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Rock Camp for Girls - Montreal

April 2, 2013 • Julia Horel

Celebrate Rock Camp for Girls Montreal’s Fifth Anniversary with Us!

Through its five years of existence, Rock Camp for Girls Montreal has been entirely self-funded and volunteer-run. Rock Camp for Girls Montreal has grown from its first year of 18 campers and 20 volunteers to an established community presence that puts on a Showcase Concert attended by hundreds of community members every year.

Rock Camp for Girls Montreal is now accepting applications for Summer 2013! Camp will take place Monday July 22 to Friday July 26th at the Sala Rossa with a Showcase Concert on Saturday July 27.

Check out our short documentary film about the Summer 2012 camp on YouTube

What’s Rock Camp?

Rock Camp for Girls is a 5 day music camp where girls learn and practice instruments, form a band and write a song together, and perform at the Showcase Concert! Rock Camp is a space where girls discover and express their talents, and become leaders in creating their own kind of music!

Who can apply?

Any girl who will be between the ages of 10 and 17 at the time of camp may apply. You do not need to have any musical experience or own instruments to attend! Rock Camp for Girls Montreal welcomes campers who identify as female, trans, and gender non-conforming.

How to apply:

All the forms you need in order to apply are available on our website under “Apply Now!”. Apply to attend camp before May 1 at midnight. Volunteer applications coming soon!

Have questions?

Contact us at:

info@girlsrockmontreal.org

www.girlsrockmontreal.org
That’s Rockist! A racialized experience of listening to western rock music Part I

January 28, 2013 • Raisa Bhuiyan

flash photography (http://senkrada999.tumblr.com/)

Worn out leather jackets.

Black skinny pants.

Studded accessories.

Groupies. Lots of groupies.

Cowboy boots.

Unkempt hair.

Glamourous makeup.

Despair.

Joy.

Smashing guitars in hotel rooms and getting caught in Tokyo for trying to smuggle marijuana into Japan.

These terms and phrases reflect only some of the things that have come to inform the public imagination about what makes up the image of a rock star.

its not only rock and roll! (toxicomano @ flickr: http://www.flickr.com/people/toxicomano666/)

While a careful and thoughtful analysis of pinpointing the precise social, economic and cultural factors for why rock music in the West suddenly became so pretentious deserves a completely different blog post altogether, I believe it can arguably be said that there are indeed certain elitist values, beliefs and stories that contemporary western rock music romanticizes and perpetuates.

Some of these stories include believing that western rock music is the only “pure” form of music out there since it doesn’t involve the use of manufactured, artificial, lip-synched or auto-tuned sounds like all the other music of today.

In this kind of story, there is the assumption that western rock music is far more superior in form and content because it is “more raw.” After all, the singers sing and write their own songs and heck, these artists must have toured dive bars for years, so they must be good because the people of dive bars really know good music!

Another story told about western rock music is that it is THE MUSIC of youth rebellion, despair and sadness.

You can’t really be as sad as you say you are if you haven’t listened to that infinite Cure playlist I made for you last week.

In my opinion, the most frustrating story told about western rock music is that if you don’t know and internalize everything there is to know about a particular band that you like (how they formed, what went into making each album, where they are now), then you’re not really a “good” or “true” fan. (more inside…)
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Coming Out Wrong with Jesse Dangerously

December 5, 2012 • Anne Thériault

Halifax rap legend Jesse Dangerously is known for using his music to combat sexism, racism, fat-phobia, homophobia, and a whole lot of other toxic stuff that we encounter in our day to day lives. Dangerously, who is now based out of Ottawa, recently released a song called Coming Out Wrong on the Fun Razor Mix Tape (a collaborative album put together by artists participating in and raising funds for the NOFRIENDS tour).

Coming Out Wrong, which was made over the beat from Tribe One’s Different, totally blew me away; it was so unlike any other hip hop song I’d ever heard. In Coming Out Wrong, Dangerously talks about his struggles with gender identity, and the effect those struggles had on him as he made his way through school and out into the hip hop world. These were all issues that I’d never even heard mentioned in a rap song before, let alone discussed in such detail, and listening to this track gave me a lot of FEELINGS.

[YouTube video of Jesse Dangerously singing “Coming Out Wrong.” Transcription at the end of this post.]

I recently had the chance to talk to Jesse Dangerously about this song, and he had some incredibly personal, informative and fascinating things to say – check out our Q&A below!

