When thinking outside the box just isn't enough
Jason C. McLean and Dawn McSweeney are joined by Special Guest Andrew Jamieson to talk about the recent behind-the-scenes drama at WWE – Stephanie McMahon resigning, Vince McMahon forcing his way back into power and a potential sale – ahead of the company’s three shows in Montreal.
Follow Andrew Jamieson at WhoTheFuckIsAndrewJamieson.com or @fakejamieson on Instagram
Follow Dawn McSweeney @mcmoxy on Twitter and Instagram
Follow Jason C. McLean @jasoncmclean on Twitter and Instagram
Another week, more great shows to see! Scroll down to see what’s on the menu for music in Montreal this week.
Does the phrase “techno marching band” intrigue you at all? I can’t really imagine how the answer could be no, but if your answer was yes go see MEUTE at the SAT this Thursday!
The band consists of eleven drummers and horn players from Hamburg, Germany who perform the role of a DJ but with their instruments. The result? A seamless blend of electronic music with live acoustic instruments.
Don’t miss this truly unique performance!
MEUTE will perform at the Société des Arts Technologiques, 1201 blvd Saint-Laurent, on October 10th, 2019 at 8PM. Tickets available through Electrostub.
London indie pop band Kero Kero Bonito (KKB) will be performing this Saturday in Montreal. While there are a lot of indie pop bands out there, KKB is truly one that operates to the beat of their own drum, if the drum was accompanied by something along the lines of quirky British bubblegum pop.
For me, their music always seems to stir up something of a childlike wonder through its various layers of game-like sound effects and practically ‘lullaby-pop’ sound. Catch their show at the Fairmount this weekend.
Kero Kero Bonito play Fairmount Theatre, 5240 Avenue du Parc, this Saturday, October 12th, 2019 at 9PM. Get your tickets through evenko.
Vitalic and Rebeka Warrior (of Sexy Sushi, and Mansfield.TYA) have come together to form Kompromat and will be performing their first show in North America in Montreal on Sunday, October 12th as part of the 48th edition of the Festival du Nouveau Cinéma.
Their music is reminiscent of old-school Berlin techno but with a distinctive punk tone, with Warrior commanding the role of the voice, and Vitalic the machine. The product of their unique dynamic is a riveting electronic experience you won’t want to miss.
To top it all off there will also be a free screening of Blood Machines following the performance as part of the FNC experience.
Kompromat will perform at Agora du Coeur des Sciences, 3805 blvd Saint-Laurent, for the Festival du Nouveau Cinéma on October 13th, 2019 at 8:30PM. Tickets available through ticketpro.
If you’ve managed to get this far in your life without ever encountering 27 year old Myspace pop sensation Charli XCX, then I think it’s safe to say you probably just haven’t been paying enough attention, because her influence is everywhere.
Charli’s music confidently straddles the line of mainstream and experimental pop, drawing us in with her happy futuristic club-kid exterior and keeping us there with her refreshingly perceptive navigation of both the genre of pop and her role as an artist within it.
Catch her performance this Tuesday, October 15th at the Corona Theatre.
Charli XCX plays Corona Theatre, 2490 Notre Dame St. W, Tuesday, October 15 at 8pm. Tickets available through evenko.
Are you or your band playing a show in Montreal? Let us know at music@forgetthebox.net. We’ll do our best to include you in an upcoming Shows This Week, but, of course, no promises.
Welcome back to Shows This Week! I’m glad you made it. What’s that? You don’t know what shows to see this week? Well, in that case let’s just dive right in…
If you’re anything like me and all this gloomy weather has got you feeling some type of way, go see Half Alive’s show this Friday at L’Astral as part of their world tour, and they’ll be sure to bring some colour back into your life, if not at least put just a little pep back into your step.
The Californian indie pop trio’s most recent album, Now, Not Yet, was released this past August and contains previously released hit singles still alive and RUNAWAY.
Half-Alive will play at L’Astral, 305 rue Saint-Catherine O, Friday, October 4th, 2019 at 8PM. Tickets available through evenko.
If you haven’t heard of Lil Mosey, here’s what you need to know: he originally blew up on Soundcloud but he’s not a mumble rapper, he’s only 17 years old, and his music has already gotten millions of plays online.
Don’t miss your chance to catch the rising trap star this Saturday at Corona Theatre.
Lil Mosey will perform at Corona Theatre, Saturday, October 5th, 2019 at 7PM. Tickets are available through the Corona Theatre website.
Another young success story, Manila Killa, a 22 year old DJ and producer from the Philippines and Washington D.C. will be performing this Saturday at Newspeak. Killa’s music edges on ethereal with a unique sound that embodies elements of indie pop and electronic music which ultimately come together in a sort of movie-soundtrack-to-your-life vibe.
Will you cry? Will you dance? I guess you’ll have to find out this Saturday.
Manila Killa will perform at Newspeak, Saturday, October 5th, 2019 at 10PM. Tickets are available through the Newspeak Montreal website.
