Posted in September 2011 …

Sep 27 2011
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Comedy, Fringe, Genius

Dan Bingham’s "Adopt This!"

Way back in June, the Montreal landscape was painted in brilliance, as the 21st edition of the Montreal Fringe Festival ran its course. There were over 100 shows to see, and we did our best to catch as many of them as was humanly possible, though we came up short. Fortunately, some of the shows we got to see really stood out, and one of them in particular struck a chord in many a fringer’s hearts. Here’s what our original review of the show stated:

It’s incredible what you can learn about a person in 60 minutes, it really is. It’s also incredible to see how much you can relate to someone whose life has almost nothing in common with yours. Dan Bingham has chosen to share the story of his upbringing with the world, and I’m warning you: It’s both a tearjerker and a funny story. Bingham’s upbringing was a rough one, to say the least, and it’s a feat in itself that he turned out to be a generally nice guy (from what I can tell) as well as a great comedian.

Dan’s somehow found a way to appeal to the mildly geeky side of his audience, throwing in references to Star Trek (you can’t tell me that the wording “wrath of John” was an accident), Lord of the Rings, Star Wars…and throwing in made up words like “booknologist” and “scottisher” definitely added to the overall tone of the show. I love the way the whole act was written and put together, and I love the way it was delivered.

A bit short, but you get the point: This show was awesome. It was so loved that it made the Bloody Underrated Fringe Top 5 for Montreal, and it went on to win the Just For Laughs award for best comedy of the Fringe. Now, lucky for any of you who haven’t seen it and live in/near Montreal, Dan’s remounting the show for 3 more nights at the end of September before leaving the country for a few months. Who knows if it’ll ever run again?

Don’t just take my word for it though. I asked the newest member of the B.U. family, Victoria, to share her thoughts on Dan’s show, and here’s what she had to say:

The influence of Dan Bingham’s years of experience as a stand-up comedian is evident in “Adopt This!,” his first foray into solo theatrical performance. A hilarious and charming man with a well-hidden dark side, he confidently and flawlessly melds drama with comedy in this honest, moving piece. “Adopt This!” was one of the best Montreal FRINGE shows of 2011 and deserved every ounce of its considerable hype and success.

This comes from the woman who hates most of the things I make her see. That’s gotta mean something! Beyond Vic, I also reached out to B.U. friend Rose Jang, former Just For Laughs intern and current multimedia workaholic, who had this to say:

Adopt This is more a monologue with many laugh-out-loud moments than it is a comedy show. I say this because while Dan Bingham’s show is very funny, its emotional depth should not be overlooked. I saw 20 shows at this year’s Montreal Fringe Festival, and Adopt This was by far the stand-out. Dan is a hugely likeable performer, and the monologue format suits him well. His story is very engaging, and everyone in the audience hung on to every word of his journey. The comedic moments didn’t feel forced, and although we spent the hour laughing, a tear sprung to my eye at the show’s close – the sign of a masterful performer, if ever there was one.

Now if that doesn’t make you go see this show, nothing will. Adopt This runs at Théatre St-Catherine at these times:

Thurs SEPT 29th @ 8pm
Friday SEPT 30th @ 8pm
Friday SEPT 30th @ 10pm
Saturday OCT 1st @ 8pm
Saturday OCT 1st @ 10pm

….and it will be AWESOME. Dan’s lined up a bunch of special guests to open the show, including Joey Elias, Andrea Stanford, and more! GO GO GO! Tickets are 12$ for students or adoptees, 15$ for everyone else, and they’re available by phone at 514-284-3939.

See you there!

-Al, B.U.

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Sep 26 2011
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Burlesque

The Blood Ballet Cabaret Presents: Where in the World is Carmen San Diego?

The world of burlesque is one that doesn’t get nearly enough coverage, and I’m sad to say that B.U. is partially part of the problem….until now! Last night, I headed over to the Belmont, and finally got to see a Blood Ballet Cabaret show. The theme for the night was Carmen San Diego, so the kid in me was intrigued, and I couldn’t resist. I hadn’t seen a burlesque show in about a month, that’s too damn long!

My first and favourite surprise of the night was the appearance of the ever-so-sexy Sherwin, creator of the Strip Spelling Bee (next one’s this friday at 10) & Slowdance Nights (next one’s this saturday!), and all-around entertaining pervert. Flaunting a great red dress, Sherwin spent the night introducing performers and spewing out random facts about the countries being featured, and the occasional inappropriate joke. Needless to say, he was entertaining as hell….but not nearly as much as the beautiful performers who owned the stage in between his spots.

