Brian Harnois Interview

September 30, 2009 By 1 Comment

brian-harnois-5If you love watching the Sci-Fi channel, or now shown as SyFy channel, you probably saw the hit series Ghost Hunters with Jason and Grant as they lead their team of paranormal investigators across New England and the rest of the United States searching for some scientific evidence, or evidence of reasonable acceptance that ghosts do exist.  For many they set the bar on how to investigate, and we got to speak to their original tech manager Brian Harnois, best known for his “DUDE, RUN!” incident at Eastern State Penetentary in Philadelphia, PA.

Brian has been with the group for years, and has since moved on to other paranormal ventures like his new paranormal radio show, which is set to debut in October of 2009.  We had the esteem privilege to sit and talk with him, about his journey in the paranormal, his time on Ghost Hunters and see where he’s headed in the future.  We also have the podcast of the interview if you would like to listen on our podcast link.

Did you ever have a real paranormal experience before you started to investigate it?

Yeah, that’s how I started out in my paranormal career. I was eleven at my friend’s house. I was sleeping over there. He always said his house was haunted. So that night I was on the top bunk, he was on the bottom, and it was then I saw a full bodied apparition walking through his room. It freaked me out enough that I wanted to know more about the stuff. That’s where I started.

What do you love most about the paranormal, what is so fascinating about it to you?

The whole point of knowing do they actually really exist. There is no real proof, no scientific proof ghosts exist. It seems like the more you go investigate the less you find. If there are ghosts they are so diligent on not being found out. That’s one thing I am fascinated about, trying to find that one good piece of evidence, the one that blows everyones mind.. still haven’t found it yet.

What made you say… TODAY I am going to be a paranormal investigator?

After the experience when I was younger, I started reading and doing research. Then when I was old enough to go out by myself at night and drive, when I was around 16 to 17 years old, I started to go into different buildings and places to find another ghost. The passion grew so I wanted to find more places to investigate.

Did you ever have a group of your own prior to TAPS, or do your own private investigations?

TAPS was my first group. I did it by myself for two years prior, but in 1999 I joined TAPS. That was my first real experience with a group.

When did you join TAPS and why?

It was a fluke actually. In 1999 I wanted to join a group so I Googled “Rhode Island” and the word “paranormal,” and the first one that came up was TAPS. I clicked on their site. I saw Jason Hawes was one of the co-founders of the group, so I emailed him. Then like five minutes later the phone rang. He must have been online at the time. I did leave my phone number, and he asked me to meet him at Bess Eat’n Donuts in Warwick, Rhode Island and I joined… it was a fluke.

From your experience, what is the most common mistake paranormal investigators make on evidence?

Orbs. Someone will take a picture of a room with tons of dust particles in the air. They see the picture and they’re like, “Look, look, orbs!” They really have to realize a lot of it’s nothing but dust. That’s one of the common mistakes with groups on their websites. It’s a big mistake. That is just now being realized.

How important is it to keep your heart and emotions out of the research when you investigate?

On a technical standpoint, I never do, but it’s hard not to. If I were someone doing an investigation, I never would because when dealing with some entities they feed off your emotions, and if you come in with your emotions ablaze, they can pick those things up and use it against you. The only emotion I show is when I find something. You should be calm, cool and collective. It can also distort what you see. If you want to see something bad enough, your imagination can take over and you will see a ghost that’s not there. So the best thing to do is investigate the way you should. If you find something, you find something, if you don’t, you don’t… just let it be the way it is.

What advice do you have for amateur or independent paranormal investigators?

Best thing is don’t go in there thinking you need 10k dollars of equipment. You need knowledge more than anything. You go into an investigation you make sure you have knowledge and book smarts. On the equipment, you don’t need that much money in it, if you think you do, then your not ghost hunting the right way. When I go in, I have my EMF detector, flash light, digital recorder and camera, that’s it. You don’t need a DVR, you don’t need a thermal camera. Just go in and have some fun, but make sure you bring knowledge. If you go in without any concept of what your doing, that could get you in some serious trouble.

I know you’ve investigated graveyards. Many people say they are not haunted, and why would they be? The person’s body is there and they’re not connected to it anymore. Do you believe that? Any proof that the statement is wrong?

I have been to many cemeteries, that’s where I started. I saw some things and caught some things. I have seen some apparitions and shadows. Why are they there? Maybe they want to be with their body. I never really found out why they stay with their body, but some of them do, and heck it works for me because I get to investigate them.

What was the most frightening experience you had as a paranormal investigator?

I would have to say back in 2003 when I did an exorcism with my mentor Keith Johnson. She was 87 years old, and turned into a demon. Her eyes turned black, she talked in all different kind of languages and it took four to five people to hold her down. That was really scary and the most frightening thing because it wasn’t just a spirit, but demonic and attached to a human, and a human can hurt you. It wasn’t just dealing with a ghost but dealing with a live person and that is sometimes scarier than dealing with a ghost. That was one of the most frightening experiences of my life.

