Author: Danielle Gasher

Categories
Music

The humble, quirky talent of Rae Spoon

Following up on their longlisted Polaris nominee My Prairie Home, Spoon is diving back into the electronic world with Armour.

Steeped in personal themes and experience, Spoon’s body of work is truly singular

Rae Spoon does everything. They* write books, they work on documentary-musicals for five years, and they make a lot of albums.

Following up on their longlisted Polaris nominee My Prairie Home, Spoon is diving back into the electronic world with Armour.

The Calgary-native’s eighth solo and first self-produced album, Armour, comes out on Feb. 19 and it’s bringing quite a different sound than their previous widely-acclaimed 2013 album, My Prairie Home. “I wanted to move into an electronic direction,” said Spoon about Armour. “In My Prairie Home, I kind of revisited a lot more folk, and a lot of different genres. The album before that was fairly electronic, so I wanted to get back to that.”

Over five years ago, Spoon embarked on a powerful, scary and personal journey that would become an immense success and an important project for both their career, and for LGBTQ awareness. The project was My Prairie Home, a documentary chronicling Spoon’s past experiences with gender confusion as well as their musical career. The project started out of another project; in 2007, director Chelsea McMullan was looking for a subversive country musician for a documentary she wanted to make. A friend told McMullan about Rae: “Her friend was like, ‘Oh there’s this trans country singer,’ so I worked on that and [Chelsea and I] became friends,” said Spoon.

A few years later, McMullan suggested an idea to Spoon for a documentary-musical about the prairies where Spoon grew up, and the project was built from there. Having grown up transgender in a Pentecostal household with a paranoid-schizophrenic father, Spoon had an interesting story to share, and an interesting relationship with the prairies.

The process for the documentary started with Spoon writing stories and songs for the movie. The stories got published into a book called First Spring Grass Fire, for which Spoon was awarded an Honour of Distinction from the Dayne Ogilvie Prize for LGBT writers in 2014. The songs were put into an album, My Prairie Home, which became a longlisted nominee for the 2014 Polaris Music Prize. And the movie? Well it became a shortlisted nominee for the Canadian Screen Award for Best Feature Length Documentary at the 2nd Canadian Screen Awards.

The documentary, as well as the soundtrack that accompanied it, were very personal explorations of Spoon’s life as an agender musician, their childhood, their experiences and their family. Spoon admits that it could be quite uncomfortable talking about such personals parts of their life during the filming process, and that it still is to this day.

Rae Spoon. Photo by Foxx Foto.

But Spoon believes discomfort and honesty are important for writing. “I really think with writing, writing books and writing songs—writing anything—if you’re not writing something that really kind of challenges you or makes you feel uncomfortable, it usually doesn’t turn out to be very good… at least for me,” said Spoon.

Spoon admits that writing a new album after such an impactful project was an interesting experience, but they knew they wanted to move away from folk for a while. “It’s definitely interesting to try and write an album after something like that. I think the most important thing is not to keep replicating. Like, if something works, it’s better to move away from it, in my experience. Or else, you end up making like six albums that sound like it, and then you lose the reason why you started in the first place. So I’m always pushing myself to try new instruments and to write different songs, as different as possible.”

“Armour’s self-produced enigmatic soundscapes blur the lines between organic and electronic instruments,” according to Spoon’s website. Indeed, Armour’s sound is one of many sounds. The singer plays up their pure and strong yet fragile voice with groovy electronic supporting riffs and an interesting use of various instruments such as the cello, electronic drum kits and electric bass, and programs like analogue synthesizers.  

Rhythmically and musically, Armour is miles away from Spoon’s country beginnings, but the album holds the same mature soul the singer has continuously demonstrated over their career through carefully crafted lyrics and an enchanting voice.  

As the album’s producer, Spoon was also in charge of deciding when the product was finished. “When you get very into working on something, it gets hard to become a bit subjective so I took a lot of time, really working on the writing. I wanted the songs to make sense you know,” said Spoon.

While the singer enjoyed the experience, they admitted they were excited to finish up and get back on the road.

“I really wanted this album to come out because I was tired of not touring. I kind of pumped it out from like April to February. It was really a rush. I mixed the album and then it was mastered the next day and then the press release went out the next day, so it was a pretty bratty move on my part,” said Spoon with a laugh. “It worked out in the end.”

In My Prairie Home, Spoon said “when you don’t fit into the gender system, people tell you like you shouldn’t exist, and you don’t exist. I’m here to tell ya… I exist.”

For people who feel different or who still don’t know where they exist, Spoon’s advice is to talk. “Something that always works for me is actually being more open about my experiences, because sometimes I think we’re socialized to think that what makes us different, we should be hiding it or trying to not be it.”

