International genre film movie festival will run until August 6
Tired of those boring movie theatres in which everybody stays still and silent? Looking for this gem of a movie that perfectly mixes mystery, suspense, a bit of romance and a girl who has chainsaws for hands? Frustrated by those mainstream animation movies that systematically gives you the same old childlike story? Well, starting today, July 17, all of your wildest cinematographic dreams will come true!
The Fantasia International Film Festival is one of the most prominent genre film festivals in the world. It is proposing to Montreal’s movie addicts an array of movies that will surely move you out of your comfort zone. From animation movies to usually ignored international blockbusters, the festival has it all. Concordia University has been hosting this festival since 2003.
The 18th edition of the Fantasia International Film Festival is offering to the public movies by well-known directors as well as promising newcomers’ short films. For instance, festivalgoers will have the chance of seeing Terry Gilliam’s third and last movie, Orwellian triptych, Zero Theorem. For those who are more into Asian movies, like most of Fantasia’s regulars, Takashi Miike’s latest project will be shown, as well as plenty of other treasures. You even get to watch some classic genre movies that were made before you were born!
Another very interesting feature of the festival is that some directors and actors will be present at their movie screenings. This allows the public to ask questions and interact with the people that they would normally only see on screen. It also gives today’s low profile directors a little time under the spotlight so they can maybe move towards becoming tomorrow’s next big name in the industry. In all cases, the Fantasia International Film Festivals offers a crowd-pleasing, diversified and fun medley of cinematographic creations.
Fantasia is all about giving you the chance of seeing beautifully weird and creative movies that would not fit in any traditional categories. In some cases, it will actually be the only time anyone in Montreal will be able to watch these movies on the big screen. But really, the pleasure of going to the Fantasia International Film Festival is actually about taking a leap of faith and experiencing something new. It is true, you may fall onto the most disturbing movie you ever saw, but you may also get to watch your new favourite movie of all time. The brilliantly thought-out randomness of the festival’s selection is exactly what should make you want to attend.
The Fantasia International Film Festival will be taking place from July 17 to Aug. 6. Films will be screened at different locations around downtown campus, including the J.A. DeSève Cinema (J.W. McConnell Building), the D.B. Clarke Theatre (Henry F. Hall Building), and the Alumni Auditorium (Henry F. Hall Building).
The third edition of RIPA is set to provoke with diverse works from Canadian student-artists
Rencontre interuniversitaire de performance actuelle (RIPA) is offering Montrealers the chance of a lifetime to see the arts being performed. In a big way.
Communications relations manager Julie Richard sat down with The Concordian to explain a little bit more about RIPA, an arts festival which will be held on the weekend of April 5 and 6. “RIPA is a student-led initiative geared to celebrating and exhibiting arts made by university students who haven’t yet hit the market,” said Richard. “We privilege artists who have yet to make it big and who need an audience. This year, we chose three artists from Halifax and seven from Quebec.”
When asked to explain what Montrealers can expect at the festival, Richard pointed to the diversity factor of the event.
The RIPA festival is a student-run initiative to promote the practices of emerging artists from Quebec, and neighbouring universities.
“There are going to be very creative ways of expressing oneself at the festival. Some artists will only use text in their projects, while others will use their bodies to send a message,” said Richard. “Some projects will be queer performances, for example. We are very pleased with the results. Last year, we had 13 applications to review. This year, we had 50 applications to look at.”
Artists had to send at least one video demonstrating what they hope to exhibit at the festival. “Some artists give you a detailed explanation of what they are interested in. Others send in the minimum because they themselves don’t know what will come of their projects,” said Richard. “It can be all about improvisation.”
This edition of the festival will be slightly different from the last two.
“This year, we decided to do a round table discussion,” said Richard. “We invited Shannon Cochrane, who works at a performative arts center in Toronto. We are going to have discussions between art practitioners and art theorists. We are going to have professors weighing in on this as well.”
François Morelli, a Concordia professor, is a regular at the festival.
“I was asked to participate as a performance artist with 40 years of experience,” said Morelli. “I am looking forward to the exchange and debates. The growing interest in performance art by educators, its integration into curriculum, its presence in museums and finally its codification, its historicization and growing status as a commodity are all very important to me.”
Richard highlighted the uniqueness of the event.
“The performance arts have generally been marginalized,” said Richard. “This is not a spectacle kind of art form. Jack Wong, for example, will provide a critique of the institution by posing and performing for very long bouts of time. Jean-Michel René will expose how he thinks people modify common spaces. There are going to be all kinds of performances.”
If getting moved or shocked isn’t your cup of tea, it might be best to stay at home.
