You may not know the name Megyn Hermez yet, but chances are you will soon. The Southfield-born, Novi native is on a trajectory toward stardom that defies the speed of light.

Hermez (nee Kashat), 21, a dancer, singer and actress, has already won dance competitions in Barcelona, Spain, and appeared on TV on the Wendy Williams Show, the Mo’Nique Show, Lopez Tonight and many more. In two weeks’ time, she wrote 12 songs, which will appear on her “Anxiety” album, slated for release this March.

“It was an experiment,” she says of the album, a mix of “funk rock, R&B and jazz. I had to try every genre before I found my style.” Interestingly, “I didn’t expect to do anything with music,” she recalls.

One of three children of Sue and Keith Kashat of St. Clair Shores— dad owns the Tire Outlet and Auto Pro on Nine Mile in Ferndale— Hermez is a bundle of energy. It feels like she’s going to jump out of the chair or explode any minute. She’s a woman on the move.

This movement was fueled at age eight when she began dance lessons at Sheryl’s School of Dance in Novi. She started with jazz and then took lessons in every style of dance. “I did it my whole life,” she says, and she’s still dancing—20 to 30 hours a week. She teaches at Sheryl’s, performs in night clubs and continues her dance training.

Mom Sue Kashat recalls the long hours her daughter spent at the dance school. “She lived in the dance studio. Sometimes, I would pick her up at midnight (from dance practice, competitions or performances).”

But Hermez, who took her mother’s maiden name professionally, wasn’t always into dancing. At Novi High School, she was in the choir and pursued solo and ensemble opportunities. “I loved it,” she exclaims. “I was heavy into choir.” And she liked acting too, performing in school musicals, at one point portraying Cruella DeVil in a musical adaptation of “101 Dalmatians.” A teacher took note of her talent and told her that one day she’d be an actress.

A bit of a Renaissance individual, she also tried her hand at poetry. Hermez recalls walking home from school rhyming words. “I always liked English. I was writing, writing, writing. I love to write. I feel like I was ahead of my years.”

But despite loving to sing in the school choir, acting in plays and writing, she just didn’t get school. She would miss two to three days a week, and teachers and classmates would get on her case about it. So she dropped out at the age of 16 to pursue her dreams.

Hermez calls herself, “a little outrageous. I dress outlandish. I have a big personality. I’m okay with that.” Friend Brittany Cigna, a student at Michigan State University and a friend since age ten, calls her oneof- a-kind. “You’ll never meet anyone like Megyn,” Cigna says. “She’s a really goofy person. She loves to be original and I love it too. She never fails to surprise you.” Cigna saw her friend’s talent early on. “She always wanted to be on stage, the center of attention. She loved to perform.”

Kashat says her daughter was always headstrong, “a real go-getter. She’ll stop at nothing. She is really strong about her career.” Aunt Sandra Hermez sees both sides of her niece’s personality. “She’s good-hearted, positive, and has no problem speaking her mind. She’s beautiful inside and out, and close to her family—a good person.”

Coming from a Chaldean tradition, which promotes modesty for girls and women, Hermez’s family was nevertheless supportive of her career choices. “We’re basically her sponsors,” explains Kashat. “We’re responsible for anything she has to do for her music.”

After dropping out of high school and beginning her career, the singer/dancer took some jobs at a local mall, selling body jewelry and working for Rosetta Stone—the language education company. “I wanted to work,” Hermez says. “I wanted to help pay for dance and to give my parents a break.” Soon her career took off like a rocket. She was a dancer with the band of former Gap Band lead singer Charlie Wilson and appeared on cruises and around the world.

And the national TV gigs “just felt right. I felt at home.” Hermez says she wasn’t star-struck, and is grateful for the opportunity. “It confirmed that this is what I’d be doing the rest of my life.”

She made a temporary move to Los Angeles, but her connections were in Michigan and she came back home to finish her album. Will she remain in the Detroit area? Hermez keeps her options open. “When the right opportunity comes across, I will leave here.”

