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Tonight on The Limelight: Interview w/ The GOODS' DJ Andy Williams / Suoni Finale- 6-8pm!
Tune into The Limelight tonight at 6pm, when we preview The GOODS: Dancefloor Jazz Session- the finale night of the eclectic Suoni Per Il Popolo Festival- CJLO had a blast co-presenting the 16th edition of what has grown to be one of Montreal's most beloved festivals.
Around 6:30pm, Lady Oracle and J-Nice will talk with one half of the notorious Montreal hip hop DJ duo The GOODS- DJ Andy Williams! The GOODS (Andy Williams + Scott C) have been aficionados of the Montreal hip hop scene since 2002, spinning many styles of hip hop, not to mention soul, jazz, funk, broken, afro, latin, boogie and beyond- "The GOODS only mandate is great music, whether it's known, forgotten, or yet to be discovered" (more info on their FB page!) Their parties began with the intention to provide an alternative to the average Montreal club scene- a dancefloor movement where classic jams and fresh tunes could intermingle as naturally as the beat. Besides throwing it down at their monthly nights, you can tune into The GOODS on CKUT every Sunday 2-4PM, and enjoy one of Montreal's longest running hip hop shows!
Speaking of long running hip hop shows, CJLO's The Limelight (Saturdays 6-8pm) has been running since 2003- "What keeps us going is our love for underground Hip Hop music, whether it's underground American artists, Canadian or local MTL talent, good music gets played in The Limelight!"
Be sure to check in for what is sure to be a great convo with The Limelight's Lady Oracle & J-Nice and CKUT's DJ Andy Williams of The GOODS about the Montreal hip hop scene- past, present, future! Tune in, and see you tonite at La Salla Rosa for The GOODS: 10:30pm- $10- presented by Suoni Per Il Popolo, CKUT, CJLO, and CHOQ!
THE LAST EPISODE OF THE STARTING ROTATION
Tune into the last episode of The Starting Rotation RIGHT NOW! Say farewell to Julian McKenzie, one of CJLO's most ambitious and beloved radio hosts. We're so proud of him and so grateful for everything that he's done for us. We can't wait to see what the future has in store for him and we wish him the best of luck.
Special guests on today's Staring Rotation include Stu Cowan of the Montreal Gazette, Gregory Caltabanis of Italian Football Daily/Serie A Scouted, and Dwight Walton, basketball insider and frequent contributor to TSN Radio. Julian will also play short conversation that he had with Larry King yesterday at City Hall.
You can read all about Julian's last show and keep up with his newest projects here.
Strange Froots EP Launch Party #btfft
As part of our artist residency program set up with the generosity of the CFRC, we invite you to an amazing night as Strange Froots, our hip-hop group in residence, launches their EP!
Dans le cadre de notre programme de residence d'artistes mise en place avec la generosity du CRFC, nous vous invitons au glorieux lancement d'EP de Strange Froots, notre group hip-hop en résidence!
Opening acts:
C'nee Starlette and Aralune
With special guests:
Malika Tirolien, Tshizimba, Mello, and Lucas Charlie Rose
Doors: 8pm
Pay what you can / $10 suggested donation
All proceeds will go to benefit No bad Sound Studio
18 +
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July 14th
Groove Nation
410 Rachel EST
Montreal, Quebec
H2J 2G7
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Bios
Strange Froots is a trio of singers-songwriters, musicians and beatmakers, comprised of Mags, SageS and Naïka Champaïgne. These three young women were brought together under NoBad Sound Studio to participate in a potential women-run workshop, in the hopes of encouraging more girls and young women to express themselves musically in an environment dominated by the masculine gender. What was supposed to be a series of music workshops, turned into the forming of a band, each member being an artist in their own.
Aralune is a singer, songwriter and producer from Montreal with a background in design and gymnastics and a deep interest in futuristic forms of electronic music. Her sound, a blend of '90s R&B revisited with touches of neo-soul and future bass sounds that have been compared to Sade and FKS Twigs.
