Tag: preview

Categories
Music

The Concordian’s Picks of POP!

Photo courtesy of POP Montreal
Photo courtesy of POP Montreal

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’s discussion/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.

 

Bring on the POP!

Categories
Music

POP Montreal Festival preview: Explore the unknown

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

19. “Ashes In” – Railbird – No One

20. “Ambergris” – Snowblink – Long Live

 

Categories
Sports

Stingers looking to repeat another solid week

It was a good week for all Stingers teams. Women’s rugby stood above the rest with two victories; one against rivals McGill and another on Sunday at Carleton.

The team took home the Kelly-Anne Drummond Cup last Wednesday after defeating the Martlets 18-7. This past Sunday, the team travelled to Ottawa to face Carleton. The Stingers cruised to an easy 41-7 win.

The men’s rugby team were the only team to lose this week. They fell 22-10 to McGill on Wednesday evening. The team is still looking for its first win of the season.

Both soccer teams matched results for the second week in a row. Coming off 2-0 wins, the men’s and the women’s team each drew 1-1 this past week.

The Stingers football team made a lengthy trip to Antigonish, Nova Scotia to face the St. Francis Xavier X-Men. The team made the trip worthwhile by winning a comfortable 41-20.

Concordia’s baseball team had three games this week, twice against McGill and once against John Abbott College. The first meeting was against the Redmen, on Wednesday. The Stingers defeated their opposition for the second time this season, winning 11-4. Friday’s game against John Abbott College was rained out, and the third game of the week was this Sunday at home to McGill, where Concordia won 6-3.

 

This Upcoming Week

The first Stingers team to suit up is the baseball team. They play Sept. 18 against John Abbott College. The first pitch is at 7:30 p.m. at Gary Carter Field at Trudeau Park in Cote St. Luc. On Saturday, the team travels to Ontario to battle Carleton at 2:30 p.m. and returns to Montreal to face John Abbott College once again on Sunday.

Soccer is next on the agenda for Concordia. Both the men’s and women’s will travel away to face Université du Québec à Montréal on Thursday, Sept. 20. The women play first at 6:30 p.m., followed by the men’s game at 8:30 p.m. The games are at Collège de Bois-de-Boulogne.

Rugby takes center stage on Friday. The women’s rugby team faces the Ottawa Gee-Gees at 7 p.m. at Concordia Stadium. The men will take to the field to face the Montreal Carabins at 9 p.m.

On Sunday, September 23, soccer is back at Concordia Stadium. The men’s team plays first at 1 p.m. against the Sherbrooke Vert et Or. The women’s team plays after them at 3 p.m. against the same school.

Categories
Sports

Third time’s a charm?

Being always the bridesmaid in back-to-back finals, the men’s rugby squad kicked off camp with one goal in mind: win the championship.

Each year the roster shuffles. Despite a promising rookie class, this year’s group will need to dig deep in order to fill the gap left from the losses of last year’s split captains Jimmy Bang and Jonathan Dextras-Romagnino

“Losing the leadership of two captains is huge,” said head coach Clive Gibson. Luckily for them, new team captain Dario Pellizzari has been “stepping up in a big way,” said Gibson. “He’s done many positive things that will make team unity very strong this year.”

“Championships are made through overcoming failure and adversity,” said Pellizzari. “The guys know what it feels like to lose two years in a row and now we know what to expect.”

For the majority of the student body, the last weeks of August are the last grasp at summer freedom. But for the Stingers rugby team, it’s the beginning of training camp and this means the fall season is just around the corner.

“Everyone’s looking at you for inspiration,” Pellizzari explained. “I was able to instill my values in the team this winter: work ethic, accountability and respect. If we stick to these values throughout the year, we’ll see great results.”

Along with this common set of values, a ‘no excuses’ attitude has been adopted by the veterans down to the rookies of this year’s team.

While Gibson was adamant about keeping his coaching strategies off the record, he did mention that he, along with his coaching staff, are not practitioners of the traditional rugby game. This is one of the many reasons for their success as of late.

