The list of performers include various home-grown talents as well as groups who represent the diversity of the country’s culture such as PAMANA ng LuzViMinda, Cordillera, singers, and many more to be announced.

Get to know the Philippines from a different perspective! All are welcome to this event.
——————————————————————————————–
PROGRAM INCLUDES
*Poetry
*Dancing/Singing Performances
*Open Mic
*Food provided by Anakbayan
——————————————————————————————–
LOCATION
St. Kevin’s Church: IN THE HALL
——————————————————————————————–
ORGANIZED BY
Anakbayan (Filipino youth group in Montreal fighting for national democracy in the Philippines)
——————————————————————————————–
CONTACT INFO
Renz Grospe
ANAKBAYAN MTL
Public Education Coordinator
renz.grospe@mail.mcgill.ca
514-562-6425

Anakbayan Montreal

I can say that from personal experience, beer is definitely something that has helped me study and become more productive in the past. This is saying a lot, and I hope to don’t upset those in the coffee camp, as I am equal lover of this this brew as well.

Pick your poison, and go after things. Either are a great choice!

Full article here: https://medium.com/what-i-learned-today/f7fcb3b786b1

Photo sharing for the 3-day gathering of Hong Kong Tak Ming Alumni Association

香港德明校友會網址: http://www.tmaausa.org/class_groups/tmaa_hk.html

聚會行程: http://newschinatown.com/2009-03-06-04-01-59/2011-05-15-19-51-41/1809-20120307.html

“德明精神：寫在全球校友會開幕前夕……” 報導 http://newschinatown.com/2009-02-28-05-45-01/2009-07-27-04-22-10/1989-2012-07-20-12-44-22.html

Three Cities

By Whitney French

Reviewed By Jorge Antonio Vallejos

Have you heard the myth about writers starting to self publish because they’re not good enough to be published by publishing houses?  Well, Whitney French, budding poet, and hardworking literature advocate debunks the myth with her new collection Three Cities.

Part journal, part travel log, part rant, Three Cities takes you on a tour of French’s life.  What a tour it is.

Beam me up Whitney!

Split into three sections, the title is self-explanatory.  French writes about Bradford, Montreal, and Toronto, the three cities she has lived in.  The collection starts off with a funny book disclaimer reminiscent of the start to every Law and Order episode:

all cities in this work are fictitious.

any resemblance to a real city,

whether a thriving metropolis or a ghost town,

is purely coincidental.

unless of course you’re referring to

bradford ontario

montreal quebec

toronto ontario

in which case,

yeah, they’re real.

French’s first section, Bradford Beginings Endings lets the readers know this is not fluff.  There’s mention of the usual small town landscape: Tim Horton’s, BBQs, and beer.  But it’s followed by a reality that many don’t know: 

a woman on the bus saying coloured girl.

French shows how small town Canada has a long way to go via one sentence.  Are we in the American South?  No, but French does describe her home town as “a black girls nightmare” followed by a scene of “a fruit truck carrying mexican field workers home”.  If you didn’t know it was Bradford you’d have USA on your mind for sure.

black in bradford follows the first poem with deeper cuts into the life of French.  The poet describes being called “brownie”; white girls “afraid of the dark”; and a car pulling up and yelling the “N” word three times:

i’m not from the projects

but I’ve been in a drive-by

and the trigger of that word

made me run home scared for years.  

black in bradford, filled with quotes of French’s life could be made into a Shit People Say to Blacks in Bradford YOUTUBE video:

oh, I pictured you differently

why don’t you get your hair in dreadlocks

oh I think black men are so hot

On to Montreal where French’s confession poetry takes a different route: dating white men.  “You and me are nothing but chaos” opens tre.  Booze, parties, and sex are written about.  The poem is minimalist; there is a Bukowski element to it with its short lines, eroticism, and relationship troubles.  But there is no sexist with whiskey on their breath behind the pen in tre.  French writes of confusion and pain masked as love:

for a girl who’s last love

painted only in one shade,

your rainbow feels good to me.

