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Presented by POP Montreal and the Montreal International Jazz Festival

Suzanne Vega's career has remained a mystery to me since the initial swath of hits I heard as a child in the nineties. I wondered if Vega's "clinically poetic eye" had evolved at all since then, so I wasn't sure what to expect from her show when I walked in to the Ukrainian Federation. Vega has had a fruitful career in that time, releasing several albums, with her eighth released earlier this year as the singer turned 55. Tales From The Realm Of The Queen Of Pentacles, which arrived seven years since her last album, was released by Vega's own record label, Amanuensis Productions, which began after she was dropped by Blue Note in recent years. It was a blend of folk and rock, with lively guitar, straightforward lyrics, and soft vocals. The sound was not radically different from the Suzanne I knew and loved, and I wondered which songs her set would feature. 

The venue was close to full, and the audience was peppered with members of all age groups, even the rare birds of the 60-plus crowd. The show openers, Tyler Messick and Elizabeth Anka Vajagic, were received warmly. Messick was joined by Special Noise from Halifax, playing a good set of upbeat tunes with catchy lyrics and interesting basslines. Vajagic's set was low-key and consisted of dramatic vocals, and an acoustic guitar.

The crowd was enthusiastic as Suzanne Vega energetically started her set shortly afterwards, playing material from her new album. With a light, charismatic demeanour, she had no trouble making the crowd laugh. Her entourage was humble. She was joined on stage by her guitarist, as well as her daughter on backup vocals towards the end of the show.

A few songs in, Vega asked the audience if they wanted to hear some old songs, to which the response was marked quietness and a faint sound of crickets in the distance. After cracking a joke about the crowd's hesitation, she played "Caramel", but with a reworked bossa nova sound. The rest of the show featured songs from several of her latest releases, including "Crack In The Wall", and "I Never Wear White". The crowd went wild during "Jacob and the Angel", which Vega explained was very personal to her own experiences with making it through tough times. She closed the show with "Luka" and "Tom's Diner". The show finished with Vega wearing a top hat, being loudly cheered and applauded, and even received some standing ovations.

-- Mariana V. is a frequent magazine contributor and dedicated volunteer at CJLO 1690AM

Presented by POP Montreal, Greenland, and Cult MTL 

Latino artists Bomba Estéreo, Boogat, and Bunga Bunga came together for POP Montreal this year at Le Late Night Little Burgundy. The set began with Bunga Bunga, with members Mariano Franco, Fernando Pinzon, and Stéphane Cerny. They had so much stage presence, especially the lead singer who was like an energy ball. Their music had a rock-rave vibe, making it very danceable. After Bunga Bunga performed, the band joined the crowd to watch the next performer. They stood right next to us and were so approachable, and their performance was the the best part of the whole show for me. Boogat hit the stage hard with a quintessentially Reggaeton flavour. It was quite endearing when he spoke French with a heavy Spanish accent. His set wasn't as original as Bunga Bunga, but it was a good segue into Bomba Estéreo. 

Bomba Estéreo from Bogotá, Colombia is an electro tropical music with Liliana Saumet on vocals, Simón Mejía playing synth, Kike Egurrola on drums, and Julián Salazar on the guitar. Bomba Estereo translates to "stereo bomb", and they their music lives up to the name. Liliana's voice was high pitched like a school girl, and I thought she was going to blow the speakers! The sound quality was good, but the volume was just too high. She really boosted the crowd, nonetheless. Although, I must pay owed to Mejia, the master of beats, for which were mucho groovable. They played their top song "Fuego" on their Blow Up Album from 2009. Even though its a couple years old, the crowd was loudest and most involved during that song. I highly recommend listening to their 2014 single "Que Bonito", with a beat that has an African/Reggaeton/Electro feel. Bomba Estéreo is such a versatile group, that it's difficult to pigeonhole them into one genre of music. They transform with the times, and their eclectic music speaks to a wide range of audiences. Many of their lyrics are Spanish, but the beats are so universal that even people that don't speak the language can jam to their music. 

The way they transformed Église Little Burgundy into a venue space kind of reminded me of a high school dance. Like any high school dance I've been to, I outcast myself and sat in the back. That's where I met the love of my life by the name of Fatboy. Sofa pads made of hugs, heavenly pillows to embrace my caboose... the only problem was getting out of them. I'm sure Le Late Night Little Burgundy has had some problems getting people to leave once their bodies we're glued to the Fatboys. I enjoyed sitting on them and watching the light show on stage. The lights were like an evil scientist's laboratory with surges of light growing upwards through poles, dots of sparked energy. It is possible that some body part of Frankenstein is indeed Latino.

Such life was brought to the Le Late Night Little Burgundy. POP Montreal brings artists and audiences together, allowing a certain intimacy in the venue. POP Montreal hosts conscious events in regard to the venues, the artists, and even sustainable living! The reusable plastic cups they had for drinks made me feel like a philanthropist just for having a beer out of one. Accounting for the performances, venue, lights, and reactions from the crowd, the night was overall another successful show put on by the gods POP Montreal.

May music save the earth and our children. Bless thy beats...

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

Presented by POP Montreal, Blue Skies Turn Black, Monster Energy, and Urbania

By day four of POP Montreal, I was very pleased to go into a venue with seating. As I settled into my spot up on the balcony of the beautiful Rialto Theatre, I was treated to local opener Ramzi. Her set put a new spin on the very popular post-Grimes electronic pop sound, and added an emphasis on texture without sacrificing too much pop focus and catchiness. As she weaved beat driven tropical pop with new age-y tones, pitching her voice down or mewing throughout the set, I couldn't help but feeling like I was inside the Internet. 

Up next was Blues Control, who started the set off with a strangely amped-up version of The Beatles "Day Tripper" (as far as I could tell), and moved quickly from sound to sound, never really finding a groove until the end of the set. They shredded on their guitars and used cheap-sounding midi drums and keyboard sounds in their entirely-instrumental set. The band only once took the time to make a half idea into a full sounding piece. The majority of their set was filled with stylistic turns too jarring for cohesion, but when Blues Control took an ambient approach, they jammed more simply on a simple motif, bending it into an interesting piece of music.

As excitement grew for Panda Bear's set, he took the stage to many applause and politely said, "Thanks! Thanks for coming you guys" before beginning his seamless and impressive set. Playing mostly material off his upcoming record Panda Bear Meets The Grim Reaper, along with a few choice cuts off 2011's Tomboy, he hinted at a new direction that owes a heavier debt to classic dance music. Most of the new material evoked house music or early hip hop (he even sampled the classic "Ashley's Roachclip" drum break in his second song), while still retaining a feel that is uniquely his own. The songs were sturdily constructed around strong beats, interesting samples and textures that keep the songs from leaning too close to something that could easily be described as just dance music. As Panda Bear moved through his set, switching between songs as a DJ would, the amazing, and very trippy visuals by Danny Perez (frequent Animal Collective collaborator and director of their 2010 visual album, ODDSAC), coupled with the intense light show, made for an amazing visual spectacle.

The three performances all together formed a show that was constantly entertaining, challenging and psychedelic, without sacrificing good vibes.

--Marshall Vaillancourt hosts Fear Of Music every Tuesday at 4 PM on CJLO.

Hosted by Danny Aubry

Stories by Alexa Everett & Danny Aubry

Produced by Marilla Steuter-Martin