Montreal-based harpist, Sarah Pagé, will be making an appearance this Saturday alongside Joni Void, Sam Shalabi, and N Nao.
Pagé’s unique and profound understanding of her instrument may lead you on a journey you’ve never been on before, and yet which somehow still possesses the essence of something all too familiar.
Sarah Pagé will perform at Casa del Popolo, 4873 Boulevard Saint-Laurent, Saturday, October 5th, 2019, at 9PM. Tickets available right here.
If you’re a heavy metal fan, (and perhaps even if you believe you’re not) you won’t want to miss Jinjer this Sunday.
The Ukrainian progressive metal band is unsurpassed as such for several reasons that could be summed up by the following: the intricately woven quilt of different genres that are incorporated into their sound, the seamless way they shift between sounds, the fact that they’re a metal band with a female lead-singer (an unfortunate rarity in this world), and also just that Pisces will always make me emotional.
Jinjer will perform at Corona Theatre, Sunday, October 6th, 2019 at 6:30PM. Tickets available through evenko.
Catch y’all on the flip side!
Are you or your band playing a show in Montreal? Let us know at music@forgetthebox.net. We’ll do our best to include you in an upcoming Shows This Week, but, of course, no promises.
It’s officially the last week of summer, but just because the sun is calling it quits a little earlier every evening doesn’t mean you should too! After all, you wouldn’t want to miss all of the amazing shows Montreal has in store for us this fall.
Stay updated on all the best shows happening each week, right here! And now for this week:
Rock fans get ready to roll because English glam rock band The Struts will be traveling to Montreal this week to perform as part of the tour for their second album Young & Dangerous. Released last October, it contains two of their lead singles: Body Talks and Primadonna Like Me.
Stylistically The Struts emulate a unique and modern twist on classic rock with a flamboyant 70’s/80’s flair to it. If that sounds at all like your cup of tea, catch them in the act this Thursday, the 19th, at Mtelus Theatre.
Primadonna Like Me – The Struts
The Struts with Des Rocks play M Telus, 59 Saint-Catherine East, Thursday, September 18, 2019 at 8pm. Tickets available through MTelus
Montreal musician Marie Davidson’s music is absolutely brimming with personality. Her style is minimalistic tech house with plenty of synth, drums, and often her own spoken words; at times laughing, singing, chanting, yelling, all coming together to create an absolutely haunting experience of sound.
She’s been touring internationally since the release of her fourth solo album, Working Class Woman, and now she’s back in Montreal to perform as part of the Red Bull Music Festival at Studio Notre Dame this Friday! The show will also include artists such as Afrodeutsche, Solitary Dancer, and more, and tickets are only $20, so don’t miss this opportunity to see what is sure to be a captivating experience.
The Psychologist from Davidson’s most recent album, Working Class Woman
Red Bull Music Festival presents Marie Davidson: Save the Last Dance For Me at Studio Notre-Dame, 500 Alphonse D Roy, Friday, September 20 at 10pm. Tickets available through the Red Bull Music Festival
Come support Concordia University’s one and only radio station for part of the CJLO FUNdrive 2019, celebrating near 20 years of being on air! 17 different Montreal bands will be covering 17 songs from the album Big Shiny Tunes 6, which, if you didn’t already know, is part of a series of rock albums released through MusiquePlus in Quebec in the late 90s.
The event will be taking place at La Vitrola, and will feature a variety of local talent, such as Summerled, Barnacle, and Jon Cohen Ex. Don’t miss the chance to support your local radio, and jam to all your favourite 90s rock throwbacks played by your favourite Montreal bands.
Big Shiny Tunes 6 is at La Vitrola, 4602 boul St-Laurent, Friday, September 20 at 7:30pm. RSVP on the Facebook event page
Jon Cohen Ex gives us Baby Life
New York band Frankie Cosmos, fronted by Greta Kline, is everything you could want from indie-folk as a genre. The songs are most often wistfully personal, and emotionally stirring, as if you were listening to the music equivalent of reading Kline’s own diary.
The combination of the seemingly simplistic but conscious lyrical manner along with Kline’s unobtrusive voice achieves a touching clarity in both sound and meaning. Be sure to catch the band at L’astral this Friday, but be prepared to feel some feelings you probably haven’t felt since high school.
Frankie Cosmos gives you a haircut
Frankie Cosmos with Lina Tullgren and Locate S,1 plays L’Astral, 305 Sainte-Catherine West, Friday, September 20 at 8pm. Tickets available through Evenko
Canadian singer and songwriter, Mac DeMarco, who is known for his soft psychedelic rock music, kooky personality, the gap between his two front teeth, and the song that will always send me into the depths of my feelings (see below), will be making an appearance at Mtelus on Monday.
Be there or DeMarco will come to your house dressed as the lizard man from his Nobody music video and sing you soft, haunting lullabies while you sleep.
Sing it with me: alone again!
