Building blocks

So I’ve been hearing some things on the block, to say the least. Noteworthy live local shows I’ve witnessed in the past while include a dope open mic called Spit the Truth, as well as last week’s banger at Jupiter Room, Over-Exposed Thursdays.

The jam at Jupiter served as the jumpoff of what I sincerely hope becomes a long and prosperous career for wrecking-ball-hard crew

MurderFace. Genius Vampires (Re_Evolution and Masterbeater) and Art Cons (BK and Butter) both also slang piss, vinegar and musically alive hip hop by the jarful, and Ottawa neighbours and goodtime boys the Leathers made the crowd get wild with jackets, jazz hands and a Johnny Cash cover in the key of rap that fuckin’ killed.

A week earlier, Spit the Truth showcased as varied an array of styles as you could ask for with a night truly worthy of the adjective “open.” Organizers Rough Draft and Conn Shawnery invite advance sign-ups from MCs, singers and poets, as well as the potential for true, on-the-spot freestyle. Look them up for more details.

Both events helped me get to know a lot of people trying to make an impact. Little if any of what I saw could be rightly called wack. So why is it that so many artists I speak to one-on-one want to split Montreal? People have their reasons, but it really comes down to doing your job and grinding, as exhibited by every act I saw at each show. You build a city one block at a time. Don’t try to put your foot down before the concrete dries, see me?

To see what it really means to build, drop by the Stanley Y (1440 Stanley) next Thursday, April 29, at 6 p.m. and peep a free exhibit and award gala for Expressin’ Life, a multimedia arts workshop for girls aged 13 and 14, funded by the Black Community Resource Centre and mentored by a team of wonderful women in eight English schools across the island. Share the love.

DO YOUR JOB AND I PROMISE I’LL DO MINE...
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