While working with TAPS, what was your most memorable experience?

I would have to say the St. Augustine Lighthouse down in Florida. It was amazing. We were shooting that part of the show, Jason and Grant went in, then said there was something in there they wanted us to investigate. So, me and Dustin went in there, and all hell broke loose. The things were talking to us, we said hello and it said hello back, we saw full body apparitions walking up stairs, full battery drains on everyone in the whole crew in the lighthouse. Everything you could possibly get while dealing with a ghost you got in that St. Augustine Lighthouse that night. I was totally flabbergasted; it was the Holy Grail of ghost hunting. Funny thing is, they didn’t want us to investigate the lighthouse, they said nothing ever happens in there.

Who were you closest with on the team and why?

Keith Johnson was my mentor, he kept me going and taught me everything I need to know. It was like a big brother/little brother, father/son situation. I started getting close with Steve Gonslaves. I knew him a few years before the show started. I urged Jason and Grant to get him on the show; I wanted him by my side. I shared a hotel room with him, and investigated with him constantly. The first episodes of Ghost Hunters, they didn’t know what to do with us because we didn’t talk. The producers wanted them to make us talk. The reason why we didn’t was because we were so in sync with each other with ghost hunting, so we didn’t need to talk. We just would go into a room and we knew what each other was doing; you were supposed to be quiet anyway on a ghost hunt.

Does your paranormal side venture into UFOs, legends and what have you?

Well, I think I saw a UFO when I was 16 -years-old here in Warwick, Rhode Island. It was a scary situation, creepy actually. I saw a triangle in the sky with yellow, red and blue dots on it. I believe in stuff like UFOS; we can’t be the only intelligent life form in this solar system. Cryptozoology, like Bigfoot maybe, the Chupacabra, I don’t know. The Jersey Devil, Moth Man, no, I don’t think so. The Moth Man was just a gimmick. I have never seen anything like a huge moth. Voodoo, zombies… yeah, I believe in those. Vampires and werewolves, do I believe in them, even though they are in the limelight now? Probably not, but ghosts can’t be the only thing. I do believe in other things in the paranormal but I never ventured into those areas but one day I might.

Lets move on to your current gig… paranormal radio. Tell us how you got involved with paranormal radio?

I haven’t started it yet because of the baby, but when I talked to Fred Angel, he wanted me to do a paranormal radio show and I had done one a year ago with Donna LaCroix called Demon Radio and it got a huge reception. People wanted to hear us on the radio, Blog Talk Radio. We crashed Blog Talk Radio twice. For Blog Talk Radio you don’t get much of a following, and the last show we had, had 35k people. So Fred Angel asked me if I would do a radio show, and I said, “Alright, I can do it.” It’s under a business I started called Beware Promotions, probably called the Brian Harnois Hour. It’s not your mother’s paranormal radio show. I am going to get down to the nitty gritty of things. I am going to take the drama and bring it to the forefront; there is just too much drama in the field now and I am sick of it. I want to call attention to it so the drama dies out and we can get back to investigating before Ghost Hunters started. We aren’t a community anymore, and that is why I want to do this. I hope it kicks off and becomes a success. We can do a lot more things in the future. It should start in October, at night, around Halloween. I am not going to be nice to the guests. I am going to do the hard hitting questions like Larry King and Don Irmus.

If people want to get a hold of you, see what your doing… how can they?

Very easy, I have a bunch of websites: www.brianharnois.net, www.wicks.com/brainharnois/brainharnois, and www.bewarepromotions.com. This {last} one connects different para-celebs, and para-events… you know, be like an agent for the people in the paranormal fields. We connect groups with groups. We are going to be like the the TAPS family and get other groups where they can all communicate on cases and help them to get the case done. Right now it’s got a good review; lots of groups and radio stations that want to be represented. I want to bring the whole paranormal community together and it’s growing fast. The other websites are www.facebook.com/brianharnois or www.myspace.com/wheezy.

Before we finish up, let’s do a quick drill to find out more about you.

1.Favorite Food – Pizza

2.Favorite Horror Flick – Night of the Living Dead

3.Favorite All Time Movie – Star Wars

4.Favorite Song – “Summer Breeze,” by Temp Negative

5.Favorite TV Show – Scrubs

6.Favorite Hobby – ghost hunting

7.Most memorable childhood moment – The haunting at my friend’s house.

8.Favorite Sport – Football

9.Favorite Team NFL – Bills, MLB – Red Sox, NBA – Celtics, NHL – Bruins

10.Most Used Quote – “Dude, Run!”

