COVER
Contributors Editorial & Publishing
Chris D’Alessandro
Editor-in-Chief Bryan Myers traviseditor@gmail.com Editor-at-Large Jenn McBride travismagonline@gmail.com Publisher Sheridan Student Union Inc.
writer
Writers Curtis Sindrey, Tania MacWilliam, Jaii Bhamra, Katherine Rageth, Julia Langlois, Camille Ilosa, Riley Wignall, Jordan Twiss, Chris D’Alessandro, Jordon Childs, Matt Main Travis Online Jaii Bhamra, Chris D'alessandro, Curtis Sindrey, Richard Paul, Camille Llosa, Matt Main, Tania MacWilliam, Julia Langlois, Jordan Twiss Creative Creative Director Josiah Gordon josiah.gordon1@gmail.com Design Tyler Doupe, Satesh Mistry, Sabrina Smelko Photography Drew Graham, Steph Martyniuk, Luis Mora Illustration Colin Davis, Sabrina Smelko Marketing & Sales Marketing & Communications Manager Dan La Cute daniel.lacute@sheridanc.on.ca Printer Chris Beetham Unique Media Solutions
Chris loves cars, which is something no one else at Travis really knows anything about. With that being said we want him to write about cars, but we just don’t know how to make it happen. Regardless, he still managed to impress us with two awesome articles this month on his other passion: pop culture. Check out his two articles this month: In The Spotlight (pg. 44), and Anatomy of a Comeback (pg. 42).
Camille Llossa writer Camille is new to the Travis family, nevertheless, she wrote the kick-ass article about the Student Union. Her mission was to figure out what the student union is all about and what they do to help students. Turn to page 22 to find out!
Ryan Grant head trainer + coach Ryan Grant, the head trainer and coach of the Grant Brothers Boxing and MMA Gym in Toronto, let us shoot our UFB photo shoot at the gym. While we were there we got a great look at what a UFC-level training facility looks like. Check out the shots on page 32, and thier site: www.grantbrothersmma.com
Special Thanks Ryan Grant, Kevin Bryan, Chuck Erman, MC Lancelot, DJ Wristspect, T-Rexxx Office Oakville Campus 1430 Trafalgar Road, Oakville, ON 905.845.9430 ext.2300 travismag.com @travismag
Steph Martyniuk photographer Steph spent the summer at an internship in New York City’s meat packing district. But she still made time to come back and give our fashion section an overhaul, in conjunction with Luis Mora, a fellow Travis photog. Take a look on page 40, you might even see some familiar faces!
Cover
contents
Volume Six, issue One
20
Mature Student by Tania MacWilliam
22
Who the Hell Is...
26
Travis Challenge
31
Q&A
32
UFB: Ultimate Frosh Bash
40
Morning Must Haves
by Camille Llosa
PHOTOGRAPHY
Luis Mora DESIGN
Tyler Doupe Make sure to follow us on the world wide web at travismag. com or on that stupid twitter site at twitter.com/travismag. Please understand if you follow us, we will stalk you. No joke.
by Riley Wignall
by Bryan Myers
by Bryan Myers
by Bryan Myers
42
Random Words
by Chris D'Alessandro
MONTRÉAL • QUÉBEC CITY • NEW YORK CITY NEW ORLEANS • PANAMA CITY BEACH • DAYTONA LAS VEGAS • CARIBBEAN • EUROPE
Your school’s officially approved on campus tour company!
ALL
99 Yorkville Ave, Suite 212, Toronto, Ontario M5R 3K5 • Telephone: 416.928.3227 • Fax: 416.922.0869
Ont. Reg 2970024
Connect With Your Sheridan SU Health & Dental Plan TAKE A GOOD LOOK Look closely at your Plan and you’ll notice that eye exams, eyeglasses or contact lenses, and laser eye surgery are covered. Now that’s seeing 20/20!
