Author: Kevin Bourne

Sponsored post When you google “SHIFTER” you immediately see “SHIFTER Magazine – Business. Art. Film. Music. Fashion.” If you are an artist who sees their film, music, or fashion work as a business…then keep reading. On Saturday, May 5, 2018, the first annual ALSO Arts Law Conference is taking place at Arts Court (2 Daly Avenue, Ottawa). What’s ALSO? Artists’ Legal Services Ottawa is an organization that for the last five years has organized legal panels featuring local lawyers and artist professionals sharing legal tips and ideas on topics ranging from contracts to copyright, tax to labour law issues. Five (of the…

Mazz Amini, also known as Grillzbymazz, is one of Toronto’s top custom grill makers and high-end hip-hop jewellers. Mazz shares his story of how he came up in the industry with little to no knowledge, and how he learned very quickly that he would need to learn the tricks of the trade on his own. With having a business degree, Mazz was already one step ahead of the game and used that to his advantage to create a successful jewellery business. His client list consists of many well-known Toronto favourites to international artists. Jae and Trey from 4YallEntertainment, model Winnie…

After endless teasers, a decade of setup and all the fan theories, we’ve come to this moment. The wait for Thanos is over. And right out the gate we see that the threat he poses to the Marvel Cinematic Universe is real. Following immediately after the events of Thor: Ragnarok, Thanos easily captures Thor and shows the Hulk he’s no mere puny god. From that moment on there’s no doubt that Josh Brolin as Thanos will be the one driving this film. And what’s in store for us is undoubtedly the end times for the MCU. *Spoilers ahead. Let’s get…

This weekend, one of the most highly anticipated projects in Canada’s capital was unveiled- the new Ottawa Art Gallery. This project was years in the making and it didn’t disappoint. The new art gallery spans six floors and includes more than 55,000 square feet of programmable space, including an an art studio and rotating galleries for historical, contemporary and touring exhibitions. The weekend’s festivities opened with a gala reception on Friday night where the who’s who of the city came out to get a first look at the gallery. Aside from the Ottawa Art Gallery’s vast collection of art, the gala…

Over the past 24 hours, Kanye West has released two new songs, probably from his upcoming albums. The song that’s getting some people riled up is “Ye vs. the People” so let’s focus on that. Before we go into the message of the song, let’s just talk about the music. There’s nobody out there that samples like Kanye. Like we’ve seen on Otis, Kanye doesn’t just sample high hats and baselines, he samples vocals with lots of soul, so what we end up with is a very soulful record. “Ye vs. the People” follows that formula sampling legendary Motown group The…

Now that the dust has settled on Beychella and we’ve watched the performance a good two or three times, it’s time to have a very important conversation. Where does Beyoncé stand on the list of the greatest performers of all time? After Beyoncé’s breathtaking performance at Coachella, a conversation ensued on whether or not she has officially surpassed Michael Jackson as the greatest live entertainer of all time. After going back and comparing performances from the two, I’ve come to my own conclusion. Now, if you guys don’t know, I’m a huge Beyoncé fan and even my eyes opened pretty…

Quinton Barnes is a singer/songwriter and producer based on Toronto, Ontario. Though firmly rooted in pop/R&B, his music draws from influences as diverse as Prince, Michael Jackson, David Bowie and Stevie Wonder. An electrifying performer, Barnes’ tour de force lies in his stage show, where he dances and powers through an exhilarating set of all-original tunes, rarely stopping to take a break or catch his breath.  Biggest accomplishment so far: My biggest accomplishment thus far would be the last few music videos I released. I put a lot of time, energy and creativity into making sure that they turned out exactly…

The Window of Opportunity for a Title is Closing Fast. The Toronto Raptors give their fans headaches and anxiety. When it’s playoff time they’re known for making a win seem more difficult than it should be. It’s like grilling chicken on the barbecue. It tastes amazing when the meat is thawed, seasoned and marinated beforehand, and it doesn’t take long to grill. The Raptors are like the griller who forgets to defrost the chicken and puts it on the grill while frozen. It takes longer to cook and it only tastes okay because it wasn’t probably prepared. Raptors fans were…

For better or worse, our lives are physical expressions of the narrative we tell ourselves everyday. This narrative is a story about the world the world around us which we adopt and act as a character in. How we see ourselves in light of our past and current circumstances determines the role we play. We’re either the victim, blaming others for our lives, or the victor, taking responsibility for our lives.  If we’re honest, we all go back and forth between the two. Unfortunately, none of us are immune from the disease of self-pity. I see it in myself and I’m…

Jermaine Lamarr Cole, the 33-year-old rapper who took the rap game by storm with his mainstream debut “Work Out”. J. Cole has consistently dropped great albums since 2011 and his numbers tell the same story. Whatever reaction people have about this piece of work, it’s sure to go platinum. Absolute classic masterpieces like 2014 Forest Hills Drive showed Cole’s ability to produce classic albums. Shortly before his latest album, KOD, dropped, Uncle Cole decided to confuse everyone with some unnecessary over the top depth, tweeting out the threefold meaning of the album title KOD- Kids on Drugs, King Overdosed and Kill Our…

Last week Ottawa city council unanimously approved the long-awaited Ottawa Music Strategy. The strategy is a result of the Connecting Ottawa Music: A Profile of Ottawa’s Music Industries report released a few years ago, which also led to the creation of the Ottawa Music Industry Coalition, a membership-based organization dedicated to growing the local music industry. The first thing that stands out about the strategy is its ambition. The strategy beautifully lays out the changes that have happened in the city in recent years, and those that are underway, providing context for the transformation happening beyond the music industry; a transformation that will no doubt affect the…

Pro Sports Gaming Could Become the New Frontier. I’m sure most of you won’t believe me after reading these words, but I’ll try to convince you anyway. The NBA has created an official NBA 2K League. No. this isn’t a joke or click bait. This is real. The ‘National Basketball Association’ has created a virtual league based on its best selling video game. Before you ask me about how official or credible this is, just know NBA commissioner Adam Silver was on hand at the first ever 2K League draft a few weeks ago, when real NBA e-franchises, who are…