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High Notes and Hip-Hop: The O CANADABIS Tour 2025 Blazes Through Place Bell
Cypress Hill’s O CANADABIS 2025 Tour came to Place Bell on May 20th, featuring The Pharcyde and De La Soul. Each of these groups are extremely important in Hip-Hop history, redefining the genre and inspiring future generations of artists.
The Pharcyde was the first group to perform, my personal favourite of the trio. Their 1995 album Labcabincalifornia, produced by J Dilla, is a summer staple, with appealing melodies and sharp lyrics. J Dilla's influence on the album cannot be understated, with his album Donuts maintaining cult classic status to this day. The current members of The Pharcyde are Fatlip (Derrick Stewart) and Slimkid3 (Tre Hardson). The Pharcyde brought a uniquely West Coast flavour to the burgeoning alternative hip hop movement. Their music was introspective yet humorous, funky yet emotionally raw. Their breakout hit "Passin' Me By" is still one of hip hop's most enduring songs about heartbreak. At most concerts, the opening acts are lesser known than the main act, but The Pharcyde defied this stereotype with audience members singing and dancing along to their most iconic songs.
De La Soul helped redefine hip hop in the late '80s and early '90s. Established in Long Island, New York, their 1989 debut, 3 Feet High and Rising, was produced by Prince Paul. Their debut album broke from the dominant hard-edged sound of the time, offering a more playful, surreal, and sample-heavy style. With skits, layered references, and themes of peace and individuality, they pioneered what became known as alternative hip-hop. The performance by Posdnuos (Kelvin Mercer) and Maseo (Vincent Mason) was emblematic of classic hip-hop, engaging the crowd but also surprising newer listeners with their ingenuity.
The final group was Cypress Hill, who started their set with an energetic performance by DJ Lord on vinyl. From California, Cypress Hill’s self-titled 1991 debut album established them as the first Latino American hip hop group to go platinum. Their 1993 album Black Sunday also went platinum and contains the majority of their most popular songs. Alongside DJ Lord, the band officially includes B-Real (Louis Freese), Sen Dog (Senen Reyes), DJ Muggs (Lawrence Muggerud), Eric Bobo, and Mellow Man Ace (Ulpiano Sergio Reyes). They introduced a dark, hazy sound marked by DJ Muggs’ hypnotic beats and B-Real’s nasal delivery. They're known for fusing rap with rock and for their relentless advocacy of cannabis legalization, making them early mainstream voices for marijuana culture in hip hop.
Specifically during the performance by Cypress Hill, the entire Place Bell stadium smelled like cannabis, with the band continuously chanting, “get high with us”. Each member had a personal joint, and many audience members brought their own and would light them alongside the band. The Place Bell security attempted to discourage the patrons from smoking inside the venue, but the affirmations of the band overruled their attempts.
Although Cypress Hill, De La Soul, and The Pharcyde didn’t collaborate much during their early careers, their presence together on the O CANADABIS 2025 Tour felt anything but random. All three groups emerged in the late '80s and early '90s as boundary-pushers who expanded what hip hop could sound like—and who it could be for. While rap was dominating radio waves, these artists took a unique path, embracing introspection, humour, and social commentary.
Together, these groups challenged the genre’s conventions—lyrically, musically, and culturally. They were unafraid to be weird, playful, or philosophical. They made space for outcasts and misfits, and their success helped prove there was an audience hungry for something different. On stage, that legacy is still alive. Their Laval performances weren’t just a throwback; they were a powerful reminder that hip hop’s most enduring innovators are often the ones who never quite fit the mould in the first place.
YWHW Nailgun Brings Perfectly Orchestrated Chaos to L'Escogriffe
YHWH Nailgun hit Montreal this Wednesday night as one of their last stops on the Healing Chariot Tour. After touring the UK, US and Canada, they’ve evidently gained momentum. The four-man experimental rock group have found their groove, bestowing as much of a musical experience as one of performance. YHWH (pronounced Yahweh) has a certified fresh noise; their first album, 45 Pounds, draws from various aspects of punk and progressive rock with synth and avant-garde sounds, and they erratically create a distinctive and affective sound. Made up of Zack Borzone on vocals, Saguiv Rosenstock on guitar, Jack Tobias on synth and electronics and Sam Pickard on drums, each bringing a crucial and equally enriching role. With the use of a rototom drum, allowing for a quick change in pitch, Pickard adeptly creates highly precise and sharp sounds, resonant of progressive rock rhythms but generationally evolved. Notes of industrial come in with haunting screeches and atmospheric synths, rising and falling.
