Sky Gilbert • Courtney Conquers • Terri-Jean Bedford esented by PinkPlayMags www.thebuzzmag.ca Pr Lorraine Segato Still Rising Up rIVerse For daily and weekly event listings visit Musically Representing All APRIL 2020 / MAY 2020 *** free *** 2 April 2020 / May 2020 theBUZZmag.ca Keep moving your way From coast to coast, we encourage diversity—it’s part of what makes each of us unique and proud to be Canadian. The VIA Rail logo is a trademark owned by VIA Rail Canada Inc. TMTrademark owned by VIA Rail Canada Inc. theBUZZmag.ca April 2020 / May 2020 3 Issue #036 The Editor Greetings and Salutations, While the world may seem all too (sur)real right now, we here Publisher + Creative Director at theBUZZ are all about remaining positive. One thing that Antoine Elhashem unites people is music, and our two main features are about Editor-in-Chief musicians who are generating positive vibes through their Bryen Dunn work. Art Director Mychol Scully Our main feature is on legendary queer songstress, Lorraine Segato, former lead vocalist with 1980s Toronto outfit, General Manager The Parachute Club. She has continued working within Kim Dobie the music industry, along with film projects, and her never Sales Representatives ending dedication toward advocacy for the homeless and Carolyn Burtch, Darren Stehle disadvantaged. She’s currently working on a one woman Events Editor autobiographical theatre play, and a cabaret-style music Sherry Sylvain series that she intends to tour across the country with other Counsel female musicians. For fans of her music, she’s promising new Jerry Herszkopf Law material of her own in the near future as well. Feature Writers Our second feature is on Toronto musical project, rIVerse, Bryen Dunn, Raymond Helkio a dynamic mix of four individuals who are creating a buzz Columnists worldwide with their message of inclusiveness and positivity. Courtney Conquers, Cat Grant, Boyd Kodak, Their sound is addictive, with catchy hooks, melodic rhythms, Paul Bellini, Raymond Helkio and uplifting vocals. The foursome is all about promoting their Cover Photo: Lorraine Segato unique brand of authenticity through self-acceptance, and Published by perhaps most importantly, their love for K-pop! This eventually INspired Media Inc. garnered their biggest fan base hailing from South Korea, Operating: INspired Creative, Publishers of which then led them to doing a month-long tour there. The Pink Pages Directory, PinkPlayMags, theBUZZ, and The Local Our guest Wigged Out columnist in this issue is Courtney Biz Magazine. Producers of On the Couch Conquers, a cis-gendered female who has found a place for www.theBUZZmag.ca herself within the local drag community, and is paving the www.PinkPlayMags.com way by creating safe spaces for all. Our regular columnists www.thepinkpagesdirectory.com once again bring us exclusive stories on local talent. Cat www.onthecouch.ca Grant chatted with freelance writer, editor, and novelist, Mailing address Jules Torti, who has just released her latest book, a memoir 205-1691 Pickering Parkway of her interesting life. Boyd Kodak caught up with long time Pickering, ON L1V 5L9 sex-worker/dominatrix, Terri-Jean Bedford, to chat about 416.926.9588 her advocacy work that will soon be told through a theatrical production. Paul Bellini recollects the outstanding work of IN THIS ISSUE long time theatre icon Sky Gilbert, who continues to write controversial thought provoking pieces. Finally, Raymond Helkio popped into retro arcade/bar, Zed*80, to check out 06 Lorraine Segato – Bryen Dunn their monthly queer night. 10 rIVerse – Raymond Helkio Sherry has moved the BUZZ Picks on-line. For the most 14 Wigged Out: Safe and Sexy: Drag Holds current virtual events, see our website www.thebuzzmag.ca/ Space for All – Courtney Conquers events. As always, kudos to our 16 She Beat: Jules Torti – Cat Grant designer, Mychol Scully, for making 18 Bumble-ini: Sky Gilbert us all look so beautiful! – Paul Bellini 20 A Kodak Moment: Terri-Jean Bedford Thanks for picking us up. Enjoy – Boyd Kodak the read! 22 Beyond the Village: Zed*80 Bryen Dunn – Raymond Helkio Editor-in-Chief 24 BUZZPicks Online – Sherry Sylvain 4 April 2020 / May 2020 theBUZZmag.ca theBUZZmag.ca April 2020 / May 2020 5 Lorraine Segato Still Rising With A 2020 Vision By Bryen Dunn 6 April 2020 / May 2020 theBUZZmag.ca Segato has been involved in some form of activism Canadian singer-songwriter for several years now, creating the Lowdown Tracks documentary on Toronto homelessness, and the QSW and social justice activist – Rebel Zone film project that was based on Toronto’s Queen Street West music scene during the 1980s, and Lorraine Segato rose to the recent follow up multi-media exhibition. “My idea for the Rebel Zone