Marianne Aya-Omac has been captivating audiences with her unique musical mélange for years. She will be bringing her blend of French, English, Spanish and Gypsy-infused beats to Centennial Theater next in what is sure to be an exhilarating show.

Aya- Omac has been busily honing her musical skills since she was nine years old. Originally a student of the piano, things changed when she first heard the inimitable stylings of Joan Baez. Discovering Baez compelled Aya-Omac to pick up a guitar, and she has never looked back.

In 1992 Aya-Omac started performing for passersby on the streets of Montpellier, France. 300 days a year, Aya-Omac could be found playing for those who would listen, while consequently developing her singing voice. It was at this time that she also started to explore gospel music through her involvement in the “Gospelize it Mass Choir.” Extensive travelling in Latin America, along with immersing herself in the sound and culture of the Gypsy neighborhood in Montpellier, gave rise to the rich and soulful sound that Aya-Omac is known for today.

As a singer, songwriter and guitarist, Aya-Omac has carved out a successful career for herself. This includes a strong fan base in France and two self-produced LPs, which have sold more than 20,000 copies. Currently living in Montreal, Aya-Omac has released her second full length album, Solo. In a full circle career moment, Aya-Omac met Baez in 2009 at the International Guitar Festival. They have since developed a strong relationship, with Baez performing alongside Aya-Oman on the track “Duele.” Solo was also released, in part, with the help of Baez and her son, Gabriel Harris.

With her stand out voice and folksy undertones accompanying her world sound, Aya-Omac has transcended the constraints of genres and made them her own. Adding her vocals and lyrics to reflect a humanist message, it is easy to feel the passion and love for the craft of creating music that lie behind each song.

Riding high off her second solo release and a career affirming collaboration with the woman who inadvertently inspired it all, 2012 is sure to be full of great things for Aya-Omac.

Marrianne Aya-Omac

Friday, January 27, 8pm

www.centennialtheatre.ca

I became a fan of Down with Webster instantly after they came to play at Bishop’s University back in 2009. Their energetic live show is what did it for me; the energy which came from the screams and chants of the crowd fueled the then seven-piece Toronto natives. A memorable performance to say the least – maybe not so much for DWW, with Martin “Bucky” Seja stating in an interview with me “well first of all this is gonna be our first time playing in Sherbrooke.”

Time to Win Vol 2. was initially meant to be released pretty close together (only a few months) with Time to Win Vol. 1, but instead was released separately, as fans waited anxiously for the anticipated release, after many delays. Although these weren’t so much delays, as they were due to unexpected success, and Juno nominations the band received with Vol. 1. The band eventually decided to extend Vol. 2 into a full-length album. With some songs being written as early as 2006, let me tell you that this album was definitely worth the wait. DWW polished, tweaked and modified the album until the very last two weeks, “whereas most albums have six months, we [DWW] had two weeks!”

The thirteen-track record brings out those weeks and weeks of anticipation, dedication and perseverance. Moreover, the 6-piece band lets you experience the emotions and hype that DWW were striving to project on each track. Insane guitar work, damn catchy choruses, and not to mention impeccable drum and piano work are all showcased on Vol. 2. Not only are most of the songs written and produced by Down with Webster, but a couple of songs feature the production of Toronto’s very own Boi-1da.

With singles such as “She’s Dope,” and “Big Wheels,” and the current single “Royalty,” you may be astonished to hear what Vol. 2 has in store. A regular theme of girls and “winning” is apparent, although is evident that the lyrics have matured. “Royalty” features a memorable repetition of female background vocals, in which strikingly mature beats and rhyming, bring to mind greats in the hip-hop industry.

Guest artist Far East Movement blends flawlessly with DWW on the song “Work.” Boi-1Da’s efforts can be seen on the second track off Vol. 2, “Professional.” The flashy single “She’s Dope” is a fun and lively track teeming with “show.” “White Flags” is coated with bold lyrics accompanied by flamboyant and buoyant chorus. All I can say is, Vol. 2 was definitely worth the wait; as Bucky declares, be ready for a “brand new pleasure amped ‘Vol.2’ crazy party.”