They’ve cultivated a strong rapport with silence and tension, both through their music and performance. The quick pauses and moments of breath are quite notable in their music and even more tangible when versed live. Throughout the set, with thick air and a swaying mosh pit, in the times in between songs, Borzone stands silently staring down the crowd. His eyes dart from person to person, and his presence holds everyone’s attention in the room as a typically unconventional silence falls into normality. Somehow, one of the most intimate and effective crowd interactions I’ve witnessed, with little to no words directly spoken. As the sonic experience settles in these withheld spaces, slowly but surely, a rising synth reappears; “Animal Death Already Breathing” opens with an almost medieval, soldier chant-esque melody. With that first drum hit, we’re brought right back into the grinding, all-encompassing noise.
The already lively crowd was riled up even further with the band's performance, giving each song their all, coming back stronger with each pause. YHWH Nailgun seems to be bigger than the music itself. With their sound being all at once technical and raw, reminiscent of past influence yet uniquely futuristic in practice, there’s a certain universality to their music. They’ve somehow managed to hit every mark, and in tandem with their presence and identity, an interaction with them, whether streamed online or heard live, is surely unforgettable.
SHEBAD Shines at Blue Dog
With their debut album Music is the Answer, Guelph-based music and art project SHEBAD lay bare their identity, sonically and as a collective. The LP flutters across the worlds of indie neo-soul and experimental R&B, carried along by intricate jazz melodies and intimate, pensive lyrics. They explore themes of human connection, love, community, and spirituality, establishing a clear philosophy in the process - one that can be inferred from the album's title itself, as well as the opening track ‘Love is the Message’. The album left me with a warm first impression of SHEBAD, and I was excited to see their show when I learned they were coming to Montreal.
When I first got to Blue Dog, there was already a growing crowd outside the venue and on the floor. Earlier that day, I met up with SHEBAD’s co-founders Claire Voy and Ciccio Spagnolo to chat about their album, tour life, and more. The duo touched on their approach to live shows, saying that they saw them as opportunities to showcase other layers of their sound that may not translate to listeners in their recorded material. With that conversation fresh in mind and the buzzing energy from the crowd spreading to me, my anticipation grew as I waited for their set to start.
What ensued was a captivating performance filled with a mixture of energy swings and brilliant musicianship. Throughout the night, I was impressed by how SHEBAD connected with us in the crowd, forging new, shared atmospheres at different points in the show. Slower songs like ‘Time Takes Time’ and ‘Love is the Message’, played towards the start of the set, created an intimate mood; their soulful feels made it impossible not to sway to, and be carried along by, the music. Claire’s vocals struck me in these moments as they maintained the same evocative, powerful quality that drew me in when I first heard the group’s music.
They upped the ante when they wanted, using both their artistry and audience engagement to do so. An electric violin solo by Olivia, who also provided backup vocals, was case in point - it lit up the room, raising the overall tempo. Additionally, the other band members would regularly rotate instruments throughout the night, a testament to their skill and cohesion. Between songs, bassist would become keyboardist, who would in turn take their turn at the saxophone, and so on. What resulted were more textured and genre-fluid versions of their songs - it wasn’t just showing off without a purpose. Groovier, more upbeat cuts like ‘Black Walnut’ became even more potent, almost coming alive, which could be felt as the crowd’s dance intensity increased synchronously for these songs. I was seeing, and viscerally feeling, exactly what Claire and Ciccio meant when they explained the new elements that their live performance brings to their music. The night crescendoed towards the end when Claire announced that their drummer, Emmett, “had something to say”. Emmett then went on to deliver a gritty rap verse rife with passion and energy, an energy that was contagious as it sent the room into a frenzy. The verse revealed yet another layer to their collective’s sound and capabilities.
Overall, the show was an immersive journey through the sonic universe of SHEBAD. If you’re a lover of neo-soul, alternative r&b, and honestly just… good music and nice sounds, I highly recommend checking out their album “Music is the Answer” whenever you can.
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Peter Hook Interview - May 19, 2025
That's right, CJLO's got you for an exclusive interview with Peter Hook. Station Manager Lisa can confirm that there's nothing blue about this Monday. Some sneak peaks from the interview include Hooky's latest obsession with the Silver Jews, advice for bands just starting out and what its like to revisit New Order's Get Ready in time for the tour.
Big fan yourself? Make sure to check out Peter Hook and the Light this Thursday, May 22 at MTelus where they will be performing Get Ready in its entirety and a celebration of the best bits from New Order and Joy Division.
