By Peter Sterling

The Back Bay Sun, July 26, 2006

Several talented musicians from the Berklee College of Music in the Back Bay will appear at the sixth annual Vineyard Vibes festival, a three-night event on Martha’s Vineyard beginning July 28. Among them are vocalists Tiwa Savage and Nadine Ford, who will perform a selection of Motown classics at Outerland in Edgartown on the second night of the festival.

Directed by Berklee’s Ken Zambello, associate professor of ensembles, the concert will also feature Tony Award winner Jennifer Holliday, star of the original Broadway production of “Dreamgirls.” Savage and Ford, who have become close friends during their time at Berklee, share a common passion for giving soulful performances on stage, although their musical inspirations stem from different backgrounds.
Savage moved with her family to London in 1990 at age 11 and became fascinated by new varieties of music that she was not exposed to while growing up in Lagos, Nigeria.

“I started to play the trombone in the school band but eventually switched and started taking vocal lessons,” she said of her early flirtations with the performing arts. “I would listen to my peers sing and then imitate them. This really fueled my desire to go further, to research and discover new artists and genres on my own.”

Savage’s first big break came at one of the most celebrated venues in the world, when she sang backup vocals at a George Michael concert at Wembley Stadium in London at age 17.

“I thought that perhaps it would be smooth sailing from then on,” she said. “But it has definitely been a lot of work. I got a late start by some standards, which made things difficult as well.”

After graduating from the University of Kent and working at the Royal Bank of Scotland, Savage decided to devote her time to music.

“People said I was crazy for leaving RBS, but my heart was in singing and performing,” she said.
Savage entered Berklee in 2003 on a scholarship and will graduate next May after writing and recording her first album.

Unlike Savage, Nadine Ford has carried a love of singing since she was in elementary school. By the time she was seven, Ford was already performing in a choir at the Church of God in Christ in Long Island, New York.

“I got the chance to sing in front of an audience when I was very young, and the uplifting feeling stuck with me,” she said. “I definitely think the support and inspiration from my peers along the way helped a great deal as well.”

A music education major, Ford will graduate in the spring of 2007 but plans to continue performing after Berklee. And, while her favorite genres include R&B and neo-soul, she remains connected to her religious roots.

“I like to think of myself as having a strong tie to the old-school because of my background in the church,” she said. “But I’m also young, and I have a broad range of performances throughout my time here that reflects that.”

One look at Ford’s resume, which includes several appearances with Berklee’s Reverence Gospel Choir and a two-week tour of the Philippines as a member of the jazz, funk and R&B group the Satya Band, reveals her broad depth of talent.

While both vocalists are new to the Vineyard Vibes festival, professor and performer Ken Zambello will help guide them and the other Berklee students through the weekend. “I’ve worked with him before several times,” noted Ford. “He’s extremely talented, and I’m happy that he’ll be directing the Singers Showcase at the Outerland.”
 

By Peter Sterling and Suzanne Besser

The Back Bay Sun, June 23, 2006 

Should you be in need of a Wee Wubba dog toy, tearless puppy shampoo, Happy Trails stroller or other pup playthings, try Pawpoochies, a specialty dog boutique located at 272 Newbury Street.
If you can find it.

“We’re on the second floor with a small window sign,” said owner Aaron Motta. “Many people don’t even know how to get in here. I think we definitely need some outside advertising, but I am not sure what we’re going to do about it now.”

“Now” refers to the days since June 14 when five Inspectional Services Department code enforcers removed from the street 14 sandwich board signs that were in various ways calling attention to not very visible stores. Unhappy owners were handed $200 fines for violating a rarely enforced ordinance prohibiting such signs on public sidewalks. “Before this incident, we were planning on standing a sign outside,” said Devin Bousquet of CopyCop. “I know it can become a problem when the streets get crowded, but a good sign is a good sign. It lets people know what’s going on inside.”

How to let people know what is going on within the retail stores of Newbury Street is a major concern of the Back Bay Association, an advocacy group which represents and lobbies on behalf of local businesses, retail merchants, restaurants, hotels, property owners, major corporations, schools and churches to ensure the continued commercial strength of the area.

It was that group which took responsibility for urging ISD to remove the sandwich board signs from Newbury Street, likening them to litter which detracts from the overall charm of the area.
“We want sidewalk signs banned. You do not solve big problems by creating smaller ones,” said Back Bay Association president Meg Mainzer-Cohen. “We did the right thing [asking for them to be removed], but it’s hard. Store owners are very upset.”

William Young, preservation planner for the Back Bay Architectural Commission, said the removal of the sandwich board signs is beneficial to the visual quality of the streetscape, a factor that is important to the commission. Captain Michael Mackan, who oversees code enforcement and special operations for ISD, said the department supports the efforts of neighborhood groups that need help educating the public.
“We did this [removed the sandwich board signs] in Dorchester, and it resulted in a good understanding of what the neighborhood group wanted,” he said.

Mackan said the storeowners who had their signs removed could choose to appeal the violations by appearing in housing court or paying the $200 fine. ISD will give them the signs back if they show them a copy of the receipt. However, code enforcement officers will be following up on the sandwich board sting and continue to enforce the rules.

The Back Bay Association is sympathetic to the problems of operating retail establishments under the strict guidelines imposed by the architectural commission and, among other things, wants more visible signs attached to the storefronts.

“The elements of a successful retail street are good sight lines, large windows and appropriate signage,” said Mainzer-Cohen. “These elements are contrary to those of the Back Bay Architectural Commission. We want them to update their guidelines.”

Other architectural guidelines the business group believes keep people away include the large boxes of plant materials along the street lot lines.

“Big planters built out in front of the shops block the entryways, and many are not even planted most of the year,” she said. “Sidewalks need to be able to accommodate pedestrians. There are more retail-friendly ways to use plants.”

Many of the storefront windows are also very small, dating from the days when the buildings were solely residential, and shopkeepers cannot effectively display their wares, she said.

In March, Gary Saunders, former association chair, wrote to Anthony Casendino, chair of the Back Bay Architectural Commission, asking that it update the business sector guidelines for the district, and that the BBA be part of that process.

Young said the commission does plan to invite constituent organizations to meet with it to discuss the guidelines. Because its first priority is to review applications from individuals seeking approval for architectural changes, the commission had not yet had time to schedule a meeting with the Back Bay Association but said that it would most likely occur in the fall.