Tag: montreal music

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Interview Music

Masters of Music: The Silver Skies

The Silver Skies gather after a rehearsal session at Charles and Phil Rabbat’s house in 2023. Photo by Isabelle Clewley

Discover Montreal’s rising stars and their journey through music.

In the heart of Montreal’s vibrant music scene, a phenomenon is brewing—an infectious blend of friendship, passion, and creativity known as The Silver Skies band. This dynamic sextet, comprising Christopher Chenevert, Charles Rabbat, Phillip Rabbat, Simon Lafortune, Jonathan Shapiro, and Aidan Shapiro, is redefining the city’s musical landscape with their unique fusion of indie, funk, rock, and pop, captivating audiences and critics alike with their electrifying performances.

Their journey began when Chenevert moved to Outremount and met the musically gifted Rabbat brothers. With Chenevert and Rabbat playing the guitar and Chenevert on the drums, they started playing together. Soon Lafortune, Chenevert’s childhood best friend, joined. Bonding over their shared passion for music, they began jamming together in a basement, laying the groundwork for their musical journey.

“The neighbors hated us,” said Chenevert humorously, as Ninja, the Rabbat brother’s cat, raced around their house, temporarily distracting the group during the interview. “But those jam sessions were where it all started.”

The four had no singing skills and sought out vocalists via Facebook advertisements. Their lineup solidified on April 16, 2021, when the twin Shapiro brothers, joined the band. “I think like that’s our anniversary,” said Chenevert nostalgically, glancing over at the rest of his band with a smile on his face.

Finding the perfect moniker proved to be no small feat for the band—in fact, it took over eight months before the group landed on their iconic name. “We gave our producer a list of like 10 names, and he chose two that he liked. One of them was The Silver Skies, and that was my idea,” Rabbat said. “The reason why I came up with it was because, well, today is actually a perfect example. Look at the sky, it’s gray. Gray skies are a depressing way of seeing it. Instead of saying ‘Gray Skies,’ it’s ‘Silver Skies.”

The band’s journey wasn’t without hurdles that went beyond the choice of a name. One of their major challenges revolved around fostering active listening and clear communication. Chenevert openly acknowledged the diverse nature of their personalities, particularly within the dynamic of a band where individuals with varying traits come together. He admitted to the ongoing struggle of navigating through personality conflicts and interpersonal challenges inherent in collaborative efforts. “The greatest thing about us is that over time, we’ve learned to communicate. So even though we disagree, and sometimes we have to shout over the drums, we learn each other’s talking styles,” said Shapiro. 

Since their humble beginnings, The Silver Skies members have taken the Montreal music scene by storm, one gig at a time with their electrifying live performances. Their favorite show to date is a memorable night at Blue Dog on June 9, 2023, where the band’s energy and connection with the crowd reached fever pitch. Encouraged by the crowd to keep going even after being told that their set was done, the band kept playing. “Blue Dog was dope. It was a small venue, but the vibe was there. Even though they cut us off, we had a rock and roll attitude,” said Rabbat. 

The Silver Skies recently unveiled their latest single, “Drive Me Crazy,” a song that holds a unique place in their repertoire as both their newest and oldest creation. Written by the youngest duo of the group, the Shapiros wrote the song at 16-years-old. It stayed untouched for years until they met the other band members. It was the first song they performed together as a group and, now, their first released single. It is currently out on every streaming platform. Fans can look forward to the upcoming release of Silver Skies’ new single, “Emotional” set to hit the airwaves very soon.

As they look ahead to the future, The Silver Skies members have their sights set on even greater heights. One of their aspirations is collaborating with another local Montreal band, Mr. Patterson, who once opened for them at L’Escogriffe Bar back in February. 

When asked how fans could help support them, Chenevert said, “If you like our music, please share it with other people. The best thing you could do to help us is share it with your friends and family. Don’t keep it to yourself.”

With its infectious enthusiasm and unwavering dedication, The Silver Skies continues to reach for the stars. As members navigate the ever-evolving landscape of the music industry, one thing remains clear—with The Silver Skies, the sky’s the limit.

