Tag: Toronto

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Music

The voice from Toronto to Montreal

On April 2, Avery Florence performed for a small crowd at La Marche à côté. Photo by Britanny Guiseppe-Clarke.

Singer-songwriter Avery Florence has brought her sound to the city

La Marche à côté, a bar on St-Denis St., was transformed into another universe on April 2 for one of Avery Florence’s shows. Even bypassers couldn’t help themselves from peeking into the window to see where the enchanting voice was coming from.

Since July 2018, 28-year-old singer-songwriter Avery Florence has called Montreal home. As a teenager, she loved the city and found inspiration every time she visited from Toronto. She has finally settled on the island for good after three attempts. It seems third time’s the charm.

“People are more open to connecting with others and it’s easier to build a community here,” Florence said. As a native Torontonian, she feels everyone is more laid back in Montreal. “Everybody is sort of an artist here because they have more time. Without time, being an artist just isn’t possible.”

Florence found her passion for music much later in life; she had no musical training as a child and wasn’t from a musical family, yet she felt a connection to music. She started playing guitar in university and after just a few weeks of lessons, she was already writing songs. “I’m so thankful that I found my passion. It changed my life completely,” Florence said.

Florence has an undeniable gift for music. Her voice resembles that of an angel gone wild, powerful and raw, yet pure and honest. She comes across as a genuine person and this translates into her music. Her shows are very intimate and she isn’t afraid to be vulnerable, allowing the audience to delve into her little world. When she performs songs like “Black Waves” and “Woke Up This Morning,” it’s almost impossible not to get in your feelings.

Whether it’s a moment of sadness and despair, or a moment of wonder and inspiration, Florence said most of her songs are rooted in personal experiences and emotions. In more emotional situations, she’ll pick up an instrument and start playing a few notes or start humming a melody. “I think all of my best songs have come out in one go. I’ll have an instrument with me and then I’ll just let the words come out,” Florence said.

Recently, Florence participated in the most intense musical experience of her life.The CTV Network created The Launch, a new music show where contestants audition for Canadian artists like Bryan Adams, Sarah McLachlan, Marie-Mai, and more. Participants only have a few minutes to sell themselves and their music to the judges—needless to say, it’s a lot of pressure.

“It was really high highs and really low lows,” Florence said. She thought it was a scary thing to have something so personal out of her control. Contestants only see the final product on national television, at the same time as millions of other Canadians. “Literally right after I saw my part on TV, I felt a physical relief in my body that I had been holding onto for six months,” she admitted.

As the sun starts to reappear and spring settles in, keep your ear out for a voice that pulls your heart strings. Pay attention to the buskers on the street—Florence could be right under your nose.

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Music

Ralph: Canada’s cool older sister

Ralph’s new album includes songs about relationships and self-love.

From performing in musicals as a teenager decked out in Vans, a pair of fairy wings, and a crinoline over her jeans, to working in several bands over the years while sporting boho-chic hats, Toronto artist Ralph’s sound and look have evolved greatly throughout her life and career.

Ralph can safely say that she has always taken risks in music and in fashion to stand out and do things differently. Having now ditched traditional singer-songwriter attire for a more fun and edgy look, she said she currently focuses on comfort and occasionally plays with gender ambiguity.

“I love that my style can walk this line of androgyny,” she said. “I think that’s really fun to play with for music videos and for looks in general.”

Since the release of her 80s-driven EP in early 2017, Ralph said her main goal when it came to her latest album, A Good Girl, was to focus on a more contemporary sound.

“I got type-casted as this 80s synth-pop artist and I didn’t want that,” said Ralph. “I think my music transcends one genre.”

According to Ralph, the album released last fall still features nostalgic moments reminiscent of sounds from the past, but feels fresh and new—especially with the inclusion of the track “Girl Next Door,” a collaboration with Toronto singer and rapper TOBi.

Ralph said that despite having strayed away from her beginnings performing as a folk artist, there are still many similarities between her music then and now. The most significant constants are the themes she is drawn to when writing lyrics.

“Pop is just such a huge genre and you can kind of make it what you want it to be,” Ralph said. “I write pop music in the same way that I wrote folk, in the sense that I still tell stories.”

