Lang Lang was in town last week. On Friday March 13^th, I headed to Place des Arts to attend Lang Lang's recital. Having had the opportunity to see him three years ago, I was eager to witness once again his world-renowned piano skills. In a day and age where pop music is put in the spotlight, it is pleasant to find oneself immersed in sounds that have transcended time and carved their place in the history of music. The modern edge of this recital has to do with the performer who by his twenties was already being praised as one of the best contemporary pianists in the world.

The eagerness of the crowd was palpable as spectators took seat in the beautiful Montreal Symphony House, an architectural feat inaugurated in 2011, which has a capacity of 1,900 seats. The room, specifically built as a music hall, is suspended to avoid the ground from affecting the clarity of the sound, and the Quebec birch wood interior finishing was specifically chosen for its capacity to minimize echo and maximize the natural auditory resonance. An ideal venue for one of the world's greatest pianists. Lang Lang's recital consisted of Bach's Italian Concerto, BWV 971, Tchaikovski's The Seasons, OP. 37bis, as well as Chopin's four scherzos. Classic pieces seasoned listeners are familiar with... but the crowd was not here just to listen to music, they were here to witness Lang Lang.

The pianist indeed brings his own personal touch to his renditions. He is a fascinating character and his personality and individuality shines through his performances. It is mesmerizing to see his facial expressions as he feels the music. I catch myself wondering what the pieces evoke to him, since he is so well acquainted with them. He seems to sense the music, completely enthralled, and shows it like none other. It is yet another way spectators see how he truly is the human extension of his piano.

Listening to classical music is, for me, comparable to a meditation. One's mind drifts, and must constantly be brought back to the present moment. Thoughts invariably arise, taking us away from the performance and into our individual, private realms of consciousness. Closing one's eyes, the music transports us. Hearing sound coming from a real instrument, and not a recording or prefabricated synthetic tones, is a powerful experience. It is something everyone should be familiar with. It is a shame today's youth isn't exposed to it as easily as they are to pop music.

Eyes shut, one can let the musical flow take over. As captivating as the renditions were, I thought it would have been smart to put a carpet at Lang Lang's feet to diminish the impact of the sound his heels make as he frantically keeps the beat. Such extravagance is unnecessary and rather bothersome, in my opinion, since it hinders the piano's melody, which needs no percussion complement. And speaking of unneeded noise... Unfortunately, it is germ season, and many spectators did not have the grace to use cough drops or subtly clear one's throat in handkerchiefs, creating recurrent auditory interjections that made other listeners well aware they were in a room filled with almost 2000 people. Closing one's eyes and retreating to one's inner world, allowed a greater focus on the melodic talent being shared, but a public concert, remains, a public concert.

Standing ovations were given in between pieces numerous times. More established or reserved members of the audience were growling, trying to shush overly enthusiastic clappers in between segments of Tchaikovski's Seasons. Personally, I couldn't blame the fans. The performance was breathtaking and drew tears to my eyes more times than I care to admit. Applause was the crowd's way of sharing its appreciation as it felt it fit.

Lang Lang in the Montreal Symphony House in 2012

And appreciate, the crowd did. The ceaseless applause and acclamations led to not one but two encores. Lang Lang is known to be generous with them. The final piece, an extremely fast paced but precisely executed rendition of Chopin's Minute Waltz Op. 64 No. 1 made the room erupt in chuckles as he graced his audience with a last interpretation that really highlighted the personal touch be brings to stage. The applause was relentless, praising the innovative touch Lang Lang conveys to classical music.

More conservative music lovers grunt and hiss at Lang Lang's overt personality and individualistic touches, but I believe performers such as himself are giving a new life to classical music, helping it keep up with other music styles. It is a touch of fun and youth, to see individuality shine through pieces that are hundreds of years old. It is a beautiful way to keep the art alive. Lang Lang is but one of a series of contemporary musicians who bring their personal touch to a traditional art. I think here of the talented Yuja Wang, with her platform-heels and mini-dresses as she performs pieces that transgress the passing of time. I also think of Nigel Kennedy, famed violinist, with his Mohawk style haircut and unconventional attire.

Some believe individuality does not have its place in music halls. If many find Lang Lang to butcher classical pieces, it is mostly because their conservative edge prevents them from indulging the interpretation he brings. He is not everyone's cup of tea. However, I think seeing performers' individuality is what is needed to attract younger generations, for them to understand and appreciate classical music. I could see by the average age group of this recital that the twenty to thirty group was a feeble minority, and teenagers were practically absent. Classical music should be a part of everyone's education. Lang Lang's International Music Foundation, for example, is a way young, talented musicians are drawn to interpret complicated and timeless pieces of classical repertoires. By being inspired by celebrities of the music world, by getting a feel for the special touches individuals bring to timeless pieces, younger generations adopt a liking to classical music. There is a reason why these pieces have survived the passage of time. In our contemporary age, it should be our priority to celebrate those who can honor classical music by sharing their talent.

After a being on hiatus since 2008, the metal-core quintet Fayne returned to the Canadian metal scene at Montreal, QC's La Vitrola on November 20th, debuting their third EP 'The Queen of Kings'.

The Main Course

Fayne

The Main Course for the night, Fayne, surely filled Our Hearts and Bellies with core-filled fist burgers and motivated serenading side salads!! Fayne is back and with a Vengeance: that's for sure! The energy they created on stage powered their amps and reinforced the crowd. Surely Fayne has a message to spread! Thoughtful lyrical content brought us together, uplifting the crowd, spreading the power of oneness, and knocking down the walls of mind blocks that stand before us. And speaking of walls...the dense wall of sound created by the breakdowns surely raised a rumble of raised fists and energetic punters moshing heads.

The Sides

Dreams Of An Absolution

Watch out Montreal! Dreams Of An Absolution are here to stay/slay!! sludging grooves reminiscent of early Djent before the expensive emulated gear took all the hype. Head churning chuggs laced with dissonant melodies ride out songs unequal to the scene! Thanks for being unique! These younins are raw as fuck! Not typical from this modern genre. Keep an ear out for these guys as the brutality that oozes from there groove-focused structures are a tsunami ready to crush Montreal! BTW if those vocals don't eat you up who will?

Atsuko Chiba

Channeling passages from Rage Against The Machine, Pink Floyd, Five Alarm Funk, Tides Of Nebula all mixed together to form glitchy experimental electronic dance music (EDM). Will the promoters and Fayne take the band on-board the Mighty Valhalla Sound Circus?(http://valhallasoundcircus.com) Atsuko Chiba blend chilled atmospheric EDM with post rock in way you need not only hear but also taste! Layers, layers and more layers, imagine these stage beings as a full set of paint brushes each with there own color splurging a sonic riffage across the canvas faces of the audience.

Like RockFest, Woodstock en Beauce (June 25 to 29, 2014) is a festival where camping is the best way to go. It has also been refered to in the past as "MudFest". The lineup has yet to be revealed, except for PapaRoach. You can purchase your tickets now. They are $75 plus $45 for a camping spot.

Last year's RockFest got a lot of negative publicity, but this doesn't seem to phase-out true metal fans. It might help that this year, Amnesia RockFest has teamed up with le Festival d'été de Québec and their sister company 3E-evenement to manage the logistical aspect of the RockFest. This proves that bigger organisations believe that Alex Martel who created the RockFest 9 years ago at only 17 years of age has some room to learn and perfect the event. PMiron Consultants (http://pmiron.com/projects/) is another firm with big event experience that will be assisting in the success of this year's RockFest.

Why will I not be going to RockFest? The location of this event is truly the only reason I would not go. In all honesty, I would not want to be camping  in mud and sleeping less than 2 feet from my unknown neighbour. As for the hotels, Amenia RockFest claims that they are sold out a year before the event (I haven't called any hotel to confirm this information).

For those willing to get down and dirty, to wait in line to use a port-o-potty, I say have a blast! Buy your week-end pass now as they will sell-out quickly and are a steel at only $99. But I will also will you luck in finding a place to pitch your tent and park your car! You could even go by boat, but reserve your spot at the marina.

After much wait, Evenko has finally released the schedule for Heavy Montreal. They are doing the release after Rock Fest released it's band list with much disapoint to fans. But Rock Fest has to repair the damage done last summer with bad management while Heavy Montreal had to please their fans with a heavier lineup than the one from which had Avenged Sevenfold as the headliner for one of the nights. I'm not saying Avenged Sevenfold is not good, but it's nowhere as metal as Metallica or Slayer.

This year's Heavy Montreal will have parents and teens. Fans from the early days whom are now in their 40s and 50s and the newer fans who are just entering adulthood. Metallica and Slayer are bands with street cred. They attract fans and sell tickets. Of course, some people say that Slayer is not the same with Dave Lombardo on drums, but I say to hell with that controversy. I saw Slayer at the CEPSUM last fall and Paul Bostaph having replaced Lombardo in the past does an awesome job. And Gary Holt seems to have taken his place after Jeff Hanneman's passing.

Metallica is doing "Metallica by Request" which means the show's songs are selected from the fans requests. *edited* Metallica's set includes 18 songs, 17 of which got the most requests from fans who voted online. To be able to cast your vote for the song you would most like to have on the setlist, make sure to request your special code when purchasing your ticket. You may be wondering about the 18th song? Well, from what I've read online, it's going to be a brand new song, so check YouTube and you might be able to hear it before the show since it'll be performed on the Eureopean tour.

Some people might be disappointed about not having more glam rock bands like there were in the past. But Kiss and Motley Crue didn't belong in a heavy metal festival. Also, a lot of people have complained that Heavy Montreal does not have the "Big 4", but darn it, it's the closest it's ever been. And to have the "Big 4" (Metallica, Slayer, Anthrax are three of the "Big 4"), the band list would need to include Megadeth, and after being part of the festival in 2013 and 2010, we should welcome the band list as is! Some metal fans are also complaining about the punk bands on the list, but I believe both musical styles belong together, if not as unhappy neighbours, maybe as drinking partners.

Weekend passes go on sale this Friday. They will sell at $165 pre-tax and the number is limited, hey Evenko wants to make sure they sell enough. You could also splurge $400 plus taxes for a "prefered seating" on a terasse which is new this year, see image below, as well as "exclusive toilets". If you plan on taking your 10 year-old cousin, note that kids under the age of 10 can go in for free with a paying adult.

For more information, visit http://heavymontreal.com/

This show was true rockabilly, starting with the psychobilly of Montreal band The Brains who did an amazing job at warming up the crowd to another psychobilly band Nekromantix all the way from Denmark and California and Reverend Horton Heat's Texan roots who I have a hard time describing as psychobilly. All three bands were the standard trio of musicians with the signature slap bass.

The Brains did an amazing job. They had charisma and perfect hair! Their doing away with the makeup has taken nothing away from their talent. Their songs are true to form of the psychobilly style with the horror themes. They have been around since 2002 and you can tell they know what they're doing. They have six albums under their belt, so the material is available and the songs plentiful and catchy. I highly recommend their last album "The Monster Within". With names like Rene De La Muerte on vocals and guitar, Pat Kadaver on drums and Colin The Dead on stand-up slap bass, how could you not agree that this is the perfect psychobilly trio!