“This event is going to arouse people, it is going to reach out and play with their emotions,” said Richard. “You can’t come here and expect to be passively watching a performance. That’s not the idea. The spectator has to invest him or herself in the event, at 100 per cent.”
The third edition of RIPA will take place at UQAM — 200, Sherbrooke Street West on April 5 and 6. Tickets are $7 at the door. For more information, visit ripa-performance.org.
Winter’s biggest party hides colorful gems underground
Written by Jocelyn Beaudet and Nathalie Laflamme
While the streets of downtown Montreal are flooded with people – dancing, drinking, socializing and otherwise having a good time, a quieter expression forms, under the concrete where thousands party. Nuit Blanche happens once a year; the metros are open all night, and festivities are thrown all around the city. This is also host to one of the largest art exhibits, spanning the entire ‘underground city’, and beyond. This year, like every other year, I’d opted out of partying all night in favor of tasting the artistic diversity of our local artists. My journey began at metro Places-des-Arts, where the first exhibit that would catch my eye was.
Amidst the sea of people, this brightly lit contraption was colorful, and odd enough to make me double-take. There was something that felt so out of place, and yet belonged exactly where it was. Photo by Jocelyn Beaudet
No further than a few meters away, there was the sound of endlessly echoing human voices, equally unnerving and yet, strangely reminiscent of whale ‘songs’. The sound came from this dome, made entirely out of speakers. Several microphones hung from the inside, where those who climbed in could speak, sing or hum. Usually, this proximity would cause horrible audio feedback, but for some reason, all that escaped was the strange sounds that caught my attention in the first place. Photo by Jocelyn Beaudet
As I walked further into places-des-arts, I was greeted by what can only be described as a life-sized version of Lite-Brite. The crowd was having fun organizing the pieces around before moving further into the larger part of the ARTV Studio exhibit. I decided to make a small detour into the exhibit and explore it a bit further. Photo by Jocelyn Beaudet
There was something oddly enchanting about the whole thing, but I didn’t stay put for very long, and moved on deeper inside. Where someone was painting. Photo by Jocelyn Beaudet
Now this isn’t something I’ve seen very often in my past attendances of Nuit Blanche. Two artists were painting separate pieces. This was the first I saw in action. Photo by Jocelyn Beaudet
On my way to the second painter though, I was stopped by this ‘statue’. Although hardly made of earthen materials, it reminded me oddly of a clay statue, and some vague recollections of Indiana Jones. Photo by Jocelyn Beaudet
And here stood the second painter. Equally as impressive as the one before him. I stood by to watch him paint a little further, and moved out of the ARTV Studio exhibit, and made my way towards Complexe Desjardins after making this small detour. Photo by Jocelyn Beaudet
There’s always some sort of interesting looped film playing in the hallway of place-des-arts, this in itself isn’t particularly new. But this particular looped animation, reminiscent of older cartoons, made me smile and brought back some fonder memories. Photo by Jocelyn Beaudet
I took a short break once I was inside Complexe Desjardins, for a bit of coffee and because a crowd was gathering around the fountain at the center. By the fountain though, was this ominous monolith. Admittedly, I wasn’t impressed with it at first and opted out of taking a picture of it. But over the few minutes I stood by it, the looming presence of the exhibit grew on me. I barely had the time to snag a picture before the lights dimmed, and the fountain began ‘misting’. Photo by Jocelyn Beaudet
Accompanied by some beautiful music in the background, the scene felt almost like a fairy tale, straight out of a live-action Disney movie. Photo by Jocelyn Beaudet
Predictably, the fountain’s spout shot the water all the way to the shopping mall’s high ceiling. Although nothing out of the ordinary for those familiar with the fountain, the colored lights and music made for a more meaningful experience, almost building the whole thing like a crescendo.
As the presentation ended, I began to make my way out of the mall, and further away from Places-des-Arts. Also predictably, this is where things started becoming a little less interesting. Photo by Jocelyn Beaudet
A bit past Complexe Guy-Favreau’s underground was a piece of wireframe which, when illuminated and projected to the wall behind, created an interesting perception trick. The exhibit itself though, felt ill-placed and easy to pass by, should its presentation not be underway. Photo by Jocelyn Beaudet
On the way to the Palais des Congres, in the brightly lit tunnels, was this. The odd combination of geometry and art felt like it spoke out me, almost begged for my attention. With that being said, I’m still unsure as to what exactly it represented. Photo by Jocelyn Beaudet
As we climbed out of the underground, giant replicas of cigarettes piled together like a campfire stood in my way. I’m sure there was a message to convey here, but I’ve missed the point completely. Photo by Jocelyn Beaudet
Through another hallway, the projection of walking silhouettes on crumpled paper was on display. With the sounds of a busy crowd playing in the background, the shadows on the paper continued along their merry way, even when the hallway was deserted. For some reason, it felt oddly creepy, like seeing and hearing ghosts in the city’s often silent tunnels. Photo by Jocelyn Beaudet
In the Palais des Congres now, there danced a strange yarn-clad figure. Not seen in the picture is the headphones protruding from its side. After some time spent fearing ghosts in the city’s underground, I didn’t quite feel comfortable around this exhibit and promptly walked away. Photo by Jocelyn Beaudet
My trip towards the Eaton Centre from here remained fairly uneventful. Exhibits were plenty, but at this point, I felt disenchanted. When we arrived at the city’s busiest mall, the yearly ‘crowd-sourced’ art exhibit was well underway. As the crowd was encouraged to participate and draw its own art on different-shaped canvases. Photo by Jocelyn Beaudet
And here, my journey came to an end. After spending three hours mulling over several dozen presentations and exhibits, I was about ready to call it a night.
