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Sloan "Twice Removed Tour" 2012 @ Le National
Once upon a time, there was a girl that loved Sloan so much, that she named her first and only cat after them (he turned 15 this summer!).
Once upon a time, there was a girl that loved Sloan so much, that every time she got drunk, she would belt out "Deeper Than Beauty" and "Snow Suit Sound".
Once upon a time, there was a girl that loved Sloan so much, that she broke up with her fiancée when he didn't "get" them. (For reals.)
Once upon a time, Twice Removed, removed this girl from teenage-dom and catapulted her into adulthood.
So when this girl heard that Sloan would be playing all of Twice Removed at Le National on November 23rd, she got a little excited (the band never played Sault Ste Marie in ‘94, or I so would've been there). She also felt a little old. Like when her parents would go into the city for dinner and a concert: Bob Dylan sings his greatest hits. She wondered what kind of set would it be. Forty minutes then goodbye? Would it be done in chronological order? Would there be epic Patrick Pentland guitar solos or Andrew Scott drum solos to draw the set out? Curious and curiouser this girl headed into Le National and was confronted by a sea of boys in plaid and girls in stripes.
Now this girl has to be honest with you, she hasn't bought a Sloan album since Navy Blues. She grew up, moved on, found something new. More honesty? She kinda felt they were stuck on that Can-Rock Guess Who sound. But she's always loved those early albums. The sludgy pop of Smeared, the soothing harmolodic sounds of Twice Removed, the jangle balladry of One Chord to Another, and the block rocking riffs of Navy Blues. As well, she really valued the way that all members wrote and sang to create a wide variety in songs and sounds. But most of all she appreciated their clever word play, as evidenced in autobiography...
I'm writing "sharp and adult"
With my finger on the steam
On the mirror in my bathroom
While I'm applying shaving cream
Which would suggest that I'm the foamer
But how can I be the lather
And something tells me
It's the opposite I'd rather
Sloan got on stage, no intro, just ripping right into "Penpals". Comic nerd fun fact: the lyrics to Penpals can be found in Bryan Lee O'Malley's (of Scott Pilgrim fame) first graphic novel, Lost at Sea. Then onto "I Hate My Generation", "People of the Sky", and so on.
The show was in chronological order and there was very little patter in between. Just lots of "Thank you!" and "Thanks for sticking with us all these years." This was their final show after doing 42 across the continent and it showed; they seemed a little tired and ready for it all to be over. This girl was surprised by how little they had changed. Chris Murphy had the same hair style; Jay Ferguson, the same jaunty cap, Patrick the same stoic pose, though somehow Andrew Scott seemed dreamier.
The song that laid a whammy on your girl, was when Patrick sang "Loosens". Never a stand-out track before, it carried a weight and poignancy that your girl failed to notice the billion times she listened to it before. Another thing that surprised was that usually when she went to shows and knew all the words to songs, she'd mouth them but never sing. At this show, your girl sang her heart out and didn't care who heard her off key warbles at all (and since were being totally honest, I also sang along to the guitar parts, played air drums and air guitar too).
After "Loosens", Chris charmingly pointed out that they were at the halfway point in the album, and that it was time to turn the tape over to side two. Then it was onto "Worried Now", "Shame Shame"... When it came time to play "Deeper Than Beauty", most of the band left the stage to Chris on guitar and Andrew on drums. It was an interesting break because one thing your girl noticed was that the majority of songs were played with a heavier guitar and a louder sound than usual (which I totally loved!!!).
Let see, other cool things that occurred at the show? The extended jam on "Before I Do", the constant switching of players: Andrew out from behind the drums on guitar and singing, "People of the Sky" with Chris on drums. Jay and Chris shared bass duties. Saw a dad grooving along with his 14 year old son next to him and he wasn't the only one. At the front of the stage was a father with his three kids, two boys, one girl, all between the ages of 9-13. Then Patrick whipped out the acoustic guitar to sing "I Can Feel It", he encouraged a sing-along and it was over. Chris announced, "We'll be back, talk amongst yourselves, remember University?" and this girl was ecstatic that there was to be more.
They came back and started with "Everything You've Done Wrong", then into "Who Taught You to Live Like That?", "Keep on Thinkin'", "Unkind", "Beverly Terrace", "Shadow of Love", "She's Slowing Down Again", "Something's Wrong"," Traces", "Never Hear the End of It", "Fading into Obscurity", "Witches Wand", a super-fast version of "Good in Everyone", "The Other Man", "Take Good Care of the Poor Boy", and ended the show with a mega-rousing rendition of "Money City Maniacs".
You could tell the band was more interested in playing the second half of the set. Patrick rocked the expletive out, Chris's onstage antics came to the forefront (rad drumstick spins!), Jay was so solid, and we got a bunch more songs sung by Andrew, yum.
