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Photo credit: Eddie Paul Facebook

Montreal musician Eddie Paul is one of the latest examples of unique local artists to develop a loyal fanbase from near and far, thanks to his unique genre-crossing, layered sound. The multi-instrumentalist recently caught up with CJLO's very own Danny Payne on the Pressure Drop to talk about the reaction to his debut album, his live lineup, and what direction Eddie Paul sees Eddie Paul heading in in the future. Here’s a transcribed excerpt from that interview. 

D: How is it going? I was discussing it before, I played the Warning Song a little bit earlier off the fantastic album [from] last year, Pandemonium. How’s the response been from the release of the album there, mate?

Eddie Paul: Response has been great. Nothing but good response. I didn’t really hear any kind of bad reviews or anything, so so far so good. 

D: [Laughter] It’s a cracking album. 

EP: Thank you. I owe a lot to my good friend Seb Black and all the Emery Street crew there, we all made a great, we all contributed and it turned out great for me at least. Don’t want to toot my own horn, but I like it, it’s good. 

D: This is your opportunity to toot that horn, Eddie. Don’t be shy.

EP: Okay.

D: So what are you up to these days? Are you busy working on the new album?

EP: Yeah, exactly. Wanna do something new. Wanna do some more songs, so just composing, rehearsals, getting the band together, trying to generate some new stuff. Leading to a kind of different direction.

D: Interesting. Can you spill the beans a little bit on this new direction?

EP: Well, I would like to leave a bit for the element of surprise. But I guess I would say, electronic sounds. Synthesizers. More geared in that direction, as opposed to like, playing guitar riffs, and that sort of thing. Like the rock and roll, just maybe, a little more synthetic synthesisation. 

D: For me, you’ve always had the mix of the blues-y roots-y acoustic guitar or electric guitar fill, but always had that electrical vibe, that modern feel. I guess you’re just sort of taking it a little bit further into the…

EP: Yeah, that’s the thing with that album, Pandemonium. You don’t wanna kind of like, straddle the line, between that like, blues/roots thing. We did that a lot. And now, I think I’m just leaning towards that electronic thing, so that’s kind of where my heart’s at these days.

D: That’s fantastic. You know, not settling down on one sound, constantly moving along. 

EP: Yeah, you know, everybody that I admire, that I’ve idolized growing up music-wise and artistically, they’ve always done that stuff. They re-invent themselves each record.

D: Of course.

EP: I don’t necessarily think you have to be pigeon-holed into one sort of style. 

D: Cool. Looking forward to hearing it. And, you’ve got a new live lineup, haven’t you?

EP: Yeah, we’ve got a brand new player, an additional member. We’re six now.

D: Wow.

EP: A girl named Emilie, she’s playing in another band named Barren Acres. I’ll just do a little plug for them. And they’re actually playing tonight at the Bistro à Jojo, I’ll be joining them for that show as well.

D: Cool. Plug away.

EP: So I’ll play tonight a little set, guest appearance type of thing, but I’m also playing there. They have a band and I ended up just recruiting. It was an organic thing, she got recruited.

D: Yup, yeah. Good man. And so, in terms of what you’re working on recording-wise. I mean, we’ve talked about your moving the sound along a little bit. You’ve got a new member. Is the new album in the pipeline? Are you going to be releasing a single any time soon? What’s the plan there?

EP: Really, I’ve been kind of sold on the idea of just doing an EP. You know like, four songs, five songs. And just kind of doing like a soft release on this and seeing what happens, you know. A lot of the songs are, some of them are finished, some of them are just skeletons. It’s still in its infant stages I’d say, for the new record.

Eddie Paul plays Montreal’s Bar de Courcelle on February 22 and Honey Martins on March 16. For more interesting interviews and to hear a curated selection of great music from around the world, tune into CJLO Mondays from 5-6 for the Pressure Drop.