French tells of now knowing it was a bad situation.  “Rage” thought to be love, darkness covered with sex, and the sad reality of domestic violence.  French courageously lets it all out, and drops the reader with a line harder than a Mike Tyson hook:

wait it out like rape

I stopped reading.

French ends with survival:

i sneak off

when you’re not looking

in search of someone else

less handsome

less fun

for someone with less issues.

Now to the T-Dot where French writes of Chinatown, the DVP, the famous heat-wave, and Spadina Road.  DVP ends with a beautiful line:

while the red sun saws

a cloud in half

making one, two

so you’re walking through chinatown is a tour on paper.  Through twelve stanzas French perfectly describes a part of town that is central to Toronto.  Dried fish, carts of fruit, bootleg DVDs, vendors yelling, and the smell of food everywhere makeup French’s vignette.  But there is more.  French weaves her own Jamaican heritage in: ackee and cerasse.  The poet writes for her own mixed ancestry and people calling her “china man pickney”.  Thoughts and memories flood French’s mind having her “walk out of Chinatown” and giving us this poem.

French’s new, self-published, collection is about more then three cities.  Race, relationships, colonization, ignorance, human hurt, survival, and the many good and bads of life grace the pages of Three Cities.  The young poet takes you on a journey, her own French Riviera, the life of a Black woman in transit betweet three Canadian cities:

from bradford to toronto

from toronto to montreal

from montreal to bradford

from bradford to montreal

from toronto to bradford

from montreal to toronto

and back again. 

Tune into Black Coffee Poet Wednesday February 6, 2012 for an inclusive interview with Whitney French.

I really like this photograph, taken by Shun Trieu.

In essence, truth is, there is a lot of Montreal hip-hop and the aspect of dropping video clips requires ambition on the part of the filmaker as well as the artist. Many shouts go out to the radiostations and DJs who give Montreal emcees the exposure they deserve and need while particular shouts go to Morburn Music for their endless efforts in supporting the city and of course, to Darcy who does much justice in every entry and article he puts in. Shouts go to Don Smooth and Nick Fury for their hard work as well as everyone down at CJLO, CKUT, CISM and so forth. Below are some clips that were noticed in 2011 by Montreal emcees, they are placed in NO particular order.

Magnum Ft.Skipper Dean – Live On (Bad News Brown Tribute) (Prod.Dirtwork)

This is a beautiful tribute to none other than Montreal’s own Bad News Brown who lives on in all of our hearts. I personally only had the honour of interacting with him once since moving to Montreal and M.A.G.N.U.M. does from the heart. I was so pleased to see a beautiful clip that gives Justice beyond words and Justin Agustin’s direction is solidly fitting. This track speaks to me on a personal level, of course everyone in Montreal knows one another through someone somewhere. My boy TuThree, who is also my brother in faith and neighbour has been working with Crook for a minute and had collectively produce unreleased tracks however, this track lyrically hit home on a very personal level vis-a-vis the loss of my 9-year-old cousin, a victim of violence who was shot and killed in a botched robbery attempt in Lahore, Pakistan. When M.A.G.N.U.M. delivered his verse thoughts rang through my mind and it saddens me to reflect on the loss of Matt Dutch Garner who passed away 9 months later. Rest in Peace to everyone we love, love begets love and let us move forward without any violence because too many gifted people have so much light and shine to give this world, may these lights never be extinguished. Amen.