February and March will bring a lot of gigs, including hosting a Valentine’s Day party in Dearborn and dancing at the MGM casino. “I don’t turn down any opportunity,” she says.

Kashat’s hope is that her daughter is happy. “Whatever the outcome is (with her career), we’re very proud of her.” And according to her aunt, she knows Hermez will succeed. “I have no doubt she’ll get where she wants to be.” Hermez calls herself religious, and has a strong belief that she will be successful. “I don’t leave room for a backup plan. Failure is not an option. If you put all your time into it, God can’t refuse you.”

< Heidi Press is a Detroit-area writer and editor

If slightly happened with our heartiness, we believe there is a solution to any maladies in a cure. What medicines do patients purchase online? Viagra which is used to treat emasculation and other states coupled to erectile malfunction. Learn more about “sildenafil“. What men talk about “viagra stories“? The most substantial aspect you must look for is “sildenafil citrate“. Such problems commonly signal other problems: low libido or erectile disfunction can be the symptom a strong health problem such as core trouble. Causes of sexual dysfunction include injury to the penis. Chronic disease, several medicaments, and a status called Peyronie’s disease can also cause sexual dysfunction. Even though this medicine is not for use in women, it is not known whether this treatment passes into breast milk.

To pursue the arts, you don’t need top-of-the-line materials. Nor do you have to study under a highly-skilled painter, fashion designer, or film director who proclaims, “You’re a genius!”

Just ask Ferndale resident Courtney Spivak—whose career in media resulted from
an ordinary school assignment. In 1995, during her sophomore year at Lamphere High School in Madison Heights, her French teacher unnerved her with the requirement to either give a speech or read a short literary selection in front of the class.

Spivak felt confident about her increasing fluency in French, but was shy then and dreaded public speaking. To get out of it, she chose to make a video of her presentation instead. “I knew a kid at school whose father owned an electronics repair shop and agreed to loan me a camcorder,” says Spivak. “My friend taped me reciting this flowery French poem. It was pretentious but fun.”

With encouragement from her teacher, Spivak designed and starred in a series of short videos using different props and settings. Observing how well the vignettes entertained the class, her French teacher took Spivak aside one day and told her to consider video-making as her true calling.

Spivak’s parents also noticed their daughter had an affinity for making videos. “That December,” she says, “my parents bought me my own camcorder.
I spent my entire Christmas vacation recording anything I could—the sky, running water, my foot—it didn’t matter. I was consumed by it.”

Pleased by the enthusiasm, her parents bolstered her hobby with more purchases that winter: a TV monitor, two VCRs (one with just editing capabilities), and a “primitive” personal computer. Each week, she spent hours experimenting with the electronics. To create special effects for her videos, she learned how to manipulate different color filters and lenses onthe camcorder.

The quality of her recordings impressed her theatre arts teacher who taught the only video production class offered at Lamphere back in the 1990s. Since her theatre teacher didn’t know much about making videos, Spivak says he relied on to teach the other students how to use the editing equipment.

By senior year, she was eager to entertain a wider audience than teachers and classmates with her communication projects. The opportunity to try her hand at mass media came from Media One (now Comcast). The cable provider advertised training for anyone interested in hosting their own public-access show – Spivak signed up with three of her friends for the three-day instructional session.

As soon as Spivak and her friend received their certificates to operate the company’s video equipment, they hit the Ferndale and Royal Oak streets to find participants for the variety/community information show she called “Staticvision.” With her crew, she taped local band performances, interviewed artists and musicians, and spotlighted business owners.

To spice up the bi-monthly program, whose metro viewing area extending as far west as Keego Harbor, Spivak says, “We’d talk to and record street performers and groups of kids hanging out around Royal Oak. Watching us tape, some people would spontaneously come up to us and want to be interviewed. Often, they’d make funny remarks that added humor to the show.”

During the program’s two-year run, Spivak also immersed herself in other projects. After graduating from high school in 1998, she enrolled at Oakland Community College and took classes at the Royal Oak campus. In addition, she attended filmmaking and screenwriting classes offered through the Detroit Film Center (DFC), an organization sponsored by the Old Redford Theatre. Through the connections she made producing “Staticvision,” she secured a yearlong internship with a company filming local commercials.

