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Sunday's Best - 4th Edition of Gala Dynastie
Photo Credit: Akeem Johnson
March 1st marked the 4th edition of Gala Dynastie, an event which honors achievements and efforts from the best and brightest of the Montreal Black Community.This year’s Gala took place at Place Des Arts, a symbol of growth for the event.
The night was more than an award show, it was a celebration of black excellence, something that is often overlooked in this province. From the moment, I stood across from the black carpet and laid eyes on the nominees. I could feel the overall understanding that the gala is about more than handing out awards, it was about celebrating local black culture. The Mayor of Montreal, Valérie Plante, and Bloc Québécois leader, Yves-François Blanchet, were among the attendees.
Whether people choose to bring out their best dress or suit, some decided to wear more traditional garments, everyone brought out their Sunday best. Speaking of Sunday’s best, the comedian Preach, of Aba and Preach, once again played the role of host for the night and did not hesitate to play on the fact that the night was on a Sunday. He tore the house down with his impression of a preacher, yelling out bible clichés and hymns. He continued to be energetic, witty, and insightful throughout the remainder of the show.
The show started off on a high note, as we were pleasantly surprised by a performance from Corneille, a staple in this city. The Montreal legend sung some of his best hits from back in the day, and threw in some newer cuts in his set.
The night went on smoothly as the winners of each category accepted their awards and each delivered a speech that accentuated the importance of recognition among peers.
For most award winners, this was their first time being recognized for their work by a major award show. This, as they mentioned, was not for their lack of effort, but rather the lack of effort other institutions in Quebec put towards promoting black artists.
Some of the winners were: Djely Tapa for Best World Music, Nicola Ouellet for Best French Radio Personality, and Best Sports Personality went to Chris Boucher who currently plays for the Toronto Raptors.
The night went on to feature a great comedic performance by Dolino, a special tribute to long time promoter Ricky D, and a stand out musical performance from Naya Ali who also took home the award for English music artist of the year.
The Gala proved to be an entertaining evening on all fronts, as the audience remained enthusiastic throughout the entire show. Preach ended the night on a more serious tone, explaining that the night is not about segregation but about representation and giving people flowers while they can still smell them.
He went on to say that as important as it is to celebrate the current achievements of Blacks in Montreal, it is more important to set up platforms like Gala Dynastie for the next generation.
Akeem Johnson is the co-host of The Kitchen, a show that blends everything from trap music to afrobeat. It plays every Wednesday at 9:00 p.m EST.
Kahnawake Mohawk protestors lifted the rail barricades, Earthquake in Montreal, COVID-19 case in Quebec
Stories by: Luca Caruso-Moro
Reporter: Shanellie Marie
INDIGENOUS
Kahnawake Mohawk protestors lifted the rail barricades on their territory on Thursday.
Spokespeople have said they are doing so to ease tensions between Wet’suwet’en leaders and the federal government.
They also said that the blockades could go back up at any time.
MONTREAL
Montreal had an earthquake Friday morning.
The small 3.3 magnitude quake hit the island at around 3 A.M.
The epicentre was northeast of downtown.
COVID-19
A third case of COVID-19 has been confirmed in Quebec.
A woman quarantined herself after learning a friend had tested positive.
That friend was in France, the woman likely contracted the virus during her trip abroad.
She has joined the 100 thousand cases around the world.
And 49 in Canada, mostly in Ontario and BC.
General Hospital prepares for COVID-19, Quebec's new dangerous dog law, Quebecers support Indigenous causes
Hadassah Alencar
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Special COVID-19 training for General Hospital
The Jewish General Hospital has been designated as a treatment centre for Coronavirus.
It is one of four Quebec hospitals assigned by the province to handle the outbreak.
The hospital’s new wing called Pavilion opened in 2016.
It was designed to handle outbreaks such as COVID-19.
Hospital staff in the new wing have received special training.