11.Favorite Book – World War Z,  by Max Brooks

Filed Under: Interviews Tagged With: , ,

Stereograms 10% Art, 90% Magic

September 30, 2009 By 6 Comments

By Gary W. Priester

3dmagic

I first became interested-no, make that obsessed-with stereograms in the mid-90s when the Magic Eye books and posters were all the rage. Stereograms are images that at first appear to be just a random pattern, but when you view them correctly, a 3D image appears. At the time I discovered these magical images, an article appeared in Publish Magazine explaining how these images were made. The author lived in the San Francisco Bay area as I did. I contacted him and said I would pay for a few hours of his time if he would show me how the images were made. He agreed. It was one of the best investments I have ever made. The author knew only enough to write the article and create a few very simple stereograms, but his sparse knowledge was just enough to launch my career.

Soon I was creating my own 3D stereogram images. I designed a website to display my creations. A Japanese publisher who was launching a stereogram magazine saw my images and asked me to contribute. I have been one of two contributors for nine years. The TJ MOOK series is up to issue 16 and the series has sold over four million copies. My co-contributor and I have co-authored two books of stereograms. We like to think that we have significantly raised the bar since the old Magic Eye days.

How Stereograms Work

PDIA classic hidden image stereogram is created from two images: a “depth image” that the stereogram software uses to build the hidden image, and a repeating wallpaper-like pattern. The pattern repeats several times, the amount of repeats varies but is usually more than five times. The stereogram software makes subtle shifts in the pattern in each panel that are not apparent to the viewer. When the stereogram image is viewed correctly, the brain picks up these subtle shifts that occur from panel to panel and concocts the 3D image. The art is creating a panel with a random pattern to conceal the pattern shifts. Shifts in the wrong pattern will stand out like a hog on a sofa, so a good random pattern is essential.

The depth image is a grayscale image with 255 shades of gray that the software uses to determine depth. The same type of depth image is also used when creating a 3D model in a 3D modeling program. White comes forward the most, while black represents the most distant part of the image. There are also the remaining shades of gray that represent the layers of depth in between.

SphereMost stereogram artists use a 3D modeling program to create their depth images. I have never gotten on that well with 3D modeling applications, so I create my own images in a vector drawing program. The drawing process is very different from conventional drawing. For example, if you were going to draw a ball, you would start with a circle. Then you would add some shading and maybe a highlight, a shadow too. These are all visual cues that the ball is round.

SlSphereBut when you draw a sphere for a depth image, you don’t have the luxury of a shadow or highlights or other visual cues. You construct the ball from the back to the front using shades of gray. In essence, you slice the sphere into many individual slices with a subtle change of value with each slice. This is the basic concept for creating all depth images.

The stereogram creation software uses these layers to compute the depth of the hidden image. Objects that are further away from the viewer are spaced farther apart. Objects that are closer to the viewer are spaced closer together. These modifications are made to each repeating panel. Your eye and your brain see these shifts in the pattern and together create the illusion of depth.

SpacingYou don’t need special software to create a 3D effect however. You can do it with simple spacing. Objects should be evenly spaced, but each row of objects can be spaced closer together or further apart to create the illusion of depth when viewed as a stereogram.

How to Look at a Stereogram

People frequently tell me that they have never been able to see stereograms. They explain how hard they try. They just never have been able to see the hidden images. Some people even imply that the whole thing is a hoax, that there is no hidden image and people who claim to see the hidden images are just faking it. The only legitimate excuse I heard was from a person who only had one eye!

Most people who cannot see a stereogram are just not looking at the image correctly. Here’s what I mean. When we read or look at a photograph, our eyes, slightly crossed, focus directly on the page. This is perfect for reading or viewing a picture, but totally wrong for viewing a stereogram. When you look at a stereogram, your eyes are actually focused behind the image. Instead of your eyes being slightly crossed, your eyes are both looking straight ahead. You are using your near distance vision and not your reading vision. This type of viewing is counter to our normal instincts, so I suspect the primary cause for not being able to view a stereogram, is the viewer is focusing on the page.

Here is a simple technique that works for most stereogram-challenged persons. Get real close to the image so your nose is almost touching it. Let your eyes go blurry. At this distance they will blur anyway. Now, very slowly move away from the image, or move the image away from you while trying not to focus on the image. Relax your eyes and try to focus behind the image. Do this very slowly and with any luck you should start to get some feeling of depth. The important thing is to relax your eyes and to not try too hard. It is not a contest after all. Do this several times if at first you don’t succeed. The feeling of magic you get when you first see the image is well worth the effort. And for what it’s worth, after you have seen your first magical image, the next one will be easier to see.

For more information on how stereograms work and to see more images, visit http://www.custom-sterograms.com

To see more stereogram images visit my Stereogram Gallery at Graphics.com and the http://www.eyetricks.com/3dstereo.htm My books: Eye Tricks – Incredible 3D Stereograms, Arcturus Publishing, London, and Hidden Treasures 3D Stereograms, Sterling Publishing, New York are available from most on-line book sellers. Our third book, EYE BALL is still looking for a publisher.

{Images and captions}

You probably did this when you were a child. Place your index fingers together, then looking straight ahead, slowly pull your fingers apart. As you do this, a floating sausage like shape will appear. This is the same viewing method you use when viewing a stereogram.