Andrew started a steady beat to begin the encore, which filled out to a furious icky thump, while the rest of the band played "Losing California". Then it was Jay's sweetly symphonic voice on "The Lines You Amend" and finally, the coup de gras, "Underwhelmed". I'm sure it's been said before, to the point that it's cliché, but this girl was completely Overwhelmed (I was so happy I pogo'd all over the place) and the night couldn't have ended on a better note. (Actually it did. I made a new friend, we went and talked to Chris and Jay, and Chris explained that one of the lines in Underwhelmed was, "She rolled her R's, her beautiful Arse." I never knew...)
It was an evening of surprise, revelation, affirmation, and excitement from a band I had written off almost 12 years ago. I was wrong. Sloan. Blew. Me. Away. They're 20 years into it with no signs of slowing down and I'm having a lot of fun catching up.
December 3rd, 2012
Hosted by: Hannah Besseau
Stories by: Alyssa Tremblay, Hannah Besseau, Aisha Samu & Daniel J. Rowe
Produced by: Carlo Spiridigliozzi
Montreal man faces deportation to Pakistan
The lawyer for a Dubai-born man says his life is in danger if he is deported to his parents’ native country of Pakistan.
According to CBC News, 24-year-old Sami Sheikh was 12 when he first came to Montreal.
His parents’ refugee application was denied in 2009 for not mentioning that they lived in Dubai for 20 years before coming to Canada. Sheik and his sisters were given a stay in Canada.
His father claimed that his past involvement with the Pakistan People’s Party put them in danger of their political opponents.
According to the lawyer, their political opponents have killed Sheikh’s grandfather, uncle, and cousin.
Sheikh says Montreal is all he knows, but Canadian immigration officials have denied his application to remain in Canada.
Sheikh’s older sister is married to a Canadian and has permanent residency status.
His younger sister lives with her older sister in Brampton, Ontario.
Plants and Animals @ Théâtre Corona
No gimmicks were necessary for Montreal indie-rock band Plants and Animals, who wooed their sold out hometown crowd at Corona Theatre on November 16th. Standing in the top corner balcony, the show opened with the spotlight on Nicolas Basque, guitar and bassist of the band, cheekily strumming along some melodic tune. He soon joined the band on the main stage and they kicked off the show.
The band performed with seamless song transitions, keeping it interesting alternating between upbeat songs, slow songs, new, and old songs. Guitarists Nick Basque and Warren Spicer played off each other and even dueled at times in true rock fashion. There weren't many stage gimmicks beyond this, nor was there a need for it to entice the crowd. The band had obvious stage chemistry that translated into a highly charismatic performance without the need for gaudy decorations or further theatrics.
"Happy Birthday Woody!" (directed to the drummer Matthew Woodley) and "Love you Nick" (to the guitarist) were exclaimed over the buzz of crowd whose enthusiasm only a truly local crowd could bring. And that was probably what was most refreshing about this show—it brought a positive vibe, which I can only suspect was attributed to such a friendly and local crowd. I have not seen that much relentless and unprovoked fist pumping and head bobbing in some time. As I walked through the crowd to get a better view, my ears were bombarded with the mutterings of people talking to their friends on how much they were enjoying the show.
Of course it wasn't entirely flawless. There were some obvious technical difficulties with the guitars at times, and the light show could have been more subdued for those who may not be entirely fond of flashing strobe lights directed right at your eyes. These glitches were far from distracting in light of the solid performance.
Overall, Plants and Animals offered a highly feel-good show, easily palatable for fans and concertgoers alike. And though I've only been a casual listener of their music so far, after this show I am confident to say I am certainly looking forward to their next one in Montreal.
November 30th, 2012
Hosted by: Hannah Besseau
Stories by: Catlin Spencer, Carlo Spiridigliozzi, Isabella Sasaki & Alex Masse
Produced by: Erica Bridgeman
Pussy Riot to face online censorship
Russian political punk group Pussy Riot will face online censorship after a Moscow Court declared their online videos “extremist.”
According to the BBC, websites refusing to remove the group’s videos may be blocked. Judge Marina Musimovich stated the video in question had "elements of extremism".
Members of Pussy Riot were arrested earlier this year after entering the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour in Moscow to perform “Punk Prayer,” a song and dance protesting the Orthodox Church’s support for Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Videos of the protest have attracted millions of online views. Two members of the group are currently serving two-year prison sentences for “hooliganism.”
Flickr Photo by: Person Behind the Scenes
STORY WRITTEN BY: ALEX MASSE
Bill 12 to create new block to investigate cops
Public Security Minister, Stéphane Bergeron, presented a bill Thursday to create the "Quebec model" of investigations where a citizen review of deaths and serious injuries at the hands of the police is the law.