Mac Demarco with Dustin Wong and Takako Minekawa plays MTelus, 59 Saint-Catherine East, Monday, September 23 at 8pm. Tickets available through MTelus
Are you or your band playing a show in Montreal? Let Lillie know at music@forgetthebox.net. We’ll do our best to include you in an upcoming Shows This Week, but, of course, no promises.
I spent the first half hour after arriving to Parc Jean-Drapeau looking for a poncho vendor so as to avoid the unpredictable showers, but by the time that I found one I was too late as they had already sold out. Fortunately the rain had, at this point, died down for the most part. I spent a few minutes after that lying in one of the dryer Eno hammocks (a god-send, #île-hammock?) that had been set up in the trees trying to figure out my game plan for the day and cursing the gods for letting me wear white shoes.
The first show I caught after the rain simmered down a bit was Underher, an act which on Île-Soniq’s handy app with all of the artists and set times seemed to feature producer, Kalden Bess and singer, Jessica Abruzzese. However according to Underher’s Spotify, Facebook, Instagram etc., it seems as if Bess is now the solo sound behind Underher. While this was an unfortunate toll on île-Soniq’s already low count of female artists, Bess still put on a great show; sipping his drink and leisurely taking puffs of a joint as he DJ’s.
The stage was set perfectly amidst the trees and water, and the sun finally peaked out from behind the clouds. As the audience thickened, many eager to try out their dancing shoes and groove to his alluring rhythmic sound, the energy shifted from dance to something slightly more ethereal and sensual, if not almost eerie at times (think: someone breathing slightly on the back of your neck. Though perhaps this was just the airy breeze).
The next show I caught was Whipped Cream–one of the four featured female artists–and hands down one of the most bad-ass performers I saw at the festival. Her fans were already screaming for her when she walked out onto the stage, decked out completely in a green and blue Pleasures tracksuit with her iconic long blonde hair draped over her shoulder.
There was an evident symbiosis between the untamed energy of the crowd and her own fiery enthusiasm as she bounced with them, even jumping down onto the lower stage during a song to dance along. Her bass sound is clearly inspired by hip-hop, but the range of her musical style is evident as she skilfully churns out head-banging bliss with every song, including Beethoven’s Fur Elise. Stage presence? 10. Outfit? 10. Set? 10. Adjective that I can’t think of which could describe a coalescence of bad-assery and being adorable? 10!
Next up for me? KSHMR, an American musician and DJ from California, and his performance did not disappoint. I however opted to take a break from being elbow-ed and shoulder-ed by every guy clad in a tank top in the crowd and watched this one from afar, atop (what once was) a grassy hill in the back. Though I admittedly had previously had little exposure to KSHMR’s music, during day two of the festival I’d overhead many of the other festival-goers raving about him, and decided to check him out.
When the crystal clear and calm sound of classical piano pierced through the various festival noises I was immediately hooked. KSHMR’s music is perhaps universally captivating, including sounds from seemingly all corners and genres of the world that build to epic stomach-dropping climaxes. The show ends with fireworks and a shout-out to the fact that apparently Canada has some of the most beautiful women. A cheesy sentiment, but loveable all the same.
When I got to Claptone’s show back at the stage where I had started, the sun was setting behind us against the water. Claptone, a German DJ with a secret identity, was clad in their usual beaked mask and white gloves, which greatly added to the energetic but mysterious ambience of their tech house sound. The music is hypnotic, though its rhythm is diverse and energetic–a sort of melancholy still seeps through.
The final performance I saw on the last day of the festival was the iconic Nicole Moudaber, taking over the stage from Claptone, an immediate change in tempo, but the air of mystery remained. Her dark glasses and captivating curly fro give her an enigmatic air of je ne sais quoi, as she lead her audience through the valleys and troughs of her ambient house sounds that resonate in my ear drums long after I left the island (my brain still waits for the drop that never comes in the metro car home).
Day two went quick, and while some of it was a blur, much of it also remains to be incredibly salient in my mind. Each of the performances that I managed to see left me intrigued and hungry for more, from the soft hypnotic rhythms to the head-banging bass drops, to the surprising but appreciated classical music references; each exemplifying the all-encompassing nature of electronic music. Thanks for an unforgettable weekend Île-Soniq!
Photos courtesy of the lovely Celeste Bonnier.
Day one of Île Soniq had some rainy moments, but even the turbulent weather wasn’t enough to keep anyone from enjoying the festival!
The day started out with its usual Montréal-style festival festivities: a full metro car echoing with excited singing and chanting from eager festival goers, almost like an energy pre if you will.
When we arrived at Parc Jean-Drapeau we were greeted by the warm sun and I got my first look at the newly renovated festival grounds, that have recently been relocated to its previous spot on île Sainte-Hélène. The layout of the festival is spacious, even for vast crowd of festival goers and the view of the city and the glistening water just makes the experience all the more ethereal.
The first show I catch is Sydanie, a Toronto-based rapper (and self-described “bad rap mom” on her Soundcloud). She’s glimmering angelically in a sparkling jumpsuit and doesn’t hesitate to bust a move in it as she raps some realness.