Weenie

ViewingWhen you read a book or look at a magazine, your eyes are slightly crossed and focused on the page. When you view a stereogram, your vision is parallel and your focus is behind the image. As with the floating sausage created when you draw your fingers apart, your eyes and brain create an extra image, which creates the illusion of 3D depth.

A random pattern is best for disguising the subtle and not so subtle shifts the software makes to each panel. The stereogram with the very orderly pattern of plusses graphically illustrates the shifts in the repeating pattern. When designing a stereogram, I try for a complex random pattern, such as the stones, in which the pattern shifts are not as obvious. Both hidden images are the same 3D sphere.

Good

Visible

Compass A combination of three types of stereograms: hidden image, floating image (the compasses), and mapped texture (the white outlines).

Compass

Coins A combination of hidden image and mapped texture stereograms.

Coins

Abert Entity A custom stereogram created for a new advertising agency. The floating logos on the top of the image are the agency’s actual logo, which also represents the hidden image. This is a combination of floating, mapped texture, and hidden image stereograms.

Abert-Entity

Filed Under: Art, featured Tagged With:

Connie Talbot – Pint Sized Magic

September 30, 2009 By 3 Comments

67440006Watching eight seasons of American Idol, we all know how rough the judges can be; none more ruthless than Simon Cowell.  When it’s his turn to judge, you will always see the contestants tense up awaiting their tongue lashing.  So let’s go across the pond to England, Cowell’s home, where a new show similar to American Idol is on the tele, as they would say, called Britain’s Got Talent.

Picture it from this contestant’s point of view. Here we are in this large theatre, packed to capacity, among the onlookers are three judges including Cowell.  As one contestant comes and performs you see what you think is a great artist being told “no,” having their dreams crushed, and probably a bit more gruff by the ruthless Cowell. Then you realize it’s your turn.  You watch the other contestant walk off stage and wonder, they were good, they didn’t make it, what does that mean for me?  You walk out behind the curtain to see the thousands of people and the sharp glance from the judges… now that’s intimidation.

From the audience point of view, when she comes out all eyes are on the judges to see their reaction to her.  Two are nodding, while Cowell puts his hand over his mouth and looks down like “Oh, here we go.”  On stage is an adorable pint sized girl with long brown hair and big bright eyes holding a microphone almost as big as she is, engulfed by an oversized stage which makes her look even smaller (but that would soon change).  With an amazing smile, the audience awes and the place grows very silent.  Nerves would be causing most to shake at this point in time, 67440003however, Connie is calm, cool and collected. Mom, on the other hand, is behind the curtain more nervous than her six-year-old daughter, who just walked in front of the judges to perform.  Cowell tells her to proceed.

Little Connie opens her mouth and what she releases is nothing shy of the angels singing themselves.  Her beautiful voice, pitch perfect, could only be duplicated by a song bird. Her incredible innocence is magical, so much so, it brings a tear to your eye as she sings “Over the Rainbow.”  The audience is stunned quiet.  Finally, Connie finishes up to a roar of applause; a full standing ovation.  The judges quickly gave her rave reviews. Connie looks calm and cool but then it comes to the always stern Cowell.  He says, “Connie, I am going to talk to you like an adult… because you deserve it (and that isn’t usually good coming from him). I thought you were brilliant.” Those words brought forth a smile from ear to ear on young Connie’s face as she was sent to the next round.

“Simon’s not mean at all, honestly… I think it’s just an act. So, he’s like a big teddy bear… Yeah, he’s really nice,” Connie says laughing.

Connie would go on to place second on Britain’s Got Talent, not bad for a six-year-old phenom that just stole the hearts of millions across the world.  Connie’s music is very pure, very clean and very innocent.  Anyone that watches her can see why she captures your heart.  Connie has been singing since she could talk.  Her parents and family have always been a major influence for her to do what she loves best and they are there every step of the way helping this amazing girl achieve her dreams, and fulfill the demand of her fans to hear her sing across the globe.

Recently, on her trip to Jamaica, Connie filmed her first music video off her debut album, Three Little Birds sung by the legendary Jamaican born singer Bob Marley.  Connie takes this song and makes it her own, while keeping the feel of the song that Marley created.  If he was here today, I think he would be very pleased with her version of his song, and proud that she taped it in his home country.  You can see the video on Connie’s website, and the home page of The Expressionist.

connieDM_468x805This winter the world is in for a treat. PBS has picked Connie to host her own holiday special called The Holiday Magic Special with Connie Talbot.  She is currently in Pennsylvania taping the show, of which she very well could be the youngest host of a holiday special in U.S. history.  The show will air live on PBS around the nation in December, and will be released on DVD for the rest of the world to see, and for those who missed the special.  Connie hopes everyone will watch her sing the magic of the holidays, especially when she sings “Ave Maria,” her favorite holiday song because it’s in another language.

