Angela Espinoza

Rise of Dawn

 

any musicians today find fame via
Mes like MySpace, YouTube,

and PureVolume. It’s a smart
route to take, as long as you have a label to
protect your music.

So how do you gain a label without
others stealing your music online? Rise
of Dawn (ROD) is working on that same
quandary.

Lead guitarist Patrick Mihan and lead
singer/rhythm guitarist Matt Di Pomponio
are the original founding members of Rise
of Dawn. Mihan had already learned bass
and guitar through extensive training, while
Di Pomponio’s guitar playing was self
taught. They then searched for a drummer,
and in came Nick Rusby. Rusby had only
been playing for a few months, but proved
to be a quick learner.

It didn’t take long for this passionate
trio of seventeen-year-olds to write their first
song: “Dawn”, written as an introduction for
the band for their audience and themselves.
Mihan stated, “Every time I get together
with the guys, my spine chills. We connect
really well when we write.” The group
has managed to complete almost 40 songs
after being together just over a year, with
many “personal experiences and political
reasons” influencing their lyrics. The boys
are picking out the best for an upcoming

 

 

2010 EP.

ROD is generally influenced by
Metallica, Lamb of God, Godsmack and
Foo Fighters. Di Pomponio’s personal
influence comes from James Hetfield,
Rusby cites Dave Ghrol as an inspiration,
and Mihan was originally influenced by
KISS. Their guitar style is blended between
Spanish classical and thrash metal.

Mihan and Di Pomponio first
performed together at the Port Moody Inlet
Theatre on February 8. Since then, the group
has managed to play at several other shows
and locations, including Lougheed Town
Center and the annual Burnaby’s Got Talent
showcase. Reflecting on these experiences,
Mihan states, “We learn something new
from every show.”

ROD’s first official concert is to take
place on October 17 at the Queen of All
Saints Hall. Details of the show can be
found through their Facebook page, “The
Rising of Dawn.” Tickets are $10 and can
be purchased by contacting the band online.

ROD is off to a strong start and will
hopefully be around for a long while.
However, the group is currently looking
for a bass player. Details and contact
information can once again be found on the
group’s Facebook page.

 

 

 

14

What are you hosers laughing at?

The Canadian Comedy Awards marks its 10" anniversary.

By Angela Espinoza

( ‘oom is a very unique country.
Compared to many countries,
we're relatively young, yet we’ve

managed to leave our mark on the world

as exporters. From natural resources to
generosity, we’ve participated in every
peacekeeping operation since World

War II. We provided the world with

progressive rock band Rush... and we’re

still waiting for our probably forgotten

“thank you.” We’re not afraid to admit our

mistakes: The Canadian Government has

apologized for Bryan Adams on several

occasions. Finally, I cannot forget one of

our most important exports: comedians.
The 10" anniversary of the Canadian

Comedy Awards (CCA) took place

from October 1-4. This ceremony has

provided many talented Canadians with

the recognition they deserve. The awards
focused on what’s considered to be the
créme de la créme in Canadian live
performances, television shows, films,
radio, and (recently) internet videos.

In the Live category, the Male Stand-

Up Award went to Jeremy Hotz, while

Female Stand-Up award went to Debra

DiGiovanni. Stand-Up Newcomer went to

Nathan MacIntosh, a fresh face with many

followers on websites like Facebook and

MySpace. The award for One Person

Show went to One Woman Show, written

by past winners The Shehori Brothers;

starring Marco Timpano as Eileen, your
stereotypical, overweight woman. Sketch

Troupe went to Second City, a constantly

changing group of thriving comedians

(such as Dan Aykroyd, Chevy Chase and

Stephen Colbert) who produce “political

and social satire.” Meanwhile, Improv

awards went to Impromptu Splendor

(Troupe), Kerry Griffin (Male) and Jan

Caruana (Female). Finally, the CCA for

Comedic Play or Revue went to Barack to

the Future, a comedic play created by the

 

Second City troupe.

The Television category was
significantly less packed, but those
nominated earned their rightful place.
The awards for Taped Live Performance
and Writing went to Ron Sparks for his
stint on Comedy Now. Direction went to
Adam Brodie and Dave Derewlany for the
“Jon Gets Haunted” episode of The Jon
Dore Television Show, which also won
for Performance by a Male (Jon Dore).
Performance by a Female went to Wendel
Meldrum for her role as Anne Blecher
on Less Than Kind; which also took the
award for Performance by an Ensemble.

Three of the four awards for the Film
category went to Young People Fucking,
a self-explanatory film in five parts. Peter
Oldring won Performance by a Male for
his role as Dave, Martin Gero won for
Director and, with Aaron Abrams, for
Writing. Performance by a Female went
to Samantha Bee for her role as Nancy
Cooper in Coopers’ Camera.

The Radio, Internet and General
Media awards were decided upon through
the people’s choice system via public
voting. The CCA for Radio went to Zen
Hokey Pokey, created by Joe Bird for
The Irrelevant Show on CBC Radio.
Meanwhile, the Internet award went to
a web clip titled Violator. What should
come as little surprise was the winner of
the General Media (a.k.a. Comedy Person
of the Year) award: Seth Rogen.

All in all, the turnout for this year’s
ceremony outranked past events in
number of attendance members. With the
four-day event running an array of twelve
performances by several nominees, the
build-up for this year’s crowed was no
doubt exhilarating. This was one of the
few award shows that offered up a clean
and fair fight, and I congratulate all those
nominated, and—more so—all those that
won.

 

Jeremy Hotz and Debra DiGiovanni