Music

The Queens of Hip-Hop

Written by Sabine Demosthenes

MONTREAL – On this really cold Wednesday morning, I must listen to a playlist that will make me forget about the harsh, cold days we have had for a couple of weeks now. This so-called “winter wonderland”.

While browsing my playlists on my iPhone, I decided to start this week with my Queens of Hip-Hop’s playlist. On this list, you won’t find any Cardi B (who’s that?!?) and no Nicky Minaj (who’s that?!?). Seriously, with all the legendary ladies we have in Hip-Hop, I just don’t get how come those two singers (and I’m being really nice here) are so popular. They are mediocre, at best. Even my grandma Sue (sorry grandma) would be a better rapper than those ladies. My grandma would have dropped some words of knowledge with a big attitude.

Anyhow, my playlist is an ode to the icons of Hip-Hop music. The first track was the perfect one to start this kick-ass, goddess of a playlist.

Let me present you with Queen Latifah classic’s Unity.

They don’t make these kinds of anthems anymore, but this oldie is a classic.

The children of the 70s, 80s and even early 90s were so lucky for witnessing so many classics hits during those decades.

Back to the main topic.

The next song on my playlist was Doo Wop (That Thing) from Ms. Lauren Hill. The debut solo album of this “The Fugees’ family” alumnus, The Miseducation of Lauren Hill, was until now, one of the greatest albums of all time.

So far, this playlist is on fire!

Of course, the playlist includes some Salt’N’Pepa too. In the 80s, there were two bands with strong women that I was a die-hard fan of. Salt’N’Pepa and Bananarama (I’m a Venus, I’m a Venus, your desire … oh damn! I was five and singing those lyrics).

Salt’N’Pepa was the first female rappers I saw. For a second, as a young girl, I wanted to be a rapper. My big brother told me I really didn’t know how to rap though (damn you, big brother).

There is no Queens of Hip-Hop playlist without some MC Lyte. Like, it’s impossible!

Not putting a Ruffneck track on this list would probably get me disowned by my brother, haha. She is one of the pioneers of Hip-Hop artists and truly, I hope one day that she will be inducted into the Rock N’Roll Hall of Fame.

Of course, I got some Missy Elliott and Erika Badu as well. When I listen to Missy’s hit The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly), omg, I have a beautiful throwback party in my brain! I remember the first time I heard this song and how mesmerized I was by the creativity of Missy Elliott. I never took drugs in my life, but from that moment, I was so hooked on every piece of music Missy Elliott created like it was cocaine.

I may write an even longer post about this fabulous playlist, but I will spare you reading a full chapter of my reminiscing about the good old times of music history.

Can we steal Marty McFly’s car from Back To The Future and return to the ’90s, please?

I’m pretty sure we have some magnificent, talented women who are creating fabulous music, but for some dumb reason, clueless and insignificant songs are being made by a stripper and a woman whose persona I don’t even understand the purpose of keep playing everywhere! There is nothing intelligent being said in those songs and foremost, nothing empowering are being communicated to the next generation of young, impressionable human beings.

I’m too damn mad, so I better listen to my playlist and get empowered by my Queens of Hip-Hop……

http://www.missy-elliott.com

http://www.mclytenow.com

https://www.saltnpepa.com

https://twitter.com/iamqueenlatifah

The best band in the world! Why?

Written by Sabine Demosthenes

MONTREAL – It took me a few days to write about the best damn show of the year, which I saw at the Bell Centre last Thursday, September 20th, 2018.

You may have heard of a certain Paul McCartney, Rusty Anderson, Brian Ray, Abe Laboriel Jr and Paul ‘Wiz’ Wickens. If not (and that would be a major surprise!), I strongly recommend going on YouTube to watch some videos, see one of their concerts live (or on iTunes) or buy their latest album: Egyptian Station. It is actually the number one album in Canada.

It was my second time seeing them live and you know what, it felt like it was my first time.

Why?

Simply because they have the ability to give the best concert you will ever saw and make you feel part of it. Even if it’s been more than 15 years of being together as a band and they have played in the biggest arena in the world, you feel this special feeling watching a fun band in a small club.

Where do I begin my review?

