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Jess's thoughts on Part I

In the late nineteenth century in Paris, French neurologist Jean-Martin Charcot fixed his interest upon the disorder 'hysteria' - seeking to taxonomize what had been neglected for centuries as an incomprehensible jumble of symptoms, described by one historian as “a dramatic medical metaphor for everything that men found mysterious or unmanageable in the opposite sex.”¹ Charcot set up shop in the Salpêtrière Hospital, a long time asylum for the most vulnerable members of the Parisian underclass.

At Charcot's Tuesday Lectures, young symptom-presenting women would be paraded onstage to be poked and prodded as live demonstrations for the fashionable elite of Paris, where the women's speech and screams would be described as mere 'vocalization'.

What stories these women might tell were irrelevant- this was science, and with the rise of a secular France, Charcot raced to claim their symptoms in the catalogues of the Enlightenment tradition rather than cede to the Church's dominion of religious ecstasy and states of possession.²

The two plays I saw this week push back on this exploitative theatrical legacy, a not-yet-dead heritage for women and femmes who seek mental health support through institutional avenues. The plays I refer to are Extreme States from Get Fresh Productions (Review coming up soon), by Stephanie Lawrence and Carol Tenbrink, and Part I from Project X, featuring Jacqueline Van de Geer, Lyne Labrie, Ilana Zackon, and Mercedeh Baroque.

Part I is in moments Charcot's Tuesday Lectures in mutiny. As you enter the gallery space, the actors are already present, stock still and blank faced, being gowned in flimsy gauze by their tech person, blood pooling in their feet, waiting for the audience to enjoy them before erupting in a rotating chorus who characterize their own experiences of instability, anguish, fear, and loss.

The pieces are drawn from the real life experiences of the performers, and the shows are set up as a fundraiser for Expression LaSalle, the only free creative arts therapy program in Montreal.

Against the rendering of our most vulnerable moments or breaking points as unspeakable, I encourage folks to really listen to the stories spilling from the lips and rumbling through the bodies of no-longer-'subjects' at the Fringe this year. Extreme States and Part I bravely offer self-articulations of lived experiences in a time where so much stigma around mental health still exists.

For a long-form discussion, catch our extended talk spot on Creators Chorus (Wednesdays 5 - 6pm ET) where Annick MF and I delve more deeply into what we loved and what we took issue with in these two pieces. Because, you know, its not all sunshine and rainbows.

End the stigma!

- JG

Reference: (1)(2) Trauma & Recovery. 2015 By Judith L. Herman

Annick MF's thoughts on Part I

Mental health is an area of our lives that we all should be tending to on a daily basis but unfortunately the society we live in stigmatizes it and leaves so many of us struggling with the repercussions of unhealthy mental practices, limited resources and unrecognized experiences. So when I see four performers decide to create a piece that not only brings forth their own realities with mental health but also addresses and challenges society's position in relation to mental health, I have to applaud their work.

Part I is a brave and creative sharing of personal struggle that many will likely relate to and those who don't may be enlightened. It is a raw piece that doesn't leave room for neutrality. There were moments I loved and others I deeply disagreed with but in the end I left the performance more in tune with how I feel about my own mental health and the ones of those I care for.

I wish Project X much luck as they move forward with their mandate of addressing the 'unaddressed' in our society through performance. It is an honorable mandate with promising outcomes. If I were to offer one constructive critique as they move forward, it would be to truly embody 'safe space' in and around their performance.

Sharing stories and experiences is a sacred act and it requires a lot of care and respect, which I don't feel that Project X has fully embodied yet. I speak more about this is our audio review of Part 1 on Creators Chorus. Feel free to tune into the archive if you're interested on hearing my more in depth thoughts.

Much love,
xo

- MF

Part I is brought to you by Project X, and continues to play at Studio Bliss, located at 3845 Saint-Laurent, at the following times:

- Friday, June 17 from 20:00
- Saturday, June 18 from 20:00
- Sunday, June 19 from 20:00

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Jess Glavina and Annick MF are both part of CJLO's Official Fringe Team covering the sights and sounds from the 2016 St-Ambroise Montreal Fringe Festival. Together, they host Creators Chorus - every Wednesday afternoon from 5 – 6pm ET, only on 1690AM in Montreal and online at CJLO.com.