There were several other exhibits that I’ve seen, but not presented, and these represent my favorites – both good and bad – among the ones that I’d seen this year.
As usual though, the furthest I was from places-des-arts, the less impressed I was with the exhibits themselves. Photo by Jocelyn Beaudet
At the end of the day though, the whole thing was a fun experience, and many of the exhibits are still available for art lovers to browse until March 14th. That being said, the exhibits may end up being just as busy as this one in the end. Photo by Jocelyn Beaudet.
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Meanwhile, on campus…
Concordia took part in Nuit blanche with their event, Crystaline. Photo by Nathalie Laflamme
At the VAV Gallery in the VA building, three artists were given twp square feet of an “interactive film strip” to create pieces that respond to winter in Montreal. This piece was created by Keir MacDonald, and is called Flip-Strip No. 1. Photo by Nathalie Laflamme
“Montréal la belle”, by Audrey Dandenault. This piece is made of silk. Photo by Nathalie Laflamme
Many projections took place inside and outside the gallery. Photo by Nathalie Laflamme
In the MFA gallery, participants were able to try their hand at animations, learning from students as well as professionals, like Concordia professor Erik Goulet. Photo by Nathalie Laflamme
Participants got to try animating with puppets, different colors of sand, and cutout papers. Photo by Nathalie Laflamme
Participants also got to learn to animate with 35 mm film and sharpies from professor Goulet. The animation projects were later projected, and participants got to keep their ribbons. Photo by Nathalie Laflamme
As part of this year’s POP Montreal festivities, local indie rockers How Sad took the stage at the spacious Corona Virgin Mobile Theatre last Thursday night. The Montreal quartet played a short but enthralling set to a surprisingly packed room -most concert goers usually hang loosely around the venue- which can only be a testament to the band’s strength as musicians and entertainers.
After several jacked up, amped up toe-tapping synth-pop songs, How Sad toned it down to reveal a slower mellow side; like a mass music sponge, the crowd absorbed every note they dished out. Once the song was over, they quickly reverted back to upbeat crowd pleasers and revved up their amps almost one million per cent. The softer melodies were quickly replaced by a constant steady drumming and wild synthy guitar riffs.
The lights switched from the standard yellow to a vibrant red and blue to reflect the dynamic nature of the rest of their performance. How Sad closed their 35-minute set with their infectiously catchy single “Indian Summer,” which coincided perfectly with the last few warm days of September. How Sad had the crowd clapping and dancing throughout the set, thanks mainly to the lead vocalist’s endearing twitchiness that left people moving and grooving well into the intermission period.
Portugal.The Man
After half an hour of intermission and set-up, Portugal. The Man slid out onto the stage to an already electrified screaming crowd. Without hesitation, the psychedelic indie five-piece kicked off their set with their crowd-pleasing hit single “Purple, Yellow, Red and Blue” off their latest album Evil Friends from notorious producer Danger Mouse. The audience was immediately intoxicated by the eye-popping flashing lights to match the colourful song and equally trippy backdrop: a sequence of seemingly irrelevant images of the ocean, trees and just plain weird visuals, projected onto a giant cut out in the shape of a mountain with several peaks.
Halfway through, lead singer John Gourley ditched his beanie and glasses and things got seriously trippy. The band mainly played tracks from their latest album, but dished out fan favourite goodies like “People Say” off 2009’s The Satanic Satanist. Throughout the medley of psychedelic guitar licks and riffs, “Sea of Air” permeated soothing acoustic waves then dove in and out of crashing drums and heavy guitar for the next few songs.