In addition to vision care coverage, your SU Health & Dental Plan covers you for things like prescription drugs, vaccinations, health practitioners, dental care and travel coverage. These are all important health-care services that aren’t covered by provincial plans like OHIP. Your Plan’s collective approach to health makes preventive care more accessible and affordable, while also covering you for the unexpected.
The Member Services Centre is there to assist you from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm on weekdays. Toll-free: 1 866 358-4430
ihaveaplan.ca
Editor's Letter A few short days after we wrapped up the first brainstorming meeting for this issue, my girlfriend and I loaded up my (grandma’s) car and embarked on a month-long road trip across the continent to attend two of the largest music festivals in North America: Sasquatch and Bonnaroo. While the festivals were spectacular (and gloriously dirty), it was the journey that was the most memorable. We drove down California’s Highway One, camped at the edge of the Grand Canyon, climbed a mountain in Banff, and even found time to be in the audience of The Price is Right in Hollywood. Feel free to read about all of this and more in detail on the Travis Blog (travismag.com). It took some time once we got home to adjust to stationary living. Our wardrobes no longer come out of the trunk of the car, snacks aren’t conveniently an arm’s length away from the driver, and writing can’t be put off indefinitely. After a week or two of playing Donkey Kong Country on my girlfriend’s couch, it was time to get organized. Organized and determined, like Riley, who is training for a 10k run (Travis Challenge on page 26). I dusted off my notebooks, and corkboard, and finally caved to start using Google Calendar effectively. At present, I’m shakily organized, only a few days on the organization wagon, but I’m convinced I’ll be able to maintain it. The theme of this issue (The Comeback Issue) is photographer Kevin Bryan’s unknowing contribution. As we were sitting in the SU office one day, he told me that he heard a rumour that the Frosh Week band was Death From Above 1979, who made a huge comeback this summer along with countless other bands. Other people heard this rumour too, undoubtedly from Kevin. Well, they aren’t playing at Sheridan this year, Down With Webster did. Which was great, except for the fact that they aren’t making a comeback because they really haven’t left yet. We made it though, and came up with a lot of other cool comebacks (like Tania McWilliam's article on Mature Students, page 20). As we sat in the disinfectant-scented studio in Television City, California, Drew Carey took an unexpected moment to talk about goals and the importance of having and setting them. It seemed a little ironic as we waited for people to bid on popcorn makers and brand new cars, but in retrospect he’d made an interesting point. Whether it’s training for a 10k race or a second career or even driving across the country, goals are what drive us to do great things.
Amount of books the average Canadian reads per year: 19
CELL
Amount of books Bryan has already read this year Current read: Cell by Stephen King
CELL
He has read all 7 Harry Potter books, which amounts to the average 13 books. excluding the Harry Potter books
the CORRECTIONS Jonathan Franzen
Longest book read: The Corrections at 609 pages
OF MICE AND MEN
Shortest book read: Of Mice and Men at 103 pages
5 / 48
UFB: Ultimate Frosh Bash
written by Bryan Myers photography by Luis Mora
travismag.com / @travismag
UFB: Ultimate Frosh Bash
27 / 48
irst impressions aren’t anything to go on. When I first meet DJ Wristspect and his MC, Sir Lancelot, both of them wordlessly glance up from their cell-phones to look at me before returning their attention to their phones. A couple hours later, and Lancelot is buying a round of praline milkshakes that the burger joint staff has firmly stated couldn’t be done. That kind of convincing should speak for the level of MC I’m in the presence of. Ultimately, those kinds of people skills are a tool of the trade. We’re shooting the cover of this issue at the Grant Brothers Boxing and MMA Gym in Toronto. It’s a pretty sweet location. We have gathered in the back part of the gym by a full-size boxing ring that reminds me of the one on the Rocky films, and in front of an MMA cage, that might as well be the one that UFC fights go down in. In the main section of the gym, three guys are training, punching pads, and dancing