What can you say about a show that takes your breath away? Wherever I start, I promise that this all comes from the heart.

Bizarro Obscure was a rare gem. It was exceptional. Sydney Hayduk (Janis) and Christy Taronno (Jujube) are two incredibly talented triple threats who bring us on a journey of self discovery, self confidence, and self acceptance.

They told their story through singing, dancing, poetry and prose as well as through a collection of compelling characters made to carry your curiosity through the space-time continuum. They had huge personalities and great energy. They fearlessly brought their story in creatively executed, strange directions. The audience received a fair warning from the opening number that the show was going to be bizarre and obscure, and they certainly did not disappoint!

The visual aesthetic of the show was well crafted. Their colour scheme had black and white stripes with solid red. All of their props and costume pieces adhered very strictly to the theme, which tied everything together extremely well. Their attention to detail extended far beyond the surface of their design, with every action, dace move, song and poetry reading being incredibly well coordinated.

Their chemistry was palpable and the balance they created with one another was phenomenal. Their individual talents complimented each other so they were able to support each other without ever overshadowing. It was beautiful.

Their music was also amazing. Their songs were interesting and funny, but they also had unique rhymes and engaging rhythmic patterns and meters. That plus the music theory reference, plus their excellent performance of the music, plus their beautiful singing voices equals me loving this show so, so much. Even the comically bad triangle playing didn't make the percussionist in me cringe!

Both of these incredible women displayed more and more talents as the night went on, from convincingly portraying a 13 year old boy, to impressively accurate Russian accents, to remarkable resonance and tonal quality from snapping their fingers. This was a high-energy show that didn't shy away from breaking the fourth wall. If a set or costume piece malfunctioned, they weren't afraid to make fun of themselves and they elegantly incorporate fixing such problems into the show. The ease with which they did this is a mark of what excellent performers they were.

I have been told by other Fringe-goers that Bizarro Obscure is among their top picks from the festival this year, and it's not hard to see why I, too, hold it in extremely high regard, and recommend it to everyone. But catch it soon, there's only two shows left! You can find them at Petit Campus this Thursday and Friday. See you there!

Bizarro Obscure plays at Petit Campus, located at 57 Prince-Arthur E., at the following times:

- Thursday, June 16 from 20:00
- Friday, June 17 from 20:00

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Erica Bridgeman is part of CJLO's Official Fringe Team covering the sights and sounds from the 2016 St-Ambroise Montreal Fringe Festival. She also hosts The F Hole every Monday afternoon from Noon – 2pm ET, only on 1690AM in Montreal and online at CJLO.com.

CJLOxSUONI

REVIEW: CJLO - 1690AM, CHOQ.ca, No Exist, Suoni Per Il Popolo, and CKUT 90.3FM present: FLUCT + Ylang Ylang & Così e Così + Nothinge + Ssurfacing + Kazuki Koga - Friday, June 10, 2016 @ La Vitrola

I was first to arrive at La Vitrola, a tiny, inconspicuous venue where DJ Carmen, Nothinge, Ylang Ylang & Così e Così, and DJ Kazuki Koga would belt out intense and passionate performances for the experimental and avant-garde music festival Suoni Per Il Popolo. I knew virtually nothing about any of the artists that performed, but I came out pleasantly surprised.

First on the scene was DJ Carmen (the DJ persona of Catherine Colas) filling in for Surfacing, who had to cancel at the last minute for unknown reasons. She started her set with dark, moody, and wonky electronic beats that you'd expect from this kind of concert. However, the music quickly transitioned into a set mostly comprised of IDM synth tinged techno, which really made for a lovely first act. While her set was by far the most danceable of the night, it lacked the emotional punch that the following artists would bring.

As DJ Carmen's set ended, the tall, slim man clad in an oversized leather jacket, skinny jeans, and dusty Chelsea boots who'd been sitting next to me headed for the dressing room and appeared on stage wearing the exact same thing, except he now donned a mask made of multicoloured deflated balloons. It was the second act, a solo artist named of Max Posthoorn, mostly known by his stage name, Nothinge. The first song that he played on stage was essentially the opposite of what I'd expected from the snippets his oeuvre I had sampled: yells drowned in reverb, kick drum heavy backbeat, and overall very abrasive music. The rest of his set, however, was like what I listened to on his bandcamp: goofy and carefree pop, but mixed in such a way that it sounds bleak and even a little uncomfortable.