As for Nekromantix, they must have had an issue with the sound guy because they sounded awful! If they had pulled an "Axl Rose" move and cut in the middle of a song for a sound check, I would have applauded them! We could not hear anything from the backup singer/guitar player, Francisco Mesa. Lux was awesome on drums and what can be said about singer Kim Nekroman, but to marvel at his coffin-shaped slap bass! Had it not been for the sound trouble, the set would have been a-ma-zing.

As for Reverend Horton Heat, the set was much slower and less dark. The sound of the steel strings on his guitar make for an awesome sound. They sure did not have any issue with the sound. You could hear every note coming out of that instrument. Unfortunately, I had to leave while Deke Dickerson was performing on his double necked guitar. It was, after all, a work night.

Through his willingness to share and work with artists of all disciplines, he is responsible for influencing an entire music scene; always one to value the insight gained from others, Elliot has been at the centre of some of Toronto indie's most exciting collaborations.

Born and raised in the unassuming Ontario suburb of Thornhill, this humble musician got an early start performing in Christian-revival church bands, talent shows, and local shopping malls. Now in his mid-twenties, however, Elliot has made a name for himself as a versatile composer and multi-instrumentalist amid the haughty tastes of the Toronto and Montreal music underground. While most comfortable working from his Toronto based studio, Elliot has collaborated with some of the most notable Indie and electro outfits across Canada - the impressive list of those with whom he has worked over the years has grown to include such formidable acts as Formalists, FanService, Dubl-D, Mr.Mover and the Shakers and Kodiac Trail, to name just a few.

Better known within the electronic dance music, or EDM community, as one half of the disco DJ duo Sherman&Fraizinger, Elliot is equally respected across a wide range of musical genres for both his song writing and production expertise. His main project, The Neighborhood Watch - a four-piece indie-noise-rock collective in which he is the driving creative force - is poised to release their critically anticipated sophomore L.P. later this year, and has garnered considerable buzz both within the online sphere and on the streets.

To be sure though, Elliot did not find his success through here-today-gone-tomorrow blog hype or media promotion like so many others. Rather, through years of painstaking commitment to refining his craft and an undeniable ability to consistently push the boundaries of electronic music, his inclusive and energetic approach to the creative process has made him one of the most sought after artists in today's industry.

To understand why so many jump at the opportunity of working with him, or how he is able to successfully orchestrate numerous and diverse musical projects, it is important to have a better appreciation of who the man behind the music really is.  

By any reasonable measure, Elliot is an accomplished individual. Fluent in several languages and holding degrees in both philosophy and electrical engineering, those in his inner circle regard him as epitomizing a modern Renaissance man. At the age when most of us were still learning our ABC's, young Frazer occupied himself by composing piano sonatas and taking apart old transistor radios. Voted by his high-school classmates as most likely to become a rock star and most likely to make significant contributions to science, his mutual interest in music and technology has resulted in a dynamic synthesis of digital and analog mediums. While he is proficient at playing virtually any instrument within his reach, he does not limit himself to any single mode of expression. His extensive catalogue boasts over five hundred unique compositions in which he has performed and recorded instruments ranging from grand pianos to glockenspiels. 

While he is not one to revel in the limelight or actively seek out praise for his numerous academic and professional accomplishments, the consensus is unanimous: bringing people together is what Elliot does best. In looking back at his past involvement with the indie and electro scene, it is hard to quantify the immense influence he has had on so many emerging artists. Pavel Gurvich, lead guitarist of The Black Carrots, relates one of the many examples of Elliot's charitable ethos:

"Yeah, Elliot is all about working with different people and getting together as many artists and instruments as he can in one place. He loves that [expletive]. I remember back in the day, like before any of us had any decent gear of our own, you know, he would always let us go jam at his place. This was a big deal to a lot of us because we didn't have money for rehearsal studios or anything like that, let alone sound engineers or access to recording equipment, but Elliot man, he would cut demos for us for nothing. I mean he really helped a lot of us starting out".

This is, however, only but one example of Elliot's contributions to his community. From what band-mates and people in the scene say of him, he is akin to being the patron saint of fellow musicians. From his willingness to fill in for a friend at a moment's notice, or to offer the services of his minivan, or to give advice to those in need, there are few who compare in generosity or modesty.

Having had the privilege of knowing Elliot personally, I, like so many, can honestly say that if not for him, I might very well not be pursuing my own passions. Through his actions and words, the lesson he most impressed upon me is that it is always better to include than it is to exclude; it is always better to embrace the reject; it is always better to oblige than it is to deny - because, in the end, we all benefit when we come together. In a time where so many only look for the profit or gain derived from things, I consider myself fortunate to have crossed paths with Elliot Fraizinger. 

Check out the Neigborhood watch: http://neighbourhoodwatch.bandcamp.com/

Show them love on FB:https://www.facebook.com/TheNeighbourhoodWatch?fref=ts

   MADE IN IRON (formerly known as Power Slaves) are proud to announce they will be returning to Montreal on May 4th at L'Olympia and May 25th in Quebec City at Théâtre Capitole with its renowned Iron Maiden tribute show that showcases an experience like no other homage in North America. Experience 1984 Iron Maiden once again!

Having first performed in Montreal in 2009 at the Medley in full band character as Iron Maiden. MADE IN IRON demonstrated a four floor Egyptian stage setup, along with a twelve foot walking Eddie (a smaller version of Iron Maiden's best known mascot).

Then in 2010, they added to their success in Quebec City at Théâtre Capitole by enlarging their stage to the exact size that IRON MAIDEN had in 1984 along with a lighting show based on Live After Death and again an appearance of an Iron Maiden replica of Big Eddie standing twenty five feet tall.

Then in 2012, MADE IN IRON returned to Quebec City due to high demand to bring forth another stellar experience with drummer Maxime Beauséjour as Nicko McBrain with Iron Maiden's 1984 live drum setup.

Now in 2013, MADE IN IRON has big plans as they perform their largest tribute experience to date. The stage will move like maiden, sound like maiden and feel like maiden! With plans to be identical to Iron Maiden's 84/85 World Slavery Tour when the metal titans recorded their 1985 Live After Death live album.

"This is the first time we will be in Montreal with ALL the setup. Phase I of the project was launched at Le Medley in Montreal. Then Phase II was launched at Le Capitole de Québec. No one in Montreal saw our 25 feet tall Eddie, the new stage that is now twice bigger than what it was at Le Medley, and all the changes in the show like the new costumes and staging. It is also our first time at L'Olympia. We just can't wait to May 4th!" comments MADE IN IRON's Pierre-Etienne Drolet.

About: 

Made In Iron founder Pierre-Etienne Drolet discovered Iron Maiden and their influential Live After Death when he was first 14. It was from listening to that album that Drolet turned Iron Maiden into his personal religion, listening non-stop to every musical endeavour they have created. As he grew older and strongly familiar with Iron Maiden and their tours. He had his epiphany of creating a tribute band for his most beloved idols and rebuilding the World Slavery Tour stage. It wasn't an overnight success, but it has been a project that has been building over the years as Drolet has gathered many resources such as musicians, artists, behind the scenes crew and business endorsements to make his dream come true. Live After Death 1984 returns with full stage setup, costumes, songs, and Eddie for the best Iron Maiden tribute experience on the planet.

DOWNLOAD for Radio airplay - MADE IN IRON - Trooper (Live) - http://fburls.com/65-rlaGHhrv

For more info and ticket information, please visit the following links:

Montreal - May 4 - http://www.madeinirontribute.com/Olympia/MADE%20IN%20IRON%20-%20Olympia.html

Quebec City - May 25 - http://www.madeinirontribute.com/Capitole/MADE%20IN%20IRON%20-%20Capitole.html

Glen Matlock, the original bassist of the Sex Pistols, took over Montreal's Pirhana Bar to play an acoustic set a couple of weeks ago. Glen is currently on the Acoustic Anarchy Tour with Scott Kempner from the Dictators.

The small venue was packed with younger and older fans. A tour-like Acoustic Anarchy drew a certain type of fan base, afan base that rocked tattoos, piercings, black clothes, spiked jackets and crazy hair. Despite their tough exteriors, the crowd embraced Glen when he walked up on stage. 

Glen's set included songs from his latest album, Born Running. He also played a couple of Sex Pistols songs, and most memorably he played Ambition, a song he wrote for Iggy Pop's album Soldier. He introduced the song with great pride saying it was the only song that he wrote entirely that Iggy put on the album. An extra amount of gusto was put into the words, "Don't lose your grip, don't lose ambition!" He finished the show with a rocking, acoustic duet with Scott that got the crowd charged with energy. 

After his set, Glen sat at a table along with his beautiful wife and met  any fan who approached to sign autographs and take pictures. He even took a few minutes to give us an interview.

Blankfest Quebec, the music charity event that has been raising awareness and clothing for Montreal's homeless and shelter the Old Brewery Mission for the last four years are proud to announce they have raised nearly 800 clothing items and $281 at this year's 5th annual winter clothing and fund raising event.

Montreal is known for having one of Canada's harshest and coldest winters, and every year it's unfortunate that those who are homeless must endure the reality of living on the street. Blankfest Quebec was founded for that reason when event organizer Jon Asher heard about the original Blankfest created by Kenn Rowell (The Baghdaddios) 17 years ago in New York City.

Taking place this past Saturday on March 9th at the Piranha Bar, the event was supported by local bands Vinyl Hero, Fist of Freedom, Dissension and Forbidden Sin along with support from the Heavy Metal Music Association of Canada (H.M.M.A.C).

"I'm proud and thankful for everyone's help for the Old Brewery Mission. I believe that awareness, aiding with funds and clothing items for the homeless is a necessity in our community whether it is this cause or another. I want to thank the donors who came out to support the event, the musicians, H.M.M.A.C., Piranha Bar, Frite Alors, DungeonWorks, the ladies of the Steger Residence and their donation of knitted scarves and tuques and every volunteer who helped make this a successful clothing collection and fundraiser." comments event organizer Jon Asher.

In addition to the Blankfest Quebec V, the Heavy Metal Music Association of Canada also held a fundraising brunch at Frite Alors the morning of March 9th along with a panel discussion on the topic of How Music Helps Charity & How Charity Helps Music with panelists Johanne McDonald (Executive Director - Old Brewery Mission), Jon Asher (Blankfest Quebec), Jason Rockman (Slaves On Dope, CHOM 97.7FM), Norm Zimmerman (Steve's Music Store), Ray Howard (Vinyl Hero). 

With this year's total of 796 items collected, Blankfest Quebec has approximately surpassed 3200 clothing items collected for the homeless.