The psychedelic nature of the music was mirrored by the fantastically odd projected images. The backdrop displayed interchangeable scenes of trees with ghoulish green hands adorned with red claws projectile vomiting rainbows during “The Sun.” In these rare subdued moments, Portugal. The Man continued to rouse excitement in the already lively crowd. After playing for almost an hour, the band exited the stage, but returned within 10 minutes to offer up a hair-raising 20-minute encore. Bassist Zach Carothers praised Montreal for “starting the tour off right,” and for the beauty of the city and its people. The band played “The Devil” which quickly transitioned into a cover of The Beatles “Helter Skelter.” The backdrop during this mash-up reflected the intensity of the song with images that resembled something like an apocalyptic descent into chaos. This was quickly followed by a face-melting musical interlude fueled by a heavy bassline and creeping drumming beat. Portugal.The Man closed their almost 90-minute set with “Sleep Forever” and Beatles inspired “Hey Jude” chants to crystallize their place in the ever-expanding psychedelic indie pop scene.
Music resonated, clothes twirled, heels clattered and all eyes turned to the models as they walked down the runway for Fashion POP, a competition featuring six young designers presenting their first collections. On Wednesday Sept. 25, the Rialto theatre was full of people when a panel of judges chose Christina Julien as the winner of this year’s Fashion POP.
From white dresses and short satin red shorts, to monochrome dresses and big square net suits; the collections presented at Fashion POP were all very different and brought something unique. Native Montreal designer,Madeleine Voizard, took inspiration for her collection from the city and “how people are dressed in the metro or in evening meetings.”
“I like to use silk and jacquard mixed with more modern fabrics such as jean and cotton to create garments,” she said.
“I get my inspirations from the design and architectural world,” said Viviane Labelle, another young participant, citing the urban planning of two different cities she visited, Los Angeles and Portland, as the inspiration behind her menswear collection.
Photo by Lauriane Duval-Bélair.
Heather Campbell, the coordinator of the event, said that Fashion POP was first initiated seven years ago to extend the POP Montreal festival to the fashion community.Both Voizard and Labelle agree that the competition is an opportunity for them to get visibility and experience and, just maybe, a way for them to achieve their dreams. Voizard would like to have her own clothing enterprise in Montreal. She sees herself designing as well as managing the business aspect of a clothing line. Labelle would like to have a shop where she designs mens clothes as well as furniture and other objects.
“The main objective is to give new designers a platform to show their work outside of school,” said Campbell. “Fashion POP gives the opportunity to young designers to present their work to an audience without having to care about the business aspect of fashion.”
The competition is open to any young designers, but Campbell has personally approached and encouraged many of this year’s participants, having become familiar with their work through their school portfolios.
Fashion POP can be a great opportunity for designers who have just finished school. For instance, Natasha Thomas and Angie Johnson, two previous winners, are now running their own fashion lines in Montreal.
photo cutline 1: Runway model showing off young and upcoming designers
photo cutline 2: Fashion Pop hosted at Montreal’s Rialto Theatre
Montreal, summer, and music: three words that sound perfect together. Of the numerous music festivals that took place during the summer season, there is one in particular that caught our attention, maybe because music lovers wait an entire year for this weekend of musical and artistic enchantment. We’re talking of course about the Osheaga Music & Arts Festival.
The festival, which took place from Aug. 2 to Aug. 4 on the beautiful site of Parc Jean-Drapeau, celebrated its eighth anniversary this year. Every year, Osheaga attracts more and more international spectators and welcomes them with open arms. Flags from all over the globe were displayed proudly across the terrain, showing Montreal’s pride in its diversity.
Press Photo Susan Moss
There were high expectations for this year’s edition and it is safe to say that they were met. First, the lineup pleased music lovers of every genre. Second, the schedule was more than satisfying. Of course, it can never be perfect, but with more than 30 artists per day and five stages, festival goers had the possibility to experience most of the performers even if they were playing simultaneously.
Despite the great lineup, many music lovers were unable to attend all three days of the summer bonanza and were therefore forced to choose between which sets they would rather see. But with amazing artists performing each day, Osheaga attendees witnessed Capital Cities kick off the festival with energy, they sunbathed with Daughter, Ben Howard and Alt-J, clapped their hands with The Head & The Heart, heard Ellie Goulding’s adorable british accent, sang out loud with Vampire Weekend and Phoenix, dreamed with Beach House, travelled back in time with The Cure and danced with A Tribe Called Red.
Vampire Weekend’s Ezra Koenig on stage at Osheaga 2013. Press photo.
Many concerns about the traffic flow onsite were brought up – apparently there had been some problems last year – but it seemed like everything had been fixed so that all daily 40,000 concert goers could enjoy their experience. Also, the various types of food installations were pleasing to both the vegetarian as much as the carnivore and the sweet tooth.
Osheaga not only had a strong musical scene, it also celebrated the arts in general. Thus, in the peaceful surroundings near La Scène Verte and La Scène des Arbres, people could devote themselves to various artistic activities such as graffiti, chalk drawing or body painting.