Q: So this is a really amazing and intense song! Can you talk a bit about what it was like to release a song like this in the hip hop community, which tends to be pretty dominated by heterosexual men?(more inside…)
Guest Post: Stand up for Pussy Riot, stand up for yourself

August 20, 2012 • Guest Blogger

By Kasia Mychajlowycz

Last Friday, more than 100 people got together in Toronto to protest the guilty verdict and two-year sentence handed down to Russian punk rock performance artists Pussy Riot. There was punk music, chalk drawings, drumming, chanting, costumes—everything that makes a good, peaceful protest. And, of course, the media.

In a way, I am “the media.” I’ve recently finished my master’s degree in journalism, and I’m wrapping up an internship at a great magazine. But I was raised in activism, mostly of the “save the trees/support the arts” kind. Many journalists have said that you can’t be a journalist and an activist at the same time; it used to be convention that journalists didn’t even vote, so they could say they were “neutral.” Nowadays, journalism still clings to that idea even as we realize how impossible it is to be both human and neutral, especially if the job of journalism is to “comfort the afflicted and afflict the uncomfortable,” i.e. challenge the status quo, the way things are, and ask “but why?”

(Kasia Mychajlowycz)

But when I found out three members of Pussy Riot were jailed for months for SINGING A SONG in a Moscow church that spoke out against Russian President Vladimir Putin, I couldn’t stay silent. (more inside…)
The Greatest Band You’ve Never Heard Of: Fifth Column

June 15, 2012 • Guest Blogger

Before Bikini Kill, before MEN, hell – before the Indigo Girls – there was Fifth Column. Fifth Column was a queer-as-hell punk band comprised of young art students from Toronto in the early 1980s, now immortalized in the recent documentary film, She Said Boom: The Story of Fifth Column directed by Kevin Hegge.

Fifth Column was an all-girl band, which was just about the most political thing that could happen to the misogynist music industry of the 1980s. A rock musician from the 1980s is usually imagined as a metalhead dude with long, puffy hair, and tight jeans. Bands like Mötley Crüe and Poison even forming their own subgenre of “cock rock,” characterized by callous displays of male aggression and heterosexuality. Even hardcore music, which was rock music for misfits, wasn’t particularly friendly towards women. In this climate, Fifth Column stands out not just for being comprised of women, but women who were outspokenly feminist and queer.

(http://thetfs.ca/2012/04/27/he-said-boom-talking-fifth-column-fe)

In true punk rock fashion, Fifth Column began without the band members knowing how to play their instruments. (more inside…)
Ad·ver·sary: Making a statement in the industrial music scene

May 22, 2012 • Julia Horel

PLEASE NOTE: The video discussed in this post contains racist and sexist language, as well as violent imagery. The video is not hosted on this page. A censored transcript is found here, with a link to the video.

–—

The Kinetik festival (May 17-20 this year in Montreal) is an international festival of electro-industrial music. Toronto-based act Ad·ver·sary (Jairus Khan) was scheduled to play his set ahead of two bands he has openly criticized for using highly sexist and racist lyrics and imagery:

It was when I got booked to play Kinetik, and I found out that I was scheduled to open for Nachtmahr and Combichrist. Given how strongly I feel about the way they do what they do, I didn’t think I could just get up there and play and pretend as though I wasn’t going to be followed by these two acts that I’ve openly criticized. I actually considered just cancelling my performance, and being done with it. I don’t want to be associated with what they do, and I don’t want to be a support act for them, even in a festival setting …
- interview at idieyoudie.com

During the last five minutes of his set, Jairus showed a multimedia presentation speaking out against the use of violence, sexism and racism by Nachtmahr and Combichrist, using direct examples from their work to make his point.

(Mark Edwards (http://residualtraces.com/blog/13497388/ad-ver-sar)

Please be aware that some visual examples of violence, sexism and racism are used in the video. Because of the nature of some of the imagery used, the video will not be embedded here. You can find the video, a full interview with Jairus, a response from the other bands, and a spirited discussion in comments at idieyoudie.com.

Transcript found below.

(more inside…)
- Arts
- Playlist
All-new Abstract Random

February 28, 2012 • Julia Horel

Rap electro dub hop feminist group Abstract Random has released a new album, and we are stoked! (We’re big fans.) So stoked that we’re featuring a profile on the band in our upcoming issue (Spring 2012) - keep an eye out for that.

From their website: “abstract random is a three human animal in facepaint and costume under a video projection. they call the wordsoundbeat electro dub hop bringing back feminist political cool.”

If you don’t know Abstract Random, here are some great places to start:

The new album, Siren Songs, is available for purchase (name your price!), streaming, embedding and/or sharing.

The new video, for the single “Playdead.”

The band website, where you can get all the info about the band, music, tour and more.
Montreal event: Rock out with Rock Camp March Break Party!