A’shop “Notre-Dame-de-Grâce/ Our Lady of Grace” Mural

Ok, here’s how it goes down. Firstly, this is not a track with an emcee, this is straight Montreal beauty and art. This is NDG, this is Montreal, this is A’shop. The homies at A’shop hold it down and I want to give much love to them for what they do. I would also like to extend love to Bruno and Fluke for supporting what I do and for dropping the most awesome parties at Can You Rock which also enabled me to film my clip with COPE2. Moreover, this clip speaks for itself, I got it straight from FLUKE at 23 views, look how it’s gone viral. It’s a work of art that makes EVERYONE in Montreal PROUD. Not a single person can say anything wrong about this and we need more in our city, this puts our city in a state of visibility, we need more funding and sponsorship for the arts so that the gifted homies at A’shop can drop more dopeness. Regimental Oneton loved this piece, I loved this piece, Montreal loves this piece. This masterpiece took 16 days and nights to complete. What is it? Let me copy/paste the answer straight from the source, a Mother Nature-esque Madonna or a modern-day version of “Our Lady of Grace.” Inspired by Czech Art Nouveau painter Alphonse Mucha, the crew created this breathtakingly beautiful five story mural using 500 cans of spray paint in over 50 different colors. The A’shop crew hopes this project will encourage other city boroughs to consider murals of their own. “Our city has way too much gray. So I hope this [mural] kickstarts a mural campaign.” To really appreciate the time and effort that went into this massive mural, here is a video that was taken over the 16 day period. For The full story, check out the blog http://www.ashop.ca/news/2011/11/7/montreals-ashop-creates-massive-art-nouvea…
artwork: http://www.ashop.ca/
Video: http://belairproduction.com/
Sound: smile2810@hotmail.com http://soundcloud.com/smahh

I.Blast – The Real Deal (prod. by Theory)

I.Blast has heart. My former High School student actually came up to me and asked me if I could do a track with I.Blast. Truth be told, I taught in NDG when I first moved to Montreal and the young high school cats in NDG know and love I.Blast. They look up to him. To this day I never crossed .Blast in person however am always working with LogiX and in Montreal, it’s a small world. This clip is directed by none other than Montreal’s own Labnoise who has really dropped some solid clips over the past couple of years as well as covering Montreal hip-hop. I’ve noticed Labnoise’s work and really it just keeps having that consistency. I first crossed his work actually when crossing Full Course’s clip, since I was not living in Montreal and when coming to Montreal was on and off in the city. In Full Course’s clip I was taken aback by the frame of the spider, so do check that on out, i will not say anymore because you should check out everything by Full Course. ”The Real Deal” is a clip that I really liked from start to finish, if you havent seen it, seen it.

Once More We Survive – Annakin Slayd feat. Inspectah Deck

Annakin Slayd dropped a VERY heavy track and clip alongside the Rebel INS, Inspectah Deck of the Wu. When I first saw this I had to shake my head and re-read the track because I couldnt believe it, I had to pinch myself. I was stoked to hear it and watch and really see Deck deliver his verse. Of course, some will say that Annakin paid a crap load of money to have Deck on this and clip must have come with a budget. Truth be told, if an emcee is investing in his music then let it be done. The production on the joint is tight and the visuals on the clip are tight. One gets absorbed in right off the bat no doubt and the jump shots within the clip are juxtaposed properly. The colour correction is synched and the motion graphics are on point. Within this, it was beautiful to see the TA wall and the transition effects within the clip. The integration between Montreal and NYC is special in context of also seeing the cranes of the MUHC super hosptal being built while also having the backdrop of Manhattan behind Deck. Deck’s verse is flawless as usual and carries very nicely into the track’s hook. Untimely Ripped Productions did a great job on this one alongside the direction of both Mitch Album and Annakin Slayd himself.

Woodman – Oxygen

Woodman’s album Product of the Machine is an album everyone should have and purchase. Buying an album like this one supports the artist and gives him/her the support he/she needs. Providing encouragement is also important so that they can continue doing what they love to do especially if they are dropping their shit independently. Having said this, Woodman has been on my radar since I crossed him performing a couple of times before me at Brutopia back in those Brutopia days in 2010. He is a solid emcee and battler with solid punches and mind you that English is not his first language which should inspire younger cats out there to drop their verse and message regardless of language. Woodman demonstrates that any language is possible and that there are no barriers unless you put barriers on yourself. “Oxygen” is about cutting oneself from Oxygen, it is conscious, it is intelligent, it is witty and it is straight to the point without any bullshit. Furthermore, the clip itself is solid, vivid, colour correction is on point, it is sharp, in fact very sharp. The sharpness of the picture is what caught my eye, I appreciate sharp images and there is no grainyness from start to finish. I dont know who directed and shot the clip but this cat/cats deserve full credit for what finished product theyve put out visually. The album itself by Woodman, is solid from start to finish. It will be exciting to see what Woodman will put out in 2012, we stay tuned…