If that isn’t amazing enough, Connie was named the official 2009 Toys For Tots Ambassador, and has co-designed a specific bracelet (of which has some pretty beads, as she says) for the Toys For Tots charity.  They go on sale soon and she hopes everyone will buy one to help out this great cause.

Connie’s years beyond her age and may have the same impact Princess Diana did on the world, and for her, there is no better time to start than now.  Her courage and energy will take her far, as she spreads her talent to the millions.  I got to admit, I am a huge fan!

Don’t miss Connie’s holiday special to air on PBS in December, and to find out more about this pint sized phenom, go to her web site at www.connietalbot.com. Don’t forget to check out her podcast interview with The Expressionist Magazine on Artist One on One.

Filed Under: Bands & Singers, featured Tagged With: , , ,

The Art Of The Jack-O-Lantern

September 30, 2009 By 2 Comments

Growing up in Connecticut, one of the things I loved most about the fall, was Halloween, not just because I was born the next day so I got candy, then cake and presents, but because of the errie feeling New England gave around this time of year.  One of my favorite fall traditions was carving the Jack-O-Lantern.

My father, mother and brother would all go to the local farmer’s stand and pick out our favorite pumpkin.  Pumpkins grew wild up there so that wasn’t too hard to find.  We would bear the cold fall air that would nip at your nose, to get that right gourd for us to carve.  After our purchase, we would bring it home and carve them up using our “pumpkin cutters.”  After we made our masterpieces just right, we would sit them outside on our stoop, put fallen leaves around them, with some Indian Corn, light them up and stare at them for hours.  Those were the days… but then I wonder, where did this custom start?  Why do we do such a thing?  I mean it had to come from somewhere right.

03860xHistory:

The origin of the Jack-O-Lantern started because of an Irish myth about a guy they call “Stingy Jack.”

Legend has it that Jack invited the Devil to have a drink with him one day, but like his name “Stingy” he had no intention of paying for the drinks.  Jack would try to weasle his way out of it, so he convinced the Devil to turn into a coin so he could pay for the drinks, then turn back and the drinks wold be free.  The Devil obliged being slick and nasty himself; but once he turned into a coin, Stingy Jack decided to keep the money.  He put the devil in his pocked next to a silver coin, so the devil could not return to his real form.  Jack eventually freed the Devil, under the condition that he would not bother Jack for one year and should he die, the Devil would not claim his soul.

However, the next year when the Devil was allowed to bother him, they met up again.  This time Jack asked the Devil to climb a tree and pick a piece of fruit.  The Devil obliged, and climbed the tree, immediately Jack carved a cross in the tree so the Devil could not get down till he promised not to bother Jack for 10 more years.

Finally Jack passed away, and met God for judgement.  God refused to let such an unsavory figure into Heaven, and banished him to Hell.  The Devil, upset at the trick Jack played on him, refused to let him into Hell.  As legend has it, the Devil gave him a burning lump of coal and set him on his way to walk aimlessly into the dark night.  Jack put the coal into a carved out turnip and roamed the earth ever since.

In Scotland and Ireland people made their own versions of Jack’s lantern, by carving scary faces into potatos and turnips to scare off Stingy Jack and other evil spirits, by placing them in the windows.  This tradition made its way to America where pumpkins were native, and we soon found Pumpkins make the perfect Jack-O-Lantern.

The Art

jackThe art of Jack-O-Lantern carving has seriously evolved over the years.  What started out as simple triangle or circle eyes, with triangle nose and jagged pointy teeth in a mouth has started to evolve into some masterpieces like flying witches, and elaborate Victorian houses with ghosts eminating out the doors.

The skill is tough to master, it involves peeling the skin away and making deeper slices to make a lighter or darker impression.  You almost need to carve it like a stencil to give that amazing effect.  Since these are completely closed, and usually don’t have any carving through the pumpkin wall, they tend to last longer than the average Jack-O-Lantern.

Today you can go to any Walmart or K Mart and pick up some stencils that include some tools that will allow you to make some interesting pieces.  I find it more artistic and challenging to try to make the pumpkin from scratch.

Pumpkin CareAround Florida here I have found that once you cut the Jack-O-Lantern, they don’t last long.  The humidity causes it to rot fast.  So here are some tips to making your Jack-O-Lantern last longer.