Jeffery Deaver’s novel sheds light on the life of a federal protection officer in high stress situations. Cunning wrongdoers will do just about anything to attain what they desire. Terrifying consequences await all those that are unaware of the danger that could be potentially lurking around the corner, heavily armoured with guns that you would never wish to see in person. You are never safe from a man that will go to any length to acquire the information he requires. Beware the face you will never recognize, that could potentially achieve an edge on you by taking what you hold most dear.

            Edge is a high impact, stressed filled novel that will keep you wondering if it is not your own life that is in question. Henry Loving is a conniving lifter that is one of the most ruthless kidnappers, and is not above doing gruesome things to people to obtain the information needed. Loving will use any ‘edge’ he can on a person to get them to act on his behalf. Corte is the agent assigned to protect the newest target of Henry Loving. Loving is after the Kessler family for a reason that escapes even the agent assigned to them. Loving and Corte are linked by the murder of Corte’s mentor. Corte must choose between doing what his job entails, or using the targets as bait to get the revenge he strives for.

Corte is a cold, reserved character that they call a shepherd because he must ‘herd’ the target to safety. Corte is an experienced field agent that prefers to live alone, only being social with those that help to further his knowledge in his case. Corte has a very one-track mind that the story follows. His consciousness seems to follow that of the killers almost to a tee. Agent Corte could be considered a mercenary simply because of his lack of empathy when it comes to understanding Loving’s victims. Corte’s thoughts carry the story through, leaving much to be desired. Although the idea of the story was compelling, I found the lack of emotion from Corte’s point of view to skew my opinion on the novel. The novel is a mystery and a thriller, and will stand by its genre. However, the novel became predictable and basic, causing me to quickly lose interest. The idea for the novel was great, yet the execution was a little iffy.

Uncertainty can be a driving facture in fracturing a person and their beliefs. Information is of utmost value, causing others to hunt it down until it squeals. Would you scream the truth with pressure or would you not allow the edge to control your actions?

The Foreman Art Gallery is currently presenting Value, an exhibition that offers a critical outlook on current politics and economical climate. It features contemporary works from Québecois and international artists, as well as artistic collectives. The exhibition will run until March 17th, 2012.

The curator of the gallery, Vicky Chainey Gagnon, set up this exhibition wondering: “How are artists reacting to the current economic crisis?” In a broader perspective, the exhibition examines how various art institutions interact with other (social) institutions and how they respond to certain social issues.

The audience response seemed mixed. While many people stopped and stared at every piece, many others quickly browsed the gallery, perhaps not very sure of what each piece was about. One of the most heard comments has probably been: “Well, I wouldn’t really consider that art…” In fact, at the vernissage on January 11th, one of the patrons asked the curator and Cooke-Sasseville (one of the artistic collective presented in Value): “Where is art in this room?”

My first impression of the gallery was similar to that of many patrons: “What am I looking at?” It is fairly easy to understand and appreciate the important aspects of the issues raised in the pieces presented. However, it is equally easy to dismiss the works as not being art, as the pieces presented in Value generally deviates from traditional fine arts pieces. The exhibition includes a few videos, serigraph prints, and an interactive installation among other pieces.

It is important to keep in mind that Value is not as much concerned with aesthetics as it is with conveying the many strategies artists have created to respond to today’s politics and economical climate. As one of the artist of Cooke-Sasseville mentioned at the vernissage, “one of art’s many functions is to unnerve intellectual numbness and enrich people’s everyday life,” (paraphrased and translated from French).

Vickey Chainey Gagnon and Cooke-Sasseville’s answer to the patron at the vernissage was that art was everywhere in the room. Indeed, what is presented in Value could not have been produced by any other people but artists. To really appreciate the exhibition takes an open mind but also awareness that artists have an important role in showing today’s many issues in a different light and putting forth solutions. As the artistic collective Wochenklausur explains in their banner: “[…] artistic creativity is no longer seen as a formal act, but as an intervention in society.”

The New Year will bring with it a flurry of fashion news, however 2011 will be hard to top.

1. Kate Middleton dress: Middleton (and her entourage) carefully kept the designer of the wedding gown a secret. Bets were taken, placing Bill Oldfield at 1-3, Alice Temperley at 4-1, and the real designer Sarah Burton at 6-1. Burton did not disappoint at this high profile gown, and created a dress that stunned fashion critics.