Aralune est une chanteuse-compositrice-productrice Montréalaise avec un parcours en design et la gymnastique. Son style, un mélange de R & B des années 90 avec des touches de néo-soul et “futurebass”, a été comparé à Sade et FKA Twigs.
C'nee Starlette is a hip hop artist reppin' the COAST LIFE team. Spitting raw rhymes on catchy beats, she tries to express her femininity while crashing gender standards.
C'nee Starlette est une artiste du monde hip hop faisant partie de la famille COAST LIFE. S'exprimant vivement sur des sons plutôt accrocheurs, elle essaie d'exprimer sa féminité en se détachant des standards de genres.
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Today @ 6pm: The Commonwealth Conundrum interviews MOK
Tune into The Commonwealth Conundrum today at 6pm to hear Danny and Rebecca intervew Mok. Mok is a rap, new wave group from Brighton, England. They'll be promoting their newest single, Call Carlton and will be performing at the Blissfields Festival and Paddle Round the Pier in July!
The Commonwealth Conundrum is the place to hear indie, rock, alternative, punk, post-punk, industrial, and whatever awesome music is coming out of the Commonwealth countries; hosted by Rebecca M & Danny Payne, Tuesday from 6-7pm!
Soirée HEAVY Montreal Night - Metal Trivia Edition preview: WEDNESDAY @ 11AM
HEAVY MTL AND CJLO PRESENT: Heavy MTL Trivia!! Come on down and enjoy a special night of Metal Trivia for the chance to win festival tickets to Heavy Montreal, courtesy of Evenko! Teams will in be competing in groups of four! If you don't have a team but would like to participate, don't worry because Piranha Bar's got you covered! The party is at 7pm this Wednesday, June 22nd! Your favourite CJLO metal DJs will be playing some funky metal tunes all night long.
Tune into Psychic City this Wednesday at 11am for a interview with Preston Ward, the founder of Wild Wolf Productions, to hear all about the event!
NXNE 2016 RECAP >> SEAGULLS!
Father Stretch My Hands Pts 3-6: My NXNE 2016 Experience
Every year, for every city-wide festival, anywhere in the world, there is a chorus of people shouting the same thing. "It's just not the SAME this year." "It's not as good as last year." Or "[Insert event] sucks this year." Or most succinctly, "Wah!"
Port Lands Skyline/Seagull
Well... yeah, things were actually different at NXNE in 2016. But I'll spare you that part for now. Because at the end of the day what this festival was always about (The Music) was as good as ever.
Interpretive Balloonery/Seagull.
Day 1
I got to the Port Lands, which was mercifully cooler than the rest of the city. So a big plus for that. The Port Lands is a strange part of Toronto. It's one part shipping dock, one part abandoned parking lots, and a notable population of seagulls that may literally outnumber people.
Views from the Port Lands/6/Seagull
By 7:00 PM it became impossible not to notice the festival grounds were surprisingly empty. It's not like the lineup was not well known. By this time a legend was about to take the stage, Ghostface Killah. As a very good boy that did not listen to Raps and Punks Music in high school, I only got into him as I entered university in 2006. This was before I even listened to Wu Tang Clan, which is probably a weird chronology for most people. But it's been a while since I listened to his solo stuff, so I went in with minimal expectations, expecting to half recognize songs throughout and occasionally bob along. That was dumb.
Ghostface Killah pointing at a seagull in the sky.
Ghostface crushed any expectations I could have possibly had, going through a medley of his own hits, Wu Tang's and some old hip-hop classics too (Juicy!!!). What stuck out the most was just how commanding and wildly entertaining he is as a performer, doing everything he could to make the show as satisfying for his audience and for himself too. Calling on stage a couple dudes to do Method Man's part on "Protect Ya Neck" ("Boo these motherfuckers off the stage if they suck!"), about 50 girls that he at some point disappeared into, or just taking in all those seagulls at the Portland grounds ("Those birds are beautiful, man"), Ghostface looked and acted like he was, One of The Greats.
