On a blustery, snowy night in February, I pulled myself away from the school library, downed several drops of concentrated oregano oil, and set out to the Corona Theatre on an odyssey for the night. On this particular night in question, the Black Angels and Roky Erickson—Austin-based psych stalwarts from different generations—had come to town. Common wisdom dictates not going out to a show while sick. But if there's one personal truism that says anything about my sense of priorities, I will put a solid night of psychedelic goodness over my health pretty much every time.

May 25th of 2014 will mark the 10-year anniversary of Skinny Puppy's Greater Wrong of the Right, the first album the band released since The Process in 1996. Due to this, and the release of last year's stellar album Weapon, the band is currently touring with an, of course, absurdly named "Shapes For Arms" tour.

Photo: Stacy Lee

Punk Rock Meets Church Basement

There is nothing more fitting than ending a five-day music festival in a stale and sweaty church basement with ear-crunching punk-rock. Proving that sleep is truly for the weak, the Montreal punk and hardcore crowds stood shoulder to shoulder, jean jacket to jean jacket in anticipation for POP Montreal's final oo-rah at Salle Little Burgundy. 

As far as I can make out, "edgy" occurs when middlebrow, middle-aged profiteers are looking to suck the energy—not to mention the spending money—out of the "youth culture". So they come up with this fake concept of seeming to be dangerous, when every move they make is the result of market research and a corporate master plan. –Daria Morgendorffer

Pete Douglas, the host of CJLO's The Live Wire Show (Saturdays, 9-10 am), reviews some of his favourite acts from the 27th edition of the Festival International Nuits d'Afrique back in July, and discusses the trials and tribulations of outdoor versus indoor shows, and parking in downtown Montreal during the city's summer Festimania.