Forum

Dylan sat down with old friend Isaac Shah to discuss Isaac’s spiritual journey to the teachings of Islam. Isaac explains why he gave up making and listening to music in order to be true to his faith, and, among other things, they discuss the utility of religion in today’s modern age, the extremist side of religious ideology, sacrifice, and sticking to your faith.

Isaac's links:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/beforeiwas1/

Short film: https://youtu.be/6mzrj4tSf-g?si=Ghd2VZG4DJLRxdpH

Podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/beforeiwas1

Hassan Al Kontar was a former Syrian refugee who had exiled from his home country after refusing to join the military in 2011. He made international headlines in 2018 after chronicling his experience being stuck in Kuala Lumpur International airport for seven months after his passport was revoked and he was left stateless.

Also known as “The Man at the Airport” - of which his self-written book is titled - Dylan sat down with Hassan to discuss his life, his journey as a refugee, and his experience being stranded at the airport and his subsequent time in jail. They also discuss the current state of global immigration and some of the prevailing cultural attitudes towards refugees in general.

Buy Hassan's book: https://amzn.to/3Xicdo7

Guy Felicella spent nearly 20 years living on the streets of Vancouver’s notorious Downtown Eastside. Guy survived through the HIV/AIDS crisis in the DTES in the 80’s & 90’s, two decades of being homeless, stints in gangs & jail, multiple life-threatening bone infections, and six drug overdoses in which he needed to be brought back to life each time.

Through sheer self determination and with the help of others through harm reduction and recovery, Guy escaped the grips of the turmoil that kept him suffering. Today he works for Vancouver Coastal Health and the BC Centre on Substance Use advocating on the importance of harm reduction and recovery for those struggling with addiction.

Guy is also a sought-after International Public Speaker who shares his personal experience and expertise at conferences, seminars, and TEDx Talks. He attends various school districts and post secondary institutions to educate students on drug addiction, and currently resides with his wife and three young children with nearly a decade of recovery and sobriety under his belt.

Teon Gibbs is a Vancouver based hip-hop/R&B artist. He sat down with Dylan to discuss the music scene in Vancouver compared to places like Toronto or London, building a brand & career as a musician in Canada, developing an eclectic discography, plus more.

Always pushing the boundaries of genre and innovation, Complex UK premiered his work and highlighted how he “hit on a fusion sound that has been sorely under-explored.” Each body of work has been more cutting edge than the last both visually and audibly. Looking to engage both senses, Teon was recently featured on EarMilk as having been able to create a work with “an infectious blend that keeps the listener engaged.”

00:35 - Introduction, Teon's reasons for having a diverse discography and refining your brand as a budding musician

03:51 - Teon's origins; being born in Botswana, moving all over the world with family, playing soccer at a high level, talking vibes in Toronto & London

06:37 - Teon's musical origins, from indie rock to emo to hip-hop to church music.

08:30 - Has hip-hop become cliquey? Discussing hip-hop niches & styles, origins of hip-hop, growth of hip-hop.

10:37 - Building a music career in Vancouver is different than Toronto; comparing the two cities vibes/opportunities, the lack of label presence and music infrastructure in YVR, establishing a presence within a Canadian market

18:14 - How Teon built his brand, utilizing social media, building local relationships & collaboration, playing the long game, battling through adversity

24:14 - Teon's involvement with MusicBC, creating opportunities for yourself, discussing culture in Vancouver, "no fun city,"

29:07 - Teon's favourite spot in town to catch a show and play a show, discussing Vancouver venues, the Commodore Ballroom, Fox Cabaret, plus his company 100 Collective

31:12 - Where to find Teon online and closing remarks

Where to follow Teon:

Apple Music - https://music.apple.com/ca/artist/teon-gibbs/1232611978

Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/artist/6C526McCewIs40ZHQLrmZm

Soundcloud - https://soundcloud.com/teongibbs

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/teongibbs100/

Twitter - https://twitter.com/teongibbs

YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLx4X8QivZLy6GneMa9V1hw

Yumi is a stand-up comic, actor, and performer. Her standup has taken her around the globe thanks to invitations from Montreal’s Just for Laughs showcase, the Jakarta International Comedy Festival, and Comedy Central Asia in Singapore. Yumi also has her own YouTube channel called YumiTube, which to date has amassed over 270K subscribers.