Quebec's dangerous dog law comes into effect
Dog owners across Quebec are now subject to the province’s new dangerous dog legislation which came into effect on Tuesday..
The legislation is designed to prevent dog attacks and maulings.
Under the new law, veterinarians must report dog bites.
An assessment will follow, to determine if the attacking dog is dangerous.
If so, the dog may be sterilized, microchipped or in severe cases, euthanized.
Quebecers support Indigenous causes according to poll
Quebecers continue to support Indigenous causes even if they don’t like rail blockades.
That’s according to a new poll from the Canadian Press.
It found that nearly 2 in 3 Quebec respondents felt Indigneous land claims were legitimate.
Wet’suwet’en hereditary chiefs are in talks with the federal government to end the standoff.
Blockade movements across Canada remain in place.
Metal My Movie - Lost in Translation
Photo Credit: IMDb
For the month of March, I have decided to explore some of the Metal themes in films. Every week, I will be taking a look at another movie and relating it to Metal.
I have decided to highlight one of my favourite romantic comedies, Lost in Translation, and explore it from a Metal perspective for this first segment. The genre of Metal has always tried to subvert the obvious notions that are established within the genre, by making loud noises or exploring unconventional themes the nature of the songs being different from contemporary themes. Sofia Coppola subverts the genre of the romantic comedy by adding in a contemporary score, and soundtrack, to the film and having a significant age difference between the lead characters.
Taking a look at the score and soundtrack of the film is a great introduction to one of the Metal aspects to Lost In Translation. Sure it’s not a metal soundtrack per say, however the score was composed by Kevin Shields, vocalist and guitarist from the band My Bloody Valentine. It has a hard rock aesthetic with the loud electric guitar and drums is similar to the aesthetics of the genre of Metal. To close the film, Coppola treats the audience with The Jesus and Mary Chain hard hitting classic “Just Like Honey”, as Bob (Bill Murray) whispers something to Charlotte (Scarlett Johansson). It’s still a mystery what the secret was because of the fact that the drums the hard electric guitar with the vocals of Jim Ried provide the dialogue of the whisper instead.
With the loud noises of the film established, let's take a look at how it subverts the commonality of the romantic comedy. First off, we can say that the age factor could be a subversion of the genre due to the fact that Bob is much older than Charlotte, who is a twenty something graduate who tags along with her husband (Giovanni Ribisi) on his work trip to Japan. Bob is having what you would describe to be a midlife crisis throughout the film, as he tries to assimilate into the younger culture by wearing an army type shirt and jeans. This is coupled with the fact that he has to adjust to the barrier of being a foreigner in Japan, just as the genre of Metal can seem foreign to those inexperienced with the genre. Bob, at one point in the film, has a one-night stand with the lounge singer (Catherine Lambert) at the hotel he’s staying in, which Charlotte makes reference to as someone who is his age, that he can relate to rather than her. However, there is something that is more than a friendship between Bob and Charlotte that Coppola captures, instead of the status quo romantic comedy ideal of both leads being the same age.
Maybe it’s the raw power of the hard sounding score and soundtrack, or the un-idealistic subversion of the genre, with Bob and Charlotte being more than friends, makes this one of my favourite romantic comedies. You don’t get a hard rock score or soundtrack in this genre, unless you have that classic “insert the classic rock song a la Tom (you had me at hello) Cruise”. You don’t get to see the emotional climax that Bob, going through a midlife crisis, could have feelings for a younger Charlotte. The climax of the film ending poetically sweet, as Bob whispers something to Charlotte as the hard rock alternative anthem provides the dialogue. Maybe something along the lines of in another lifetime I will find you, gives the romantic in me hope.
Next week the winning international film Force Majeure gets a metal takeover in Metal My Movie. Got any suggestions for a Metal My Movie segment then e-mail atmovies@cjlo.com.