We definitely felt her energy when she performed her newest song I want u 2 see this and even debuted an unreleased track Abby. Sydanie doesn’t just speak truth in her music though, and midway through her performance she reminds us of the sadly minimal effort by Île-Soniq to hire any female performers by shouting out to “the fact that I’m the only live performing female for the day.”
While I wait to catch MurdaBeatz’ show, I head over to the superman ride that île-Soniq has set up for its festival goers. As I’m strapped into the ride I hear the crowd screaming as he hits the stage, but by the time it’s over the rain has taken over the festival and stopped the show. At first the crowd screams for MurdaBeatz, but as it starts to get pretty wet it begins to dissipate in large pieces as everyone seeks out shelter.
By the time it stops I’m just in time to catch Nora En Pure, a South African-Swiss DJ known for her deep house and indie dance music. Her music is light and euphoric even amidst all the clouds and intermittent rain, an almost perfect foil for the next show I saw: 1000volts.
The story of 1000volts’ conception reads like a love story to me, and I can’t unsee it. Hip-hop ace Redman and trap and bass producer Jayceeoh joined forces after working together on a song in 2015, and have been bridging the gap between hip hop and electronic music ever since. Their name didn’t disappoint either with the electrifying performance they gave, perfectly set under an actual stormy sky.
While I was waiting to catch Lil Pump on his first trip to Quebec, I also managed to catch Oliver Helden’s performance — a sea of beautiful people swaying back and forth to the uplifting but poppy sound — as well as the end of Smokepurpp’s show from afar which had perhaps one of the most energetic crowds I saw, singing along to all of his songs and bouncing rhythmically together with shots of the mosh pit hitting the big screen every few minutes.
I made sure to catch Mo Bamba at Sheck Wes’ show, took a few minutes to get some poutine in me and then trekked back to the Mirage Stage with the masses to catch a glimpse of Soundcloud sensation Lil Pump, who was unsurprisingly 20 minutes late to his own show. Though I do enjoy a few of his most popular songs, (Gucci Gang will always be a bop), his overall performance felt to be a bit of a disappointment, but that can probably be blamed more on his tech guys as the cameraman was visibly struggling to follow him across the stage and his DJ/hype-man’s mic seemed to be louder than his own, obscuring the sound of his voice and lyrics punctuating everything Pump said with the perhaps overly frequent and loud “yuh”s and “okay”s. Once it started to rain, it was a sign for me to leave.
Overall the first day was absolutely jam-packed with exciting and energetic performances for every sub-category of electronic music, even including a metal EDM performance by Sullivan King, as well as the various hiphop/electronic music fusions, (although almost completely lacking in female performers). See you all at Day two for what will hopefully be better weather!
Photos courtesy of the lovely Celeste Bonnier (featured image of Sydanie and her backup dancers)
Île Soniq concludes today, tickets available through IleSoniq.com
Friday and Saturday this upcoming weekend (August 9th & 10th) will mark the sixth annual Île Soniq festival, which will be returning to its original site at Parc Jean-Drapeau. So grab your sunscreen, don’t forget to #stayhydrated, and get ready to dance like its your last chance, because this one might just knock you into September.
Now, if you’re anything like me, the hardest part of almost any festival is simply figuring out how to divvy up your precious time. But fret not, because I’m gonna fill you in on all the shows you’re not gonna want to miss this year (and you can find the full lineup below)!
This year’s Île Soniq lineup is choc-full international talent, sure, but for those of you that are interested in finding out what Montreal–a city that has been home to some of the world’s most promising artists–is bringing to the table this year (besides the festival itself, of course), look no further.
If you don’t know them already, Christian Srigley and Leighton James started off as a pop-punk band and are now an electronic dance music duo based out of Montreal.
Relaxjosh is a local Montreal DJ with a unique but evolving sound. Though he’s been DJing since 11, he released his first single, Famous, only last year.
Underher is a sensual electronica/techno act created by Kalden Bess. Genre? Music to have sex to.
Sam Lamar has been rapidly rising through the ranks of the bass music scene, and has shown no signs of stopping yet!
DJ and producer from the collective ‘Drôle d’oiseaux’, best known for his groovy funkytrap and of course his mystical beard!
Île Soniq didn’t book many female performers this year 😒 … But here are a couple baddies you should check out.
Sydanie is a Jamaican-Trinidadian Toronto-based queer rapper and supermom and she’s changing the game in the Toronto hip-hop scene.
Whipped Cream, aka Caroline Cecil, goes hard with her limitless and versatile bad-ass bass sound.
Nicole Moudaber is a Lebanese/British radio personality and techno DJ and producer. She’s also behind MOOD, her own record label and global party brand. She gets pretty wild on the dance floor, and doesn’t hold back when she’s turning tunes either.
Nora en Pure is a South-African/Swiss DJ known for her deep house and indie dance music. She’s also a core member of the Helvetic Nerds.