This year's Blankfest Quebec saw the following clothing items donated:

• Steger Residence knitted scarves and tuques: 332
• Shirts: 215
• Sweaters: 75
• Misc: 45
• Pants: 35
• Jackets: 22
• Blankets: 18
• Bags: 13
• Socks: 11 pairs
• Tuques: 11
• Scarves: 7
• Gloves: 5
• Skirts: 4
• Baby Clothes: 3
• Total: 796

About: The Old Brewery Mission Soothing homelessness. Solving homelessness.

Founded in 1889, The Old Brewery Mission is the largest resource for homeless men in Quebec and for homeless women in Canada. This non-profit organization provides a range of services that respond to the needs of Montreal's homeless people as well as those at risk of becoming so, and endeavours to enable them to take control of their lives and assume their rightful place in the community. It is estimated that there are close to 20,000 homeless people in Montreal.

About: Blankfest Quebec is organized by Jon Asher, in collaboration with the Old Brewery Mission, and was launched after Jon read about his friend, New York City indie rock veteran Kenn Rowell of The Baghdaddios, who founded Blankfest in 1997 and has been organizing the annual blanket fundraiser in New York City for the past 17 years.

In the past, Rowell says, Blankfest NYC has raised more than 6,000 total donations that have been distributed to the homeless in the New York City area and has inspired similar efforts in New Jersey, Manhattan and Nottingham, UK. Among the many distinguished artists who have performed at past international Blank-Fests are: Rothberg (EMI), Buddy Cage (Grateful Dead), Marc Rizzo (Soulfly) and Meg Griffin (Sirius Radio).

Q: What's your name? 
A: My name is Amelie Cloutier.

Q: How old are you? 
A: I am 18 years old.

Q: Is singing a fun pastime for you or a serious career path?
A: For now it is just for fun, but I would certainly love to make a career out of it, in the future. I'd love to take singing lessons and gain experience before doing that, though. But it is definitely my dream!

Q: How long have you been singing for?
A: I've been singing ever since I could talk - to the extent that it became annoying to my family. I sang ALL the time!

Q: Were you raised in a musical household? (If so, do you have any childhood memories or stories to share?) 
A: Yes. I have a few stories. The artistic side of my family is all on my mother's side. My mom's family would gather the entire family on weekends and they would all bring their musical instruments and sing songs and party all night. My family loves to sing. We have a special living room that we keep to sing along with each other and have a karaoke system in the basement. We love having karaoke nights. There is not one day where me and my mother don't sing . 

Q: Who were your musical inspirations growing up? 
A: As a child, I loved Britney spears, but my inspiration, right now, would be Adele - she's such a great person and is so talented. 


Q: If you had to categorize yourself, what genre would your voice fit into?
A: I have a voice to sing country, R&B, blues and jazz. I have a certain Soul in my voice.

Q: Let's talk about the auditions ... 
Where were they held? 

A: In Montreal, in a hotel. The line up went all the way outside. It was crazy.

Q: How many people would you say showed up for the audition? 
A: My audition number was somewhere in the 2000's and it was only the second day, so a lot of people showed up.

Q: What made you want to audition for the show?
A: I thought the experience would be fun. My mom spoke to me about it and I didn't hesitate. I knew I wanted to go.

Q: Is this the first time you've ever done something like this?
A: Yes it was, but I loved it.

Q: Take me through your journey ... How many steps did you have to go through before auditioning in front of the judges? 
A: Well, we arrived at the auditions at 9am and only ended up leaving at 8pm. There were so many people. When we first got to the line, we started talking with other people who were auditioning. We waited approximately 2hours outside. Once we got in, we waited another hour before getting to a table where there they hand you an Ipad so you can fill out all your personal information; information like: your age/song/ info about you and if you ever took singing lessons. At the table they told us that we couldn't pass the audition that day, because there were too many people a head of us. My mother and I, were then lead into another room to fill out another information form, but this time, it was for a call back sometime, later on, in the next week. While I was waiting to give in the call back information, a woman came to me, and three girls around me, to say spots opened up and we could audition that day, if we wanted to. I said yes, so they took my picture and gave me my number.

Q: What happened next?
A: Well, by then it was maybe 2pm. So, my mother and I left to go eat at a nearby restaurant. We came back for 5pm and still had to wait another 2 hours and a half. As we waited, we sang with other singers, in the audition room. Some had their guitars and everyone would sing together; it was simply amazing.

Q: What happens when your number is called and you are up to audition? 
A: When they called our numbers, we were sent to wait in a hallway where there a person would come to explain to us how the process would happen and what we were supposed to do. We were going to wait quietly outside until it was our turn. They asked us whether we had a cd or an instrument to sing a long to. Then we took the elevator to level 5, where there we needed to wait in another room, but this time with only 15 chairs. Whenever one got up to audition, we were informed to switch chairs. The door was right in front of us and we could here the people singing inside. They were so good.

Q: Was that stressful?
A: Yes. That's actually when the stress kicked in. The closer you get to the door, the more stressed you get. Then, once it is your turn, you go in to the audition room. It's dark and you have to stand on the X, so that the cameras are on you. There was only one spotlight, in the room. It was so dark you could barely see the judge's faces. You tell them your name and age and what you're going to sing then the music comes on. I had time to sing my first verse, bridge and chorus of Set Fire to The Rain, by Adele. The judges were watching me on a prompter to see if I looked good on screen. Once I was done singing, I was led back into the waiting room; all that for just 1 minute of singing. Then you go home like nothing happened. 

Q: Were the actual 4 judges there or were they random, unknown people?
A: They were well known French artists, but they were not the actual 4 judges. I forget their names, but I knew Stephan Laporte was one of them.

Q: Were the judges welcoming and talkative or very straightforward and not wasting any time? 
A: Straightforward but respectful. They weren't arrogant and they didn't look like they were fed up at all. 

Q: What was your reaction from the judges during your audition and after? 

A: I looked at Stephan while I was singing, which was kind of funny, but he nodded and smiled while I sang and spoke to the other judges - that was nerve racking because I didn't know what they were saying or what it meant that they were talking. After he smiled and said thank you Amelie and that was it.

Q: So no feedback?
A: No. None. They didn't have time for that.

Q: What is the time frame that you hear back from them, if you make the show?

A: The audition was in September and if they didn't call you before November 20th, you weren't chosen.

Q: After your experience, was it everything you envisioned it to be? 
A: Yes it was. It was actually even better than I thought.

Q: What would you have changed if you could go back and do it again?
A: Well, I would love to get feedback, but, next time, I wouldn't take an Adele song because nothing can compare to Adele.

Q: Thank you so much for allowing me to interview you.
A: It was no problem at all.

March 28 Glen Matlock(SexPistols)+Tommy Ramone(The Ramones)

May 8 Pain of Salvation

Les Productions Dungeon Works et DeadNa présentent:

https://www.facebook.com/events/286870088107040/ 

GOD MODULE
www.godmodule.org

avec/with

LUDOVICO TECHNIQUE
www.ludotechnique.com

MORDACIOUS
www.mordacious.com

FRONTAL BOUNDARY
www.reverbnation.com/frontalboundary

CELLROT


et DJ NA

March 17th, 2013
le 17 mars, 2013
8PM / 20H00
@ Piranha Bar - 680 Ste-Catherine Ouest
18+

13$ - 16$ portes

billets disponibles:
tickets available at:

www.admission.com/event/god-module-billets/708101


et bientôt à:

Boutique Labyrinthe
Cruella
Sound Central

 ------------

Les Productions Dungeon Works et Piranha Bar présentent:

https://www.facebook.com/events/516050498445986/ 

ACOUSTIC ANARCHY:

GLEN MATLOCK (Sex Pistols)
http://offthemenuentertainment.com/wordpress/?p=1261

TOMMY RAMONE (Ramones)
http://offthemenuentertainment.com/wordpress/?p=1803

HOBO OUTLAWS
www.facebook.com/pages/Hobo-Outlaws/126300597410834

THE HEROIN HAYRIDE
http://www.facebook.com/TheHeroinHayride?ref=ts&fref=ts


March 28th, 2013
le 28 mars, 2013
8:30PM / 20H30
@ Piranha Bar - 680 Ste-Catherine Ouest
18+

15$ - 20$ portes

billets disponibles:
tickets available at:

http://www.admission.com/event/glen-matlock--tommy-ramone-billets/708107


et bientôt à:

Boutique X20
Piranha Bar
Sound Central

commandité par:
sponsored by:

Revolutionary Longboards
Absolute Underground

 ------------

Les Productions Dungeon Works et Extensive Enterprises présentent:

https://www.facebook.com/events/487444454655113/ 

PAIN OF SALVATION (Suède)
www.painofsalvation.com

avec

HEAVEN'S CRY
www.heavenscry.com

KING CROW (Italie)
www.kingcrow.it

IMMINENT SONIC DESTRUCTION (USA)
imminentsonicdestruction.com



May 8th, 2013
le 8 mai, 2013
7:00PM / 19:00
@ Foufounes Électriques - 87 St Catherine E.
18+

25$ - 30$ doors/portes
VIP: $50

billets disponibles bientôt chez:
tickets soon to be available at:

www.admission.com
Boutique Labyrinthe
Boutique Profusion
Foufounes Électriques

commandité par:
sponsored by:

Belle Gueule
H.M.M.A.C.
Revolutionary Longboards
Absolute Underground
Boutique Labyrinthe

Since its conception, Blankfest Quebec has been raising awareness and clothing (over 2,500 items to date) for Montreal's homeless and shelter the Old Brewery Mission.

This year sees the return of the fifth annual charity event with city's music community coming together once again to help those in need. Blankfest Quebec V will be held on March 9th at Piranha Bar (680 Ste. Catherine W.) with blues rockers Vinyl Hero, society fighters Fist of Freedom, metallers Dissension and the politically charged Forbidden Sin.

In addition to the Blankfest Quebec V, the Heavy Metal Music Association of Canada will be holding a fundraising brunch at Frite Alors (680 Ste. Catherine W.) the morning of March 9th at 11am to raise funds for the Old Brewery Mission along with a speakers panel on the topic of Charity & Music.

Note: H.M.M.A.C. will be accepting donations of rolled pennies at the brunch for those interested in getting rid of them.

Speaking Panelist are the following:

Johanne McDonald - Executive Director - Old Brewery Mission

Jon Asher - Blankfest Quebec

Jason Rockman - CHOM 97.7FM

Norm Zimmerman - Steve's Music Store

Ray Howard - Vinyl Hero

Blankfest V 2013 - Event Details

Facebook Event - https://www.facebook.com/events/224310721027493

Facebook Fanpage - Blankfest Quebec - http://www.facebook.com/pages/Blankfest-Quebec/124607864221341 

Old Brewery Mission - www.oldbrewerymission.ca and http://www.facebook.com/pages/Mission-Old-Brewery-page-officielle/168973503131279

Date: Saturday, March 9th, 2013

Time: 8pm

Venue: Frite Alors, 680 Ste-Catherine W.

Cost: Admission is a Blanket or Donation of Winter Clothing

- 30 -

About: The Old Brewery Mission Soothing homelessness. Solving homelessness.