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Interview Music

Montreal band arc on their self-titled album 

Montreal band arc preparing for their string of shows to support their debut album release. Photo courtesy of arc members @arcbandmtl

The band is thrilled upon the release of their debut album on April 6.

arc is a local band composed of Stephen Venkatarangam, Adrian Aitken and Annabelle Brault who recently released their debut album to the public. Venkatarangam and Brault are also Ph.D. Candidates in Concordia’s INDI program. 

When they first started out, the band didn’t set out with any specific instrumentation or even a set compositional process. Later on, Annabelle knew she would play a synth, Stephen would play the guitar and Adrian, digital drums. 

The band members do not see themselves fitting in any specific genre of music. As their Bandcamp profile states, “arc blends the unpredictability of live modular synthesis with the warmth of traditional instruments, crafting spontaneous, one-time-only soundscapes.” The band is “a sonic dream collective mashing modular synth, ambient, IDM, psych rock, contemporary classical, raga and post-rock for your listening/visual experiences.” 

With songs running from five to nine-minutes-long, the five-track project was created by recording live improvisations. Such recordings captured in the process reflected musical moments like a slow-building theme that evolves into something new. “We felt the songs on the album captured this ‘arc,’” expressed Venkatarangam—hence the album name. 

A core element of the creative process was the incorporation of modular synths, which are instruments where you pick and choose different components to create your own instrument. This granted the band more freedom regarding desired tones and unique sequences or samplers. On top of the modular synth, arc blends more traditional instruments like flutes, guitars, analog synthesizers and drums. The band does not use pre-recorded tracks or even laptops for that matter (other than to capture the recording). As for the songwriting process, different members will take turns starting and then co-creating will happen spontaneously. 

The shortlisted group of their improvisations represented a snapshot of ever-evolving soundtracks: “A different person begins with a musical theme on whatever instrument they feel works, and the other two of us add to this theme and we see where it goes from there,” Venkatarangam explained. 

The band believes that nature counts as a source of energy and inspiration for them, which is reflected in their album cover. The visual is a photo of a stream behind Stephen and Annabelle’s place in Boucherville. “It was run into a video synth, another aspect of our collective and then made into the cover. I guess it symbolizes a snapshot of our collective stream of creation, which is what our recordings are,” Venkatarangam said. 

The making of the album was filled with memorable moments for the band, like the time when Annabelle was taking birdsong samples in India while creating wind sounds on her modular synth. “This created a unique atmosphere which allowed us to all add our own sonic textures and beats to it—it felt special creating it,”  said Venkatarangam.

But the birth of the album came with its challenges. The band would sometimes find themselves struggling with creating and recording music on the spot.  It also took a little while for them to find a consistent sound, learn how to record their tracks and learn how to play and incorporate their various instrumentations—particularly the modular synths.

Overall, arc’s sound on their debut album makes them a bit of a hybrid between a live band and electronic, ambient or IDM music. They incorporate a live electronic drummer, modular synths with unique sounds to create music that is moving forward, embracing technology, without being overly polished and produced. “We feel the music is still engaging and meaningful to us and try not to be overly self-indulgent or pretentious (i.e. shocking the listener) but authentic despite our experimental nature,” added Venkatarangam. 

arc wishes to create soundscapes that allow the listeners to generate their own personal meanings. The members also noted that their songs reflect what is going on in their personal lives, and leave a glimmer of hope or a moment of respite, reflection and/or positivity as they navigate the human experience in these uncertain times. 

“We think this album reflects us finding ourselves as a band, getting on the same page together and continuing with our creative arc,” expresses Venkatarangam. Although a debut album is a significant milestone, the members believe that it also just marks the beginning of them. “We hope we join the list of artists that bring a human element to the many genres we fit into,” shared Venkatarangam. 

If you’re curious about arc, don’t forget to catch them playing shows this year, like at  Brain Freeze Montreal (a local electronic festival series) on Sept. 11. 

You can also check out their live video-synthesis projections filmed at their home studio and shared via their social media at @arcbandmtl or their YouTube channel @arcband8649.

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Music

Dancing to the downfall of capitalism

U.S. Girls put on high energy and politically conscious show at Le Ministère

On Feb. 16, excited music fans packed into Le Ministère on Boulevard Saint Laurent to see Canadian experimental pop artist U.S. Girls, aka Meg Remy.