 

Rae Spoon will be performing with Glenn Nuotio in Montreal on Feb. 25 at Casa Del Popolo. Their new album Armour is out Feb. 19.

 

*Note: Spoon prefers to be addressed by the pronoun “they,” as clarified in an interview with Now Magazine; “I think the ‘they’ pronoun is a pretty cool thing. It’s letting a lot of people not have to identify as a man or a woman. Whatever it means to them.”

Categories
Arts

A tired story saved by gorgeous scenery

Angelina Jolie Pitt stars in the role of a woman who smokes, pops pills and reads Vogue to cope with a dying marriage.

By the Sea, written and directed by Angelina Jolie Pitt, is the actress’s third directorial effort

By the Sea, written and directed by Angelina Jolie Pitt, is filled with pretty landscape shots and extravagant scenery, but underwhelms in terms of intrigue in its plot and story. The story is about a married couple, Roland (Brad Pitt) and Vanessa (Jolie Pitt), who move into a lavish French resort for an undetermined amount of time to work on their marriage as well as for Roland to work on his book.

Angelina Jolie Pitt stars in the role of a woman who smokes, pops pills and reads Vogue to cope with a dying marriage.

The couple’s marriage is obviously struggling, but you’re not told why until much later in the movie. Many clues are given throughout, yet the great reveal is very predictable and nothing extraordinary. The mise-en-scène picked up the slack that the story left behind. The costumes, makeup and sets were impressive and fit the movie’s ‘70s era perfectly. The film made good use of extreme long-shots, revealing the seaside scenery and resort constantly—practically casting the sea as a character.

The colour scheme of the film was also interesting. The turquoise blue of the sea contrasted beautifully with a lot of beige and brown. The bleak, dull and neutral colours of the hotel room and of Vanessa and Roland’s clothing paint an accurate picture of the couple’s fading relationship. At least, the chemistry that first appeared on screen between Pitt and Jolie Pitt in 2005 with Mr. and Mrs. Smith is just as real in By the Sea, and is perhaps greater thanks to the actors’ decade-long relationship.

Angelina Jolie Pitt stars in the role of a woman who smokes, pops pills and reads Vogue to cope with a dying marriage.

The acting and the directing weren’t the problem in this film. The problem came with the storyline that held by a thread. The thread, in this case, could be the budget of the film and the names attached to the story. It seems as if it could be a story that’s been read or seen dozens of times by the average audience member, but one which was decorated with fancy hotel rooms, pretty views and beautiful people. The storyline didn’t bring much originality to the tired idea of a struggling marriage where the wife pops a lot of pills and reads a lot of Vogue and where the husband constantly drinks and drowns himself in work. The dialogue was weak and often filled with clichés. Although it is likely that the director purposefully avoided having a lot of dialogue, the dialogue that was present needed to be stronger.

Some aspects of style and content seemed to be Hemingway-esque. Roland is an American writer who drinks a lot of whiskey, talks to old men by the sea and escapes to small French cafés to find his inspiration, which makes him almost a prototype of the great American writer.

Despite its earnest attempts, By The Sea was unable to live up to Jolie’s ambitions. To recreate a story that has been told again and again in Hollywood and abroad, you need to have an original or at least somewhat different slant to it. This movie failed to have that slant, and instead, was just a clichéd failing romance with pretty scenery.

Movie Info

Running time: 132 min.

Written & directed by Angelina Jolie

Cast: Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie, Mélanie Laurent, Melvil Poupaud

 

Categories
Sports

Curling: A sport that’s both fun and social

Graphic by Charlotte Bracho.

Taking a look at Montreal’s lesser known sports

Curling isn’t all what Men with Brooms says it is. Although many shamelessly mock the sport, not many know how it actually works. Let me fill you in on the basics.

Graphic by Charlotte Bracho.

There are four players on a curling team. There is the lead, the second, the third and the skip. The skip is the position most similar to one of a captain, and the third is like the assistant or wingman to the captain. Just like hockey has periods, curling has ends. On the professional level, teams usually play 10 ends. In each end, each team plays eight rocks. The lead plays the first two, then the opposing team plays its lead rocks, and so on and so forth.

There are circular rings on either side of the ice in a curling match. The rings, referred to as ‘the house’ is where the points are made. At the end of an end, points are given to the team with the rock or rocks closest to ‘the button.’ The most points a team can get in an end is eight. These ends are called eight-enders, and are even rarer than a hole-in-one in golf.

Strategy is key in curling, as getting more than a point or two per end gets increasingly tricky as you move up in levels. In competitive curling, players are able to make incredibly difficult take-outs and draws.  A take-out is when your rock takes the other team’s rock out of play. The more advanced you are, the more you can make shots like double or even triple take-outs. A draw shot is when you aim for your rock to sit in the house.  You would set up “guards” in the earlier shots of the end for your draws to hide behind. Professionals have incredible precision and consistency.