After she transferred from OCC to Wayne State in 2000, her creativity soared to new heights. As an undergrad, she amassed numerous awards for her short-subject films. In 2003, her experimental won First Place in Comedy at Wayne State Media Festival; the following year, it received a debut screening at the Planet Ant Film Festival in Hamtramck. The judges of the Wayne State 2004 Moving Media Festival also heaped accolades on her next film which won First Place in the Narrative category.

With a few scenes shot at Xhedos, now A. J.’s Café, on Nine Mile Road, takes place during one evening of a 20-year-old woman’s life. On the surface, the plot seems simple—the woman is disheartened because she’s just ended a relationship—yet the story line quickly gains momentum.

Says Spivak, “The woman feels isolated, and the people around her reinforce her loneliness because they keep ignoring her. Some moments in it are quite sad, others are comedic. The film is about the difficult moment when you must decide if you’ve made the right decision about breaking up with someone.”

The film closes with a cliffhanger. The former beau calls the woman at home. From the caller ID, she can tell it’s him. As she vacillates about whether or not to pick up the phone, the scene fades to black.

Enjoying her recognition at Wayne State, Spivak completed her bachelor’s degree in film studies there in 2005. The following year, she took a temporary job designing prop signs for the basketball feature film , partially shot around Detroit. Almost ten years to the date she took the Introduction to Film course at OCC, she taught that same class at Wayne State in 2008, while finishing her master’s degree at the university in media arts.

“I thought that teaching film classes,” says Spivak, “in addition to doing my own creative projects on the side, was the stable way to go.”

Although she still contemplates story lines for narrative films, her current focus has been on experimental pieces, in which traditional story plots and explicit meanings are missing. Viewers can interpret the themes of these movies in a variety of ways. Her contemporary influence is Michel Gondry, who has created avant-garde music videos for electronic and rock bands, including the Daft Punk and the now-defunct White Stripes. Spivak admires his work because of its dreamlike logic, technical creativity, and limited or no digital effects. “I’m in awe of his cleverness over pre-packaged polish,” she says. “Who would’ve thought of using Legos to animate a video? But that’s what he accomplished for the White Stripes.”

Most recently, Spivak received admiration for her very short film “Sequestered,” which she collaborated on with Detroit-based filmmaker Sean Hages. In 2009, the movie was the official selection at both the Detroit Shorts Festival and the Midwest 3 Minute Film Festival. The following year, Spivak and Hages traveled to Cannes, France, where it was screened at the (short film corner). An experimental work, “Sequestered” contrasts images of humanity with frames of objects in decay. As Spivak states, one interpretation of the contrasting format is society’s obsession with aging.

Since 2008, Spivak has been an adjunct Henry Ford Community College telecommunications instructor, as well as a judge at film festivals and a guest speaker at film screening events. Every semester, she encounters students who question their talent and available resources for creating innovation videos.

Fortunately, she has words of wisdom that can apply to any artistic endeavor. Paraphrasing French filmmaker Jean Cocteau’s words, she advises them: “Don’t wait around for reinforcement from others, or until you have the right equipment or just the right inspirational moment. Jump in there and get your feet wet. Start creating something. Worry about perfection later.”

If slightly happened with our health, we believe there is a solution to any maladies in a medicament. What medicines do patients purchase online? Viagra which is used to treat impotency and other states connected to erectile dysfunction. Learn more about “sildenafil“. What people talk about “viagra stories“? The most substantial aspect you should look for is “sildenafil citrate“. Such problems commonly signal other problems: low libido or erectile disfunction can be the symptom a strong health problem such as soul trouble. Causes of sexual dysfunction include injury to the penis. Chronic disease, several medicaments, and a state called Peyronie’s disease can also cause sexual malfunction. Even though this physic is not for use in women, it is not known whether this therapy passes into breast milk.

