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Montreal merchant who was looted supports for BLM protest, Plante and Legault on racism in Montreal, Valérie Plante supports body cameras for Montreal Police
Hadassah Alencar
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Montreal merchant who was looted expressed continued support for BLM protests
Steve’s music store owner Lenny Lanteigne told CTV News he supports the Black Lives Matter movement even after being looted during Sunday’s demonstration.
After police shot tear gas into a crowd of peaceful protestors, some demonstrators began looting and destroying property.
Videos show the stores glass windows broken with looters walking out carrying guitars and other merchandise.
Lanteigne says it was unfortunate, but worth it for the cause.
Plante and Legault on racism in Montreal
Legault is committing his government to prepare a plan against racism in Quebec.
This after he was criticized for saying systemic discrimination was not an issue in Quebec.
He did not back away from his statements, but said there is a need to combat racism.
This will include sending “clear directives” against racial profiling to all police forces in Quebec.
Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante acknowledged systemic discrimination is an issue in Montreal.
Valérie Plante supports body cameras for Montreal police
Montreal police will need to wear body cameras.
While the mayor initially came out against the idea, Plante says the cameras are “part of the tool box” to fight against systemic discrimiation in policing.
Along with the cameras, police will have stricter rules for street-checks and updated training.
Cléa Vincent Provides a Tropical Soundtrack for the Summer with Latest EP
Photo credits: Michelle Blades
Cléa Vincent is best known in her native France for crafting pop songs with an electro touch. However, with Tropi-Cléa 2, Vincent has continued to develop her explorations of global sounds to enrich her typically French pop, stepping out onto a dancefloor where reggae, salsa, cumbia, bossa nova, and jazz mingle and bring life to the EP’s six radiant, fresh-sounding songs. The follow-up to Vincent’s first Tropi-Cléa EP arrives just in time to enjoy the warmer weather (while practicing physical distancing of course). CJLO caught up with the musician about her new release, sequels, and the magic of Carole King.
What did you want to achieve with Tropi-Cléa 2 that you weren’t able to do on the first EP? Did you have a vision for the sequel different from that of the first EP, or did they originate from a similar creative space?
The studio recording of the first EP was so much fun that I wanted to repeat the experience. I was encouraged by my musicians, who liked the liberty that came with this tropical parenthesis that acted a little bit like a playful recreation to our regular work on my previous albums. All my musicians come from a jazz background and they really like to record live and play a part in the arrangements as well. Compared to the complex and intellectualized creative process on my albums, these two EPS are like a breath of fresh air creatively. I’m usually aiming for a modern sound and looking for originality while creating my albums, but with the EPs, I just meet up with the musicians and I play them the songs only accompanied by the piano, and then we start to jam like a bunch of kids playing at the kindergarten.
Many different lyrical subjects are covered in the songs of Tropi-Cléa 2, such as romantic encounters (“Sans dec”), the right to idleness in a fast-paced world (“N’allez pas travailler”), and relationships between men and women (“Poupée canapé”). Is there a process to decide if one of your songs or its lyrics will be kept for your more electro-pop albums and which will be used for your Tropi-Cléa series?
I usually choose what songs will be put into the Tropi-Cléa basket or the album basket not by the theme or lyrics of the songs, but because of its musicality. For example, the repetition of the lyrics “poupée canapé, poupée canapé” [sofa doll] reminded me a lot of Cuban choirs – they came to me spontaneously while writing it. So, I knew at that moment that it wouldn’t fit 100% as a pop song on my album, with drum machine and synths. I laughed a bit of myself and told myself “You’re maybe going too far into the Latin references, but it’s okay, that’s what Tropi-Cléa exists for!” It’s almost like a side project.
The last time I interviewed you, you already knew at the time that you wanted to do a second Tropi-Cléa EP in the future. Do you already know if you want to make a third installment of the series?
I’m worried a Tropi-Cléa 3 may be a bit much, like Terminator 3 was, hahaha! But, if the songs are there, why not? For the moment though, I don’t have any new material ready for another EP like this.
“Du sang sur les congas” is a perfect song to lift the spirit and dance our troubles away, even at home while practicing social distancing! Have your fans shared stories of listening to your music to help them get through the tough times we are currently experiencing?
Thank you, that’s so nice! Yes, I received very funny videos of children dancing while listening to Tropi-Cléa 2 during the lockdown. Children love it because the theme has strong imagery and it’s easy to understand. When you talk about dolls or not going to work, it strikes them directly! Haha! The videos are often filmed around 5-6 pm, when the children are quite excited and have a lot of energy to spare, and their parents want them to let off some steam!