There were 13 different numbers on last night, so it seems a bit ridiculous to go through each of them in detail, but here’s some of the stuff you missed: Ever seen a contortionist do crazy stuff while hanging from a chain in the middle of a small bar? You might have, but it’s still something wicked to witness. The crowd was definitely pleased with Petite Pandora’s display of flexibility and complete lack of joints and/or a normal human skeleton. A man named Julian put on a hoola-hoop show while slowly removing his clothes. Extra points to him for somehow finding a remix of Dev’s “Bass Down Low” that didn’t make me want to kill myself. Well played, sir! Furious Nina strutted her stuff to the tunes of India and Spain/Mexico, offering two good performances that made great use of her sidekick, who appears to be nameless.

For all the fire-lovers in the crowd, the cherry blossom-covered Sakura put on a dazzling show with her lit fans, effectively drawing in the audience early on in the night. Later on, Pyrometheus overcame the effects of a bad DJ/sound tech and put on an incredible show featuring a fiery twirling baton and some other fiery props which I cannot name, one of which nearly set a man on fire. Who doesn’t love people toying with flames? I’m always impressed when people do fire tricks that are that close to bare skin, it’s so easy to mess it up and get scarred for life. It makes me nervous for the performers, and no cabaret show is complete without a little bit of fear!

Penny Romanoff exposed both Egypt and Italy in two separate numbers, both of which had me hootin’ and hollerin’, as good numbers do. For her Egypt piece, Penny began the night draped in a mummy outfit, and seductively clawed her way out of it. You know how they say the quickest way to a man’s heart is through his stomach? For her Italian number, Penny combined comedy, cooking and plain ol’ sex appeal to put on a show that left me hungry for more. Yep, I went for the easy pun. Forgive me!

The biggest crowd-pleaser of the night appears to have been a number performed by Miss Josephine & Sucre à la Crème, who put on a comical piece set in Norway, and featuring a woman and a…wolf? Polar Bear? Some sort of creature that implies snow is around. Miss Josephine’s tremendous stage presence really made this number memorable, as did Sucre à la Crème’s animalistic behaviours. Sucre à la Crème also got huge pops from the crowd for her solo number in the second part of the show, which featured an hommage to CSI:Miami and a bra that looked like a pair of sunglasses. I loved it!

Though the Norway piece had the crowd laughing and cheering, the star of the show, Carmen San Diego (aka Miss Bloody Mary Anne) tore the roof off of the Belmont with her second number of the night, which didn’t have a specific theme and thus swam freely in the sea of seduction. (Again, I apologize for my terrible writing. Blame Sherwin, he likes to take the blame for things.)

Overall, it was a great way to spend the night, and for the low price of 10$, the entertainment value would be hard to beat. The Blood Ballet Cabaret (I always want to call them the BBC, but it doesn’t feel right) put on events pretty regularly throughout the year, so we here at Bloody Underrated can’t wait ’til the next one comes! You can follow the Blood Ballet Cabaret on their website, or on Facebook, or you can just keep checking into BU and we’ll let you know when they’re coming back!

Cheers!

-B.U.

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Sep 24 2011
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Music, Vic

Extra Happy Ghost!! + Elgin Skye, 21/09/11: The B.U. Review

POP Montreal is in full swing this week with tons of amazing shows and bands. The first night of the festival was Wednesday, September 21st and Bloody Underrated hit up Le Cagibi for four hours of uninterrupted tunes and good times. Read on to find out what went down!

First up that night was indie quartet Seniorhand. A quirky little band: in addition to a lead vocalist on keyboard and a bassist, these guys brilliantly juxtaposed a children’s drum kit with a rich, haunting violin. I wasn’t a huge fan of the singer’s voice (or lack thereof – he sort of talked the songs and on the rare occasions that he directly addressed the audience, he was barely audible) but the music was definitely engaging. The abrupt and frequent changes of pace in each song could have easily gone badly and been jarring and unpleasant, but instead they just succeeded in keeping the audience on their toes. Seniorhand’s energy onstage is irresistibly captivating. They started their set and switched songs sans banter, like they didn’t give a shit what we thought, they were just out for a good time. I also overheard the singer asking someone before the show about whether they were able to give away their leftover comp tickets to anyone who showed up and didn’t have ten dollars. These guys represent the inherent love of music and pure, raw need to create which defines the indie experience, and they were a perfect way to start off the POP Montreal festivities.