Hosted by Patricia Petit Liang

Stories by Sarah Boumedda, Jeremiah Ho & Michael Foldvari

Produced by Patricia Petit Liang

Image credit: CBC

Last weekend saw a benefit concert at the Rialto Theatre for the families of the victims of the Quebec City mosque shooting, where a group of Canadian DJs, singers, and rappers came together in support of a very good cause. The audience raised nearly $5,000 through tickets, donations, and merchandise according to Dan Seligman, the creator-director of Pop Montreal.   

Yassin Alsalmad (also known by his stage name, Narcy) is a professor at Concordia and professional rapper well-known in the Montreal scene. He was able to bring together a group of friends and artists in support of others in this time of need. Narcy put a lot of work into organizing the event, using his connections in the music industry to pull it all off in only a matter of a few short weeks.

As a professor at Concordia, Narcy does more than just teach in one of the school's largest classrooms. His course is an interactive analysis of culture and music today using hip-hop as a lens. He brings in guest speakers who share their stories, creative skills, and wisdom with students. The day before the benefit concert, Deejay NDN and Bear Witness came to talk to a class at Concordia, explaining their experiences growing up in North America in indigenous culture and how that has helped them to grow the electric powwow movement in Ottawa.  

Both members of A Tribe Called Red were quick to respond to the call for creators who would be willing to offer their performance to the fundraiser. They’ve collaborated on the song “R.E.D.” with Yassin Bey and Black Bear, and the music video has been nominated for a Juno Award for video of the year. Narcy and A Tribe Called Red spoke in the class about how their studio time together (one of the longest they’ve ever had) has provided them an opportunity to reflect deeply and experiment with their music. 

A Tribe Called Red's video for "R.E.D." featuring Yasiin Bey, Narcy & Black Bear.

Narcy’s energy on stage at the Rialto Theatre shone bright, much like the vibrant energy he brings to his classes. He had the whole audience singing along.

The crowd continued to buzz while the next peformer, Lunice, made his grand entrance. His set maintained the energy of the audience with a trapped-out bass-heavy selection. Lunice came out to the front centre stage to dance multiple times. His contagious charisma really set the mood before the final act.

DJ NDN and Bear Witness of A Tribe Called Red headlined the night, bringing a much more electronic sound to the room. The change of genre fit well as the night drew on and the crowd started to spread out and dance. The two DJs went back and forth mixing heavy electro, aboriginal rhythms, and some old school Diplo. NDN’s daughter June was also dancing on stage, attracting the crowd’s attention and adding to the excitement. 

The entire night saw a blend of different music from talented artists who work in a variety of creative fields, further proving that music can ultimately bring together a large group of people in support of a positive cause. Organizing fundraiswe events and benefit shows can be a tiring job, especially when the scale is large. However, it was great to see how many people came out to the event and to see so many musicians using their time and energy to perform for others in support of a great cause. It seems to be exactly what the world needs more of.

Hosted by Michael Foldvari 

Stories by Michael Foldvari & Patricia Petit Liang

Produced by Michael Foldvari

LOCAL
By Patricia Petit Liang

A Hydro-Québec construction project on Quebec's North Shore has permitted union safety specialists to monitor their work following the deaths of 4 workers.

According to CBC News, this construction project is the first Hydro-Québec workplace to allow safety specialists onto their site.

The construction of these new hydroelectric stations began in 2009, and workers have been dying on the job since 2010 until December of 2016.

NATIONAL
By Michael Foldvari

An Ontario Judge has ruled that the Canadian state should be held accountable for the so-called '60s Scoop', which forcefully separated indigenous children from their families.

According to CBC News, the lawsuit originally sought to award 16,000 indigenous individuals in Ontario with 1.3 billion dollars in reparations.

The government of Canada has indicated that it may still attempt to renegotiate the terms of ruling directly with plaintiffs out-of-court.

INTERNATIONAL
By Patricia Petit Liang

Kim Jong-nam, the half-brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, was assassinated in the Malaysian capital of Kuala Lumpur on Monday.

According to BBC News, he was attacked by a woman at an airport while waiting for a flight to Macau.

Police currently have no suspects in their investigation and have yet to release his autopsy report.