Features

Ever wondered who exactly was behind your favourite show on CJLO? Starting this week, CJLO 1690 AM presents DJ Spotlight, a brand new series aiming to connect the station's DJs to the public. All the DJs answer the same fixed questions—meaning it's up to them to make their answers worth your while. For the first instalment of the series, we introduce you Chris Aitkens, alias Chris the Frog, host of Sewer Spewer.

Hello! My name is Chris. I'm a journalism student, professional screamer and lover of all sounds that are painful to the ears.

What is your show on CJLO?

Spanning four days, Thursday through Sunday, the 15th edition of the Festival de musique émergente en Abitibi-Témiscamingue (FME) took place over the Labor Day weekend in Rouyn-Noranda.

Festivals can be a truly polarizing experience. On one hand, there are a lot of unknown variables that can lend themselves to a bad time. Not so friendly weather, band cancellations, poor planning, and endless lines at food stands and bathrooms. On the other hand, there’s nothing quite like watching your favourite artists in the great outdoors, the freedom to be as much (or as little) part of the action as you like, and just the feeling of warm air and summer vibes that connect you with the rest of the attendees in a way you just don’t get inside a closed venue. While Pitchfork Festival has a history of strong line-ups and excellent organization, I still wasn’t sure what to expect, it being my first time attending.

Australian comedy group and YouTube sensations Aunty Donna took Montreal by storm with their outstanding 3 man variety show at The Mainline Theatre. People from all across Canada came to Montreal to watch Mark Samual Bonanno, Broden Kelly and Zachary Ruane perform their incredible first show in the city. Aunty Donna’s super smooth moves captivated their audiences and it’s no surprise that they made the cover of this week’s Montreal Gazette!

Tranna Wintour and Thomas Leblanc take you on a musical nostalgia trip in Crazy Sexy 90s! Running from July 20th to July 22nd at The Wiggle Room, Crazy Sexy 90s is a queer celebration of the decade’s most beloved female pop stars! Montreal’s favorite 90s purists Wintour and Leblanc pay homage to Janet Jackson, Madonna, Celine Dion, Mariah Carey, Lil Kim, Gwen Stefani, The Spice Girls and everyone in between in this unforgettable evening.

Montreal’s Fringe Fest can be hectic at times; there’s always so much to see, and every year, I find myself saying things like “I wish I had enough time to see this,” or “I wish I had reserved tickets. I didn’t know it would sell out.” But this year, I tried to see as many shows as possible during the final week of the festival. On the recommendation of Artistic Director Amy Blackmore, I made it my goal to see at least three productions in one day. Of course, it’s hard to remember so many details when you’re running from show-to-show (and the beers at the Fringe Park probably don’t help), so here’s some short-but-sweet reviews of the shows I managed to squeeze into.

Berlin Waltz is a riveting dance across the city which faced so much controversy and hardship during the Cold War. It is a brilliant, fun story of Devon More’s bike ride along what used to be the Berlin Wall, as she discovered the history of why the wall was put up, what East and West Berlin were like for the 28 years that the city was divided, and why and how the wall fell. Her adventure came to life through her storytelling and her music in this captivating one-woman show.