Founded in 1889, The Old Brewery Mission is the largest resource for homeless men in Quebec and for homeless women in Canada. This non-profit organization provides a range of services that respond to the needs of Montreal's homeless people as well as those at risk of becoming so, and endeavours to enable them to take control of their lives and assume their rightful place in the community. It is estimated that there are close to 20,000 homeless people in Montreal.

About: Blankfest Quebec is organized by Jon Asher, in collaboration with the Old Brewery Mission, and was launched after Jon read about his friend, New York City indie rock veteran Kenn Rowell of The Baghdaddios, who founded Blankfest in 1997 and has been organizing the annual blanket fundraiser in New York City for the past 17 years.

In the past, Rowell says, Blankfest NYC has raised more than 6,000 total donations that have been distributed to the homeless in the New York City area and has inspired similar efforts in New Jersey, Manhattan and Nottingham, UK. Among the many distinguished artists who have performed at past international Blank-Fests are: Rothberg (EMI), Buddy Cage (Grateful Dead), Marc Rizzo (Soulfly) and Meg Griffin (Sirius Radio).

About these ads

Following the success of the inaugural edition in 2012, Dungeon Works Productions and Evenko are proud to present En Route to Heavy MTL 2013 and the selected twenty bands that will be battling it out over the next five months to win one of two opening slots at this year's 2013 HVY MTL.

Battle 3 of the BOTB will take place on Thursday, March 7th at Les Katacombes (1635 St-Laurent Blvd) with special guest judges Dan Lilker (Brutal Truth, Nuclear Assault) & Flo Mounier (Cryptopsy) along with local music industry for the death metal night.

Competing bands: Death Metal Night

TUNGUSKA MAMMOTH
http://tunguskamammoth.bandcamp.com 

PRONOSTIC
http://pronostic.bandcamp.com

BROUGHT BY PAIN
http://broughtbypain.bandcamp.com

DERELICT
http://www.derelictmetal.com

Event Details:

Link: https://www.facebook.com/events/538264052860653/ 

Ticket Purchase: http://www.admission.com/event/en-route-vers-heavy-mtl-2013-bataille-3-tickets/708091 & La Boutique Labyrinthe: 486 Ste. Catherine Ouest

Date: Thursday, March 7, 2013

Time: 8:30PM

Cost: $12 Advance / $15 Door

sponsored by:

Budweiser - http://www.budweiser.ca/
Jagermeister - http://www.jagermeister.ca/
Galaxie - http://www.galaxie.ca/
Revolutionary Longboards - https://www.facebook.com/RevolutionaryLongboards
Godin Guitars - http://www.godinguitars.com/
Delta Hotels - https://www.deltahotels.com/Hotels/Delta-Montreal
Italmélodie - http://www.italmelodie.com/
La Boutique Labyrinthe - http://www.labyrintherock.com/
Slick Styled Steel Tattoo & Piercing - http://www.slickstyledsteel.com/
HMMAC - https://www.facebook.com/HMMACANADA
Absolute Underground Magazine - https://www.facebook.com/groups/10034445807/

For more info, please visit (www.dungeonworksprods.com & http://heavymtl.com/en/jouer-heavy/)

Rounds to come!

Prog/Power/Epic Metal Night:
Transcend - http://www.reverbnation.com/transcendband
Eclipse Prophecy - http://www.facebook.com/eclipseprophecy
Kalter (Quebec City) - http://kalterofficial.com/
Unbeing - http://www.unbeingmusic.com/

Deathcore Night:
Rosewood - http://www.facebook.com/RosewoodMTL
Self Collapse - http://www.reverbnation.com/selfcollapsemetal
Pandora's Wake - http://www.facebook.com/pandoraswake
Death Lullaby - http://www.deathlullaby.com/

The world's most prestigious metal festival, Wacken Open Air, known for its elite lineup of the globe's best metal bands is bringing the largest metal contest on the planet to Canada. Wacken Metal Battle Canada will be recruiting one independent Canadian band to perform at this year's highly celebrated gathering of metal heads in Wacken, Germany. Searching for the strongest contenders, Metal Battle Canada will showcase Canada's premiere talents for one true champion to represent the nation with highest honor at the Wacken Open Air Festival.

Being held in Toronto, ON and Montreal, QC during the months of May and June, Canadian metal bands from across the country will challenge one another to join a list of Canadian heavyweights such as Voivod, Exciter, Razor, Annihilator, Anvil,  Kataklysm, Cryptopsy, 3 Inches of Bloods, Despised Icon and Danko Jones who have performed at the festival in years past.

The W:O:A Metal Battle was founded in 2004 to encourage future generations of heavy metal and rock, as Wacken Open Air believes in supporting the future of metal music and its musicians. 

Submissions for Metal Battle Canada can be completed via the online application at the following link below and will be open from Feb 18th to deadline on March 10th. (Please remember to select the city in which you would like to potentially compete.)

Promo Video - Wacken Metal Battle Canada

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gQcxqsxchkQ (spread the link)

Battling rounds for Metal Battle Canada will be held on the following dates:

TORONTO DATES:

QUALIFYING
April 28 - Rivoli - Toronto, ON
May 2 - Hard Luck - Toronto, ON
May 5 - Rivoli - Toronto, ON
May 9 - Hard Luck - Toronto, ON
May 12 - Rivoli - Toronto, ON
May 16 - Hard Luck - Toronto, ON

SEMI-FINALS

May 24 - Hard Luck - Toronto, ON
May 31 - Hard Luck - Toronto, ON
June 7 - Rivoli - Toronto, ON

MONTREAL DATES:

QUALIFYING

May 9 - Katacombes - Montreal, QC
May 15 - Katacombes - Montreal, QC
May 22 - Katacombes - Montreal, QC
May 31 - Katacombes - Montreal, QC

MONTREAL SEMI-FINALS

June 7 - Katacombes - Montreal, QC*

* 2 MONTREAL BANDS MOVE TO FINALS - June 22 at Opera House, Toronto, ON

FINALS - METAL BATTLE CANADA

June 22 - Opera House, Toronto, ON

RULES

All bands that wish to participate in the Metal Battle must read the following rules and guidelines. Bands who send in an application automatically agree to the rules and terms.

• Your band doesn't have a record deal and isn't about to sign to a record label in the near future.
• Your band must be able to play a 30 minute set consisting of your own original material.
• PA, lighting, and sound engineer will be provided for all bands by Metal Battle Canada.
• Backline arrangements TBA.
• The bands must bring their own instruments such as guitars, bass, drum breakables, keyboards and effect pedals and may also bring and use their own guitar amps.
• To keep the changeover times as short as possible, bands with left handed drummers will play as first or last band. All bands have to follow the directions given by the promoters or stage manager.
• Semi playback is not allowed. All bands must play live.
• Jury of respected music industry folk will decide the winners each night.

If a band overruns its allotted performance time, then the band-members should be aware of the fact that in this case their sound will be faded out. The running order for the concert will be released a few days before the event takes place.

About Wacken: 

Wacken Open Air (W:O:A) is a summer open air heavy metal music festival. It takes place annually in the small town of Wacken in Schleswig-Holstein, northern Germany. With 80,000 festival visitors, and including personnel a total of roughly 86,000 attendees in 2011,^[2] it attracts all kinds of metal music fans, such as fans of black metal, death metal, power metal, thrash metal, gothic metal, folk metal, and even metalcore, nu metal and hard rock from around the world.

The festival was first held in 1990 as a small event for local German bands. By 1998 the event had become the major festival on the European metal calendar and has included over 70 bands from all over Europe, North America and Australia. W:O:A is usually held at the beginning of August and lasts three days, during which the festival-goers camp on several large camping grounds surrounding the actual festival area. The 70 or more bands perform across four separate stages over the course of the event.

Since 2002, the Wacken Firefighters, the local volunteer fire department band, opens the festival.

The 2009 edition set a sales record when it sold out its 70,000  tickets by December 30, 2008, just 200 days prior to the festival. However, the 2012 edition broke this record; when it sold out on November 29th, 2011, 8 months before the opening of the festival with 75,000 tickets sold. The W:O:A 2012 took place with 137 bands, performing on seven stages.

For more info on Metal Battle Canada, please visit these links:

Official Website: http://www.metalbattle.ca 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MetalBattleCanada 

Twitter: @MetalBattleCAN

Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/user/WackenMetalBattleCAN

Video - Acoustic Snippets - http://youtu.be/PgZloW0ndtY 

EPK - Glen Matlock - http://offthemenuentertainment.com/wordpress/?p=1261

About: 

Glen Matlock is one of the most respected, if underrated British musicians. In a career that has spanned over thirty years, Glen has made indelible contributions to music as the original bass player with The Sex Pistols, formed the underrated Rich Kids, worked with a variety of artists ranging from Iggy Pop, fellow original School of '76 Brit Punk Rockers The Damned, through to neo-rockabilly singer Robert Gordon, whilst pursuing his own musically distinctive direction where melodic and inventive rock music thrives. To cap it all, 2010 sees Glen release a brand new album - arguably the finest to bear his name - in the shape of Born Running, as well as taking the coveted bass playing role in the reformed Faces.

Glen Matlock was one born on August 27^th 1956, in Kensal Green, North West London. Growing up in London through the 1960s and early 70s, Matlock fell under the musical influence of the likes of The Kinks, The Who, The Faces andDavid Bowie. In 1974, whilst employed as an assistant in the King's Road, Chelsea clothing emporium Let It Rock(owned by Malcolm McLaren and his then-wife Vivienne Westwood) joined up with guitarist Steve Jones and drummer Paul Cook (alongside guitarist Wally Nightingale) in a combo that would become The Sex Pistols. The band line-up was completed by the recruitment of John Lydon (soon to become Johnny Rotten) as their vocalist. The Sex Pistols line-up eventually settled around Rotten, Jones and Cook, with Matlock playing bass and singing backing vocals. However, Matlock made the most crucial musical contributions to the Pistols, his innate grasp of melody and song structure essential to knocking the band song ideas into a workable shape.

After Matlock's departure from The Sex Pistols, he hooked up with old pal, guitarist Steve New, alongside drummer Rusty Egan and guitarist / singer-songwriter Midge Ure, formerly of Scottish pop band Slik, to form The Rich Kids, who signed to EMI and were quickly ushered into a studio to cut the album Ghosts of Princes In Towers with one of Matlock's heroes, Spiders From Mars guitarist Mick Ronson. The Rich Kids failed to live up to their promise, however and after they split, Matlock worked with Iggy Pop on his Soldier album and subsequent tour, and then formed The Spectres with former Tom Robinson Band guitarist Danny Kustow.

Matlock's autobiography, I Was A Teenage Sex Pistol, was published to great critical acclaim in 1990, and updated and reprinted in 1996 with insights and updates following the reformed Sex Pistols 'Filthy Lucre' tour, which revealed that Matlock was also a fine raconteur and witty writer.