“As a coaching staff, we are extremely committed to what we’d like to consider innovation,” said Gibson. “We are not traditional rugby minds. We’re always looking for that new angle or new approach. I think we may have found it.”

This year marked a very progressive time for the Stingers for the team has hired someone to recruit players on CÉGEP teams. This will allow the coach, who used to take on this role, to focus more on his team.

“I think it might be our year,” admitted Gibson. “There are still some key elements that need to be sorted out, but we’ve got time.”

The Stingers open their season at home on Friday, Sept. 7 at 9 p.m. against Sherbrooke.

 

Categories
Sports

Stingers look to reach next level

In the last few seasons, the Concordia Stingers appeared to be treading water. The rebuilding process has had them stand pat with back-to-back 4-5 seasons in 2010 and 2011, following a 3-5 season in 2009. Although, their 4-5 record last year was enough for a playoff spot, they were bounced 33-7 by the Laval Rouge et Or.

Not everything has come together for Concordia. The defence was the strongest unit for the team, as players like Max Caron, Kris Robertson and Nathan Taylor stepped up for the Stingers. Caron led the CIS with 78.5 tackles and led the nation in solo tackles. He added five interceptions, including three returned for touchdowns, to that lead. Last year, he was awarded the Presidents’ Trophy as the outstanding defensive player in the CIS.

Kris Robertson continuously made great plays on defense and was a constant spark returning kicks. He averaged 24.4 yards per return and scored two touchdowns on special teams. Robertson said he feels the veteran Stingers need to lead the way in order for the team to not only make the playoffs again, but to enjoy success in the post-season.

“This year we have all the necessary tools to do big things,” he explained. “It’s on us vets to make sure we get there. We just need to be unified and I believe the sky is the limit.”

Safety Nathan Taylor said that while it’s the offence’s job to score points, it’s the defence’s job to make it easier and set things up.

“We need to make more plays and create more turnovers on defence,” said Taylor. “We need to help the offence get good field position whenever possible.”

The units will have to help each other, with the defence getting quick stops and the offence needing to keep the ball moving.

Quarterback Reid Quest took over mid-season for Terrance Morsink in 2011. He now enters the season as the full-fledged starter, and as usual, things will have to start with the quarterback.

“We need to sustain drives, get first downs and wear down opposing defences,” Quest said. “If we can do that, we’ll be a tough team to beat.”

For Concordia to truly have a chance at success and get past the first round, they’ll need to overcome the tougher teams in the conference. They lost to Laval and Sherbrooke twice, and 36-1 against the Montréal Carabins last season. While it’s a near-impossibility to beat the Rouge et Or, as they’ve proven year after year, the Stingers at least need to overcome the other two teams that finished above them in 2011. After all, getting to the playoffs won’t mean much if they’ll be easily beat in the first round.

The Stingers have not won a playoff game in four years, and they’ll no doubt want to change that this season. Failure to do so only means that they haven’t progressed since last season. At the very least, they’ll have to be more competitive with the tougher teams of the QUFL.

Categories
Student Life

Fall 2012 Fashion Trend Spread

Prints, prints and more prints
This fall, designers have taken prints to a whole new level: adorning their models in head to toe graphics. Whether it’s baroque style florals, geometric confusion or paisleys, there couldn’t be a better time to toss aside your fashion inhibitions and embellish yourself with any print you desire!

Snow White
Designers are constantly breaking the rules, making it a little difficult sometimes to keep up with whether full on denim is in or out. This fall, the fashion world has officially taken on white after Labor Day – a fashion faux pas I was never fond of. Until Indian summer is over, I wouldn’t rush to put away your white linen pants!

Femme fatale
Not sure about prints and white? Do not fret, black is still in, but this time with a rebellious twist. Designers have taken on black and created a wardrobe suited for Trinity in The Matrix. There is nothing understated about this year’s fall black leather gear.

Try on a sleek uniform
The military trend has had moments in the past, but this time around it has a classier feel to it. Whether it’s a cinched waist, gold embroidery or fur trimmings, designers have found a way to incorporate heels into the military uniform.