Art & Multi-Media Exhibit, was that I prominence in the early 1980s wanted to connect the kind of activism and art that was happening in the early 80’s with the kind of change that when she co-founded The was happening in lower-income neighbourhoods. With the exhibit I wanted to draw a parallel with the revitalization Parachute Club, and scored of Regent Park, and bring downtown Toronto into where the youth of today are actually creating fascinating new an unexpected hit with the art and music culture that reflects their own present day song, Rise Up. issues and concerns.” With the filmLowdown Tracks, she wanted to tackle That song from their self-titled Daniel Lanois produced the way people saw homelessness. “I believe we all first album went on to winSingle of the Year at the 1984 have creativity and talent within us, and it just has to be Juno Awards, while the group won a Juno for Most nurtured. The homeless buskers in the film had such Promising Group that year, and Group of the Year the deeply powerful and traumatic stories to tell, and we following. created an environment where they could use their songs to tell the story of how their music is for healing. As a “We want freedom to love who result we were able to find some housing for some of them, and also pay them to perform when we showed the we please” film at festivals. More importantly we were able to record Lyrics from Rise Up their songs and give them CDs to sell. These are the kinds of projects that teach me how art can help change a life.” Nearly four decades later, her message remains as The film has been identified as a highly effective call to strong as ever, both politically, and as an anthem for action, addressing mental health stigma and issues of empowerment, equality, and justice for all. Segato herself homelessness in Canada. It is being shown in town halls, has also continued with her work as both a solo musician churches, and event spaces to bring awareness to the and dedicated activist throughout the years, and was homeless situation, and is available to screen for free or involved in the production of recent remixes of Rise Up, very little charge. and is currently working on several different projects that will soon come to fruition. TheBUZZ had an opportunity In terms of current projects, Wild Women (Don’t Get The to chat with her to discuss these new works, along with Blues) is a cabaret style show that she first developed her opinion on the current state of the music industry, back in 2014/15 while acting as Regent Park’s honorary advocacy for the homelessness, and what inspires her Artist in Residence. Her vision is to take the show on most. a cross Canada tour with an all-female line-up singing classic Canadian songs. “I’m looking at the fall season for There have been a couple recent Rise Up remixes, a series of shows on the west coast, followed by various including an Anniversary Mix, Diesel Mix, and Country towns in Ontario. The show will include spoken word, Redux Mix. “The new versions are charity singles for four theatrical monologue, and music built around the idea of organizations that are encouraging and training youth themes,” she divulges. activists,” she explains. “It’s interesting to see how the song has sustained over these many years, and in many She’s also working on a semi-autobiographical theatrical ways it seems it’s almost more relevant today then it was play titled, Get Off My Dress. “I’ve been working on 37 years ago. Is it because history repeats or because and off for several years on the creation of my one some things have never really changed? It’s hard to woman show, and have already work-shopped several know why the circle has come around, but the song monologues with private invite audiences. I’m planning represented a zeitgeist moment in time when the voices to put on the full show workshop in the fall of 2020, most from the margins needed to be heard. Recently I’ve had likely beginning in Calgary, with Toronto the beginning of many people reminding me that it is still representative of 2021,” she discloses. “These are the kind of projects with so many contemporary causes, which today also includes many logistics and advance organization that typically climate justice.” take me months, and sometimes years, to put into place in terms of how I see them working.” theBUZZmag.ca April 2020 / May 2020 7 She had this comment on the music industry of today, of the INSPIRE Awards. So what does she personally “The music business has changed with the advent of find inspiring today? “People who are deeply kind and streaming. Honestly the whole idea that people expect authentically real about what they are here to do as to consume but not to pay for their music is really humans.