The Medical Science of Death Metal
As you may already know, a lot of metal bands are obsessed with violent imagery. Look no further than the album covers of bands like Cannibal Corpse and Exhumed for the most gruesome depictions of gore and violence. The subgenre of death metal takes inspiration from horror and slasher films, and its lyrics tend to describe scenarios of murder and torture. However, the music sparked a fascination with what’s inside the human body. This has led to an interest in medical science, with bands singing about biology and pathology, some taking the themes more seriously than others. So how did this happen?
We begin with British death metal pioneers Carcass, when members cut out autopsy photos from medical journals and created a collage of corpses for the cover of their 1988 debut album Reek of Putrefaction. Songs like “Carbonized Eyesockets” and “Pungent Excruciation” went into nauseating detail about all matters of bodily fluids oozing out of multiple orifices. They repeated the process for their second album Symphonies of Sickness, released in 1989. In 1993, Carcass proved that they’re more than a one-note band by venturing into a more melodic style on their album Heartwork, writing songs about existentialism. More recently, Carcass has returned to their themes of pathology with their 2013 album Surgical Steel.
The early style of Carcass spawned a number of clone bands. It created a sub-subgenre called goregrind, which used the extreme speed and aggression of grindcore but threw out the political themes and replaced them with lyrics about mutilating the human body either out of malicious intent or for surgical reasons. Many musicians would scour medical journals, looking for the most disgusting of diseases, usually relating to genitals or the rectum. Another stylistic choice was to sing about forensics and medical malpractice. Bands like France’s Pulmonary Fibrosis and Japan’s Viscera Infest would write various songs about diseases and would use vomit-inducing photos of infections for their album covers; while bands like Sweden’s General Surgery and Spain’s Haemorrhage would take the gimmick further and perform live in blood-stained hospital gowns, surgical scrubs and nurse uniforms.
The gag hit its peak in 2001 with the formation of The County Medical Examiners, whose members actually all worked at the morgue or were studying medicine. Frontman Matt Widener (also known for being a member of bands like Cretin and Exhumed) briefly went by Dr. Morton Fairbanks as a pseudonym. In an interview with Pitchfork, Widener said he “wanted to take the Carcass clone phenomenon to its extreme conclusion.” Even the cover of the debut album Forensic Fugues and Medicolegal Medleys pays tribute to Carcass’ cover for Reek of Putrefaction. Bassist Dr. Guy Radcliffe was reportedly 60 years old when he joined the band, having no previous interest in death metal. The band has never performed live and band members used aliases so as to avoid compromising their medical careers. Their second album Olidous Operattas has a scratch-n-sniff on the CD face. The liner notes describe the smell as “corpse reek,” taken from a John Doe at the morgue.
A common argument against heavy metal is that it desensitizes listeners from the sight of death and gore; but that could be used to an advantage. An entire generation of death metal fans have likely flocked to medical schools, unafraid of encountering blood during their studies. So the next time you go in for surgery, don’t be surprised if your surgeon happens to be a metalhead. Hell, they might even put on some Carcass in the operating room.
CJLO DJ SPOTLIGHT
We play the best new tunes from around the world alongside the best up-and-coming local artists, with a wee sprinkling of classic cuts from music's pioneers.
Don't miss our regular live at 5:16 segment where local or touring bands perform a live set for you!!
Check out The Pressure Drop Show on SoundCloud
https://soundcloud.com/thepressuredrop
Omar Sonics, host of Hooked on Sonics, here! I play anything that has loud, swirly guitars, with lots of feedback, and hooks aplenty & the occasional hip hop or misc tracks tossed in as well.
Basically a mix of all the sweet new adventurious tunes out these days - every Thursday from 6-8pmET!
Check out Hooked on Sonics sessions and interviews on SoundCloud
https://soundcloud.com/hookedonsonicsradio
Alliteration Apocalypse: Metal March Begins at CJLO
Another March, and you know what that means... No? Oh, well, it means it's time once again for CJLO's Metal March, a celebration of all things loud. From punk to noise to black metal, we try to highlight it all until during this celebratory period.
