Music: Then and Now

Interview with Venus Fest founder Aerin Fogel who talks about the online festival hosted this year by Sook-Yin Lee, the Mentorship Program applications available Monday September 21st (program begins week of October 5th), the conference, town halls including Is Change Happening? focused on the push for inclusive representation. Lineup includes Lido Pimienta, Ansley Simpson, Wild Black, and Ceréna Sierra as well as videos, artist interviews, panels, a town hall, and mentorship sessions. Visual videos are curated by Dainesha Nugent-Palache, Caroline Monnet, Jamiyla Lowe, Lido Pimienta, Mohammad Rezaei, Monica Berger, queer anishinaabe artist Natalie King, Vanessa Rieger, video editing by Brittany Farhat, and graphic design and visual concept by Misbah Ahmed. Venus Fest staff have received safer space training with the Dandelion Initiative, which is a organization that focuses on Gender-Based Violence Prevention, Response, Education, policy development, survivor support, workshops to better support our community. https://www.dandelioninitiative.ca/ Venus Fest is sponsored by Factor, Ontario Creates, SOCAN, Music Ontario, and The Ontario Arts Council as well as partnered with POP Montreal. Collage with photos of BBES, Aerin Fogel, Natalie King, and Jordan B. Wright created by Tania Willems Videos will premiere via YouTube and Facebook livestream October 1st, 8PM EST: Lido Pimienta, Hand Habits, Ansley Simpson October 2nd, 8PM EST: U.S. Girls, Black Belt Eagle Scout, Wild Black, Ceréna Sierra Aerin Fogel photo by @threecrownsbranding Progress Flag by John Tlamacki Boston Globe Cover Art Design by Tania Willems

Nibi is a love song for the water. Nibi translates to water in Anishinaabemowin. Maddie Resmer, a camper at O:se Kenhionhata:tie Landback Camp, speaks about water which is such a huge burden in Indigenous Communities to some degree; having to constantly fight for clean water. To protect water and to be able to use water which is part of traditional lands in traditional ways; to fish in the water, collect water from natural springs and streams to use.   When singing Nibi, as much as it is singing praise and love for the water that is around us, it is also a call for hope to a lot of the communities that don't have that access to clean water and are still fighting for protection of their waters.When we say water is life we really mean that in the literal sense. - Maddie Resmer Photo by Erik O'Neill Cover Art by Tania Willems Support: https://www.landbackcamp.com/get_involved

Since June 20 activists have taken back a small piece of the park in Victoria Park. Historically this was a gathering space for many nations; they built up a youth camp there prior to National Indigenous People's Day. Shawn Johnston, Amy Smoke, and Terre Chartrand all being two-spirit; Amy discusses how amazing it is to see the youth that showed up to help, to participate who mostly identify as two spirit, queer, non-binary, and trans looking for safe spaces to reclaim their culture. These activists and campers have reclaimed the land since then in Victoria Park, Kitchener, Waterloo. Photo in background by Erik O'Neill Cover Art by Tania Willems Visit website to support:

Leroy and Keith discuss their song ADA Story addressing the Americans with Disabilities Act. From Harvard to The Whitney Museum to media engagement for disability in Johannesburg South Africa, Leroy Moore has more than twenty years of activism, journalism, writing; lecturing on race and disability. Moore is one of the founding members of National Black Disability Coalition and activist around police brutality against people with disabilities. Krip-Hop Nation’s Mission is to educate the music, media industries and general public about the talents, history, rights and marketability of Hip-Hop artists and other musicians with disabilities. Krip-Hop was founded by Leroy F. Moore Jr. an African American writer and activist with cerebral palsy who wanted  to use rap culture as a way to reclaim negative language associated with disability. Krip-Hop Logo Cool V Cover Art Design by Tania Willems

Krip-Hop Nation’s main objective is to get the musical talents of hip-hop artists with disabilities into the hands of media outlets, educators, and hip-hop, disabled and race scholars, youth, journalists and hip-hop conference coordinators. Keith Jones of Krip-Hop Nation addresses politicians stance on Disability Justice. According to the world health organizations estimates 12-15% of the population has a disability which is 1 billion people. Krip-Hop was founded by Leroy F. Moore Jr. an African American writer and activist with cerebral palsy who wanted  to use rap culture as a way to reclaim negative language associated with disability. Photographer Leroy in suit by Pamela Juhl Photographer Keith & Leroy by Alice Wong Logo in background by Cool V  Cover Art Design by Tania Willems

Krip-Hop Nation’s Mission is to educate the music, media industries and general public about the talents, history, rights and marketability of Hip-Hop artists and other musicians with disabilities. Krip-Hop was founded by Leroy F. Moore Jr. an African American writer and activist with cerebral palsy who wanted  to use rap culture as a way to reclaim negative language associated with disability. From Harvard to The Whitney Museum to media engagement for disability in Johannesburg South Africa, Leroy Moore has more than twenty years of activism, journalism, writing; lecturing on race and disability. Moore is one of the founding members of National Black Disability Coalition and activist around police brutality against people with disabilities. Rising Phoenix with Keith Jones: Krip-Hop Logo by Cool V Cover Art Design by Tania Willems

