Twas The Last Day of 2014

Posted on December 31, 2014 by Marcio Novelli

So, here we are… a week after Christmas (or, as I like to call it – Capitalismas), two weeks after the start of Hanukkah (Capitaliskah) and the last day of 2014. We somehow made it around the Sun another year without being hit by an asteroid, melted by global warming or blown up by our fellow humans. That, my friends, is success! Seriously though, I hope you’ve all had a restful holiday and are feeling recharged and fueled up to take on another year with new hopes, big dreams and infinite possibilities.

I hit the gym on December 23rd (a Festivus for the rest of us!) and prepared myself for the impending marathon of eating that can only be described as painfully unnecessary (and necessarily painful). I signed up to the gym nearly a year ago after an extended absence and I now go three to four times a week. It keeps me healthy and happy, literally. I mostly run and do yoga, both of which I really love doing, but, I do switch things up. Speaking of which, I recently got a haircut… I think it helps me run faster.

We visited my family on Christmas Eve which means we visited twenty-plus relatives because, well, we’re Portuguese and there’s a lot of us. The next day, after stuffing our faces with vegan eats, we ended the festivities the same way we have every year since Sky was born – a (vegan) cheesy family photo in front of the Christmas tree at Chelsea’s Gramma‘s house. This year, we went for a less formal, more candid shot that shows what we do best together – laugh. Next year, we’ll have another little boy in our arms!

Tonight, Chels and I are going out to dinner together which is something we don’t often get a chance to do. Keep an eye on my Twitter, Facebook and Instagram as I’m sure I’ll be posting something about it later tonight. Please have a safe and enjoyable new year’s eve celebration doing whatever works for you. I sincerely thank you for all your support in 2014 and I cannot wait to share more of my art with you in the coming year. I send my love and positive vibes your way for a healthy, happy and successful 2015!

Los Angeles

Posted on September 15, 2013 by Marcio Novelli

I made my way to Los Angeles a couple of weeks ago with my wife Chelsea and son Skyler. We stayed in Santa Monica on Ocean Avenue which is right on the beach. The air was clean, the sky was blue and the water was incredibly refreshing.

Skyler couldn’t get enough of the water. At first, he was a bit hesitant and a little unsure of the waves crashing onto the shoreline but, once I showed him that there was nothing to be afraid of, he really embraced the North Pacific washing over his tiny feet.

We spent our mornings on the beach, our afternoons exploring museums, and our evenings eating some of the most delicious vegan food I’ve ever had (aside from my wife’s cooking, of course!) After a wonderful week, we flew home from the famous LAX airport which was really nothing special when compared to the beautiful airport we have here in Toronto. However, the view from our hotel room was spectacular.

Skyler was an absolute angel during our flights to and from Los Angeles, both of which included a layover. He passed the time by waving at fellow passengers, playing with his toys, napping, and staring out the window at the clouds as we floated atop of them.

I don’t think he wanted to come back home.

‘Doctor, Please’ Film Shoot

Posted on August 4, 2013 by Marcio Novelli

Last weekend I filmed my first ever music video for my song Doctor, Please. Despite getting less than eight hours of sleep over the course of the entire weekend, I had an absolute blast. We got started a little late on Friday because Chelsea, Skyler and I got stranded at the rental place in Toronto all afternoon after realizing the film equipment would not fit in our car. Thankfully, my selfless cousin Jesse was willing to drive over an hour to our rescue and another hour back to Barrie. Once we arrived, we got settled in and started setting up for the first scene.

The music video (or short film as I like to call it) was set in the middle of the night so that’s when we had to shoot most of it. For the most part, we shot the film in chronological order which was really cool because it allowed me to build on the emotion in real time. Kudos to Chels for keeping us all fed and to my family who allowed us to mess up their homes and make noise until the sun came up. Everyone helped out in any way they could, whether that meant making us food to eat or simply staying out of our way.

My beautiful and very talented cousin Averie (who some of you may remember as Euphoria) stars in the film alongside yours truly. She did such a great job and was a real trooper working late into the night with us. When my friend Christine arrived at the shoot with her pet snake, I was a bit apprehensive to handle it at first but not Averie. She was ready to let him curl up around her hand and get friendly. I really couldn’t complain though considering I’m the one who wrote it into the treatment. Originally, it was supposed to be a tarantula crawling across my face but we couldn’t find one to use in time.

It was a long shoot for a music video, three days in total, but it was totally worth it. As you probably know by now, I don’t believe in doing anything half-fast and neither do the guys I worked with, Ryan Skursky and Derrick Glen. They were professional yet fun and I feel we made a really great team. We are now in the post production stage and working on the final edit. I’m really happy with how it’s turning out and I’m excited to share it with all of you very soon.