Tickets onsale now with Blue Skies Turn Black
Listen to full interview on CJLO's Soundcloud Page
Machinehead, In Flames, Lacuna Coil and Unearth bring an intense and devoted crowd to MTELUS
Machinehead, In Flames, Lacuna Coil and Unearth took over MTELUS on April 27th, 2025. Machinehead is a groove thrash metal band hailing from Oakland, California. Formed in 1991 by vocalist Rob Flynn, they’ve been growing in popularity ever since, quickly taking over the thrash metal scene after their debut album Burn My Eyes hit commercial and critical success straight out of the gate. Their sound has evolved over the years, with each album being different from the last, and even a 1999 foray into nu-metal. They’re a band that’s never strayed away from politics, with anti-war lyrics, public condemnation of the racism in metal, and even what appears to be a Keffiyeh in their official band photo.
Even before the show started at six, a crowd was lining up to get inside MTelus. I was cutting it close, and was anxious to be inside before the first band. Even at this hour, there was a line for In Flames merch. They’re a band that’s hugely popular in Quebec, a province known for being a fan of the melodeath genre of metal. Even more people were waiting on the floor, minutes away from the beginning of Unearth’s set. There was a buzz and energy to the crowd, many older fans in their thirties and forties, as well as some newer fans, and even a few kids. You don’t always have large crowds for the opening band, so it was nice to see the numbers early on.
Metalcore band Unearth, from Boston, Massachusetts, was up first. Unearth opened with “My Will Be Done” off of their 2008 album, The March. Their set was loud, fast, with mosh pits and fans chanting the lyrics. Their brand of metalcore involves rapid-fire riffs with metallic guitar sweeps and chunky breakdowns. They played mostly older songs, with a Black Sabbath riff inserted into “This Lying World”, from their second album, The Oncoming Storm. They also played some more recent ones, and the title track from their new album, The Wretched; The Ruinous. The set was bouncy, high energy, and ended on a great note, with “The Great Dividers” as the closing track, a personal favourite.
Next up was Lacuna Coil. They’re a band with strong aesthetics, wearing corpse paint and elaborate, gothic costumes. It was a lot of fun to dance along to, and the band members seemed to be having fun as well, with lead vocalists Cristina Scabbia and Andrea Ferro singing along to each other’s parts. There was an obvious playfulness and chemistry that resonated through the whole group. The crowd was into it as well, moshing harder than the music called for, with many fans singing the lyrics.
For myself and many other attendees, In Flames were the reason they were there. With the merch line wrapping around the staircase since opening and more In Flames t-shirts than any other type, their popularity in Montreal can’t be overstated. The crowd was dense and energetic, with a group of us waiting on the floor after Lacuna Coil to secure good spots. Today’s In Flames has a solid lineup, with superstar Chris Broderick from Megadeth on guitar, Tanner Wayne on Drums, Dillinger Escape Plan’s Liam Wilson on Bass, and OG members Bjorn Gelotte on guitar and frontman Anders Friden. They were all looking in good spirits and interacting with the crowd, and the lighting was imposing. The set itself was incredible, with thirteen tracks, including many that they rarely play live, some from older tracks, as well as newer songs, and ending with the iconic closing track “My Sweet Shadow”. Their sound was bright, cyber and metallic, and Anders’ voice was the best it has sounded in years. Anders also seemed in a great mood the whole time, joking around with the crowd; it’s clear he’s at ease as a performer. He also took a moment to talk about how crazy the world was, though saying he didn’t want to get political, but that we all need to love and respect each other. An important message in times like these. I just hope In Flames comes back as a headliner soon.
Headlining the night was Machinehead. They’re a four-piece band, with frontman Rob Flynn acting both as vocalist and guitarist. They had a designed visual setup, with spotlights and visuals, different ones for each of the albums. They played one track from almost all of the albums, as well as three from their 2025 release, UNATØNED. The newer tracks feature a different vocal style, with fast–spoken lyrics rather than singing, and shorter track lengths. Their sound is crystal clear, and all the members have a real mastery of their instruments. It was popular with the crowd, which was moshing and singing along nonstop, with the floor remaining packed until the end of the encore song, “Halo”. Frontman Rob Flynn brought hype to the floor, throwing full beers into the crowd (that people actually managed to catch) and telling us that we were the wild ones drinking on a Monday night (it was actually a Sunday, but hey). In all regards, besides knowing the day, Machine Head 100% delivered.
