Hey Rosetta!

I love discovering new sounds , especially if they're coming from Canadian bands. My friend was playing the latest Hey Rosetta CD the other day and I took quite a liking to them. The breakout indie rock band from St. Johns, Newfoundland has been around from a couple years now so I'm a bit ashamed to say I only found out about them recently :(

Some of their influences include The Beatles, Jeff Buckley, Arcade Fire and Hope of the State. They were selling out concerts at the Horseshoe Tavern in Toronto long ago, but Hey Rosetta! gained even more recognition after the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympic Games. Their song Red Heart was featured in the main montage celebrating Canadian pride across the nation.

The band released their third album titled Seeds in February of this year. Lead singer, Tim Baker, explained in an interview what the album name and title track was all about stating,"...the idea is that we are seeds, traveling from town to town, blowing around, settling down here and there, trying to make something for people", and that "the songs are seeds ... they’re these little things –- four and five minute things — but they have the ability to grow in your brain and be far more meaningful than just what they are."

This album is definitely worth a listen and my ears have already voted Yer Spring and Welcome as favourite tracks. Although both are pretty catchy, I decided to post Red Song on my blog because I love the home made video oh so much. It's simple, romantic and reminds me of what my parents must have been like back in the day.

Road trips, picking berries, picnics and swimming in the lake all seem like things they would have done together when they were young. Whenever I rummage through old photographs of them, I find these beautiful captured moments of my mom sitting on the edge of a canoe with lilies in her hair while my hip dad plays guitar. They used to go on these camping trips with ONLY a guitar and canoe at times. Instead of a tent, they would lean the canoe lengthwise against a tree to sleep under it. I've even seen pictures of them sunbathing on enormous rocks overlooking the lake, somewhat like the picnic scene in the music video.

They have always enjoyed spending time together in the outdoors, so it's no surprise they recently purchased a log cabin all the way up north to retire in. Friends of theirs have expressed concern though, and many are worried my parents may become bored in such a secluded area. My parents however, are more excited than kids in a candy store. They eagerly await boating and fishing their days away. They're actually hoping they won't get many visitors dropping by, so they can spend even more time together.

People often tell me I live in a fantasy land when it comes to the topic of love. I understand a long-lasting and happy marriage is on the verge of extinction, but by growing up in my household, it's difficult to be cynical about it all. My parents are lovers, best friends and just celebrated their 34th anniversary last week. I think they'll be quite content spending their retirement years out in the middle of nowhere because all they really need is one another. In the meantime, i'll continue living in fantasy land.

In With The Old

It was another hard day at the office for me. This whole gig of trying on beautiful clothes and working with extremely fun photographers is really difficult sometimes. In case you didn't catch on - I'm being sarcastic :)

Awhile back I modelled a series of vintage outfits for photographer Michelle Belsky. The shoot was styled and photographed in studio. Pieces included fitted blazers with high shoulder pads, Parisian silk dresses and high-waisted pleated pants to name a few.

I adore wearing vintage pieces in my daily wardrobe. I often mix and match vintage and new clothing to create an original outfit. The materials are rich and high quality and I can rest assured I will never show up to an event with the same outfit as anyone else.

Viva la vintage!

P.S. Thank you for all the "likes" this received on Tumblr.

Neon Black

Voila! Officially released last night - Neon Black by the Candy Coated Killahz.

Behind the Scenes

In less than 24 hours, MuchMusic will premiere the Candy Coated Killahz music video to their lead single titled Neon Black. I am ecstatic to have been included in this futuristic video and it's always a pleasure being surrounded by such talented and creative people.

The dynamic duo showcasing urban electro-pop has been hailed by the Globe and Mail as one of the bands responsible for Toronto's emergence as an "electronic music capital". Having already jammed with The Roots, The Gza (of Wu Tang Clan), Pitbull and The Cool Kids, CCK also had their 2009 debut single Playboy appear in a movie and several TV series in North America.

As one of the industry's few female producers, classically trained pianist and multi instrumentalist Tasha Schumann is the frontgirl of the group. Her candy coated partner in crime, Michael Ayodeji Akinlabi (also known as Icon the Anamoli), offers a great deal of artistic edge with his vocals, eclectic dance moves and a background in animation and game design.