Borden & Justice – Funny How – This Is For [Prod. by 80 Rock]

80 Rock is a dope, solid producer. Anything I hear from 80 Rock I always have a pleasure to hear. There is a lot I can say about this clip, from my days of watching mob films to just enjoying the production on this clip. Then comes the visuals, flawless, the integration is complete and fully on point. Sound and mastering and mixing is beautiful, transition at 2:27 is smooth smooth smooth. I got to drop a pair of freestyles alongside Borden as well as Justice on Off the Hook and the team is moving in the right direction. What can I say? Regimental Oneton is loves Justice’s flow and delivery, hook is off the hook. Justice is straight up, real talk wisdom, drops wisdom ends by telling everyone to just do be True to yourself and hustle your hustle. Ive got much love and respect to Borden and I love the visual transition from the start on this. Elon Skee drops a masterpiece, the van behind Borden is right, the colour transitions from the black & white and vice versa: fully on point. I personally thoroughly enjoyed Borden’s delivery and narration and they are solidly complimented by the visuals.

OBIA LE CHEF & EL COTOLA – JE SAIS

When one sees Montreal clips and these clips are shot in Montreal and you re watching a clip shot in your city it just touches home. I’m a conscious hip-hop head, I drop it myself and love to hear other emcees dropping conscious shit as well regardless of the language. It was beautiful to see my sister Nargess in the clips closing and Montreal itself is a city of social activists 9like myself included). El Cotola’s production never disappoints and Obia is one of my fav francophone emcees in the city. He delivers a very true-to-self and true-to-reality delivery, narrative and verse. Jaime Maldonato’s camera work is professional and lucid. The concept of visual narrative and journey is important here, the clip is a journey, we are in movement with the emcee and the seasons change alongside this visual narrative, showing and illustrating that this clip was not shot over a week but over a prolonged period making this a project of patience and proper planning. The camera movement from up at 0:29 to 0:30 is wonderful. Bringing the clip into the depanneur is something else. I personally appreciate this because it brings that local touch and feel to the cli especially when we see the lady behind Obia in her saree/salwar and her (possible) husband at the cash with his topee/skullcap on. It reflects the presence of the immigrant struggle in Montreal and how these wonderful people come here in search of a better life (please do check out my track with my rhyme partner Weyes entitled “Bodega Sunshine” on youtube). Personally i connected with the depanneur scene and appreciated Obia’s merci, this was simply down-to-earth and real all the way and much love for that. Moving behind Foufounes Electriques always hits home because my contribution to Under Pressure and seeing my boy Regimental Oneton’s trashbin is always a pleasure (2:16  – 2:20) while KC LMNOP is mentioned. Moving to the vinyl store is simply great. Of course Cotola is great producer alongside Illdigger and one can imagine how vinyls theyve gone through over the years. True indeed the clip was to be continued on the Polic Brutality tip and the human reality is what makes this clip so excellent, it is in movement and the viewer is moving along with it. Remember to get the album if you havent.

F’N Angry – Scynikal ( Pop The Trunk Freestyle ) [ Directed by: Sky Da Great ]

I crossed this clip when my sister Wariher-Kween Parneet Bee and I were talking about this piece at McGill library. The Kween is not just a sister to me but also a fellow poetess and wise mind. She loves this clip and we started talking about the brilliance behind its expression. It’s a solid track and a solid clip hands down. The Kween and I connected to this in different ways, for me, well I am a person who is angry and had a battle with aggression over the past few years and I started working on this personal battle with anger and depression. When seeing and listening to this joint I can see a large populace connecting with it. Collin Sense drops a heavy production alongside the direction of Sky Da Great. Sky Da Great takes this track and directs the brilliance out of it from start to finish. It has the ambiance, it captures the emotion and I’d hate to be the blindfolded/masked brother in the chair. The clip is set in one location and in nature but nature is not what I am tuned into when I see this. You hear Scynikal: “I’m fuckin Angry” repeated and you are not focused on the trees or the forest, you are in tuned with the words from the start, more specifically the emotion, the anger. When Kween saw this clip she immediately became a fan of Scynikal and hit em up, the reason for this is that the track and clip are straight up, there’s no bullshit. Listen to the lyrics, hear what is being rhymed, solid track. I love how the tied up cat in the chair starts moving at 2:50min and tries to untie or unloose himself, that brings the human element to it. At 3:43 when the screen shot starts closing vertically and Scynikal gets up to walk away, that is much credited filmaking right there. If you havent got the MurderFace ”Faces of Def” yet, be sure to get it, shouts to CL who went to the same elementary school as me and was one of the first people I mt when arriving back in Montreal.