Ghostface Killah giving a lecture on the breeding habits of seagulls / Tony Stark.
Ghostface Killah unaware of party on stage behind him; likely thinking about seagulls.
Aforementioned Seagull.
Up next was Daniel Caesar, who I hadn't listened to before and decided to keep it that way up till the show. There's just something about going into a show with no expectations whatsoever, with an open mind, and being left awestruck. Caesar has a voice somewhere between Jeff Buckley and Miguel, two artists whose voices alone could fill up a whole album no questions asked. But like those two, he succeeds in part by the gorgeous instrumentation that surrounds his voice. Buoyed by a hometown sunset that synced with their set, Caeser likely picked up more than a few fans that night.
Daniel Caesar syncing with the sunset. No seagulls acknowledged during set.
As Schoolboy Q was prepping, the crowds slowly increased. But still, the crowd was noticeably below the capacity one would expect for the size of the grounds. Sensing an opportunity and perhaps a sense of security, the seagulls came. It was like running through pigeons in Chinatown as a kid again, but with seagulls. Food truck vendors and patrons were surely pleased.
People enjoying perfect summer weather and gorgeous view of the city, unaware of Birds plotting above.
It was hard at this point to avoid wondering why NXNE decided to program their festival this way this year. I've attended NXNE since 2008, and for a while it seemed like the festival could actually become the SXSW of the North. NXNE for me was comedy shows, movies, music industry conferences and talks, and of course, the widespread shows throughout the city in random venues and shitty bars you never heard of. This year most of that was stripped away in favour of a singular, more festival-like event. It's clear that NXNE is in some sort of major transition, but to what exactly is anything but clear. I don't doubt NXNE must have been burned by the spectacular debacle of Action Bronson last year, but even then, its hard to explain the confused identity of NXNE this year.
Shadows filling up space.
Whatever observations I had about NXNE 2016 dissipated the moment the DJ for Schoolboy Q started pumping up the crowd. An amazing sound system coupled with a very game crowd helped elevate Schoolboy's show beyond anything else in the day. Schoolboy knows how to own a crowd, going through his new stuff (which was excellent) and even his pal Kendrick Lamar's "Alright" and "Mad City" in honour of his birthday.
Schoolboy Q, commenting on the lack of seagulls during the night at the Port Lands.
Schoolboy Q, covering Kendrick Lamar. Happy Birthday guy!
After the collective experience of Ghostface and Schoolboy, I was left with one question: "Why don't I go to more hip-shows?" And I guess if that was the lasting impression I was left with on day one, NXNE succeeded thus far.
Schoolboy Q: Wide shot.
Later that night I headed out to Lee's Palace for Cold Specks. Every time I've seen her, its usually involved her playing guitar and a large and lush band. It wouldn't have been wrong to even describe the music as being similar to bands like the National. Well, that was not the Cold Specks there tonight. On stage with producer and band mate Jim was a different, more electronic and experimental Cold Specks than I was used too. It may have been the best show of hers I've seen so far. At the end of her set, about to play her favourite of her new songs, she said, "You guys should go out now and enjoy your Friday night, but nothings gonna beat this."
Cold Specks at Lee's Palace.
Day 2
What do those balloons mean? Are they trying to tell is something? Or are they a clever way to repel/attract seagulls?
#truedetectiveseason3
In a dramatically sharp contrast to Friday, Saturday at the Port Lands was "Indie Rock Day". Depending on who you are, lets say a late 20-something year old guy still clamouring for the pure days of 2004-2009, when it was okay to still like Garden State (arguably), Saturday would've been your day of the year. Mother Mother and Born Ruffians put on fine sets that had their fair share of committed fans.
Mother Mother performing at the Port Lands.
Way in the distance, Born Ruffians performing at the Port Lands.
Moonshot. Ominous lack of seagulls.
And then there is Father John Misty. Father John Misty is... well. Have you seen his Instagram? Or his interviews about... anything?