2. Kate Moss wedding: Another famous Kate was married this year, and the critics were watching this wedding carefully as well. She was married in a dress by John Galliano, and was inspired by Zelda Fitzgerald, whose engagement ring Moss wears now. Moss did not disappoint her fashion-oriented fans and also selected a beaded, bodycon mini dress for her reception and a three-piece, white wool suit for her going away outfit.

3. John Galliano’s racist tirade: Couture brand Dior suspends creative director John Galliano after he delivers an anti-Semitic rant. Later, Galliano is fired after a video circulates with Galliano declaring, “I love Hitler” and harassing a couple. His dismissal came three days before his collection for Dior was to be shown in Paris Fashion Week.

4. @CondeElevator: The exclusive Conde Nast community was exposed via an anonymous Tweeter. Conversations of staffers from magazines such as Vogue, Glamour, and GQ were published anonymously on the account, including such gems as this one: “[Girl holding brownie abashedly in elevator] Male coworker: I’m not judging you.”

5. Hollywood fur ban: West Hollywood creates the first fur ban in the United States. West Hollywood is the wealthy municipality between Beverly Hills and Hollywood, and in 2011, they voted no to fur in a historic moment. The City Council voted to make the sale of fur illegal within the city limits. Fur Information Council of America, one of the nation’s main fur trade groups, is based in West Hollywood, making this an even more revolutionary ban.

6. Marc Jacobs spring collection stolen: During the transfer of Jacobs’ spring/summer 2012 collection from London to Paris for a press day, the collection was stolen. The clothing still has not been tracked.

7. Victoria’s Secret use of child labour: It turns out that Victoria’s Secret was involved in child labour in Burkina Faso. It was discovered in 2011 that children were being used to harvest cotton for the brand’s organic cotton line.

8. Fashion Auctions:  Following the death of Elizabeth Taylor, her famous collection of jewelry and personal items has been auctioned off to wealthy fans, celebrities, and jewelry aficionados.  Following the wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton, Princess Beatrice’s hat was auctioned off for 81 000 pounds, which went to the Little Bee Initiative, funding Unicef and Children in Crisis.

9. Louboutin sues Yves Saint Laurent: The famous red soles at couture shoe designer Christian Louboutin may no longer be as unique as they once were. The company attempted to sue design house YSL for copying the red soles. YSL argued that red soles have been in use since Louis XIV, and so Louboutin could not fairly claim a monopoly on the colour. The case continues, but things are not looking good for Louboutin.

10. Benetton’s Unhate Campaign: United Colours of Benetton jumped back into the spotlight after their Unhate advertising campaign was released. The ads featured world leaders such as Barack Obama and Hugo Chavez kissing.

Let’s hope this year, the fashion world’s New Year’s resolution is to have more good news than bad in 2012.  Bets are open on which supermodel will marry which photographer/NFL quarterback/rock star this year.

Last week, I had the opportunity to interview Bucky from Down with Webster before they hit up the Centennial Theater on January 25^th to rock the BU population. It’s been an insane year for the 6-piece band from Toronto, receiving double nominations at the Juno Awards, the release of Time to Win Vol. 2 – six years in the making, and then going on to tour Canada and U.S. in 2012. Bucky chats with me about their live performances, the new album, and some other surprises you’ll have to read to find out.

Sean Carlin: It seems that you guys as a band have come a long way from playing in a public school battle of the bands and then going along to receive nominations at the Juno Awards. So, how are you feeling about your success so far?

Bucky: “It’s been a whirlwind. It’s hard to absolutely, you know, comprehend. We’re so busy and we’re always going; it still hasn’t really had a good chance to settle in but I mean we’re more than grateful and so blessed that I’ve made it this far and, you know, thankful to all our fans that have helped us.”

SC: Did you find a difference working with ‘Demo’ on Time to Win Vol. 1 vs. Boi-1Da on Vol. 2?

B: “Well he [‘Demo’] still had a hand in Time to Win Vol. 2 as well. So it wasn’t that different, but I mean it was really cool just being able to work with 1Da because it’s doing something that’s not really up his alleyway; he’s been more like straight-up hip-hop and stuff like that, and we’ve never really got the chance to work with somebody outside of our own camp. So it was just a really great fit, and we’re big fans of everything that 1Da has done so far. It really worked well to see him kinda step out of his comfort zone and then us being able to experience working with another producer that hasn’t been in our camp since day one. That was probably one of the best highlights of the differences between working on the first and second album.”