“YOUNG & TATTED” OFFICIAL VIDEO BYMUGZ FT. YOGI

Salute. I was really feelin this joint once I heard it. Joint is mad tight. Hook is tight. Bars are tight. Concept is original. Delivery is tight. Clip is tight, production is tight. Visuals are tight. Hollistically, the entire package is on point and tight and I dont even need to add more. On a personal note, I seek original concepts in hip-hop and if the concept was not even original it’s the emcee that make a subjectivity that has already been covered original. In this case, the concept was original but so was the concept of the clip. Justin Agustin is an artist at his craft, the visuals and the transitions alongside camera angles are what contribute to making this an all around dope clip. He must love getting dope tracks sent his way and go through his creative process alongside the emcees and come out with a solid story-board. It’s beat to just sit back and enjoy this track and this clip. Much love and respect, nuff respect headin out. I think this was one of my most fav tracks of 2011. The hook, well put it this way, i can hear the crowd singin it back. Big ups.

The Boombap Cats – the Jazz Records

Switching vibes from “Young and Tatted” and moving towards the beauty of vinyls is Mehdi Cee alongside Johnny Illdigger and Penzo Gritty and Logic Johnson. To begin, Penzo knows what I think of his dope album “The 12 steps” which I strongly recomend for all to have and to play and to absorb from. Furthermore, I feel that Logic Johnson has not been given the attention and recognition that is due to him however, it is never quantity but rather quality and true hiphop heads know gifted emcees and lyricists when they hear. As result, I encourage everyone to not just follow what projects Illdigger is behind but also what projects Illdigger has been a part of making come to life. Beyond this, Mehdi Cee is just a great all around emcee, I did cross him a few times although briefly, on one occasion he was freestyling live in front of me after my set was done and I recall putting my scarf on his shoulder so he can freestyle to the action and motion. This clip is shot by Illdigger, it is one of two clips that I enjoyed in 2011 by the cat. Firstly, I love the Boombap Cat logo popping at the clip’s debut and the eyes are blinking, love that. From the get-go the instrumental is fine and fresh and Mehdi Cee’s flow is melodious and harmonic to the beat. The narrative coincides nicely, in fact very nicely with the atmosphere of the vinyls on shelves and all about in the store. What I also love is the track’s hook, we see Illdigger playn the pads on the floor. The aspect of playing the pads on the floor touches base with me because Ive always lived in a tight a space/bedroom and had my AKAI on the floor, dust and wires everywhere and vinyls stacked up, so seeing Illdigger doin his thing right there actually hit home for me…Leo the Cat has an awesome cameo in this clip and Browny Beats’ camera work is solid. Illdigger’s post-production on this clip alongside Browny Beats is completely wonderful making this one of my other fav clips of 2011.

Conn Shawnery – 2/2 Tango

DJ and producer Conn-Shawnery dropped his 2011 album, CS01 alongside emcees Blurum13 and N’FA. This clip was shot between Montreal and Hong Kong and sticks to the theme of vinyl sampling and beat composition like the Boombap Cat’s “Jazz Records.” This track was produced by Conn-Shawnery himself and is widely available worldwide on the CS01 album sm be sure to get the album. The clip was shot by Mickey Boston (myself) and took much work and many back and forth meetings and panel discussions. We were set on directing and creating an original piece of hiphop with original concepts. As usual we reached out the b-boys we know and love and have been working with over the years. As Conn-Shawnery has been holding down the b-boy/b-girl scene down in Montreal alongside some of Montreal’s best DJs having the participation of the Deadly Venoms Crew was a no brainer. The contribution of b-boy Afternoon on the local dance scene has been tremendous and commendable. From here, having King Tiger Son aid in the clip’s choreography was fundamental as well to the clip’s success. The model of the clip was based on a visual narrative, the story of Conn-Shawnery’s Golden Vinyl which must retrieved from Hong Kong. The storyboard is an original concept and was entirely thought of by Conn-Shawnery himself however, after having meeting alongside Conn and the b-boys little ideas started to spring out in the creative process of this clip. When I work with emcees, DJ, b-boys or graffers I am seeking artistic innovation, ideas and concepts that have not entirely been done in hiphop, which in this case isnt entirely such, but the end result was achieved, we wanted a nice clip and we got that nice clip.