Local artist Lune très belle opened the show. Through her set, her French vocals were echoed as she bounced between two mics in front of her, one over her keyboard and the other over her synthesizer.

Lune très belle’s songs were sparse and pretty. This was matched by her quiet and seemingly timid stage demeanour. She didn’t have much candour with the audience, and the set felt more like an improvised recital than your typical concert affair.

After a short intermission, Remy’s band took to the stage. Band members entered one at a time. First, high synths filled the room, next the drummer kicked in, playing a few bars before the background vocalists took the stage and began to sing. Finally, Remy entered the stage and jumped into her brand new single “4 American Dollars,” a song about the failure of the American dream.  

After a few songs, Remy stopped to chat with the crowd. She mentioned that the last time she played in Montreal, it was at a porn theatre (Cinema L’Amour). She went on to ask how the cops in Montreal were, a question that was not surprising considering Remy’s heavily leftist, political lyrics. The audience gave a decidedly negative response to her question. Remy responded, in a sarcastic manner, that even cops were babies once, and we should try to foster conversation. This tongue-in-cheek comment ended with her saying, “I think they’re crying out for help with their occupation—same with me.”

After a few low-key songs, Remy picked the energy back up with the swanky and danceable “Pearly Gates,” a song whose lyrics reference the #metoo era. This song got the audience moving and really showed off Remy’s infectious stage presence.

Near the end of the show, Remy stood at the centre mic in silence for a few moments and then asked the audience to pretend their head was being pulled up by a string in order to stand up straight. She then asked us to breathe deeply. Everyone in Le Ministère stood for the next few long moments in silent breathing meditation, before the band jumped into the next song. 

For the finale, all the musicians left the stage except Remy and one vocalist to perform the 2010 song “Red Ford Radio.” The two started centre-stage, singing directly to each other. They started to repeat the lyrics, “I’d do anything to get out.”  As they continued to sing those lyrics, they both dropped their mics, and the audience started chanting along with them. They proceeded to join the crowd as everyone sang in unison. After circling through the crowd, Remy and the vocalist sang one final “I’d do anything to get out,” as they exited through the stage door.

While U.S. Girls’ show was short, clocking in at only around an hour, it was high in the energy and charisma that matches her recorded material. Overall, U.S. Girls played a tight set that was artfully arranged. Years-long fan or newcomer, this show would make anyone fall in love with Meg Remy. 

Photos by Britanny Clarke.

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Music

Metronomy lives on Forever

Even in the middle of a snowstorm, this English electronic group was on fire

Up until now, Metronomy has been evolving their sound between each new album. From lo-fi electronica to wonky pop, and from new wave to electronic rock, each release and subsequent tour had its own fresh take on what Metronomy was.

Last year, the band put out their sixth album, Metronomy Forever, a 17-track amalgamation of every genre Metronomy had dabbled in, while still having room for a few surprise twists. This direction also sums up their current tour quite well––Metronomy has brought their performance to the next level while still paying homage to their funky indie roots.

Olugbenga Adelekan on bass guitar and Oscar Cash on keyboard.

Upon arrival last Friday night, Feb. 7, the MTelus venue was quite empty even though it was only a few minutes away from the official start time of the show, most likely due to the unfortunate weather. The supporting act was supposed to be indie-dance artist Charlotte Adigery, but her replacement, Montreal’s own Birds of Paradise, informed the crowd that she was unable to make it. They joked about how it was as much a surprise for us as for them, as they only got called a few hours prior and already had tickets to the show. It ended up being a nice surprise as they captured the crowd’s attention with their unique blend of machine folk and romantic pop. In particular, their cover of Ozzie Nelson’s classic “Dream a Little Dream of Me” was a standout moment.

Metronomy kept it simple this time, at least compared to the gimmicks and wild costumes of their past live shows. A cloth backdrop was the only real set-piece. On either side of the stage, Michael Lovett and Oscar Cash were playing customized synth structures on wheels, with Anna Prior on drums towards the back. Bassist Olugbenga Adelekan and lead singer Joseph Mount were at the front, with plenty of space to dance around. Their set––or lack of one––and the matching white jumpsuits might seem minimal on paper, but the simplicity put an emphasis on the lighting and the music.

