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On the rainy eve of Friday, March 15th, soulful singer-songwriter Allison Russell graced her motherland of Montreal at Studio TD. Russell’s presence in the music industry has flourished within the last few months following the release of her second studio album The Returner on September 8th, 2023 and Grammy win for her song, “Eve Was Black” in February. Russell has since gained significant praise for the album's integrity to its “expression of black liberation,” self-love and trust in life’s journey. What has been eye-opening to those following Russell’s career is that as the artist’s fame has prospered, her drive to create music ingrained with core values of equality, justice, and positive change, has only strengthened. The Returner Tour is a gratifying illustration of Russell’s consistent advocacy. 

Initially supporting Hozier’s Unreal Unearth Tour, The Returner Tour has traversed across the United Kingdom, United States, and now seeps into Canada. The energetic and colourful show is backed by an all-female band composed of independent artists and tour musicians Elenna Canlas on keys, Ganessa James on guitar and bass and Caoi de Barra on drums. 

Introducing the evening with a transformational performance was Indigenous Oji-Cree artist Aysanabee, a member of the Sucker Clan of the Sandy Lake First Nation. If audiences had not yet had the pleasure of encountering Asynabee’s gut-wrenching vocals and deep-cut lyricism, Friday’s performance would have left them in a sea of disbelief. Aysanabee’s set redefined the art of soulful music; his soul was quite literally dealt out to each listener for them to cradle gently. His solo rendition of the originally collaborative track “Come Out” featuring Raye Zaragoza, pushed boundaries in the vocalist's tone, pulling the audience into his realm of heartbreak through his deepened, harsh vocalization. While his honest performance surrounding Indigenous rights, heartbreak and trauma offered trust and education to listeners, Asynabee’s personable and humorous exchanges with his audience created a surreal connection amongst those in the venue. As Aysanabee walked from the stage during an upheaval of applause, an audience member turned towards their partner and confidently whispered, “I’ll remember that.'' It was evident that Aysanabee could not have led the audience into Russell’s set in a better fashion.  

Palms sweat in anticipation of Russell’s appearance on stage. Five, ten, fifteen minutes went by and the primarily Boomer and Gen X audience longed for a breath as they chanted Russell’s name incessantly. As she finally appeared in all her glory, Russell began her set playing the flute in a snake charmer-like manner, and smoothly transitioned into a tribute song to Montreal, “4th Day Prayer.” Her performance had every audience member clapping alongside the “Queen of Westmount Park”. Russell’s sound reached all four walls of the intimate venue as the singer spoke interchangeably in English and French. Amongst her musicianship, Russell’s kind-hearted demeanour radiated as she took multiple chances to praise every individual on stage, not solely as her band members, but as individuals independent of her tour with their own musical endeavors. 

In silence and tranquility, Russell took a moment to speak regarding her personal experience with abuse within her adoptive home. The bewildered expressions written on audience members' faces illuminated their shock at witnessing the artist before them speaking so sincerely and openly about her trauma. “We can break the cycle,” Russell stated with concrete conviction. It became clear audience tears had been masked by their sway into Russell’s upbeat song which followed. 

Not a single moment throughout The Returner show felt superfluous. Even during a sound issue, Russell made use of her time with her audience. In nearly complete acapella with the exception of a quiet and smooth synth, Russell played a new, unheard song, that gave the Montreal audience a privilege like no other as their ears took in the inaugural performance of, “A Cautionary Lullaby.” 

Russell’s connection with her audience was uncanny, so much so that moments of pure dance and jive were quieter than the silence evoked by Russell’s raw vulnerability. The Returner Tour radiated the colourful tone of Russell’s sound of soul, funk and pure passion, with more than a hint of positive change. A show of Allison Russell’s is truly one never to be left unheard.

It’s been 5 years since I last went to SXSW and I am excited to get back to this cool city and awesome festival. There are a lot of artists this year that I do not recognize which is what is going to make this festival fun as I am sure there will be a lot of cool discoveries. Here are some artist I see in the lineup that I want to check out.

One of the artists in the lineup is Baby Kahlo, a female rapper representing Baltimore.  Another female artist I will be checking out is Cha’keeta B, from Austin TX, whose style is smooth with lyrics that hit you in the face. Another female artist all the way from Taipei Taiwan, is Lex the Lexico. She has a fun, brainy flow over beats that take me back to the 90s and beats that could be played on one of CJLO’s Alt rock shows.

I’m also going to checking out some R&B artists. One artist I want to see is Latir, who is described as an Alt-Indie R&B artist who has combined his love for Hip Hop, old School jazz and electronic into his musical style. I checked out his 2023 album Daydreams and Desires and his sound is definitely something J-Nice would play on our show The Limelight.  

Another artist who I was pleasantly surprised to see Canada’s-own and friend of The Limelight Janette King. This artist has been on our show several times, she is a talented songwriter and producer and has a beautiful soulful voice, so I know I am in for a good performance.

And finally we have Audrey Nuna from Manalpan, New Jersey who has an indie pop/R&B vibe. I checked out her song "Starving" featuring Teezo Touchdown and immediately added her to the list.

As a DJ myself, I cannot go to a music festival without catching a few DJ sets. I will be checking out Ace representing the U.K. and host of Radio 1Xtra who will be dropping some funky grooves. I also have ASHMAR on the list who’s a singer-songwriter and producer from Austin, who will be dropping a funky, Hip Hop DJ set.

These are just some of the artists I see in the lineup. There will be a lot more discoveries as this is the magic of going to showcases. I am excited to share which artist you have to check out when I get back from SXSW.

 
Now, I've stated in the past that metal does not seem to be a priority for SX, so how is it this year?

It's actually worse than previous years.

 
Tune in Sunday March 10th if you want to hear what some of these sound like on Grade A Explosives from 4 - 6PM.

This year, the team at CJLO is returning to SXSW in Austin, Texas for the first time since 2019! With a festival where the whole world seems to meet over the span of just 9 days, where does one even begin?

We here at CJLO want to bring the best new talent back to you here at the station! As Head Music Director, I’ve meticulously analyzed and dissected the schedule to find the most exciting performances, talks, and special events!

First, let’s talk about the Jaded presents Friends:Forever Showcase presenting the best in Asian talent from across the globe! Se So Neon and Thuy are headlining, but there are about a million and one other great artists you won’t want to miss. There’s Alice Longyu Gao, Subsonic Eye and Ako to name a few, not to mention Canadian and CJLO favorite Pony Girl as well. 

While we’re on the subject of emerging Canadian talent, we should talk about the amazing artists from Montreal who will be proudly showing what our city is made of. Mothland and M for Montreal will be presenting Corridor, Population II and N Nao, while POP Montreal will be presenting Janette King, Sorry Girls, NOBRO, La Securite, and the list goes on! Canada House will also showcase Shaina Hayes, Le Couleur, Living Hour and you guessed it, so much more!

This year, SXSW is platforming bold female singer-songwriters whose latest releases have been powerful, personal, and have flipped all conventions on their head. Mali Velasquez, Frances Chang, Eliza McLamb and Folk Bitch Trio are some of these innovative artists. But if you’re more of a shoegazing indie rocker, you’ll be stoked to see Dry Cleaning, Bar Italia, and Horse Jumper of Love shred up the scene. 

With all this happening at once, how will CJLO staff survive? Good question! You’re just going to have to stay tuned!

Lisa Rupnik is the head music director at CJLO and co-host of The Last Stop. She is also an avid record collector, a “no nonsense” film lover and feels that her personality can be best defined by her two favourite bands: YMO and Sparks.