One of the biggest difficulties in curling is gaging the ice. Every iced area is different, and gaging the speed and feel of an ice can take a few ends. The sport is about technique, aim and anticipation. Thinking two shots ahead is necessary.

Now let’s talk about those infamous brooms. Sweeping melts the ice in front of the rock, smoothing the pebbling of the ice and ultimately making the rock go further because of the ice’s slickness. If you ever watch curling, you may notice that a lot of leads and seconds are incredibly fit, as they keep themselves in shape so they can sweep like maniacs.

Curling is an incredibly social game. The sport gets you to communicate and meet new people. A shake of hands with opponents is mandatory before and after each game.  Although you don’t always feel like it on the competitive level, it keeps things friendly and keeps your head leveled. Also, drinking a beer or two with teammates and opponents after a game is always encouraged. Most importantly, curling is a sport that can be played by the young and the old.

Now that you know the ins and outs, find a joint in the greater Montreal area, practice belting out “Sweeeeep!” and “Hurrryyyy,” show up with some friends, and dive right into it.

Categories
News

Vigil in support of aboriginal women

Photo by Andrej Ivanov.

Hundreds gathered to speak out against the treatment of native women

Hundreds gathered outside Place des Arts on Thursday to show their support for aboriginal women.

Photo by Andrej Ivanov.

The smell of candle smoke filled the space of the vigil as attendees lit candles and lanterns to pay their respects. The vigil took place on the corner of Sainte-Catherine and Jeanne-Mance and was organized by Idle No More Québec, Amnesty International, the Regroupement des Centres d’Amitié Autochtones du Québec, Native Montreal, Quebec Native Women and Montreal Aboriginal Network.

In response to the recent allegations made against Surêté du Québec officers in Val d’Or, the vigil was a cry for justice and for immediate change as well as a celebration of the lives of all the missing and murdered aboriginal women in Canada.

Photo by Andrej Ivanov.

Allegations of sexual and physical abuse towards aboriginal women in Val d’Or were brought to light two weeks ago by an investigative report by Radio Canada’s T.V. show Enquête. Since the show aired, more aboriginal women have come forward with their experiences.

The investigation has been taken out of the hands of the SQ and into those of Montreal police.  However, the allegations are driving citizens, activists and organizations to put pressure on the government on the provincial and federal level to launch a national independent investigation into the affair.

Ghislain Picard, Chief of the Assembly of First Nations of Quebec and Labrador, believes it is up to citizens, officials and the government to take responsibility and to rectify to issue of missing and murdered aboriginal women. “Let’s stand together, indigenous peoples and non-indigenous peoples alike, to make sure that the dust doesn’t settle too quickly,” said Picard to the crowd of supporters.

Indigenous human rights activist Ellen Gabriel said enough is enough.  “This is happening right across Canada, right across the United States, right across the world.  We should not accept any more inquiries that are led by government,” she said to the crowd. “The inquiry should be [conducted by] an independent body.”

“This is the kind of thing we saw in 1990, where the Sûreté du Québec were above the law,” said Gabriel, referring to the Oka Crisis of 1990. The Oka Crisis occurred after a land dispute between the town of Oka and the Mohawk community of Kanesatake, and became heavily mediated as protests began.  The Mohawk people created a barricade to block the area they were protecting from becoming a golf course. The Sûreté du Québec responded to the barricade aggressively, using tear gas canisters and concussion grenades.

Photo by Andrej Ivanov.

Vigil attendees bundled together, holding up posters with faces and names of missing and murdered aboriginal girls and women, and re-lit their candles repeatedly as persistent and powerful winds blew them out.  Groups such as the Buffalo Hat Singers chanted between speakers, in honour of lost women.

“We are all here for one very specific reason: we want a public national and widened inquiry about the violence against aboriginal women,” said Philippe Meilleur, executive director of Native Montreal, to the attendees.  “We are seeking truth, demanding credible and public processes that will make the truth come to light, and hopefully justice will follow.”

For Mélissa Mollen-Dupuis, co-founder of Idle No More Québec, the situation in Val d’Or has affected her on a personal level. “It’s not a political case for me, it’s not a work case, it’s a real-life situation for me and for my baby,” the Innu activist told The Concordian. “I’m scared for her every day.”

Categories
Music

A beginner’s guide to country music

Canadian country star Brett Kissel playing before a crowd of loving fans at the Phoenix Hall in Toronto. Photo by Andrej Ivanov.

Look no further than these picks for all of your newfound country music needs

Contrary to popular belief, country singers don’t just whine about their mama’s cooking or the loss of their animals; though these are recurring themes, country music is so much more than dead pets and corn biscuits. There’s no denying that being an advocate of the genre can be particularly controversial. Talking about loving country music in public spaces may get you the same looks as the ones Harry Potter got when he first uttered Voldemort’s name.