Father Stretch My Hands Pt 3 (see, that title actually meant something!)
Father John Misty is like the embodiment of branded identity, curated irony, and social media induced self-awareness. You probably read that sentence and thought to yourself, "Ugh". I swear though, somehow he takes all those things and turns it into something beyond any individual criticism or commentary on "society" or "social media" or "the times" that would undoubtedly crumble into embarrassing pretension by a lesser artist.
Father Stretch My Hands Pt 4.
A lucky fan's Instagram account about to blow. Up.
It's a full blown character, an art piece, something between madness and fine acting. At times even he seemed to be unsure of what he's supposed to be, but even that was probably all part of his performance. Going through all his best songs in his catalogue, with some of the most expressive dancing I've ever seen on stage (sorry Beyoncé), this was a spectacular show.
Father John Misty in between sexy dance moves, and winning hearts.
There are few acts I've ever seen as captivating and transfixing as J. Tillman, and on top of all that was a slide guitar (!!!) oozing through the sound system and filling the air. And that voice, which sounded flawless and was performed effortlessly. There's nothing better than watching an artist performing at their peak. And he really hates Budweiser too, so points for that.
Father Stretch My Hands Pt 6 / Nobody likes Budweiser, right?
--Kenny Chatoor is a regular magazine contributor and former CJLO radio DJ currently living in Ontario, "Yeah things are good, there is definitely nothing like CJLO in Toronto though, which is a bummer." Follow @kenchatoor on Instagram for more NXNE photos and video!
CJLO #FRINGEBUZZ DIARY 2016: A RECAP, THE FRANKIES, AND GRATITUDE!
Year after year, one of the most fascinating things that I love about the Montreal Fringe Festival is that you will never know what you will bump into, you will never know what you will discover, and you will never know what happen until you go out there and dive yourself into the excitement.
It gets crazier by the moment, and zanier by the second. And just like life itself, spontaneity is what makes this festival so exciting - whether you're a playwright, performer, or a random spectator. This is the magic of the Fringe happening, and needless to say, it goes beyond words in describing it.
Okay maybe euphoria. But that's just one of many.
If you ever stroll down the corner of St-Laurent and Rachel, you will be serenaded by the sounds of the city's best indie music acts, while being in the company of neighbors and fellow music lovers at the beer tent. Walk a little past the steel barricade plastered with posters and you will find yourself mesmerized - or perhaps hypnotized - by the by the pastel pine green-hued food truck of Caisse 606, with a pair of performers poking fun at the obscurity of our local supermarket culture to the very detail.
And then there are the Fringe shows, so many promising pieces, so many that stood out, so many to capture - that while I deeply regret to have not binged it as much as I used to in years past (due to ironically - life's spontaneity itself), I've had the amazing opportunity to capture a moment or two each day to appreciate the hard work from some of these talented people, with shows such as:
"Garbage Person Island" - Jacob Greco's self-proclaimed one-week-old-written comedy show was a fun mix composed of dirty comedy, and consistently improvised satire, as it humbly criticizes today's consumer-based culture with a bit of fun. Add to mix a dose of narcissism coming from the show's obnoxious and weird characters, and a ton of pop culture references that millennials would mostly understand, there's no doubt that Jacob's piece will definitely leave you in shivers and groans by the end of the hour.
"Messy Bitch" by Jessica Rae and friends is Grit 'n Gusto's perfect combination of skillful puppetry and social commentary done right - and it is done in a manner where it's raw, it's intimate, it's honest, and it's real. It is a show that gives the crowd a chance to listen and reflect on the everyday conversations we often take for granted, and the roles that we consciously or subconsciously partake in a currently-changing society where words matter more than ever. In other words - it's okay to be a bitch, when needed. While the short hour does fly by pretty fast - this show is one of many to look forward to hopefully in the future.