Superduo Redman & Jayceeoh team up to zap you with 1000 volts of their own bass and hiphop fusion, bridging the gap between rap and electronic music.
Lick the DJ (ha-ha) is from San Francisco, specialising in fine techno, deep house, and tech house. His music is vivid and electrifying.
Ronin is a DJ, producer, and avocado-enthusiast. If you’re somehow not already amped when you show up to Ile Soniq, you will be after his set.
Dabin Lee grew up surrounded by music and it shows. The Toronto musician’s melodic electronic music will make you feel like you’re living the emotional climax of the movie of your life, wind in your hair and all.
Check out the rest of the lineup.To get your tickets if you haven’t already, or for more information check out the Île Soniq website, and I’ll see you all there!
I arrive at my first Piknic Électronik of this summer, (#8 of 2019), two road-beers down the hatch and eager as ever after a long week to get some sun and dance to some electronic music (or more so in my case, sway back and forth as rhythmically as I can relative to the ratio of sangria I’ve consumed over time).
I, of course, have naively failed to account for the rather large crowd that Piknic often attracts on a day as beautiful as this, and with the same idea (and perhaps gusto) as everyone else, head for Parc Jean-Drapeau at peak hour, and am consequently forced to sober up some while I wait in the tunnels of the vastly over-crowded yellow line.
The train is packed full, and we all spill out of the station in a mass, ambling to the main entrance of Piknic. Luckily, though, the line at the rather densely packed entrance is quite large, it moves slowly but surely, and as I wait to receive an entrance bracelet from a smiling staff member, the atmosphere is reinvigorated by the excitement of those around me. Their enthusiasm fuelled most likely in part by a similar cocktail to mine: excitement, anticipation, alcohol, and an absolutely perfect amount of sunshine.
Inside the festival there awaits a sea of animated festival goers; a diverse crowd of people united by their attire of tank-tops, shorts, and fanny packs, and a palpable enthusiasm. They’re talking, drinking, dancing, swaying.
Some are sitting in the lounge chairs on the outskirts, or hammocks, watching their friends playing volleyball under the sun at the sand court between the two stages. Many people are in line waiting to refill their cups and buckets of Sangria and beer, but the largest sea of people is situated in front of the main stage, the perfect place for imbibing both sound and sun, and neither come as a disappointment on this day.
At the main stage French DJ, Groj, who is known for his live singing during his performances opens with a rhythmic and psychedelic set that grabs the crowd’s attention. The music is resonant, sonorous amidst all the trees, and yet somehow still bright and energetic, in a way that somewhat mirrors the energy of the crowd.
Groj’s performance is followed by the headliner of the evening: German DJ, HOSH, part of Diynamic record label. His lively house and techno sound has been likened to the journey of a collapsing star, and the comparison does not disappoint.
HOSH’s music captivates his audience, with its spirited buildups and explosive melodic peaks. And as the beautiful day transitions into a beautiful dusk with the sun setting over the main stage, it’s time go home again although this time I decide to walk instead of bother with the crowds at the metro. If you ever get the chance and don’t mind a bit of a walk, the view from the bridge at sunset is rather captivating.
For tickets and information on upcoming shows, please visit Piknic Électronik’s website.
DJ HOSH: Soundcloud | Spotify | Facebook
DJ Groj: Soundcloud | Spotify | Facebook
ShazamFest, a unique outdoor annual summer festival, returns for its 14th edition, and this year with more whimsy than ever. It has perhaps the most eclectic diversity of performances to occur at a single festival.
ShazamFest features a diverse range of entertainment including, but not limited to: live music performances, circus acts, burlesque, dance, theatre, poetry, wrestling, skateboarding, and much more. The festival is set to take place from the 11th to the 14th of July (this weekend), and is to be hosted in the Eastern Townships, 90 minutes outside of Montréal at festival founder Ziv Przytyk’s organic family farm. Free roundtrip shuttle services from Montréal are available, as well as free on-site camping.
The festival is also particularly distinctive for its green initiatives, as part of its dedication to an eco-responsible and sustainable approach. ShazamFest is very encouraging of its zero-waste initiatives, having only produced 12 bags of garbage at its 13th edition last year and aiming to create even less this year by encouraging festival goers not to bring single-use bags, using only reusable or compostable dishware, providing unlimited free local source water, bringing in organic local food vendors, and numerous other eco-friendly features.
The headlining acts of ShazamFest XIV will be Afrikana Soul Sister, Les Hôtesses d’Hilaire, the Souljazz Orchestra, and Susie Arioli. A few additional must-see features include Matthew Silver, Ziv’s Sunset Show, Bibi Lolo BangBang the clown, a burlesque segment by Swell Sisters La PetiteFleur and Queeny Ives, and many more.
Here’s the full lineup:
That’s right, FTB is giving you a chance to win a pair of tickets ($125 value) to Shazamfest! Simply share this post on Facebook or Twitter, tag @forgetthebox and say Shazam!