Canadian country star Brett Kissel playing before a crowd of loving fans at the Phoenix Hall in Toronto. Photo by Andrej Ivanov.

In a world where people speak publicly about their love for the Kardashian clan, there’s truly nothing to be ashamed of here. It’s absolutely possible to love classic rock, pop and jazz and still have a thing for country. The genre is warm and cozy, and a perfect soundtrack to whiskey-drinking or driving—not to be confused with doing both things simultaneously.

It’s always recommended to start with the legends: Willie Nelson, Johnny Cash and Waylon Jennings to name a few. Country music is more deep-rooted in American culture, hence why these picks are mostly from our southern neighbours. In Cash’s case, 1964’s I Walk the Line is the ideal starting point. The album captures his essence pretty well, and holds quite a few fan favourites, including “I Walk the Line,” “Folsom Prison Blues” and “Big River.” From his deep, baritone moan to his vibrant guitar tone, Cash blends rock and country in a powerful, effective way. By slowing down the stereotypical fast-paced strumming thought to be a constant in country music, he instead transforms it into something hauntingly evocative.

As for Canadian country icons, look no further than Neil Young. Young is more widely recognized as a folk singer than a country singer but the line between these two genres can often be very fine. Young has also dipped his cowboy boots and long hair in both worlds time and time again. A good introductory album in Young’s case is Harvest due to its strong country rock vibes. This classic record is home to such famous songs as “There’s A World,” “Old Man,” “Harvest” and “Heart of Gold”. Though Neil Young’s nasally voice has earned him a place next to Bob Dylan as far as polarizing voices go, his whine truly compliments his longing and loving ballads.

Along with the assumption that country singers only sing about corn biscuits, there is also the assumption that modern-day country lovers only listen to Carrie Underwood. Contemporary country has its fair share of Justin Bieber equivalents but it’s also home to a bevy of talented, underrated artists.

If you like awesome guitar-rocking girl bands, check out Pistol Annies. The band is composed of country super-stars Miranda Lambert, Ashley Monroe and Angaleena Presley.

Subverting the usual flowery delivery commonly seen in contemporary country, these girls aren’t afraid to get dark and dirty both lyrically and sonically. Though the trio are currently on hiatus, their 2011 album Hell On Heels delivers the definitive Pistol Annies experience, with lyrics about revenge, smoking, drinking whiskey and being flat broke. If you happen to be angry at an ex, Melissa Lambert’s song “Gunpowder and Lead,” from her solo album Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, oughta deliver the goods. There’s a good chance you’ll want to put a denim jacket on and never shun the country genre ever again.

A big part of country music’s enjoyment stems from the context in which it is heard and experienced. Country music on its own is well and good, but the main reason most love it is because it reminds the listener of experiences they’ve had and amazing memories that have come with the music. Country music is about the people you’re with. Here’s some advice: buy a cowboy hat, put on a plaid shirt and buy some tickets to any country music festival or concert you can find. The festivals are mostly in the summer but they’re worth every penny. Ontario’s Boots and Hearts festival is the largest country music festival in Canada, resembling a countrified Osheaga; it lasts three days and is usually during the first week of August. The lineup for the 2016 festival will be out soon, so keep your eyes peeled for that! If you don’t feel you can commit to an entire festival, check out bars which host country nights. A favourite is The Great Canadian Cabin in downtown Ottawa; everyone is in plaid, stomping and dancing around, and the atmosphere is out of this world.

Before venturing into the fading sun and leaving you all to your own devices, here are a few more country names worthy of a listen. For some American contemporary country rock, there are quite a few albums that serve as good gateway material; Brad Paisley’s Time Well Wasted, Kenny Chesney’s Hemingway’s Whiskey and Jason Aldean’s My Kinda Party are all fine records to look out for.  For some more laid-back ballad singer/songwriters, Zac Brown Band’s You Get What You Give, Billy Currington’s Little Bit of Everything and Old Crow Medicine Show’s self-titled album should all be mighty satisfactory.

On that note, enjoy the best country experience: one complete with flannel, whiskey and tailgate parties.

Categories
Music Quickspins

Ryan Adams – 1989

Ryan Adams – 1989 (PAX AM, 2015)

He’s one letter away from Bryan Adams, sometimes sounds like Springsteen, and has now covered an entire Taylor Swift album. Singer/songwriter Ryan Adams surprised everyone, especially the pop queen herself, when he decided to cover her hugely successful album, 1989. In a recent interview with CBC, Adams explained how he saw something really special in Swift’s songs and wanted to see them have a new life as acoustic tracks. The results aren’t entirely consistent because a few of his interpretations do little to distinguish themselves from the originals; his takes on “Bad Blood” and “Wildest Dreams” are examples of that. However, a few of his covers do spring to life in exciting ways. The songs “Shake it Off” and “Blank Space” have a completely new albeit nostalgic sound that make Adams’ new album the perfect way to carry Swift’s summer tracks into the fall.

