In a couple of days, Montreal’s summer festival season kicks off, and not a moment too soon! Don’t get me wrong, I appreciate the winter and spring-time festivals for keeping our beautiful city alive as we all hibernate, but nothing compares to sunny days spent singing songs outside with complete strangers, all bound together by our love for music. In Montreal, our festival season starts with the Francos de Montréal, an eight day festival putting the spotlight on Francophone music. Personally, this is my favourite music festival our city offers. There is so much local talent and every genre is included, making sure that everyone gets to leave having found a new band to add to their Bandcamp wishlist.

Occurring from May 20th to the 24th, this year’s East Coast Music Awards week was held in Sydney, Nova Scotia. A round-trip of 3000 kilometers, and gas prices nearing two dollars a litre, attending was far from a casual decision. Still, as a broadcaster with CJLO 1690 AM and host of Eastern Promises - a show dedicated to bringing the music of the East Coast to Montreal audiences - I felt the pilgrimage would prove worthwhile.

In my anniversary review for The Devil Wears Prada, I expressed my hesitancy regarding the movie’s sequel. Although it certainly cannot hold a candle to its predecessor, I am pleased to report that The Devil Wears Prada 2 is an enjoyable movie with a bleeding heart at its core. 

“How do you say ‘I’m pregnant’ in French?” Lillie West of Lala Lala asked us, “It’s probably like ‘I have’ or something,” the indie singer had just impressed us with her mediocre yet competent French. The audience chimed in with various pregnancy phrases, “yeah, I have that,” Lillie confirmed. Despite being four months pregnant while on tour, Lala Lala delivered a captivating and emotionally laden performance at L’Escogriffe on a chilly Sunday night.