 

Categories
Arts

Summer movie preview

It seems summer movie season starts earlier every year. But that would depend on when you think summer actually starts. Is it really Summer Solstice (June 20), or is it when school ends? In either case, there are plenty of films coming out between April and September that are sure to keep you occupied if the outdoors isn’t your thing.

Homegrown
Xavier Dolan’s highly anticipated follow-up to Les amours imaginaires is Laurence Anyways, the story of a man who decides to undergo a sex change but maintain his loving relationship with his female companion. The film is written and directed by Dolan and is due out in May.

Quebec television series Omertà is getting the big screen treatment July 11. Luc Dionne, who wrote the successful show that ran in the late ‘90s, will write and direct the film centered around organized crime and Italian mafia in Montreal. Michel Côté, Rachelle Lefevre, Patrick Huard will star, with René Angélil in the role of head mafioso Dominic Fagazi.

The Fantasia Film Festival has become one of the most anticipated film events of the summer in North America. Quentin Tarantino, whose 2009 film Inglourious Basterds made its North American debut at Fantasia, called the festival “the most important and prestigious film festival on this continent.” Fantasia will be celebrating its 16th year in Montreal (with many screenings at or around Concordia’s downtown campus) from July 19 to Aug. 7.

Sarah Polley’s first directorial effort since 2006’s Away From Her, which earned her an Oscar nomination in the adapted screenplay category, will be Take This Waltz, which was shot in Toronto and stars Michelle Williams and Canuck Seth Rogen. The film has played at the Toronto International Film Festival and other film festivals across the country, but it is set to be released in a “theatre near you,” so to speak, in June.

Cosmopolis stars Robert Pattinson, and before you roll your eyes, just know that the film is written and directed by Canadian David Cronenberg (A History of Violence, Eastern Promises, A Dangerous Method). A teaser trailer for the film is making its rounds online and it’s totally crazy: 24 hours in the life of a young Manhattan billionaire and all the trouble he can get into during that time. It’s based on the Don DeLillo book of the same name. Cronenberg promises a Rob “as you have not seen him before.” So no sparkly skin, right?

Indie (with star power)
Woody Allen moves his story to Italy this summer with To Rome With Love. Since 1982, Allen has written and directed at least one film every year. With a career that started in the mid ’60s, his 2012 effort reunites him with Penelope Cruz (whose work on Allen’s Vicky Cristina Barcelona earned the actress her first Oscar), and also stars Jesse Eisenberg, Alec Baldwin, Canadians Ellen Page and Alison Pill, and Allen himself. Rome will be in limited release as of April 20, and will likely be released in Montreal by June.

A young girl and boy fall in love and run away together in Wes Anderson’s Moonrise Kingdom, causing their town to search for them. This will be Anderson’s first live-action feature since 2007’s The Darjeeling Limited and his first effort since the stop-motion animated Fantastic Mr. Fox. Moonrise stars Anderson veterans Bill Murray and Jason Schwartzman, as well as Bruce Willis, Tilda Swinton, Edward Norton and Frances McDormand, and is due out in May.

In Safety Not Guaranteed, three journalists (New Girl’s Jake M. Johnson, Parks and Recreation’s Aubrey Plaza, and Karan Soni) find the subject of their next feature in a classified ad, the buyer of which is looking for someone to time travel with. The film is scheduled to hit theatres in June.

For the kid in you
There will be yet another entry in the Madagascar and Ice Age franchises (June 8 and July 13, respectively), but the animated film to catch this summer will be Disney Pixar’s Brave, which by the looks of the teaser trailers released in the last few months, will be a return to form for the studio that suffered with the seriously terrible Cars 2 last summer. Brave is centered around Princess Merida, whose archery skills and bravery will be put to the test when she has to save her kingdom.

Tim Burton collaborated with Johnny Depp again for a big screen adaptation of Dark Shadows, the television cult classic from the ‘60s. Depp plays Barnabas Collins, a vampire who was imprisoned for 200 years and who, upon his release in 1972, seeks out his lava lamp-owning, Chevy-driving ancestors. Dark Shadows will be out May 11.