We will draw a winner from the entrants and announce it Friday morning.
For everyone else, tickets are available through ShazamFest.com
Happening on July 11-14, 2019, 2722 Way’s Mills, Ayer’s Cliff, QC J0B 1C0 in the Eastern Townships.
Free entry for children 12 years & under
Free admission all day Sunday
Free roundtrip shuttle services from Montréal
Free on-site camping
Forget The Box’s weekly Arts Calendar is back for its last November edition. Take a look at these excellent events if you’re looking for fun and inexpensive things to check out!
As always; if you’re interested in going to one of these events and want to cover it for us, send a message or leave a comment below.
Beaux Dégâts is a time-honoured Montreal tradition that combines improvisation in musical and fine arts to create a unique organic event space. From their Facebook page:
“Beaux Dégâts tries to make a parallel between the reality of street artists and the Fine Arts. It is here to bring back what has been ignored for too long by art institutions and return to the street artist’s reality: the importance of community, sharing, accessibility and uniqueness.
For two hours, six teams of artists will improvise 8ft X 8ft murals on different themes given on the night. Each team will have to research and find visual references to create a production in front of public. All mediums except spray cans are allowed. During the evening, the public will vote for it’s favorite mural using their empty Pabst beer cans. The team that will collect the most cans will win the right to paint over the other artists work if they wish.”
Beaux Dégâts #45: Live Improvised Painting and Music – Wednesday, Nov 30, Foufounes Electriques, 8pm-1am. Entrance: 5$
Cinema Politica is a media arts, non-profit network of community and campus locals that screen independent political film and video by Canadian and international artists throughout Canada and abroad. It is volunteer-run and all screenings are by donation.
The film that Cinema Politica is screening this Monday, The Crossing, “takes us along on one of the most dangerous journeys of our time with a group of Syrians fleeing war and persecution, crossing a sea, two continents and five countries, searching for a home to rekindle the greatest thing they have lost – Hope.”
The Crossing screening @ Cinema Politica Concordia, 1455 de Maisonneuve Boulevard W, Room H-110, Monday, 7pm. Entrance by Donation
50/50 is a novel concept; a half-scripted, half-improvised live comedy show! This show was a major hit at Just For Laughs 2016 and will not be back for four months – definitely catch this if you can at the Mainline Theatre.
Coming off a sellout show at OFF-JFL/Zoofest this past July, 50/50 returns with a new cast blending talented actors and hilarious comedians. In each of the show’s nine scenes, a prepared actor who has learned lines off a real script is paired with an improviser who has no prior knowledge of what the actor has rehearsed.
50/50 @ Mainline Theatre, 3997 boul St-Laurent. Wednesday, November 30th, 8pm. $15 (students/seniors/QDF Members $12)
Is there an event that should be featured in Shows This Week? Maybe something FTB should cover, too? Let us know at arts@forgetthebox.net. We can’t be everywhere and can’t write about everything, but we do our best!
Forget The Box is kicking off Autumn with a new weekly calendar of arts shows in Montreal! Check out these events and feel free to contact us with suggestions for others as well.
Alder & Ash is a counterpoint of two extremes. The music lies in stillness, introversion, and penitence. It lies in violence, cacophony, and angst. Alder & Ash plays solo cello with loop pedal to create improvised minimal classical music, with influence of doom metal, ambient, post-rock and noise. Alder & Ash will be performing live at Le Réactueur as part of an ambient music showcase – don’t miss it!
Alder & Ash Live at Le Réacteur, 2401 Rue Sainte-Catherine E, Friday, October 14th. Pay-What-You-Can
The Tupi Collective crew, ASMA, KYOU, and DJ Kobal are putting together an exciting evening filled with sonic tributes to Afrobeat pioneer Fela Kuti at Groove Nation. The event is in celebration of what would have been Fela’s 78th birthday, October 15th (but don’t get it twisted, the show is October 14th).
Fela Kuti Tribute at Groove Nation, 410 Rachel Est, Friday, October 14, 10pm-3am. $5 before midnight, $10 after
Pompette’s Monthly Comedy Extravaganza offers Montreal’s finest in a casual context with one of the best new resto/bars in the city. At your service Riccardo Spensieri & his crew will be dishing out the eats and libations as Franco Taddeo & friends light up the night with laughter.
Taddeo is joined by emcee Peter J. Radomski of Just for Laughs fame as well as Paul Baluyot, ParkEx’s One Name Wonder Pantelis, TV’s Geoffery Appelbaum, Erica “The Funny & No Relation” Taddeo plus a Special apperance by Ernie the 80 year Old Comedian & his stool (chair to sit on to be clear!!).
Pompette’s Monthly Comedy Extravaganza at Pompette, 4128 Boulevard St-Laurent, Wednesday, October 19th, 8:30pm – 10:30pm. $9 with comedy night special on drinks
Is there an event that should be featured in Shows This Week? Maybe something FTB should cover, too? Let us know at arts@forgetthebox.net. We can’t be everywhere and can’t write about everything, but we do our best!
