Video Of The Week: Freelove Fenner

Freelove Fenner is a Montréal three-piece who make music as clean and finely crafted as you would expect from serious creators who listened to The Beach Boys' Pet Sounds and George Harrison's work too much, then gave way to their inner Pavement.

It's like being stuck in the late 1960s, except with a very real sense of now. Caitlin Loney (vocals, bass, guitar) Peter Woodford (guitar, vocals, keyboards, bass) and drummer Michael Wright, who plays in half the bands in town at the same time and yet always manages to sound both exactly like himself while creating brand-new beats or new variations on beats you've heard before, at times sound like they don't want you to fear the Reaper (yes, I'm capable of a Blue Öyster Cult reference), other times they get a good groove on, and once in a while throw in a little bit of Nightwood in there too. (I really miss Nightwood.)

But back to the Freelove. After a busy past couple of years of heavy touring and an EP following a relatively quiet first half-decade, they're set to release their first full-length later this week (hometown launch this Saturday, November 30th) and even managed some valuable media exposure last week in the Montreal Gazette. I'd advise you to attend if you're in town.

This video, for All Things Break Through, stars Jane L. Kasowicz, another fine local creator of sounds, as she rolls the dice on life the way you would blindly follow a Magic 8-ball if you, too, were in a hazy video lost in a forest.

The Decline Of k-os

k-os' debut record, Exit (2002) was full of promise. I even went around praising his all-around talent for the music's production as rivaling Beck, and his lyrics and flow as ''eventually in the same league as Outkast''.

His second output, Joyful Rebellion (2004) still showcased his talents, but had a decidedly more old school vibe, relying less on k-os' knack for melody and creating music from various inspirational sources and leaned more towards classic hip hop.

But then it turned to insipid pop and un-researched music pretty fast, starting with 2006's Atlantis: Hymns For Disco and perpetuated with the sample-heavy Yes (2009) and this year's uneven BLack On BLonde.

And apparently, it's transpired to his live shows as well, as per The Gazette:

k-os, 1:30 p.m., Mountain Stage

And the award for Osheaga drama queen goes to… k-os.

The Toronto rapper is well past his prime. And his new album Black on Blonde – despite guest appearances by Emily Haines, Black Thought, Shad, Saukrates, and Sam Roberts – is a bit of a mess. So when he took the stage 20 minutes late, as the day’s first show on the mountain stage, there was reason to worry. He began to rhyme over an amped up Public Enemy sample, but stopped after a few minutes. “I can’t do this right now – I can’t hear myself,” he said. He threw his all access VIP bracelet into the crowd,and walked off the stage. Very rock ‘n’ roll, man, but it’s not going to win you any new fans. And next time, maybe skip the Blue Jays cap.

Jesus.

For a guy who performs in Montréal four times a year, perhaps he should have done his research a tad. When playing his own shows at Club Soda or Théâtre Corona, where his own fans - by definition a forgiving following - show up, sure, you can use your Canadianism as a factor for common ground, as much as ''supporting the local underground''.

But at a festival show, with a broad audience representing pretty much everything your usual crowd isn't - there's a difference between playing to a thousand folks who know your shit and 35,000 who've never heard it before - perhaps it'd be nice to take an hour out of your bubble and read about where you're playing.

Most of us will never cheer for the Blue Jays as ''Canada's Team'' for the simple fact that we had the Montréal Expos - Canada's first major league baseball team - and the way they were taken from us left such a sour taste in our mouths we were turned off by the sport altogether. So... Jays? No. NO. NO. I'm pretty sure it wouldn't work in Vancouver so much either, with the Seattle Mariners basically playing in their back yard.

Also, though they don't go to your usual shows, 50% of the population wanted out of Canada altogether at any cost twice in the recent past - and would have won had it not been for shady politicking and backdoor money dealings the last time around, to say nothing of those who think it would be a good idea on paper but weren't convinced by the arguments brought forth as the focal points the last time. So even if the Jays had been Canada's team, it's like wanting Puerto Rico to cheer for the Washington Nationals.

And what's up with not trying to work out the issue with the sound guy? Any band who's played in a bar will tell you that 3 times out of 4 it can be worked out if you're clear on what you want. The other time you'll wish you had walked out - which he did - but he should have tried to fix things first. By showing little patience with the staff at the very first show of the very first day of Osheaga - kinks are bound to occur - he instead showed great disrespect to the thousands who had paid fifteen times the price of entry as the first edition 5 years ago so it could attract artists ''of his caliber''.