"Jeff Leard's THE JUPITER REBELLION: A Zach Zultana Adventure" is quite something. Imagine a dude sporting an eye-piercing, tight navy blue suit. With an energy level that is way more intense than the five cups of coffee that I consume in one day, this kid has too many stories to tell from his day job in space as an asteroid miner. A self-deprecating laugh trip that loves breaking the fourth wall, and sports the all the enthusiasm, energy, character switching and passion, this show definitely took you along for a wild ride while poking fun of all of the quirks of a every terrible B-rated sci-fi film imaginable. And then some.
And lastly, there is of course - Miss Sugarpuss. She has left us (her character) in the wings with her tiny suitcase, and left us hanging on - quite literally - by the thread with her wonderful penultimate performance in "Love and Pasties, Miss S." And while I deeply regret not discovering more of her in previous years, I've had the great opportunity to discover a snapshot of her adventure as a distressed ex-pat Montrealer attempting to experience and live the new life in the often-times snobby bohemian Parisian universe. There is tons to admire, and appreciate, and it's been a huge honor to have seen such a legend at the final curtain call, as CJLO Promo Director Ellen Smallwood, and Special Fringe Correspondent Sue Snyder can attest.
In-between checking out these amazing shows and putting together a fun two-hour radio special with the help of Creators Chorus' Jess Glavina, I've also been helping out my fellow scribes as well from our talented CJLO Fringe Team extraordinaire in bringing their reviews to the limelight- with the generous help from fellow Fringers Patricia Petit Liang, Ellen Smallwood, our Magazine Editor Stephanie Dee, and On Rotation Coordinator Joana Cumo, (+ a shoutout to DJ Lawrell for helping out with French-related content) - to which all whom I am grateful for. With a record of more than 20 reviews, much credit is given to all that are due and to their work.
I encourage you to check their amazing reviews, and their unique perspectives on the shows they've seen:
Annick MF: CJLO Fringe Tunes presents: Joyce N'Sana and Part I with Jess Glavina.
Jess Glavina: Extreme States.
Sue Snyder: Love and Pasties, Miss S.and Sexpectations with Ellen Smallwood
Patricia Petit Liang: Atomic City, The Freeway Strangler, and Does Not Play Well with Others
Danilo Bulatovic: A Thousand Kindnesses, Jon Benett, and Bedrock Burlesque
Sonja Hanson: A David Lynch Wet Dream, Empty Rooms, and Science, Love, and Revolution
Erica Bridgeman: Captain Aurora II: A Superhero Musical Sequel, BIZARRO OBSCURE, The No Bull$#!% History of Invention, Falling Awake, The McSorley & Chung Magic Hour, Bedrock Burlesque, and Caravonica.
DJ Thinkbox: Se rincer l’âme au windshield washer, Checkout 606, and Macumba Digita.
On the final evening of the Fringe, I strolled into the hallways of the legendary Rialto Theatre in Montreal's Mile End neighborhood to catch a glimpse of the Annual Frankie awards. Looking at everyone, I was mesmerized at the happy faces from performers, emcees, sound technicians, and photographers at the event, sipping their beers and cocktails, all excited and anticipating for the big dance party at the end. There was no sign or tiredness, no sign of exhaustion. It was pretty admirable.
Amy Blackmore was as energetic was ever since Day One, Al Lafrance was still being his own wacky self - proud of his cheap cream-coloured suit jacket that he snagged from Value Village, and the Holly Gauthier-Frankel was out there with the audience the crowd with a great classic jazzy track that's quite appropriate for a night like that.
I had to cut my night short unfortunately for the last train home. But as I walked down from the steep mezzanine, I bumped into Chris "The Frog" (host of CJLO's Sewer Spewer) from "ATM The Musical", which that show won a Frankie later that night. We both high-fived and smiled, unanimously gleaming at how fancy the venue was for all of us. After all, the spirit of the Fringe has been always barebones D-I-Y, or maybe we both knew that we were both punks at heart. Eitherway, it was moments like this which made me feel right at home.