On January 19th Montreal photographer Ana Jovmir debuted her ambitious new series What’s the Problem at Theatre St-Catherine. The series is comprised of photographs from a diverse group of individuals who each tell their own distinct story; I’m passionate. I’m angry. I’m ready for change.
With this series, Jovmir stepped away from her usual fashion and commercial photography work to create something much more intimate. Using friends and acquaintances as models, all the shoots were improvised. “As they stepped in front of the lens, I asked them to tell me about the things that piss them off. Things they’d want to change in themselves or their environment. And we just went from there,” Jovmir said.
So what inspired Jovmir to create a photo series based on the idea that anger and disillusionment can lead to creativity and positive change? “Often our freedom of creation is restricted by the society that surrounds us,” Jovmir explained. ”This project is about making people think what’s important to them. I’m hoping it inspires people to act on the things that they care about in a positive way.”
The theme behind What’s the Problem is a noble but quite broad one. Therefore certain photos in the series work better than others. It’s not that any of the photos in the What’s the Problem series are bad. Rather two photos in particular stand out for both perfectly embodying the theme of the show, and their immediate emotional impact.
Erica doesn’t just stand out because of the model’s beauty. Rather it’s her charisma and self-confidence that gives the photo a sense of energy. “I know what I want and am NOT afraid to go out and get it,” the photo seems to say.
Rosemary meanwhile is the only two person photo in the series. Immediately upon viewing the photograph one can see it speaks the most to What’s the Problem is trying to express. With only their eyes visible, both models represent that youthful determination that caring for a cause can elicit real change. It’s easy to imagine these two models just returning from a student strike protest.
In reviewing the photos for this series, it’s clear to see that Ana is a talented photographer with a long career ahead of her. Let’s hope she continues to take on interesting personal projects as well for a long time to come.
What’s the Problem will be on display until March 13th at Théâtre Sainte-Catherine, 264 Rue Sainte-Catherine E.
For more information connect with Ana via her website, on Facebook or Tumblr
Photos by Ana Jovmir and Manikmati. Used with permission
This year marks the 10th anniversary of Andrea Dworkin’s death. On September 26th, 2015 she would have been 69 years old. Opening on September 17th and running until the 27th, Montreal Theatre company Waterworks will be presenting a world premier full staging performance of Aftermath.
Based on a text written by Andrea Dworkin after her drug-rape in Paris in 1999. Her life partner, well known author and activist John Stoltenberg, found the original document on her computer.
“…what I discovered was a 24,000-word autobiographical essay, composed in twelve impassioned sections, as powerful and beautifully written as anything Andrea ever wrote. It was searingly personal, fierce and irreverent, mordantly witty, emotionally raw. It was also clearly not a draft; it was finished, polished as if for publication.”
The piece was edited and cut in half to about 90 minutes and directed by Stoltenberg and Dworkin’s longtime friend and collaborator Adam Thorburn. It was performed as a staged reading in New York by Maria Silverman in May of 2014. “At each step in putting this theater project together, I have wished I could talk with Andrea about it. I would want to tell her how the words she showed no one are now reaching and affecting audiences in live performance,” Stoltenberg writes.
The Montreal production is being directed by Waterworks artistic directors Tracey Houston and Rob Langford and being performed by Montreal actor Helena Levitt as Dworkin.
We’ve heard of this type of story before, more recently with the Bill Cosby allegations and Jian Ghomeshi spectacle where the victim’s creditability was brought into question. “If she can’t remember everything, then maybe it didn’t happen.” It was so long ago, maybe she’s a little sketchy on the details” ad infinitum.
In the text, Dworkin refers to the drug Rohypnol and GBH. “This isn’t an aspirin in your drink. It’s not like getting drunk. It’s not like getting high. This is so easy for the boy. This is so simple for the boy. This is foolproof rape. The gang who can’t shoot straight can do this kind of rape. You can do this hundreds of times with virtually no chance of getting caught. I think how easy this evil is to do.” She goes on to describe how powerless one is to fight back from this kind of rape even after the fact, when there is no memory to report or very little if any evidence left behind.
Aftermath is a very passionate, personal account of Dworkin’s life, family, work and thought process that very few people not familiar with her writings have yet to see or be aware of. Stoltenberg explains, “[Dworkin’s] stirring writing ranges dramatically over many themes—her aspirations when she was young, her erotic and romantic relationships, the marriage in which she was battered, her understanding of the connection between Jews and women, her take on President Clinton’s behavior, her deep commitment to helping women, her critique of women who betray women. And the fact that Aftermath is acted means audiences get to hear an emotional dimensionality in Andrea’s voice that in life she shared only with me and her closest friends—trenchant and oracular, as the public knew her, but also tender, sardonic, sorrowful, vulnerable, funny.”