And that attitude of ''artist vs staff'' usually escalates throughout the day as one side becomes more defensive and the other reacts accordingly, which ultimately led to headliners The Cure having the plug pulled on them in the middle of their mega-hit Boys Don't Cry at 11:05 PM, instead of being given the chance to finish the song before it happened so that the crowd could at the very least go home with the illusion that it went down well.

Instead, here is the evening's score card:
k-os: 0
The Cure: 0
Osheaga: 0
the public: 0

And instead of it being a 4-way tie, it's a 4-way loss. With k-os proving to be the biggest loser.

Killer Promotion

There is a huge difference between the American Justice system and the Canadian one, particularly in Québec, which has a large part of its law book inspired by the French. And there are tons of differences between the George Zimmerman killing of Trayvon Martin in Florida and Constable Jean-Loup Lapointe killing Fredy Villanueva in Montréal nearly five years ago (and whose case has yet to result in a ruling).

But there are also tons of similarities: both were unarmed teenagers from visible minorities, murdered by people who were under the impression that they were unpunishable representatives of The Law.

I don't know what the future holds for Zimmerman, though I'm fairly confident that if he is tried in a civil case, he will receive tons of donations from right-wing bigots, racists and Fox News viewers; I do know, however, that Lapointe will now be a member of Montréal's SWAT team, where he'll have more leeway into firing his weapon.

We're talking about a man who took all of 57 seconds to exit his vehicle, wrestle a kid (Dany Villanueva, Fredy's younger brother) to the ground to handcuff him, tell him to stop squirming, shoot three bullets into the deceased and two more in two other teens. All while his partner, Stéphanie Pilotte, never once felt the need to pull out her gun. Can you say ''trigger-happy''?

The article appeared in this morning's Montréal Gazette, and while it mostly goes into listing facts and does its best to not take sides, two passages struck me as journalist Sue Montgomery subtly denouncing the prevailing situation in these cases:

“This squad is called on more often to use their guns because they’re involved in high-risk interventions,” said Alain Arsenault, whose client was injured by one of Lapointe’s bullets. “I think it was a bad decision on the part of police force management (to give Lapointe the job).”

Montreal police spokesman Ian Lafrenière said that Lapointe applied for the highly sought-after job, and got it after undergoing rigorous tests. (...)

“He has never been found guilty of anything, so it would be hard for us to keep him in an office or something like that,” he said. “And we’re not going to say don’t take that officer on the SWAT team because some people might think it doesn’t look good.”

The spokesman's quote is particularly revealing in this first passage, because it brings light to the fact that cops get investigated by other cops who almost always clear them of any wrongdoing, and even in the rare cases where they are taken to court, they get off Scott free. And then they have the audacity to brag about their so-called ''clean'' records...

Then there's this:

SWAT, or technical response officers, intervene in special police operations such as hostage-takings, bomb defusings or disappearances under water, which require them to have diving skills. Montreal’s SWAT team was present during the student demonstrations last year.

Reading between the lines, it comes down to this: if discontent people get together to mass-protest - like in the mass-strikes part of the student movement last Spring - there will be more (actual) killers present to stop you than last year, and now they've perfected their kettle technique, so there'll be no escape...

Video Of The Week: The Rolling Stones

In honour of The Rolling Stones' performance to start the week off last Sunday - and because I've listened to them a lot lately - I've decided to feature their most recent video this week, one I almost showed a few months back, but opted not to because YouTube were being dicks and censored the clip.

Reviews of the show went from the tepid (from The Gazette) to the ecstatic (La Presse), but all in all, factoring in my friends' thoughts, the conclusion was this: these guys still rock like they did at half their age, Mick Jagger is a force of nature, they have terrific songs and provide the audience with an astounding rock show, but no show can be worth the $650 price tag for the higher-end tickets. Which seems fair. Considering the lack of high-end jobs in Montréal, $650 represents almost two full weeks' work before taxes at minimum wage - or two weeks' worth of a decent job's pay after taxes - or a month's rent, for two hours of entertainment. The discrepancy is huge.

