RSS
Lakes of Canada Come Out of Hiding to Play Osheaga Opening Party
Montreal’s own Lakes of Canada have been on a bit of a hiatus lately. After months on the road, Jake, Conor, Sarah and Caleb have been in the realm of the musician’s existence that privileges long days in the studio over long nights playing to noisy rooms. Luckily for us though, an offer to play a slot at the opening party of one of their favourite festivals coaxed them out of seclusion.
Looking forward to the show, three of the band’s four members sat down on a sunny terrace in Mile-Ex to tell me a bit about what they’ve been working on, making ends meet as an artist, and climate change. We also talked about how to prepare artichokes, why women should rule the world, and even gave their bassist a new nickname.
Jake, Caleb and I got things started with a round of cherry sours and an quick culinary lesson on the mysterious artichoke. Apparently a man of many talents, Jake explains that you simply steam them whole, dip the leaves individually in butter, and are rewarded by the succulent heart. Brilliant in its simplicity. Thank you, Jake.
Shortly after, Conor arrived and then we got down to business. Right off the bat the guys were discussing a new (and for the time being, secret) deal with Netflix. It’s a project they got through a partnership with Third Side Music. The band has been supplementing their revenue through projects with the synchronization licensing & copyright administration company since last April, and it’s helped make music a viable full-time career. “The band has a lot more income than we’re used to,” Jake explains. “It’s the only way musicians are making money these days.”
It’s a pretty straightforward process that provides musicians with projects, so they can benefit from royalty cheques and keep thing afloat financially. As Conor puts it, “As long as were forced to live under capitalist restraints, money is something I’d like to have.”
Not to say they don’t work hard for this; all multi-instrumental musicians, these guys take what they do seriously and are always looking to push the boundaries of what they can accomplish as a group. When asked how he ended up playing lead guitar line and a drum beat at the same time, Conor responds that when Jake asked if he could do it in rehearsal, he said, “I don’t know, I’ll try.” Long story short, he can and he does.
Caleb, the newest member of the group, is also a multi-instrumental talent, with a “puppy-dog” quality and a penchant for gas prices; the new bassist’s boyish charm lends a degree of levity to the group. The youngest member, he has already had an entertaining rotation of nicknames. From “new buddy” to “full-man puppy,” his latest moniker, inspired by a road trip pastime and an attempt to assert dominance, will remain known only to myself and the band.
Returning to business, I asked about whether they pursued providing the music for the hit series, The Handmaid’s Tale, a TV show based on the same Margaret Atwood novel from which their second album, Transgressions, draws inspiration. They explained that there were negotiations, but that ultimately the show’s creators wanted to go with all female musicians. It was a decision well respected by the band and that prompted Jake to go on a charming rant about how he can’t believe how women still don’t rule the world.
He also said he loved the series, what he felt to be a solid adaptation of the book that had such a big impact on him. Speaking of how Atwood and other speculative-fiction writers are becoming increasingly relevant, Jake notes that “it’s crazy because we are closer to that reality than when I read it, let alone when she wrote it. It’s really terrifying.” Mentioning the #letsmargaretatwoodfictionagain hashtag, the guys all agreed that now is the time to take action.
Which lead us to the topic of their new album: climate change. Although this album isn’t based on a specific work and draws its inspiration from a larger pool, Jake states that science and speculative fiction continues to inform his song writing. Noting Octavia E. Butler, Ursula K. Le Guin and others among his influences, the album is an attempt to confront the reality of our times and imagine an alternative future.
Despite its looming inescapability, climate change is a notoriously tough topic to tackle creatively. It’s an ambitious task and the band has been working hard to bring their vision to life. Formally trained musicians with an appreciation for the narrative and storytelling capacity of songwriting and performance, this band clearly has lots to say and we can expect to continue seeing them come up with inventive ways to say it. Come hear what they’ve been working on this Thursday at Divan Orange, and get a taste of the dystopian instrumental panoply that only Lakes of Canada can create.
NEWS FOR WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 2ND 2017
Hosted by Patricia Petit Liang
Stories by Allison O'Reilly and Patricia Petit Liang
Produced by Patricia Petit Liang
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
LOCAL
By Patricia Petit Liang
Kanesatake Mohawks protested construction on their territory on Tuesday.
According to CTV News, the province of Quebec cut down several trees and began building houses and hydro poles next to The Pines: the territory where the 1990 Oka Crisis took place.
Mohawk activist Ellen Gabriel and other protesters marched through the housing development and will continue to speak out until justice is served.
NATIONAL
By Allison O’Reilly
Officials from the city of Thunder Bay, Fort William First Nation, and the Nishnawbe Aski Nation signed a document on Tuesday pledging to make the city a more welcoming and accepting place for First Nations students and families.