Rob Langford and Tracey Houston, founders of Montreal’s The Waterworks Company (Palace of the End, Gidion’s Knot, Glory Dazed), a troupe committed to staging the best of contemporary playwriting by women, found out about Aftermath last year from Stoltenberg’s Twitter feed, Langford contacted Stoltenberg, proposing to give Aftermath its first full staging here in Montreal.
Aftermath runs September 17th to 27th, 2015, at the Centre culturel Georges-Vanier, 2450 Workman, Little Burgundy, a couple of blocks northeast of the Atwater Market. METRO: Lionel- Groulx.
A special première takes place on September 17th at 8pm; the show runs over the next two weekends Fridays at 8pm, Saturdays at 4pm and 8pm, and Sundays at 4pm. Post-show talkbacks, with special guests, will take place throughout the first weekend.
Admission is $18 / $13 (buyer chooses price). Tickets are available, via Eventbrite, at waterworksmontreal.com, or at the door.
La Nuit Tribe | Dévoilement de la programmation from Centre Phi | Phi Centre on Vimeo.
In the mist of all festivities taking place during La Nuit Blanche, Centre Phi will be hosting La Nuit Tribe, a series of live shows, visual arts and comfort food, in other words the place to be. Headliners will be none other than A Tribe Called Red, AfrotoniX and Arthur Comeau.
To start the evening, cinephiles will be happy to know A Tribe Called Red have selected Rhymes for Young Ghouls by Jeff Barnaby for your viewing entertainment. You will also be treated to a live installation created by street artists Swarm and Red Bandit and a video installation by Red Bandit.
The night wouldn’t be complete without some serious evening snacks. Comfort food will be prepared by Manitoba restaurant for all the foodies and hungry people out there.
This is winter and this is Montreal, so expect the place to fill up fast. You, however, can guarantee your spot as FTB and Centre Phi are giving away two tickets. All you have to do to participate in this giveaway is:
1)Like both the Centre Phi and Forget the Box pages on Facebook,
2) Comment on this post by letting us know what you like most about winter in Montreal (yes, sarcasm is acceptable).
3) Hit the share button
We’ll announce the winners of the draw on Friday the 27th and tickets will be available the evening of the event at Centre Phi.
Today, I had coffee with some artists from the Montreal collective 5 Wolves No Pig. We discussed their upcoming project The International Public Art Festival. Its second edition runs April 13-19 in Holbox followed by a combined project in Mexico City hosted by the art gallery Arca Mexico.
Holbox (black hole in Mayan) is a fishermen’s island located on the north coast of the Yucatan Peninsula in the state of Quintana Roo with a population of approximately 1200 people. It is well known for being one of the few locations in the world where one can swim in the open sea with whale sharks. It is also the home of a vast collection of flora and fauna and no vehicles are aloud on the island to preserve its eco-friendly lifestyle.
In 2014, 5 Wolves No Pigs and Soñando por Holbox created the festival. They invited a few Montreal artists to head to paradise and paint some murals. Jason Botkin, Labrona, Omen, Cedric Taillon and Decover Magazine represented the 514 in epic ways (check out their work in the gallery)! They were joined by Mexican artists Curiot and Superdemon and others.
For the second edition, IPAF 2015, Arca Mexico is joining the team. They will be taking part in the Holbox leg of the festival and providing a second collective exposition in Mexico City. Featured invited artists include Jason Botkin, Cerrucha, Eric Paré in collaboration with Kim Henry and many others.
They are currently holding an international open call for submissions with a deadline of February 14. There is a $20 application fee and the first place will win free transportation to the festival and all selected artists will be provided with accommodation and materials for the murals. This is a great opportunity for artists looking to expose their work internationally.
IPAF is an independent festival created by artists for artists. It prides itself for implementing a zero waste philosophy inspired by the ecological lifestyle of the island. Those who plan to attend IPAF will also be able to enjoy of Bio-luminescence and live music among other activities.
We will be covering further developments of the festival and talking to some of their artists, in the meantime hasta luego!
Click on the first image to view our gallery
As you may remember, we recently covered the opening night of Igloofest. It was awesome, but freezing. They don’t call it ‘Igloo’fest for nothing!
If you don’t happen to have one of those epic 80s-90s fluorescent ski-suits, or a dinosaur onesie, you can still go to the festival, wearing a more casual attire, and hit the dance floor. So lets get right into it. 
The trick? Layers. For all the new comers to the frozen lands, layers are a good – if not the best – way to avoid discomfort in harsh winters. If you have a pair of snowpants, put them on, and do it now! If you don’t, wear a pair of heat holders or “long-johns.” It will do the trick. This should keep you warm on a daily basis – and you will need this extra warmth six months per year.
A funky toque, a scarf, and a good pair of gloves – the classic winter attire, and voila! You are good to go. Another thing you can do is picking up some heat packs for both your hands and your feet at your local pharmacy, or purchase it at the festival.
The point is, layer up folks but don’t over do it, it could be counter productive if you do.
Keep the warm wine flowing, and get your dance moves on. Worst case scenario, they also play some music indoors. Canadian winter is no joke. So suit up, and get ready to dance!