A tent was erected for an exposition called Musique sur papier, which consisted of 50 or so concert posters made by different graphic designers. The festival’s decorators should also be properly credited for their work. The decorations completely enthralled the festival goers and propelled them even further into a place of wonder and delight. There were small bulbs, big luminous balloons, origami-styled lamps, naïve and colourful writing made out of wool and ropes.
Although it’s been said over and over again, there is no denying the fact that the Osheaga Arts & Music Festival is nothing short of spectacular. Even though the previous years were astounding, it seemed like this year’s edition allowed the festival to reach a whole new level of musical excellence.
POP Montreal is much more than a music festival, it is pure extravaganza.
For five days, Montrealers take their pick of (free!) vintage, art and craft fairs, film screenings, fashion shows, industry panel discussions and live music galore. The number of events POP has managed to pack in this year is overwhelming.
You can examine the entire lineup and build your own festival at POPMontreal.com. But if you want to make the most out of it all, here is what we recommend:
Wednesday, Sept. 19
POP Symposium, the festival’sdiscussion/educational branch, kicks off with ‘A Radical Re-Imagination of Music In Canada.’ Head to Quartiers POP (3450 St. Urbain) at 4:35 p.m. to listen to Caila Thompson-Hannant (Mozart’s Sister), Tim Hecker and others discuss the immense impact Canadian artists have had on the music industry in the 20th and 21st centuries, and why.
If your wallet is looking limp, go to La Tulipe at 8 p.m. to see Stars, Eight & A Half and Diamond Rings, free of charge. Those with the POP festival wristband or cash to spend should really be at Il Motore by 10 p.m. for Wild Nothing and DIVV. Both bands released two of the most critically acclaimed albums of the year. If you’re doing it all, make sure to check out up-and-coming songstress Kandle at La Sala Rossa at 9 p.m.
Thursday, Sept. 20
The real industry dweebs can get an early start at 12:15 p.m. with the ‘Music (Sync) Replacement’ discussion at Quartiers POP. Tony Scudellari, the V.P. of Sony Pictures’ TV Music Creative Group, and other members of the music industry elite will discuss the everyday importance of sync and licensing in their work.
Believe it or not, another free POP show, this time featuring Mozart’s Sister,Born Ruffians, Yacht Club, and a bbq, starts at 1 p.m. at Parc De La Petite-Italie. Those of you with tickets to Grimes and Elite Gymnastics should head to Club Soda by 8 p.m., if not (it is SOLD OUT) make your way to Parlovr and PS I Love You at Le Divan Orange. If you’d rather support some new talent, head to Quai des Brumes at 9:30 p.m. for The Belle Comedians.
If you want to end your night in sweat, head to the Austra and Doldrums DJ set at Balattou at midnight or to Peaches at Salle Little Burgundy.
Friday, Sept. 21
Insomniacs and those who played POP hookey the previous night should be able to get up and take advantage of the POP discussions monopolizing most of Friday’s daylight. At 11:30 a.m. check out ‘Grants and How to Get Them’ at Quartiers POP, at 2 p.m. there is a CKUT Circuit Workshop at Espace POP, and at 5:30 p.m. witness Rolly Pemberton (Cadence Weapon) and Jimmy ‘Bo’ Horne discuss the disco movement, again at Quartiers POP.
Things don’t really get complicated until the sun sets. At 8 p.m. you will have to choose between the heavily buzzed Evening with David Byrne and St. Vincent at Eglise St. Jean Baptiste or Gonjasufi at Foufounes Electriques. To spend a little less, try the Sappy Fest showcase with Adam & The Amethysts at Le Divan Orange, or if you want something a little more fast paced (and expensive) head to Club Soda at 9 p.m. for Lil B, Lunice and Cadence Weapon’s DJ set or Theatre Rialto to hear Yamantaka//Sonic Titan’s Polaris shortlisted release live.
Saturday, Sept. 22
With POP spirit running full steam, get out to the POP Montreal Record Fair at the Ukrainian Federation and the Puces POP Craft and DIY Fair at St. Michael Church, both running from 11 a.m. – 6 p.m. Again, POP Symposium continues with ‘How To Get The Recording You Want’ at Quartiers POP at 11:45 a.m. and ‘How Music Works’ with David Byrne and Arcade Fire’s Win Butler at the Ukrainian Federation at 8 p.m.
At 6 p.m., free of charge, see Montreal’s Elephant Stone at Parc de la Petite-Italie. Witness world known pianist Chilly Gonzales with Kyrie Kristmanson at L’Olympia at 8 p.m., and then it’s time to really get your groove on. Once midnight rolls around, choose between a hypnotizing Rich Aucoin dance party at Le Divan Orange or Mozart’s Sister and Jimmie ‘Bo’ Horne at Salle Little Burgundy.