Ideas of self-love, self-acceptance, and self-worth are driving forces behind Ralph’s lyrics. Having dealt with an eating disorder in the past, and still occasionally feeling insecure about parts of her body, she said that slowly opening up about her struggles has been therapeutic for her and her audience.

“It can be scary and challenging, but I think it’s really rewarding, and there are so many people who need to hear conversations about it,” said Ralph.

Another of the many themes Ralph explores in the album is how relationships shape our lives.

“It’s a universal theme, it’s very relatable,” Ralph said. “Whether it’s the relationship we have with ourselves, the relationships we have with our friends, with our family […]. They help you grow so much.”

Ralph’s favourite track on the album, “Cereal,” dives into this topic, focusing on love and heartbreak. It features the lush, female harmonies of Montreal-based duo Milk & Bone. “I remember listening to it and just getting shivers,” said Ralph. “It felt like the perfect closure to the album for me.”

“Cereal” was the last song Ralph wrote for the album and it holds a special place in her heart. “It’s funny listening to it now because it’s about a breakup and I’m back together with the person that it’s about,” said Ralph.

While Milk & Bone will not be joining her for her Montreal performance, Ralph said she is thrilled to be touring with Canadian singer-songwriter Scott Helman. She and Helman, also a Toronto native, met at the iHeartRadio Beach Ball festival in Vancouver two years ago. “He’s such an amazing songwriter and performer,” said Ralph. “Each time I see him play, I’m blown away and I respect him more and more as an artist. It’s a cool opportunity.”

As far as future collaborations are concerned, Ralph said she hopes to branch out and work with people outside of Canada. “I have a lot of friends in Los Angeles who are great singer-songwriters and musicians,” Ralph said. “I think [collaborations] are such a cool part of being a musician […] It’s such an awesome experience to create something out of nothing with someone else.”

When it comes to A Good Girl, Ralph said her biggest challenge was curating the track list. She said she wrote approximately 40 songs for the album and struggled to make cuts. “You have to be open minded and able to understand that you will write a million songs,” she said. “I get so attached to each song that I write, that it feels excruciating to think that I may never use that song for anything.”

Ralph said she is learning more every day about when it’s best to include a song or leave it off the album. “I’m just constantly getting better at understanding how to be more collaborative, more patient, less stubborn, and to think about how being an artist also often involves being part of a team,” said Ralph.

Already looking towards the future, Ralph said she already has 30 new songs written with her next album in mind. She started writing on the road during her last tour, and plans to perform new material on her current tour.

“I’ll write another 10 or 12 and then we’ll start picking which songs we want to put on a new album or EP that’ll come out in the spring or summer,” Ralph said.

For now, Ralph said she is focused on touring and promoting her latest album. While she typically sees a large number of young men and people from the LGBTQ+ community attending her shows, she said Helman’s audience tends to be mostly comprised of young women.

Ralph said the LGBTQ+ community is her biggest support system. “I’m so grateful to have that, but it’s also really cool to also be exposed to a different kind of audience that isn’t necessarily hearing my music,” she said. “I think a lot of my music speaks to young women, so it’s really cool to be creating a new fan base and meeting new people who are connecting with the songs.”

Though she gets worried about staying healthy while touring, especially during the winter, Ralph said she is mostly excited to be on the road again.

“My shows are open and safe for everyone to come, and they’re fun,” Ralph said. “They’re fun and personal […] and we dance a lot. If you’re not a big dancer that’s cool, but I encourage everyone to try and shake their hips a little bit.”

Ralph and Scott Helman will be performing at L’Astral in Montreal on March 20. Their tour will conclude with a show in North Bay, Ontario on April 6. A Good Girl is available now.

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Music

XO takes 88 to MTL

88Camino raps to a sold out crowd at Le National. Photo by Jacob Carey

88GLAM flexes their strengths to a packed crowd at Le National

Derek Wise and 88Camino, better known among attendees as hip hop duo 88GLAM, hit the stage of Le National last Sunday to a full house of screams and applause. Decked in black from head to toe, rocking a Chrome Hearts tee and Montreal-based Malice World cap, the Toronto natives felt at home as they performed their newest tracks to a familiar crowd.

