Plex Performing on Griffin Annual Boat Cruise

Awhile back Plex performed and talked to a group of kids associated with the Griffin Centre.  They loved him so much they have invited him back.  This time, on a five hour boat cruise along Toronto's stunning waterfront, into Centre Island Lagoons and then out into Lake Ontario, by way of the Eastern Gap.  Food, Dancing, Entertainment (Plex), Giveaways, Raffle Prizes and Guest Gift Bags.

Tickets are still available!  Call 416-222-1153 EXT 180 to get yours. All Proceeds go towards supporting the Griffin Centre.

Plex article in Metro Nation Wide

Plex provides rare aboriginal voice to hip hop

Brian Towie

02 March 2010 03:00

Brainstorm is the solo debut album from Alberta artist Plex.

Plex wants to live in a country that trades on multiculturalism to pay more attention to the plight of its Native communities.

The Edmonton-born, Toronto-based MC and founding member of hip-hop collective Won 18 (and brand new dad) delivers that message on his solo debut, Brainstorm. The collaborative, eclectic and always confident grassroots collection range from relaxed to raging, taking aim at the rough lives of Native peoples and a public that does not to see it.

Call hip hop the perfect medium to give the voiceless a way to say something, argues Plex (a.k.a. Doug Bedard, the son of an Ojibwa mother and Ukranian-Romanian father).

“A lot of aboriginal people, especially in Canada, grew up in low-income areas,” says Plex. “A lot of hip hop was based on that, especially in the poorer areas of New York. It’s relatable for us. It’s changed a lot over the years and become a lot more sugar-coated, but I think people are still looking for something that actually says something.”

Well, somebody’s got to, especially when discussing the impact of oilsands in northern Alberta on Native peoples, a subject near and dear to Plex’s heart. As a former insulator on a rig, he says he saw first-hand the environmental and social devastation they brought. Not so easy to find people who will listen, however, when the province depends on the money flowing out of them.

“I don’t think it serves the media any good to push it that much, especially in a province where the oil industry controls so much,” he says. “But the devastation is across the board. People are getting sick. A place like Fort Chipweyan; people have been living there for generations and they’re getting these weird cancers that only one in a million people get and you get several cases in one small region.”

In the meantime, Plex will continue to foster grassroots rappers with his music label New Leaf Entertainment, and encourage aboriginal culture into mainstream circles with The Plex Show — an Aboriginal Voices Radio program profiling indigenous talent that airs across Canada on Friday nights. It’s about breaking down the barriers between cultures, he argues, something Canadians need to do if we’re going to call ourselves truly multicultural.

“Growing up, there was that separation. We were always pushed to one side,” he says. “It always made me feel awkward and ashamed about it. But we shouldn’t feel like that. What has been happening is good, but we’re only beginning to fine-tune that stuff.”

Read and comment on the article here:
http://www.metronews.ca/toronto/entertainment/article/465846--plex-provides-rare-aboriginal-voice-to-hip-hop

Spare Change video reaching mainstream audiences

Plex's latest video comes from his sophomore album Brainstorm and lands on mainstream markets so
keep an eye out when you are watching Much Music, Much Vibe, MTV and Much More Music for Spare Change on rotation.

Is Plex coming to your town? Stay with us for updates on tours and shows. You want to book him too? Avoid the lineup and go straight to the source contact Victoria vixvon@gmail.com and we will do our best to get Plex on your bill.
Watch the video on Much Music online
copy and paste:
http://watch.muchmusic.com/video-playlists/video-playlistsmuchvibe/clip266046#clip266046

Thanks for being a part of the movement! Now, do us a solid and request Spare Change on Much Music and request often!

Plex talks about Spare Change

Spare Change is a collective effort to draw attention to our global crisis. I want this song to connect people and bring awareness that we're all in this together. We can no longer sweep our problems under the rug. We've tried that. We need to understand that whatever affects someone in Africa or Israel, is affecting everyone in the world. We've heard politicians speak about "change," and that's a good start, but it's time we put it into action.


What inspired me to write the song - growing up in Alberta, near the tar sands and witnessing the interconnectedness between the booming drug trade and the out of control pollution - both are directly "fueled" by the Oil Industry and people are dying as a result. As an artist I feel that the way I can address these issues is through my music and my unique cultural perspective.


Most of us aren't taught these things in school or by our parents - so if we want to be more conscious and make the world a better place we have to practice. Practice makes perfect. It starts with one person taking one step.


I'd like to see a shift in perspective - we live in a society that judges people for what they look like and not necessarily what they do or how they act. We should be more self conscious about littering or being wasteful not for how we look. It's hard but practice makes perfect.