Today’s Sounds: Henry Threadgill Zooid

by LAWRENCE JOSEPH

Henry Threadgill was among the earliest members of Chicago’s Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians. Having participated in polka, Dixieland and big band jam sessions, and having studied modern classical composers like Varèse and Hindemith, Threadgill was built for the AACM’s eclectic approach.

He’s led several bands over the ensuing decades, most notably Air with Fred Hopkins and Steve McCall, and Very Very Circus, a sextet featuring the unusual line-up of two tubas, two guitars and drums, along with Threadgill’s saxophones and flutes. Zooid has been around since 2001 and continues in this tradition of innovation within non-standard instrumentation.

Montreal pride in pictures

by Cult MTL

Photographers Owain Harris and Jessica Nudo hit the streets over the weekend and captured the souls (OK, maybe just images) of those who helped make Montreal Pride more colourful than any flag or rainbow. [lg_folder folder=”120820-pride-week/”]  

The Pink Noise’s time is now

by Kelly Hurcomb

While throngs of local rock ’n’ roll groups stagnate in Dep City, opting for partying over performing, Mark Sauner maintains a sense of direction.
“We want to do this next record, and we want to get it on a label,” he says. “We’ve been working hard on these songs, and we want to have really good production and bring all our talents together.”
Sauner is the frontman and founder of local weirdos the Pink Noise, a group lovingly dubbed “the most nihilistic band in Montreal” by AIDS Wolf (RIP) singer Chloe Lum.

Yee ha! Ouch

by SASHA

I want to have sex with me on top of my boyfriend, but my vagina always seems to tense up or shut close. We have no problem in the missionary position. I just want to try being on top for a change.

Pussy Riot rally in pictures

by Cult MTL

Russian agit-prop punk trio Pussy Riot were sentenced to two years in jail on Friday. Local supporters had already planned their second rally at the Russian consulate for verdict day, attracting more protestors due to the international outrage over this political imprisonment. Check out the DIY balaclavas and signage at Friday’s demo here.

Roots of Graffiti looks at the big picture

by EMILY RAINE

NDG Arts Week has always had a strong commitment to highlighting the impressive track record of street art in the neighbourhood, and this year’s no different. Tonight, Aug. 20, the festival has slated an event profiling graffiti’s genesis, local impact and philosophical meaning.

Roots of Graffiti opens with a screening of Tony Silver and Henry Chalfant’s classic 1982 documentary capturing the birth of the graffiti movement, Style Wars. The film follows young wild stylers through NYC trainyards, abandoned buildings and warehouse parties as they spontaneously morphed the look of the whole city, one tag at a time. Backed by a non-stop old school soundtrack, it excellently captures the thrill and spirit of the moment, as well as showcasing the economic and social origins that pushed writers to risk life, limb and jail time to get up.

Alps: Greeks in Crisis

by MALCOLM FRASER

Greek filmmaker Giorgos Lanthimos, director of the Oscar-nominated Dogtooth, talks to us about his complex and challenging new film Alps, as well as about how the much-publicized Greek economic crisis is affecting the country’s filmmaking community.