The rap collaborative gained traction after the release of their first eponymous mixtape in 2017, which starred their breakout hit “Bali” featuring Nav. Months later, their mixtape was re-released with four additional songs, along with the news that they had been signed to The Weeknd’s record label, XO. The duo have since released their second project, 88GLAM2, and are nearing the end of their tour with the same name.

Derek Wise pays homage to his record label by throwing up his XO. Photo by Jacob Carey

Following two opening sets by local Montreal rappers Hardbody Jones and Mike Shabb, the Glam boys hit the stage with their lead single, “Lil Boat,” that most recently peaked at No. 8 on the Billboard Canadian Hot 100. 88Camino was first on the mic as he began to rap the chorus. The artist’s soft, auto-tuned, sing-song voice is complemented nicely by Wise’s deeper, darker verses. This applies not only to “Lil Boat” specifically, but to the duo’s sound as a whole—which is the core of their catchy and melodic tunes.

On stage, Wise and Camino frequently rotated between songs featured on their first mixtape and their latest one. Older fans sang along to tracks such as “Kyrie” and “Big Tymers,” while “Wet Dreams” and “It’s a Flex” were sung by those in attendance that may have witnessed 88GLAM at Le National for the first time, despite them having frequented Montreal three times in the past year. “It’s a Flex,” another single featuring Nav, recently debuted a music video that led to the Weeknd posting a screenshot of the trio on Instagram and referring to them as “the future of the city.”

Derek Wise going in. Photo by Jacob Carey

As is expected, a mosh pit was requested of the crowd half-way into the show. The performers waited on stage while the crowd opened up a pit that they would soon rush into. Having practiced their moshing skills hours before during Hardbody Jones’s set, the mob of eager, sweaty bodies readied up with a perfectly shaped circle. As the opening notes to “GPS” started playing, the crowd waited for the beat to drop and then unleashed their friendly fury. The performers were pleased with what they started.

At one moment during the night, 88Camino whipped out his phone to take a video of a fan on someone’s shoulders as she lifted up her shirt to show the “XO” tattoo on her ribs.

As their set neared its end, Wise and some affiliates picked up a 24-case of water bottles tucked away behind a curtain to the left of the stage. They began to distribute them to the crowd. They requested that the water bottles not be used until the next song had begun. Then, Wise rapped the familiar words, “Time to turn the heat up like it’s Bali.” Within seconds, more mosh pits broke out, more screams were heard and more energy vibrated the building than any time before. And water. Lots of water. By the time 88Camino’s chorus had begun, the stage, the artists and the crowd were drenched in water. As they wiped a mix of sweat and water from their foreheads, Derek Wise and 88Camino walked off stage with smiles on their faces, knowing that 88GLAM had once again turned up the heat in Montreal.

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Quickspins

QUICKSPINS: 88GLAM – 88GLAM2

88GLAM’s eponymous 88GLAM2 reminds the world of the Toronto hip hop duo’s role in solidifying Canada as a superpower in the hip hop world, alongside fellow Canadian artists such as Jazz Cartier, Killy, Nav and Drake.

The project comes one year after their successful debut mixtape 88GLAM, which unveiled the newly formed duo to the music scene.

88GLAM is the journey, and 88GLAM2 is the fame.

In 14 tracks, the project dives into the recent life events and success of 88 Camino and Derek Wise. “I can get used to the treatment, designer got bought every stop on the tour,” raps Wise on the opening track, “Blue Faces.”

While the tracks shift between moody and uplifting vibes, each song demonstrates the duo’s vocal capabilities—an aspect of their sound highlighted by the limited guests on the mixtape.

“Wet Dreams,” produced by superstar producer and fellow Canadian Sevn Thomas, demonstrates the duo’s uncertainty with their newfound fame. “Who did I become? I’m spending 80K on my wrist and that’s for fun,” sings Wise.

With only two features, Toronto rapper Nav and Atlanta rising star Gunna, 88GLAM2 is assertively carried by the project’s hosts. The two guests, with their melodic, slightly autotuned, and often melancholy mood can be compared to the similar, silky singing style of rap displayed by 88GLAM, as well as by many of today’s most popular hip hop artists. Their performances on “It’s a Flex” and “Racks,” respectively, add a spark to the project, while allowing 88GLAM’s talent to shine through.