Despite John Lydon's talent for quotable sound bites, it is actually Glen Matlock who is the most articulate and thoughtful of the Sex Pistols. When the Pistols former manager Malcolm McLaren died in April 2010, it was Matlock who provided the world's press and media with their main point of contact to the Sex Pistols, and provided a distinct, considered overview of Malcolm McLaren's contribution to contemporary culture and his legacy.

In April, 2010, Matlock toured Australia with US rockabilly singer Robert Gordon, along with Slim Jim Phantom of The Stray Cats and guitarist Chris Spedding. Spedding produced some demo recordings for The Sex Pistols in 1976, one of the few old school musicians who acknowledged the worth of the band, and Matlock returned that favour three and a half decades later!

In the spring of 2010, it was announced that three members of The Faces - Ronnie Wood, Ian McLagan and Kenney Jones - were to reform, with Mick Hucknall on vocals, and with Glen taking the coveted role as Ronnie Lane'sreplacement on bass, a huge accolade and confirmation of Glen's high standing amongst his musical peers, and a massive personal achievement for a lifelong fan of the band.

Glen's latest album, Born Running, offers up twelve more punchy and direct examples of Matlock's innate ability to craft timeless, melodic rock songs. It has an added poignancy insofar as it features the last recordings of guitarist Steve New,one of Matlock's oldest friends and fellow founder-member of The Rich Kids, who died in 2010. Also in the band's line up is drummer Javier Weyler, the current drumming incumbent with The Stereophonics, as well as guitarist James Stevenson, who, like Matlock, is a musical survivor from the original School of '76 British Punk Rock. The album was produced by Jim Lowe, who has produced numerous hugely successful albums for The Stereophonics. Born Running is the latest salvo from a musician and songwriter who is never satisfied with resting on his considerable musical achievements; there is much more to come from this hugely gifted individual.

Tommy Ramone - I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend (Live) - http://youtu.be/R0VOiNxC2Ao

EPK - Tommy Ramone - http://offthemenuentertainment.com/wordpress/?p=1803

About: Tommy Ramone began his musical career as Tom Erdelyi an engineer at New York's Record Plant recording studios. While there he worked with artists Jimi Hendrix, John McLaughlin and Herbie Hancock.

Several years later he, along with the great Johnny, Joey and Dee Dee Ramone, formed the rock group Ramones and participated in the birth of New Wave, Punk Rock, and Alternative music. As manager, producer and drummer for the band, Tommy Ramone helped create the sound, style and ideology for what was to become modern rock.

As an independent record producer Ramone has worked on recordings that include the single, Love Goes to A Building On Fire by TALKING HEADS, and the albums, Neurotica by REDD KROSS, Too Tough To Die by the RAMONES, and Tim by THE REPLACEMENTS, the later voted one of the best albums of the year by the writers of Rolling Stone, Record, The Village Voice, and The LA Times.

Presently Tommy Ramone has an indie acoustic duo with partner Claudia Tienan called UNCLE MONK, in which he sings and plays mandolin and banjo. They are currently recording their second album. He is also working as a solo performer.

Show Details:

Les Productions Dungeon Works et Piranha Bar présentent:

https://www.facebook.com/events/516050498445986/ 

ACOUSTIC ANARCHY:

GLEN MATLOCK (Sex Pistols)
http://offthemenuentertainment.com/wordpress/?p=1261

TOMMY RAMONE (Ramones)
http://offthemenuentertainment.com/wordpress/?p=1803

HOBO OUTLAWS
www.facebook.com/pages/Hobo-Outlaws/126300597410834

THE HEROIN HAYRIDE
http://www.facebook.com/TheHeroinHayride?ref=ts&fref=ts


March 28th, 2013
le 28 mars, 2013
8:30PM / 20H30
@ Piranha Bar - 680 Ste-Catherine Ouest
18+

15$ - 20$ portes

billets disponibles:
tickets available at:

http://www.admission.com/event/glen-matlock--tommy-ramone-billets/708107

Rockie Fresh, is an American hip hop artist born in Chicago, Illinois signed to Maybach Music Group. He is known for his alternative rock influenced style of hip-hop, and his associations with recording artists Rick Ross, Patrick Stump of Fall Out Boy, and Joel & Benji Madden of Good Charlotte.

In 2009, Rockie began recording his debut mixtape Rockie's Modern Life in a small recording studio Chicago, IL. During the recording process, he met Andrew Koenig and Andrew Gertler, who became his managers and started APG Music Group, LLC. They released Rockie's Modern Life in December 2009, and followed it up with another mixtape, The Otherside in December 2010.

The success of the projects earned Rockie performances with Rick Ross, Twista, Big Sean, and at Bamboozle Festival, where he met Josh Madden, who would later introduce Rockie to his brothers Joel & Benji Madden of Good Charlotte. Rockie's music also grabbed the attention of Fall Out Boy lead-singer Patrick Stump, whom Rockie has cited as a major influence and has since toured with.

Since the release of The Otherside Rockie has been named one of Metromix's "25 Hottest Artists Under 25" and his music has been featured on The CW's nationally syndicated television show Nikita. He was also featured on Good Charlotte's project The Madden Brothers: Before The Fame according to Rolling Stone and Billboard magazines. In 2012, he released his mixtape Driving 88, which led to his signing with Maybach Music Group on July 12.

On January 21, 2013, he released his fifth mixtape 'Electric Highway', his first imprint under Maybach Music.

LIVE LINE UP - L-R - Andrew Fullerton - Guitar | Tom Emmans - Vocals | Joe Mullen - Drums | Jake Fortney - Bass |  Bo Luther - Guitar (photo credit - Lana Nimmons - feinics.com)

Ontario melodic death metallers ODIUM are kicking off 2013 with multiple show dates in the province of Quebec along with a performance at this year's Drummondville Metal Fest V with the provinces top metal talents Cryptopsy (Montreal), Ghoulunatics (Montreal), Bookakee (Montreal), Chariots of The Gods (Gatineau), 101 Proof (Montreal), Trollheims (Trois-Rivieres), L'Habit Me Suce Le Moine (Drummondville).

In additional news, ODIUM are offering their latest track 'Blue Channel' for FREE DOWNLOAD exclusively on SMNNews.com at the following location here. The emotionally charged and ripping tune is from the band's latest album 'Burning The Bridges To Nowhere'.

Music video - 'No Way Out' directed by Chad Archibald of Black Fawn Films (HED p.e., Kottonmouth Kings, Arise and Ruin, Farewell to Freeway).

Show dates

Jan 24, 2013 - Piranha Bar - Montreal, QC - w/ Fallstaf, Branded By Pain, Endvade - Show Details

Jan 25, 2013 - Bar Le Scanner - Quebec City, QC w/ Mountains Unfold

Feb 8, 2013 - Bar Le Magog - Sherbrooke, QC

Feb 9, 2013 - Drummondville Metalfest V @ Salle Gaston Mandeville - Drummondville, QC - w/ Cryptopsy, Ghoulunatics, Bookakee, Chariots of The Gods, 101 Proof, Trollheims, L'Habit Me Suce Le Moine - Show Details

Feb 10, 2013 - The Atria - Oshawa, ON - w/ Fallen Legion, Dead 3 Days - Show Details

Founded in 2006 by drummer Joe Mullen and vocalist Tom Emmans, ODIUM was born in order to create a focused project centered on the themes of growth and attrition. After being joined by bassist Dale Burrows and guitarists Bo Louther and Andrew Fullerton, it was clear the band was quickly becoming a cohesive group of musicians that had found their strengths in each other's abilities to contribute to the writing process.

Most convincing is ODIUM's arsenal of musical weapons that contribute to their overall sound, which was properly harnessed by Canadian producer Greg Dawson (The End, Moneen, Choke) on both of ODIUM's metal opus' underlining the quintet's penchant for writing metal songs that are as heartfelt as they are heavy with ODIUM's emotional hybrid of epic crescendos and fiery heaviness.

Over the years, ODIUM has opened for such well known bands as Alexisonfire, The Agonist, Beneath the Massacre, Divinity, Moneen, Fuck the Facts, Fairwell to Freeway and Arise and Ruin.

'Burning The Bridges To Nowhere' - Album Stream - http://soundcloud.com/odium_music/sets/burning-the-bridges-to/

Free Downloads 

Insomnia - http://yearofthesun.bandcamp.com/track/odium-insomnia 

Identity of The Doomed - http://yearofthesun.bandcamp.com/track/odium-identity-of-the-doomed

Burning The Bridges To Nowhere' - Album Stream - http://soundcloud.com/odium_music/sets/burning-the-bridges-to/

Free Downloads 

Insomnia - http://yearofthesun.bandcamp.com/track/odium-insomnia 

Identity of The Doomed - http://yearofthesun.bandcamp.com/track/odium-identity-of-the-doomed 

Music Videos

'At The Bottom' - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ad09pJ8vT84

'Populations Zero' - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=78W6j1rZp8s 

- 30 - 

Odium - Burning The Bridges To Nowhere - 2012 (Year of The Sun Records)

Release Date: April 24, 2012

Label: Year of The Sun Records

Distribution: FAB 

Facebook | Twitter | Reverbnation | Youtube | Myspace | Soundcloud | Bandcamp | iTunes |Year of The Sun Records

R.I.Y.L. = Killswitch Engage, Soilwork, Tool, In Flames, Lamb of God, Fiver Finger Death Punch

"It is clear that Odium knows how to be heavy and they utilize it exactly where it is most needed...This album is perfect for those who want to take a step back from the unrelenting aggression of many metal bands out there and appreciate that beauty and anger can harmonize." - TheNewReview.net

"Standouts like the album's opening title track pit detuned, jud-judding six-strings and double-kick drum rhythms with singer Thomas Emmans's varied vocal styles, which run from Maynard James Keenan-styled creep-crooning to esophagus-annihilating screams." - Exclaim!

