Love is in the air and on people’s minds throughout February, making it the perfect theme for the non-profit arts organization Yellow Pad Sessions’ (YPS) OPTIMISTA event on Feb. 11. OPTIMISTA: Amour/Love was the third iteration in a unique series of multimedia art events that feature keynote speakers, films, and[Read More…]
Arts & Entertainment
Keep up to date on local art, new albums, and everything entertainment-related.
Montreal gives us chills—in more ways than one
Content warning: Descriptions of graphic violence The idea of ghosts has been haunting humankind since ancient times. It comes from the theory that the human body and spirit are separate entities, and the spirit continues to linger on Earth after a person dies. Haunted buildings and attractions advertising their spooky[Read More…]
Creed III: This is only Round One
I never really understood why directors were called storytellers until I watched the first Creed film. Somewhere between the gut-wrenching words of Meek Mill, Adonis’s (Michael B. Jordan) fingers tangled in Bianca’s (Tessa Thompson) braids, and the sweat, blood, and tears hitting the floor, I was completely transported. Watching the[Read More…]
Jena Malone does not owe us the name of her assaulter
This past week, The Hunger Games actress Jena Malone posted a photo on Instagram taken after wrapping up the last entry of the franchise, Mockingjay: Part Two. The photo, in which Malone is standing in a field in the French countryside, was captioned with a statement detailing her sexual assault[Read More…]
Don’t buy into the myth of selling out
The accusation of “selling out” cuts deep within independent music. “Indie” fans often pride themselves on the genre’s self-positioning against the mainstream music industry’s commercialism. Selling out is hence defined by an artist’s relationship to the profit motive. Artists perceived to court sales by pursuing a more popular sound, heavily[Read More…]
‘Our Fathers, Sons, Lovers, and Little Brothers’ powerfully tackles anti-Black racism
Content Warning: Discussion of anti-Black racism, police brutality, and murder While Our Fathers, Sons, Lovers and Little Brothers arrived in Montreal at the end of Black History Month, this solo theatrical work serves as a striking affirmation that Black lives matter year round. Created and performed by Makambe K. Simamba,[Read More…]
Where do I begin: Beyoncé
On Feb. 5, 2023, history was made at the 65th annual Grammy awards. However, one accomplishment in particular stole the show—legendary singer Beyoncé won her 32nd Grammy, earning her the title of artist with the most Grammy wins of all time. At present, it’s rare to find someone who doesn’t[Read More…]
Artist Spotlight: Bibi Club shines in vibrant performance of their debut album
Bibi Club is a growing force amongst Quebec’s burgeoning alternative pop scene—a scene that has seen the likes of Men I Trust and TOPS achieve global acclaim. The Montreal dream-pop duo’s debut record, Le soleil et la mer, represents the most fully realized version of their sound, widening their sonic[Read More…]
‘Strange Bewildering Time’ is a time capsule of forgotten history
Forty years ago, author and poet Mark Abley went on a three-month journey that changed his outlook on life. Accompanied by his friend Clare, the two travelled through several countries during the last year of the Hippie trail, at a time when it seemed that travel within Asia was cheap,[Read More…]
‘The Sorcerer’ bewitches audiences
Gilbert and Sullivan’s comic opera, The Sorcerer, debuted in 1877 with a bizarre cast of priests, lovers, and sorcerers. This Victorian-era opera about marriage and love potions was not exactly what one would expect from the occasionally club and drug-obsessed—dare I say depraved—city of Montreal. Suffice it to say, when[Read More…]