88GLAM co-signed with one of Canada’s biggest superstars, The Weeknd, after he signed them to his record label, but it’s clear that they’re not stopping there.

8/10

Trial Track: “Purple Baguettes”

Star Bar: Rather be out on the road makin’ figures, ask me how / All the years I scraped the plate, can’t afford to fuck around – Wise on “Lil Boat”

Categories
Music

Jazz Cartier wows crowd through the flu

Cartier going hard. Photo by Chris Carpenter. @cb43media

Toronto rapper performs upon the release of four new songs.

Jazz Cartier is one of Toronto’s biggest names in hip hop, but on the fourth stop of his Fleurever Yours tour at Le Belmont on Nov. 8, it felt as though there were no barriers between the crowd and the rising star.

Cartier’s latest show marked his fourth time performing in the city. Cartier, also known as Jacuzzi LaFleur, was on Post Malone’s tour when he passed through the city back in 2016. He also had a show with J. Cole signee J.I.D. at Le Belmont in June 2017.

Cartier’s last show in Montreal was that same month, as part of Fool’s Gold DAY OFF, a one-day festival put on by A-Trak’s Brooklyn label. That day, Cartier shared the stage with Speng Squire for the first time, a Montreal rapper who opened for him this past Thursday.

Speng has been making noise in the city’s hip hop scene for some years now. The 23-year-old rapper has a wide array of remixes and original tracks, posted on his YouTube channel, where he’s garnered thousands of views. Earlier this year, he released his debut album, Expressions of Now, gaining recognition from media outlets such as Complex and the Montreal Gazette.

Speng brought out TGEMarx, a member of up-and-coming Montreal hip hop collective The Grey Era as a guest on his set. They performed the unreleased track “My Dreams,” a collaboration between the two LaSalle natives.

“I mess with [TGEMarx’s] energy,” said Speng. “You can tell a lot by the energy you feel from someone. They don’t even need to say anything, you just feel it.”

As the opening act came to a close, the crowd slowly grew. The tight quarters of the venue began to feel increasingly cramped.

The intermission couldn’t have been more than half an hour, though it felt like more, thanks to the growing blend of anticipation and excitement that filled the air. While the show was originally planned to be held at MTELUS, a last minute switch to Le Belmont provided a more intimate night.

Finally, Cartier came on stage and the crowd erupted. Those furthest from the stage couldn’t have been more than 40 feet away from him, close proximity considering the level of fame Cartier boasts.

After performing a few of the most popular songs from his first mixtape, Marauding in Paradise, Cartier removed his sunglasses and took a moment in between tracks to address his “flowers,” the name he gave to his fan base some years ago—all members of a community of supports, which he calls “Petal Garden.”

“I got the flu and I haven’t been feeling the best, but there was no way I would cancel on you guys,” Cartier said. “I had to come perform tonight.”

The 200-something person crowd immediately erupted in cheers—Cartier’s determination filled them with excitement.

After performing some of his most popular tracks, including “Godflower,” “Tempted” and “Right Now,” accompanied by colourful anime-style graphics on a screen behind the DJ booth and dim, basement party-vibe lighting, an unfamiliar song began to play. For the first time of the night, no one sang along with Cartier’s melodic, slightly auto-tuned vocals. Then, the music stopped.

“No one knew this, but I’m actually dropping four new songs tonight,” Cartier said. “Here’s one of them.”

The crowd erupted in cheers as he performed “Cuzzi Relax,” one of the four new songs which formed the deluxe version of his album, Fleurever. The attendees swung their heads and hands as if he was performing one of their favourite songs.

Cartier’s set time came to the 60-minute mark, and shouts of “another one” were heard throughout the crowd as they began to anticipate the show’s end. Cartier, sensing the sudden dispiritedness, addressed the crowd.

“I love this city, man. I’m reppin’ Toronto, you’re reppin’, Montreal but we’re all from Canada. We’re all a family, fleurever,” he said.

As the crowd hollered in loving approval, Cartier’s DJ began playing his song “Dead or Alive,” a fan-favourite for its catchy, menacing chorus and organ-heavy beat. The crowd rapped along, word for word, jumping to the beat in sync with Cartier.