Trial track: “Blank Space”
7/10

 

Categories
Student Life

Saving money is about staying organized

Graphic by Charlotte Bracho.

Managing a budget is no easy task, but luckily you can do it with these four steps

Being a student comes with many joys. We’re covered in the areas of intellectual stimulation, skill-learning and networking. However, the student package often also comes with continuous and exhausting brokenness (yes, brokenness).

Graphic by Charlotte Bracho.

As YouTube star Jenna Marbles once said, “you know you’re an adult when you have to buy stuff you don’t want to buy.” So yes, we have tiny salaries, little sleep, lots of homework and bills. The most valuable thing I have learned is that it’s not how much you make, it’s how much you save. Saving money just takes organization. Now I could go on with the quotes, but before I go all Yoda on you, here are four money-saving tips to live by.

  1.     Know your worth

It sounds deep, but it’s important. Don’t listen to Scotiabank, you are NOT richer than you think. Money comes in slow but leaves us darn quick. Be aware of your finances. Keep your pay stubs, keep track of how much in tips you make, and keep track of any other income or investments you’ve got going on. Then, you can really know what you can spend, and go on to make a budget.  Being aware is the basis of any good relationship with your bank account.

  1.     Make a budget

Once you know your worth, budgeting becomes easier. A budget doesn’t have to be laid out on an excel spreadsheet (although they are handy). Grab a notebook and jot down how much money you should allocate for food, transportation, entertainment, savings, and school each month.  When the numbers are down, make a tentative budget for each week. The first few weeks will be an adjustment phase, but that’s normal. Track your progress every week. Soon you’ll get into a rhythm and start to better understand the value of money, and better spot unreasonable prices. I’m looking at you, Starbucks.

  1.     Be a Deadbeat

People who pay their credit card in full and on-time every month are called “deadbeats,” according to Investopedia because they don’t make money for credit card companies by paying late-fees. Not the loveliest nickname, but it’s a good one to have. Banks give away credit cards like Halloween candy. They’re not being generous, they want your interest money. Don’t give it to them. Try having a Visa routine: only pay stuff you have to pay every month on it. It differs for everyone, but it can include your Opus card, internet, hydro and rent. After the necessary “fixed expenses,” are determined, if you can, charge a treat!  It might be new clothes, a concert or a movie. Once you get the hang of your credit card spending, your bill should look pretty much the same every month, which will make it easier to plan and pay it in full and on time.

  1.     Don’t be too proud.

We are students. We are not rich. Don’t pick up the bill for you and a friend just to be nice if you can’t afford it. It’s very sweet of you, but it’s not your responsibility to pay for others.  You will have your whole life to shout “drinks are on me!” Find alternatives to brunch and cocktails every week. Stay in with a couple friends, watch movies and make a homemade meal instead. Montreal always has free events going on, so do some research. Exercise is free. Grab some pals over the weekend and go for a run, bike, walk, hike…whatever floats your boat.

Categories
Music

Get hooked on Dany Laj and The Looks

The band tours in and around big cities to help inspire musicians from small towns

Montreal’s Dany Laj and The Looks will be playing their Brit-pop/rock tunes at their album release show April 30 at Les Katacombes.

Prepare yourself to be blasted to the past when you listen to what Dany Laj and The Looks have in store. The Montreal-based band is releasing the album Word on the Street on May 5, and are offering Montrealers a CD release at Les Katacombes bar on April 30.

Dany Lajeunesse, known as Dany Laj, grew up in Northern Ontario, in a small mining town called Kirkland Lake. He explained that, when he started playing music, there was a scene in Kirkland. He started out in his hometown, but didn’t stay still for very long.

“When I was 18 or 19, I went to the big city—thought I’d give it a shot. I stayed in Toronto for three or four years, went back to Kirkland Lake after that and worked for about a year. I started a band there, and moved to Ottawa briefly. I then went to North Bay, where I played with a band called Intesteens. We toured the country, put out a record. I then wound-up in Sudbury with a band called the Old Youth, toured the country, put out a record. After that, I was back in Kirkland Lake again for about eight months, and then ended-up in Toronto again,” Laj said.

The artist first came to Montreal in 2012, after he had to move out of his Toronto apartment due to the record shop underneath him closing. “We moved to Montreal because it was easier and cheaper at the time than finding a place in Toronto. We weren’t sure if we were going to live in Montreal very long, but we really liked it. It worked for us,” he said, referring to himself and his bassist, Jeanette Dowling. The Looks, his backup band, are composed of three people: his bassist Dowling, drummer Alexandre Bigras, and new addition to the band, keyboard and sax player, Alexandre Fecteau.