Yumi’s YouTube: www.youtube.com/channel/UCs-elHIUZwtkeR5WPEdZKqA

Yumi’s Instagram: www.instagram.com/yumicomedy

00:48 - Yumi’s introduction into comedy

04:02 - Dylan and Yumi meeting as dead bodies on a short film

06:25 - Yumi’s first gigs as a comic and breaking into the industry

12:48 - Going viral on YouTube and dealing with the stress of expectations

15:36 - Just for Laughs experience in Montreal

18:27 - What it’s like being a popular YouTuber and

23:12 - Stepping out of traditional Japanese conservative culture + the differences between Japanese comedy

28:27 - The most difficult aspects of pursuing a career as a comic

30:51 - Political correctness in comedy, off limits topics, and telling “edgy” jokes

35:08 - Yumi’s contemporary inspirations and YouTube sensations like Bo Burnham

37:34 - Performing during COVID in front of mannequins

39:44 - Bombing during stand up & what makes a good joke

42:10 - The Vancouver comedy scene & the differences between in LA or New York, etc + grinding it out as a comic

47:33 - Closure of Vancouver’s comedy clubs & next moves for Yumi

Boston-born, Vancouver-based artist Makadi joined us on the pod to discuss a multitude of aspects regarding music, culture, and the state of the music industry in as a whole (timecodes below).

Check out our short-doc with Makadi: https://youtu.be/R12tvdL_lQk

Makadi's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/makadiofficial/

Makadi's Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/1rEQ6P5WQcRxmHkH9d43Ld?si=wlzM71huRE6mq6uxVtjYsA

00:30 - Starting out as a gospel singer and using church/spirituality to fuel creativity

02:39 - Is spiritual music relevant in today’s age of hip-hop?

06:55 - Balancing creative ingenuity with being commercially viable

10:19 - Will labels be relevant moving forward?

12:03 - Signing with a label versus going the independent route

14:18 - Compromising creative control for commercial gain

18:02 - Discussing cultural appropriation in today’s music

26:28 - Using the N-word in music

31:28 - The state of Vancouver's music scene and COVID implications

38:45 - The verification process on Instagram

__________

ethno. is a Vancouver-based lifestyle & culture publication brand with a focus on bringing raw, authentic, local stories to the forefront. Some individuals you may have heard of, some perhaps not - but they all have unique stories, and we're here to show them to you.

Where to follow:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ethno.official

Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/forum/id1543280231

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3I47qQfSTEltgodmPWhCSC?si=jSZa_wFFTtarui1nUx1hSQ

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ethno.official

Medium: https://medium.com/ethno-vancouver

Website: https://www.ethno.ca

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After losing his leg below the knee to osteogenic sarcoma at the age of 10, John Leslie went on to join Team Canada as a Paralympic snowboarder and compete in the Paralympic Games in 2014 & 2018. He joined us on the podcast to talk about his battle with cancer, his experiences in Sochi and Pyeongchang, the economic viability of the Olympics as a whole, and the importance of winter sport.

John's non-profit: https://www.lovingwinter.org

John's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dujohnleslie/

Timecodes:

1:29 - Dealing with cancer as a 10 year old

7:10 - John talks about the Van Nes rotation procedure to amputate part of his leg

12:22 - Being in hospital as a kid and adapting to life without a leg

16:48 - Finding purpose in snowboarding and not treating life differently

21:02 - Getting onto Team Canada Paralympics

24:22 - The challenges of being a national team athlete & John being hungover for Team Canada announcement

27:39 - How funding works for Team Canada athletes

32:35 - Chatting about Maelle Ricker, first Canadian to win gold on home soil.

35:10 - John shares Russia stories from his Sochi 2014 experience

41:19 - Sportsmanship in snowboarding and growing the sport

44:27 -

47:16 - The economic state of the Olympics and thoughts on making it more appealing an justifiable

54:01 - John's non-profit "Loving Winter" & how to make winter sports more accessible for kids

57:32 - Olympics versus Paralympics

1:00:51 - Thoughts on a new ski resort in Squamish

1:05:59 - Cost of living/sporting in Whistler

1:09:27 - Final thoughts

While the word has multiple connotations, in Ancient Greek the word ethnos meant tribe, nation, or something like - a band of people living together.

For us, the name ethno. refers the latter. A collection of people, voices, art, perspective, all housed under one roof.

We conceived of the brand as a way to showcase local stories and experiences that we felt could speak to our audience in relevant and meaningful ways. We launched in early 2020, our goal being to produce original content that offered unique perspective on individuals from within our communities.

This podcast will be no different. This podcast is about the people you have heard about, the ones you haven’t, and everyone in between.

This is ethno. forum.