The show came to an end and distinct looks of approval were visible all around. Before stepping off the stage, Cartier had his own way of showing love for the night.

“Before I leave, I want to take a picture with every single one of you in this crowd,” Cartier said. “Thank you guys so much, for everything.”

Cartier jumped down from the stage and walked through the crowd with security, stopping to shake hands with anyone who sought his. He walked into the next room and took a seat as a line formed at the door.

LaFleur awaited his garden.

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Arts

Festival flicks take viewers on journey of tragedy and suspense

Eager crowds gather in hopes of catching their favourite stars in between screenings. Photo by Elijah Bukreev.

Everything from the horror film mother! to the Darkest Hour drama graced the TIFF screens

Especially in its frenzied first days, the Toronto International Film Festival is a thing of beauty. There’s a sense that most of Hollywood—meaning the stars, directors, producers, publicists, critics, bloggers and even everyday Angelenos—migrates north of the border, at least for a time.

Lines regularly stretch across whole blocks as people gather in astonishing numbers. Sometimes, they spend hours waiting to see a movie that’s captured their attention, even when the odds of getting in are next to none.

With seemingly more people in attendance every year, you have to wonder how much a single festival can grow—especially one that’s based in the downtown of an already busy city. Logistical issues are to be expected—delays are the norm, and some screenings carry an air of unpredictability.

The first screening of Loveless on Sept. 7, for instance, was marked by an unusual occurrence. The Cannes-winning film, by Russian director Andrey Zvyagintsev, had to be restarted when organisers noticed there were no English subtitles. The audience was then made to rewatch the opening scenes—painfully slow-paced the second time around and, ironically, dialogue-free.

Luckily that took nothing away from the powerful film that followed. To call it a drama wouldn’t do it justice; it aspires for tragedy on an almost metaphysical level. Although the premise is fairly simple, the audience is made to feel like there’s more to the film than what they can grasp.

A man and his wife have fallen out of love and are going through a divorce. Neither seems overly excited about the prospect of caring for their 12-year-old son, who, in a nasty shouting match, is described as a burden. We observe the boy’s reaction as he overhears the exchange, his mouth widening in a silent scream. The next day, he eats his breakfast, exits the house and disappears.

The rest of the film follows the parents’ search for the boy, assisted by a group of dedicated volunteers. What may come as a surprise, if you’re familiar with Zvyagintsev’s previous works such as Elena and Leviathan, is the dark humour which carries the first part of the film. Perhaps it could be attributed to the attitude of the main characters, who remain oblivious to their son’s feelings until he decides to act on them. There’s a sense of pervading absence, an emptiness of feeling that renders the search grim and nearly hopeless. The director excels at creating ambiguity, leaving many open ends and a sense of dread that lingers long after the film ends.

The festival was studded with directors, fans and stars like Jake Gyllenhaal (pictured here). Photos by Elijah Bukreev.

Another fantastic picture screened at TIFF was Joe Wright’s eagerly awaited Darkest Hour. It is an examination of Winston Churchill’s first days as prime minister, in which he struggles with a choice between seeking peace with Germany or pursuing a potentially annihilating war.

The man is played by a fully transformed Gary Oldman, a performance that all representations of Churchill will now be measured against. Taking occasional liberties with the facts for dramatic purposes, the film reflects on an individual’s ability to shape history. It is infused with Churchill’s well-remembered wit and beautifully shot by Bruno Delbonnel.

Delbonnel’s style is often evocative of 18th-century painting, proving that he is a master of colour and lighting. It’s easy to imagine the film as a companion piece to Dunkirk, to which it will inevitably be compared. It is also something of a mirror image to Downfall, which depicted Hitler’s final days.

Wright had already created unforgettable Word War II scenes in Atonement, and here he draws the viewer into the conflict through the eyes of the British government. Churchill is strongly disliked at first, and the existential threat that the country faces does not impede any customary political games. He is evidently a figure of fascination for the director. The camera rarely leaves Churchill’s side, sometimes framing him as a man in complete isolation. This gives Darkest Hour an effective theatrical feel, and makes it a superb character study that reflects not only our evolving view of history, but also the current political anxieties which may colour your perception of the film.