Rosheeka Parahoo completed her Master's degree in Musicology at the University of Western Ontario supervised by Pop Musicologist, Dr. Norma Coates. Rosheeka discusses her thesis work which focuses on unfolding the ways in which we understand and portray queerness in popular music. She hopes to bring a new and fresh perspective to queer studies as well as musicology and make these fields more accessible to the public. Cover Art Design by Tania Willems

"Queerbaiting" is a term used to described the use of queer elements or queer characters in a variety of movies, media, or music in order to appeal to the queer community, but without explicitly allowing queerness to thrive. It also reduces it only to the sexual aspect of it; there's no relationship, no falling in love, or actual story. "Dykesploitation" refers to the lack of butch women of gender queer non-binary folks when comes to female queer relationships in the media. Rosheeka discusses the first instance of an extreme depiction of queerness; how mainstream culture views queerness. She asks what are the big events that major news stations and people who have no experience with queer communities that they are getting their impression of queer people from? The first thing that comes to mind is Pride Parades. Cover Art Design by Tania Willems

Gaga fans sometimes observe that her concerts are more queer positive than your annual Queer Pride Parade. She is actually creating queer safer spaces. She's doing it in such a fantastic way; that's the commonality she has with Ziggy Stardust because she's continuing that legacy. Pride events are huge events which not everyone feels comfortable going to. What Bowie and Gaga have achieved in the greater scheme is creating a sonic space for inclusion; a way to trust, to cooperate, to laugh with, and to share music with a complete stranger knowing that they hold no prejudice over who you are as a queer person. Queer is all encompassing; as a trans guy it can talk about both my sexuality and my gender. Cover Art Design by Tania Willems

Rosheeka Parahoo speaks about the distinction between Identity and Performance When you're talking about identity and performance; if it was Ziggy coming out was it just a performance or was it an identity of how Bowie felt...? Nobody ever asks "When did you realize you were straight? Why are you straight?" If identity is something you feel internally, there's no way for people to know that because it's something you feel. How Lady Gaga unifies her fans is through her sense of belonging Rosheeka Parahoo discusses the article "Diva Worship and The Sonic Search for Queer Utopia" by Craig Jennex Cover Art Design by Tania Willems

Selam Debs is an Ethiopian-Canadian who was born in Amman, Jordan, grew up in the projects of Regent Park & Scarborough, a mother of a teen boy, the owner of Juici Yoga studios in Waterloo, a yoga & meditation teacher, a Lululemon Ambassador, a Holistic Life Coach, Reiki Master, singer, songwriter, and poet. Selam مرحبا Debs is inspiring many including her own son Jaleel who is an advocate and spoken word artist speaking up about the importance of black lives. Selam talks about the pride and challenges of having a young black teen who is active on social media and starting his own podcast. Selam in Arabic & languages spoken in Eithiopia/Eritrea means peace. Selam is most passionate about advocating for the rights of people of colour, the upliftment of black voices, and the importance of educating communities on racial inequality, diversity, inclusivity and social justice. Photograph of Selam Debs by Tyler Slaney Cover Art Design by Tania Willems Selam Debs is the Owner & Director of Juici Yoga studio and creator of

Selam discusses Black, Indigenous, People of Color, and Caribbean people; the incredible things they are doing within our communities. Black Lives Matter bringing the message of defunding the police to the people who need to hear it. Seeing a shift with thousands of people feeling like the issues around Black Lives; that they matter. This is largest Civil Rights Movement in History with all 50 states and 18 Countries protesting. Photograph courtesy of Selam Debs by Tyler Slaney Cover Art Design by Tania Willems

Selam Debs speaks about the trauma from the violence against black people and BLM protests. Selam helped organize a Black Lives Matter march hoping for 30 people to show up and then 36,000 people showed up in Kitchener, Waterloo to protest and support Black Lives. Selam Debs teaches anti-racism courses online and is the creator of selamdebs.com Photograph of Selam Debs by Tyler Slaney Cover Art Design by Tania Willems

Selam مرحبا Debs amplifying the voices of black, indigenous, and people of color and re-educating our community to have conversations about race so that it is no longer hidden. Waking people up to the anti-racism collective community. Selam talks about the Indigenous Landback Camp in Kitchener area, the Victoria Park area, asking for specific land to create ceremonies and support systems for indigenous youth. Selam Debs is an Ethiopian-Canadian who was born in Amman, Jordan, grew up in the projects of Regent Park & Scarborough, a mother of a teen boy, the owner of Juici Yoga studios in Waterloo, a yoga & meditation teacher, a Lululemon Ambassador, a Holistic Life Coach, Reiki Master, singer, songwriter, and poet. Selam مرحبا in Arabic & languages spoken in Eithiopia/Eritrea means peace. Selam is most passionate about advocating for the rights of people of colour, the upliftment of black voices, and the importance of educating communities on racial inequality, diversity, inclusivity and social justice. Selam Debs is the Owner & Director of Juici Yoga studio and creator of Photograph of Selam Debs by Tyler Slaney Cover Art Design by Tania Willems

