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Alicia Clara Lets Us into Her Literary World on ‘Outsider/Unusual’
Photo Credit: Tess Roby
Surprisingly, Alicia Clara has a “very short attention span” when it comes to books. I say surprisingly because the Montreal-via-Switzerland singer-songwriter creates the sort of works where you need the lyrics sheet to pour over the words and turns of phrases.
“It’s really hard for me to go through a book,” Clara explains. “I have to really be hooked by this story. And if I am, then this is the only thing I will do, but I kind of put it off. I have the same thing with movies as well, where I put off long activities, because I'm not sure I'm going to be able to go through the whole thing.”
Anyone who feels the same way as Clara should really listen to Outsider/Unusual, the artist’s debut EP that came out in February. At only 26 minutes, it’s a fascinating yet brief entry point to Clara’s literary world, with artful lines such as “I poured some gold in your cup / to squeeze out some hazy truths” (from “Hazemaze”) or “deep blue sea of stones like eyes / staring down our predictable lies” (from “Stones Like Eyes”). It really does help to have that lyric sheet on hand, because otherwise the words are subsumed in the overall picture painted by Clara’s otherworldly vocals and the sonic tapestries provided by her band, blending together dream pop, indie rock, shoegaze and even funk.
Even though Clara’s writing veers towards the enigmatic, with relatively few hooks or choruses to immediately reel in the listener, one of the singer-songwriter’s earliest influences showed her the power of being direct. “When I was a teenager,” says Clara. “I was really inspired by Lykke Li, who has a very simple but honest style of songwriting where she just says it like it is. She’s just like ‘my heart was broken,’ and that’s it. She’s not trying to conceal anything, not trying to embellish a story, and that's actually something that has stuck with me.”
These days, however, Clara’s inspiration comes from artists who share her preference for conjuring mystique and intrigue in their writing. “I do feel like I might be a little more cryptic in my songwriting which probably at the time came from Stevie Nicks,” Clara says. “I guess more recently, I was really into Westerman from London and Helena Deland [from Montreal].”
While Clara is the architect of her songs, they’re brought to life with the help of her band (Michael Kalman, Patrick Drummond, and Luke Pound), who sound as if they’ve played together for years. But, the four only really came together last summer when Quebec’s COVID-19 public health measures were eased, so that they could all gather at a safe distance.
“I think it was primarily professional in the sense that for the first two months that I had the band, we ate breakfast once, and jammed once a week, and that was it,” Clara says. “And when we started hanging out as friends towards the end of the summer, we actually bonded really fast. I think we were all extremely excited about having a project to do during the pandemic. [It’s] a bit like falling in love, where the first few months or weeks [you’re] super excited about everything.”
Outside of last summer though, much of our social connectedness during the pandemic has been virtual. This includes not only classes and workplace meetings, but also live music. However, instead of feeding off a receptive crowd, artists have to adjust to playing for an audience completely unseen online. It can be quite daunting, especially if like Clara, it counts as your very first show.
“I don't know, I really hope I can play live shows at some point,” Clara explained., “Because I kind of feel jealous of anyone who's got to experience that before [laughs]. I just got there at the worst time.” Her first live performance ever was canceled the same day that the Quebec government declared the COVID-19 pandemic a public health emergency. Instead, Clara’s debut performance was for a live stream concert, something that the artist isn’t particularly looking forward to doing in the near future.
“What I don't like about live streams is that the mistakes you make [are] kind of documented forever,” Clara adds. “I feel like at shows if you fuck up, no one will necessarily hear it in the room itself. And also you can laugh it off and just smile on stage. People will be like ‘Haha, she fucked up.’ It's fun, you know. From a pre-recorded side, it's kind of like ‘Why did she fuck up?’ There’s no excuse [laughs]. I just feel like with other people in the room, it's more of a shared experience than me trying to plan a show [online].”
After everything that’s gone on in our lives since the pandemic hit, nobody would be faulted for feeling pessimistic. Clara herself admits feeling this way, as much as she wishes she could be optimistic, particularly with such a major step in her career as releasing her debut EP. “I’m happy to be releasing this [EP], but it’s a little bit bittersweet,” Clara says. “And without shows or anything, it feels like I’m kind of doing that for, I don’t know, for nothing, not really for nothing, but it’s weird.”