If there is one final mention to make, it has to be mother!. The oddly titled new picture from the masterful Darren Aronofsky is a divisive film that has infuriated some and delighted others.

A much sharper and altogether more accomplished biblical allegory than the filmmaker’s heavy-handed Noah, mother! conveys the feeling of an extended fever dream, much like a nightmare scene from Black Swan extended to feature length.

Set in a secluded Victorian house, it follows an obsessive poet (Javier Bardem) and his young wife (Jennifer Lawrence) who must deal with the arrival of a number of unannounced guests with unexpected consequences.

The focus of the film is on Lawrence’s character, who is subjected to increasing tension. Rejecting any kind of realism, the film progresses like a raging wildfire, climaxing in a scene of utter destruction. Those hoping for conventional horror are bound for disappointment, as this is an artful mind game that defies traditional storytelling.

It is an experience both intensely creepy and thoroughly entertaining. The film unfolds with a dose of humour, taking great pleasure in creating multiple levels of meaning with every turn. Sure to provoke heated debates and fanatical analysis, mother! is an absolute success. A puzzling, unpredictable and uniquely cinematic treat.

While mother! is already out in theatres, most of the films screened at TIFF will take longer to get to you. When they do, you should also look out for Joachim Trier’s stunningly shot Thelma and Martin McDonagh’s gripping Three Billboards Outside of Ebbing, Missouri.

Photo by Elijah Bukreev

Categories
Arts

Big films make their big debut at TIFF

Graphic by Tom Bell

The Toronto International Film Festival screen is alive with foreign films this fall

As the mid-way point of the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) draws near, the streets of the city get evermore crowded with journalists and visiting stars. For both obsessive and casual film lovers, here is a short report from the scene.

Korean master of film Park Chan-wook’s The Handmaiden is, in my opinion, one of the best films of the festival and of the year. It is a tense and visually exquisite erotic thriller that starts as a gothic melodrama, and gradually descends into the hell of perversion and violence that you would expect from the man who directed Oldboy. It’s sure to be a special experience if you’ve never heard of Sarah Waters’ novel, Fingersmith, which the film is based on, but I won’t tell you why.  What I can tell you is that it will leave you with some added understanding of the long-standing Japanese tradition of tentacle porn.

Maintaining the same level of perversion, Paul Verhoeven’s Elle is a shocking and darkly funny French thriller starring the excellent Isabelle Huppert. The film starts with a rape—careful, it has trigger warning written all over it. It is being promoted as a revenge story, but that’s not what it is, and even the ‘whodunit’ is not always central to the plot. Instead, it’s a surreal look at sexual passion and family dynamics, which are shown in an unconventional light. Although it sometimes feels a bit too cynical and calculated, the film is nonetheless a treat. A particularly memorable Christmas Eve dinner is one of its highlights.

No movie generated as much talk at this year’s Cannes festival as Toni Erdmann, but for all its strong qualities, it’s hard to understand what made it such a sensation. Its key concept is so exceedingly simple, perhaps it would have worked just as well as a short film, which is odd considering it clocks in at two hours and 42 minutes. What makes it worthwhile, is its touching depiction of a waning father-daughter relationship, the dullness of adult life, and the  magic of childhood—something that can never be truly reclaimed.

Finally, Kim Jee-woon’s The Age of Shadows is a thrilling action drama set, like The Handmaiden, in Japan-occupied Korea—which might give you some insight into current Japanese-Korean relations. Entertaining, brazenly patriotic and ultimately moving, the film was made with a great sense of scope on a remarkably small budget (IMDB estimates it at under $9 million). It’s not as bold as Jee-woon’s The Good, the Bad, the Weird, but features wonderful set pieces and a solid cast, led by Song Kang-ho who plays a man caught between resistance fighters and imperial police.

TIFF, sometimes referred to as “the Cannes of North America,” runs until Sept. 18.

Categories
Opinions

Things that affected us this summer

I did not see the shooter. I did not see a bullet. I did not see any blood. I did not know the loud sounds I heard were gunshots. I saw the chaos. I was alone. I did not know what was happening. I was scared.