Sunday, Sept. 23
And it ain’t over yet. Sunday is the final day of POP, but the decisions don’t get any less difficult. If you didn’t check out the Puces POP fair yesterday, today is your last chance, it runs again from 11 a.m. – 6 p.m. If you’d like to get in on POP discussions, there is ‘Managing in 2012’ at 12 p.m. and ‘New Media and the Production and Consumption of Music’ at 3 p.m., both at Quartiers POP.
This time around, at 8 p.m., choose between Grizzly Bear and Unknown Mortal Orchestra at L’Olympia, Ben Howard at Metropolis and Purity Ring at La Tulipe.
And to cap off the whole shebang, Nicky Da B and ShayDaKiss, courtesy CJLO, will pump up Salle Little Burgundy at 11 p.m.
Fortunately, just as that wretched, summer’s-end sickness trickles over campus, Montreal’s fastest growing festival has come to lift our hearts. POP Montreal is perfectly timed to remind us of our vibrant culture, top-notch venues and seemingly endless repertoire of diverse musical talent, before Jack Frost creeps in to dampen our spirits . . . or lawn chairs.
Yes, there will be names, big and small. David Byrne & St. Vincent, Born Ruffians, Gotye and our own Grimes, Stars and Cadence Weapon to name a few. But you’ve gotta’ dip your toes in unfamiliar waters to fully grasp what POP is all about. Over 400 artists will be settling in our city from Sept. 19-23. Now is your chance to try something different.
Let this mixtape serve as your POP sampler; Side A features the homegrown on their way up while Side B welcomes rising stars from afar.
Side A: Export
1. “Don’t Leave It To Me” – Mozart’s Sister – Dear Fear
2. “Cover Your Tracks” – Young Galaxy – Shapeshifting
3. “Queens” – Yamantaka//Sonic Titan – YT//ST
4. “Knight Moves” – Chilly Gonzales – Ivory Tower
5. “Arena” – SUUNS – Zeroes QC
6. “Don’t Go To Klaksvik” – Leif Vollebekk – Inland
7. “Holding on to Something” – Parlovr – Kook Soul
8. “High Twilight” – Daniel Isaiah – High Twilight
9. “Rings of Saturn” – TOPS – Tender Opposites
10. “Prophecy” – Adam & The Amethysts – Flickering Flashlight
Side B: Import
11. “The Blame” – Gonjasufi – MU.ZZ.LE
12. “Now You Like Me How” – Woodpigeon – Treasury Library Canada
13. “Omamori” – Elite Gymnastics – Ruin
14. “Beat And The Pulse” – Austra – Feel It Break
15. “The Weight You Hold” – The Belle Comedians – Autumn Ought To…
16. “I Hate The Kids” – Hot Snakes – Automatic Midnight
17. “Another Year Again” – The Sadies – Darker Circles
18. “Lick the Palm of the Burning Handshake” – Zola Jesus – Conatus
This September, Montreal’s premier indie festival Pop Montreal will return for their 11th anniversary, with arguably the biggest and most exciting lineup yet. Dozens of artists, members of the media and fans were packed in the PHI Center on Wednesday morning to attend a press conference to preview this year’s festival.
Pop Montreal will take place Sept. 19 to 23, opening the door for many acts to be discovered and heard. Pop Montreal is not just a music festival, for it also embraces film, art, fashion, music discussions, and even children’s activities.
After host Nick Cabelli warmed up the attendees alongside the enigmatic Donzelle and producer/DJ Kid Koala, Pop Montreal’s creative director Daniel Seligman and the curators and directors spoke about the numerous activities happening this year. The festival has grown immensely with widespread appeal throughout the city, not to mention the increase of general interest among Canadians.
“It’s very nice to see a lot of artists here,” explained Seligman. “I think we’re keeping the spirit of our roots. We’ve always had a grassroots festival and we’re going to follow this mandate for all upcoming editions.”
With over four hundred artists gathering together in a span of five days, this year’s festival could be the most exciting event to hit the city all year. The roster for this year’s edition is
interesting to say the least, as stages will be graced by Lil’ B, Grizzly Bear, Chilly Gonzales, Ariel Pink, Deerhoof, Laetitia Sadier, The Beatnuts, Gotye, K’Naan and even a special evening featuring David Byrne and Annie Clarke, better known as St. Vincent.
There will be more partying than ever as well, with numerous electronic and dance acts like Brooklyn’s Gang Gang Dance, Nicky Da B, Big K.R.I.T., Canada’s own Peaches, Cadence Weapon, A Tribe Called Red, Boogat, and Prison Garde.
