Directors
Kirsten Aubrey put her feet down in Vancouver in 2006 after living in a half-dozen Canadian towns and cities. She works diligently creating videos featuring local arts, culture and business, as well as creating original documentaries and web-series. She's busy writing music with her new band "La Belle Vandelle" and hopes to soon be rocking out at a permanent all-ages Safe Amp venue. You can reach her at kirsten@safeamp.org.
Reid Blakley grew up in Calgary, and became heavily involved with the city’s underground all-ages music scene after joining CJSW Radio at the University of Calgary while he was still in high school. He was inspired by the wildly eclectic and tight-knit group of young musicians and artists that frequented venues such as The Local Library, Comrad Sound and The AREA, and is also passionate about Vancouver’s rich history of underground music. Reid plays and writes in a band called The Plodes, and is currently in Vancouver studying animation at Emily Carr University. You can email him at reid@safeamp.org.
Caitlin
Gilroy is formerly of Unreliable Narrator, Organ Trail, Collapsing Opposites
and Greenbelt Collective. She currently performs in Haiku Charlie, Loose Tights and Brave Irene.
Her dedication to Safe Amp comes from touring throughout the USA and seeing
how many great all-ages spaces there are in places other than Vancouver.
She is passionate about community, music and inclusivity. When she's not
performing, recording or reading, she is probably working at her job in
the organized labour movement. To contact her, email caitlin@safeamp.org.
Emily Guerrero joined the board of directors of Safe Amp in August 2011. She is excited about DIY culture, radical accessibility, creating a space for young artists, and being really organized. When she is not working on a Bachelor of Arts at Simon Fraser University, Emily works and plays at a local independent toy store. She lives in East Van. To contact Emily, email emily@safeamp.org.
Celina Kurz is half of two indie pop duos known as True Crush and Kidnap Kids! She is also the Arts Editor of the Capilano Courier, the Capilano College student newspaper where she has worked for three years. She also just likes going to shows! Her email is celina@safeamp.org.
Adrienne Labelle has been involved in the Vancouver music community since 2006. She is passionate about community inclusion and would love to see more safe, inclusive, and creative spaces throughout the city. Most of her time is spent running between shows and practices for Aunts & Uncles, Movieland, Slight Birching and Lost Lovers Brigade. When she's not playing music or organizing shows, she can usually be found at the local coffee shop: either working, hosting a documentary club, or contemplating what to do with her anthropology degree. She can be reached at adrienne@safeamp.org.
Tara Landsley-Sutherland has been involved with CJSF, and became a director of Safe Amp in 2012. Hit her up at tara@safeamp.org.
Dan Loan has played in lots of rad bands like Greenbelt, Bad Fate, and Loose Tights. He's also half responsible by Spirit Vegetable's amazing videos. Contact him at dan@safeamp.org.
Naomi McCormick is a PhD candidate from the University of Chicago, and she's interested in how people navigate social and political relations in contemporary urban spaces. She's been a research assistant, accountant, grant writer, workshop coordinator, and visiting scholar. She's currently doing research on Vancouver's Downtown Eastside neighbourhood. You can reach her at naomi@safeamp.org.
Ryan
McCormick has been involved in the Vancouver music community for
over ten years. He is one of the founding members of the Safe Amplification
Site Society and serves as the organization's Secretary. Formerly
of the bands They Shoot Horses Don't They?, Greenbelt Collective and The
Role Mach Electric Band, Ryan currently focuses his musical and artistic
practice on Collapsing Opposites. When he's not busy with music, art and
Safe Amp, Ryan works as a support worker at Vancouver public schools. You can contact him at ryan@safeamp.org.
Marita Michaelis was elected to the board of directors in April 2010. Having lived in East Vancouver all her life, she has been amazed by what our city has to offer in the realm of arts and culture, but has also witnessed the unfortunate demise of many beloved venues. She excitedly anticipates the day Safe Amp's venue opens its doors; she will probably hang out there all the time. Marita is also involved in the Purple Thistle Collective and works part-time for the Vancouver Public Library. To contact Marita, email marita@safeamp.org.
Hugo Noriega has been involved in all kinds of awesome stuff like Music Waste, Victory Square Block Party, and CiTR. He's been a Safe Amp director since 2012. You can reach him at hugo@safeamp.org.
Tom Prilesky has done all kinds of stuff like Big Noise and Shiny Things, The Electric Cafe, Beanstalk Festival, Spirit Vegetable, The Wind Whistles, and Zoo Zhop. He's recorded dozens of bands, and has a Masters of Recording Arts degree. He's been a director of Safe Amp since 2011, and can be reached at tom@safeamp.org.
Sean Travis Ramsay has been involved with Vancouver's DIY music community for over a decade, and has been writing, recording, and performing his own music since the mid-1990s under various names, including Slight Birching and Unreliable Narrator, as well as drumming on a few occasions for Collapsing Opposites. He organizes accessible, all-ages events for both local and touring bands at DIY spaces throughout greater Vancouver and has booked three do-it-yourself tours across North America and Europe within the past five years. Email him at sean@safeamp.org.
Pietro Sammarco is obsessed with sound. He records bands, does music and sound for film, and DJ's karaoke. He is a member of art/karaoke/comedy/video group Weekend Leisure, performance art group Norma, was part of the band They Shoot Horses, Don't They?, and is co-editor of spoox audio zine. He has a bachelor in Media Arts from Emily Carr, spent time as an audio engineer work-study at the Banff Centre, and is currently beginning graduate studies in Communication at SFU. He is happiest when collaborating on creative endeavors like cooking and eating good food with friends. Pietro joined the board in the fall of 2012 and can be reached at pietro@safeamp.org.