Metronomy treated the crowd to an energetic 21-song setlist, packed with their greatest hits and some hidden gems. Between each track from Metronomy Forever were hits from the last few albums crossing all genres while avoiding any jarring changes to the vibe. Every member had a track where they got the spotlight to shine. Prior’s vocals in “Everything Goes My Way” and Oscar Cash’s theremin synth in “Boy Racers” are two good examples.

Throughout the whole night, the crowd could be heard singing along to every track and had great energy. As the set came to an end with “Sex Emoji,” people weren’t ready to go home just yet, and cheered until Mount returned to the stage solo for an acoustic version of “Upset My Girlfriend.” Then the rest of the band slowly made their way back to the stage for a final explosive rendition of “Radio Ladio.”

All together, Metronomy’s concert was a great treat for their biggest fans and a fantastic first show for new ones as they enter a new decade of their career.

 

Metronomy live on Feb. 7 at MTelus.

Photos by Cecilia Piga

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Music

Caveboy––a DIY punk approach to alt-pop

Montreal band Caveboy is ready to share their debut album with the world

In 2015, Caveboy released their first self-titled EP and quickly began the long journey of growing their audience. From playing in festivals such as SXSW, Osheaga, and Pride Toronto, to supporting some incredible acts like Tash Sultana, Tom Walker and Wintersleep, Caveboy has worked hard to grow their audience while still self-releasing all of their music. It doesn’t look like they’ll be stopping any time soon.

Lana Cooney

Since their first EP, the band has continued to release singles and amass fans thanks to their unique new wave 80s pop sound and chaotically-fun live shows. The all-women trio consists of Michelle Bensimon, lead singer and guitarist, bassist Isabelle Banos and Lana Cooney on drums, with whom I recently had the opportunity to chat about their story and the newly released debut album, Night in the Park, Kiss in the Dark.

Cooney, a Concordia alumnus, grew up in a musical home here in Montreal where she gravitated to the drums at the early age of 10. Having a musician for a father meant she had plenty of instruments lying around, which she was always encouraged to mess around with. 

“I was just drawn to the drums,” said Cooney, before diving into her musical journey and the formation of the band. In high school she would go on to be the first female drummer in Lindsay Place high school orchestra, where she started meeting   other musicians and jamming out in her mom’s garage. “And that’s [the garage] where Caveboy got its start too.”

Banos met Cooney on their Cégep orientation day when she spotted the drumsticks sticking out of Cooney’s bag. A few years later, the two friends would go on to invite Bensimon to create the trio that became Caveboy.

Jumping to 2020, Caveboy released their debut album on Jan. 31. It was always a dream of the band’s to produce a full-length album, and they’ve done it. The very relatable album covers themes of being heard, relationships between childhood friends, partners and family.

Isabelle Banos

“There are some ballads, some dance-y ones, and even some psychedelic ones,” is how Cooney describes the album in her 60-second elevator pitch. When asked to pick one song from the album that those new to the band should check out first, she replied “N.Y.P!”

Montreal has and will always be part of Caveboy’s story, with their upcoming official release party on Feb. 8 at the Centre Phi. While the city’s lower cost of living and abundance of small venues has been a great help for getting the band’s feet off the ground, they have their sights set on longer and further tours. It’s a goal of Cooney’s to get on the road as much as they can this year and keep growing. The live performance is equally as important to the band. Adding performance enhancing elements to their live shows has been a focus since the beginning.

Michelle Bensimon

“Stuff like lighting! Not steroids,” said Cooney, with a laugh. From sets, to merch, to social media––they like to be as involved as possible, and every new team member is personally hand-selected, leaving nothing to chance. It’s clear this band is one of the most dedicated ones in the city, and one to keep on your radar this decade. 

Night in the Park, Kiss in the Dark is out now, and it’s not an album you want to miss out on.

 

Photos by Cecilia Piga.

 

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Music Quickspins

QUICKSPINS: KAYTRANADA – Bubba Review

 Kaytra’s sophomore album doubles down on what made 99.9% so entrancing

When producers make their own albums, they’re mostly messy. Oftentimes, they’re lacking in cohesiveness or interesting tracks, but mainly, they’re boring. Kaytranada is a modern exception to this.