"Melodic and brutal, the music of Odium's sophomore album is nothing less than one of the most technically precise Metal albums it has been my pleasure to listen to....The songs of 'Burning the Bridges' are spectacular; a mix of brutality and poetry; songs like "Blue Channel" and "Viral by Nature" are among my favorites, on a disc loaded with powerful standout material. Like Metal? Get this. Odium: Burning the Bridges to Nowhere - 9/10″ - Confront Magazine

"Odium posses very distinctive and strong melodic leanings, catchy riffing and undeniable prowess on the performing front - especially with the clean/growl vocal trade-off and the tight rhythm section....cuts like the thrashy "Viral By Nature", "Within the Distraction" and the title track, perfectly blend with the more expansive sound of "No Way Out" and the melancholic quasi-ballad "The Descent" among others to deliver a decently solid piece of modern Metal. " - PureGrainAudio.com

"They forge fast and pulsating melodic metal in the vein of In Flames, with biting verses akin to Lamb of God. Vocalist Tom Emmans rips through the tracks, delivering highs, lows and clean singing for the choruses...What sets them apart from other metal bands is their song structure, having uniquely arranged melodies that correspond with stadium and arena-like choruses. Imagine Tool ditching their progressive style and forming a supergroup with Unearth." - The Link (Concordia University students newspaper - Montreal)

"Plying a familiar form of modern metal that will appeal to fans of Killswitch Engage, All That Remains..." - TeethofTheDivine.com

"Burning the Bridges to Nowhere" has a constant flow and keeps the energy high and octane filled..." - XplosiveMetal.com

"Fans of Killswitch Engage or All That Remains will enjoy Odium's second offering...There is a lot to enjoy here, admirers of thrash metal will appreciate the chugging guitar riffs and Slipknot devotees will enjoy the heavy drum patterns. A softer side also develops through the album with 'Blue Channel' and 'The Descent'. Together with some orchestral moments they provide a welcome listening break within the record. The more sombre moments of "Burning Bridges To Nowhere" point towards Tool in many ways, including a dazzling vocal segway in "Claw My Eyes Out"." - ThisIsNotAScene.com

"You are getting your money's worth with this album. Anyone even remotely interested in melodic metal will quickly fall in love with Odium. Odium has taken a genre that is so often devoid of beauty and filled it to the brim with melody and substance without compromising their metal roots. " - TheNew Review.net (review for debut album At the Bottom)

"...At The Bottom is quite an impressive debut.." - Blistering.com (review for debut album At the Bottom)

1. Burning The Bridges To Nowhere 05:10
2. Within The Distraction 05:18
3. Blue Channel 03:35
4. Viral By Nature 03:57
5. Insomnia 05:24
6. A Ghost Upstairs 03:16
7. Claw My Eyes Out 05:03
8. Identity Of The Doomed 04:52
9. No Way Out 04:19
10. The Descent 04:27

Discography

2009 - At The Bottom

The Korean wave, also known as hallyu, may not have been a relevant phenomenon two years ago, but recently has been getting more attention in North America. Now even those who shun both pop music and Korean culture would have heard, seen, giggled at, or/and puzzled by Psy's outrageously catchy "Gangngam Style". Some even claim that Psy's (arguably incidental) exposure to international audiences on YouTube demonstrates that K-pop has finally achieved its hard-earned break into the North American music market. Others, like blogger and journalist Esther Oh, rebut with outright skepticism (Oh). But whether you anticipate it or are tormented by the possibility of a K-pop apocalypse, the genre, or rather, phenomena has made an impact on at least some North American audiences --a ripple effect, however small, that stirred an interest in me and other North American bloggers to explore, question and speculate.

Considering its history, K-pop strives to come to full circle and be embraced by the culture from which it originated. The very beginning of K-pop sprang from the introduction of Western culture and music in Korea. In its essence K-pop is a Korean adaptation of Western music, sung in Korean language and performed by Korean born artists. But since the early 90s, when Western music blended into the Korean music industry, a lot of purely Korean elements have been added to the mix, creating a brand new product. Yes, it still relies heavily on Western trends for musical inspiration, but the music videos and idols themselves (as well as their respective producers) are responsible for its unique message and image. Now K-Pop has grown to encompass almost all genres of Korean music: Trot, Pop, Indie, Hip-Hop, R&B, Rock, and others.

Soon enough its popularity extended to other parts of Asia: China, Japan, and much of Southeast Asia, especially Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, and Vietnam ("K-Pop History"). It has become particularly popular in Japan, so much so that many are worried that J-Pop is becoming obsolete. In fact, a lot of K-Pop idols learn Japanese in order to release Japanese versions of their songs, albums and even videos -and these are entirely different from their original Korean versions, not mere translations.

In the U.S and Canada some artists are also gainging popularity. Artists such as Taeyang, Rain, 2NE1 have enjoyed some commercial success in North America. Other artists routinely tour in North America, Australia and the UK, selling out large venues in the U.S, with the support of their English speaking fans. In 2009, The Wonder Girls were among the first to have a single in a North American music chart, only to be later surpassed by Psy's "Gangam Style" which topped the charts both in the UK and North America (completely unheard of for a Korean artist).

Psy's now infamous "Gangnam Style" music video.

The Legend of Psy

Unlike other K-pop videos that tend to have a trivial subject matter, Psy's video is a political satire about one of Seoul's well-off neighbourhoods. Some aspects of the video of "Gangnam Style" bring to light the gap between the rich and the poor in South Korea, which both "mocks and celebrates it" (as a New York Times article suggests (Lee)). Wait, the New York Times? Yes, Psy's ridiculous video was taken seriously enough to warrant an article in one of US's top newspapers. Even celebrities like Ellen DeGeneres and American pop star Britney Spears were wildly entrained by Psy's MV. Spears tweeted that she would like to learn the dance, and Ellen invited her (along with Psy) to her show so they can dance the "invisible pony dance" in unison ("Surprise! Britney Learns 'Gangnam Style' from Psy!"). No one can deny that K-pop is making waves on the back of Psy's unexpected success, and now most reputable news sites around the world have covered the video.

But despite being a genuinely silly song, Psy's "Gangnam Style" is often at the core of heavy social and political debate. The key issues discussed often are: the prospect of a political conspiracy as the driving force behind this million dollar industry, the repercussions of K-pop's marketing of unattainable perfection on its audience, and its market appeal and capacity for North-American crossover. How can the trivial popularity of boy and girl bands affect the great and ever-so-complicated scope of Korean politics? A video podcast ("K-pop Diplomacy"), lately compiled by The Stream has produced a variety of opinions on the subject. In it the hosts and several other experts explore the possible political intentions behind the K-Pop industry. It includes Simon and Martina (Eat Your Kimchi), blogger Esther Oh, and others, as they debate the viral sensation that Psy's "Gangnam Style" has become, and what it could possibly mean both for Korea and North America.

Simon and Martina from "Eat Your Kimchi"  reviewing Psy's "Gangnam Style" in their segment "Music Mondays".

Cross-Over via YouTube

Some of the featured experts seem to suggest that the South Korean government, taking an interest in this flourishing industry, are more inclined to invest in it for its potential visibility overseas ("K-pop Diplomacy"). For what purposes and how, is still only speculated, since K-pop had only recently began its steady climb up international music charts. Psy's MV has already garnered more than 300 million views since its release, and has become the first Korean song generate such wide publicity and interest overseas. The hit song has also reached the top of the music charts in the UK (Park) and is currently on second place on US Billboard's Hot 100 parade chart (Ahad), conquering two English speaking nations simultaneously.

YouTube is probably the main culprit for this sudden surge of interest. The reason terms like viral are often attributed to videos in general is because they are widely available to anyone with internet access, and so have the ability to capture the attention of international audiences. K-pop bands and idols, as well as production companies, usually have a well-maintained website and their own official YouTube channel where they post new released videos of their idols. I would even argue that they do this more readily without as many grueling copyright infringement policies.

Many North American music videos tend to be removed from YouTube shortly after someone has managed to post them (whether ignorantly or intentionally), whereas Korean production companies seem to hone in on the motto: "no publicity is bad publicity". K-pop MVs seem to be almost readily available on YouTube as soon as they are available anywhere else (in fact previews and sneak peeks as well as behind the scenes are often included to produce more anticipation for the fans). However this is not to say that companies don't exercise stern regulation either. Some videos which are banned in S. Korea disappear virtually overnight (though mostly released in curious countries like Japan as DVDs).

Is Psy Just a Fluke?

Blogger and writer Esther Oh, who is originally from Chicago but now lives and works in South Korea, has pointed out that "the media's coverage of hallyu and K-Pop feel-gooderies is ridiculously one-sided" (Oh). In one post she chronicles K-pop stars like Se7en and BoA whose initial success in the United States failed miserably. She also makes the distinction between hallyu (pure, unadulterated K-pop, produced and sung by Koreans, in Korean) and Korean idols or American-Koreans producing English albums and collaborating with a majority of American producers and Artists.

Oh reflects the stance of many critics, but I would argue the Psy does not fall into any of these categories. None of the aforementioned artists experienced such rapid and insatiable Western reception as Psy did; the enthusiasm to Psy's MV is unparalleled. Moreover, Psy never attempted to break into the North American market; it just happened. His song is about Korea, in Korean, produced mostly by him and includes nothing but Korean scenery and actors. The discourse is foreign to the American public, yet somehow has managed to reap great appeal. This is due to the universal nature of humour. Comedy rarely has boundaries, and it is because of Psy's endearingly comedic video that it was able to make an impression on any (and every audience). So, the content of the video hardly mattered.

However, I would agree with miss Oh about certain distinctions between different K-pop artists. In the mostly unnoticed grey areas of K-pop that are some that fit better than others. Meaning, Psy's music on the whole cannot be classified as K-pop along with boy bands and teen idols (like Teen Top, B2ST and Super Junior) for the simple reason that Psy is not an idol. He is a regular-looking guy, in a suit who raps surrounded with pretty girls and some ridiculous characters, accompanied by an infectious chorus and dance moves. His music can be more closely regarded as K-indie music, because on a whole his music is not nearly as widespread in Korea as that of many K-pop idols (who enjoy practically fanatic popularity).

Another inherent issue is that Psy as an artist fits better in the North American culture because his videos omit a huge chunk of K-idol elements, such as gender-bending clothing and makeup on male idols. The second issue that Oh brings up cannot be addressed at the moment. Will Psy's popularity wane like it did for the others? Or will the North American public will be more receptive and anticipating of more videos and music from this up-and-coming artist? That puts a lot of pressure on Psy, and remains to be undetermined.

What Would Governmental Involvement Mean?

Speaking of pressure: K-pop is a 4 billion dollar industry, coupled with Korean TV and cinema. It has been developed by 80% since 2007, and since then the Korean government has become interested in the industry for its potential visibility in the political international arena ("K-pop Diplomacy"). If Psy is the sole beacon of hope for the South Korean government he might lose the creative freedom he currently has in the production of his own music. The Korean government, after all, has the final say even in matters of music. In fact, if a K-pop video is reviewed and deemed offensive to the sensibilities of the "public of Korea" it will be banned from Korean radio and television (as has happened with previous music videos by hip-hop artists GD and Top, and R&P/ Pop singer Xiah Junsus' [see, "Intoxication"]).

Xiah Junsu's "Intoxication" proved too sexy for Korean audiences. Now the video is difficult to find even online. 

To some it seems ridiculous that K-pop can be used as a political tool by the Korean government. K-pop, bubbly and innocent is just that. But if we consider it from a strategically political point of view, what would a North American crossover possibly mean for Korea?

There are some economic factors that cannot be ignored. More visibility, that is from having Korean pop music videos more readily available in North America, would produce a massive economic avalanche. Korean fashion and cosmetics industries (which are usually endorsed by idols) would get a huge economic boost when North Americans audience decide, that they want a dress just like Hyuna's from one of her videos. Needless to say, CDs, posters and idol-merchandise would stream into North American countries, given that popular demand requires it; if this would occur it might open an entire new industry of export and import relation in North America, that I don't believe in currently very developed. This could mean a huge boost to Korean economics if North Americans (and thereafter other countries that consume American culture) would take an interest in Korean music.