February 27, 2012 • Julia Horel

Rock Camp for Girls Montreal fourth annual Community Day. Join past campers and volunteers for an afternoon dance party and hear the camper songs from 2011!

WHAT:
Rock Camp for Girls Montreal’s Community Day - Thinking about participating in Rock Camp for Girls? Want to volunteer? Come out to our fourth annual Community Day and get a chance to mix and mingle with campers, volunteers, and find out just how awesome Rock Camp is!

WHEN:
Saturday March 3rd, 1pm-4pm.

WHERE:
Le Cagibi 5490 St. Laurent (@ St. Viateur) Bus 55 or Metro Laurier/Rosemont.

INFORMATION:
For general information, visit www.girlsrockmontreal.org or call (514) 570-8446.

Rock Camp for Girls Montreal hosts its fourth annual Community Day. On Saturday March 3rd, we will be hosting an open house where interested people and community members can mix and mingle with past campers and volunteers. DJ’s Hot Rock, Captain my Captain and NOMNRYN will be playing lady-centric rock’n’roll to keep you movin’ all afternoon long! Our DJ’s will also be playing the 2011 camper songs thought the afternoon. The event will be catered with yummy snacks provided by Le Cagibi. Open to all, this is a unique opportunity to learn more about Rock Camp for Girls Montreal from the campers, volunteers and camp coordinators, while re-living the magic of last year’s session. Event starts at 1pm at Le Cagibi.

A not-for-profit organization, Rock Camp for Girls Montreal serves girls ages 10-17 from the Montreal region, and beyond. The camp’s communities days are an important part of building a community of support for girls and young women. They are an occasion to get together outside of regular camp hours, to reconnect with peers and mentors, celebrate their achievements and outreach to interested community members. This year’s Community Day would not be possible without a grant from the Girls Action Foundation.

Rock Camp for Girls Montreal is a music camp where girls get together to learn and make music in the name of empowerment and community building. Rock Camp is a space where girls discover and express their talents, and become leaders in creating their own kind of cultural production through music. Female musicians and community members support girls through instrument instruction, tech tutorials, band practice and skill-building workshops. The goal is for girls to rock in all aspects of life!

Rock Camp for Girls Montreal is a music and mentoring organization dedicated to empowering girls and women from the greater Montreal region through music education and activities that foster self-respect, leadership skills, creativity, self-expression, critical thinking, and collaboration. Rock Camp for Girls Montreal is a member of the Girls Rock Camp Alliance. There are currently over 40 Girls Rock Camps internationally.

For the latest updates and information, visit: www.girlsrockmontreal.org
Putting together an alternative playlist

December 21, 2011 • Sarah Feldbloom

Readers! Listeners!

Shameless wants to put together a podcast of music by women, trans, genderqueer and non-binary folk that comes through non-mainstream channels, from parts of the world that often feel out of reach for those of us in Canada. Can you help us?

Send songs through sendspace.com or another online file sharing program to sfeldbloom@shamelessmag.com, and email some notes about the artist – where they come from, who they are, and what’s awesome about them and their music. How wonderful will it be to hear this playlist?! We’d love to get some of your title ideas too!
- Activist Report
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2011: A Shameless Retrospective

December 20, 2011 • Team Shameless

What a year! People say that every year as they bid the previous one adieu but 2011 has been full of world events that have shocked and touched us. Worry is one of the words that comes to mind when we think about 2011. From worry over the economy to fretting about our political climate, it’s clear the past year was fraught with events that, despite the fast pace of our lives, has caused us to pause and reflect. However, many events have given us lots of reason to hope and to be proud.

Here are just a few of the events and items of the past year that have caught the attention of some of your Shameless team members. We throw it to you to leave links, comments and discussion-starters in the comment section.

In keeping with the themes of the three print issues Shameless released this year, we offer you some jumping-off points:

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Music in 2011

Wild Flag (self-titled album): One of Rolling Stone’s best albums of the year, including former members of Sleater Kinney, Mary Timony (ex-riot grrrl bands). [Co-founder Nicole Cohen says: “I am obsessed with this album; so so so good.”]

On a Mission, Katy B: A major breakthrough in the dubstep music genre, as it crossed over into pop consciousness. A UK release. [Web director Julia Horel can’t stop listening to it.]

What music did you love this year?

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Politics in 2011:

The Northern Ontario Indigenous community of Attawapiskat declared a state of emergency in light of a housing and supply crisis … and no one came. Help has since been slow in coming and has been mostly inappropriate and inadequate. This is a humanitarian crisis, but it’s also political because it has occurred due to colonial government policies.

(more inside…)