As an artist who thrives from being the stage, how do you find new ways to connect with audiences? In addition, what do you think are some of the music-related practices that should be kept even after things get back to normal, and do you hope the music industry will change as a result?
Because of everything going down and the quarantine, most of the promo surrounding the release of Tropi-Cléa 2 was made of a bunch of homemade livestream performances for the media who requested it. It was very interesting to learn to do this. Not at all easy, but the more I made those videos, the less time it took doing it. I think it was a nice learning experience and something I can now add another arrow to my quiver. I had some help with the person living with me who is also a sound engineer, and my drummer was sending me some drum loops as well!
What would be interesting when we can start to play live in front of an audience again is to go back to smaller venues, where the public feel that they are experiencing a special moment and a more direct contact with the artist and their music – less cold and industrial than a stadium show. Even if it was Prince!
On a lighter note, what are your favorite sequels, from either the world of music or other art forms?
I really like the band Catastrophe, who are working currently on a second album. They mix pop music with poetry, dance and theater. This very rich and strong artistic proposal gets all my admiration!
Lastly, I saw in an interview that you hope in 10 years "to be even closer to Carole King." What is it about the career arc of the famous songwriter that you aspire to?
Carole King stayed true to herself; she’s very human and wears her heart on her sleeve. She continued to play piano and sing, while being natural, wearing simple clothes, nothing fancy, and looking always fresh with a smile on her face. She is an excellent musician and she was able to stay connected to the music.
Tropi-Cléa 2 is out now (Midnight Special Records).
Alex Viger-Collins is the host of Ashes to Ashes, your weekly dose of modern pop, every Tuesday at 8:00 PM EST.
DJ Spotlight
Hi I'm Ryan aka DJ Slurp and I co-host Mouse Party every Wednesday [3PM].
Every week we play anything from pop punk to postpunk and we try to feature as much new and local music as we can. It's a good time 
MMIWG action plan delayed, Record GDP drop, Police officer charged with murder
Reporter: Shanellie Marie
Stories: Luca Caruso Moro
MMIWG action plan delayed
June 3 marks the anniversary of the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls Inquiry’s final report.
It laid out 231 recommendations for Canada to take action on violence against Indigenous peoples.
Now, a year later, Ottawa was expected to release an action plan based on those recommendations.
Because of COVID-19, that plan has been delayed indefinitely.
Record GDP drop
In other news,
Canada’s economy fell 8 per cent in the first three months of 2020, the sharpest drop since the 2009 financial crisis.
The hardest hit sector was arts and entertainment,
which saw a 40 per cent drop as COVID-19 forced theatres, cinemas and galleries to close.
Police officer charged with murder
Former Minniapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin has been charged with third degree murder and manslaughter of George Floyd.
In murder in the third degree is classified as an action that resulted in death, but without the intention to kill.
It has the maximum sentence of 25 years.
Chauvin is the only officer to have been charged out of the four who responded to a 911 call made by staff of a local grocery store.
Floyd had allegedly used a fake $20 bill.
TOPS Create their Most Life-Affirming Record with I Feel Alive
Photo credit: Shelby Fenlon
An artist’s fourth album sometimes has a reputation for breaking sharply with their history and charting a new way forward – think Radiohead’s Kid A or Arcade Fire’s Reflektor. However, TOPS take a different approach on their fourth and latest album, I Feel Alive. Instead, the Montreal quartet stay the course with their inimitable brand of romantic pop, crafting arguably their best album yet. Throughout the record’s 11 songs, I Feel Alive balances the giddiness of a new relationship with the agony of leaving old things behind. It's an introspective record that you can dance to, music that hits in an immediate rush but sticks around, perfect for the current times we’re living in. CJLO caught up with TOPS vocalist Jane Penny about the new record, storytelling, and surviving COVID-19.
While Montreal is still the geographic heart of TOPS, the band has been dispersed in different locations outside of the city for quite some time. After getting everyone together again to make the new record, was there a new spirit during sessions, like family reuniting again? Does it take a bit longer now to get those creative juices flowing together, or is it just like the band’s early days?
It happened really quickly – I think we all missed playing together and were really looking forward to it, so we just sort of dived right in. If anything, it was harder back in the early days when we were still figuring out how to write songs as a group. We used to spend quite a bit more time circling the target.
The band has described I Feel Alive as an “emotional journey” about relationships, segmented into three distinct acts. While I read that the record wasn’t made explicitly as a concept album, was it perhaps made subconsciously with such themes, as a way to present the new LP differently from the first three?