According to CBC News, the Statement of Commitment to First Nation Youth and Families is a response to a call from Grand Chief of the Nishnawbe Aski Nation Alvin Fiddler over the issue of student safety in the city.
In July, Fiddler asked to declare a state of emergency in Thunder Bay, in response to the killings of 7 Indigenous students since 2000.
INTERNATIONAL
By Patricia Petit Liang
A suicide attack on a mosque in the Afghan city of Herat killed more than 29 people and hurt 64 others on Tuesday.
According to Reuters, more than 1,700 civilians have been killed in Afghanistan since the beginning of the year.
This tragedy comes after another attack took place on a 12th century mosque 2 months ago.
The Hillside Music Festival in Pictures
01. Happy Hillside is a common greeting at the festival.
The thirty-fourth edition of Hillside Music Festival took place over the July 16th weekend. Taking place over three days in the scenic Guelph Island Lake, this edition of the festival holds up with the best acts and lives up to its history of over thirty years. The theme this year at Hillside was resistance.
It is through resistance that we can build stronger communities and stronger bonds. We must resist the lines of thinking that tell us to separate ourselves along gender or racial lines, or that tell us we’re too different to get along.
The artists leading the resistance charge were Leonard Sumner, prominent in the Idle No More movement, the long-time hero of the working man Billy Bragg, and closing the festival was the environmental warrior Xavier Rudd. Not to think that it was all politics: there were plenty of bands that got people up and dancing, like the Los Angeles band Les Cafeteras and bluegrass pickers Murder Murder. CJLO’s hometown of Montreal was represented by The Barr Brothers, The Franklin Electric, Lisa LeBlanc and Coeur de pirate.
02. Ron Hawkins of the Toronto band The Lowest of the Low belts out the tunes. Lawrence Nichols on harmonica.
03. Idle No More activist Leonard Sumner.
04. One crowded tent for the Hillside Bluegrass Jam featuring The Blurry Pickers and Murder Murder.
05. The Barr Brothers sharing at the microphone.
06. Jasmyn Burke of the Weaves.
07. A packed tent for Billy Bragg and friends during the “Stop, Hey, What’s That Sound” protest song workshop.
08. Members of Las Cafeterias putting on the moves during the Richie Valens classic blowout “La Bamba.”
09. John Matte of the Montreal band The Franklin Electric.
10. Halifax’s indie pop band Century Egg was one of the many pleasant surprises at the festival.
11. Francophone singer Klô Pelgag and her band.
12. Crowd surfing at a folk festival? Why not!
13. Billy Bragg and Joe Henry at the main stage.
14. One of many anonymous volunteers that make Hillside Festival possible.
15. Lisa LeBlanc having fun.
16. Murder Murder took no prisoners.
17. Returning to the festival, Canadian country singer Lindi Ortega.
18. Xavier Rudd closed out the festival with a stunning performance.
19. Coeur de pirate on the main stage Saturday night.
20. Closing blowout brought to you by Weaves.
NEWS FOR MONDAY, JULY 31ST 2017
Hosted by Patricia Petit Liang
Stories by Karl Knox, Jeremiah Ho and Allison O'Reilly
Produced by Patricia Petit Liang
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
LOCAL
By Allison O’Reilly
A Montreal taxi driver had his license revoked, more than a year after complaints were made about his behavior.
According to CBC News, Ben Romdhane Lotfi was arrested by Montreal police in November and was charged with 3 counts of sexual assault.
The Transport Commission ruled last Friday that Lofti could no longer drive a cab, stating that his actions were “not justifiable.”
NATIONAL
By Jeremiah Ho
Ada Lockridge of the Aamjiwnaang First Nation is taking Ontario to court over the province’s failure to conduct an air quality review that it promised to do 8 years ago.
According to CTV News, the Ministry of Environment agreed to review air pollution regulation by industrial facilities around the community in 2009.
Industrial sources of pollution are located directly across the Aamjiwnaang reserve and are believed to be a danger to the community.
INTERNATIONAL
By Karl Knox
Venezuela's election of a new assembly ended with the deaths of more than 10 people, including an election candidate and an opposition youth activist.
According to BBC News, the new assembly was elected so that President Nicolás Maduro’s government could rewrite the constitution and override Venezuela's congress.
Protests continued on Sunday despite being banned across the country and will continue for the rest of this week.
Venezuela, a major oil producer and the country that holds the world's largest reserves of crude oil, has been gripped by political conflict since 2014, with soaring inflation and daily food shortages.
The Collective - Panels & Performances
This is CJLO's second event on mental health awareness!
Due to the success of the first event we are back with more performances and a special panel discussion on mental health. Join us August 15th, 8pm at Le Divan Orange as we create space for people of all abilities to express their experiences with and engage with others about mental health.