  1. Draw the face of your Jack-O-Lantern with marker, and leave it as long as you can till Halloween, if you buy your pumpkin way in advance.  This will keep it from rotting, but you can sport the face.  When it gets within 2 or 3 days before Halloween, you can carve the pumpkin.
  2. If you plan on making a more elaborate pumpkin, I suggest not carving it until 2 days before.
  3. When you gut the pumpkin, make sure there is no innerds left in there.  Those are very moist and slimy and cause for quick molding and rotting.  Clean it as good as you can, and wipe out any moisture.
  4. When the pumpkin is not lit, keep a box of Baking Soda inside or Damp Rid to help eliminate mositure that causes rotting.
  5. Dispose of your pumpkin promptly if it starts to mold, and right after Halloween.  Animals can eat it and become very sick, plus mold and rotting fruit/vegetables around you is not healthy either.  You will attract flies, maggots, and gnats.  If your pumpkin is completely rotten, throw it in a compost pile, or bag it with a trash bag and tie it off so the gasses don’t escape.
Filed Under: Art, featured

Trailer Choir’s “Rockin’ The Beer Gut”

September 30, 2009 By Leave a Comment

trailer_choir1Sometimes fate plays a big part in our lives, and we never even know until it hits us.  That’s what happened to this fun loving, comedic country music group called “Trailer Choir.”  Their entire being was dealt the hand of fate, and that hand has nothing in store but to bring them to the top.  Blessed with rich opportunites, being in the right place at the right time, and being found by a legend has made this trio of best friends’ dreams a reality.

It all stared in Nashville, Tennessee when Big Vinny came down to the city to learn more about writing and performing music. His father was an amazing musician that toured with the likes of Steve Miller; so music was in his blood and now it was time to bring it to perfection.  He bought a place on 18th Street in the city, and one night around 3 A.M, Vinny walked outside and there was Butter, sitting on his porch playing the guitar with two strings missing.  Vinny recognized him as Butter who he’s seen play around town, so he asked Butter if he could play him a song.  He did and they struck up a friendship and started to write music together.

The team solidified one night when Butter was on stage performing. Big Vinny was on the floor watching and dancing, when Butter invited him up on stage to dance.  That was all it took. The magic was embranded and the people felt it as well.  Butter said he wanted him to be a permanent part of his act.  They became the hit band we now know today as “Trailer Choir.”

So what about Crystal? How did she join the band?  It was a strange incident that normally would not be allowed to happen, but again fate paved the way to make this group a trio one night at a show in Nashville.  Butter and Big Vinny were on stage performing, when a beautiful blue eyed vixen jumps up on stage and tells Big Vinny,” Move over, I’m singing with you.”  ”Be my guest. Who am I to tell that pretty young thing no?”  That’s all it took, the trio was officially bonded.  Crystal brought a new sound to the group and got them into a whole new way of performing.

“Plus she made us look good. At every frat show there are guys lined up next to the stage. They don’t move, since she joined us,” laughs Vinny.

Fate wasn’t done yet, no sir.  After a show in Nashville, they got word that Toby Keith, the legendary country music singer was there and loved their act and wanted to see them.  Star struck, the trio walked to Toby’s side and graciously listened to the amazing offer he had. He wanted to work with the band and if it worked out, sign them to “Showdog Records,” Keiths label.

It took a few months to prove themselves, get the contracts signed and finalized, but it was worth the wait for as it turned out Keith was the magic they needed. Trailer Choir was about embark on an amazing ride.

Trailer Choir started to tour opening for Toby Keith, and have done so around 49 times to date.  The tour was much more than just a job. They got to tour with a friend and learn from a legend whose been there and done that and there is no better way to learn than that.  So much of Toby has rubbed off on the band, which really helped make them the fun loving, fan appreciative band they are today.  They say they have to “earn each and every fan,” something they picked up from Keith.  They treat their fans as each one is special, which they are. “We’re out for our fans, it wouldn’t be any other way.”

In just a year’s time, the accolades have rolled in for this band of buds. Honors include About.com’s Best New Country Group/Duo winner, their song “Off The Hillbilly Hook,” which was on the soundtrack to Toby Keith’s movie Beer for my Horses, their song “Last Man Standing” which was used by ESPN & ABC for a NASCAR promo, and most recently the release of their full CD, Trailer Choir-Off the Hillbilly Hook, on which the “Rockin The Beer Gut” single has exceeded the 100,000.00 sales mark!

trailer_choir3Vinny told me about the ESPN/NASCAR promo. He was sitting in a bar up in Detroit with Keith, and they were watching TV when “Last Man Standing” blasted over the TV.  Keith looked at them and said “Damn boys, you’re on TV.”  Nothing can send chills up your spine like hearing your song blast across the TV and having a legend be proud of you.

Even though this band is young and has accomplished so much already, I can only see them going farther than this.  They have an amazing fun loving act that the people love. Their stage presence with each other is magical, making the duo addicting, which emanates through their music.  When all is said and done, I can see them in the Grand Ole Opry, and I can see them in the Country Music Hall Of Fame.

So when they come to your city, don’t miss them. And don’t forget to get your cowboy hat, boots and suspenders on and hit the town “country style” for some fun.  Oh, and most importantly, don’t forget to “rock the beer gut!”

If you want to contact Trailer Choir, just hit them up on their MySpace page, which Big Vinny runs. He will answer any e-mails you send.  Want an autograph?  Just catch them on the street or after a show and they will be happy to oblige.  Their website is www.trailerchoir.com It has links to all their sites and news.

Don’t miss the podcast “Artist One on One” that we had with Big Vinny.  To check it out  just go to our Podcast link.

