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Hosted by Alexa Everett

Stories by Emeline Vidal & Alexa Everett 

Produced by Sam Obrand

Highways, Heartaches and Time Well Wasted is the newest release by musician Lisa LeBlanc. According to LeBlanc, this six track EP was inspired by her travels through the U.S. in the beat generation tradition. It consists of five original tracks and her take on the American folk song "Katie Cruel". This EP surges ahead with a raw and at times grungy musical aesthetic, which is propelled by Lisa's powerful and pleading vocals. 

The first track, "You look like trouble (But I guess I do too)", sets quite the tone to this musical ride. While the song begins softly, it quickly erupts into a howling appeal to love lost. LeBlanc pleads and screams "for some odd reason I would like you to be more than just another song to sing." This is one of the most honest lyrics I have heard an artist sing, and it sounds as if LeBlanc is tearing at her throat to get this sentiment out. 

LeBlanc's take on "Katie Cruel" is beautifully done. It speaks volumes when an artist can mould and present a cover such that it seemingly feels as if it's an original, which is the case here. This old traditional song fits so nicely in the context of the EP that it didn't even register it was a cover, but rather a natural extension of the tales Lisa was sharing. 

There are several examples of the kind of "trash-folk" that LeBlanc is associated with on this EP, such as the driving "Gold Diggin' Hoedown" and the raw sounds of "Race Track"; however, it would be misleading to suggest that a softer side is not revealed. Tracks like "The Waiting List" and the instrumental titular track reveals for us a multi-dimensional artist.

For those who have not had the chance to hear Lisa then I highly encourage you to get on it because it is time well wasted. Her style of folk music has elements of bluegrass and punk. This may well be Lisa's first foray into the English language market but I hope it certainly is not her last. 

--Fredy M. Iuni hosts Hiway 1, eat some musical stew every Sunday at 10 AM on CJLO. Programming note: Hiway 1 moves to Monday at 7 PM starting November 24, 2014.

CMJ Music Marathon Communicating Vessels Showcase

New York City was the place to be in late October, because CMJ Music Marathon 2014 was happening! My first night in La Grande Pomme, and I braved the rain with some of my CJLO crew to go looking for some good hip hop shows. I found myself in a dark-red dive bar in the East Village called Lit Lounge. I double-checked the address to see if I had mistaken it for a Burlesque show. As deceiving as its appearance seemed, I was indeed in the right place. In the dungeon-like basement of Lit Lounge was a showcase for recording artists in the Communicating Vessels label, based out of Birmingham, Alabama. The main group that struck me was duo Shaheed & DJ Supreme who performed tracks off their 2013 release Knowledge, Rhythm, and Understanding.

DJ Supreme, also known as Jon Malone, spun original tracks as Shaheed laid down the vocals. Shaheed had an unstoppable flow, one track motioning into the next with out pause. His breath control was admirable for someone that claims to be asthmatic in the first track he performed called "Saliva". He performed a couple other songs solo, such as the feel good track "Take It Back". Within the lyrics, Shaheed mentions some of his musical influences: KRS-One, Q-Tip, Wutang, Gangstarr, Public Enemy, Ghettoboys, NWA, Dr. Dre, Run DMC, LL Cool J, CL Smooth & Pete Rock, and Akil The MC from Jurrassic 5. After performing a couple songs solo, Shaheed was supported on-stage by lyrical legend Akil The MC from Jurassic 5, who was featured in the track "Champions of Truth" from Knowledge, Rhythm, and Understanding. Akil kept it so real on stage, wearing heavy-duty rain-boots and a '90s style checkered bucket hat. The confident yet humble trio played around a bit with some of the tracks, making sure the audience felt included in the show. At one point they asked if there were any MCs in the audience, and invited an eager participant on stage to freestyle. They truly made it a community event. The set ended with "Boom It In Ya Jeep", featuring R-Tist from the The Green Seed, a hip hop group also performing that night in the showcase.

After Shaheed & DJ Supreme's set, I caught up with them by the pool table, where Shaheed proved himself to be a shark of sorts. After a couple games, Shaheed shared some wisdom regarding his positive and spiritual lifestyle. He spoke of respecting others and of course ourselves, preaching that one must join mind, body, and soul to reach full satisfaction in life. All three of the men being a promoter of healthy habits and mindful living. Akil The MC chimed in with a similar message wrapped in an interesting metaphor, to say the least. Akil related people to bread, saying, "Though we all come out of the same oven, do not become stale bread. Stay fresh. And especially don't find yourself becoming a microwave burrito". These progressive artists remind the public what a hip hop message should really about, embodying principles that genuinely make them the champions of truth. Check out the official music video for "Champions of Truth", and to all hip hop heads out there, prepare yourself for this hip hip whole body, Knowledge, Rhythm, and Understanding.

--DJ Misschief hosts Greedy Graffiti every Thursday at 2 PM on CJLO.

Get jiggy through mind boggling free-formed expression at CJLO's Beats & Brews Night at Kafein (1429 rue Bishop) next Thursday, November 13th at 7:00 PM.

Presented by Extensive Enterprise

Well, well, well. Another autumn rolls around and you Montreal metal fans generally know what that means: The Black Dahlia Murder returns. This time around, the crazy fellows co-headlined a set with Suicide Silence, supported by openers Chelsea Grin and Alterbeast at Club Soda on October 7th. Unleash the Miasma and let your veins jolt back to life (pushing the fluids of the damned and all that song reference jazz).

When I arrived at the venue, I was instantly taken aback by the line stretching all along Saint-Laurent past the subway. The show started a bit late, doors opening around 7 pm, as Alterbeast had (unfortunately) hit some issues at the border and were forced to drop the bill. Chelsea Grin was up next. Admittedly, I hadn't heard much of them apart from some buzz around them a few years back, so I listened in with fresh ears. They were... A band. Between a flurry of bass-drops and breakdowns, one could faintly hear the hint of a riff (almost as though there was a song behind it!). Highlight of their show was that it seemed everyone and their Mom was there for them (seriously, you still had a troop of die-hard scene kids this day and age who dragged their parents to see this), so the energy was pretty high. All in all, not my cup of tea, but if you're into that, you probably came for wuggas, but stayed for the jiggy juggas.

Next up was Suicide Silence, and oh boy was that interesting to see. This is the first time I saw them since the induction of Eddie Hermida as vocalist, and I was eager to see how he would fill the now iconic shoes of Mitch Lucker who passed away November of last year. He did a decent job I'd say, though I feel as though they were noticeably slower. I only really knew a handful of songs, but they got around to all of them, and I was a little miffed at the change of tempo. That being said, I still jumped into a decent fray for their hilariously titled, "You Only Live Once" (#YOLO!). 

The Black Dahlia Murder ended the night with their usual brand of energy and riffs. Playing off their three early albums (with a mix of more recent), it was an interesting set to say the least. Opening with "In Hell Is Where She Waits for Me", and going into some oldies like the usual favourite "Close Casket Requiem" and surprise jam "Elder Misanthropy". They are always a fun band to check out, and if you haven't, do so soon! They release albums every odd year, so get prepped for a 2015 release (it's not announced yet, but they haven't missed an odd year in ages).

All in all, it was a pretty all right show. Though I couldn't get into the first few bands, The Black Dahlia made up for it. My one complaint would have to be the completely unnecessary amount of on stage security. My regards to the guy who decided to throw a crowd surfer out during Suicide Silence (classy), and the guy who decided to throw me into an empty space in the crowd.

--Orin Loft hosts The Noisy Loft every Sunday at 8 PM on CJLO. Tune in for some Loud things. Very loud things.