First of all, the sound quality was perfect. The sound crew are probably the best there is. You could hear each instrument and each lyric with such clarity. I’m sending my shoutout to Paul McCartney’s sound crew!

Second, I was happily surprised to see some new members such as….. (I am waiting on Macca’s team to give me the names of the horn players)

The best part was seeing a band having fun and being happy doing what they love. I still get chills with just the thought of it.

I won’t write all the songs they played, but I will be all nostalgic and say it was a beautiful marriage between nostalgia and the future.

How?

They played the Fab Four classics. They jammed with the sound of Wings, but they played some of the new stuff on their brand new album. They played with such ease considering it was 3 hours non-stop. Paul spoke in French on top of it all! He was very good.

Ok, I’m must admit, I cried like a baby during the rendition of Something. Like big time! But I am not ashamed.

Rusty and Brian were giving us some serious guitar riffs and the band did a little shoutout to Jimy Hendrix.

Wix was, as always, the ethereal keyboardist. I was pretty close to the stage and could see Abe and Wix exchanging some funny faces between them, having the biggest smiles on their faces.

Oh oh! Speaking of Abe. One sentence: The best drummer of the 21st century. I rest my case.

For me, there are probably two bands in the world that seem to be so alive and so happy on stage. Bruce Springsteen and The East Side Band and Paul McCartney and his boys. I saw some Bruce Springsteen shows on DVD, but I haven’t gotten the chance to see him and his band live. So for me, if I have to choose between the two of them, I’m team Macca.

For 3 hours, I didn’t think of what a certain person by the number 45 is tweeting or the current state of our beautiful planet and mankind. I was in a beautiful bubble with thousands of fans and my valentine being happy.

Being the music lover that I am, I imagined that I was jamming with them (It’s on my bucket list – jamming with Rusty, with Godin’s electric guitar).

As we left after the concert to go back to our little world, I was wondering if we would ever feel this beautiful, happy feeling of love again as that was what the concert was all about.

I guess we still can as Paul and his boys showed us.

Quoi penser des VMA…

Suite au Gala des MTV Videos Music Award 2018, disons que nos analystes ne fuent pas très impréssionnés par l’hommage que la Reine du Pop a rendu à la Reine du Soul.

Laissons nos analystes s’expliquer.

De la part de l’équipe du Chronicle et du Northside, on tient à donner nos condoléances à la famille et aux amis de la grande Aretha Franklin.

Lisa Marie’s Homecoming

Written by Sabine Demosthenes

There are some songs that make your little universe stop for a few minutes.

They give you the feeling of being in the room with the people singing and you stop thinking about all your troubles and doubts. You are now hooked on the melody and the emotions of the singers putting their souls into their beautiful voices.

When this duo is a father and daughter, it makes the song a lot more powerful and ethereal.

That’s how I felt this week when I listened to Elvis and Lisa Marie Presley duet “Where No One Stands Alone” on the new gospel album of his father “Where No One Stands Alone”.

Below, you can click to access The Rolling Stone for the article and the bittersweet video.

https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/hear-elvis-lisa-marie-presley-duet-on-revamped-gospel-song-704932/

For me, Lisa Marie is the type of songwriter I have always admired. She doesn’t sugarcoat her lyrics and what you see, is what you get.

I have always been attracted to people that kept everything real and have die-hard authentic souls. When you listen to Lisa Marie’s songs such as “High Enough” from her debut album, “Now What”, you feel the authenticity and her vulnerability. Gosh, the girl is so passionate!

This week, Lisa Marie is back home in Graceland for the Elvis Week Celebration. There will be an exhibition exploring her childhood and career.

Can we expect a new album and a new tour from Ms. Presley in 2018?

Something tells me…

Yes!

We will continue to enjoy her musical journey and she will gladly invite us to join this beautiful journey her way.

Lisa Marie Presley and Jenna Bush Hager Today’s interview

The Festival Season Opener: The Santa Teresa Festival and the Power of Love

Written by Sabine Demosthenes

This past weekend was such a nice weekend.

It was something we actually needed with all of the bad news we have been getting and the state of this world lately.

For some of us, we witness this weekend the power of love (I just love Reverand Curry).