Filed Under: Bands & Singers, featured Tagged With: , ,

“Dude, Run!” with Brian Harnois

September 30, 2009 By 5 Comments

Brian_Harnois_in_Ghost_Hunters_TV_Series_Wallpaper_9_1024If you love watching the Sci-Fi channel, or now known as SyFy channel, you probably have seen the hit series Ghost Hunters with Jason and Grant as they lead their team of paranormal investigators across New England and the rest of the United States searching for some scientific evidence, or evidence of reasonable acceptance that ghosts do exist.

Ghost Hunters became one of the first shows on television that actually took you around to these different places and showed you a real ghost investigation. The investigators come out to each location and set up some amazing high tech and oh so expensive equipment which makes viewers sit in awe to see what they can capture.

The group featured on Ghost Hunters is actually TAPS, and TAPS has really set the bar on the standards for investigation groups across America in terms of how to investigate and how to call a place based on evidence. TAPS also has a huge network of ghost hunting teams across the globe; to be one of their teams in their network you must apply and accept their basic beliefs.

However, for one of their former members, Brian Harnois, his humble roots in ghost hunting began by a personal experience, and living both sides of the spectrum he truly believes that ghost hunting should remain simple and fun.

Brian’s love of ghost hunting and the paranormal started back when he was very young, around 11 years old. He spent the night over at one of his friend’s houses, and his friend told him that the place was haunted. That didn’t deter Brian from coming over and having a fun sleep over with his friend. However, this particular night he would see first hand that his friend wasn’t joking. Brian remembers settling into bed that night; his friend had the bottom bunk, and Brian took the top. He laid there about to shut his eyes, when out of nowhere a full bodied apparition appears and walks through the room only to disappear as fast as it came. Only a true ghost hunter could fall asleep after seeing something like that.

From this point on, Brian’s fascination for the paranormal blossomed. He started reading up on ghosts with books that told of ghostly tales to more scientific books that focused on topics such as demonology for instance. Finally around the age of 16 to 17, he was able to drive himself around at night and that’s when he started his life of investigating. He would stay out till the wee hours of the morning, or whenever his curfew brought him home, gathering evidence and trying to find another spirit like the one in his friend’s house.  No matter where that took him, he didn’t care if it was a cemetery or a house, he was going to find one.

So, what keeps Brian coming back for more?  It’s the idea that there is no real or scientific proof that ghosts exist. It’s his mission in life to capture that one piece of indisputable great piece of evidence that wows everyone. He is also bugged by the fact, and any real investigator will understand, that the more you investigate the less you find.  If there are ghosts around, they are diligent on not being found.  If they are out there, Brian is diligent on making them known; they can’t hide forever with him on the job.

l_77bf5391211c450c9f16249a68798ea1In 1999, Brian was interested in joining a paranormal group and his first and only group came by a fluke as he says. One day he sat at his computer with a mission, to find a paranormal group, so he Googled “Rhode Island” and “paranormal” as keywords, and the first listing was TAPS. Brian started from the top of the list, and clicked TAPS. He found that the group was located right in his home city of Warwick, and Jason Hawes was one of the co-founders.  He e-mailed them his name and request, along with a phone number and upon clicking the send button, hoped they would respond. Ironically, within a few minutes, he got a phone call from Jason who asked to meet him at Bess Eaten Donuts in Warwick, and from that point on he came on as tech-manager for TAPS.

While on the TAPS group Brian got the chance to visit some pretty impressive places.  Some were truly haunted and some were not; they were able to debunk all the claims the owner experienced. It was at Eastern State Penitentiary where he coined the phrase, “Dude, run!”  This happened when something spooked the camera man, which spooked Brian in a rare occurrence.  He never really got to live that one down. However, one of his most memorable cases was here in Florida at the St. Augustine Lighthouse.

“It was amazing. We were shooting that part of the show and Jason and Grant went in, then said there was something in there they wanted us to investigate. So, me and Dustin went in there, and all hell broke loose. The things were talking to us, we said hello and it said hello back. We saw full body apparitions walking up stairs, full battery drains on everyone in the whole crew in the lighthouse. Everything you could possibly get while dealing with a ghost you got in that St. Augustine Lighthouse that night. I was totally flabbergasted; it was the Holy Grail of ghost hunting. Funny thing is, they didn’t want us to investigate the lighthouse. They said nothing ever happens in there.”

Throughout his tenure with TAPS, he left once and returned, but in his return he was no longer the Tech-Manager.  That title went to one of his best friends, Steve Gonslaves.  That didn’t bother him at all; he knew Steve earned it. Despite leaving TAPS and coming back, Steve and Brian remained close.  It was Brian, after all, who convinced Jason and Grant to bring Steve on board. The pair was magical when they investigated because they knew what each other was doing. There was no need for talking, which Brian laughed at because it really got the producers of Ghost Hunters irritated. They wanted them to talk and didn’t know what to do with the pair, so they compromised and talked more. Brian was also taught by one of the best, Keith Johnson, who he credits as his mentor and today still shares a tight bond with beyond the Ghost Hunters realm.

