Harvey Miedreich | Fashion and Advertising Photographer

 

    Please note: Lisa has a show on April 30th. If you’d like to go (you really should) you can see the details below. 

This week we are featuring Lisa and Natasha. A double N and a triple threat! First Lisa. Lisa is involved in everything “artsy”. I first heard about her from Daneel during our week 2 shoot. Lisa and Daneel are the “founding mothers” of the  Prairie Belles podcast  (a great podcast featuring Edmonton’s special events and activities) The girls basically sift through all the arts and entertainment events and let you know what is worth your time and money! Need another reason to check out their show? They give away tickets the hottest shows in town! Weekend before last they gave away a pair of tickets to see drop cloth improv (and I won!!) The show was absolutly brilliant. Sam and I laughed ourselves silly and the place was packed! We highly recommend you all check it out. Onto Natasha, Natasha works in the insurance market and is very good at her job she absolutly exudes insurance domination!  She works hard and continually upgrades her education to keep on top of the industry and to help her clients as much as she can. Natasha also frequents all sorts of flea markets (which, despite what we usually see in Edmonton, are very cool and not like garage sales at all). Soon she will be off to Vancouver to see if she can pick up some more Swarovski crystals (which she collects) As you will see she came wearing a super sparkly Swarovski necklace! If you’re looking for insurance, you should be looking for Natasha.

  

 

 

 

Who is the Super hero who impresses you the most? 

I don’t know if she counts as a super hero, but as a kid I always pretended to be Penny from Inspector Gadget.

 

What was your favorite cartoon as a child? 

It was definitely a tie between Fraggle Rock & The Raccoons.

 

If you could wake up anywhere tomorrow where would it be? 

Lately I have been thinking & dreaming a lot about Italy. Waking up in Italy would be amazing!

 

What do you do for fun? (besides art) 

Most of my extracurricular activities revolve around art… but besides singing & songwriting, I am taking pottery lessons, I do a weekly podcast with my lovely friend Daneel Irons (www.prairiebelles.blogspot.com), I quite enjoy running, scrapbooking, and I really love to read.

 

Where do you see yourself in 10 years? 

In ten years I’m sure I’ll be raising a family – a few kids, a few dogs. I plan to still be making music on a regular basis and hopefully working in the arts or at a nonprofit. I assume I’ll still be living in Edmonton, but you never know!

 

What inspires you to create art/music and how do you keep motivated when things get tough in the studio? 

Relationships inspire me the most - my interactions with my friends, my coworkers, my family - and my emotions towards the people I surround myself with. When things get tough in the studio, or in music in general, that usually just motivates me to work harder. I don’t like being told “no”, challenge drives me.

 

What advice would you give to an artist just starting out? 

I would tell someone just starting out to have patience with themselves. Don’t be afraid to be a little green. And not to expect to find your sound, your style, or your audience right away. Always have an open mind, and keep learning and evolving. I still am learning and growing all the time!

 

Who are you? 

I am Lisa Nicole Grace Evangelos. Singer/Songwriter. Dog lover. Wife. Arts enthusiast. Foodie. Event Planner.

 

 Describe your perfect bite. 

My favorite bite these days consists of grilled halloumi, tomato, and cucumber on a baguette. Halloumi is a Cypriot cheese and my husband Jered & I went to Cyprus this past fall and I couldn’t get enough of it!

 

What’s the name of your band? What’s the origin of that name?  

My band & I play under my name - Lisa Nicole Grace. We play music that I’ve written and recorded, but my musicians are my husband Jered Evangelos and my brother in law Brent Schaitel. We are joined by my bass player Justin Litun on a fairly regular basis as well!

 

What genre of music do you consider your work to be? Who are your major influences? 

I would call my music contemporary folk/pop/roots. My major influences are Bonnie Rait, Jann Arden and Sheryl Crow. They are soulful, motivated women that write songs from the heart. That is what I aspire to do.

 

Where have you performed? What are your favorite and least favorite venues? 

 I’ve played all over Edmonton mostly – Haven Social Club, Blue Chair Café, Hulberts, Axis Café, River Cree, etc. My favorite venue is definitely Axis Café. I always feel very at home there. I haven’t really had a show where I thought “this is my least favorite venue” but there are always pros & cons to each venue.

 

Do you have any upcoming shows? 