Next up: Pat LePoidevin, you had me at “Fire.” That was the first song in this extremely talented man’s set, and I still can’t stop thinking about it. LePoidevin is confident yet humble, the sort of musician to leap offstage and play an acoustic song in the middle of the room “cuz, I don’t know, I just like to” – in short, absolutely charming. His voice ranges from a deep, soulful low to the highest, most plaintive notes, beautiful and pure. That combined with his masterful use of the loop pedal seem to give this solo artist the strength of four. His earthy sounds are interspersed with catchy, uplifting beats. I don’t think it’s possible to listen to “Rocket Boy” without a smile on your face. His music, though unquestionably soft, packs a mean punch. It is inexplicably powerful, will reach in, touch your soul and leave you breathless.

LePoidevin was not an easy act to follow, but somehow, Elgin Skye pulled it off – after rushing to the venue from a 14-hour shift as registration coordinator for POP Montreal, no less. This adorable hipster had the audience eating out of the palm of her hand from sound check, when she treated us all to an acoustic rendition of “Milkshake.” Now, we here at Bloody Underrated have praised this artist’s talent and charm to no end (see BUP31), but I cannot stress enough what a joy it is to see her perform live. As she hunches over her guitar, knees turned in, and serenades the audience with her unbelievable voice, she is incandescent. From her small frame emerge a rich voice and, occasionally, strange, animalistic yips which enliven slower, softer songs. Her lyrics, beautiful in their simplicity, are moving. “Statues,” a song which literally made me rush out and pay twenty dollars for a cheap ukulele, is barely two minutes long and yet touches me in a way I can’t even explain. To be totally honest, I may be a little biased – Elgin Skye is one of the kindest, most genuine people I have ever met. It’s this sincerity, I think, which emerges in her music and infuses it with pure beauty.

Capping off the night was Extra Happy Ghost!! This band marked a definite shift in musical style and mood. As the night was winding down, the sound got harsher, bursting the calm, sweet, peaceful bubble the previous bands had contrived to form around me. I’m not a fan of noise music, and to me the beautiful songs these guys were able to produce – the lead singer had a truly great voice, and he and the keyboardist created some really lovely melodies – were ruined when they would start to melt into loud, unpleasant ambient noise. I appreciate that Extra Happy Ghost!! offered some significant contrast to the other acts of the night, and that their music and energy were enjoyed by most of the rest of the audience, but I would personally have liked to end the evening on a higher note.

Pop Montreal is winding down as this article goes up, but if you’d like to check out anything that’s happening this weekend, their whole program is available right here. Go out and see some shows!

-Vic, B.U.

P.S.: Vic took about 5 pages of notes during this show to write this review, Al took about three lines. Al’s thoughts: “Pat Lesomethingsomething = wicked voice. Elgin Skye = awesome as always, beautiful voice, my ears are pleased. EHG = The fuck is this? Keeps getting almost good then turning bad. Robin Bastien would love this.” That is all.

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Sep 23 2011
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Al, Theatre

India Kim

Last night, I skipped out on Arcade Fire’s free gig at Place Des Arts to go see a play called India Kim. I don’t much care for Arcade Fire, so that was an easy choice to make, really…but I’m not so crazy about what I ended up experiencing, either. ***Heads up: You’re about to enter the land of spoilers.***

India Kim is the story of a man who is flying from New York to India to go visit a girl he theoretically loves. Unfortunately, when he lands in Paris for his layover, he is informed that he needs a visa to enter India, and therefore cannot board his second flight to complete his trip. It will take 4 days for him to get the visa, so he must kill some time in Paris. So far, so good, right? Right. So he’s in Paris, and he engages two girls at a cafe in a lengthy discussion about the state of arts, and its history and development in New York versus its development in Paris. Throughout this, he’s a bit of a jerk. Actually, he’s properly wanky. After the girls disappear, he decides to go to a strip club that turns out to be a brothel. He’s being a dick there as well, so the owner drugs him and robs him. I believe this is the end of act one, although a day later, it’s all a bit of a blur.

The man wakes up in an alley, covered in dirt and urine. He discovers that he stills has 60$, so he buys some smokes and a coffee at a coffee shop, and checks his emails. Naturally, since he just got robbed and has no credit, no id, no passport, no anything, he doesn’t write to anyone asking for help. That would just be crazy. Instead, he wanders over to a park and sits on a bench, miserable. Some hobo is walking along, spewing out some pretty decent lines in French about the beauty of art and life and self-destruction. The hobo sits beside our main character, who proceeds to talk to him a whole lot, mostly like he’s talking to himself. The hobo does not respond. Main character gives the hobo a cigarette. Hobo gives the main character some slippers. Then, for the next little while, main guy hangs out in various places, being a hobo. The girls from the cafe spot him under a bridge and ask if he needs help. He’s lost his mind a bit by then, so he just talks to them as if nothing’s wrong. They leave. He goes to a park. He goes to a cafe. He starts hearing music in his head and dancing to it. A police officer appears, approaches him, and touches him. Curtain. The end.