SC: This album took quite a journey to write and record, with some tracks being written as early as 2006. When you finally had it done, when you were finally ready to give it up, was there still a sense that “well we could probably do this, we could tweak this”; did someone actually have to pry it out of your hands?

B: “Literally they did! Most of the time, when you’re finished writing the record you submit it to the record company six months or so before the release date right? And you only have a certain amount of time from when you hand in that album before they have to do all the pictures and packaging and all that kind of stuff. Most albums have six months, we had two weeks! So they definitely had to pry it out of our hands. When you’re writing a song like that or working on an album, technically you could keep working on the same song until you die. Every time you hear it you’ll hear something different or you’ll think that you could change this, make that louder, and make this softer, until the next day and you can think something completely different. So you know you have to let it go at some point and just believe in its life on its own.”

SC: If you had to sell the album on one track which one would it be, and could you tell me a little about that track?

B: “Ouuuuu that’s hard man, that’s really hard. That’s like saying ‘If you could give up one child which one would it be?’ There are a couple of them on there, honestly. I couldn’t really name one, I could maybe name two or three. “Professional” is one of the songs on there, one of the ones we got to do with Boy-1Da, that I just feel is pretty much a good way to encompass us and capture us in a nutshell, as you’d say. It’s very rock but still energetic and hip-hop oriented, a heavy Beastie Boys to it, but still very edgy and modern. Then another one of the songs that were really proud about on that is “White Flags” ‘cause it’s very diverse in a sense that it crosses a lot of genres in a short period of time. I could say anything that describes where we’re at right now is probably those two songs, but that’s just me personally. Who knows what the other guys in the band would say.”

SC: Those are great choices. So do you think you’ve grown both musically and personally since your last release?

B: “Oh completely! It’s been one of those things where it’s like since our last release we’ve really kind of got to see what it would be like for the rest of your life. It puts you in a mindset that, you know, changes your whole approach to how you look at things and how you do things and how you write music and so you just grow and with all the things that have happened in that time, we’ve definitely done a lot of growing and so you can hear it in this new album. So a lot more comfortable in our own skin, I’d say.”

SC: What would you say is the highlight of career so far?

B: “Ouuu. There are a couple of them. Being able to work with Boy-1Da was one of them. I’d say going on tour, being able to tour, you know, this whole country, being able to go to places like Cancun, being able to go to Dominican, being able to go to London. All of those things wouldn’t have happened if it weren’t for our success. Literally, just like the small things are great; just the fact that you get to travel and the fact that I get to live with my best friends. Those are the things that really top everything off.”

SC: You were talking about touring, is there one song that you love to play live and another that you’re starting to get tired of?

B: “Oh yeah! See like “Big Wheels,” our first single off the album, I love that song to death, don’t get me wrong, but it’s one of those songs especially when it’s your first single, you play it and you play it and you play it, and then you hear it and you hear it, and it’s one of those songs where it’s not there yet but I can tell soon it’s gonna start to drive me batty. One of the songs that I really love playing right now is the song “So Cold,” which is a new one off the album and it’s very very tense music. It’s a lot different when we play it live than how it’s tracked on the album. It’s got a lot more dynamics and a rock out section, so that one I’m really excited for, and that’s my favourite one to play now, but it changes all the time.”

SC: What about ones on your previous release?

B: “Oh ‘Whoa Is Me’ has always been my favourite, ‘cause it’s just such a great song. We always close our show with it. It’s kinda like our goodnight and it’s always like a big finale. That one is always great to play live. There wasn’t really one song off the old album that kinda really drove me batty ‘cause there weren’t that many and we always played a bunch of them. So yeah the one that I really love to play is ‘Whoah.’”

SC: Is there one thing you don’t leave Toronto without when you go on tour?

B: “Yeah, the one thing that I never leave home without is my boom box. It’s this big golden boom box that you can play an iPod off of and I swear to god if you have that, no matter where you are it becomes fun. In an airport, you could be waiting in a waiting room, you could be in the middle of a field and as long as you got some beats, it becomes a party. So that’s one thing I never leave home without.”

SC: What can fans expect from the WINTour?

B: “Well first of all this is gonna be our first time playing in Sherbrooke.”