Their sound is the perfect unpretentious harmony of ‘60s Brit Pop, ‘80s soft rock and ‘90s grunge. Their musical arrangements and lyrics are simple—no muss, no fuss. The simplicity and clarity of their lyrics and riffs is what gives the band that British feel and soft-rock cool factor. Laj’s voice is similar to Lou Reed’s; an artist who never tried too hard with vocals. An artist who, in other words, didn’t “oversing.” For Laj, keeping the rawness and edge to his voice works perfectly with the band’s laid back feel.

Some of Laj’s musical influences can be guessed or deducted due to their familiar style. Bands like The Ramones, The Sex Pistols, The Clash and Paul Collins, all hold a presence in Dany Laj and The Looks, whether it be in the even pop rhythm of the guitar, in the quirky lyrics, or in Laj’s vocal technique. “I think I was about nine years old when I first heard The Beatles, and it changed my life. It has everything to do with everything I do,” said Laj.

His band has toured the country, but refuses to pick favourite cities. “It’s hard to pick a favourite place to tour. We’re a band that goes around small towns a lot. We don’t consider ourselves higher-up or that kind of thing. We feel it’s just as important to play a small town as it is to play a big city,” said Laj. The fact that the artist is from a small town makes it even more important for him to stop by places like Kirkland Lake—places that don’t necessarily get visited by musicians who hit the “big city.”

“I think, because I’m from a small town, I understand the importance of having artists coming to town once in a blue moon to give a show. It gives inspiration to people from small towns to hopefully do what I’m doing, y’know?” Laj said.

Touring a lot has allowed Laj to live through some incredible and surprising adventures. “One of my best adventures on tour was when we played at a castle in Moncton last year. That was pretty amazing. We had heard that this castle was up for sale at the price of a house in Toronto. We thought it was great so we based our whole tour around it,” Laj said. “We called our tour ‘Sell the Castle Tour.’ We ended up getting hold of the realtors who found the castle, and they ended up coming to our show. We were doing a bunch of press stuff at that point, and we wound up on the six o’clock news and television and radio. ‘Rock and roll band trying to sell castle’ was their headline. So, yeah, it was good times!”

If this Brit pop-rock band who sells castles and constantly moves around the country has sparked an interest, be sure to check out and rock out on April 30 at Les Katacombes for their album release.

—

Erratum: An earlier version of this piece published on the The Concordian’s print edition in Issue 22 incorrectly mentioned the band name “The Intesteens”, and that the album release will be in April, not in March. We regret the error. – O.E.

Categories
Music

Bob Lee programs and jams

Musician and computer programmer, Bob Lee, created software in which computers could musically improvise together. Photo by Adam Waito.

Sick of dealing with your band’s too-cool-for-school attitude? Program your own!

If you think electro-funk music is different and original, you need to have a listen to Bob Lee, the fascinating musician/computer programmer who also goes as -bØb- and has a newly re-released album.

Musician and computer programmer, Bob Lee, created software in which computers could musically improvise together. Photo by Adam Waito.

On Jan. 27, Fixture Records re-released Lee’s experimental album, The Technical Academy plays-bØb-. The album is nothing short of ground-breaking: it was originally made in 1991 with an Atari ST computer. The computer used algorithmic bots that each had human-like limitations and virtual instruments. The words “algorithmic bots” may not ring a bell for many, but, luckily, the musician provides an explanation.

“The Forth programming languages supports running multiple processes at the same time. So you can write a drum part as one process, a bass part as a second process, a sax part as a third, and so on. I call these processes ‘bots,’” explained Lee. “Now here’s where it gets interesting: the bots can all look at variables in a shared space, so they can follow a conductor bot that defines the chord progression, sets the tempo, etc. I didn’t actually tell the bots what notes to play. They followed the conductor and selected notes at random based on pre-set rules.”

Now as cool as all this may be, you may be asking yourself how this musician got to doing this in the first place. The Pennsylvania native moved to Northern California out of school to focus on his musical career, and the programming part wrapped itself in due to his interest in every aspect of music and music production. “I’ve always had a very keen interest in music theory, more than most of my country-rock musician cohorts,” said Lee. It was the first music program the musician tried that made him want to learn how to code and create his own. He was disappointed with the limited capabilities of the program.

You know what they say, “if it’s broke, get a new one!”…or something like that. In his case—make a new one.

“In the early 1980s Atari ran a T.V. ad showing a computer playing music, with the staff in the screen. The music program was a cartridge that went into the computer. I bought the system and quickly ran into the limitations of that program—it couldn’t even do triplets! I knew the machine was capable of more, so I learned to program it myself,” he said.

