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Earthquake hits Montreal and surroundings
An earthquake shook Montreal Tuesday night at around 12:19AM, creating a wave of panic amongst the people.
Facebook and Twitter have been invaded with statuses about the earthquake, so that all of us who haven't felt it still know about it.
According to stats from Natural Resources Canada, the 4.5 magnitude earthquake had its epicentre in Longueuil.
It was felt as far from Montreal as the town of Valleyfield, some 20 kilometers from the Ontario border, West of Montreal.
The extent of the damages caused by the quake, if any, are still to be determined.
Laval youth take to the street
There is an increasing demand for basic social services and housing for youth on the streets, reports The Gazette.
Travail de la Rue Ile de Laval (TRIL) is a not-for-profit program acting as a secure place for young people to access legal advice or an adult confidante.
They say that staggering unemployment, high school dropout and high rent are some of the reasons why youth use their services.
They offer transitional housing, and have a drop-in site where youth in need can come to eat, do laundry or take a hot shower.
And in Laval, with very little affordable housing options, many kids have to choose between eating or paying rent, ending up taking to the street.
Laval is often thought of as being a rich neighbourhood, but poverty strikes there too, and it is becoming more and more visible.
TRIL is being financed through Centraide this year, and they always accept donations of all kinds and seek more volunteers.
Tension between Syria and Turkey builds
More fighter jets are now being deployed by Turkish troops to an airbase close to the border while maintaining tense artillery exchanges along the southeastern border of Syria.
The announcement was confirmed on Tuesday during reports of fierce fighting as Syrian rebels attempt to take control of the northern Idib province.
Turkish prime minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan is confident the end of President Bashar al-Assad is near.
Turkey has suffered from six consecutive days of shells being fired from Syrian soil, however, Erdogan has stated that Turkey will not shrink from war if forced to act.
Although an additional 25 F-16 fighter jets have been deployed at Turkey’s Diyarbakir airbase this Monday, they have made it clear they will not be likely to mount any major operations on Syrian soil. If they do decide to do so it will only be with international support.
PASA Musik Showcase @ Club Lambi
My last night of Pop Montreal festivities was spent at the PASA Musik Showcase. I made my way to Club Lambi to take in the sounds of Sarah MK, La Bronze, and Elsiane.
Of the three performing females, I was most familiar with Sarah MK. The last time I heard her perform was at Conn-Shawnery's CS02 record launch. Her Worth It CD from last year caught fire on CJLO charts and playlists. I naturally looked forward to the moment she sang "Think Dat". The songstress can also rap which could make for an interesting album if she were inclined to do so.
Next to perform was La Bronze, a group consisting of a keyboardist, guitarist, the singer and occasional background vocalists. To my surprise, the small drum kit being set up after Sarah MK's set was for the singer. It is not often that we get to see a female drummer and singer. What is even rarer is to see a female drummer and singer spontaneously break into dance choreography at any time. That happened that night at Club Lambi, and added to an already lively performance. In most cases, the drums are in the background of songs. With La Bronze, the drums are at the forefront of the music. For those who like their music on the heavier, percussive side, La Bronze's sounds are for you.
Elsiane closed off the night's trio of female performers. At one point when she was preparing her next song, I heard someone near me call the names of Enya and Bjork in describing her effect on him. Elsiane was the most unique vocalist of the night, and of my Pop Montreal 2012 experience. My theory is that she may have been classically trained. Her singing quality was operatic in nature to me. It would be easy to do like the gentleman near me and compare her to other artists but that would rob her of her originality. She also brought a unique aura and stage presence to Club Lambi. The Pop Montreal performance was her last before leaving for a European tour. The new album is called Mechanics of Emotion.
A special note of mention to the showcase host JJanice and his fellow MC, the musicians present that night, the organizers and Beat The World's DJ Sugarface Nene for making this review possible.
Ango + Black Atlass @ Le Belmont
The Sofa King Raw x POP Montreal showcase allowed those in attendance at Le Belmont to hear some of the latest, upcoming Canadian artists. After hosting The Suite Delight, I made my way to the venue and got there just in time to catch showcase opener Black Atlass. The young singer-songwriter performed a number of songs from his newly dropped eponymous EP, Black Atlass. In speaking to his accompanying musician at the end of the evening, I learned the song I enjoyed the most is called "The Black Dog".
I discovered Ango's music earlier this year, and after a brief interlude from DJ Shash'U, it was finally time for him to take the stage.
Ango's onstage presence was hard to ignore. He was the most energetic of all the Pop Montreal artists I saw perform this year. If anyone wondered whether Michael Jackson was an influence on ANGO musically or physically, the case was proven that night. With one black glove and non-stop movement on the stage, the late King of Pop's work ethic for performing was present and well appreciated. In addition, Ango's homage to "Rock With You" reinforced the point.