For others, they meditate on how we can make this world a better place.

And for the young at heart, they dance the night away at the best music festival on the North Shore of Montreal, the second edition of the Santa Teresa Festival.

I pretended I was still a young twenty-something ingenue this past Sunday; trying to act cool like in my twenties with the young folks but, my age betrays me. I still manage to party like it was still 1999 (my favorite sentence).

The atmosphere was electrical.

Everyone was happy. For a split second, I didn’t think about how the world was falling apart. I must have still been under my “Power of Love Spell”. Festivals like this are good opportunities to discover new talent.

I was impressed with the Mount Kimbie band from the UK, just by seeing the crowd sing along, you could tell Montrealers were enchanted.

Mount Kimbie and King Krule Santa Teresa 2018

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

In my mid-twenties, I was a die-hard fan of electronic music and synth-pop. Listening to Mount Kimbie made me fall in love with this style of music all over again.

Many others artists were there too: Feist, Charly Bliss, Rose Bush, Milk & Bone, and many more.

For a small suburban community like The North Shore, they sure know how to get us to groove like there was no tomorrow!

I can’t wait to see round 3 next year!

https://www.santateresa.ca/en/

Let’s not throw the first stone at Kanye … Yet

Written by Sabine Démosthènes

When I first listened to Kanye’s “The College Dropout” album, I felt like I was rekindling my love story with hip-hop. It was during the era of Ja Rule, DMX and Nelly. I wasn’t feeling the love anymore and had not been discovering new artists.

And then, Mr. West came into my life in an epiphany kind of way.

With his sophomore album, I was still in Kanye’s land. Until this day, listening to both his albums, I had the feeling he was one of my big brother’s childhood friends and I was listening to their conversations discussing the greatest NBA players to who shot Mr. Burns in The Simpson’s (we all know it was Maggie Simpson).

On those two albums, Kanye was saying some pretty hard cold truths about life in a very clever way. I have to applaud his song writing during that period.

But, as the years passed and the social media empire took control of so many things, including the option of thinking before writing or saying something that could end up being the stupidest thing you read, not of the day but of the minute! Kanye seemed to have been more lost and less focused.

He married a woman whose entire empire and fan base was in big part due to social media creations (and that is okay) but I always expected Kanye to be with a woman of substance. Someone with more going on in the brain department, more an academic girl (hmm hmm like me) or an intellectual. But, it wasn’t the case.

And then, he goes from someone that was not afraid to tackle the subject of slavery in a very smart and clever way, like in his song “We Major” featuring Nas The Great and Really Doe to supporting the current president of the so called free world (I really don’t see what the free world stands for anymore).

In my mind, something seems odd. Last week, Kanye brought up the subject of slavery again. It was as well put, just as he sang in his first two albums. This is what I thought at first, since I didn’t see the video but read the headline on a website that I won’t name because I’m ashamed. I was just numb.

But then, (and of course my brother tried to make see his comment in a different light), I realized the problem with Kanye is that he takes himself way too seriously. When you are really listening to what he said, it’s not almost crazy. The way it came out was damn crazy! As the very black girl that I am, I know that this subject always brought us into discussions.

Actually, in a funny kind a way, Kanye is making us think about this delicate subject. My problem is why do you go to TMZ (of all organisations) instead of having a very intelligent conversation with Christiane Armanpour at CNN or Gayle King at CBS. Those journalists would have pushed the envelope and asked him to be more clear.

No, he went to TMZ.

For him to be a supporter of the man that is the so called Commander-In-Chief of the Free World is so weird. Especially for someone that had blasted George W. Bush. But, can we assume that maybe he is supporting this person for a very selfish reason?

Maybe, because he is going to be less rich, he needs this person?

It’s only a question I’m asking.

Please, don’t throw the first stone at me. I am innocent.

The weeks to come will be something!

We will listen to the upcoming albums and maybe after one song, we will be so mad at ourselves for even listening to it, or maybe, it will be another masterpiece. For the masterpiece part, I wrote it because one of his collaborations will be (if it’s still happening) with Nas. So, it could really be good.

In the meantime, let’s hold our breath for the next Kanye moment.

And let’s not throw the first stone at Kanye… Yet.