Rico Blox feat Uness – Stop Frontin (prod. by Dj Manifest) OFFICIAL VIDEO Dir. by Justin Agustin

Justin Agustin is the go-to man for clips, you can see the hard work and perfection that is mastered in every clip he puts out. The fruits of his labour are manifest in sweet results. Here, Rico Blox’s clip comes out very nice. It was nice to see Quartier des spectacles as the main location for the clip. I think you’d have to sit back and watch the clip for yourself to enjoy it. The transition from day into night is smooth. However, it’s best that this clip is watched by the viewers out there to absorb.

CEAS ROCK – FAST LANE

Beat on this clip is dope, Cease is mad positive on this which what we all appreciate. Cease Rock has been making power moves and released a very compelling and exceptional album. His dedication to supporting the scene is vivid and noteworthy. This clip moves nicely and smoothly, casual. We all have love for Sub-V and everything that Sub-V has done also so its nice to have Cease give recognition where recognition is due. As mentioned earlier, everyone in Montreal is interconnected in some or fashion or another, my boy Ill Mestizo has nothing but love and positivity to say about Cease and so do my brothers Preach and LogiX. What I am appreciative is about his local support for Montreal, he holds his city down, is there for his peeps and community. The clip is well shot, original concept, I personally like the lighting and locations. I love supporting good people and good music and Cease  loves to put out good music, he has a reputation for doing and much love and respect headed out his way and as well to Seif of A&A. Respect.

COPE2 – King Kase2 Tribute

Ill Mestizo and I got together to pay tribute to Rawkus by means of wanting to look back at the classic subways of the 60s, 70s and 80s. I got DJ Conn-Shawnery to do the scratches for the track which was produced by my former DJ, DJ Warp – who also produced my track “They Say Hip-Hop”. Later on in 2011, COPE2 came to Montreal, we touched base, the rest is what you see. Enjoy.

I.BLAST feat. UNESS – WHO KNOWS // REPS UP MONTREAL

This one is also one of my most fav clips of 2011. Justin Agustin’s photography and placement is simply wonderful, very very well done. The shots in this clip come off very well, they compliment the landscape, compliment the weather and atmosphere. Black & white was the way to go with this clip. The backdrop of the Champlain bridge is very well set and is juxtaposed nicely with the architecture of Old Montreal making it seamless as if the two settings/locations were a block away from eachother, which are not in reality. This is prob my fav of I.Blasts clips but this is even hard to say because he’s put out some quality work over these past years. In this track I.Blast mentions how 2012 will be his year and Theory’s and I hope so, keep it up. Uness is solid on the hook. And if you havent seen “Born for This”, go ahead…

