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www.insideHALTON.com | OAKVILLE BEAVER | Wednesday, October 9, 2013 | 16 Kennedy set to release her debut EP The In-Between by Scott Stewart Oakville Beaver Staff Artscene "Connected to your Community" Inspiration can be found in the strangest of places. For Rachael Kennedy, hers came nearly 12,000 kilometres from home. The 21-year-old singer/songwriter from Oakville credits a high school service trip to Ethiopia in March 2009 for a wave of creativity that would lead her to record her debut CD, The In-Between. "I'm glad I'd been songwriting because I got home and wrote a lot of songs," she said. "It was so inspiring." Kennedy and her Appleby College classmates lived in and worked at the Kidanemihret Orphanage in the African nation. They served meals in a soup kitchen. They built a lunchroom at a local elementary school. The trip, according to Kennedy, was "life-changing." Kennedy starting singing and performing at age 15, but it wasn't until she was 17 that she really started to feel the music industry's siren call. Performing at open-mic nights across Toronto offered Kennedy a great vehicle where she could get comfortable singing in front of crowds, something she feels bene tted her greatly. "That kind of consistent performing makes you feel more comfortable and you can't help but feel comfortable on stage," she said. It was during that time Kennedy wrote the CD's rst single, LivingYour Heart Out. "I wrote this song when I was 18," she said. "I was just Oakville singer Rachael Kennedy's debut EP , The In-Between, is being released Saturday evening at The Garrison in Toronto. | submitted photo going off to university and I felt like it had been building up inside me." Kennedy enrolled in the arts and contemporary studies program at Ryerson University, and it was during her two years at university that she wrote her CD's title track. "I wrote it when I was deciding whether or not I was going to stay in school," she said. "I love school, but music is my passion, it's what I want to do. I ultimately have to make the decision, and this really called to me." Kennedy made the decision to defer her learning following a summer 2012 songwriting workshop -- a call her parents supported. "I have the most supportive parents around," she said. "They're understanding of the amount of time and level of commitment it takes to make it in `the biz.' They've been a huge part of my musical journey so far." During that workshop, Kennedy found herself working alongside Rik Emmett from Triumph, Joel Feeney, who wrote Leann Rimes' Nothin' Bout Love Makes Sense and Dean McTaggert, who wrote two big hits for Amanda Marshall. "I knew I wanted to do music full time, but being around all those incredibly talented musicians sealed it," Kennedy said. Feeney produced Kennedy's CD, which was recorded at his home studio and at Inception Sound in Toronto. Kennedy received a FACTOR (Foundation Assisting Canadian Talent On Recordings) grant for $1,500, which enabled her to record and release The In-Between independently. The of cial CD release will take place at The Garrison in Toronto Oct. 12. The In-Between is currently available on iTunes and www.amazon.ca. Theatresports returns to QEPCCC Friday Theatresports -- a form of improvisational comedy presented in a competitive format -- returns to Queen Elizabeth Park Community & Cultural Centre Friday evening. Champions Ad Hoc will take on Lost Boyz, while round two matches Second City stalwarts Alastair Forbes and Kris Siddiqi against one another. Ad Hoc topped Everett Cowling's Marketing Group and Spa during the Sept. 13 event. Oakville Improv's Gary Pearson returns, and will be joined by host Cliff Murphy and judge Waylen Miki. Theatresports is the brainchild of director Keith Johnstone and originated in Calgary in 1977. The event starts at 8 p.m. in the Black Box Theatre. Admission costs $5. The centre is located at 2302 Bridge Rd. Oakville Symphony Orchestra AGM slated for Oct. 30 The Oakville Symphony Orchestra is holding its annual general meeting on Wednesday, Oct. 30 in the auditorium at Oakville Central Library. Presentation of nancial statements, electing directors and appointing accountants will be part of the 7:30 p.m. meeting. The library is located at 120 Navy St. Beauty & Spa The advantages of threading Visit any spa or salon -- or even take a walk through the mall -- and there is a good chance you will come across practitioners of eyebrow threading. Threading must be done by an experienced professional. A cotton thread is twisted around the hairs set to be removed and then tugged. Hairs are pulled out at the follicle level. Because entire rows of hairs can be removed at the same time, it is easier to get straight, more distinctive lines than with tweezing. Threading has many advantages. When handled by an experienced stylist, eyebrow threading is essentially painless and less damaging to the skin than waxing. It is also very reasonably priced. Salons or free-standing threading kiosks charge roughly $6 for a standard session. (MC)