This is our fifth year and boy do we have some pretty nifty things for you.
First off, a bunch of your normal CJLO shows will be doing themed episodes for the month, highlighting genres of music you never get to hear. Dark electro on Autobeat? Yeah. Black metal on Transistor Sister? Oh yeah. A team up between Sin After Sin and Superconnected highlighting the almighty Voivod? Oh hell yeah! And that's just a taste. Make sure you go onto CJLO's Facebook and keep checking to see what our DJs have in store for you.
Of course, we also want you to keep your strength up, so we're having a heavy bake sale happening on March 11th at the G Lounge on Concordia's Loyola campus. We'll have baked treats and the chance for you to pick up some new loud CDs and vinyl at cheap prices, so don't miss out from 11:00AM - 4:30PM. Here's the event page in case you need more info.
"But what free stuff can I get?" you selfishly ask. Well, we have TONS of giveaways happening throughout the month. Books, vinyl records, CDs, shirts, and of course, concert tickets. This year, Evenko and Extensive Enterprise have given us plentiful pairs of concert tickets including:
Cult of Luna / Intronaut - March 2 - Corona Theatre
Silent Planet / Currents - March 5 - Theatre Fairmount
We Came As Romans / The Devil Wears Prada - March 11 - Club Soda
Sanction / SeeYouSpaceCowboy - March 15 - Bar Le Ritz PDB
Enter the Tomb 3 Festival featuring Midnight - March 21 - Theatre Fairmount
Fleshg0d Apocalypse / The Agonist - March 24 - Corona Theatre
Possessed / Pestilence - March 25 - Cafe Campus
Deafheaven / Inter Arma - March 28 - Theatre Fairmount
Carnifex / 3teeth - March 31 - Foufounes Electriques
The Acacia Strain / Creeping Death - April 1 - Bar Le Ritz PDB
Devastation on the Nation Tour featuring Rotting Christ / Borknagar / Imperial Triumphant - April 1 - Foufounes Electriques
Animals As Leaders / Veil of Maya - April 6 - Corona Theatre
Abbath and Mayhem - April 7 - Corona Theatre
Killswitch Engage / August Burns Red - April 8 - MTELUS
"Eh, but I don't want to leave my house," you say stubbornly, not letting us give you things. Well, not to worry, because we have a way you can stay home and still get new music. Every day, CJLO's social media will be highlighting a different band in what we're calling our "Band Advent Calendar" (or “Band-vent Calendar” for short). For a second year, CJLO will reveal a new band that we're partnering with every day and as a "treat" that band will make a record of theirs free for you to download from their Bandcamp. Of course, while you're there, you could kick them some money for being awesome. Not saying... just saying...
Plus, along with these albums, you can expose yourself to some of the finest metal memes in an "educational" segment we're calling "Know Your Metal memes," pulled together by CJLO's resident Professor o' Memes, Chris the Frog from Sewer Spewer.
Finally, the metal shows will Voltron together on the last Sunday of the month to have a solid block of band performances, ticket giveaways, and general live on-air antics, so make sure to tune in on March 29th from 4:00 - 11:00PM, AKA the longest block of metal on radio in all of Montreal.
So keep that dial locked to CJLO all month long and keep checking back on our social media for all this and more, and in case you want a pro tip on where you can find the most loud shows, consult this fine list:
- Grade A Explosives - Sunday 4:00 - 6:00PM
- Burnt Offerings - Sunday 6:00 - 8:00PM
- The Noisy Loft - Sunday 8:00 - 9:00PM
- Sin After Sin - Sunday 9:00 - 10:00PM
- The Iron Club - Sunday 10:00 - 11:00PM
- Sewer Spewer - Monday Noon - 1:00PM
- Turn on the Darkness - Wednesday 1:00 - 2:00PM
- BVST - Wednesday 7:00 - 9:00PM
- Beyond That Graveyard III - Friday 9:00 - Midnight
Long live CJLO and all hail Metal March.