The music video that everyone will be talking about is directed by Alon Isocianu. By incorporating a plethora of metallic costumes, wild hair and daring makeup the characters of this video easily fit into a world of flashy buildings and flying cars. Hairstylist Grant Butterworth had no boundaries when it came to my hairdo. He insisted on platinum blond extensions with a heavy set of bangs covering my eyes. The look was topped off with fetish tape wrapped around my head. I could barely see a thing during the whole shoot and was extra cautious when stepping over all the wires on set.

Despite my impaired vision, I was one of the dancers in the club scene. Some may even notice that Tasha gives me a little nudge as she and Icon are walking through the crowd. To let readers in on a little secret - the club scene with hundreds of ravers was actually only filmed with eight dancers in front of a green backdrop. After multiplying all of the dancers a few times over and digitally adding the background, it created the craziest party spot possible. The dancers were specifically asked to use lots of arm movements, which had me busting moves I wouldn't dare unveil even after a few extra cocktails. I bet the cast had a good laugh, not that I could tell for sure due to my lack of vision with the extremely long bangs and all.

Listen and love Candy Coated Killahz and I'm certain your heart will go Neon Black just as mine has. Below are some behind-the-scenes shots courtesy of photographer Michelle Belsky.

To Do List

Today is devoted to working on my To Do List, catching up on e-mails and doing lots and lots of research on Laura Calder - author, chef and host of Food Network Canada. I will be sitting in on Calder's front page photo shoot and interviewing her Thursday for Chloe Magazine.

She is quite an amazing woman and I just know that writing a feature article on her will be loads of fun! OK gypsies, back to work for me. I want my DONE pile to look a little better than the one pictured below by the end of the day. Happy Tuesday xo

Happy Long Weekend

Hi friends! Hope everyone is having a wonderful long weekend. There's one more day off to go out and enjoy beautiful snow-covered Toronto. I highly recommend venturing to one of the many outdoor public skating venues. I recently went on a spur-of-the-moment late night skate downtown at Nathan Phillips Square.

Now I'm no Joannie Rochette, however my company, the grand atmosphere of being nestled in the heart of the city surrounded by lights and tall buildings and of course Batman made it a perfect way to spend the evening. That's right I said Batman because there just so happened to be an older gentleman on the ice dressed in a full Batman costume and in full superhero character I might add. He had no skates on, but I assumed by watching him glide across the ice in his boots with his long cape trailing behind, he must have been hired by the rink for entertainment purposes. Not only was he extremely theatrical, he made sure to help all the rookie skaters back up on their feet after some tumbles.

The best part of this story comes only after I returned my rental skates and asked about Batman. The rink attendant had absolutely no idea what I was talking about as the venue only hires Santa's to skate around with the public during the holiday season.

This made me think - superhero on a call of duty or strange man with possible mental issues? I suggest children be supervised during public skating at all times...

Model For A Day

Ever wonder what the world would be like if everyone did what they were passionate about for a living? It seems like such a simple thing and yet I'm always so surprised to learn at how many people are stuck in occupations they absolutely despise. I'm a firm believer that in order to be successful at anything in life (sports, relationships or a career) one must be passionate about it. I applaud all those brave enough to follow their dreams and start doing what they love. No one should wake up every morning and dread going to work.

Michelle Belsky is a woman who made those changes. Quitting her steady and safe job in the finance industry, Belsky pursued her love for photography. She is currently living and working on an overwhelming amount of creative projects in Toronto . She's collaborated with top modeling agencies around the city to shoot fashion editorials, catalogues, creatives and studio work. She's also teamed up with actors and musicians and some of her most recent work includes behind-the-scenes shooting for top music videos.

So when Belsky asked a certain blogging gypsy to be involved with various projects she had on the go, I was more than happy to join in. Months ago we sat down and discussed inspirations for a shoot over cappuccinos. The next day we were on location and Belsky began putting those plans into motion. Being my second photo shoot ever, I started off a bit shy in front of the camera. However, with some professional direction, great communication and the general relaxed vibe Belsky brings to the table, it wasn't long before I felt comfortable in front of that canon 24-70mm L series lens.