Today Brian is a happily married man, a role he takes very seriously. He is also the proud daddy of two beautiful children whom he loves spending time with. Brian has also left the TAPS team and is currently pursuing new ventures in the paranormal realm. He has a new website that is coming out soon, and has a paranormal talk radio show called “The Brian Harnois Hour” which is set to take the airwaves in October, close to Halloween.

The Brian Harnois Hour is a project by his company, Beware Promotions. “ It’s not your mother’s paranormal radio show. I am going to get down to the nitty gritty of things. I am going to take the drama and bring it to the forefront; there is just too much drama in the field now and I am sick of it. I want to call attention to it so the drama dies out and we can get back to investigating before Ghost Hunters started. We aren’t a community anymore, and that is why I want to do this. I hope it kicks off and becomes a success, so we can do a lot more things in the future with it,” explains Brian.

Beware Promotions is Brian’s “baby,” something he is trying to put together quickly so it can benefit ghost hunting groups and paranormal affiliates everywhere. It will even benefit those who need the services of these groups.

“Beware Promotions will connect different para-celebs, para-events. You know, be like an agent for the people in the paranormal fields. We connect groups with groups; I call it a big umbrella. We are going to be like the the TAPS family, and get other groups where they can all communicate on cases and help get groups to get the case done. Right now it’s got a good review; lots of groups that want to be represented, radio stations, and a bunch of people that want to be represented. I want to bring the whole paranormal community together and it’s growing fast,” states Brian.

Brian has had the opportunity that not many ghost hunters will ever get, and still he prefers the old fashioned way. He was on television, radio, and now he brings his experiences and connections to ghost hunting groups across the world. His ambition to find the invisible is unmeasurable; it’s what makes him so good in the field. Like many investigators in any field, Brian’s ways are based on knowledge and truth.  He reports only what he finds and what is true, leaving his emotions aside to give us cold hard facts. There isn’t anything that makes one more true in life, making his words credible. I look to see some great things for this amazing individual in the future. Believe it or not, with all he’s done already his career is just beginning.

If you want to contact Brian or know what he’s up to, check out these sites and look for his radio station set to air in October 2009. These sites will have the details:

www.facebook.com/brianharnois

www.myspace.com/wheezy

www.wicks.com/brianharnois/brianharnois

www.bewarepromotions.com

www.brianharnois.net

Click here to read the actual transcribed interview with Brian and The Expressionist Magazine, or listen to it on our podcast. It can also be found at our paranormal magazine, Beyond The Limits.

Filed Under: Celebrities, featured Tagged With: , ,

Wedding Bells In Llanview

September 29, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Todd and Tea finally make it to the alter, with what little family and friends show up to support it.  Blair comes fully loaded with Ross whom she hopes will ruin the wedding, she denies its because she still wants Todd, but its for her kids.  Before leaving for the wedding Dorian gave Ross a sizable check to Ross to give Blair what she needs, and let that wedding happen.  Ross takes the check and does exactly that, he takes Blair into a boat at the club house where the wedding was taking place, and locks her in the cabin, while driving out to the middle of the bay.  Blair realizes that the wedding is going to happen, thanks to Ross and there is nothing she can really do about it.

Gigi gets Schuyler a job at Roadies, and Kim is going to use that to drive a wedge in between Rex and Gigi in hopes he will run back to Stacy.  Stacy is pregnant but with Fish’s baby, since she lost Rex’s in miscarriage.

Filed Under: One Life To Live Tagged With:

Connie Talbot – Britain’s Got Talent Podcast

September 27, 2009 By Leave a Comment

On Artist One on One, we have the esteem pleasure of sitting down with Connie Talbot, the six-year-old sensation that wowed England and Simon Cowell on Britain’s Got Talent.  She finished 2nd place.  Now eight-years-old, she is in the states filming her own holiday special.  So we catch up with her by phone from Pennsylvania and her very first U.S. appearance.

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Trailer Choir – Podcast Artist One On One

September 27, 2009 By Leave a Comment

We sat down with Trailer Choir’s “Big Vinny” and talked with him about the recent success of Trailer Choir, from their single “Rockin The Beer Gut” hitting the 100K sales mark, to having a song on a movie soundtrack and a NASCAR promotion.  Sit back and relax as we take you into Trailer Choir, country music’s newest sensation.

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Brian Harnois – TAPS Ghost Hunters Podcast

September 27, 2009 By 8 Comments

Brian Harnois, known from his days on SyFi Channel’s hit TV show Ghost Hunters with TAPS, sits down with The Expressionist Magazine for Artist One on One, and tells about his time on TAPS/Ghost Hunters, his past and how he got here and his future. Brian’s new paranormal radio show is about to air in October 2009… DON’T MISS IT.

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