A video podcast discussing Psy's "Gangnam Style", K-Pop and the concept of Soft Power. What could this mean for S. Korean government to have a prosperous music industry overseas?

 Not All Is Picture Perfect

Issues of Cross-Over:

But critics are [also] leery of an industry that markets perfection that will undoubtedly influence the Korean masses ("K-pop Diplomacy"). Though the well-groomed exterior of glamour is deceptive; Korean idols' true life reflects Korean's societal values: that of hard work and servitude to the common good. K-pop doesn't reflect Korean society as a whole, and its consumers should have that in mind. Korean culture has very different values when it comes to beauty, youth, femininity and masculinity. While it is important to note that K-pop does not accurately reflect these, it does have the possibility to produce negative body image in the youth that is globally exposed to K-pop. I also suspect that images of beauty are needlessly Westernized. There's a broken telephone effect between Asian and Western values regarding beauty; Asian girls cannot and should not resemble Caucasian women and vice versa, yet these truths seem lost in translation. Asian girls want to look white, some white girls want to have the petite figures of Asian girls -it is a vicious cycle, and a broken mirror.

Many critics are concerned with K-pop's overwhelming influence on young audiences and how it expands to Korean society and its values. Striving for perfection has always been an intrinsic value of Korean culture, as Koreans pride themselves in being hardworking and task-oriented. However with K-pop in the picture (excuse the pun) images of unattainable, artificial beauty are constantly imbued into the impressionable sub-consciousness of Korean youth (and soon, possibly even North American youth). Incidentally, S. Korea tops the charts as the country with the highest rates of plastic surgery in the entire world. Though the procedure is common, simple and regarded as very safe, the prevalence of the dual-lid eye surgery, for example, sends a message to Koreans that their naturally given eyes are not good enough.

Other physical augmentations that idols are often encouraged to undertake by their producers include nose surgery (to make their nose-bridge thinner) and many others that seem to cater to notions that having Caucasian features is more attractive. Images of unhealthy thinness (Korean idols boast to having BMIs as low as 18), social status, face shape, body shape and sexuality are also heavily debated considering K-pop's fanatically dedicated audience is composed of adolescents.

A duo between the girl band A Pink and boy band B2ST. The chorus goes, "skinny baby hot hot", and so on.

Sexuality or Androgyny?

Those that are not engrossed in the hallyu culture either don't understand or are flat-out repelled by the notions of K-pop. Since K-Pop displays very different images of beauty, femininity and masculinity, our society, which has more concrete standards regarding the division of gender and sexuality, might be initially puzzled. However, with recent acceptance and even embrace of androgyny in American fashion, this is beginning to change (hopefully). It is also important to note that K-Pop does not fully and concretely reflect the ideals of Korean society as a whole. An example of such response can be seen in a video compiled by a Christian YouTube channel AprilandWayneShow ("K-Pop promotes homosexuality, bisexuality, sexual perversion and cross dressing!"). The video's is title: summarises the core premise of the video. Though it mainly reflects an extreme Christian point of view, it has touched on some issues that North American viewers might have with K-Pop videos. These tend to include idols who are made up to look androgynous or effeminate, their hair dyed and their faces heavily made-up. Some include dance moves that can be construed as sexual, and others showcase instances of homoerotic interaction between same-sex band members.

An anti-Kpop video posted on YouTube.

However, K-Pop idols' appearance and public image is skewed to produce a specific affect (the love of a particular group of fans); thus, his appearance and behaviour doesn't necessarily reflect his true personality. Also, similarly to how North American MVs don't speak about Canada or America as a whole (nor do we dress and act like celebrities do in their videos and on stage), we cannot rely on such images to establish any valid opinion about Korean society.

The Bottom Line:

It is possible that Psy' "Gangnam Style" has paved the way for other K-Pop idols to make an impact on the North American music market. But the road to stardom won't be easy. Prejudice and homophobia could very well prevent this foreign culture from assimilating into our own. 

Worst of all, if K-Pop does manage to please out finicky tastes, the repercussions could prove to be scary; this kind of unrealistic perfection that K-Pop propagates can affect our already confidence-ailing nation. But what if Psy has succeeded where many others have failed before? (So far, he has!) If K-Pop does spread like wildfire it would do wonders for South Korea's economy. With the help of YouTube and North American blogs like EatYourKimchi, a K-Pop apocalypse is possible. The prospect sounds scary. But the underlying truth is we would already be consuming something we have loved for decades: Western pop music, just packaged differently. I think this kind of change could be refreshing for the American music industry.

Resources:

Ahad, Abdul. "'Gangnam Style' stuck in second on US pop chart". Entertainment. Business Recorder. 4 Oct. 2012. Web. 10 Oct. 2012.

"K-pop diplomacy." YouTube.  The Stream: AlJazeeraEnglish. 3 Sep. 2012. Web. 23 Sept. 2012.

"K-Pop History." Kpop Online News. Web. 11 Sept. 2012.

"K-Pop promotes homosexuality, bisexuality, sexual perversion and cross dressing!" YouTube. AprilandWayneShow. 22 March 2012. Web. Sept. 18, 2012.

Lee, Su Hyun. "Viral Video Gets Propaganda Treatment." Asia Pacific. New York Times Online. 20 Sept. 2012.

Oh, Sandra. "K-Pop taking over the world? Don't make me laugh." Tell Me About It. CNNGo. 16 May 2011. Web. 13 Sept. 2012.

Park, Madison. "'Gangnam Style' dominates UK charts." World. CNN. 2 Oct. 2012. Web. 10 Oct. 2012.

Simon and Martina. Eat Your Kimchi, 2008-2012. Web. 9 Sept. 2012.

 "Surprise! Britney Learns 'Gangnam Style' from Psy!" YouTube. TheEllenShow, 10 Sept. 2012. Web. 10 Sept. 2012.

Let me be the first to stand amidst a dusty street, while the townsfolk take shelter behind bartered doors, and cry: "The Asians are coming! The Asians are coming!"

Well, the "South Koreans K-pop idols are coming" more specifically but it's unlikely that these perfectly primped and made-up visitors, clad in colourful clothes and dangerously high-heeled shoes, would arouse such an unwelcoming response in their North American hosts. They are far too pretty for us to suspect of them having any ulterior political motives.

A decade ago K-pop would have been a completely foreign concept, but recently K-pop has been getting more attention in North America. Now it's very possible to meet another non-Korean Canadian with a keen interest in K-pop, whereas before attending a mostly Asian populated concert would put you in a white minority.  Now even those who have no knowledge of K-pop or any other Asian culture would have been probably blasted with Psy's in-your-face music video for "Gangnam Style". The video's humour and playfulness have done the impossible: a foreign music video with a foreign theme, performed in a foerign lagnuage has proved to be universal.

I guess, humour transgresses all barriers!

Yes, the Asian Invasion of North American culture, or as it is commonly referred to by knowing K-pop lovers: hallyu. I too have fallen victim to the allures of these gloriously exotic cultures, surrounded myself with the cinema (specifically East and South Eastern horror), pop culture (manga, anime) and food (give me green curry, give me sushi and I will ask pho more), as well as annoyed others when attempting to rehearse words and dialects I picked up from friends and movies.

It started innocently when I frequented a few Korean restaurants. Next thing I know, I'm putting aside my snobbish affinities for music to explore a genre that my friends have been turning their noses from since they've started carving metal bands onto their notebooks: Pop -unbridled, saccharine and unapologetic in its frivolousness. The silly, repetitive lyrics, the catchy tunes that seep into your brain but very soon expire from your palette altogether (these are all compliments, mind you) provided a needed escape for anyone living in a society of high stress and low attention span.

In light of this new musical development on the K-Pop front,  I decided to enlighten the rest of the phenomenon (how kind of me!). So this blog will chronicle and discuss themes and issues relating to K-pop: the prospect of a political conspiracy as the driving force behind this million dollar industry; the repercussions of K-pop's marketing of unattainable perfection on its audience; speculations on its appeal and the possibility of a North-American crossover; its origins and key players in the industry, and other miscellaneous things.

As my blog expands it will come to include a better variety of sources and arguments, but in the meantime, this page will serve as a primer for concepts and issues related to the wondrous phenomenon that is K-pop.

Origins

Strangely enough the introduction of Western genres of music such as Pop, Hip-Hop, R&B and Rock was the thing that propelled the birth of K-pop. Essentially, K-pop is a Korean adaptation of Western music, sung in Korean language by Korean artists. But since the early 90s, when Western music blended into the Korean music industry, a lot of purely Korean elements have been added to the mix, creating a brand new product. Yes, it still relies heavily on Western trends for musical inspiration, but the music videos and the idols themselves (as well as their producers) are responsible for their unique message and image.

K-Pop has grown to encompass almost all genres of Korean music, be it Indie, Rock, Trot (which is a genre of music that has been around for longer than K-pop, and is usually widely popular among older Koreans, but is not considered traditional Korean music), R&B, and even Hip-Hop. K-pop has simply developed to mean "Korean Music". This could be due to the poppy, bubbly quality of Korean music and videos in general. They are typified by an affinity for colour, outrageous wardrobes, hairstyle of any shape and colour, and themes and fashions which are cartoon-like in nature. K-pop, overall, tends to reflect playfulness, innocence and fun.

K-pop is also incredibly popular in other parts of Asia. For example, in China, Japan, and much of Southeast Asia, especially Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, and Vietnam. It is particularly popular in Japan, so much so that many are worried that J-Pop and J-Rock are becoming obsolete due to K-pop's popularity. Actually a lot of idols learn Japanese and release Japanese versions of their songs, albums and even videos (these are entirely different from their original, Korean versions, not merely translated).

Key Players

When it comes to K-pop, entertainment/ production companies are almost more important than the idols themselves. These agencies train and sculpt young idols and are almost fully responsible for their public image, their relationship with fans, their videos, music and essentially their everyday lives.

The ones that have been consistently producing successful idols and girl/ boy bands are SM Entertainment (South Korea's largest entertainment agency), DSP Entertainment, JYP Entertainment, and YG Entertainment.

Bands and idols that enjoy both Korean and (some) North American popularity are: TVXQ, Super Junior, Girl Generation, 2NE1, Rain, Big Bang (also, G-Dragon and TOP who now have a separate solo career as Hip-Hop artists), B2ST, Xiah Junsu, U-Kiss, F.T. Island, BoA, JYP, UV, Nu'est, T-ara, ZE:A, Hyuna, Psy, Tiny-G, Teen Top, and many others.

K-pop boy band TVXQ has been around for quite a while, but their popularity hasn't waned. 

North American Cross-Over

Ours being a visual culture, the spread of K-pop music has arguably occurred through visual media such as cross-cultural exposure to Korean cinema and television, and most prominently the internet. Film still-shots and idol (singers/ actors) photos and biographies are widely available on the internet. A simple Google search would produce numerous pictures of K-pop idols and bands, and direct you to numerous forums dedicated to singing the praises of that particular idol/ band. Undeniably, beauty has appeal that extends beyond our culture, and is more influential on a multifaceted and culturally encompassing society such as Canada and the U.S., so pictures alone can pique interest in an especially scrumptious K-pop idol.