Prison Affair's Egg-Punk Criminals at Le Ritz
Barcelona’s Prison Affair are one of the leading names in the internet-oriented microgenre called egg-punk. Both they and the bands that get grouped in with them are known for short, rapid, abrasive and immediately catchy lo-fi music, often with unintelligibly crunched vocals and cheap keyboard hooks. Their musical identity is then tied near exclusively to the recorded format, as it is impossible to achieve the budget-analog sound in the live setting. After a last-minute Facebook marketplace scramble to grab tickets, I was excited to see what kind of energy they’d bring to the stage.
The three-band event marked the first sold-out show at Le Ritz I’d been to in years. Le Ritz is one of my favourite venues in the city as it lends itself well to three kinds of shows. Touring bands who have not made it big yet, touring bands who used to be famous and have dwindling careers, and bands whose music is too wild to ever sell enough tickets to fill a larger room. A sold-out Ritz show warps these conceptions, but I believe Prison Affair are a solid third type.
I stepped into the show just before the first opener, local band Faze, stepped out onstage. A trombone, glistening in the room's purple and red overhead lighting, suggested something dire to come. Faze are a hardcore four-piece who use wildly delayed vocal shouting over their cacophonous riffing to seep the listener in hot auditory quicksand. The frontman swings his arms around the stage while beaming looks of total panic into the audience. The experience created is one of sinking in a silo. A man kneels overhead, screaming down at you that the freak accident causing you to fall will historically be known as your fault, and that there’s nothing you can do about this. His voice echoing down through the thin steel walls are your last thought before your lungs fill with grain. The tightly packed crowd at first had little movement, which was likely an energy conservation strategy, preparing for two later sets from more established acts. Faze deserved a pit, however, and one was created amidst the frontman finally picking up that trombone and blasting dissonant frequencies into the delayed microphone. The solo evoked witnessing a tragedy while too intoxicated to have any idea how to react. The people were flailing.
Our local Puffer, another name in the egg-punk world, had the shortest set of the night. Their particular brand of screaming and thrashing was more tightly contained. The kind of subdued energy that exploded out of the frontman in short hip thrusts to the sky during his wholly unintelligible screaming pelted the audience with instances of pure rage. The band’s egg-punk ethos transforms onstage into just a hyper-energetic thrash-fest of stupid catchy riffing that makes people bounce as much as mosh. The pit really got going during this time, and despite the packed room, the pit was respected and given ample space to move around. It was around this time that a typical mosh criminal appeared. A bearded man decided to play the role of the knuckle-pusher. The knuckle-pusher will superman you across the pit with the full force of his fist. It’s less than a punch in damage, but it will leave you breathless as you fly to the other side, trying to make sure your balance is kept. There were many victims. As Puffer ended their 15-minute set with their song “Suffering”, I was starting to get fed up with the bearded criminal.
When the trio of Spanish finally had their turn, everybody was ready to unleash the energy they’d been saving for the headliners. The band began dramatically tuning their instruments while bestial gurgling poured from their mouths. The sound of the bass alone could have cut me in half, and I would grow to regret my decision not to bring earplugs. The band didn’t take any breaks for most of their set. An uninterrupted onslaught of short banger after shorter banger persisted. The band’s setlist material ceased to matter at a certain point, as the vocals turned into growling mush and the riffs changed up so often it was nauseating. They followed Puffer’s suit and delivered the shortest headlining act I’ve ever seen, which was exactly what was needed after two other high-velocity performances in the furnace that was quickly becoming of Le Ritz. I was thrown, tossed, punched and spun in the sea of exploding limbs. Balloons were blasted in upward spirals by rapid forehead-butting. One balloon met a muted end as it was launched directly into the disco ball. It felt profound. Somebody, maybe the band themselves, threw a prop jail cell into the pit. The bars were trashed by the mob, bashing into random, unseen hands like a scared sparrow in a glass maze. Every bar was removed from the cell, and whoever brought the prop certainly had no reason to take it home. Eventually, everyone in the room forgot it was Monday. The knuckle-pusher got me with an elbow to the hip, which temporarily dropped me to my knees. The crowd’s protective barrier saved my life and many others that night, stopping the pit once just to allow somebody to tie their shoes. On the subject of shoes, the knuckle-pusher found somebody’s lost left one on the ground during the band’s only pause, and held it up high to return it to its owner. I was briefly sympathetic to this character, and it is not for me to say if this good deed balances out a night of lung-busting strangers. My opinions on him may have finally been sorted, however, when I found myself part of his human shield as he landed back-to-the-floor in the final moments of the band’s final track played. Maybe it was important to have a criminal at a Prison Affair concert.