I do! I am opening up for Jeff Morris at Axis Café on Friday, April 30^th! I have a feeling it’s going to be a packed out show, so if you want to come you can buy advance tickets here: http://tinyurl.com/lisa-jeffataxis

 

Could you briefly describe the music-making process? 

I think everyone’s music making process is slightly different. When it comes to writing, I tend to do a lot of it while I’m driving to and from work. I usually end up singing into my cell phone and recording bits & pieces that way. Melody and lyrics usually come to me as one, and then I sit down at the piano and work out a harmonic structure afterwards. My piano playing abilities are limited so once I have an initial idea I usually seek out the help of my extremely talented brother-in-law Brent. After I’ve written a song, I take it to the boys with an arrangement in mind and they help me figure out the feel and tempo.

 

Where are you coming from today? Where are you going next? 

Today I came from home and after our photo shoot I’ll be heading back to work. I work at St. Joseph’s Auxiliary Hospital foundation where I do fundraising and special events.

 

Where can people buy your music?

I have an EP called “The Cellar Sessions” that you can purchase at my website: www.lisanicolegrace.com www.myspace.com/lisanicolegrace

Or you can pick up a copy at one of my shows!

 

What has been your greatest accomplishment?  

The highlight of my musical journey so far would definitely be releasing my EP “The Cellar Sessions” in 2008. My husband Jered, brother-in-law Brent and I worked on this EP in our own little basement studio for a few months in the winter of 2008 and never really expected to release a finished work. But we did and it really just got the ball rolling as far as radio airplay, press, artist features, and it gave me the inspiration I needed to pursue a full length recording which I am currently working on and hope to release later this year!

 

What has been your most significant moment? 

My most significant moment in life so far has probably been when I had spinal surgery about ten years ago. I had severe scoliosis – curvature of the spine. Having the surgery wasn’t necessarily the significant moment in itself, but recovery definitely channeled my life in a different direction than I had been going, and pushed me towards music. So in that way it was very significant.

 

What is one thing people can appreciate about you? 

I think people can appreciate my sincerity. I’m hardly capable of pretending to be something I’m not. I can’t help but be upfront and real with people, and I hope that they sense that.

 

What would I find in your refrigerator right now? 

My friends and family are always making fun of me for having nothing in my fridge. On a good day I might have eggs and milk. According to my friends who were staying at my house this weekend I have nine varieties of mustard and an empty jar of jam.

 

What is the most embarrassing thing that has ever happened to you? 

Embarrassing things happen to me on a daily basis. Sometimes I feel like if a camera crew were to follow me around I would make a hit reality show comedy. In particular there was a rather disturbing visit to my scoliosis specialist when I was in my preteens where a whole class of male medical students got to ask me very personal questions when I was nearly nude, without my prior permission. I was slightly traumatized.

 

Any last words? 

Thanks for having me Harvey! I am thrilled to be a part of your 100 People Project and I wish you the best of luck!

 

 

 

Natacha A

 

Who are you?

I’m an insurance broker

Which super hero impressed you the most as  a child?

Batman.

Why?

I liked his costume and the commercials that said POW!

What was your favorite cartoon as a child?

The Road Runner

If you could wake up anywhere tomorrow where would it be?

Spain, because part of my family still lives there.

Where do you see yourself in 10 years?

Being further in a career and owning a house.

What is your carreer goal?

To further myself in education and sell insurance for a long time because I do enjoy it.

What advice would you have for someone just starting out in insurance?

I would tell them to do all the extra courses that are available to educate themselves. A lot of people in the industry don’t know what they are doing.

 

What is your greatest accomplishment to date?

Being the first in my family to graduate from college.

What has been your most significant moment so far.

When my brother graduated from the army. Proud moment I guess.

What has been your most embarrassing moment so far?

I tripped and fell right in front of a customer in our office.

What would we find in your fridge right now?

Lots of food, all kinds of fresh groceries and meat. Lots of food.

What is one thing people can appreciate about you?

I am kind and nice and tend to go all out to help people.

Describe your perfect bite.

Sushi.

If you woke up tomorrow and you didn’t know you were and you couldn’t look in the mirror how old would you think you were?

35

How old are you?

23

If you need of any insurance, this is your girl. You can contact her by email  at nagregan@blanketltd.ca