For the first series of photographs, I wore an over sized men's dress shirt with my hair pulled back into a messy bun. Natural sunlight was used to capture a soft morning feel while I posed in the window sill of a loft. The next series of photos were taken in a kitchen wearing a vintage sequined dress with high shoulder pads and exposed back. The dress and Belsky's idea of having the shoot in a kitchen were brilliant. Wearing a fabulous evening dress in the least expected of places was such a unique idea.

Since this shoot, she's asked me to be involved with other projects and I made sure to clear my schedule. We've worked on a vintage clothing shoot in studio, an industrial-inspired shoot as well as a music video which is currently being edited and will showcase on MuchMusic these coming months. Don't worry readers, I'll include these projects on my blog as soon as I can.

Here are a few pics from our first photo shoot!

Goodbye Movember

Mustaches are the new black. They've been growing rampantly every which way you look this month and all for a good cause.

In the month of Movember, formerly known as November, men grow mustaches to help raise money and awareness for men's health. This charity is worldwide and groups of men even create teams within their regions to see who can raise the most money for growing a full-fledged stash.

I've never been a big fan of facial hair, until now. It's becoming extremely trendy for young and old men to grow mustaches and beards at the moment. I think it gives them a really distinguished and mature look, yet shows they're a bit rough around the edges. The hairy trend has also been making its way to memorabilia as people sport the mark of Movember on T-shirts, coffee mugs, necklaces and even permanent tattoos. Who knew facial hair could be so influential?

I'm not ready to accept this as the last day of mustache mania though. So I hold onto hope that most Movember participants will keep their facial hair for the trend sake of it. Farewell Movember, hello Decembeard anyone?

Film Festival continued

I realize I'm a bit behind on this post, however I still had to include my grand adventures during the Toronto International Film Festival this year. Here are some of the events I attended during TIFF and some of the wonderful people I was lucky enough to bump into.

ALLIANCE FILMS PARTY

My first TIFF event got me hooked. Held at South of Temperance in the midst of the hustle and bustle of downtown, this red carpet event was packed with industry names on a strict guest list. With an open bar and chefs serving gourmet snacks, miniature hot dogs and a trolley full of gelato, it was pretty easy to have a fun-filled night .

The majority of party goers were from California, but everyone seemed to have the same love for Toronto as I do. I met Charles Heaphy and his colleagues from City National Bank who were scoping out TIFF films to finance. They were very friendly and I was happy to spend more time with them at Nikki Beach and the CAA party just days later. I left the event with friends to pursue an after hours lounge called Fubar. One of the wonderful things about TIFF is almost all restaurants and lounges are open and serving until 4 am. We made sure to grab gift bags on our way out which included chocolate, cookies, various gift cards, designer makeup kits, Stella Artois glass sets and much more.

From left - Nikki, Charles Heaphy (Senior Vice President, Entertainment Division, City National Bank) & colleagues.

The amazing gelato trolley

FOCUS FEATURES PARTY

The next day I ventured to the Focus Features event held at Brassaii. I enjoyed the party with two very close girlfriends, Nikki and Paula, and a great network of people from Apple including Michael Huntsman. A very special thank you goes out to my friend, Michael, for providing us with fake names to get into the event that night. Everyone sipped on vodka water bar limes made with pomegranate vodka. They tasted exactly like a liquid form of sour tart candy which was a little dangerous as the beverage went down too smooth. The chef also convinced me to try decadent brownies displayed on a tray of sweets and ice cream. After he explained they were made with one of the finest chocolates of the world, I knew I had to try it for myself. He didn't exactly have to twist my arm on that one.

Everyone had a blast playing around and joking on the red carpet. Inside guests filled out comment cards with personal funny stories. They could then describe the story in detail and on camera in the spirit of the film It's Kind of a Funny Story starring Zach Galifianakis .

Left - Nikki, Paula and I arriving at the Focus Features party

Right - Nikki and Paula holding up their "It's Kind of a Funny Story" comment card

Left - Michael Huntsman (the face of Apple) and I

Right - Joking around on the red carpet. These girls are hilarious and I always have the best time with them.

