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Froth w/ Wildhoney and Mundy’s Bay @ Le Ritz PDB, May 2nd, 2017
Perhaps this is simply an effect of the indie-scene filter bubble I’m floating in at the minute—the reverb-addled echo chamber that encourages me to skip any and every song that doesn’t start with a chip-packet crackle of feedback and some sweet, jangly, twangy arpeggio—but I’m convinced (hyperbole alert!) that we are currently experiencing a shoegaze revival. The Shoegaze Revival. Slowdive are back, Ride are back; in the last few years, we’ve had new albums by My Bloody Valentine and Swervedriver after hiatuses of 15-20 years. A term that, at the time, was considered derogatory and shunned by just about every band it was scathingly applied to, now feels talismanic—a badge of honour, a title of supreme esteem.
The trio of bands who performed at the old Il Motore on Monday may well resent me for pigeonholing them thus (Baltimore’s Wildhoney were the only truly shoegazey band of the bunch) but whatever, I’m sorry. I simply couldn’t help but feel intoxicated—nay, completely and utterly shitfaced with joy—as I gazed upon the profusion of Fender Jaguars on stage, marvelled in delicious bewilderment at the recondite matrices of stompboxes scattered in esoteric patterns at their feet, basked in sounds so drenched, so sopping wet, so soaked in chorus and delay that I had to use a hair dryer to evaporate the buzzing in my ears afterwards. It’s a kind of nostalgia, no doubt, for an era I was too young to appreciate the first time round, but those times are back, baby, and this is good news for all music lovers born after 1975: we have been given a second chance.
I suspect, however, that this may not yet be common knowledge on the island of Montreal. The Ritz was barely half-full and the crowd somewhat subdued as local post-punk quintet Mundy’s Bay, Wildhoney and LA’s so-called ‘barbecue rockers’ Froth delivered us unto the bosom of dreamy noise-pop euphoria. Not that this is necessarily a bad thing; this sort of music doesn’t really lend itself to moshpit histrionics anyway and if I get to listen to some of my favourite sounds without a bunch of wasted douchebags banging into me every five seconds, more’s the better. I don’t do marks out of ten, but hats off to all three of the bands on Monday night’s lineup. Please continue to do what you’re doing and this is one indie lover that will lap it right up!
NEWS FOR FRIDAY, APRIL 5TH 2017
Hosted by Patricia Petit Liang
Stories by Patricia Petit Liang
Produced by Patricia Petit Liang
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LOCAL
By Patricia Petit Liang
Residents of Ile Mercier were evacuated from their homes on Friday because of flooding.
According to CTV News, the only bridge connecting the island to the rest of the country had been frequently submerged during April.
Waters levels in Quebec will continue to rise excessively as raining persists throughout the province.
NATIONAL
By Patricia Petit Liang
Nova Scotian police chief John Collyer has been suspended with pay for sexually assaulting a 17 year old girl.
According to CTV News, Collyer has been charged with 1 count of sexual assault and 2 chargers of sexual exploitation.
Collyer will appear in provincial court on June 14th.
INTERNATIONAL
By Patricia Petit Liang
India’s Supreme Court has maintained its death sentences for 4 men that they convicted of sexual assault and murder in 2013.
According to Reuters, Akshay Thakur, Vinay Sharma, Pawan Gupta and Mukesh were originally given the death penalty for brutally assaulting and taking the life of 23 year old physiotherapy student Jyoti Singh.
Singh’s relatives were pleased by the judge’s decision to deny the appeal of her attackers.
NEWS FOR WEDNESDAY, MAY 3RD 2017
Hosted by Michael Foldvari
Stories by Michael Foldvari and Patricia Petit Liang
Produced by Michael Foldvari
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LOCAL
By Patricia Petit Liang
Dozens of animals were evacuated from a wildlife sanctuary in Nicolet, Quebec on Wednesday.
According to CBC News, the owners of Zoo Académie saved their horses, skunks, pigs and wolves from St. Lawrence river's flooding.