Considering the subject matter of Outsider/Unusual, in particular the title track and “Stones Like Eyes,” where Clara realizes there might be no such thing as happy endings or tidy resolutions, the EP acts as a fitting soundtrack to our current times. In the long-term, we can imagine a day where things finally do get better, but our future is still quite murky in the short-term. We’ve all had to learn to deal with the prolonged discomfort of the unknown. Clara herself is trying to push past those feelings when writing new material, though the artist admits that attempting to start a new chapter isn’t the easiest with a COVID state of mind.
“[B]efore really jumping into a second [EP], I’ll probably just look at everything that I've written and, who knows, maybe I’ll decide to change it and maybe I’ll find a new chapter. Right now it’s kind of hard to tell.”
Outsider/Unusual is out now (Hot Tramp).
Alex Viger-Collins is the host of Ashes to Ashes, your home for modern pop in all its forms, every Tuesday at 8:00 PM EST.
VACCINE UPDATE, PROTESTORS DEMAND SOCIAL HOUSING, PROTESTERS STAND AGAINST SHIPPING YARD
Reporter: Shanellie Marie
Stories: Luca Caruso Moro
VACCINE UPDATE
More than 40 per cent of Quebecers have now received a dose of a COVID-19 vaccination.
This after Quebec has increased its capacity to administer 100 thousand shots in a day.
At that rate, the province can expect to hit a milestone of 4 million doses given out by mid-May.
As of the 14, all adults will be able to book an appointment to get vaccinated.
PROTESTORS DEMAND SOCIAL HOUSING
In other news...
Protesters gathered in Montreal’s southwest borough Saturday to demand more affordable housing in the city.
Advocates say thousands of renters in Montreal are in desperate need of places to stay, with many fearing they won’t be able to afford a home come July 1.
They’re calling on the Legault government to deliver 22 thousand social housing units over the next five years.
PROTESTERS STAND AGAINST SHIPPING YARD
Across the city…
Several hundred people gathered in protest against a shipping yard project planned in the Mercier-Hochelaga-Maisonneuve borough.
The space that’s slated to be the site of Ray-Mont Logistic’s new shipping yard is used by nearby residents as a park.
People without homes have also pitched tents in the area.
Advocates opposing the project also say the shipping yard will draw heavy transport truck traffic to the area, increasing pollution and noise levels.
Covid-19 Update, Tent City Dismantled
Reporter: Shanellie Marie
Stories: Luca Caruso Moro
COVID-19 Update
Québec reported fewer than 800 cases of COVID-19 Monday, the fewest new cases since March.
It’s a significant drop from recent days, after Quebec reported around a thousand cases a day over the last week.
The same day, healthcare workers administered 38 thousand doses, as the province nears 40 per cent inoculation.
Tent City Dismantled
Montreal police dismantled a tent city where several homeless people were living on Monday.
The people who had set up in an east-end park were forced out by an order from Quebec’s transport ministry.
About 20 people were pushed out of the encampment.
Police say there were no arrests.
Mélanie Venditti Lets Herself Go on ‘Projections’
Photo Credit: Kelly Jacob
Two years after releasing Épitaphes, Mélanie Venditti is back with Projections, a six-track EP that trades in her debut album’s haunting alt-rock for radiant synth-pop. But behind the luminescent disco pop of songs like single “Les contradictions” are a set of lyrics that are no less weighty than those of the Montreal singer-songwriter’s first album, which processed the passing of her mother. CJLO spoke with Venditti about her new sound, resiliency, and feeling grateful to get back on stage.
CJLO: Your 2020 single “L’île de chasse” took your music in a more electronic pop-oriented direction, after the alternative rock found on Épitaphes and your first EP (EP sans titre). What was behind the shift in musical direction that we hear now on Projections?
Mélanie Venditti: I see Projections as the continuation of my first EP, in the energy and the process, my first album Épitaphes was a parenthesis in between the two. I really like to feel free towards all styles, to explore. To me, it’s unfortunate when an artist remains in only one avenue. Our inspirations change, our tastes as well. What we experience also guides the way we create, how we want to express ourselves. At this moment, I want to dance, to let myself go.