Big Ideas, Big Feelings: Remi Wolf's Genre-Bending Performance
With a night of unfiltered energy, Remi Wolf brought electrifying chaos and heart to Mtelus on Wednesday, April 23rd. Having loved Remi since before the release of her latest album, Big Ideas, I had been counting down the days until her Montreal stop on the spring leg of her tour.
Although I sadly missed openers Dana and Alden, the energy they left behind was contagious— the crowd was buzzing with anticipation - a little too much of this excitement in some cases. Just minutes before Remi’s set, someone threw up in the pit, a couple of feet from where I stood. A grim start to the evening, and while it was cleaned up, the smell lingered. Still, it was long forgotten when Remi finally took to the stage. Opening with “Cherries & Cream” “Cinderella” and “Pitiful” all from her album Big Ideas, bringing the crowd, me included, into a fever dream.
She welcomed us to the party and asked us to bring our energy, as she would be bouncing off of us, and we would bounce off of her. “And together we’re gonna create this cycle of magic, energetic, magnetic beauty, and we’re all going to elevate to the sky in euphoria; together, tonight.” She even led us through warmups like “stretch your arms, your hips, and your groins!” (her words, not mine) to prepare for the wild ride ahead.
What really sets Remi apart from other performers is her fearless approach to genre-bending. It wasn’t just listening to the live versions of music from my Spotify playlist. No, It was watching Remi Wolf perform her artistry. While her music has a distinct electronic, alternative-pop sound, she took her music and transformed it. Songs like “Alone in Miami” unexpectedly became a rock-metal breakdown; “Sexy Villain” was reimagined into a sultrier jazz ballad. Each track felt new and unpredictable. Having been so used to her distinct and unique sound, transforming into synth-punk, indie rock, jazz, and beyond, wasn’t as disorientating as I would’ve expected. As much as I love her original tracks, it was nice to listen to her music in a different light, especially as it is a twist that only us in the room will ever fully experience.
Overall, the night was a peek into the wonderfully chaotic brain of Remi Wolf. From a wild improv segment where she sang using an audience-suggested phrase on the spot. Transitioning into a hilariously wholesome, animal-themed Macarena intro for “TORO” performed by her band as Remi went crazy on the drums. She even tossed drumsticks into the crowd after the solo. She shared the inspiration behind Big Ideas, explaining how the album was born from journaling her thoughts and feelings as she toured for her album Juno. She urged us to let out our own “big feelings” too. Her vulnerability and authenticity made the show feel less like a polished pop concert and more like an emotional purge, one fueled by laughter, tears, and a lot of weird dancing. After briefly leaving the stage, Remi returned for an encore, closing with a fan favourite “Photo ID”, sending the crowd into one last frenzy.
As a favourite artist of mine, I noticed her vocals were particularly striking live: raw, raspy, even more so with the strain of touring, but her voice was also incredibly powerful. It was especially impressive the way she maintained vocal control while constantly jumping, dancing and high kicking across the stage as though letting the music take control. Executed beautifully as her band matched her dynamic stage presence. You could tell the performance wasn’t overly choreographed, as it wasn’t about giving the audience a good show, but about being present and sharing her art, which made her show a great one.
Remi Wolf’s performance was a cathartic, hilarious, very sweaty, genre-defying experience full of heart, celebrating everything messy and wonderful about being alive.
Micaela is the host of Rhythmic Revolution, on-air Tuesdays 11-12
An Interview with Empanadas Ilegales
I spoke with the jazz-fusion Vancouver band, Empanadas Ilegales yesterday. They're releasing a new album called Sancocho Trifasico on June 6th and they'll also be playing at the Montreal Jazz Fest in July.
Camila Lewandowski is the host of La Panamericana Del Rock.
Discordia 10: Special Live Broadcast!
In the final episode of the series, Piper and Sydney talk to the activists they met over the course of the series about the current state of student activism.
This project is funded by the Community Radio Fund of Canada.
Art by James Fay
National March for Palestine in Ottawa
On Saturday April 12, over 30,000 people from across Canada rallied in front of Ottawa's Parliament Hill, to demand an arms embargo on Israel and an end to Canada's complicity in the genocide against Palestinians in Gaza.
Protesters marched through downtown Ottawa and made it back to Parliament Hill, where they dispersed.
Photo by Hiyam Barakat
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