Young Montreal entrepreneurs to host show with established and emerging artists
Most 17-year-olds like to play video games or hang out with friends in their spare time, Samuel Shiffman and Lyall Johnson are a little different—they like to organize music shows.
On Saturday, Sept. 29, a wide array of talent from Montreal’s hip hop and R&B scenes will be performing at Théâtre Fairmount.
As part of POP Montreal’s artistic festival, the show is organized and produced by Shiffman and Johnson’s collective “Affiliate,” a clothing brand and social movement they founded in 2017. Their goal is to provide a platform for the city’s artists, from photographers, to dancers, to rappers. The Montreal-based collective wants to provide creators with the opportunity to display their talents and collaborate on projects.
“We want to enable opportunities and create connections between artists,” Shiffman said. “That’s the key.”
For the past five months, the duo has been working meticulously to organize the show and get the necessary pieces together. But since the start of CEGEP in August, things have become harder to balance.
“High school was a little more manageable, but now we’re in a new school with more work, and it’s rough,” Johnson said.
The Affiliate founders are coming off a successful first show held last March. It featured less recognized talent from the city, including artists like Cato The Elder, Lord Kitamba and Montrealways, an R&B singer who will return to perform at their Sept. 29 show.
While Affiliate’s first show was comprised of mostly friends and acquaintances who had a passion for music and yearned to gain performing experience, their sights have since widened. Now Shiffman and Johnson want to work with more established artists as well as emerging ones, to demonstrate their limitless determination.
While they faced difficulties in reaching out to more well-known artists, the duo responded with poise, confidence, and maturity well beyond their age.
“Especially us being this young in this business, the fact that they’re onboard and working with us—it’s huge,” Johnson said.
Some of the popular artists set to hit the stage at the Affiliate show include rapper Nate Husser, one of Montreal’s hip hop success stories. Husser has been ranked in “rising star” lists all over the internet for some time now, including DJ Zane Lowe’s “Breaking” list and was featured in various well-respected music media outlets, such as Noisey and Pigeons & Planes.
Tommy Kruise, a hip hop and trap DJ/producer, is another established name in the show’s lineup. Having played at huge festivals like Osheaga and SXSW in Austin, TX, Kruise is sure to bring some experienced energy to Fairmount.
In a creative set shift, Affiliate have decided to have Tommy Kruise on stage DJing for Nate Husser, effectively creating a local powerhouse performance.
Kruise and Husser will be preceded by R&B singer Montrealways, followed by a collective called The Grey Era, and francophone rapper Salimo.
There will also be a professional barber at the venue throughout the night. The owner of Montreal’s Salon Chez Bobby, who was at Affiliate’s first show back in March, will be giving out free haircuts to anyone who purchases a limited edition Affiliate t-shirt.
The doors are set to open at 8 p.m. at Théâtre Fairmount on Saturday, Sept. 29. Tickets can be purchased on Théâtre Fairmount’s website or at the door the night of.