All of their buildings have been destroyed and Zoo Académie's wolves are expected to give birth at any moment.
NATIONAL
By Patricia Petit Liang
Canada’s latest census revealed that there are more women than men in Canada on Wednesday.
According to CTV News, these demographics have remained steady over the last 15 years, with 97 men for every 100 women in Canada.
For seniors above the age of 85, there are only 54 men for every 100 women because women have longer lifespans, but as medical innovations are made, the gap will eventually decrease.
INTERNATIONAL
By Michael Foldvari
The Dallas Police Department fired police officer Roy Oliver for killing 15 year-old, John Edwards on Saturday.
According to BBC News, Edwards was killed while driving away from a house party.
Oliver claims that Edwards was behaving aggressively and that he feared for his safety.
NEWS FOR MONDAY, MAY 1ST 2017
Hosted by Patricia Petit Liang
Stories by Karl Knox, Alyosha Nowlin and Michael Foldvari
Produced by Patricia Petit Liang
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LOCAL
By Michael Foldvari
Police discovered 19 dead dogs near Quebec City on Saturday.
According to CBC News, the corpses were scattered along the side of Highway 358.
Police are currently searching for more details surrounding the mysterious deaths of these dogs.
NATIONAL
By Karl Knox
Francois Courcy has been sentenced to 4 years in prison for failing to disclose to his partner that he was HIV positive and for repeatedly assaulting a young girl in the 1980's.
According to CBC News, Courcy will be listed on Canada’s sex offenders registry for the rest of his life.
Canada's Criminal Code has no specific provisions relating to the disclosure of one’s HIV status but previous Supreme Court rulings established that HIV carriers are legally required to inform their partners about their diagnosis.
INTERNATIONAL
By Alyosha Nowlin
36 members of the Yazidi religious group have been reunited with their families after being enslaved by terrorists.
According to BBC News, terrorists tortured and killed thousands of Yazidis after taking over the town of Sinjar in 2014.
The UN estimates that 1500 girls and women are still being held captive.
Mono & Holy Sons @ Centre Phi, April 26, 2017
Holy Sons and Mono played some beautifully heavy music at the modern and intimate Centre Phi on April 26, 2017.
The opening act, Holy Sons, is an indie rock band from Brooklyn. While previewing their bandcamp, I noticed that their sound was distinctively different from Mono's, and wondered why they were chosen to play with such a contrasting band. At the show, it started to make a little more sense. Although their sound is generally pretty ho-hum and generic indie rock (at least from what I heard), it also had a vaguely bluesy vibe that was just downtempo enough. I feel that the best parts of Holy Sons’ performance were the quieter moments, where you could better hear the connection between them and Mono. Their show was also sprinkled with the vocalist's ramblings about David Carradine’s life and death in between songs. The anecdotes about autoerotic asphyxiation were a welcome, if unexpected addition.
Then came the main act, Japanese post-rock band Mono. To accentuate fact that their show will be sad as hell, they walked on stage with Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata playing in the background. Like Holy Sons, the best part of Mono's performance were the quiet moments. The sparse instrumentation of their intros gave the audience some time to rest in between songs and to prepare for the loudness to come. For the most part, Mono’s music follows a formula: a somber intro (often played on the glockenspiel), a melancholy buildup, and an explosive wall of sound. Some of their albums have a string section to make their music extra melancholy and grand, but it was just the three members of the band for this tour. It all feels very cathartic, but I usually need to be in a specific mood to enjoy that kind of thing, or else I get bored or start feeling down in the dumps.
But seeing them live is a different story—it's more than just the music. The band itself did not utter a single word except at the end to thank the audience for coming. They did their best to have little stage presence. In particular, their lead guitarist Takaakira "Taka" Goto stayed seated at the edge of the stage for most of the show. Once the show was over, no one asked or gave an encore performance. The crowd was very calm, save for a couple of pumped fists raised in the air.