SC: Well you guys played at our frosh back in 2009…

B: “Oh yeah that’s what it was, at the college there right? Well if any of you guys have seen our show before expect a brand new pleasure amped Volume 2 crazy party. It’s gonna be nuts! The more energy that you bring, the more we’ll give you!”

SC: Are you guys going to write on tour?

B: “Yes we are! We always do. We bring our little studio set-up and have it in the back of the bus. Maybe we’ll even play some of the new ones that we write on the road when we’re out there.”

SC: I was wondering, if you weren’t writing music and playing music what do you think you would be doing?

B:  “I think I would either be…. A chef or I’d be some sort of jungle adventurer. Like take people down the Amazon and stuff.”

SC: What do you do to unwind when you’re not with the band or on tour?

B: “Usually I just kick it with my friends, you know. I’m a big fan of the clubs and partying. Kind of letting it all go counts as unwinding for me, so I like going out and doing it up big at the clubs and being an idiot. You let it all loose, you let it all go and you come home and you feel like you’ve got a weight off your shoulders.”

SC: What is one thing die-hard Down with Webster fans do not know about you? A guilty pleasure or something?

B: “I love watching kung fu movies; like I have a weird fetish for kung fu movies. If there’s anytime that I’m in front of a T.V. screen, cause I don’t get to watch T.V., its just kung fu. That old school Wu Tang kind of kung fu. I don’t know why I like it so much but I don’t watch T.V. shows, I don’t watch movies, I just watch that old school kung fu. When I’m on the tour bus, they’ll all see me watching it on my iPhone. There’s some sort of weird relaxing thing to it but I really [chuckles], I really love watching kung fu movies. That is kind of a weird thing.”

SC: Where do you see yourself and the band in ten years from now?

B: “Hopefully doing exactly the same thing but way bigger, way better and all over the world!”

The novel stars Hazel Grace Lancaster, a teenage girl with terminal cancer. Hazel is a great narrator. I was worried that John Green would have an issue adopting a female voice. Fortunately, this did not seem to be a struggle, as Hazel is as well rounded and authentic as any of his previous male protagonists.

Hazel is clever and too smart for her own good. She is passionate. Some of the best passages in the book describe her love of reading and her true appreciation of literature. She is also strong. Hazel accepts her cancer, and she does not let it define her. She is not self-pitying, but, rather, self-aware, and you can’t help but love her for that.

Hazel undergoes an important personal journey in the book, as she learns to love in the face of death, and that is where we meet Augustus Waters. Augustus is a fellow cancer patient, who lost his leg to the disease, but is momentarily in remission.

I love Augustus. I love even the way his name sounds when you say it. I love his silly metaphors and his loyal friendship. Most of all, I love how earnest he is and how vulnerable he allows himself to be. Augustus Waters is one of the sweetest boys I have ever known through print.

The relationship between Hazel and Augustus is adorable. Sometimes they say the wrong thing. Augustus tries too hard; Hazel doesn’t know how to respond. They love each other, but they aren’t perfect for each other. Their relationship is realistic, and, to me, that is what makes it so romantic.

I have always thought John Green was an amazing writer, but this book showed me that he is an amazing storyteller. He managed to take what is a rather sad story about teenage cancer and make it a celebration rather than a eulogy. He managed to mix his typically breathtaking prose with real, tear-jerking emotion in a way that is not maudlin, but rather moving and memorable. I cannot recommend this book more.

Recently, the nerd trend has been dominating pop culture; from film to fashion, and now even the opera. On December 1^st, Centennial theater will welcome Les Aventures de Madame Merveille, an opera based on the narrative of a comic strip. Sure to be an extremely unique theater experience, Cecil Castellucci (who wrote the text, or libretto, for the show) gives us a heads up on the making of the production, and why you can expect to witness plenty of flying, aliens and great music.

The Campus: Combining comic books and opera is a very unique idea. What were some of the similarities between comic books and the opera that made you think it would work as a stage production?

Castellucci: “I love visual aspects of theater and of comic books. I’m in love with narrative forms and am always looking for ways of combining them. I thought that the fact that operas use supertitles already that it would using the comic book balloons and captions would lend itself well to the form. Also, I am all for experiments when it comes to story.”

Campus: Prior to this project, had you been a fan of opera?