The festival excels in delivering some of the best local talent the city has to offer and this year is no exception. The homegrown talent includes Montreal temptress Grimes, Yamantaka // Sonic Titan, Lunice, TOPS, Parlovr, Sheer Agony, Tim Hecker, Radio Radio, Doldrums and Purity Ring, among countless others.
Art Pop curator Johanna Heldebro spoke on the importance and the direction of art in the festival.
“My goal has been to bring together some of the most exciting and dynamic artists working today,” said Heldebro. She also mentioned that one of the most exciting elements about this year’s art instalment is that it examines “the relationship between the individual and mass-culture, in particular personal relationships.”
One of the most exhilarating things about Pop Montreal is the amount of free shows in the city. This year boasts quite a few mouth-watering freebies, including DAM-Funk, Austra, and Hot Snakes. Montreal darlings Stars will also headline an intimate evening on Sept. 19 at La Tulipe, presented by SiriusXM radio. There will also be plenty of complimentary film screenings, art shows, and fairs.
The anticipation for this year is overwhelming, especially with the announcement of Pop vs. Jock, the charity basketball game that takes place on Saturday, September 22, where proceeds will go to Montreal’s DJ Sports Club, a non-profit organization that offers programs in sports and education to kids aged 7-17. The half-time show will be hosted by Arcade Fire’s Win Butler and Régine Chassagne alongside Kid Koala. The game itself will feature Win, and his brother and fellow Arcade Fire member William, Freaks and Geeks’ Martin Starr, professional basketball player Luke Bonner and Nikolai Fraiture, the bassist for New York rockers The Strokes.
Pick up a Pop booklet or visit POPMontreal.com for more information on all the events and everything that will be happening in the course of the five-day festival.
Fans by the tens of thousands tough out the heat for a day full of music by their favourite artists. Photo by writers.
Like most music festivals, this year’s Osheaga passed by in a flurry of stellar performances, overpriced food, crowded washrooms (crowded everything, really) and free merchandise.
However, this year’s line-up was bigger and better than ever, proven by the almost unreal number of tickets sold. Friday, Aug. 3 was the first day in the history of the festival to be completely sold-out (this was announced a matter of hours after yours truly purchased her own tickets, praise be!) Approximately 120,000 tickets were sold and by the end of the day both the Friday and Sunday performances were completely sold-out.
A blend of household names and up-and-coming Canadian talent, Osheaga sported something for everyone. Headliners for Friday included Justice, Florence and the Machine, Franz Ferdinand, Sigur Ros, MGMT and more. While Florence offered a magical, almost unearthly performance, MGMT brought their music video for “Electric Feel” to life, distributing glow-sticks and psychedelic vibes to all. Sigur Ros, the genre-defying Icelandic band, put on a characteristically unusual and ethereal show and Justice, the last show of the day on the main stages, was an electronic party, with screens flashing brightly on the stage and the La Ronde fireworks exploding into showers of colour over the nearby amusement park.
But the performance that delivered the most surprises was the second Icelandic group on the program (likely a first for the festival), Of Monsters and Men. They were not quite as big a headliner as the above four bands, as evidenced by the fact that they played before sunset and on one of the secondary stages, but they drew an enormous audience (even the band members expressed surprise at the number of people), which was itself enormously enthusiastic, singing along and filling every gap of quiet with cheers and applause. And, despite the rather intense heat in the tightly packed and shadeless standing area, the show was fantastic – I would venture to say that Of Monsters and Men might be better live – and worth the full-body-sweating experience.
Unfortunately, due to the overlapping performances, we could not catch all of the artists who played during our stay, but some of the lesser-known artists that we enjoyed and deserve mention were Yukon Blonde, a Canadian indie-rock band and luxuriant hair collective, who played a really fun show and shared some banter between the lead singer and guitarist onstage. Another was Charli XCX, with a drum set and keyboard decked with flowers and Charli herself in an outfit so outrageous that you (or, at least, I) immediately wanted to be her best friend.
A thorough review of the festival would not be complete without mentioning the impact the sheer number of people had on the experience. In all honesty, it really did take a ridiculous amount of time to get from one stage to another, thanks to the combination of a large crowd and a small staircase. More than one story of people passing out while waiting in line for food and water circulated amongst concert-goers.
Yet, many would argue that this is all part of what makes a festival, well, a festival. The constantly-having-your-toes-stepped-on closeness of bodies and hours spent waiting to buy four dollar water bottles, punctuated by performances by a varied and impressive array of artists, give the experience that certain je ne sais quoi that makes us all proud to say we were there.