Ok, so here’s what I had trouble with. First of all, the main character is neither a protagonist or an antagonist. He starts off as a douchebag who is supposedly trying to better himself and stay true to his word, flying across the world to go visit an ex-girlfriend that he still loves. If he wasn’t being an asshole all the time, he’d be likable, and I might root for him, but there’s nothing about his actions or his thoughts that bring me over to his side. Kim sounds lovely, and he doesn’t sound like he deserves her, so all I’m thinking is that he shouldn’t win, unless he changes. Then, when he founds out he needs a visa to go to India, he fires his assistant for not getting him one (but doesn’t tell her the reason she’s being fired). Really, man? You’ve travelled the world a bunch of times but you didn’t think to verify your need for a visa? Luckily, the writing of the first part is good enough that I can keep watching, and sincerely want to know where this goes. Kim sounds excited to see him, and I want to see that happen and know how their story turns out. I want to know if he’s gonna stop being an ass. So when the intermission comes after he’s been robbed, I have an actual interest in the next part. When he wakes up an he’s a wreck, he just gives up on everything, immediately. He checks his email and talks about how his life sucks, and does nothing to fix it. He just drops everything. It doesn’t seem to make him happier, it doesn’t make him any less of an asshole, nothing is gained. For the rest of the play, all he does is moan, and he gains zero sympathy from me. By the end, when he starts dancing to imaginary music, you start to see that maybe he is changing, maybe he does want to live for something, maybe he is going to find a way to go see Kim….but then the play ends, without providing any sort of actual ending. He just dances his crazy dance and then it’s done. What am I supposed to take away from that?

Second, the scene changes in this were a bit much. Those were some long pauses, and it ruined the flow of the play. Some of the scenes felt irrelevant, and some were way too short, and didn’t need such exhaustive transitions. It definitely took a lot away from the play as a whole.

Third, there’s Kim. There isn’t much of a background generated for the relationship between main guy and Kim, except that he pushed her away because she was too young and he felt dirty and old. And that’s really all we get. We also know that she was raised in a hippyish fashion, and that she’s seeking inner peace in India. Why does she like our main character? Who knows. Why would we want them to reunite? Again, no clue. For a play called India Kim, you’d think we would have heard more information about Kim. Of course, it’s easy just to look at Kim and see her as a symbol of renewal, an ideal place where main guy can be a decent fellow…but he doesn’t seem to give a damn about this idea at all. His refusal to change is aggravating and in no way endearing, and their whole relationship feels unreal and unbelievable.

Look, there were some redeeming aspects to this play. The soundtrack to it is great, Billie Holiday automatically scores you extra points in my book. The hobo’s french ramblings are excellent, and they somewhat succeed in driving the point of the play home, I suppose. The first act, in general, could have used a bit more work but generally came off as acceptable. But overall, this play needs some re-writing and a way better ending. It’s as simple as that. And that’s all.

-B.U.

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Sep 18 2011
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Al, Theatre

The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee

Processed Theatre, can you produce a bad show? Can it even be done? It seems that Processed are on a hot streak, which is currently being continued with their current production of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, which is running at Mainline Theatre until Saturday, September 24th.

The show’s running with an amazing cast, with every actor/actress absolutely nailing their characters, and bringing to life intensely different personalities. It helps that they’re backed by a strong script that’s been praised repeatedly, but the cast’s actual ability to pull it all together is what makes this show amazing. If even a single character was off, the whole chemistry of this one would be ruined, but luckily that’s not the case. Their execution is excellent from the very beginning to the very end. Everyone in this play appears to have been blessed with good lungs and great pipes, creating wonderful harmonies throughout the show.

The inclusion of actual audience members as contestants in the spelling bee is a great touch, adding in an extra element of comedy to the production. The cast had no trouble dealing with the different outcomes of the audience participants’ spelling, or ad-libbing when it was needed. Gotta love it when a crew can deal with the occasional improv bits that are being thrown at them.

What else can I say? I loved this play, and every last one of you should go see this and enjoy it. Tickets are 23$ each, or 68$ if you buy 4 of them. That’s a hell of a deal, and it’s worth every penny, promised! All showtimes and ticketing info is available here.