I had just finished eating chicken pot pie with my parents at the Canadian Pie Company and looking for a monster costume for my cousin’s fifth birthday present. They dropped me off at the Eaton Centre so I could pick up a pair of shoes I had tried on earlier that day. They went to look at apartments and agreed to pick me up as soon as I was finished. Just before 6 p.m., I called and told them I was done. My mom asked if I wouldn’t mind hanging around the mall a little while longer—they had one more apartment they wanted to see.

Shortly after this conversation, I found myself on the second floor, immediately above the Urban Eatery. I walked south towards Queen Street and made my way down the escalator directly in the middle of the mall, on route to Shoppers Drug Mart to kill some time. On my descent, I heard popping noises, and remember thinking that they sounded like balloons bursting.

The next few moments were chaos. I saw a crowd of people whip around from the backside of the escalator I was riding and start to run up as quickly as they could. I remember the faces. The panic I felt prompted me not to think about why they wore those expressions, but only to run. I sprinted up the “down” escalator as quickly as I could, and ran into the closest store— Guess Accessories.

In hindsight, this was not the best decision, since a child playing hide and go seek would know not to choose to hide in an open-concept white store, surrounded only by glass.

A group of about ten of us were ushered by a woman who worked at the store into the employee room at the back. The woman came in, and told us we were on lockdown— the store had received a message that there was a shooter in the mall. Those were the only details we received. I hid behind a couch, beside a mother and her daughter.

I don’t know how long we were in the back room. It was a precarious situation to be in. I was unsure of how the situation would unfold. I sent a brief text message to my mom at 6:33 p.m. Someone is shooting in the mall…I’m safe and in the back of a store.

The store was notified to open its doors and we were told that we could leave. While we were huddled in the room, a woman who worked at the store told me that that was the second time they were notified to go on lockdown. Something had happened a few moments earlier and they had been notified to close the store, but she told me they had received a message telling them everything was fine and to reopen. After hearing this, I chose not to leave the store immediately. I did not want to go back into the mall if it wasn’t safe. It was a bizarre feeling—I knew I had to go back if I wanted to get out.

When I left the employee room, a woman stood at the front of the store and yelled at me to run as fast as I could towards the nearest exit. It was only then that I realized how disoriented I had been running up the escalator. I could have hung a right instead of going into the store and been safe and out on Yonge Street in a few seconds.

I ran out as fast as I could before the building was locked down. I still had no idea what had just happened but what I did know was that I wanted to get the hell away. I ran down Yonge Street until I was away from the mall. I called my parents, who had not heard from me since the text message—it had been about half-an- hour. They came to pick me up, and on the drive home told me that they wanted to call me right after the text message was sent, but decided not to in case my phone rang and the shooter found me where I was hiding.

It is one month later and I don’t know how to explain what I am feeling except rattled. It seems so ludicrous to me that so many of us, right at the epicenter of the shooting, only found out what happened inside the mall days after the fact and are continuing to be filled in on the details weeks later.

There are thousands of perspectives and so many details that people will carry with them forever. It did not feel real until I read and saw news reports about what had happened. I left Toronto the next day, and started my first day of journalism school here at Concordia the day after that. It felt both unsettling and liberating for me to leave the city immediately after the shooting.

Two men were killed as a result of the shooting and six were injured in the gunfire. Of the fatally wounded, one was killed instantly and one remained in critical condition until June 11, when he died as a result of his injuries. One of the surviving victims, a 13-year-old boy, was shot in the head while in the food court with his mother and older sister. He was released from hospital a week later, wearing a custom helmet to protect the part of his skull that was removed to reduce brain swelling.

The motive behind the shooting was believed to have been a personal dispute between the shooter and the two men who died—all members of the same gang. The alleged shooter currently faces two first-degree murder charges and six counts of attempted murder.

I did not know the young boy who was shot in the head, the two men who died, or any of the other victims, but feel connected in some eerie way to the people who just happened to be inside the mall on that Saturday afternoon.