Many of the songs were from Ango's recently-released EP, Serpentine. One wonders if the title of the EP is not a tribute to Earth, Wind & Fire or Philip Bailey. However, the one song most people looked forward to was his rendition of Sade's "No Ordinary Love". Strategically, it arrived at the tail end of his set.
Vocally, Ango's falsetto was the most resonant of the Pop Montreal singers I've heard as well. The combination of that unique, vocal quality with enough energy to captivate all in attendance makes for a great concert experience. I firmly believe we will be seeing and hearing more of Ango.
October 9th 2012
Hosted by: Kurt Weiss
Stories by: Carlo Spiridigliozzi, Saturn De Los Angeles, Danny Aubry
Produced by: Catlin Spencer
Companies to build facility in Bécancour
A new project could cool down emotions caused by the closure Québec’s only nuclear plant.
According to CBC News, the Quebec government will announce its support of a 1.2 billion dollar fertilizer production facility for the Bécancour region.
Two large agricultural companies including IFFCO from India will be partners in the project. They are set to invest 100 million to 200 million dollars.
The new factory will produce urea which is needed to make fertilizer. It will also employ 500 workers to build it and 200 to work in it.
The Bécancour region has been hit recently by the announcement of the closure of the Gentilly-2 nuclear plant. A report by Hydro-Québec said the plant was too expensive to maintain.
Second inmate escapes from Laval jail
A prisoner escaped from the Montée St-François jail on Sunday night.
According to CBC News, 56 year old Gilles Meloche is the second inmate to escape from the minimum security federal prison located in Laval this past week.
Guards at the prison discovered Meloche was missing during a head count before curfew.
Meloche has been serving his sentence since September 1980. He was charged with attempted murder, forcible confinement, theft and armed robbery.
Correctional Services Canada is teaming up with the SQ, Laval police and the prison to catch the runaway. Anyone with information of his whereabouts should call the police.
Flickr Photo by: my_southborough
Eurozone unleashes financial plan
Eurozone has unleashed its six hundred and fifty billion dollar financial plan regarding the financial concerns of countries in need.
According to Aljazeera News, Eurozone's financial plan is called the European Stability Mechanism.
It was made up by finance ministers from seventeen countries for the purpose of bailing out struggling banks and economies.
The European Stability Mechanism will be put to work when the European Union's twenty-seven leaders meet in Brussels.
When the European Union leaders meet, their main focus will be to get Greece and Spain back to a good financial state.
The Magical Mystery Tour: Satisfaction Guaranteed?
Let me start by saying that I'm a huge Beatles fan, but not even close to being as fanatical as my father. Ever seen that Simpsons episode where it turns out that Ned Flanders has a secret room filled with Beatles collectibles? Well, that's my dad (who, coincidentally, also wears glasses and sports a mustache, but is not as ripped as Ned). Every birthday, Christmas and Father's Day usually involves me buying the latest Beatles and Beatles-related release for him.
Needless to say, he's pretty excited about the upcoming re-release of The Beatles' Magical Mystery Tour. Personally, I'm a little disappointed that the timing of the release doesn't coincide with a gift-giving opportunity, but that's a minor quibble.
Available October 9th in North America, the long out-of-print 1967 television film will be available on DVD, Blu-ray and in a wallet-draining deluxe edition box set that includes both the DVD and Blu-ray, a 60-page book and a reproduction of the original UK double 7” vinyl EP (in glorious mono!). With this and the upcoming release of stereo remasters on vinyl, it's gearing up to be an expensive end-of year for Beatles collectors.
By 1967, The Beatles had stopped touring and were instead sending promotional films of their songs for broadcast (arguably inventing the music video). They had also just beamed a worldwide satellite broadcast of the song “All You Need is Love”. As a next audio-visual project, Paul McCartney came up with the idea of loading up a bus with friends, family and hired actors, heading west out of London and hoping that something “magical” would happen. No script was used; only a collection of rough ideas and situations, some based on the new songs to be included on the accompanying double EP: "Magical Mystery Tour", "Your Mother Should Know", "I Am the Walrus", "The Fool on the Hill", "Flying" and "Blue Jay Way"
From what I've read, as I've never had the opportunity to see the film, the end-result was far from magical. Two weeks of shooting and 10 hours of footage were whittled down to roughly an hour of footage that was broadcast on BBC1 on Boxing Day, 1967. The critical reaction was overwhelmingly negative and as a result, the film was not seen in North America until the mid-1970s when it was released theatrically in a limited number of theaters.
The movie's poor reputation has made it somewhat non-essential viewing for anybody but the most fervent Beatles fan. Even my dad, who as I mentioned, is the definition of a Beatle-maniac, has never seen it. However, this new remastered re-release is made much more intriguing by including director's commentary by Paul McCartney, unseen footage and various other extras.
I'm looking forward to seeing this, although my expectations are tempered; I'm not expecting to see a masterpiece by any means. So with that, I invite you to reserve a copy of movie at your local store. It may have everything you need, but I'm not so sure that satisfaction will be guaranteed.
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