There was some set up time between Nothinge and the third act, Ylang Ylang and Così e Così. Instead of playing the venue's usual background music, DJ Kazuki Koga popped up on the DJ console to play a mix of his own music and various other tracks that fit with the mood. As he mentioned on his interview on CJLO's Shibuya Crossing, his music falls into the mysterious genre dubbed gorge music. It's heavily inspired by rock climbing, and its most distinctive feature is the mix of oppressive and claustrophobic electronic beats accentuated by tribal rhythms played on tom-tom drums and various other percussive instruments. If Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom was remade today, gorge music wouldn't sound out of place if played during the sacrifice scene. But what surprised me the most about Kazuki Koga's set wasn't his ability to fit in gorge music's disjointed rhythms into a DJ set. It was fitting in music that was completely different stylistically, and being able to improvise on that. One particular moment in the set that caught my attention was when DJ Kazuki Koga played a song by one out the hottest vaporwave artists at the moment, 2814. Their music could be described as slow, ambient cyberpunk soundscapes, which is pretty much the opposite of gorge music's tense rock climbing background.

Ylang Ylang & Così e Così came up on the stage as soon as they finished setting up. While they are a producer-singer duo, Ylang Ylang & Così e Così had no dynamic between them. And I believe that's the way they intended it to be. Ylang Ylang provided minimal, dreamlike beats, while Così e Così completely ignored the hypnotic quality of the music, having absolutely no melody to the vocal line, much less harmony with the backing tracks. It's not really my thing, but I understand the punk ethos behind it - screw everything, just make music. This was also reflected in Così e Così's wild performance and stage presence. While he had the moves like Jagger, Ylang Ylang was too focused to even bob her head to the beat. I never would have guessed how they interacted or why their music is so disconnected from their vocals had I not been to this concert.

There was then another in-between set by Kazuki Koga, which was mostly more of the same. Incidentally, there was another cyberpunk song, this time in the form of the soundtrack from the classic anime movie, Akira. When removed from its source material, the heavy breathing and the tribal drumming of the track actually makes perfect sense in the context of gorge music. Nice touch!

The fourth act, FlucT, came on the secondary stage, left of the stage on which all the other artists performed. FlucT are a duo of performance artists, Monica Mirabile and Sigrid Lauren, rather than musicians, although they did make the backing music on which they danced. If you can call it music. Or dance. The backing track was a mashup of everything from music from The Lord of the Rings soundtrack, to chopped and screwed hip hop music, to a quote from what I believe was Elliott Rodger, and many, many more. The separate pieces were edited in such a way that they are jarring as possible when they transitioned into each other. Then there are the performers themselves, who came on stage dressed in nothing but beige blazer, trousers, and clown makeup. The performance was... how do I describe this? For sure, it was performance art. Indubitably, it was avant-garde. But just what was I supposed to feel from the juxtaposition of chopped up snippets of seemingly unrelated pieces of media, and two people flailing around like they were having a seizure? Was the idea behind all of it "mass media makes us go crazy"? I don't know, but that's the only thing I could extrapolate from all of this. I'm not too used to all of this, and I still think the gratuitous flashing and the booty-eating was a tad unnecessary.

The final act was, once again, DJ Kazuki Koga. While I enjoyed his other sets, I think a third one was overkill. Besides, both the venue and the metro were almost closing and I was still trying to wrap my head around what the hell FlucT's show was about. Maybe I'll never know. This whole concert, while not usually what I listen to, much less what I enjoy, was definitely memorable, albeit probably not for the right reasons. And that's perfectly fine, new experiences should be all about being memorable.

--DJ Lawrell hosts Fukubukuro every Sunday at 9PM, only on CJLO. With moods ranging from serene to hotblooded, light-hearted to upsetting, minimalistic to ear-shatteringly loud; the fun part of Fukubukuro is not knowing what you'll get every show.