around like boxers do. It’s an experience, that’s for sure. DJ Wristspect is from Oakville, about a ten-minute drive away from the school. Just looking at him today, he doesn’t let on that he’s an international act. And by international, I don’t mean Canada and the US. International means places like China, Europe, South America, and North America. He’s performed in countless venues, one of which being the Playboy Mansion. So far this sounds like a pretty exciting lifestyle. Getting to spend time travelling the world, playing in exclusive venues, doing what you love. And for the most part it is. But Wristspect explains that being a DJ isn’t just fun and games. Today, Wristspect admits he went to bed around five and had to get up at seven to Skype with some overseas clients. A large portion of his day is spent arranging meetings, finding new music, setting up and dismantling equipment, and preparing for shows, all just leading up to those few hours where he is in control of the music. So what does Wristspect sound like? He’ll sound like whatever you want him to, essentially. His varied taste in music allows him to cater to crowds young and old. Depending on the demographic Wristspect could play just about anything. “A chart-hit in North America may not work for European audiences,” says Wristspect, “even a hit in Toronto might not move people on the West coast.” Wristspect admits he listens to a healthy mix of house, jazz, hip-hop, 60s, 70s, and classics. The trick seems to be finding a way to tie elements of different genres together to
put on a seamless show. Wristspect tells me that a big challenge as a DJ is to be the first to turn people on to a new song, especially one that’s going to be big. I can understand this sentiment, music can be pretty personal, a lot of songs on your iPod are there because of the personal connection you have with whoever turned you on to a certain band or act. Being a DJ means having the opportunity to spread music to a larger audience. Instead of the introduction of a song being a one-on-one experience, DJ aims to have a similar effect over a lot of people. When you really like a song, you want to share it, and being a DJ means you’re in control of what songs are going to get played, and trying to make that connection to the audience. “I try to find a way to make things that I think are cool, cool to other people,” says Wristspect. MC Lancelot has a similar story to Wristspect. For those who don’t know, MC means Master of Ceremonies, but the letters have
come to signify a lot of other titles, from Microphone Controller, to someone who “moves the crowd”. Recipient of the 2011 Canadian Club MC of the Year, Lancelot has turned his love of music and entertainment into a full-time career. As with Wristspect, being an MC is no slack job, it’s a business that operates seemingly around the clock. “It’s a career that I never thought would be a reality,” says Lancelot. He shows me a variety of clips from shows he’s MC’ed. Parties that look wild, packed rooms with excited looking crowds. It’s what you’d expect from a guy who’s hosted parties for the likes of Google and Blackberry. Last year, Lancelot opened for the one and only: Justin Bieber. Eventually, the conversation strays from what the life of an MC and DJ are like to music in general.
Lancelot talks about what it is that Wristspect does. When it comes to DJing, the DJ mixes in a new song every minute to minute and a half and that means Lancelot's job is to smooth over those spots. “I’ve got to have something to say every two minutes, and factor in birthday requests,” says Lancelot, “my brain is working so hard that I’m sweating.” Last, and certainly not least, is T-Rexxx, the host of Much Music’s Rapcity, and a huge personality who will be hosting the Ultimate Frosh Bash (UFB… get it?) at the Davis Campus.
T-Rexxx is the co-founder of One Love TO, a charity organization that celebrates diversity, as well as ConcreteHoops.com, an organization that helps youths get involved in basketball worldwide. T-Rexxx has spent a decade following his passions and working with charities and organizations that he truly believes in. It’s only fitting that he’d be the one to revive Much Music’s Rapcity, an outlet for Canadian hip-hop. Hope you had a great time at UFB #1! Who do you want to see at UFB #2? Let us know @travismag and @Sheridan_ SSUI, #SheridanUFB. t
TRAVIS MAG TEASER Keep your eyes peeled for the full issue to hit stands in the next few weeks.
travismag.com / @travismag