Bill 101 affecting businesses, English education in Montreal, Mass teacher protests
Stories by: Hadassah Alencar and Luca Caruso-Moro
Reporter: Shanellie Marie
QUEBEC
Bill 101 will now affect small and medium sized businesses.
That’s after the CAQ voted in favour with the Parti Quebecois to expand the bill’s coverage, which requires businesses to provide services in French.
The provincial Liberals voted against the motion, which is expected to roll out in the summer.
EDUCATION
English community groups organized under “The Alliance for the Promotion of Public English-language Education in Quebec '' are taking the Legault government to court challenging the constitutionality of Bill 40, saying it infringes on the English-speaking community’s right to manage its schools.
Bill 40 was enacted earlier this month by the Quebec government, which claimed the intention was to decentralize power in the Quebec school system by changing schools boards into service centers and abolishing elections in the French-language boards.
The chair of Alliance Committee Geoffrey Kelley says the group opposes the amount of government intervention in managing the new student center.
Kelley says the transfer of power challenges the independence Section 23 of the Canadian constitution guarantees. This law has supported the right of minority French-speaking groups outside of Quebec, and the Alliance hopes it will apply to the minority English-speaking community here.
The Quebec Minister of Education Jean-François Roberge released a statement saying Bill 40 does respect the rights of the English community school board, and that the Ministry has made compromises like allowing elections in the new English service centers.
The ministry also claimed the money for the lawsuit against Bill 40 could be put to better use funding student services. For now, English school board commissioners are allowed to remain as a council until November before electing the English service centres.
In other education news,
Mass teacher protests on Friday as four unions picketed outside the Ontario legislature.
Spokespeople told CBC News they expect 30,000 protestors to gather across the province.
The movement is in response to larger class sizes and reduced funding for schools from the provincial government.
Closure Of NDG's Station 9, Divest McGill Blocks Entrances To James Administration Building
Ahmad Moujtahed
Maya Lach-Aidelbaum
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NDG
Côte-des-Neiges—Notre-Dame-de-Grâce borough residents will lose an essential service after Montreal police announced that station 11 in NDG will close and integrate into station 9 in neighbouring Côte Saint-Luc.
According to the SPVM, the integration of both police stations is for operational purposes, since the goal is to form a greater “critical mass.”
NDG borough mayor Sue Montgomery said she was disappointed to learn of the closure of station 11, especially that the station has been “breaking barriers and building trust with residents of NDG, especially newcomers.”
The exact date of the integration of the two stations is still unconfirmed.
Report: Divest McGill
Members of Divest McGill, a student-led activist organization, congregated around the James Administration building on Tuesday Feb.18, blocking all five entrances.
Here is Maya Lach-Aidelbaum’s report on this story. This report was created for CJLO News on Wednesday Feb 19.
CJLO DJ SPOTLIGHT
Bonjour hi! I’m Clara, a visual journalism graduate diploma student at Concordia. I’m French, but did my bachelor’s degree at McGill and fell in love with Montreal, so after a 3-year hiatus, I am back for (hopefully) ever! My show is Never Techno for an Answer (sorry pun haters) – every Tuesday at 1PM, I take you on a journey to discover the latest music by international and local techno/trance/house DJs (with the occasional older song that I’m currently vibing with). If you ever come to CJLO while my show’s on, you’ll probably see me dancing in my seat ‘cause the beats are so good!
Virginia-raised Canadian Aviva is CJLO’s resident specialist in ~soft folky sounds~. Her show, The Alley, specializes in all things folk(ish) from great new artists as well as the icons that inspired them. She’s can often be found scribbling down concert reviews or on the hunt for neat band posters. Aviva studies Communications and Religious Studies at Concordia, so if you want to talk cults or folk revival, she’s your girl!
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