Collision 2018 week – A conversation with Beatie Wolfe

This is a special week in the tech world. New Orleans is the place, not only for its festive atmosphere but also for the 2018 edition of The Collision Conference.

How to start this special week with Beatie Wolfe? She is a very special singer-songwriter that is not afraid to be curious. She is an innovator and sound creator. The perfect musical scientist in my book!

I couldn’t be there in person for this year conference, but Beatie and I managed to squeeze in a really fun interview.

Let’s enjoy the ride.

SD: What are you looking for this year at the Collision 2018 Conference?

BW: Meaningful connections and conversations with like-minded people who wish to inspire and uplift.

SD: Every time I listened to your album, Raw Space, I feel like I’m in a bubble. It’s a very pleasant sound environment.

Can you explain to us how you created this special atmosphere?

BW: That’s very kind. I honestly don’t know. I think that I give an intense amount of focus to the songwriting, arranging and production process and I really do believe that God is in the detail.

I was also aware that the stage for the album would be the Bell Labs Anechoic Chamber (the ultimate raw space!), which absolutely makes you feel like you’re in a bubble, so I think that influenced the recording/producing process too.

SD: You are the co-founder of a research project that is looking at the influence of music on people that are living with dementia. What inspired you to take part in this amazing project?

BW: I was inspired by neurologist Oliver Sacks and his incredible work looking at the power of music to heal and move us, even when nothing else can.

While reading Musicophilia, I felt that there was no greater application of music than that: pulling people back from the most extreme neurological states, and when I heard that some of my family members had developed dementia, I felt compelled to start applying what I had been reading about.

The amazing thing about the ‘Power of Music & Dementia’ study is that it was the first study to prove the power of music, outside of memory, (new music) for people living with dementia and this was something that Sacks had theorised but not yet tested, stating that “…music does not have to be familiar to exert its emotional pull…” and “…music is a necessity for those with dementia.”

SD: As a very proud Montrealer, I can see some of Leonard Cohen’s inspiration in your lyrics. Other journalists and bloggers can see it too. Are Leonard Cohen’s poetic lyrics what inspired you to be a songwriter?

BW: It is a funny story because Cohen did become a big influence on me, but only after I had played a number of shows and people in the audience would come up and say: “Are you a Leonard Cohen fan? Your music reminds me so much of his.” And back then I had no idea who he was (this was when I was about 16/17).

Then, one guy from a show in Portugal gave me a CD mix of his favorite Cohen songs and from the first time I listened, I was hooked!

I realized that there was someone else who cared as much about the words as I did, someone who was so true to the story, that the music had to serve it.

Cohen was such an incredible wordsmith, poet, and writer in his own right, that I ended up doing my dissertation on him for my English Literature degree, even though the University advised against it, thinking he could not be classed as a writer.

Writing that paper, even against the advice of my professors, was what ended up opening a dialogue with Cohen and his team and at one point, just before he passed away, there was a conversation about him adopting one of my musical formats (the intelligent deck of cards) for “I Want It Darker.”

SD: When you see the words “Musical Innovator”, what kind of emotion does that bring to you?

BW: I think it’s definitely something different to just being a musician or singer-songwriter. For me, the music is always at the core, it is the reason I do everything.

But I love creating worlds for each of my albums and allowing people to feel some of the old school magic that I felt for records at a kid, by creating new formats that combine the best of the old and the best of the new.

So in that way, I am happy to be a musical innovator!

SD: Can we expect a show in the near future in Montreal?

BW: Yes… 110%!! It is a place I have been meaning to visit and play in for so long.

Leonard Cohen’s city welcomes you, Beatie, with open arms!

Written by Sabine Démosthènes

Photography credited to Beatie Wolfe

Thank you Collision 2018

https://collisionconf.com

https://www.beatiewolfe.com

The Chronicle

The Chronicle

Music

The Queens of Hip-Hop

The best band in the world! Why?

Quoi penser des VMA…

Lisa Marie’s Homecoming

The Festival Season Opener: The Santa Teresa Festival and the Power of Love

Let’s not throw the first stone at Kanye … Yet

Collision 2018 week – A conversation with Beatie Wolfe