Date night
Rare is the romantic comedy that can please both male and female moviegoers, but on April 27, The Five-Year Engagement will do just that. Jason Segel and Emily Blunt star in the Nicholas Stoller film about a couple that keeps putting off their wedding date. Stoller and Segel wrote the screenplay; the duo collaborated on Forgetting Sarah Marshall and Get Him to the Greek.

Musical Rock of Ages features ‘80s rock anthems by Poison and Twisted Sister and a cast that is too long to list in its entirety (though it includes Alec Baldwin, Tom Cruise, Catherine Zeta-Jones and Mary J. Blige). The Adam Shankman (Hairspray) film is scheduled to be released June 15.

Fellas, you will be dragged to What to Expect When You’re Expecting, out May 18. It’ll be awful, but then she’ll owe you one, at which point you use your free pass to see The Avengers (May 4), Men in Black III (May 25), The Amazing Spider-Man (July 3), Christopher Nolan’s last hurrah directing a Batman film, The Dark Knight Rises (July 20), Ridley Scott’s Prometheus (June 8 or The Bourne Legacy Aug. 3, which will feature Jeremy Renner (The Hurt Locker) in the title role.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt
…or the guy whose face you’ll see a lot of on the big screen this year. The actor’s come a long way from his day on 3rd Rock From the Sun, with career-making turns in Brick and The Lookout, and more recently, 500 Days of Summer, Inception and 50/50. He will be in five films this year, including The Dark Knight Rises, Premium Rush (Aug. 24), Looper (Sept. 28) and Tarantino’s Django Unchained and Steven Spielberg’s Lincoln, both due out in December.

Categories
News

Semester in preview


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A new president

THE FACTS: Come April, Concordia may have a final candidate to replace interim President Frederick Lowy as president and vice-chancellor of the university. The presidential search committee is scheduled to meet again before the end of January to review and finalize a short list of candidates. The committee’s work is confidential, so no names have been released. However, university spokesperson Chris Mota wrote in an email that “a recommendation will be ready for the Board of Governors for April 2012 with the candidate to take office, ideally, as of August 1, 2012.” The university hired consultant Laverne Smith & Associates Inc. to pre-interview candidates.

WHY IT MATTERS: Other than being the highest ranking position at the university, the president’s office has seen enough controversy in recent years to deserve a critical eye. Concordia’s previous president, Judith Woodsworth, was dismissed by the Board of Governors in 2010, while her predecessor Claude Lajeunesse left office halfway though his five-year contract due to conflicts with the administration.

A general student strike vote

THE FACTS: The Concordia Student Union plans on continuing where last semester left off, launching a new campaign to protest the Quebec government’s tuition hikes and addressing the possibility of preparing for a vote to strike sometime this semester. While last fall saw some student participation in protests and rallies against tuition fee increases, CSU VP external Chad Walcott said “a student strike could be the next step in a Quebec-wide protest.”Walcott added that before anything can be done, “the movement will have to regain momentum”  lost over the winter break. A demonstration set for March 22 is already in the planning stages and members of the CSU have put together a document outlining tentative plans to be presented at council on Wednesday.

WHY IT MATTERS: Tuition in Quebec is set to raise $325 a year over five years for university undergrads, and whether or not you agree with the increase, it’s ultimately up to students to decide whether Concordia’s undergrads will be going on strike for more than just a day.

A whole lot of general elections

THE FACTS: Break out the posters and in-classroom speeches: Concordia’s student associations will be gearing up for another round of general elections this spring. The Concordia Student Union, the Arts and Science Federation of Associations, and others will all be holding elections to fill their executive positions.

WHY IT MATTERS: Spring general elections should be anything but uncomplicated if last semester’s byelections are anything to go by, between the accusations of electoral violations, mistakes caught at polling stations, and the firing of two separate chief electoral officers. Not to mention the fact that last year’s CSU general elections resulted in the CEO disqualifying both parties, only to have his decision later overturned by the judicial board and CSU council.

 


Exit mobile version