And considering they film all their tours and often release the result on Imax screens at $20 a pop, I figured I'd save and go see it in a theater later. But I'll still want to see it, and likely buy the Blu-Ray, because at the end of the day, they're still an amazing rock'n'roll machine with tremendous songs. And Doom And Gloom is a worthy addition to their catalogue of hits:

Boiling Water Alert In Montréal Today

Don’t drink the water – check. Onto Pepsi Max and beer. Thank you, vile, decrepit, decaying , crumbling, corrupt city I love so much!

Goalies Are Weird

I was about to write a post saying how I kind of disagreed with this The Gazette article in which Montréal Canadiens goaltending coach Pierre Groulx ''admits'' that ''goalies are weird'', when I came across this video of disgrunteled Austin Krause scoring in his own net then leaving the ice flipping the bird, costing his team the victory, in a Minensota high school game:



The reason? He was angry at his lack of playing time. Needless to say, it went from slim to none, after that prank. Goalies are weird. Fine.

Whale Of A Good Time

As a kid, I went on a beluga-watching trip with my family one summer. There were fewer than usual that day, perhaps because of the cold June temperature, maybe for another reason, but we still got a few, and I came back with a poster that I got laminated and that hung above my bed in my room for the better part of a decade, at first surrounded by Batman and Joker stuff, then band posters, then Samantha Fox and band posters.

I'm lucky enough to live in Montréal, where the St. Lawrence River (Fleuve St-Laurent) leads all the way to the ocean to the East, so without crossing borders or needing passports, I can live with all the advantages of a large city and escape to the Coast for the wildlife and salted water, lobster and everything else that makes the ocean side what it is.

Once in a while, a beluga will make its way all the way here, despite being some 400 miles from a salt water source; when it's a female of the species, since they are endangered (I was shocked to learn last year that the once-healthy population has been decimated to perhaps less than a thousand in total, and most of them now look like they have cancer), they usually accompany it back to its natural habitat, but apparently, for males, they leave them be, possibly to die in the more-polluted City water.

It seems we had one here a few weeks ago. There were sightings for a week or so, then none. It's assumed it's dead.

Another List

I may not always agree with legendary gay rights activist/columnist Richard Burnett - we've had our moments of heated debates on Facebook this year, particularly - but his choices for best/hottest Montrealers of 2012 contains so many right choices that I'm left to accept even conceited hotheads Justin Trudeau and Xavier Dolan as ''hot''...

Funeral For A Friend

I went about it pretty quickly a week ago when I mentioned the upcoming destruction of what is still considered the Heart of Montréal on The Main, and the ''funeral procession'' in its honour.

I would be remiss if I didn't mention those who did it better, longer, and more heartfelt than myself, as I turned my emotions ''off'' of late and attempted to coast through the remainder of the year trying not to notice it passing, faintly hoping I'd be left alive in not-too-decrepit a state when it's all said and done.

The Gazette kept it real, instilling a historical horizon on the piece of street our Mayor is attempting to nullify.

And to think merely a year ago, the mayor fooled us into thinking we had won - and the expropriation/demolition had been cancelled... after quite a few Save The Main fund-raising events.

But the most complete reference guide to the whole ordeal can be found here. Blogging at its informative best.

Protesting

There's a general feeling of unrest in the streets of Montréal of late, in great part due to the faltering politics and political system, but exacerbated by the provincial government to raise the cost of university education, to bring it closer to the Canadian average, when the average income in our province is still way below what it should be. As a matter of fact, of the 15 biggest cities in Canada, 5 of the bottom 7 in terms of quality of life/disposable income per capita are from Québec.

To make matters worse, local law enforcement has gone way over the line in terms of brute force, displaying some of the worst police brutality this city has known in perhaps a decade; the cops are targeting the students harder than they did rioters in the past 3 riots worth mentioning (2008, 2009 and 2010).

On a larger scale, protesting as a way of expressing oneself is quickly becoming a no-no in North America in general, as authorities fear losing control. More and more, they order cops to repress protesters, jail them for no reason, anything to discourage them from taking action - and anything to make them look like criminals when the TV cameras come, to sway public opinion against them. And sometimes it even works.

Although that may change, now that one kid might lose his fucking eye as a result of receiving a noise grenade right in the face. Impatience now grows on both sides:



Just a reminder that demonstrating, in a democracy, is as vital a way of expressing displeasure as voting, only it isn't reserved for adults. It is a right that was granted to most people 50 to 100 years ago and has lead to civil advancements in women's rights, racial inequities, worker compensation, dignity and human rights. Why the Powers That Be are so afraid of it when it would shut us up to give us our candy once in a while still mesmerizes me, but not everyone was born with a high IQ or the ability to reflect on issues that concern the greater good.