Let's erase stigma through education and visibility.
Performers include: Selena Mae, HYRE, Maria Em, Everest Chomolungma, Lucas Charlie Rose, Darcy Valentine Stack, Heather Eaton, The Collective, and more!
CJLOXJFL: AUNTY DONNA'S SMOOTH MOVES TAKE MONTREAL BY STORM
Australian comedy group and YouTube sensations Aunty Donna took Montreal by storm with their outstanding 3 man variety show at The Mainline Theatre. People from all across Canada came to Montreal to watch Mark Samual Bonanno, Broden Kelly and Zachary Ruane perform their incredible first show in the city. Aunty Donna’s super smooth moves captivated their audiences and it’s no surprise that they made the cover of this week’s Montreal Gazette!
Aunty Donna’s New Show is a wild celebration of comedy, dance, music and death-defying acrobatics. Aunty Donna’s sketches are vibrant, energetic and meticulously coordinated to electronic pop tunes. Sound designer and composer Tom Armstrong created an outstanding soundtrack for the show, taking the comedy group’s performance to a whole new level! Their comedy is dark, charming, sexy, silly and 100% self-aware - with everything carefully thought out and choreographed. Aunty Donna’s New Show is unlike any other show you’ll see at the Just For Laughs Festival, pushing the boundaries of comedy to create something beautiful, exciting and profoundly surreal.
Bonanno, Kelly and Ruana are some of the smartest and hardest working performers in comedy. The trio’s New Show featured plenty of fun, original games and audience participation that made the evening feel really special. The trio cares deeply for their audiences and hilariously incorporates them into their comedy. One of their most controversial acts, involving a character named “Lord Whoopie” involves roasting hapless audience members by making them the butt of several fart jokes (pun intended). Aunty Donna were so charming that everyone in the audience enjoyed the silly fart jokes and had a great time.
Seeing Aunty Donna live is very different from watching their YouTube videos as the three cleverly work elements of theatre and loads of physicality in their New Show. Aunty Donna are constantly running, dancing and leaping across the room, contorting their bodies cartoonishly and unleashing their frantic energy for all to see. Aunty Donna’s raw passion, nerve, chemistry and talent are absolutely thrilling to see in person and will leave you in disbelief!
What are you waiting for?! Come watch them pretend to be Ellen DeGeneres, kiss each other and drink the Cordial in their New Show while you still can! Aunty Donna’s shows are an exciting experience you’ll never forget!
Don’t miss Aunty Donna’s last Montreal shows on July 26th, including All Access Live hosted by Mike Birbiglia at Club Soda located on 1225 St Laurent Blvd and Aunty Donna’s New Show at The Mainline Theatre located at 3997 Boulevard Saint-Laurent!
-------
This is all part of CJLO 1690AM's coverage of the Just For Laughs Festival. Founded in 1983, Just For Laughs is the largest international comedy festival in the world! For more information and to buy tickets, check out www.hahaha.com before they're all sold out!
Fatal Attraction is a surreal comedy talk show hosted by Patricia Petit Liang. Tune in every Thursday from 12PM-1PM to hear her meditate, play weird YouTube videos and give really bad advice!
Audio Documentaries: Bicycles Against Poverty & Finding Diana
Tune into CJLO 1690AM this Thursday, July 27th at 11 AM to hear two audio documentaries produced by Travis Sandeson, who is working as a communications director for CEED Concordia this summer.
CEED is a non-profit organization based in both Montreal and Gulu, Uganda, which views youth as the change agents in their communities.
Each year, an equal number of students from Concordia University and various universities from around Uganda meet in Gulu to develop and work on projects that aim to benefit those involved as well as those in Gulu.
Travis has produced both written material as well as radio documentaries that reflects his experiences with the people of Uganda.
Bicycles Against Poverty
Bicycles Against Poverty is a Gulu-based social enterprise that seeks to make affordable transportation available to small, farmer-run cooperatives in northern Uganda. Travis spent a day with them when they made a bicycle delivery to a small village called Lalogi, approximately 40 kilometres southeast of Gulu.
Finding Diana
In Uganda, a popular form of public transport is the "boda boda." These are basically motorbikes and riders who pick up and drop off people much the same as taxi would, but a lot less expensive. It is a common industry all over the country. What is uncommon is a woman doing it, and in this case why she's doing it. This is the story of Diana.
To learn more about CEED Concordia, visit http://ceedconcordia.org/en/
NEWS FOR WEDNESDAY, JULY 26TH 2017
Hosted by Patricia Petit Liang
Stories by Allison O'Reilly and Patricia Petit Liang
Produced by Patricia Petit Liang
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
LOCAL
By Patricia Petit Liang
A 33 year old pregnant woman lost her child after being stabbed by her partner Sofiane Ghazi on Monday.