I think we all have stories that we tell ourselves about different periods of our lives, to better understand what happens to us, or because we want to make a break from a certain period, and when you make a record you kind of have to do that for the press. Things like break ups or big moves are natural ways to draw those lines. We really didn’t consider the album in a conceptual way lyric-wise, we just wrote about what we were thinking about and what we were going through at the time. When it came time for the track listing, the natural progression of the songs ended up telling a certain story, so we went with that.
I’ve heard a lot about what artists influence the sound of TOPS’ pop perfection, but what is it that the band thinks most makes a perfect pop song?
A perfect pop song changes the molecules in the room for the better, and you remember the feeling and at least some of the words afterwards. It’s enjoyable to listen to, stands out, and has its own character. A perfect pop song should be more like a good friend than an annoying one, ideally.
The flute provides wonderful texture on I Feel Alive tracks like “Direct Sunlight” and “Looking to Remember.” A friend of mine once remarked that adding flutes to a song makes it a banger. What’s your take on that statement?
Well that’s good news for me because I love recording flute! I think sax can do a really similar thing. I’m so happy that I learned how to play the flute when I was a loner teenager with nothing but time and a malleable brain. I hope young people are still learning how to play instruments; it’s so nice to already know how later on.
TOPS was recently on the cover of Spotify’s Montréal Chill playlist! What are your thoughts on Spotify and the age of streaming, as artists but also as fans and consumers of music?
Well, I come from an age of saving up to buy a CD, and then CD burning and music pirating, and I have to say from a listener's perspective it’s quite amazing how available music is to our ears nowadays. Certainly, there are issues with it, but as a lover of content, it’s hard for me to be strongly against avenues that allow people to access music, art, film, etc. easily and cheaply. The lack of compensation is symptomatic of larger issues within the system of late capitalism that affect everyone, not just musicians. It wouldn’t be hard for Spotify to pay out more per play, and that’s what should happen. Luckily, most people actually want to support the musicians they love, and sites like Bandcamp are creating an avenue for that.
I Feel Alive was released not too long after many social distancing measures were put in place, and has become a soundtrack for listeners to get through the pandemic blues. It’s obviously not what the band imagined the record would represent, but how does it feel knowing that the album will forever be associated with the COVID-19 crisis?
Yeah, I guess it really will! Music has been an incredibly important part of my days. If our record is helping out people, or people are enjoying it right now, I’m just happy for that.
TOPS is lucky to have an established career to help weather out COVID-19 and its disastrous effects on the music industry. Despite that, has this whole situation made the band take stock of its past and future?
We’ve definitely been thinking about what the future will hold, it’s just a little difficult to know how much will change and how we’ll have to adapt. This isolation period has given us a lot of time when we were supposed to be very busy touring and promoting our record, and we’ve been making a lot of music. Whatever the future holds, we’ll keep making recordings and getting them out there. If the landscape of touring is impacted for another year or more, which seems likely at this point, then we’ll have a lot more time to devote to video productions and finding new ways of staying in touch.
Is there any music or non-music related trend popularized by COVID-19 that you hope continues once this is all over?
I’ve been watching movies remotely with friends, and I must say I almost prefer it to watching a movie with friends in the same room … only because you’re cozy, you can be in bed or whatever, with your favorite snacks, and they’re on their couch with their snacks and a beer or whatever. No one had to travel anywhere, and you message little jokes and comments on what’s happening, but it’s not like this thing you have to negotiate with how much to talk, like when one person talks too much or one person wants everyone to be silent and is shushing everyone else.
It’s been nearly 10 years since TOPS’s debut album, Tender Opposites, was released. What is it about the band back then that has stayed the same after all these years?
Riley (Fleck), David (Carriere) and I are all still in a band together, and that’s pretty crazy. We still have the ability to come up with ideas together and are usually equally excited about the really good ones. We still drive ourselves around and do all of our own tour managing and hotel bookings and all that. We still get excited about old synths, and everyone still cares a bit more about the music part than the other aspects of being a musician. I guess not a lot has changed now that I think about it!
I Feel Alive is out now (Musique TOPS).
Alex Viger-Collins is the host of Ashes to Ashes, your weekly dose of modern pop, every Tuesday at 8:00 PM EST.
Legault considers "thank you" to asylum seekers, Splash Pad opening, Montrealers banned from Oka Park
Voice: Luca Caruso-Moro
Stories: Hadassah Alencar
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Legault considers if asylum seekers could stay
Legault is considering allowing some asylum seekers who are working in the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic to immigrate to Canada.