That is when the Technical Academy came along. Although the bots decide their own moves with -bØb-‘s limitation, a trial and error period was still necessary.

“It required a lot of testing to get it right. Each instrument had to be played in a way that was humanly possible, even if a human would never think of it. Fortunately, all I needed to do to test the next iteration was type its name, hit return, and listen. I invented concepts like 5th notes and 7th notes to play with time.”

The whole album has a late-‘80s and ‘90s sound to it. The song, “PsX4,” has a melody that’s reminiscent of the Law and Order theme song, but the predominant drum evens out the keyboard for that cool factor. The most impressive aspect of the bots’ music is the groove felt throughout from songs that come from a completely groove-less machine: a computer. The sound is sometimes eclectic, sometimes overwhelming, but if you forget that it’s from a computer, you just sit back and enjoy.

“Spend a week listening to John Cage and you realize that all sound is music,” said the artist. “I don’t like music that is too repetitive, or that focuses on the vocalist to the exclusion of musicians. Most of my collection is instrumental, from the classics through early jazz and blues, swing, rock, Hawaiian and of course, country.”

The reason the album was re-released after all these years is because Fixture Records, a label run in a Montreal apartment by Tessa Smith and Conor Prendergast, stumbled upon the album. “We came across -bØb-’s music fairly randomly on Bandcamp, just digging around different tags. The songs were so strange and cool and had this sense of play to them,” Smith said. She also marvels at his use of technology in the ‘90s, a time when sound-mixing wasn’t what it is today. “The album was a really impressive and creative use of the technologies available back when -bØb- made it in 1991. It was interesting as a historical document, but it also fit in really well with some of the music people around us were making, and touched on a lot of the same ideas still being explored in contemporary electronic and experimental music.” Smith and Prendergast reached out to -bØb- to let him know they liked his album, and with back and forth corresponding, the idea of a re-release came about.

The album is available for purchase on Bandcamp, through the Fixture Records website. The purchase includes the cassette tape with digital download and a bonus track.

Visit b0b.com for more information.

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Music

Dan Mangan revived and reinvented

The folk band’s sound has changed dramatically, but keeps the same catchiness throughout

“The days are no longer my own, to piss away the waking hours,” sings Dan Mangan in his hit song, “Robots.” The talented and wonderfully bearded folk singer, Dan Mangan, writes songs that’ll send a shiver down your spine—or conjure butterflies in your belly.  Fans will remember the singer’s husky voice in that beautiful song. It was a ballad that could transport you to summer sunsets, road trips, and first loves. This folk-rock song, “Robots,” although enchantingly nostalgic, differs completely from what Dan Mangan and his band are up to now.

On Jan. 13, the 31-year-old Vancouver native released his new album, Club Meds, with Blacksmith after a few years off from touring.

The new album has quite a different feel than the artist’s three previous LPs; Postcards and Daydreaming, Nice, Nice, Very Nice, and the Juno-award-winning album, Oh Fortune.  In his past albums, Mangan’s folk sound was dominant, and could easily make a person sway and smile.  Club Meds has a darker, more psychedelic sound to it. Mangan explains that the change happened quite naturally. He took a few years off after Oh Fortune, and he feels as though his time off made him curious about trying new things. “I think it’s just about getting older, and having a natural desire to try different things. After having some time off, I felt there was a new essence to what we were doing,” Mangan said.

Another change is the new name found for his beloved backing band. “It was something we talked about years ago; we were just looking for the right name to come along, and when they found Blacksmith, it just fit,” he said. Mangan speaks very highly of his musicians, and isn’t afraid to share the fact that he has been in a serious relationship for many years. “I’ve been married to these guys for a long time. Going on tour, you are with the same people 24/7.  We get on each other’s nerves, but we have a lot of fun. Blacksmith are seasoned, and schooled musicians,” he said.

Club Meds is a confident and assertive album because it offers-up an original sound; it mixes moody psychedelic music while keeping their indie-rock roots. The first track,“Vessel,” is a perfect example of the band’s new sound. The rhythm is hard to follow—the drum and guitar beats seem to stretch out—and the intro to the song is very Radiohead-esque.  Mangan’s voice on “Vessels” perfectly portrays how his voice has evolved with every album released—his voice, now, finds itself at a register that’s lower and huskier.

“I think this is what this album is about; appreciating the darkness and the complexity and distracting yourself from it. There is a great postponing that we do where we push back having to deal with our problems,” he said.

One of Mangan’s biggest inspirations is the legendary author, George Orwell. “He is a remarkable man. He has this capability to see things in humanity, and has incredible creative instincts that are very admirable.”

