John Cameron Mitchell creates Sigur Rós music video about gay bullying
I’ve been a monumental fan of Hedwig and the Angry Inch since John Cameron Mitchell’s transexual punk rock musical first hit the small screen over a decade ago. I’ve introduced…
Sound
Punk rock video conveys the energy of Quebec’s Carré rouge
A Montreal punk rock band recently released “>Carré rouge, a fast-paced music video inspired by classic punk sounds, and carried by collective chants from the massive street demonstrations sparked by…
Beastie Boys’ Adam Yauch forbids commercial use of his music
Adam Yauch of the Beastie Boys (photo by Michael Morel). Late hip hop pioneer Adam “MCA” Yauch has explicitly prohibited any posthumous use of his music for corporate advertising. In…
Montreal-North stand up: part two – An interview with MC Emrical on the fourth anniversary of the death of Fredy Villanueva
While Chuck D’s famous phrase “Rap is CNN for black people,” has been quoted by countless ‘reality’ rappers, there are few artists who have embraced the concept as throughly as…
Rock stars demand Pussy Riot release – Feminist punk rockers jailed in Russia for performing "punk prayer" against Vladimir Putin
As Russian president Vladimir Putin visits London to engage in both Olympic and diplomatic shenanigans, several major British musicians, including Pete Townshend, Jarvis Cocker and Corinne Bailey Rae are calling…
Everyone Needs Their Heart – Vancouver’s Fugitives sing against Bill C-31
Adrian Glynn and Brendan McLeod aren’t known for writing music with a political slant. When he’s not writing gorgeous western-tinged melodic songs, Adrian joins Brendan in the Vancouver band, The…
99 musicians for the 99 percent – Occupy This Album features music by Yoko Ono, Tom Morello, Yo La Tango and others whose names have fewer o’s
If you support the Occupy movement, relish discovering new music, and are gainfully employed, then you seriously need to plunk down ten bucks and purchase Occupy This Album. An autonomous…
Watching them watching us – Monday Music Pick: Our Protection by LAL
The deeply political, community-committed, and talented LAL from Toronto, sing about surveillance with images from the Toronto G20 manifestations from two summers ago. LAL was formed in 1998 and is…
7th Berlin Binennale highlights political art – Curator Artus Zmijewski creates exhibition of activist art
When you go to the website for Berlin’s 7th Binennale, you encounter a stream of changing photographs from occupy and protest movements from around the world — Venezia, Toronto, Florence,…
Sonic solidarity for Ziba Kazemi – An interview with Iranian artist Shahrzad Arshadi
Portrait of artist Shahrzad Arshadi by Thien V (Montreal, March 2012). It Is Only Sound That Remains is a sound theatre performance by artist Shahrzad Arshadi, meditating on the life…
The studios are killing independent film – A fantastic Q interview with filmmaker Alex Cox
Yesterday’s Q show on CBC Radio One had a great interview with the director of REPO MAN and SID AND NANCY, Alex Cox. An outspoken critic of the studio system…
Artists invited to join Occupy Arts Committee – 3rd gathering in Montreal set for March 17
Bryant Park, Manhattan. Photo by Eric Walton Montreal artists are invited to join the growing collaboration of the Occupy Arts Committee, a gathering of artists from all disciplines who want…
Rush (band) pulls music from Rush (bigot)
North America has always been home to one good Rush and one evil Rush, but never have they engaged in battle … until now. Canadian prog rock legends Rush have…
Blackitude by Vox Sambou evokes the power of resistance
Today we bring you Blackitude, a new music video from Montreal hip-hop artist Vox Sambou, filmed in Batey San Luis in the Dominican Republic by Ariel Mota. This latest video…
Crowd sourcing a little curatorial control – National Gallery of Canada invites young artists to submit art & public to judge
"Beat Nation" at Grunt Gallery, Vancouver Calling young (aged 16-19) Canadian political artists. Here’s a chance to get your work noticed, publicized and into the National Gallery of Canada (NGC).…
Call for artists in support of ‘Occupy’ movement – Online, international platform for performances, installations, actions in real time
Project Lowlives is seeking artists for a global online live presentation of artistic work in support the Occupy movement. Lowlives: Occupy! will take place on March 3, 2012. From the…
Artists remember homeless man killed by Montreal police
On a cold winter day in Montreal this past Friday, January 6, police bullets took the life of Farshad Mohammadi, a Kurdish refugee from Iran who arrived in Canada seeking…
An ugly and remarkable tale about iEmpire – Storyteller turned investigative journalist learns what happens in an Apple factory
What do you get when you combine a master storyteller and investigative journalist? Mike Daisey is one answer, a storyteller and performer whose story about what happens inside an Apple…
23 political art stories from 2011
Washed Up by Alejandro Durán The New Year is officially upon us, but we want to take one last opportunity to look in the rear view mirror. Here are 23…
Christmas Time This Year – Happy holidays from us and Ry Cooder
On this Christmas Day, we’d like to wish you and those you love a most wonderful holiday season. And for those with gifts left to give (be you Orthodox Christian,…