When Peter Rowan and Daniel Seligman serendipitously met on a train back in 2002, the idea of starting up one of Montreal’s most prominent music festivals had yet to pop into their heads. But after yanking Noelle Barbara on board, POP Montreal materialized and has been growing every year. Not only is POP a music festival that attracted over 300 bands and 50,000 showgoers in 2010, but it also hosted another 50-plus events in fashion, film and art. This year, POP Montreal will run from Sept. 21-25, and with both daytime and nighttime events happening simultaneously throughout the city’s diverse music and artistic venues, it is highly suggested that you plan your itinerary ahead of time. To help you avoid decisions-overload syndrome, the Concordian has put together a little overview of shows that we suggest you make a point of checking out.
Day One: Wednesday, Sept. 21
Catch dream pop quartet Asobi Seksu at Club Lambi (4465 St-Laurent Blvd.) at midnight. Also worthy of your time is Toronto indie sweethearts Hooded Fang, who will wrap up a five-set show at Les 3 Minots (3812 St-Laurent Blvd.) at 1 a.m. Looking for something not-so-mainstream? Check out local experimental artist Cop Car Bonfire at Casa Del Popolo (4873 St-Laurent Blvd.) at 10 p.m. or Brooklyn death-metal group Liturgy, who play at 11 p.m. at Il Motore (179 Â Jean-Talon St. W.).
Day Two: Thursday, Sept. 22
Got the afternoon off? Head over to Divan Orange (4234 St-Laurent Blvd.) for their Free Daytime Show, which will be taking place from 1-6 p.m. Thursday through Sunday. The lineup is a surprise, but what the hell, it’s free! Now, assuming that there is at least one person who will not  be attending the free Arcade Fire show (happening at Place des Festivals in Quartier des spectacles at 9 p.m.), see Sean Nicholas Savage at Mission Santa Cruz (60 Rachel St. W.) at 9:30 p.m. Or, if indie isn’t your thing, head to CFC (6388 St-Hubert St.) for Masala Djs at 10 p.m.
Day Three: Friday, Sept. 23
Ever hear Taiwanese hip hop? If you’re curious, head over to Club Lambi at 10 p.m. for Kou Chou Chang. Alternatively, see how Ninjaspy fuse ska and metal at Katacombes (1635 St-Laurent Blvd.) at 9:50 p.m. If you’re feeling a dance party, which is perfectly reasonable on a Friday night, check out HUMANS at Les 3 Minots at 11 p.m. But if you’re thinking of hitting up something low-key, Ohbijou will play some soft indie tunes at 12:30 a.m. at O Patro Vys (356 Mont-Royal Ave. E.)
POP will gently deflate on Sunday night with only 12 scheduled shows. If you like musicals, SOCALLED will be presenting The Season at Theatre Outremont (1240 Bernard Ave.) at 8:30 p.m. After, head to Divan Orange for Elfin Saddle (the band, not the mushroom) at 11:40 p.m. Finally, if you don’t have anything to do too early the next day, hit up POP’s closing party at Église Saint-Édouard (425 Beaubien St. E) where Think About Life will play at 11 p.m.
For a complete schedule of POP events go to www.popmontreal.com/en/schedule/acts
Marites Carino’s five-minute film about hula-hooping will be shown as part of the Diagonales program. It will be accompanied by a performance flashmob on March 18 when hula-hoopers will take over Place Des Arts for three hours in the afternoon.
Director Mark Daniels looks at how the violence and senselessness of war has been translated into comic book form in this full-length documentary. He takes a look at the journalistic and political information in comic books by artists such as Art Spiegelman, Joe Kubert and Marjane Satrapi.
Comic Booksgo to War opens at the Museum of Contemporary Art on March 19, and will play at Concordia’s J.A. De Sève Cinema March 20.
3. Dix Fois Dix
Following the exhibit of Otto Dix’s work in the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, Concordia grad Jennifer Alleyn explores the artist from 10 different points of view, and looks at how he used art to force the world to see the truth about itself.
Dix Fois Dix premieres at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts on March 24.
4. The Picture of the Napalm Girl
When people think of the Vietnam War, one picture often sticks in their memory: that of a girl running down a road, screaming, her clothes completely burnt off by napalm. But what has become of the child in the photo? Marc Wiese finds Kim Phuc in Canada, and gets her story about the famous photo.
The Picture of the Napalm Girlpremieres March 19 at the Museum of Contemporary Art, and will play at Concordia’s J.A. De Sève Cinema March 27.
MTL Punk includes rare footage of the beginnings of Montreal’s punk scene
Sur les Traces de Marguerite Yourcenarpremieres at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts March 17.
6. MTL Punk – The First Wave
Concordia grad Érik Cimon looks at what happened when the punk movement arrived in Montreal in 1977, from the point of view of the people who were there to experience the scene. Thirty years later, former punks recount the music, drugs and rebellion associated with the movement.