Despite the sunny sounds of the new EP, the lyrical subject matter is more heavy, dealing with failing relationships and despicable partners. Did you purposefully try to put a happy face on otherwise sad music by making the songs pop-like?
I love to make contrasts between lyrics and music. It’s part of my approach on this second EP to feel liberated and more relaxed after creating songs. I like that people listen to my music candidly, and that afterwards, they discover that the lyrical nature doesn’t come from the same starting point. It’s like when we want to talk about a deep subject, and we bring it up with humour at first. Humour disarms, and afterwards we find ourselves more touched. I actually worked a lot of that into the direction of my Épitaphes shows with François Bernier, my director.
The last collection of songs you released, Épitaphes, dealt with the passing of your mother and the processing of that grief. After writing such an intensely emotional set of songs, when and how did you allow yourself to begin writing songs again from a new mindset, to begin a new era, so to speak?
It came about on its own, naturally. I didn’t provoke it. I let myself be guided by what life brings me. Of course, I try to remain positive as much as possible. I’m not saying it’s easy but we do the best we can! I’m a very resilient person, I’m often told.
You said you wrote “L’amitié (L’île de chasse)”, off the new EP, for a friend “who felt guilty for not being able to get over their pain. We have to stop comparing ourselves to others, and each go at our own pace when healing.” Was it almost a bit of a relief to write about someone else’s pain, after having focused so much on your own personal life on Épitaphes? Do the other songs on Projections also focus on other people’s experiences, whether fact or fiction?
The songs from Projections are broader when it comes to terms and pronouns. Sometimes I write in the first person but it’s not me, and sometimes the second person is me. It’s a different approach for me. I tried to be less focused on myself, even if the images conveyed are very close to my personal experiences. A lot of people abused my kindness, and it caused me a lot of harm. With the #MeToo movement, I read a lot of testimonies that resembled what I went through and it inspired me.
Projections is the first project that you largely self-produced! How did it feel being in control of how everything sounded and turned out? What was behind your decision to self-produce the EP, and do you think you’ll continue to do so in your future work?
Producing the EP came to me, and not the other way around, having no budget to hire a producer. I also have the ambition to produce other artists in the near future. I said to myself that this EP could be a business card.
Musical progression has been a part of you for a long time – you started off playing the violin and classical music at 6; then going for a guitar at 14-15 to play rock music like Radiohead, Weezer, and King Crimson; and now experimenting with synthesizers and pop sonics. Yet you manage to weave all those influences together in your music without it sounding forced. What’s the common denominator that makes a Mélanie Venditti song?
There are many: versatility, openness, work, and the surroundings. Classical music taught me to be rigorous. My studies in music allowed me to be versatile thanks to skills learned. My openness in what I listen to allows to have an array of ideas and inspirations. And of course my surroundings and entourage. Surrounding yourself well [with good people] is very important.
As a musician, I imagine you can’t wait for the day when you can safely play in front of audiences again. Do you think about what you want your future live performances to be like?
I had the chance to perform on stage already [this year] with Douance and Super Plage as part of the Francouvertes contest. It felt so good to get up there again! I have no expectations really, because I’m so grateful to do shows. I felt a little rusty at times, since I hadn’t performed in a long time. Some small mistakes, here and there, hihi. But hey, as we say, you got to be kind to yourself!
Independent musicians are one of the many groups whose livelihoods are harmed by the COVID-19 pandemic. As someone who has eloquently spoken on the difficulties of the DIY career path, what worries you most about our current reality, and what gives you hope for the future?
What worries me the most is the talented musicians who will change careers and go into fields other than music. It makes me very sad. On the other hand, I find that this pandemic allows us to reflect on the place that femmes/trans/binary/non-binary people as well as ethnic minorities deserve to have in the Quebec scene. I’ve sensed a change in the last year and that, that gives me hope.
Projections is out now (Independent)
Alex Viger-Collins is the host of Ashes to Ashes, your home for modern pop in all its forms, every Tuesday at 8:00 PM EST.
The Resonance Series of 5 Podcasts
- Stories of Cuts and Care
- Aural Assembly: Echoing Life Worlds
- Grave Danger
Hour 2:
- Virtual Agents of Care?
