FRINGE 2015: Fringe Tunes – Mozart's Sister

June 19th. It was the last Friday night of the Fringe Fest.

On the streets of Montreal’s Plateau neighborhood, flocks of cheerful and light-hearted people were meandering from one venue to another hoping to witness their favourite theatre show.

Amidst all of the commotion, I was dashing through the crowded streets to reach my destination when a silhouette – much like a ghost – walked right past me and evaporated into thin air as quickly as it had passed through the doors of le Divan Orange..

Completely unfazed by the unusual yet underwhelming apparition, I continued to walk towards my own finish line.

I opened the door, and right before my eyes, I saw this mysterious silhouette on stage getting ready...

Adorned in a twisted rendition of a 90s bleached Canadian tuxedo (perhaps intended to channel her inner Britney Spears of yesteryear?) – the floating silhouette I saw was that of songstress Caila Thompson-Hannant, also known under her alias Mozart’s Sister. Accompanied by the latest technological innovation in MIDI controllers and launchpads, this eclectic, one-woman electro-popper was ready to perform and test her newest material to an anxious crowd, collectively looking forward to dancing their mojo out.

And I tell you, she didn’t disappoint at all.

She pleased the crowd with her very own uncanny, yet danceable and oh-so-catchy song structure grounded on very strong verses and choruses – with songs such as  "Salty Tear", "Enjoy", and "Don’t Leave It To Me".

Incorporating concoctions of synth loops, cartoonish sound bites and reverbed baby-voice vocals to her powerful and soulful singing, she created a kind of sound she labels as “Weird Pop” — a sound that is reminiscent to artists such as Aqua, early Britney Spears (remember Hit Me Baby One More Time?), and Kashmere Cat.

The work that she puts into her music production is splendid, making her finished work very pleasing to my ears, but seeing her perform before my very eyes is another story. It’s hard to say whether the emotions you feel in her recorded work equate to what you experience live in terms of how she brings together her stage presence and her interaction with the audience.

Her presence was wooden – or in this case (and pardon the pun) – it was plastic, and sarcastically fantastic, just like a Barbie doll.

Beyond instances of gratitude between songs, she expressed a few emotions. So few that it felt empty. And because her heart was so empty, that emptiness unfortunately bled into her performance, disrupting her connection with the audience and making the entire concert experience uncomfortable.

It’s a shame that her absence of human sensitivity might be the reason why she lacks much of the exposure and support towards her great body of work. It’s heartbreaking when you think about it. Moreso if you were there.

The concert ended. I detached myself from the crowd just after her encore. Everything was becoming fuzzy. My eyesight became unfocused as the concrete became abstract. My arms floated around while bodies touched other bodies as the speakers emanated bubbly noises and heavy synths.

Everything became a blur and my eyesight transformed into a misty, sweet-and-sour flavored glittery cloud...drifting within my consciousness.

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For more information about Mozart’s Sister, check out her website!

Joana Cumo is part of CJLO’s Official Fringe Team covering the sights and sounds from the 2015 St-Ambroise Montreal Fringe Festival. Joana hosts Charts and Crafts every second Friday from noon – 2pm; is CJLO's Assistant Promo Director, and occasionally co-hosts Champions of The Local Scene every Wednesday from 6 – 7pm, not to mention the host of her signature radio show Je Suis TBA.

You can contact Joana via email: joanacumo@gmail.com.

Credits: Photomontage by Joana Cumo, and photos provided by Claire Milbrath.