager to push the restaurant to its full potential. But hopefully for us and the hordes of guests lining up for a table, their progress isn’t halted as they await news from city officials regarding their patio permit, which would allow significantly more seating. “We’ve been waiting four months,” she explains. “We really want to partake in Osborne’s Canada day activities, but we need the city’s patio permit first.” Segovia Tapas Bar and Restaurant is located at 431 Stradbrook Avenue. For more information visit www. segoviatapasbar.com.
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