I walked out of the glitzy Rialto in time for the much-talked-about 11-second dance and caught a moment of it despite being how bad the lighting was. It was quite a poignant way to say goodbye. Too bad I haven't gotten the chance to see everyone else in sight, but my thoughts are still with them regardless.
The one question that I keep asking people every year is how do they define the Fringe, and what it means to them. The perspectives are diverse, the enthusiasm is intense, and yet above it all - there is one common thread stands out: the Fringe is about life - it is a celebration of our colourful stories shared among all of us through the magic of the performing arts. It is a multi-week festival that's unique and like no other, and that I fell in love with.
And as I prepare for my next big move out of this city, the Fringe is going to be one of many things that I will miss about this great city - a city that is rich is art and creativity. I think I may have caught the Fringe bug for good, and there's no sign of getting that out of me. Indeed, I will definitely going to miss Festival a lot, and I am grateful for the amazing people at the Fringe, the wonderful CJLO fam, and the folks at The Link, where I first got my Fringe fest chops, for opening my horizons and getting out of my own comfort zone to discover a new world of storytelling.
The festival is now long and gone, but the spirit of the Fringe lives on.
If you missed out on the fun, it's not over - go out there and support your local scene. There's tons of talented independent talent that deserves a ton of love. We got more stories to hear, more voices to share, so out there and spread the bug!
And until then, Fringe on! xo
=S
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Saturn De Los Angeles is CJLO's Additional Content Editor, and has been the co-editor for CJLO's Official Fringe Team covering the sights and sounds of the 2015 and 2016 St-Ambroise Montreal Fringe Festivals. Saturn continues to host Shibuya Crossing until July 2016, and airs every Sunday from 10AM to Noon, only on 1690AM in Montreal and online at CJLO.com. You can follow Saturn both on Instagram and Twitter - @satyyy.
Tonight @ 6pm Je Suis TBA interviews PlayPlay
Tonight @ 6pm tune into Je suis TBA for an interview and DJ Set with PlayPlay.
PlayPlay creatively interweaves nostalgic hip-hop and house classics into both their DJ sets and music production, which are largely composed of city-specific sounds – namely Chicago juke and footwork, Bmore/Jersey/Philly club, NYC house, Detroit techno, and Miami bass. An extremely versatile DJ, PlayPlay also favors dancehall, cumbia, global bass, jungle/early hardcore/breakbeat, acid house, jock jams, EBM, industrial and '90s nostalgia all around. Their ultimate goal is to be in constant musical conversation with the crowd, contributing to a safe(r), free(r) space for everybody.
PlayPlay has opened for Big Freedia, MC Lyte, TT the Artist, Dai Burger, Mighty Mark, Le1f, Double Duchess, Jubilee, MikeQ, Cakes Da Killa and others. Based in Durham, NC, PlayPlay is an organizer and resident DJ of Party Illegal, a popular bass party gaining serious traction in NC. PlayPlay is also the creator and energetic force behind several themed parties, including a long-running 90's party, an industrial/goth night and a ladies of the 80's party. During the day, they are a music scholar, teacher, and board member of IASPM-US. In short, music is life for PlayPlay.
Je Suis TBA is a mixture of hip hop, funk, house and anything weird in between, Hosted by Joana Cumo - Mondays from 6-7pm.
FRINGE 2016: Science, Love and Revolution
Through a mixture of spoken word poetry, dialects, saxophone solos, animal grunts, and an instrumental backing track, Science, Love and Revolution was most certainly a memorable performance.
Before the event began, David Lee Morgan chit-chatted with the audience for a fair amount of time, making soft self-deprecating comments and repeating the same question to the crowd multiple times just in case someone was hesitant to speak up, or had gestured to speak but he couldn’t quite see. All this to say, from the very start he was charming as hell.
The performance kicked off with a so-called “condensed history of the world”. Morgan hopped around the stage, spitting words faster than the audience could keep up with. The piece continued to move quickly. Between every poem he would physically step out of the spotlight in order to introduce the next piece, sometimes with short metaphysical quips and tributes to late revolutionary heroes, other times with personal anecdotes and confessions. Rather than a performance, this show felt like a conversation.
