RSS

June 19th. It was the last Friday night of the Fringe Fest.

On the streets of Montreal’s Plateau neighborhood, flocks of cheerful and light-hearted people were meandering from one venue to another hoping to witness their favourite theatre show.

Amidst all of the commotion, I was dashing through the crowded streets to reach my destination when a silhouette – much like a ghost – walked right past me and evaporated into thin air as quickly as it had passed through the doors of le Divan Orange..

Completely unfazed by the unusual yet underwhelming apparition, I continued to walk towards my own finish line.

I opened the door, and right before my eyes, I saw this mysterious silhouette on stage getting ready...

Adorned in a twisted rendition of a 90s bleached Canadian tuxedo (perhaps intended to channel her inner Britney Spears of yesteryear?) – the floating silhouette I saw was that of songstress Caila Thompson-Hannant, also known under her alias Mozart’s Sister. Accompanied by the latest technological innovation in MIDI controllers and launchpads, this eclectic, one-woman electro-popper was ready to perform and test her newest material to an anxious crowd, collectively looking forward to dancing their mojo out.

And I tell you, she didn’t disappoint at all.

She pleased the crowd with her very own uncanny, yet danceable and oh-so-catchy song structure grounded on very strong verses and choruses – with songs such as  "Salty Tear", "Enjoy", and "Don’t Leave It To Me".

Incorporating concoctions of synth loops, cartoonish sound bites and reverbed baby-voice vocals to her powerful and soulful singing, she created a kind of sound she labels as “Weird Pop” — a sound that is reminiscent to artists such as Aqua, early Britney Spears (remember Hit Me Baby One More Time?), and Kashmere Cat.

The work that she puts into her music production is splendid, making her finished work very pleasing to my ears, but seeing her perform before my very eyes is another story. It’s hard to say whether the emotions you feel in her recorded work equate to what you experience live in terms of how she brings together her stage presence and her interaction with the audience.

Her presence was wooden – or in this case (and pardon the pun) – it was plastic, and sarcastically fantastic, just like a Barbie doll.

Beyond instances of gratitude between songs, she expressed a few emotions. So few that it felt empty. And because her heart was so empty, that emptiness unfortunately bled into her performance, disrupting her connection with the audience and making the entire concert experience uncomfortable.

It’s a shame that her absence of human sensitivity might be the reason why she lacks much of the exposure and support towards her great body of work. It’s heartbreaking when you think about it. Moreso if you were there.

The concert ended. I detached myself from the crowd just after her encore. Everything was becoming fuzzy. My eyesight became unfocused as the concrete became abstract. My arms floated around while bodies touched other bodies as the speakers emanated bubbly noises and heavy synths.

Everything became a blur and my eyesight transformed into a misty, sweet-and-sour flavored glittery cloud...drifting within my consciousness.

------

For more information about Mozart’s Sister, check out her website!

Joana Cumo is part of CJLO’s Official Fringe Team covering the sights and sounds from the 2015 St-Ambroise Montreal Fringe Festival. Joana hosts Charts and Crafts every second Friday from noon – 2pm; is CJLO's Assistant Promo Director, and occasionally co-hosts Champions of The Local Scene every Wednesday from 6 – 7pm, not to mention the host of her signature radio show Je Suis TBA.

You can contact Joana via email: joanacumo@gmail.com.

Credits: Photomontage by Joana Cumo, and photos provided by Claire Milbrath. 

Hosted by: Danny Aubry

Stories by: Patricia Petit Liang, Saturn De Los Angeles & Tom Matukala

Produced by: Catlin Spencer

Presented by Say Media

NXNE Toronto - June 18, 2015

Heems

When the group Das Racist broke up in 2012, it seemed like hip hop had lost a great contender in rap music that was both funny and political. Fortunately, the themes that Himanshu Suri brought to the table with Das Racist are revisited in his latest album Eat Pray Thug, which is centered around Islamophobia. His song "Flag Shopping" is a raw and underscored look at the racism he witnessed post 9/11, and his performance was one of the most powerful I've seen in a while due to the song's lyrical genius and Suri's powerful stage presence. He sang over his own track with a sense of intensity that likely gave the rest of the crowd chills.

I know why they mad
But why call us A-rabs
We sad like they sad
But now we buy they flags
Spying on our Muslim brother
While staring at our mother

At the same time, Suri stayed true to his former group's trademark: each song was followed by a short snippet of improvised comedy. The crowd's applause was almost immediately followed by a "Stop! I don't need it. I know I'm good!" or "What have you done with your life?" I remember being a bit disappointed that I wasn't able to see Willow Smith perform that night at the Danforth Music Hall, but she was certainly there in spirit as Heems repeatedly whipped his hair back and forth. With moments of comedy, intense drumming, powerful verses, and hair flips, Heems gave Toronto an all-encompassing performance that spoke to current socio-political issues.

Raz Fresco

Raz Fresco wasted no time in making music, beginning to write rap lyrics in the second grade and producing his own beats in the seventh. Now 20 years old, he returns to his home town to share a few new songs from his upcoming album, Pablo/Frescobar. The album will contain contributions by fellow rappers Bishop Nehru, Chuck Inglish, and Raekwon. His performance was focused and passionate, hitting every word with a punch. Along with his producer/DJ, he made sure to tell the crowd that Toronto was a goldmine of talent, implying that Drake isn't the only one who should and can represent "The 6ix".

While sharing a few bars with the crowd from his new album, Raz alluded to the redundancies of mainstream rap, and concluded that many local Toronto rappers are diverging from this pattern and creating more authentic and thought provoking material.

I was lucky enough to catch a few words with him after the show. Here's what he had to say about what we can expect from the new album:

Bishop Nehru

Listening to his debut mixtape, Nehruvia, one would never guess that Markel Scott was 16 at the time of its release. Now 18, he continues to evolve as a producer, director, writer, and rapper. His performance was a true reflection of his recorded music: seamless and mature. Scott didn't cease to remind the crowd of his young age between songs, stating: "I'm not even supposed to be here. There's a security guard that keeps following me to make sure I don't drink, like chill dude I don't even". Scott has made it evident that he is focused on his career, and doesn't waste time getting caught up with anything other than music, which may be why he's had such abundant success thus far.

After a night of young talent, Bishop Nehru was welcomed by an eager crowd as the last act of the night. With a t-shirt that matched his bucket hat, some sweet moves, and a vibrant stage presence, I along with the rest of the crowd was charmed.

--Julie co-hosts Exposé every Tuesday at 11 AM, only on CJLO. Warning, kids wear helmets... your mind may explode!

Hosted by: Julian McKenzie

Stories by: Patricia Petit-Liang, Catlin Spencer, Emeline Vidal

Produced by: Emeline Vidal