According to CTV News, police had visited their home several hours before the killing took place to respond to a domestic dispute call.
Although the woman survived the attack, Ghazi was charged with first-degree murder and attempted murder along with other charges as their child died shortly after being delivered via emergency C-section.
NATIONAL
By Paricia Petit Liang
Alberta is the latest province to make the abortion pill free to any woman who requests it.
According to CTV News, the pill may be used to terminate pregnancies of up to 49 days.
Women will be required to undergo an ultrasound before taking the pill to rule out potential health risks.
INTERNATIONAL
By Allison O’Reilly
Russian human rights group Memorial has released the names of 13 detainees said to have been shot by police in Chechnya.
According to BBC News, the Russian newspaper Novaya Gazeta reported that 27 Chechen prisoners were shot dead in secret in January.
Memorial says it pressed Chechen officials for information on the missing men, and were told they couldn’t confirm if they were dead or alive.
CJLOXJFL: DEBRA DIGIOVANNI IS CANADA'S SWEETHEART
Canada’s sweetheart Debra DiGiovanni made her 9th appearance at The Just For Laughs Festival with her hilarious solo show at Place des Arts! DiGiovanni provides her audiences with an energetic hour of delightfully dark, self-deprecating humour. DiGiovanni enthusiastically delivers such vivid, relatable jokes that will make you laugh so hard you’ll cry!
Opening for DiGiovanni last night was the beautiful, pop-culture-obsessed, fashion-hungry and unforgettable comedienne Tranna Wintour! Wintour did an amazing set about her experiences with fragile straight men and her love of strong, female stars like Sarah Jessica Parker. Wintour’s witty insights on heteronormativity and pop culture are so refreshing and wonderful to hear! Wintour serves pure comedy and glamour, charming audience members to pieces with her legendary performances!
DiGiovanni is equally as unforgettable as Wintour, giving one of the best shows this year’s festival has to offer! DiGiovanni performs with such passion and excitement, engaging her audiences by recounting her incredibly relatable life experiences! During her show, DiGiovanni talks about Montreal’s attractive men, what it’s like to live alone as well as in Los Angeles, masturbation, creepy suitors, asserting dominance over her twin and her obsession with violent TV shows where people are murdered!
It’s an absolute blast to watch DiGiovanni perform! Her twisted comedy is brutally honest yet lighthearted. The outrageously charming and beloved DiGiovanni can make even the scariest of topics into something hilarious and sweet. If you can only see one show at the festival this year, it has to be DiGiovanni’s!
Don’t miss Debra DiGiovanni until July 29th at Place Des Arts’ Salle Claude-Léveillée located at 175 Saint-Catherine Street!
-------
This is all part of CJLO 1690AM's coverage of the Just For Laughs Festival. Founded in 1983, Just For Laughs is the largest international comedy festival in the world! For more information and to buy tickets, check out www.hahaha.com before they're all sold out!
Fatal Attraction is a surreal comedy talk show hosted by Patricia Petit Liang. Tune in every Thursday from 12PM-1PM to hear her meditate, play weird YouTube videos and give really bad advice
NEWS FOR MONDAY, JULY 24TH 2017
Hosted by Patricia Petit Liang
Stories by Karl Knox, Jeremiah Ho and Allison O'Reilly
Produced by Patricia Petit Liang
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
LOCAL
By Jeremiah Ho
A 30 year-old-man died after falling from Mount Royal early Sunday morning.
According to CBC News, the man slipped and fell 10 metres while walking with his wife near a cliff.
He was found in cardiorespiratory arrest and with serious injuries, and was declared dead in hospital.
NATIONAL
By Allison O’Reilly
A transgender inmate in British Columbia has won the right to serve the remainder of her sentence in a women’s prison, following years of battling in court.
According to CTV News, Fallon Aubee is one of the first federal prisoners to relocate under policy changes at Correctional Services Canada allowing inmates to transfer facilities based on gender identity and not physical anatomy.
Aubee was convicted in 2003 for a gang-related killing that took place in Saskatchewan about 10 years earlier.
She has been working for at least 10 years to transfer to a women's prison.
INTERNATIONAL
By Karl Knox
At least 9 people in San Antonio, Texas have died as a result of a human smuggling operation gone wrong.
According to BBC News, 8 bodies were found in the back of a tractor-trailer in a Walmart parking lot along with 30 other people - 1 of whom died later in the hospital.
Officials claim that the victims were killed by extreme heat and dehydration.
60 year old truck driver and owner of the trailer, James Matthew Bradley Jr was arrested and will appear in court in the weeks to come.
Pages
Staff Login | Advertise | Our Location | RSS | Contact Us