The heaviness of the music weighed down on all that were present, but there was a mutual understanding that the ever present walls of sound were more like a warm embrace after bawling your eyes out rather than an oppressive force of nature. To ask for more would be selfish.
All of this concert’s parts added up to much more than the sum of its parts. It was a nice reminder to be aware of everything that makes up a show, and what makes them memorable experiences. And I will certainly remember this concert.
Image credit: Centre Phi.
What's Up With the Habs?
April 3rd seems like it was yesterday. On this day, I was sitting fifth row at the BB&T center in Sunrise Florida. The Montréal Canadiens won the game 4-1 and they looked big, strong, and very fast disposing of the Florida Panthers. Maybe because I was in a condo next to the beach, but I did not even watch the remaining five games of the season because I thought to myself, win or lose, we are facing the New York Rangers in the first round and most likely beat them too… in five games!
Not that it was supposed to be easy; we knew the Canadiens were not scoring at the same pace they were at the beginning of the season, but with a great record since the hire of Head Coach Claude Julien (Clod if you are American) we were lead to believe this could be a long post-season! After being away for more than a month, I expected to come back this week and comment on the second round and the Ottawa Senators. I will wait until the draft and Free agency period to talk about what's next for the Habs because I think it is pretty obvious they need to re-tool their center line and add scoring depth.
Speaking of the second round, I think the New York Rangers will run the Ottawa Senators out of town fairly quickly to meet the Washington Capitals in the Eastern Conference final. In the Western conference, it would be awesome to see Connor McDavid and the Edmonton Oilers go to the finals after not making the playoffs for the last 11 years, last time losing in the cup final against the Carolina Hurricanes. I think Nashville will also win their series and go on to the conference finals. What nightmare for Montréal: out of the first round and PK Subban advancing... Again, nothing against PK. The love affair between him and now (ex-)Montreal Canadiens fans is something I just don't understand. He was electrifying on the ice just as he was off the ice but as fans, shouldn't we ride with our team? Do you think they really traded him simply because they didn’t like him? I wish him the best, just not a Stanley Cup, not right away at least.
Rest easy Habs fans, your team will be fine. A defensemen to play with Shea Weber to take minutes away from Andrei Markov along with a skillful center to play with Max. Oh that's right, Max is not going anywhere (more on that later). Listening to call-in radio or reading tweets, you would think the Habs missed the playoffs 10 years straight. Comments like Max should be traded or Carey should be traded are completely ridiculous!
Let's wait and see what happens after the expansion draft, NHL draft and free agency period to really judge where this team is headed, and remember, life goes on!
NEWS FOR FRIDAY, MARCH 28TH 2017
Hosted by Patricia Petit Liang
Stories by Patricia Petit Liang
Produced by Patricia Petit Liang
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LOCAL
By Patricia Petit Liang
A new bill will force police officers across Quebec to pay fines for not wearing their full uniforms.
According to CBC News, Bill 133 is part of the provincial government's efforts to stop police officers from wearing camouflage pants.
The cost of the fines will range from $500 to $3000 for each day the pants are worn.
NATIONAL
By Patricia Petit Liang
More than 95,000 citizens took part in Canada’s first immigration lottery.
According to CBC News, only 10,000 spots were available for people hoping to bring their parents and grandparents to Canada.
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada brought in this new lottery system as a replacement for their previous first-come, first-serve immigration system.
INTERNATIONAL
By Patricia Petit Liang
Venezuelan protesters have blocked a highway in the country’s capital of Caracas in their efforts to resist President Nicolas Maduro’s oppressive regime.
According to Reuters, citizens have engaged in a mixture of civil disobedience and violent protest.
At least 29 lives have been lost amidst the chaos.
An Interview With Hotkid's Shiloh Harrison
Toronto-based band Hotkid is only days away of their show this Saturday, at l'Espace des Mêmes, alongside Walrus and Miesha & The Spanks, presented by Analogue Addiction and yours truly, CJLO. We at the station had the chance to catch vocalist and lead guitarist Shiloh Harrison and ask her a few questions on Saturday's show, the band's upcoming album, Late Night Mornings, coming out May 5th, and more.
Your new LP, Late Night Mornings, is soon hitting the shelves. What can you tell us about it?
Well, this is our first LP as a three-piece band, so you can expect to hear bass on the record! We've also done a limited run of 150 pink and 150 white vinyls, so the wax enthusiasts out there may be interested in that.
I was doing some research, and stumbled upon the (very good) song "Neck," which clearly has a message in it, tackling the Ghomeshi issue from a few years ago. Are there any other current themes explored in your new album?
Oh jeez, yeah, the Ghomeshi song. I was so upset by the hypocrisy of that trial. It was so revealing about the silent sexism and harassment women often deal with every day and just brush off, or feel guilty on some level for inviting. I wanted to write a Bob Dylan "Hurricane"-style song—only, in this case, the protagonist of the tune is the bad guy.
Late Night Mornings took shape over the last couple of years, so time is a big theme. It's also about relationships, growing out of relationships and friendships that don't work for you and coming to terms with that; growing up, I guess. It's also about escaping the everyday [life] and finding those moments that let you appreciate... existing, I guess.
Hotkid has been around for a while now, congratulations! What would you say is the one inspiration that keeps your passion going?
Yeah, HotKid has been a band for over 10 years now. The music and the lineup have changed over that time, but I've been so lucky to work with and collaborate with talented and supportive people. Robbie [Butcher] and Peter [McIntosh] are amazing bandmates, and our producer Adam King has been a huge part of making this record possible. I think, at the root of it though, [it's] really an overwhelming desire to express ourselves on some level and connect with people.
You're back in Montreal this weekend. How do you feel? What do you like best about Montreal's crowd?
We can’t wait to be back in Montreal! We haven't played here in years. Montreal crowds are beautiful and wild and we're super pumped.
What can people expect from the show this Saturday?
We have a little bit of a DIY light show happening, which is exciting. We are also playing a bunch of new tunes from the album, which we are pretty pumped about. I think people can expect to dance and have fun and get into the groove, ya know?
Catch Hotkid this Saturday, April 29, at l'Espace des Mêmes! Check out the band on their website, Facebook, and Bandcamp.
Image credit: Amanda Dickson.
NEWS FOR WEDNESDAY, APRIL 26TH 2017
Hosted by Michael Foldvari
Stories by Patricia Petit Liang
Produced by Michael Foldvari
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LOCAL
By Patricia Petit Liang
An ammonia leak injured 10 people in Saint-Bruno-de-Montarville on Wednesday morning.
According to CBC News, the ammonia leak occurred inside of the Exceldor poultry product plant.
Longueuil police and the Montreal fire department’s hazmat team were called in to assist the employees and no one had to be taken to the hospital.
NATIONAL
By Patricia Petit Liang
An accident at the Wainwright Canadian Forces Base in Alberta has left 1 soldier dead and 3 injured,
According to CTV News, Sgt. Robert J. Dynerowicz was crushed to death by a vehicle.
3 other soldiers have been hospitalized following the horrific accident.
INTERNATIONAL
By Patricia Petit Liang
French intelligence experts discovered that forces working with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad executed the fatal nerve gas attack that took place on April 4th.
According to Reuters, the chemical weapon attack killed countless people in the town of Khan Sheikhoun.
This attack prompted the United States to launch a missile strike on Syria: the first direct assault between the US and the Assad government in the last 6 years.
CJLO & Analogue Addiction Present...
Analogue Addiction & CJLO - 1690AM present Walrus, Miesha & The Spanks, and Hotkid
Event here: https://www.facebook.com/events/1862495520631153/
Walrus (Halifax)
https://walrustheband.bandcamp.com/
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miesha & the spanks (Toronto)
https://mieshathespanks.bandcamp.com/releases
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HotKid (Toronto)
https://hotkid.bandcamp.com/album/courage-to-fight-ep
L'espace des Mêmes / 29 Avril / 21H / 8$
Poster par Karmen Mantha
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