- Fragmenting Displacement
Beats From the East Welcomes JUNE MILLINGTON (from Fanny)
Get your tickets at : https://tinyurl.com/2z8n4ner
Co-hosted by the wonderful Lauren Lee, from TRAKTIVIST.com (Sound of Asian America)!
Quebec vaccination update
Reporter: Shanellie Marie
Stories: Luca Caruso Moro
Quebec vaccination update
Quebec hit several major vaccination milestones this week.
With daily records of over 80 thousand injections throughout recent days,
public health has announced that nearly one in three adults have gotten a dose.
This after the AstraZeneca vaccine became available to people aged 45 and up, who have all but depleted the supply.
As the province waits for more doses, Montreal walk-in clinics have closed for the time being.
The age was lowered following recommendations from a national health advisory board.
And that board just announced that provinces can allow people as young as thirty to get the dose.
The recommended age for the vaccine was initially capped at 55 after some reports linked blood clotting to AstraZeneca.
However, the risk of blood clotting remains much higher for COVID-19 itself, not to mention more commonly taken treatments, like birth control.
To add some starpower to the AstraZeneca campaign, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau received his first dose on Friday.
Ontario reverses pandemic policing measures, Quebec vaccine update, Undergrad survey in motion
Reporter: Shanellie Marie
Stories: Luca Caruso Moro
Ontario reverses pandemic policing measures
After receiving widespread backlash, Ontario has walked back some of it’s pandemic policing powers.
Ontario police will no longer be able to stop and question anyone they suspect might be violating health measures.
Community groups slammed the measures enacted in recent days.
Land-travel between Quebec and Ontario remains restricted to essential trips.
Quebec vaccine update
Quebec reached a major vaccination milestone in recent days with more than a quarter of the population having received at least one dose.
That’s well over two million doses in Quebecers’ arms.
Most of those shots were administered in Montreal, which has tallied over 600 thousand doses.
Most adults above 60 have now received a dose.
Undergrad survey in motion
Finally, in Concordia news, the student union has launched a survey on students learning online.
According to the CSU, the survey will gauge students’ feelings on remote learning to advocate next year.
Legault urges caution, lockdown continues in some areas as Quebec hits 2 million vaccine doses" QC COVID-19 update
Luca Caruso-Moro
________________________________________________________________
More people are eligible to get their COVID-19 vaccinations starting Wednesday.
For this round, certain essential workers at high risk and some Quebecers with chronic health conditions can book an appointment starting Wednesday.
A full list is available on the province’s website.
On Tuesday, Quebec’s vaccine rollout his a major milestone of 2 million vaccine doses.
That's nearly a quarter of the province.
Meanwhile, lockdowns in Quebec City, Outaouais and Chaudiere appalache will continue another week.
Non-essential businesses and schools are staying closed. The curfew will remain at 8 p.m.
And yes, after confusion around the new masks rules, Legault confirmed Tuesday that if you’re with people who are not in your bubble, you need to mask, even outside.
This as concerns of variants push lawmakers to maintain and tighten COVID-19 restrictions.
Legault said half of new arrivals in hospital for the virus are under 60 years old.
He called on people to continue to limit their social interactions.
More priority groups up for vaccination, 70 percent of new cases in Quebec City are variants, Unusual Ramadan in store under curfew
Reporter: Shanellie Desparois
News stories: Luca Caruso Moro
More priority groups up for vaccination
More health and social service workers can get a dose of the COVID-19 vaccine under the province’s new Phase two rollout for that group.
Community workers, interns, and family-type employees can now get the shot.
Back in February, those groups were left out of the health worker priority group because of a lack of vaccines.
70 percent of new cases in Quebec City are variants
As Quebec City becomes a new pandemic hotspot in the province, authorities say more than two in three new cases are variants.
Most of the cases are likely the UK version, which has now been associated with more than 1,500 cases in the province, with thousands more expected to be discovered through screening.
Unusual Ramadan in store under curfew
Finally, Montreal Muslims are getting ready for the month-long event, Ramadan, which begins Tuesday.
Across the world, Muslims will fast for large portions of the day, and many will go to a mosque to pray after sundown.
But not in Montreal. With the curfew being rolled back to 8 p.m. in Montreal and Laval Sunday, this Ramadan will look like no other.
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