NIKKI BEACH

Later that night our group hit Nikki Beach. Despite being a major city, Toronto doesn't officially have a Nikki Beach. For those of you reading and new to this club concept, Nikki Beach is the ultimate beach club where dining, fashion, music and entertainment combine to create the ultimate party. This club is internationally known and enjoyed in major cities including Miami Beach, Saint-Tropez, Saint Barths, Marbella, Cabo San Lucas, Marrakech, Koh Samui, and New York City. It has even been deemed “The Sexiest Place on Earth” by the London Observer. Having experienced Nikki Beach in St. Tropez and Miami, I was anxious to see what my city had to offer when Toronto annually transforms C Lounge into Nikki Beach for TIFF. The venue had indoor and outdoor cabanas and a beautiful pool lined with palm trees.

Once inside I was introduced to Oscar-winning producer, Nicolas Chartier. When I found out he was originally from Paris, we had a long chat in French about life and his film, The Hurt Locker. I was quick to notice his down-to-earth demeanor and was fascinated once he explained his story. He told me his life had drastically changed after The Hurt Locker reached stardom. Once a janitor in Paris who lived a very modest life, he took an extremely large risk and mortgaged his house on the film. His talents and risk were luckily rewarded when his film was a success. He now lives a completely different lifestyle in LA with much more income than the average janitor would earn. The Hurt Locker was nominated for nine Academy Awards and won six including Best Picture and Best Director, but it was Chartier's modest and grounded persona that I was most impressed with.

I asked if we could get a picture together, but he gracefully declined as the producer has had his share of negative press including being banned from the Oscars for breaking Academy rules. The great conversation still continued, but I've had to include a picture of Chartier accepting his BAFTA award, as apposed to one of us at Nikki Beach.

The Hurt Locker producers (from left) - Mark Boal, Kathryn Bigelow, Greg Shapiro & Nicolas Chartier

CAA EVENT

Sunday night was devoted to the CAA party which was held in Yorkville under a large white tent. It had the best dance floor of TIFF parties I had seen all weekend, but the highlight of the party was definitely the larger-than-life chess set outside. My friends Nikki and Gary Garfinkel, Senior Vice President of Content and Acquisitions for Showtime Networks, put their chess skills to the test. Despite Gary talking a big game, it was Nikki who took home the champion title. I hope Gary brushes up on his chess skills before TIFF 2011.

I was also introduced to Terry Dougas, a very talented producer in Greece, who just so happened to be born in Vancouver. He's produced such films as The Invention of Lying, The Box and Swing Vote to name a few. Dougas, who is currently working on many projects in LA, had a great energy about him. He's so lovely to chat with because he has one of the best sense of humours I've encountered. I wish him all the best in his upcoming endeavors.

Left - Nikki and Gary playing an intense game of chess

Right - Terry Dougas and I

THOMPSON HOTEL

The following weekend, while most of my new friends had left town, I continued with the TIFF celebrations. A loft warming party at my new place was the starter to a wonderful night. My girlfriends and I ended up at Thompson Hotel which has become one of my favourite spots in the city. The hotel features a beautiful main lounge, underground club and rooftop bar. Lindsay and I just so happened to bump into George Hickenlopper, director of Casino Jack. I was shocked and saddened to hear about his recent passing at the end of October. Although we only met for a brief moment, he seemed like such a genuine and interesting individual. He bought Lindsay and I a beverage on the rooftop and told us about his close friendship with Sienna Miller after filming his movie Factory Girl. I know he will be remembered as an outstanding film director and man.

Close friends - Sienna Miller and George Hickenlopper

Rooftop view of Thompson Hotel in Toronto

Lindsay and I on the gorgeous rooftop overlooking Toronto

As a rookie on the TIFF scene, I rate my overall experience as an A ++. I hope to stay in touch with all the amazing people I met and hopefully see them again before next years TIFF approaches.

Local Natives

Sometimes there's a song that cannot escape my repeat button. After a friend played Airplanes for me one night, I was instantly intrigued by the lyrics, melody and calming voices that all I could do was listen to it over and over again. It wasn't long before I was hooked on the up and coming modern worldly folk band, Local Natives. Recently I scored some free tickets to their sold out concert at the Mod Club in Toronto. My repeat button was no longer needed as I had the pleasure of seeing this talented young band perform right before my eyes.