Selam مرحبا Debs is inspiring many including her own son Jaleel who is an advocate and spoken word artist speaking up about the importance of black lives. Selam talks about the pride and challenges of having a young black teen who is active on social media and starting his own podcast. Selam Debs is an Ethiopian-Canadian who was born in Amman, Jordan, grew up in the projects of Regent Park & Scarborough, a mother of a teen boy, the owner of Juici Yoga studios in Waterloo, a yoga & meditation teacher, a Lululemon Ambassador, a Holistic Life Coach, Reiki Master, singer, songwriter, and poet. Selam in Arabic & languages spoken in Eithiopia/Eritrea means peace. Selam is most passionate about advocating for the rights of people of colour, the upliftment of black voices, and the importance of educating communities on racial inequality, diversity, inclusivity and social justice. Selam Debs is the Owner & Director of Juici Yoga studio and creator of Photograph courtesy of Selam Debs by Tyler Slaney Cover Art Design by Tania Willems

This episode takes a closer look at black female DJ's who are unapologetically disrupting Toronto's music industry. It examines how these DJ’s are paving the way for a generation of women and LGBTQ people, previously excluded from the social and cultural norms of the hip-hop world. Sarafina McIntosh is a Creative Director, filmmaker and a contributor to Radio One Hip-Hop Detroit. Along with Demi Valentine and Sunita Miya-muganza, McIntosh co directed the documentary Badassery. Her love for music inspired her to chronicle the experiences of women in Hip-Hop in her debut documentary. Sarafina realizes the influence that music has, to create dialogue, evoke change and provide healing. She will continue to use film, journalism, and music to bring about impactful change. Badassery: rule breakers, risk takers, authentic, and uncompromising This incredible new documentary is available on Vimeo Cover art design Tania Willems

Taking a closer look at black female DJ's who are unapologetically disrupting Toronto's music industry. It examines how these DJ’s are paving the way for a generation of women and LGBTQ people, previously excluded from the social and cultural norms of the hip-hop world. Sarafina McIntosh is a Creative Director, filmmaker and a contributor to Radio One Hip-Hop Detroit. Her love for music inspired her to chronicle the experiences of women in Hip-Hop in her debut documentary. Sarafina realizes the influence that music has, to create dialogue, evoke change and provide healing. She will continue to use film, journalism, and music to bring about impactful change. Cover art design Tania Willems

Ember 子玉 Swift is a Canadian musician and writer who has been living in Beijing, China since 2008. She addresses the unjust racism China has faced, the challenges of being bisexual or pansexual, and a preview of songs from her upcoming album, and will soon be releasing her new book. Ember has released 12 albums and continues to have a loyal fan base across many national borders. Ember speaks Mandarin and is a student of Chinese culture; her music melds these two traditions. Ember has a daughter called Echo (国如一) and a son called Topaz or “Paz” (国世龙). Specifically known for her unique, jazz-influenced guitar playing and elastic vocals, additional styles include folk, rock, jazz, swing, R&B, funk, pop, and blues.  Photo of Ember by Frank Post Music: Then and Now Cover Art by Tania Willems

A little taste of upcoming episode with Ember 子玉 Swift a Canadian musician and writer who has been living in Beijing, China since 2008. She addresses the unjust racism China has faced, the challenges of being bisexual or pansexual, and a preview of songs from her upcoming album, and her new book. Ember has released 12 albums and continues to have a loyal fan base across many national borders. Ember speaks Mandarin and is a student of Chinese culture; her music melds these two traditions. Ember has a daughter called Echo (国如一) and a son called Topaz or “Paz” (国世龙). Specifically known for her unique, jazz-influenced guitar playing and elastic vocals, additional styles include folk, rock, jazz, swing, R&B, funk, pop, and blues.  Photo in background by Frank Post Cover Art by Tania Willems

Urvah Khan عروه خان is a Canadian Pakistani punk rock performer who has honed her craft in Toronto since 2010. She has developed a unique hybrid sound, fusing heavy rock with South Asian, hip hop & world sounds which she calls Scrap Rock. Khan’s music has been featured on BBC radio and she has performed at numerous festivals and venues in Toronto, LA and the UK. She created ScrapFest Muslim Pride online during quarantine to celebrate muslim queer and trans folks.  ScrapFest is a multicultural, immigrant friendly performance series showcasing alternative artists with varied geopolitical backgrounds and a common outsider perspective. ScrapFest seeks to bridge cultural differences by showcasing artists with a shared queer inclusive narrative. Since its debut in 2019, ScrapFest has collaborated with the Sur Sangum Foundation, Institute of Islamic studies (From the University of Toronto), El-Tawhid Juma Circle & QTBIPOC Sauga to produce Queer + Trans + Muslim + POC empowered events. June 2020 also marked the debut of ‘ISHQ- Muslim Pride’ virtual event presented in collaboration with ScrapFest. The show featured various Queer + Trans Muslim musicians, drag acts and poets. Mid 2020 Covid-19 Pandemic, the show entertains and leaves an enlightening experience for the future to look back at. Cover art by Tania Willems