Another poem that stuck out to me explored the idea of God as an extension of a human imaginer. Starting with examples of all the ways God can express his love, to the vile hatred he is capable of inflicting, Morgan asked the audience “isn’t this how a wounded God would love?” Going on to say that, essentially, we are God, and we are far from perfect, a theme he continued to return to.
This theme returned in his last poem, my personal favorite. He prefaced it by critiquing the oft-referenced advice of “write what you know”, suggesting one should include their ideals as a--perhaps still unrealized--part of themself. This poem stressed Morgan’s ideals and beliefs, including, most importantly, empathy as the core of any true revolutionary action.
Everything you need to know about Science, Love and Revolution can be summed up in three words: empathetic, heartfelt, and kind. Although a spoken word performance, this piece actually served as a nice reminder that although language is the foundation of virtually every theatre performance (not to mention most of human interactions in general) words aren’t actually everything—actions steeped in empathy are.
Science, Love and Revolution played at le MAI, located at 3680 Jeanne-Mance throughout the 2016 Festival. If you missed it, you can catch what David Lee Morgan is working on outside the Fringe. And if you've seen it, continue to buzz it and support it!
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Sonja Hanson is part of CJLO’s Official Fringe Team covering the sights and sounds from the 2016 St-Ambroise Montreal Fringe Festival. She also hosts Behind The Counter every Thursday morning from 11am – Noon, only on 1690AM in Montreal and online at CJLO.com.
FRINGE 2016: A Thousand Kindnesses
To say that Rachel Jury’s A Thousand Kindnesses is ambitious, would be an understatement. In this one woman show, the performer weaves first-hand experience of asylum seekers, and refugees from war-ravaged nations of the past 30 years, from the Sudanese civil war to the ongoing Syrian conflict.
The performance is partly autobiographical, but mostly based on interviews with displaced and marginalized populations in her native Glasgow. Jury uses her own subjectivity, her own relationship with her father, and candid vignettes from her childhood as a vehicle to weave between the disparate experiences of hardship; a Syrian mother’s arduous journey through continental Europe, the plight of a Sudanese boy forced from his village, and an ethnic Albanian reminiscing on the brutality of war and the destruction of her home country, Yugoslavia.
Jury embodies these different experiences through the adoption of accents, postures, and intonations to signal transition between her subjects. A Thousand Kindnesses' constant vacillation between stories is as much a strength as it is a weakness.
The frequent jumping and occasionally abrupt switches may be necessary to indicate a relationship between the lines of each character, in an effort to suggest the similarities and dissimilarities between the lived experiences of Jury’s subjects. Furthermore it indicates the many manifestations, and cultural connotations in which “Kindness” may manifest in various contexts.
The playwright aptly demonstrates that a benign gesture of goodwill may mean the difference between life and death, affirming or disarming a prejudice.However in this bid to differentiate each experience, Jury relies on tropes such as accents that sometimes come across as heavy-handed.
As part of conFAB, a Glasgow based art collective dedicated to “art as conversation”, Jury has succeeded. Behind this ambitious and experimental piece, is an impassioned call to reclaim “kindness” as a means of resisting the madness of war and politics of division. A brief glance at the newspaper will reveal such work is needed more than ever.
A Thousand Kindnesses played at The Black Theatre Workshop Studio, located at 3680 Jeanne-Mance throughout the 2016 Festival. If you missed it, you can catch what their production company, conFAB, is working on outside the Fringe. And if you've seen it, continue to buzz it and support it!
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Danilo Bulatovic is part of CJLO’s Official Fringe Team covering the sights and sounds from the 2016 St-Ambroise Montreal Fringe Festival. He also hosts Computer Sourire every Tuesday afternoon from 4pm – 5pm, only on 1690AM in Montreal and online at CJLO.com. Follow his Mixcloud for more of his amazing curations.
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