According to the Gazette, in the case of death or injury involving a police officer in Quebec, another police force is called in to investigate, which was always criticized by many people, including the human rights commission.
Bill 12 will create the Bureau des enquêtes indépendantes, that will be designated a police force. However, it will be headed by a civilian director and assistant director.
Flickr Photo by: Parti Québécois (officiel)
STORY WRITTEN BY: ISABELLA SASAKI
Calgary Catholic schools to overturn ban on HPV vaccine
Calgary’s Catholic school board has over-turned a four-year-old ban on offering the HPV vaccine in schools, reports the Calgary Herald.
At a meeting Wednesday, the decision was made after a unanimous vote with eighty-eight out of one-hundred and three school boards in favour of an available immunization.
This move by the school board means that the HPV vaccine will now be offered to grade five girls across Calgary, as long as they have their parents written consent.
Older girls who didn’t receive the shot during the past four years will also be applicable.
Alberta Health Services will work to get the vaccinations running next month, so that girls will be able to get the three shots needed before the end of the school year.
STORY WRITTEN BY: CATLIN SPENCER
Pull the Trigger I Dare You!
The weekend quickly approaches and an animated smile makes its way across my lips, I am a very jubilant woman because I have just been invited to a set visit for a local production. One of my wonderful friends who works for a buzzing local website called me up to give me the details and off I went, I take two buses and finally arrive down into mysterious Griffintown. Despite the loud and obnoxious traffic that has suddenly surrounded me, Griffintown still hasn’t been fully developed; it looks shadowy and a little creepy, which gets me even more excited because I am a gargantuan fan of horror films, and of course action films. I am pleased to announce that the set I am visiting is in fact a locally produced action flick with homage to the genre films of the 70’s. Sound like something you would see is it not? Fuck yeah it is! Memorize the title or write it down because this is one flick you are going to want to see: Billy Trigger.
Once I arrive to the creepy yet sexy location, I am brought to the press area and we sit and wait for the cast and crew to arrive and then let the interviews and conversations begin, I see a few familiar faces which goes to show you that the film industry here in Montreal is not as vast as people might think, you can picture it like a family and every production is similar to a Family reunion.
Billy Trigger is an action genre film about a badass motherfucker called Trigger; he is a professional hitman, who gets involved with some bad decision-making. Fred Williamson (The Hammer) plays Pops, the man behind it all who is making Trigger’s life a living hell. Fred has been involved with film since before I was even born! He is professional, witty and very suave. During the interviews he mentioned how everyone behind this particular production has been so passionate, which created an unbelievable harmony on set, especially because the people involved with this feature are hungry for more action films to be made here in Montreal. We had a conversation about why Hollywood doesn’t care about older action flicks and how they can inspire the new wave of action films and action filmmakers. Williamson says they are not “smart enough” to do so and I could not agree more.
Directing this feature is Montreal’s own Christian Viel and local internet personality John Fallon (Arrow in the Head, which is affiliated with joblo.com) wrote the script and is starring as Trigger. Fallon expresses his love for action films and he also mentions how Trigger’s action scenes are depicted as close to reality as they can get. The fight scenes are parallel to those of the 70’s action flicks: gritty, closer to reality and the stunts are done by the actors. Andy Bradshaw helped produce the film, acted in the film and was the stunt choreographer, this guy has a vast knowledge of the world of stunts and explains to the press that “ slow is smooth, smooth is fast” and that each fight scene mixes and matches different fighting styles, which is very exciting and modern.
All in all, I was given just enough information about the film to intensely peak my interest and I am now one curious woman. Montreal will soon be going through a new wave of cinema, especially with all the new and anxious filmmakers floating around, and these filmmakers need to realize that the action film is coming back hard and fast and with a fuck load of retaliation. Hold on to your triggers folks because here we go!
-Andrea Boulet
@AndreaMtl
Proposed Bill C-377 draws fury from unions
A new bill in the House of Commons has drawn fury and anger by labour unions.
According to a report provided by rabble.ca, Bill C-377 would force unions to reveal their financial information in a very public way.
The Bill was introduced in the House by Conservative MP, Ross Hiebert. It is facing a third and final reading before voting is to begin whether or not to accept it into law.
Numerous labour unions around the country have spoken out against the Bill calling it unfair. The Canadian Bar Association stated that the Bill violates rights to freedom of expression and a an association’s privacy.
The Canada Revenue Agency made public its report on how much the government would have to pay to process the financial reports of thousands of unions. It revealed spending of just over ten million dollars for the first two years and just over two million dollars for every year after.
NDP and Liberal MPs are expected to reject the Bill, while the Prime Minister is expected to back it when voting is set to begin.
Flickr Photo by: Tomato Geezer
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