Features

Shazam Fest 2021 Reflections

The 15.5 edition of the Shazam Festival occurred over the weekend of July 9th through 11th, 2021. The idyllic site located near Ayer’s Cliff, Quebec was a beehive of activity compared to the much smaller festival that took place last year. To make up for lost time, the schedule was packed with an eclectic mix of shows; on the day this reporter was there, there was not much downtime between artists. 


RESONATING RECONCILIATION BROADCAST: JULY 1ST, 2021

CJLO 1690 AM will not be celebrating Canada Day. In what is now an annual tradition, CJLO will be airing documentaries from the National Campus and Community Radio Association’s Resonating Reconciliation, a project that engages community radio to help reconcile all Canadians with the history of Indian Residential Schools.


After Almost a Decade and a Half Together, Braids Remain Dedicated to Creative Evolution and Friendship

Photo credit: Melissa Gamache

As the classic thought experiment goes, “If a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?" With the COVID-19 pandemic laying waste to album releases and tours, artists had to start asking themselves a similar question; “If we release new music and no fans are around to hear it, did it really exist?”


Alicia Clara Lets Us into Her Literary World on ‘Outsider/Unusual’

Photo Credit: Tess Roby

Surprisingly, Alicia Clara has a “very short attention span” when it comes to books. I say surprisingly because the Montreal-via-Switzerland singer-songwriter creates the sort of works where you need the lyrics sheet to pour over the words and turns of phrases.


The Holy Trinity: Songs Named After Albums Named After Bands

Cover Photo Credit: Rolling Stones


If you listen to the radio enough, you’ll eventually hear something similar to the following, declared by a radio host who thinks they’re clever, perhaps while even hiding a smirk. “This is the song “Motörhead” off Motörhead by the band Motörhead!”


Before They Were Heavy: Surprising Starts in Metal Music

A lot of legendary hard rock and heavy metal performers had their start in decidedly un-heavy bands. Especially for musicians who came of age when The Beatles rose to fame, boppin' in a '60s boy band was a surprisingly common first taste of musical fame. Here are a few heavy icons who had surprisingly easy-listening starts... and a couple of easy-listening icons who started off surprisingly loud!

Ian "Lemmy" Kilmister


Re-Inventing Queens

Brutal Pet Sounds: Metal Bands Fronted by Animal Companions

Since the introduction of harsh vocals in heavy music, metal singers have tried to imitate the sounds of the animal kingdom, from the bark of a dog to the squeal of a pig. And although us humans have come close, nothing strikes fear in our primitive minds quite like the roar of an apex predator. Take for example the title track off of Body Count’s latest album Carnivore, which features the roar of a lion in the chorus, ripped straight from an internet video.


How do you like your Pop?

International Women's Week continues as we take a look at some pop icons!


Madonna - Queen of Pop


Heartfelt Artistry

The Influential Women in Music series continues with two soulful artists.

 

Ella Fitzgerald - Queen of Jazz


Influential Women in Music

To kick off International Women’s Day programming, we’re showcasing individual picks for influential women in music throughout the week.


Aretha Franklin - Queen of Soul


Metal March Has Arrived

Well, well, well… if it isn’t March. You have some nerve showing your ugly mug here.

In all seriousness, I know March hasn’t been the best month over the past year. It marks the anniversary of a pandemic which has changed all our lives and, frankly doesn’t seem to be going anywhere anytime soon. So… happy birthday, Pandemic …I guess?


Plein(s) Ecran(s), a showcase of Court métrage

The festival Plein(s) Ecran(s) takes place from January 13th to January 24th and focuses on 66 short feature films, 6 of which are categorized within the Programme Jeunesse section. Selections from Quebec and France are entered into an awards competition as part of the festival. As well, there will be the return of the Plein(s) Écran(s) podcast, available on most podcast platforms, which provides interviews with some of the directors. Here are some of the short features that I got to see during the run of the festival.   
 

CJLO Best of 2020 Picks

So... 2020 was a thing.


Allison is CJLO's Program Director and hosts Transistor Sister, every Tuesday @ 6 p.m. 

Best Albums of 2020


NOVEMBER Confronts the Beautiful and Ugly Parts of Life on ‘Bedroom Eyes’

After a summer collaboration with Japanese indie stars Frasco for Sapporo’s “Sapporo Duos” campaign and recent recognition from Exclaim!, singer-songwriter and producer NOVEMBER is keeping the momentum going with the release of his second EP, Bedroom Eyes, out on November 20th. NOVEMBER is the alias of Ottawa-born, Montreal-base


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