One of the most admirable things about the singer is that he tells it like it is: “I am very happy in this point in my life. I believe happiness is a choice and I feel that anyone can rationalize reasons for self-pity. Some people are born into incredible privileges and some are born directly into poverty. Every day you kind of have to decide to be happy. You have to appreciate the little things. Life is hard and beautiful and sometimes fucked-up, but that’s just what it is.”

Mangan practices that same straightforward take on life in his career. He believes that in order to get to the top, you have to work hard.

“I started playing guitar when I was 10; I was in a band in high school and around those years. Of course, life happens, people move away. So I played in open mics, and took whatever gigs I could get. I started trying to scratch some money together to make some recordings and play wherever they would have me,” he said.  There is no magic trick or shortcut to success—Mangan went with the flow and his popularity grew as he kept working.

Mangan seems to pick the coolest things to get involved with. During his time off, he was presented with a new project to test his talent. He was asked to write the score for Peter Chelsom’s quirky independent film, Hector and the Search for Happiness.

“It was kind of magical. We decided to take a break from touring. Literally days after I told my manager about taking some time off, I got an email from one of the producers asking me if I was interested in doing some score work. It was totally serendipitous. I closed a window and another one was opening already,” he said.

There isn’t much Mangan doesn’t do; he’s a father, a husband, a writer from time to time, a two-time Juno award winner, a score composer—oh, and an incredible musician.

 If you want to witness how cool these guys are first-hand, Mangan and Blacksmith are coming to Montreal Feb. 21 at the Virgin Mobile Corona Theatre.

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Music

Local band on the stand: Mercure

Young Montreal band steps onto the music scene with genre-fusing jams

The Montreal music scene is known to never disappoint and the band Mercure is the perfect example of that.

I have rarely witnessed a group of boys so passionate about the music they create.  Emmanuel Harvey-Langlois, Clément Fournier-Drouin, Vithou Thurber-Promtep, Jérome Bazin, Ismaël Koné and Olivier Couture make up Mercure, a francophone, jazz/rock band that recently released their first EP, Sous Nos Pas.

The band started when the guys were in high school and all good friends.  Harvey-Langlois had the guitar, Thurber-Promtep had the piano, Koné the saxophone, Couture the bass, Bazin the drums and Fournier-Drouin the voice.  Together, they jammed and realized they had something. They started writing in 2012 and playing in small venues that same year.

Music is a big part of their lives; not only is it their passion, but also part of their education.  Most of the members of the group actually study their instruments at CEGEP de Saint-Laurent, and most plan on continuing their musical studies at the university level.

“I’ve played piano since the age of five and quickly took interest in jazz piano. It just gives you a certain freedom when you play and write that a classical training wouldn’t have given me,” said Thurber-Promtep.

The band’s music is hard to put into a specific genre. Their sound is indie-rock, intertwined with a strong jazz presence. The group also plays with computerized and street sounds to give their songs more dimension. It all just works. Due to the musical background of the band, half the pleasure comes from listening to the original musical fusions they create. The saxophone beautifully complements the sound they are trying to achieve and they even squeeze in some trumpet when they can. The musicality is on point and the lyrics are well written.

I got to know the boys through mutual friends in 2013 and have gotten to know their musical preferences. Their inspirations really come through in their songs: Radiohead, Flying Lotus, Harmonium and Snarky Puppy are only a few of the group’s favourites.

The band has experienced a recent boom in popularity with the release of their EP and creation of their Facebook page, where they keep everyone up to date with upcoming shows and performances.

On Sunday, Jan. 25, the band performed at the trendy Verre Bouteille bar on Mont-Royal.  Attracting over 130 people, the vibe in the bar, which was filled to capacity, was great. The place was dark, everyone chatting excitedly. The show opened with the Jeanne Côté band. She sang beautiful nostalgic tunes with her strong and enchanting voice, while her bassist and drummer supported her with insane coolness. Côté and her group’s sound perfectly complemented the main act.

Mercure played all their original songs during the show, which panned out very nicely.  They started off with a slower pace, and really built momentum and confidence by the third song.  “The more I play, the calmer I feel,” said Couture. “I kind of just get over the initial nerves and just groove.”

The best thing about the band, is how much fun they have on stage.  They all have such different personalities that really come through when they perform.  “What I love about performing is the interaction between the audience and us. It’s an incredible feeling to share what we do with friends, friends of friends, and complete strangers. It’s kind of like a dialogue. Their response to what we do is what gives us that rush,” said Harvey-Langlois.

All in all, Mercure is a band to look out for. They work hard, think big, and experiment with sound and musical genre.

Mercure has an upcoming show on March 14 at O Patro Vys. They are currently planning future shows and writing new songs.  Be sure to like their Facebook page, and check out their EP at mercuremusique.bandcamp.com.

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