Fly Away/We Gone – Guru Affiliated Directed by Labnoise Films

Ive heard a few tracks by Guru Affiliated over 2011 on Morburn and really find it to have a VERY SOLID delivery. There is power and strength in the delivery and the tracks themselves have that poignant verse to back the words that expressed in the tracks. This being said, I am personally looking forward to hearing what he has to put out in the next coming year. I really like what Labnoise has done visually with this clip from start to finish. This track is a joint that speaks to me because as many know, I am into the “journey” and the struggle in the journey of life and the narrative technique within that narrative. Everyday struggle is what tip Im on, especially because I myself fell in unemployment and some very difficult times. Watching a clip like this hits keys in my book and so this track was a no-brainer for me. “While she thinkin marriage, I dont think that Im worthy” – this is something that plagued me very personally in my life and I was faced with the very same predicament, so thank you for this track and this clip. Track is VERY down-to-earth and it’s made in a such a way that more everyday people can relate and distances itself from champaigne and material wealth that one may find in other videos by other artists. This track has soul, Labnoise visually captures the narrative of the dilemma in the soul from the pressures of everdyay life and mounting bills and anxieties. I enjoy the jump shots of the taxi cabs, (this being that I was to drive a cab at one point in my life but didnt) as well as the pigeons in the sky which connote and underpin so much. The hook is solid. The message is one of positivity despite the hardships while knowing that life and its predicament, trials and tribulations are uncanny at times and difficult. I close on this in like manner as the video by mentioning Rest in Power to Bad News Brown and the late Matt “Dutch” Garner. Blessings always.

Slik Jack – Slum Drunk Billionaire (Prod.by Illdigger) OFFICIAL VIDEO

When you love that straight boombap underground hiphop you look and delve and dive into G.I.G.A.N.T.E. You splash into that and keep your head bopping and love the flows and get back at me for saying that I dropped a dope reference. Slik Jack has a lot of quotables if you look into his archive of tracks, one of my fav joints is WAR that he had put out however, be set to delve into his pieces with Penzo Gritty as well as his cameos on Penzo’s “The 12 Steps” album as well as a solid piece on the Aspect Mendoza mixtape. This clip is directed by Johnny Illdigger and has that Illdigger trademark at the beginning. The concept, “crotch-o-scope” is new, gives the clip a different angle and is set in one location. The timing on the making of this track is everything, you can clearly see that this joint is shot in one take, everyone had to be on point to get it right on the first attempt (I am doubtful that Slik Jack wanted to get paint on his face more than once by Penzo). Get the album.

Nomadic Massive – Reveye

The Nomadic family dropped a beautiful clip with much colour. Shouts go Waahli, Talli, my brother Lou…much love to Vox and the entire massive family.

Alquimia Verbal ft Heavy Soundz ,Boogat ,Paranoize – Del Mondongo (Del Mondongo 2011)

Even if you are someone like myself who is not entirely fluent in Spanish, you can still appreciate the bars in this joint. This is one big family track with cameos of dear friends of mine from MadGabacho to Alquimia Verbal holding it down who have been very dear acquaintances of mine and extended family to me. This is a cut that unifies everyone in one clip from Boogat to P-Noize and it’s a beautiful thing to see so many Montreal heads in one clip. Heavy Soundz and Alquimia Verbal have been dropping a bunch of shows in the city equipt with live sounds and improv, theyve been delivering heavyness over the 2011 year. I have myself seen them live and have performed alongside Alquimia on the flyer, this is a collective that has been dropping dopeness over the last while and now with the advent of Elementality and the pod-casts, I feel convinced that there is only more building in the making. I wont say more, I’d rather you play the clip.

The Narcicyst- Brass

Alright, Narcy dropped “Brass.” Nuff Said.

Mickey Boston feat. Regimental Oneton & DJ Conn-Shawnery – They Say HipHop

There was a new Mickey boston joint alongside Regimental Oneton and DJ Conn-Shawnery. This track is a long story, just follow Mikey the monkey as he searches for hiphop in Montreal.

David Hodges – I See The World

David Hodges has always been dropping conscious true-to-heart music. “I see the World” is another track that follows the Hodges positivity and is about the journey of having traveled from place to place. The West Island of Montreal has always been bringing out solid hip-hop and SRH is of no exception as well.

SRH – #NoBigDeal (OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO)

Website.

In Brutal Telling, the fifth book of the series by Louise Penny, Chief Inspector Armand Gamache (a detective with similarities to Maigret and the poetic Adam Dagliesh) is summoned from Montreal to this remote enclave.  In the village bistro, usually filled with antiques and a roaring fire, a stranger has been found murdered.  Gamache, with his calming presence, and his team uncover secrets and unmask characters as they search for the hidden truth.  Full of characters and atmosphere always rich in detail, readers who enjoy literary mysteries will rejoice to discover the Three Pines Series.  If you’ve not read any of Louise Penny, start at the beginning with Still Life as the characters and storyline develop with each book.

