When thinking outside the box just isn't enough
The 2013 single Brainwash, a sublime little piece of surf and psych-influenced indie pop, was the last time I’d really heard any major buzz from La Luz. Since then, La Luz has had an undeniably strange past few years. Lead singer Shana Cleveland took time off to release a solo record, original bassist Abby Blackwell […]
* Featured image by Sylvain Granier, the t-shirt DL Jones is wearing is a collaboration between Jones, Mad Decent, and Off The Hook, available at Off the Hook Downtown, 1021 St-Catherine Ouest Over the next few months, Ford Donovan will be catching-up with some of the most influential culture-makers in the Montreal music scene with […]
Before beginning their final track of the evening, Shame, Young Fathers’ vocalist G Hastings takes centre stage; for a fleeting moment, it feels like I’ve left the concert hall and entered some kind of mystical protest site—part political and part spiritual. With an austere look cast across his face, Hastings delivers the statement: “We are […]
If I may, I’d like to begin this review by quoting one of the great art collectives of our generation, Nickelback. Combining the poetic restraint of Keats and the vernacular edge of Ginsberg, lead singer Chad Kroeger once famously said, “We all just wanna be big rockstars, and live in hilltop houses, driving fifteen cars”— […]
Oh man, this is gonna be good. As I sat down at my computer this afternoon to begin “working on an essay,” I was, of course, immediately distracted by the shiny blue-glow of my Facebook newsfeed. For once, though, this unintentional procrastination session paid off large. Yes– my wandering eyes were greeted with the official […]
On Friday, January 22nd and Saturday, January 23rd, I attended the Entertainment Management Conference, held at Sid Lee’s in Downtown Montreal. Now in its fourth year, the event was designed to allow emerging young professionals in on some of the trade secrets “behind the business that fuels culture.” Run by a talented cast of students […]
Last Friday evening at the Corona Theatre looked like a scene straight out of Cameron Crowe’s acclaimed rock n’ roll drama Almost Famous. The venue was packed to the brim with rowdy, power-chord-hungry teenagers sporting long, greasy hair and leather Iron Maiden jackets. And if I had a nickel for every time that I saw […]
Quite busy musical times, indeed. Here’s just some of the musical performances you can catch in Montreal over the next few days… Friday, January 29th The Sheepdogs @ Corona Theatre This Canadian quartet is the musical descendant of legendary Canadian act The Guess Who- their classic rock sound encompasses rich guitar leads and smooth harmonies. […]
Last Thursday night, I went to Le Belmont to check out three up-and-coming American acts who were respectively each making their Montreal Debut. For most of us who live in Montreal, a trip to the 514 doesn’t really seem like a big deal. However, as a Canadian who has spent extensive time living south of […]
By the time I got off the 80 Parc bus, it was well after midnight. Small crowds of concert-goers were huddled around in clusters, smoking and chatting just outside of the doors of the Rialto Theatre where M for Montreal was kicking off. I shuffled around, anxiously waiting for a friend to arrive before heading […]
Montreal is internationally known as a cultural mosaic; the city’s diverse forms of artistic expression draw from Quebec’s Francophone roots, urban centres such as Toronto, as well as various locations both in the United States and Europe. So it really isn’t a shocker that Montreal’s musical scene is brimming with talent you may recall that […]
It’s part and parcel for the trajectory of a ‘young band’ to haul around from place to place as part of a never-ending tour. The archetypal young band needs to tour relentlessly in order to break into international markets, as well as solidify the ones they’ve established back home. In a sense, the band needs […]
Toronto-based, Indie rockers Alvvays are back in Montreal, and we couldn’t be more excited. After a jam-packed summer that saw the band perform at the UK’s premier music festival Glastonbury, as well as Montreal’s own Osheaga Festival, Alvvays is on the road again for a series of concert dates throughout Canada and the States. Alvvays’ […]