Remember those first few seconds of silence, as the tension slowly built just before the first track hit your ears and hooked you in, urging you to listen on? That’s the “lead in,” the shiny black part at the outer edge of the record.

…And then the journey of the needle began down the spiral, through every track and towards the center on one looong groove. This story is essentially about one extraordinarily long groove – it’s about The Record Collector’s non-stop groovy groove, which has kept Detroit vinyl junkies high for 30 years.

Happy Dirty 30, Record Collector! You made it through the economic trenches of the ‘80s, ‘90s, and ‘00s, thanks to the leadership of Warren Westfall.

“It has an indefinable spiritual value. It’s part of our DNA. We’re wired for language, we’re wired for religion; we’re wired for music. No other species has anything like that,” said Westfall, owner of The Record Collector, Ferndale’s only (used) record store at 327 West Nine Mile.

One after another, metro Detroit record stores have kicked the bucket. Why? “There are people that want this stuff, but one has to understand that stores close.

The consumer makes choices, and I sell buggy whips in the era of the automobile,” said Westfall. “The technological paradigm has changed to one of downloading and streaming, so why would you want to have hard copy? Hard copy becomes a distraction that they [kids] don’t see a necessity for.”

It’s true. The scenario: You’re in the mall and you hear a song come over the speakers that moves you, so you hold your iPhone up and Shazam it. Next, you happily identify the mystery song. Then, you quickly find it on iTunes, buy it and play it in the car on the way home from the mall. What a luxury!

Not according to a real listener of music. “Audiophiles” like Westfall say that “There’s a presence and a dimension that you hear that you would never get any other way” when listening to a record—especially the highs and lows. “We think this is important, we can’t get enough. We want to know all the nuances. It becomes a sort of obsessive/ compulsive dimension,” said Westfall.

Westfall’s music career commenced spinning at Harmony House one day, after a store manager witnessed his natural ability to sell Irish albums to fellow shoppers. After that three-year adventure, he did a spell at Full Moon in Pontiac and then ended up at Sam’s Jams in the summer of 1981. His enthusiasm led him down yet another path, and
with a little help from family he started The Record Collector in northwest Detroit.

“It was in a black neighborhood. I wanted to buy used records and I wanted to make it clear, so The Record Collector seemed pretty obvious. Not very imaginative, but to the point,” he said. “I didn’t do new records, really. Being in Detroit, Motown, as far as a new product, was over.”

But when he did carry new stuff he “was probably one of the only places in the city that focused more on carrying catalogue. Older stuff. Because in the city, none of the black stores carried any of the older stuff.” Westfall carried old R&B and some rock, “but for the most part northwest Detroit was predominantly black and I was going more for black records. It was also a crossover for whites who wanted black records,” he said.

Westfall continued to build his cross-cultural music bridge when he opened shop in Ferndale in 1997 at its current location, nestled right next to the Bangkok Café and across the street from Assaggi Bistro. The shelves are stocked with loads of vinyl – the RC sells CDs, DVDs and cassette tapes too.

“We have some die-hards who have cassette players in their car,” said Mike Ross, who’s worked at the store for ten years. Ross is also an eyewitness to economic business trends in the used marketplace. “The recession hasn’t affected us too much. I think it’s because we’re in the used business. I don’t want to say necessarily that we’ve done better, but I think with the economy being down people don’t go out and buy new things. So they’re more likely to come in here and buy something used,” said Ross.

Other vinyl victors, like Record Graveyard in Hamtramck, could very well be experiencing the same positive trend, but many have fallen victim to the changing economic and audio world—like classic favorites Car City Records and Record Time.

“This whole thing about vinyl coming back – it’s a nice conversation, but the reality is that there are fewer and fewer people buying it. It used to be that every white boy with two turntables was a DJ, and I just don’t see them a lot anymore,” said Westfall.

BUT – “white boys with two turntables” do, in fact, exist in this mp3-pandemic world. Ferndale Friends caught up with one of these rare, Detroit species to get an angle on modern day collecting and DJ-ing.