Bubba, the newest unannounced album from the Montreal native, isn’t a successor to 99.9% by name, but it sure feels like the next logical step. The sounds aren’t quite different from his previous effort, but this record is yet another compilation of dance-ready tracks with solid features and wonderful instrumentals.

Beginning with one of the few tracks to not feature a guest, “DO IT” is an uneventful way to start the album. The beat feels janky at times, but thankfully it’s short enough to be only a blip. The following track, “2 The Music,” is where the party truly starts as Iman Omari’s vocals on the track are soothing and lively.

Mick Jenkins, Kali Uchis, and Masego are the stars of the show. Their respective tracks are fiery and continue to prove that performing alongside a Kaytra beat is a surefire way to make a banger.

Sonically, Kaytra focuses on what he does best, but he also does his best at creating Afrobeats-style instrumentals and executes them with a high degree of success, especially on “Vex Oh” featuring Eight9FLY, GoldLink, and Ari PenSmith.

Bubba, like 99.9%, is a full-length album surpassing the 50-minute mark, but still manages to be entertaining to the very end without any lulls or misfires on the entirety of the tracklist.

The album bears a striking resemblance to his previous effort and there probably would have been bigger payoffs had Kaytra taken a few more risks, but the Montreal producer stuck to his guns and dropped a wonderful dance album to cap off the decade.

Rating: 8.5/10

Trial Track: 10% (feat. Kali Uchis)

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Music

CJ Flemings comes back for more

Photo by Laurence BD.

 An interview with the Montreal rap artist following the release of his second studio album, Mascara Tears

CJ Flemings is growing into the best version of himself.

Since the release of the Montreal rapper’s successful debut album, Forever Wanted More in 2017, there was mostly silence from the artist across streaming platforms.

“I held back from releasing a lot of music,” said Flemings. “I still want to put all that music out. I just haven’t gotten to that yet, but hopefully in the near future I can share that with everybody. I was really just working on my craft though. I feel like I didn’t miss with this last project, it’s better than the last one.”

This “last project” is said in reference to Mascara Tears, the long-anticipated, most recent body of work from Flemings. The album was released on Nov. 22, the same day that Flemings opened up for New York rapper Lil Tjay at Corona Theatre. Despite the successful turn out, Flemings sad that he’s still in the midst of planning something special for his own show to celebrate the album’s launch.

CJ Flemings released his second album, Mascara Tears, on November 22, 2019. Photo by Laurence B.D.

Mascara Tears encompasses themes of honesty, love, betrayal, and heartbreak, showing Flemings at his most vulnerable. His drive to go the extra mile may have come from his pairing with Juno-award winning producer, Michael Lantz, who motivated him in the studio.

“I love challenges,” said Flemings. “When someone challenges me I’m more so like ‘Oh damn, you care about this right now.’ So I’m trying to get this, let’s get it right.”

Flemings did a lot of the work on his debut album, Forever Wanted More, alone. Though he decided to change things up on his latest project.

“On Forever Wanted More, I was picking a lot of the beats and I recorded a lot of it, mixed a lot of it myself, and mastered a lot of it myself. I just felt like when going into Mascara Tears, I met Lantz and he was very disciplined about the production and all that, so I dived into the best versions of myself and tried to correct a lot of the mistakes I made and trusted the whole procedure.”

The first song on the album, “Curtains,” was the first song that Flemings and Lantz recorded together after scrapping a previous, unreleased song. “Curtains” begins with a friend telling Flemings that he doesn’t see him anymore and that he’s acting differently. Flemings said he put in that snippet to remind others that there will be times in one’s career when you have to be selfish.

“I felt like I was going towards a direction where I really needed to care about myself,” said Flemings. “[I needed] to put myself in a vulnerable spot to show that there are times where you might feel like there are people who are distant from you, and it’s a problem, but if you’re focused on a goal and that’s what you’re working on, sometimes you just gotta overcome these challenges.”

Now that CJ Flemings has finally accomplished one of his goals with the release of Mascara Tears, one can hope to see more of the young rap artist in Montreal’s glowing hip hop spotlight. 

Photos by Laurence B.D.

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