The Case For Medical Marijuana

I haven't gone through the whole thing yet, but The Montréal Gazette is offering a 17-part/story look on the good, the bad, and the hidden about medical marijuana.

Put that in your pipe and smoke it.

Do You Realize?

One show I would have liked to see at last weekend's Osheaga Festival was the Flaming Lips. Well, Cypress Hill too, but FL the most.

For one, it seems they played their album The Soft Bulletin from start to finish - and claim it was perhaps for the last time. But I would also have liked to have witnessed frontman Wayne Coyne officiate a wedding ceremony right before the last song, their biggest hit, Do You Realize?

My friend Albérick seems to have liked it as well. (He disliked the Hill). Jordan Zivits of The Gazette - I'd never heard of him before either - loved it, too.

Thanks, You! Black Emperor

(from last Thursday, somehow it didn't register/post)

Last night, as the Boston Bruins eliminated the Montréal Canadiens, I made my way to Théâtre Corona to catch the first of five reunion shows from local legends Godspeed You! Black Emperor. It was so good, I'm going back tonight.

The Gazette reviewed the show in the exact same words I would have used, read it here.

Here are pictures taken by local noise musician Cloudscapes, who was about three people to my left:

Quote Of The Day

From journalist Pat Hickey, of the Montreal Gazette, in today's column:

While I have a soft spot for Ron Hextall, there are those who insist the Flyers haven't had decent goaltending since Pelle Lindbergh learned that a Porsche is tougher to stop than a hockey puck.

Ba-da-bing!

Michael Farber And The Vincent Lecavalier Rumours

Michael Farber, current ''hockey reference'' at Sports Illustrated and a few radio shows in dire need of guests, wrote a blog warning Vincent Lecavalier not to come play hockey in his hometown, for the Montréal Canadiens.

He notes a trade to the Habs would benefit both teams, but tells Lecavalier that the pressure might be too much to handle for a player of his calibre, what with the team being the most-followed team in the league, both by fans everywhere on the continent (and in Europe) and by the numerous (and bilingual) media outlets.

Farber, who was third-or-fourth-ranking hockey journalist when he worked for the Montreal Gazette, way behind Red Fisher, Pat Hickey, and that 'Monday Morning Quarterback' Todd guy, seems to think a top-5 player in the world, former 1st overall draft pick, Stanley Cup and Olympic Gold-winner, two-time captain of the same team, has the same limitations he does and can't perform under pressure.

Would Troy Aikman have rather played in Alaska, or win 2 Super Bowls in Dallas? Would Mark Messier have been on the David Letterman show had he won the Cup with the New York Islanders rather than the Rangers? Don't baseball players line up to play for the Yankees and Cubs and Red Sox?

Yes, hockey is a religion in Montréal. What Farber doesn't seem to understand, though, is that the players are the Gods. Do you think José Théodore ever paid for a meal at Mike's? Do you think fans threw punches at Ryan O'Byrne on the street after he scored in his own net? Of course not: they told him to keep his head up and forget about it, they encouraged him.

Players here are revered. Who wouldn't want to win a championship on the winningest team ever, in its 100th season, full of fans who will follow their every move on the ice as they move towards a 400th-straight sellout crowd (rather than an empty building in the middle of nowhere)? Apparently, Farber wouldn't, and he thinks Lecavalier is from the same mold.

Somehow, I doubt that.

The Brothers Who Loved Boys Too Much

The Gazette came out today with an amazing in-depth look at sexual abuses at my alma mater, Collège Notre-Dame.

It talks about one particular case but also says the bulk of the cases reported to it took place in the 1970s.

I was there from 1990-95. I can say that cases in my era were absoltely not blatant and exposed. For one thing, Brothers no longer taught any classes, and only two were still on duty, in charge of the boys' dormitory for seventh graders.

Others roamed the halls at times, yes, because they still lived in the building, but most were never present when students were around.

It's hard to pinpoint how many kids were susceptible to have been abused, because you cannot assume a teen has been raped just because he acts weird.

But the two who tended to the boarding boys should not have been there in the first place. Whether accidental or intentional, some slips have definitely occurred. And to think that some kids were scarred to the point of committing suicide - for something that could easily have been avoided - by keeping the priests away from the kids. As simple as a math problem, really.