“Going to record stores is like going to the casino. You never know whether you’re going to hit or not,” said connoisseur of fine, quality music, Brian Gillespie. “I like the Record Collector because I can go in there and buy obscure records. I’ve found some great jazz records there and some good 12-inches back in the day. We’re talkin’ like ten years ago. I’ve found some funk records. I found a good Dorothy Ashby record there that was reasonably-priced. Original copy. The people who know music know that’s rare,” said Gillespie. Ashby was legendary on the jazz scene for decades.

Like a rare book librarian who examines, cleans and catalogues the master works, Westfall knows the nitty-gritty on record lore and care.

“I’ve always thought that a record store can make a difference in a community, much like a library. And my knowledge is a resource,” said Westfall. Gillespie agrees. “You have to have these small record stores. It’s an education. You have to teach the youth. It’s the art form of it. You’re holding the physical object.”

Gillespie, who DJs all over Detroit and beyond, called Westfall “a survivor” and depends on stores like his for not only his livelihood but also his hobby and passion. “It’s the love of fine music. There’s so much right here in Metro Detroit. People buy records from all the way on the East Side to way down Grand River. There’s so much heritage and music here in Detroit that it’s crazy. It’s so above par that people from all over the world come here to buy records,” said Gillespie.

Vinyl revival? “If you go from one-percent to two-percent of the industry, it’s a revival okay. It’s still only two-percent,” said Westfall with a laugh.

So what about these retro turntables with USB ports and CD converters that Crosley is shelving at Target and Urban Outfitters? “You get what you pay for. Cartridges matter, the arm matters when it comes to reproducing records. The needles, the styluses…” said Westfall.

He continued, “Vinyl requires commitment. Intro level audiophile turntables start at around $400,” he said—in comparison to the cheap models at the big box stores.

“Crosleys are consumer grade and for most people that meets their needs. But most of us who want better sound, speakers, amplifiers, good styluses. We’ll spend.” However, “It’s declining, the amount of audio stores. Up there on 14 and Woodward you have Audio Dimensions, Almas…I’m not sure if there’s anybody else left up there. That used to be audio ghetto up there, now it’s just two or three stores left. You’re alternative is what, Best Buy? ‘No highs no lows, it must be Bose.’ It kind of smashes the high and low and gives you a solid mid. It doesn’t give you accurate sound.

“I’m clear that I have a problem. My problem is that this stuff really means something to me. It’s not like the background, or the piece of clothing that I’m wearing this week, or this week’s pop tune. There’s a more transcendental thing to be achieved,” said Westfall.

As our conversation drew to a close, we walked Nine Mile back towards the store and Westfall pointed to his glass window storefront. “See what it says on there,” he said. We’re committed to making a difference in your listening. “That’s what I’m about.”

Remember when you had to “wake up,” as Westfall says, and walk over to the record when the needle hit that shiny circle in the middle? —that’s the “lead-out,” the end of the record. Time to flip the vinyl and listen to side two.

Like a rare book librarian who examines, cleans and catalogues the master works, Westfall knows the nitty-gritty on record lore and care.

“I’ve always thought that a record store can make a difference in a community, much like a library. And my knowledge is a resource,” said Westfall. Gillespie agrees. “You have to have these small record stores. It’s an education. You have to teach the youth. It’s the art form of it. You’re holding the physical object.”

Gillespie, who DJs all over Detroit and beyond, called Westfall “a survivor” and depends on stores like his for not only his livelihood but also his hobby and passion. “It’s the love of fine music. There’s so much right here in Metro Detroit. People buy records from all the way on the East Side to way down Grand River. There’s so much heritage and music here in Detroit that it’s crazy. It’s so above par that people from all over the world come here to buy records,” said Gillespie.

Vinyl revival? “If you go from one-percent to two-percent of the industry, it’s a revival okay. It’s still only two-percent,” said Westfall with a laugh.

So what about these retro turntables with USB ports and CD converters that Crosley is shelving at Target and Urban Outfitters? “You get what you pay for. Cartridges matter, the arm matters when it comes to reproducing records. The needles, the styluses…” said Westfall.