The announcement follows weeks of the government saying they would not consider giving any preference for asylum seekers.
Now, they say they want to extend a “thank you” to this community.
This exception would help many refugees, many of them Haitian, who crossed into Quebec from the US.
About one thousand are currently working in long-term care homes, many with severe staff shortages.
Splash Pad opening to combat heat wave
Splash Pads across the city of Montreal are gradually opening to help families deal with the heat wave.
While childrens parks and swings will remain roped off, splash pads will give kids a chance to play outside in public spaces again.
Parents will be responsible for maintaining social distancing rules.
Montreal residents banned from Oka Park
The Mohawk Council of Kanesatake and Quebec have agreed on a deal to reopen Oka provincial park.
Montrealers will still not be allowed in.
Kanesatake Grand Chief Serge Simon has taken down road blocks from the entrance of Oka park following the negotiation.
The park will reopen but at 50 per cent capacity, and only to the communities in the lower Laurentians.
Access to Kanesatake will remain restricted.
DJ SPOTLIGHT
My name is Matthew Mastrocola, and I'm a physics undergraduate student here at Concordia University. I co-host the show In The Garage with my long time friend Cole Paquet (we've been buds for over 10 years)! Our show is all about providing an intimate space between friends and our audience where we share what we've been into the past week. We'll play mostly alt-rock music ranging from shoegaze, post punk, garage rock and some emo, but each week brings a little different flavour where we'll change things up and hopefully play something you'll find cool! Check us out every Monday at 10 PM for some tunes, banter and maybe the occasional hot take provided by yours truly!
Montreal extends state of emergency, Bushfires rush through NS, Major Quebec Fire Extinguished
Reporter: Shanellie Marie
Stories: Luca Caruso Moro
Montreal extends state of emergency
For your COVID-19 update, Montreal has again extended its state of emergency to May 26.
The province is moving forward with plans to reopen retailers, library services and museums.
As of this weekend there were over 46,000 people infected in Quebec.
Bushfires rush through NS
Approximately 1000 people were forced to leave their homes this weekend as bushfires spread through Nova Scotia.
Dry and windy conditions have pushed fires to grow out of control in the Porter Lake area, just 20 km east of Halifax.
Authorities say the evacuation perimeter may need to be expanded.
Halifax Fire has been called in to aid provincial firefighters.
Major Quebec Fire Extinguished
In Quebec,the changing weather has raised the risk of fires in the province to “extreme.”
A major fire broke out on Friday 20 minutes north of Trois-Rivieres.
Several people were evacuated as firefighters from seven municipalities banded together to fight the blaze.
Quebec’s provincial police did not report any injuries.
Montreal extends state of emergency, Bushfires rush through NS, Major Quebec Fire Extinguished
Reporter: Shanellie Marie
Stories: Luca Caruso Moro
Montreal extends state of emergency
For your COVID-19 update, Montreal has again extended its state of emergency to May 26.
The province is moving forward with plans to reopen retailers, library services and museums.
As of this weekend there were over 46,000 people infected in Quebec.
Bushfires rush through NS
Approximately 1000 people were forced to leave their homes this weekend as bushfires spread through Nova Scotia.
Dry and windy conditions have pushed fires to grow out of control in the Porter Lake area, just 20 km east of Halifax.
Authorities say the evacuation perimeter may need to be expanded.
Halifax Fire has been called in to aid provincial firefighters.
Major Quebec Fire Extinguished
In Quebec,the changing weather has raised the risk of fires in the province to “extreme.”
A major fire broke out on Friday 20 minutes north of Trois-Rivieres.
Several people were evacuated as firefighters from seven municipalities banded together to fight the blaze.
Quebec’s provincial police did not report any injuries.
DJ SPOTLIGHT
Mike Vo aka DJ Mister Vee
My show is called Beats From The East.... a weekly showcase featuring Urban Music from Far-East Asian communities worldwide!
Since 2009, we have been introducing the likes of the Far-East Movement, Dumbfoundead, The Juan Maclean, Epik High, Masia One, King Giddra, Nitro Microphone Underground, Drunken Tiger, and Awkwafina to Montreal's airwaves.
In doing so, we have also won CJLO Diego awards for Best Hip-Hop show, Best Niche show, and Most Professional Voice!
I'm a DJ, producer, radio host for CJLO, a marketing student and a gamer. And although I would like to keep myself as mysterious as possible, I will say that I definitely love everything electronic music; and I'm finding new things all the time. Rigged Sessions - Sundays at 10AM
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