The five piece group from LA delivered just the show Torontonians were anticipating. Although there was word of a broken down tour bus that day and a small mishap at the start of the show when keyboardist Kelcey Ayer announced "Hello Vancouver!", the band still rocked the stage with explosive energy for a rather laid back style of tunes off their debut album, Gorilla Manor. The use of multi instruments including the dual tribal drums were a nice touch. With their catchy melodies and harmonized voices, they left the crowd wanting so much more. Returning to the stage to perform Sun Hands as the encore, fans joined in and sang along to the chorus.

Meeting the band afterward was a treat. They were pretty ecstatic and surprised with how much of a following they continue to get in Toronto. Bassist, Andy Hamm, said he noticed Nikki and I dancing near the front row and I was glad our fierce dance moves didn't go unnoticed that night. We chatted with the rest of the band mates, but then it was time to get to the bottom of who actually created the song I've had on repeat for the last little while.

I was so curious as to who conjured up the lyrics to Airplanes and what the song was actually written about. One of the beautiful things about music is songs are left for individual interpretation. Isn't it interesting that when an artist writes a song for a specific purpose, someone else can use those exact words to relate to their own personal experiences? The band directed me towards Kelcey who told me he wrote the song about the death of his grandfather. To deal with the fact he never got a chance to know his grandfather, he put those emotions into the making of that heartfelt song.

Nikki, Andy, me & Matt

Nikki, Kelcey (the man who wrote Airplanes) and I

As the band moves onto Montreal, Nikki and I instructed them to try a poutine. They had no idea what we were talking about so we explained it was a delicious snack of french fries topped with gravy and fresh cheese curds which was famous in Montreal. Everyone venturing to the city should try one and they promised to give it a go. Overall these Cali boys not only put on a fabulous concert, but they are genuine and easy going people to talk to. They aren't local Canadian natives, but they'll do just fine in my books.

Some of my other favourite songs by this band include...

Who Knows, Who Cares

Cubism Dream

Sun Hands

World News

Here's the song I've been blabbering about!

Oh La La Buckler

I am so thankful to have many men reading and following my blog. When I launched GypsyMe I aspired for the ladies as well as the gentlemen to enjoy my posts. And although I sometimes feature some girlie fluff on my blog, I always make sure to add those masculine touches here and there. This post however is strictly dedicated to all those men who dress to impress. If you like to keep up with the season's most fashionable gear, then look not further because I've found your new favourite store.

During Fashion Week, my friend Michelle and I got pulled into a sassy store event while walking up Queen Street West. Buckler is a menswear brand founded in 2001 by Andrew Buckler - known as a designer who “disregards the universal monotony that plagues menswear”. The label melds roguish American style with British edge which makes for fitted, stylish and comfortable clothing for work or play. For work, Buckler has teamed with Gansevoort Tailors to introduce a line of made-to-measure suiting. As for play, the designer offers traditional guys a chance to look ruggedly handsome in the outdoors.

Buckler currently only has stores in London, New York City and Toronto. Michelle and I loved the 700 Queen Street West location and the event. The store had racks of clothing that party goers could explore while they enjoyed music by a guest DJ and complimentary Champagne all night. They even handed us gift bags with some high end men's products which I will pass onto my brother.

Trendy music, free cocktails and an abundance of great looking men - I guess it pays to be in the right place at the right time.

Me, Michelle and an English chap we met at the event

Voila - Some looks from Buckler's fall 2010 collection. I am a big fan of the boots featured with every outfit. There's something very sexy about a man stomping around in big high topped boots wouldn't you say?

Denim on denim is a very popular look right now. Feel free to pair any coloured pieces of denim together. Wear jeans with a jean shirt, jean vest, jean jacket or go wild and wear all three at the same time!

This line focused on grey and neutral tones.

Doesn't plaid remind everyone of autumn? Plaid is trendy no matter what way you wear it. When the weather cools down wear your favourite button up under a cardigan, add slouch cargo pants tucked into heavy boots and you're set.

This menswear brand captures a polished look while staying true to its signature rocker vibe.

Tip top tailored

These are great street wear looks. A little hat and some boots can instantly add some spice to any ordinary outfit of jeans and a button up.

A fitted sweater under a detailed blazer is a strong look for an evening out on the town or a fancy dinner.