North American bloggers who are interested in Korean music and culture are also a driving force behind this phenomena. Some discuss the music and review the videos, generating huge debate in forums about favourite stars and starlets. Others review and introduce Korean skincare and fashion to those who live overseas through makeup tutorials and makeup reviews. Eat You Kimchi is one such website that has transformed from a small at-home blog to a powerhouse of information regarding the latest and freshest K-pop news and music releases. Currently they hold a much subscribed to YouTube channel that traffics massive views per day for each one of their witty and clever segments, like "K-Pop Music Mondays" and "K-Crunch Indie".

YouTube is probably the main culprit behind this new and exciting interest in Korean music videos (MVs). The reason terms like viral are often attributed to K-pop videos, or any videos in general, is because videos which are so widely and freely available to anyone with internet access, have the ability to capture the immediate attention of international audiences. K-pop bands and idols, as well as production companies, usually have a well-maintained website and their own official YouTube channel where they post newly released MVs , interviews, sneak-peeks, and behind-the-scenes.

Artists such as Taeyang, Rain, 2NE1 have enjoyed some commercial success in Canada and the U.S. Wonder Girls, in 2009, were among the first to have a single in a North American music chart, only to be surpassed by Psy's "Gangam Style" which topped the charts both in the UK and North America (completely unheard of for a Korean artist). Other artists routinely tour in North America, Australia and the UK, selling out large venues in the U.S, with the support of their North American fans.

K-pop girl band Girl Generation dressed in funky sailor outfits.

The Appeal

Some either don't understand or are flat-out repelled by the notion of K-pop, while others, open-mindedly and curiously ask: What's the appeal? In a society of bigger, better, faster, K-pop music videos are able, for once, capture our attentions, even though we've already seen it all, heard it all and are on the cusp of mild boredom. First, K-pop videos rely heavily on Western themes that a North American would be familiar with. K-pop music, not considering the language, already sounds very similar to current North American pop music as it involves R&B sound, Western Hip-Hop styles, and electronic beats. In fact, most K-pop songs have English titles and choruses which recycle themes of Western pop. Words like "boy", "love", "baby" are used just as often as they are in any North American hit.

K-pop music videos also tend to amplify colours, costumes, makeup, and dances that are an integral part of North American music videos. Even though most of their videos are formulaic in that their components usually include a dance routine, a set and wardrobe that adhere to a specific theme, and the occasional sob-story, dramatic plot. Nevertheless, these videos have very vivid (almost lurid) colours, strange and cute sets, clothes and makeup that blur the lines between masculinity and femininity, and sometimes very unusual (at least to North American audiences) themes.

The product of combining all these elements usually produces either a poignant, heart-wrenching mini-movie, or a surrealist, cartoon-like acid-trip. I guess the appeal is that K-pop is familiar yet strange enough for American audiences to find it intriguing.

Example of the acid-trip variety, which hip-hop artist G-Dragon is famed for (though he occasionally does the deeper, more meaningful MVs to accompany his ballads):

Soft Power

The concept is used to describe K-pop from a political point of view. How can the trivial popularity of boy and girl bands affect the great and ever-so-complicated scope of Korean politics? A video podcast lately compiled by The Stream has produced a variety of opinions. Some seem to suggest that the South Korean government, taking a n interest in this flourishing industry, are more inclined to invest in it for its potential visibility overseas. For what purposes and how, is still only speculated, since K-pop had only recently began its steady climb international charts.

Body Image

Many critics are concerned with K-pop's overwhelming influence on young audiences and how it expands to Korean society and its values. The strive for perfection has always been an intrinsic value of Korean culture, as Koreans pride themselves in being hardworking and task-oriented. However with K-pop in the picture (excuse the pun) images of unattainable, artificial beauty are constantly imbued into the impressionable sub-consciousness of Korean youth (and soon, possibly even North American youth). Incidentally, South Korea tops the charts as the country with the highest rates of plastic surgery in the entire world. Though the procedure is common, simple and regarded as very safe, the prevalence of the dual-lid eye surgery, for example, sends a message to Koreans that their naturally given eyes are not good enough. Other physical augmentations that idols are often encouraged to undertake by their P/Rs include a nose surgery, to make their nose-bridge thinner, and many others that seem to cater to notions that having Caucasian features is more attractive. Images of unhealthy thinness (Korean idols boast to having BMIs as low as 18), social status, face shape, body shape and sexuality are also heavily debated considering K-pop's fanatically dedicated audience is composed of adolescents.

Circular eye-lenses that change the colour and enlarge the diameter of one's eyes, as well as fake-lashes are basic necessaities in the makeup repertoire of most K-pop idols.

*Sources used to write this backgrounder can be found in my "Annoateted Bibliography" post: here.

Check out the latest and biggest rock concerts in Montreal.

Rock concert.JPG (Photo credit: Udy)

Hidden away beneath the shadow of its commercial, highly visible cousin, the world of underground dubstep is set to deliver an excellent year of releases. The third Deleted Scenes single from originators Distance and Pinch has finally dropped after three years of waiting, Goth-Trad's New Epoch LP is just weeks away and there are many rumored upcoming LPs from seminal artists such as Quest and V.I.V.E.K. I can think of no better way to herald what has the potential to be a monumental year than a brand new, totally unexpected, DMZ release. For their 22nd release, DMZ has chosen to put out a pair of Digital Mystikz (producers Mala and Coki) singles entitled "Marduk" and "Enter Dimensions."

The A side, Coki's "Marduk," comes as fairly typical fare. Over the years his releases have tended towards a restricted pallet of textures and moods, and this track is no different. Not that it isn't an excellent addition to anyone's library-it's sure to get dance floors going-but this is Coki, and if you know him, you know what to expect. The intro does an excellent job of building up a sense of tension and panic that gets released with the huge drop. The song shifts into his signature brand of heavy, choppy, sci-fi psychedelia that really digs into your brain, while the sound bed beneath that could fit right into the score of a horror film. Together, you end up with a truly demented sound.

To be perfectly honest, I've never really been the biggest fan of Coki, but seeing Mala at Igloofest this year and hearing him venture into the sonic realm that's synonymous with Coki productions on a loud system really opened me up to the possibilities there. It's aggressive, yes, and that can feel like it takes away from the deeper, meditative qualities that someone like Mala brings to the table, but when given enough space to breath, it becomes something else entirely. It takes on a heavily hypnotic quality that is equally capable of taking you into your own head as the best productions of his meditatively-inclined counterpart.

Speaking of, onto the B side. For me, Mala's "Enter Dimensions" is where this release really shines. It's little wonder that he's widely recognized as dubstep's most consistently strong and innovative producers. First off, the drop on this tune is huge; after a restrained opening, the bass just explodes out of the gate. I'm only listening to it in headphones and it's suffocating; I can only imagine the strength it hits with on a proper system. It comes in deep, rolls hard, and barely ever lets up throughout the whole song. There are moments where it'll cut out for a split second, but then comes right back. The silence serves as little more than a reminder of just how heavy this track is. The rest of the song remains pretty minimal, like a throw back to the early dubstep productions that DMZ really pioneered; I particularly like the ancient sounding sample that I feel should be from a kung fu movie.

For those who don't know, don't take my description here as fanciful rhetoric. There's a very good reason that proper dubstep tracks are described as "deep" or "heavy": this is physical music, and when you're hit by the first blast of bass - I mean really hit with it - you feel it down to your core; you'd barely think the human body was made to withstand this kind of pressure.

For anyone who considers themselves a fan of the deeper, foundational sounds of dubstep, this is an absolute must have. DMZ retains their throne as the top dog of dubstep record labels, and as long as they keep putting out stuff like this, I can't see that changing.

Oh Montreal, hippest of all Canadian cities, bursting at the seams with culture, excitement, energy, and music; I'd like to ask a few simple questions. Why is it so difficult for a band to get a break in a place so well known for its impressive music scene? Why does no one really care to support the local act, the struggling artist? And furthermore, why isn't this great city a larger dot on the musical map of North America? My experience in a band has allowed me to see just how difficult it is to break out in a city like Montreal, and while these may seem like the incoherent rants of a frustrated musician, think of them merely as the concerns of a person who genuinely loves music and feels like the odds in this town are stacked particularly high against budding local talent. Here are some of the reasons why.

One obstacle any determined young band will have to face at some point is the headache of booking shows around town. Venues are plentiful in Montreal, but it isn't as simple as booking a gig, rocking it out in front of a full crowd and going home with 100 new fans. Most music venues in Montreal come at a cost (think anywhere between $500 and $1500 for a show, depending on the size of the place) and rely on the groups to promote themselves, (at least your friends and family will get to enjoy watching you play...right?). Want to play at a place with a regular circulation of people? Better know a few cover songs, because it's rare to be accepted into one of these popular bars as an original act. Competition to play at these places is also fierce and dominated by veteran groups, leaving almost no chance for a new group looking for exposure.

Reason 2: Audience

I'll be the first to admit, going to see an amateur band that you've never heard before isn't usually the most enticing way to spend an evening... or $12. Professional promoters know this very well and will do everything they can to attract inexperienced bands. Each group sells tickets, they play a big show, marathon style, in front of a decent number of people who are really uninterested in your music because only came to see their friend's band play. Another thing, what happened to all the money from ticket sales? Oh, that's right, it's in the promoters' pockets. This method of playing shows is not for those who intend to make any cash. You do the hard work selling tickets, you bring the crowd, your gear and your best tunes, and you walk away with... usually nothing more than a migraine from the 14 metal bands you just listened to.

Reason 3: Over-saturation

Those 14 metal bands are among thousands of amateur acts in Montreal looking for some spotlight. The problem, essentially, is that no one cares. An overabundance of bands in Montreal has not only created stiff competition for attention in the music scene, but also a sort of numbing effect on the fans. In a smaller town people might be interested in going to see a local rock band on a Saturday night. In Montreal, people would much rather got to the Casino or a strip club. Not only are there way too many bands floating around the city, the majority of them are beginners with no real experience... or talent. In my personal experience as a musician, I find that this creates a kind of stigma against new bands. Montrealers are definitely open to new music, and it is possible to stand out from the sea of amateur groups, but you need to get an audience's attention before you can impress them, and getting the chance to get out there and create a fan base is a true challenge.

For a city that embraces music and culture with such open arms it's really a shame how difficult it is for a band to make a name for itself here. Montreal is the proud hometown of such acts as the Arcade Fire, Sam Roberts and (depending on who you talk to) Simple Plan... But these are few in comparison to Cities like LA, Seattle and New York. Paying to play doesn't simply refer to money, it means being prepared to make sacrifices and to fight for recognition in a place where everyone is doing just that.

Check out a discussion about this topic on MontrealMusicScene.com

Here's one Montreal club owner and promoter's take on the underground music scene