~Cathy

I traveled to Nova Scotia on vacation more than a decade ago and loved it.  I have been to Montreal and Toronto on business and have found both cities beautiful.  But I’ve never spent any real time learning about the different provinces of Canada or their culture.

Well, NBC’s Olympic coverage has taken care of that.

And I have to say, I’m really starting to bond with Canada.  When they won their first Olympic gold medal in their history as a host country, I cried along side all the natives of the Great White North.

Plus, they have these charming little identifiers that tell the world they’re Canadians no matter where they are — “aye” and “about”  (pronounced “aboot”), to name two.

Which made me wonder: what tells the world that I’m an American when I travel abroad?  Or any American, for that matter?  Do we say or do anything that says to the world “American”?

(And if so, is it something positive?)

‘Cause I’m loving the Canadians!

5.  Thee Makeout Party

How many dudes wearing buttons can you fit on a record cover?  Thee Makeout Party toured with fellow button head Nobunny, and you can grab their new album on Burger Records.  Their Anaheim, California sound is like Mickey Mouse making out with the 1910 Fruitgum Company.

4.  The Who

The Who album art for a 1987 compilation features a Richard Evans painting with super-mod-buttons on Pete Townshend, and an enormous “ELVIS FOR EVERYONE” button on dead hero Keith Moon.  His badge is probably 4-inches in diameter, which is the second largest size in the industry.  The comp features “Bald Headed Woman” and a Jimmy Page guitar solo from when, “he owned the only fuzz box in the country at that time.”  Click for Richard Evans‘ awesome website smattered with badges.

3.  BBQ

What yields greater joy than a big button on an album cover?  Tie Your Noose is Mark Sultan’s second solo album on BOMP! Records, and the record design features a 1-inch button pinned to a leather jacket.  There’s lots of Sultan buttons to be collected from his other Montreal groups like King Khan & BBQ, Les Sexareenos, and Mind Controls.  The BBQ website even uses buttons as the menu bar!

2.  Submarine Races

What do Jeffrey Lee Pierce from Gun Club and In the Red Records rocker Ian Adams from Submarine Races have in common?  A single Hank Williams button.

Theresa K. took this great Pierce photo thirty years ago, and her shots of the LA punk scene include Stiv Bators, the Ramones, and Blondie in her Punk Turns 30 photo gallery.  This Submarine Races cover came along decades later, and features Ian Adams also of The Ponys and Happy Supply wearing the same exact Hank button design.  Check out the jumbo glow-in-the-dark 2.25-inch button from Adam’s new band, Maximum Wage on MySpace.

1.  GG Allin

A mysterious element featured on the iconic GG Allin record cover “Always Was, Is, And Always Shall Be” is a Brian Jones 1.5-inch pin.  Is it a mini-porthole into his soul, or a wearable crystal ball into his future?  We may never know.

Honorable Mention  The MC5

The insert for Kick Out Jams by the MC5 is a button hall of famer where the White Panthers wear their hearts in the form of badges on their bare chests.  Buttons have been a “well-rounded” way to show dissent since the 1800s, to the 1960s, to present day (more here).  Pin out the jams, brothers and sisters.

<<Back to Busy Beaver Button Co.

I really like the song called Glass Prison, not sure why but I do. Remember my boyfriend is a drummer so I really like the songs for drums and bass, because they have to go together. Here is Glass Prison.
Also here are the names of the members in the band:
James Labrie: Vocals
Jordan Rudess: Keyboard
Mike Portnoy: Drums
John Petrucci: Guitar
John Myung: Bass

I went to this tour not this one on film though, but sadly they did not play this song!!
These guys are huge in other countries as well.
They are on Montreal in this video, and look how many people they have, I mean someone is crowd surfing!!

Dream Theater is also known for having long ass songs, that’s why you don’t usually hear them on the radio. But every so often (out here at least) you will.

If you’ve liked this video then you will like this next one as well it is called Metropolis they have a live orchestra playing as well. This is from their DVD called Score: