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This year, the Kalmunity Vibe Collective celebrates their 15-year anniversary. They have provided a creative outlet for musicians, singers, rappers, poets, and dancers by hosting a weekly improvisation night. They got together in 2003 at small venue called Sablo Cafe, founded by drummer Jah Sun, and since then has nurtured aspiring artists to go on stage and express themselves. Some of my closest friends have started with the collective, and now perform around the city, have written books, have put out albums and more.

I had the privilege of attending a few nights for Kalmunity’s Music Week. I was at the first night at Petit Cafe Campus for their House Party with Wayne Tennant headlining, who has been with the collective since the beginning. The show opened up with artists Chanda and JJahnice who both blessed us with their soulful voices. A break was then taken to prepare for Wayne Tennant, and we were left in the hands of DJ Sound Traveler, who did an amazing set with drummers playing along to the beats of the afro funk songs he dropped.

Wayne got on the stage, he performed his house tracks “Mercyless”, and “I’m Done”, songs from his album Life in a Minor Key, as well as new material. It was an incredible performance, and it was great to hear the band play house-style music.

The night ended with an improv set with the musicians and the artists for the night.

I also had a chance to go on day 6 of Kalmunity’s Music Week: the Family Dinner a night of Nu and Jamaican Jazz which happened Sunday at Resonance Cafe. The night featured five talented acts.

The first performer was Nora Toutain. She got her start with the collective and is now studying music. Her performance was soulful and jazzy. I wasn’t there when she first started with the collective, but she is a natural talent.

The second performer was Stella Adjoke, a poet and singer. She performed tracks from her EP Mon Monde. One of them, “Naturelle”, reminded us we are free and liberated us. She encouraged us to be free with our emotions with the track “Laisse couler tes larmes”. Her powerful voice with her slam poetry was something that you feel in your soul. She is a presence.

The third performer, Shem G, is an artist I’ve seen perform in the past at Urban Science and at the CJLO Hip Hop showcase CJLO in October 2017. He is a natural lyricist and freestyle MC. What was different about that night’s performance was that he was producing live on stage with a saxophonist and drummer, when he normally performs with a band. It was a great performance; even as he’s multitasking, he’s energetic, which shows his range and talent as an artist. Definitely a crowd pleaser.

The fourth act was Theo TSA, a 3-piece band composed of a pianist, drummer, and guitarist. They did a jazz set with some experimental elements that reminded me of Robert Glasper.

The final performer was headliner Iba Mahr. He gave an intimate performance and sang about life, love, and the struggles humans face. He also talked and connected with the crowd, making his performance that much more special. It was my first time seeing Iba Mahr perform. People told me that he usually performs with a band, I was happy to see him perform in this setting.

The night was filled with amazing vibes and delicious food. Kalmunity has their jazz night every Sunday at Resonance and every week, you can always catch a beautiful vibe.

Hosted by Jessica Barile

Stories by Patricia Petit Liang

Produced by Jessica Barile

Hosted by Patricia Petit Liang

Stories by Patricia Petit Liang

Produced by Patricia Petit Liang

The Distortion Psychfest returned to Église S-E-J du Mile-End May 9 to 13 2018 for its third edition. The festival showcases some of the best psych, garage, and noise bands from Montreal and beyond. This years edition kicked things off with a double release party — Tel Aviv→New York guitarist Yonatan Gat’s latest LP Universalist, and Montreal band TEKE::TEKE’s debut EP Jikaku. Sheenah Ko which I unfortunately missed, opened the show filling in for Chris Forsyth, and Sunwatchers took care of the music for the after party.

TEKE::TEKE kicked things off on the main stage with  a jammy blend of surf, psych and J-rock. What started off as a tribute band to Japanese guitarist Tekashi Terauchi has expanded their repertoire with original compositions. Their set mostly pulled songs from their new EP, composed of two original compositions and two covers. The band transitioned smoothly from 60’s eleki songs to modern compositions blending a variety of genres. Their greatest asset is their diversified instrumentation. The trombone and flute brought their sound to places a typical psych band can’t go. As the first band I saw at distortion, they set the bar really high.

Yonatan Gat’s set diverged from his previous shows. His band has grown from a trio to a quartet, necessary to perform the expanded sounds on his latest LP. He also took the stage,  rather than his preferred spot on the floor among the crowd. Nevertheless, he delivered a frenetic performance that feels at home on the stage as much as it does on the floor. His set was a nice mix of old and new material, alternating between his middle-eastern sounding psych rock to a much more varied world influenced sound. Missing from the some of the new songs though were brilliantly integrated samples from the recordings of Alan Lomax present on the album. For their final song, they descended onto the floor to make their way through the middle of the crowd. It took a moment for the crowd to react and close in around the band. For someone who has seen him live before, this was an all too short taste of his typical style, but for those unfamiliar with him it got a glimpse of what makes his perfomances unforgettable. They even had an unexpected guest join in for their finale. The saxophonist from Sunwatchers sneaked into the circle to jam with the band. Yonatan Gat is probably one of the most exciting performers I have ever seen and he did not disappoint tonight.

Sunwatchers were left witht the unfortunate job of entertaining the stragglers that remain after 11:30 p.m. on a Wednesday night, which does not include me. I unfortunately only caught the beginning of their set, but I wished I could have stayed a bit longer. Alas, I had work the next morning and the final bus home was leaving soon. The little bit I heard served as a perfect cap off for the night. The eclectic mix of jazz, psych, and krautrock sounds was executed flawlessly. The sax which he had a sneak peak of earlier in the Yonatan Gat set was particularly good. More bands need saxophonists. 

Psych Fest 2018 started off with a bang, let’s hope the rest of it can match the pace this opening night has set.