Features

A few years back, I wrote an article for the CJLO magazine about the creepiest thing that ever happened to me around CJLO studios. As I implied then, I don't actually believe in ghosts, but I would like to believe in them, if that makes any sense. I like listening to other peoples' paranormal experiences and am fascinated by the idea that fragments of the past have the ability to manifest in the present. For the most part, however, I believe that the unexplainable generally has a very real, very boring explanation.

We at CJLO (that is Joana, the host of Je Suis TBA and Christina from Yonic Youth) jumped on a plane in mid-March, leaving the confused Montreal spring behind to check out the hot lineup for the 2016 edition of SXSW (South by Southwest) in Austin, Texas.

Hooked up by our generous host with bikes, a beautiful place to crash and a slew of insider’s tips on what is worth checking out in the city, we were set to overdose on new music.

Now that the dust has settled, here are a few things that stood out to us during the desert fest:

The task of identifying the worst vocalists to make their mark on the great musical genre known as heavy metal is difficult for a number of reasons. First, metal is a genre that has a history that spans over four decades and thousands of bands, and so that means that there is a ton of ground to cover. This is made easier by the fact that most metal singers in the present era sound exactly alike due to the fact that they all have watched the same "how to scream" videos on YouTube, but the challenge remains. Who is the worst? I think that I have found one very good candidate for the worst vocalist in the history of metal, and that is Sean Killian from Vio-Lence. 

Place-des-Arts is a very important arts center for this city and as the largest arts complex in Canada it is well renowned and respected. So its no small thing that the Montreal's Black History Month roundtable and Place-des-Arts have been collaborating for the past four years to bring Black-centric expositions to the public in the espace culturel Georges-Émile-Lapalme during Black History Month. This year's exposition was named Black Muses and featured 12 Black female musicians who have greatly impacted Canadian music and paved the way for their sistren.

Many people know me as the movie guy, and for sure my list of the Top 10 Movies of 2015 is on way, but let me start out by reflecting on the best in television this year. Here are seven shows that I have been binge-watching, and a bonus video game!

Sue from the 'Cult of Yes' picks her POP favourites

Look, we can fight about it if you want. Sure, classes have begun and we'll soon be drowning in pumpkin spice everything, but I say summer's not over until POP Montreal is over. Stamped it, no erasies. POP is a five-day party featuring hundreds of your favourite bands (and new favourite bands) plus symposia, visual art, film, crafts galore at Puces POP and so much more. So gather 'round, let's plan out our last hurrah before the summer officially slips away, shall we?

Wednesday, September 16th