Categories
Music

If practice makes perfect, The Weeknd could use a little work

The Weeknd is a newcomer in the R&B music industry; his debut mixtape House of Balloons recently celebrated its one-year anniversary. Hype surrounding the Toronto artist is almost unbelievable considering his lack of stage experience and radio play. Regardless, Montreal was pumped up and ready for his sold out show Friday night at Metropolis.
Abel Tesfaye is the real name of the man behind the mysterious digital albums, which are available for free on his website. He’s received praise from Pitchfork and Rolling Stone, and House of Balloons was nominated for a 2011 Polaris Music Prize. The Weeknd is known for his crooning soprano voice, which hits falsetto notes effortlessly. The real question was whether his live performance could live up to his studio material.
Approximately 2,000 people filled the venue. The doors opened at 6 p.m., but unfortunately for those standing, an average DJ mixed tracks until 9 p.m. The audience was sedated with boredom, yet still anticipated the show.
Once the DJ left the stage, the energy immediately picked up. The lights dimmed, excited shrieks vibrated throughout the room, and cell phones flew into the air, preparing to document the 22-year-old’s first steps on the stage.
Opening with “High For This,” one of his better-known songs, was a wise choice. Backed by a three-piece band, The Weeknd swayed and jumped around the stage in an attempt to win over the crowd. For an artist who has performed live very little, his effort to engage the audience was valiant, but lacked practice.
Another song that stood out in his performance was “The Zone.” His fans sang along passionately, watching black and white images of nearly naked women projected on a screen behind him.
For the song titled “Montreal,” The Weeknd aimed the mic at the audience, encouraging them to keep singing along.
His set list featured songs from all three of his mixtapes. His voice proved to be genuine, and not enhanced with studio effects. But too often, he sang incomplete sentences or avoided the lyrics altogether. However, his effort at Michael Jackson-like dancing across the stage compensated for his vocals many times.
When the beat for “The Morning” started, the crowd went insane. He also sang “The Fall,” “House Of Balloons/Glass Table Girls,” and “Loft Music.” After his performance, which didn’t seem to last as long as a typical concert, he came back out for an encore: an acoustic performance of “Wicked Games.”
The Weeknd will be back in Montreal for Osheaga in August, after a European tour and performing at Coachella. Hopefully the young artist will develop a better stage presence between now and this summer and will return to Montreal with even more hysteria than before.

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Music

Mixtape : Canadian Music Week

From March 21 until March 25, Toronto will be taken over by bands from all over Canada and the rest of the world during the nation’s biggest music industry event. The conference is celebrating its 30th birthday this year and will bring together not only a ton of musicians, but will also provide conferences, workshops, a comedy festival and an award show, on top of delivering Canada’s biggest new music festival. The Canadian Music Festival includes more than 900 bands from over 40 countries, performing at more than 60 live venues in downtown Toronto. Unfortunately, as students, most of us either won’t have the time or the money to attend, so as an absolutely incomparable consolation prize, I’ve compiled this mixtape to simulate being there. I’m sorry and you’re welcome, all at once.

Listen to the mixtape here: 8tracks.com/the_concordian/CMW2012

SIDE A: Homegrown
1. “Leaves, Trees, Forest” – Dan Mangan – Oh Fortune
2. “Body Parts” – The Pack A.D. – Unpersons
3. “Paddle and Row” – Gabrielle Papillon – The Wanderer
4. “Hope for the Flowers” – Rich Aucoin – We’re All Dying to Live
5. “Tiger” – The Balconies – Kill Count
6. “Seed of Love” – Ben Caplan & the Casual Smokers – In the Time of the Great Remembering
7. “Panorama” – Daniel Lanois – Belladonna
8. “Took a Train to India” – Eight and a Half – Scissors
9. “Fever Stricken Night” – Gloryhound – Electric Dusk
10. “Missing” – Hands & Teeth – Hunting Season

SIDE B: Come From Aways
11. “Make Light” – Passion Pit – Manners
12. “Stay Useless” – Cloud Nothings – Attack On Memory
13. “Down River” – The Temper Trap – Conditions
14. “Old Friend” – Caveman – CoCo Beware
15. “Put Some Red On It” – Spoek Mathambo – Single
16. “Travel As Equals” – Joseph Arthur – Redemption City
17. “Young Man Blues” – The Bright Light Social Hour – New Year’s Live
18. “Vampires in Love” – A Great Big Pile of Leaves – Have You Seen My Prefrontal Cortex?
19. “Drive By” – Train – Single
20. “Lighter Side” – Benjamin Winter – The Wind Blows Way Up High

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