Castellucci: “Yes.  I have always been a big fan of opera. The first opera I went to see was The Magic Flute.  But my favorite opera from childhood is La Traviata.  I still go to the opera all the time in Los Angeles. There is something pure and emotional about singing a story.”

Campus: Was it a challenge for you as a writer to turn a comic book narrative into an opera?

Castellucci: “It was a challenge because there are a lot of moving pieces. I just had an idea that it could work beautifully. I think it helped that the collaboration between me and Andre worked really well and that the illustrators were such masters of the form that they could understand what I was trying to go for with the panel pictures.  The big challenge was to try to be super economical about the text and the story so that each movement would be complete and satisfying as a story, but also short. After that, really I have to give credit to Marie Josee Chartier and foumalade for bringing the visual parts together beautifully.”

Campus: Usually an opera is not something that appeals to youth, but comic books are hugely popular with the younger generation. What has been the reaction from youth attending the show?

Castellucci:  “I loved seeing kids at the premiere. They really loved it. And I think that it made opera, something that is traditionally considered a little too sophisticated for them, really accessible.  I loved afterwards hearing which section they loved best. I think if you do something cool, you can make kids fall in love with stories no matter how they are told. Opera is something they can engage with if it’s presented in a way that they can understand.”

Campus: Is this a show strictly for comic book lovers?

Castellucci: “Oh no! It’s for everyone! I think the fact is that everyone has a relationship with comic books even if they don’t read them now. Probably, they read them in their youth. The hope was that it would remind people about the pleasure of going through a stack of comic books.  But also, like I said, good stories are fun no matter what style they are told in.”

Q: Are you pleased with the way the show turned out?

A: “I was blown away by the show. I kept thinking how awesome it was that it was a show that I would go to see even if I didn’t have anything to do with it and I would think it was really cool. I love the music, too. Sometimes I catch myself humming some of Andre’s arias.”

Q: What would you say to encourage people to come out and experience the show?

A: “I think that if you were ever interested in exploring opera but were a little bit afraid of it this would be a good entree into the form.  It’s fun. It’s colourful. It’s great music. And it’s comic books. People fly! There are aliens! And love!”

Les Aventures de Madame Merveille will be performing at Bishop’s Centennial Theatre at 8pm, Thurs., Dec. 1. Tickets are available at the Box Office, adults $36, students $20.

Can’t get enough of that sugar crisp? Apparently, neither can the Post Cereal Company as it opens up a competition that mixes jingles and jams.

The inception all began when independent music composer and producer Adam Damelin was reviewing a sample for a song. Fast forward six months, and Damelin and trendsetter, actor and independent hip-hop artist iSH (Ish Morris) emerged, and packed with full force, driven and financed by Post Foods’ Sugar Crisp cereal to promote their “Can’t get enough” track. Yes, it is cool to be backed by a cereal company.

Post Foods was enthralled by the idea and Damelin was encouraged to find an artist to get the idea in motion. Looking for his big break and a record deal, the emerging independent hip-hop artist, iSH, was a perfect fit. Damelin and iSH collaborated to produce a single which they were very enthusiastic about and which had strong commercial appeal. This is when the idea of incorporating the Sugar Crisp sample all fell into place.

The concept was plain and simple: Sugar Crisp would aid in promoting and marketing the artists as well as the “Can’t get enough” song in so far as the single was made available to the public for free online.

The cereal company decided to take the collaboration a step forward, in turn launching “The First15,” a music contest for emerging artists looking for their big break. The winner of “The First15” contest will receive free recording studio time courtesy of GIRTH Music in Toronto, in addition to award-winning producer support and a $5,000 cash prize. Emerging artists are encouraged to go to the contest’s Facebook page to upload their prized track by Dec. 9. After the Facebook community determines a shortlist of promising artists, a panel of judges including Ish Morris, Post Foods and music industry experts will choose the grand prize winner.

Some words of wisdom can be found from iSH himself: “My advice to anyone getting into the music and/or film industry, is that persistence is key. The entertainment industry is a roller coaster. Work hard, refine your craft. Make sure you know your business, artists tend to focus on wanting to be an ‘artist’ but fail to recognize that knowing the ‘business’ side is what will allow them to make a living from it.”

Says iSh, “Having a good team is crucial, but with that said, remember that you most likely care about your career more than anyone else so you better work the hardest! Lastly, have fun. You’re doing this because you love it so enjoy it!”