He continued, “Vinyl requires commitment. Intro level audiophile turntables start at around $400,” he said—in comparison to the cheap models at the big box stores.

“Crosleys are consumer grade and for most people that meets their needs. But most of us who want better sound, speakers, amplifiers, good styluses. We’ll spend.” However, “It’s declining, the amount of audio stores. Up there on 14 and Woodward you have Audio Dimensions, Almas…I’m not sure if there’s anybody else left up there. That used to be audio ghetto up there, now it’s just two or three stores left. You’re alternative is what, Best Buy? ‘No highs no lows, it must be Bose.’ It kind of smashes the high and low and gives you a solid mid. It doesn’t give you accurate sound.

“I’m clear that I have a problem. My problem is that this stuff really means something to me. It’s not like the background, or the piece of clothing that I’m wearing this week, or this week’s pop tune. There’s a more transcendental thing to be achieved,” said Westfall.

As our conversation drew to a close, we walked Nine Mile back towards the store and Westfall pointed to his glass window storefront. “See what it says on there,” he said. We’re committed to making a difference in your listening. “That’s what I’m about.”

Remember when you had to “wake up,” as Westfall says, and walk over to the record when the needle hit that shiny circle in the middle? —that’s the “lead-out,” the end of the record. Time to flip the vinyl and listen to side two.

If some happened with our soundness, we believe there is a solution to any maladies in a medicament. What medicines do patients purchase online? Viagra which is used to treat impotence and other states connected to erectile dysfunction. Learn more about “sildenafil“. What humanity talk about “viagra stories“? The most substantial aspect you have to look for is “sildenafil citrate“. Such problems commonly signal other problems: low libido or erectile dysfunction can be the symptom a strong soundness problem such as core trouble. Causes of sexual dysfunction include injury to the penis. Chronic disease, several medicaments, and a status called Peyronie’s disease can also cause sexual dysfunction. Even though this medicine is not for use in women, it is not known whether this treatment passes into breast milk.

Ferndale is the place to be this December 9–11, for the 2011 Ferndale Holiday Market and Ice Sculpture Festival.

There will be a Ferris wheel, a train for kids to ride around in, and even Santa will be there with live reindeer, hay rides, and tons of ice sculptures all on Nine Mile Road on the east and west side of Woodward.Como’s Restaurant & Motorcity Casino Hotel are putting on a giant party and it’s FREE.

There will be a giant, heated tent full of great Christmas shopping opportunities, including lots of international gifts and imports, as well as great gift ideas for Christmas.

There will be live entertainment at Como’s, with

bands including the Howling Diablos Saturday evening and the Jill Jack Band Friday night. The

bands start at 6:00 P.M. on Saturday and Sunday so come early. On Sunday, the bands play during the afternoon. There will be lots of pizza and beer specials too.

There’s even magic and clowns for kids during the daytime hours.

This event is being produced by the Ferndale DDA and Integrity Shows, the people who bring you the Funky Ferndale Art Fair and the Ferndale Live Green Fair, so you know it’s going to be great.

Special thanks to our sponsors including the Metro Times Magazine, WDET Public Radio, and of course the Ferndale Friends for making this great Holiday event possible.

If you are interested in volunteering or in sponsorships or exhibitor space at this or any of the Ferndale events mentioned here please contact Bart Loeb at 734.320.522 or bart@LiveGreenFair.com

Thanks and hope to see you there.

If something happened with our health, we believe there is a solution to any maladies in a medicament. What medicines do patients purchase online? Viagra which is used to treat impotence and other states coupled to erectile malfunction. Learn more about “sildenafil“. What folk talk about “viagra stories“? The most vital aspect you should look for is “sildenafil citrate“. Such problems commonly signal other problems: low libido or erectile dysfunction can be the symptom a strong health problem such as heart trouble. Causes of sexual dysfunction turn on injury to the penis. Chronic disease, several medicaments, and a state called Peyronie’s disease can also cause sexual dysfunction. Even though this medicine is not for use in women, it is not known whether this medication passes into breast milk.