Go! Go! Go!

-B.U.

P.S.: I can’t publish this post without highlighting one cast member in particular. Though her name escapes me, the girl playing the role of Olive completely blew me away. Great voice and great characterization, I loooooved her performance. “I Love You Song was my favourite song from the whole show, largely due to her wonderful performance. Again, I don’t mean that the rest of the cast wasn’t good: The whole ensemble is fantastic. Now go see it!

P.P.S.: It’s Shannon Hamilton who plays Olive. Thanks, Shayne.

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Sep 17 2011
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Al, Festival, Film

The International Freeski Film Festival (IF3)

Well, this is certainly a first for our odd little blog. A ski film festival. It’s not really the type of thing we do, but but we decided to give this one a shot. There’s a lot of training involved in freeski and it’s a really impressive form of athleticism to witness, so IF3 seemed like a great place to get briefly immersed in the sport. Here’s their official website, go check it out for yourself!

Friday afternoon saw the first batch of screenings at Imperial Theater, and it was a good one. The first film of the day was a short one by FollowUs, which documented the duo’s simultaneous competing in two different competitions, on two different continents. Infused with comedic spots, this one was basically just a chronicle of two guys getting pumped and performing. Both gentlemen did well at their respective competitions, and it all made for a good film, but it would have been improved by a reunion of the two at the end, since it began with a separation. But maybe that’s just the film critic in me talking, not the ski fan.

Next up was One Love, a longer piece featuring tons of talent and a fantastic soundtrack. My personal favorite segment was Dominik Hartmann’s injury and general hilarity. There’s nothing like a failed stunt to make a crowd go “oooooh”, and the audience seeing this film really dug it. There was a great use of dropped frames to enhance the early shots, and the clip rotation really showcased each athlete’s skills clearly. The whole film was really well put together, and I loved it.

Third on the bill was another shorty called “Away”, which was more on the artsy side, as the short ones tend to be. Though most of the shots were decent, I couldn’t help but get distracted by the terrible song that was picked to accompany the whole thing. It was an ok film, but it could have used more development. Nevertheless, there were plenty of good shots in there.

The fourth film of the afternoon was supposed to be Chimaera, but due to technical difficulties, it was pulled. It can still be viewed at Powdermag, however. Instead of Chimaera, a film called Broken Record was projected, to the delight of all who were present, by the sounds of it. There were good doses of chants and clapping throughout this one, which I also enjoyed. The segments felt more personal than in the other films, especially when it came to Katrina Hollekim’s piece. The scenery shots in Norway were breathtaking, and the lighting in the urban shots was nearly flawless. The soundtrack wasn’t ideal, but it still made for a hell of a film. Time flew by on this one.

Unfortunately, that’s all we managed to catch, and we will be unable to provide further coverage of the event. We’d love to catch the awards ceremony tonight and the rest of the films, but will be unable to do so due to a scheduling mishap. I highly encourage anyone and everyone who’s into ski to check this festival out though, it’s a great way to spend a weekend. There’s some heavy partying involved as well and the Red Bull flows freely, so go have a blast. Tonight is Sean Pettit’s Rock party at Metropolis, it’s sure to be a great time. And the last film being projected tomorrow night is 2 Frogs Dans L’Ouest, which features this track by the lovely Stéphanie Robert, whose beautiful voice has me won over.

Wish we had more to say, but it’ll have to wait until next year!

-B.U.

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Sep 16 2011
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Al, Genius

Tequila Mockingbird Orchestra + Santosh’s Solo Freakshow, 15/09/11: The B.U. Review

How is it that I end up seeing TMO here in Montreal at l’Esco, right after I get back from a trip to their hometown of Montreal? Odd. But for a band that’s on the road as much as these guys are, I guess it makes perfect sense.

Santosh’s Solo Freakshow

The night started off with a voyage through the mind and musical ability of sir Santosh Lalonde, of Bad Uncle and The Unsettlers (and if you listen to our podcast, you already know we have a hard-on for those guys), who was performing alone. The man’s got music in his veins and madness in his brain, and he pumped out song after song with tremendous energy and skill. It’s hard to describe Santosh’s style, really. It’s part folk, part roots, part blues, and it’s all mended together in a unique way. Using a clarinet, an accordion, a drum set, a toy keyboard and a guitar, Santosh sung tales of his spirit animal (the bullfrog, who knew?), of a mortal/immortal enemy of his, of his love of nicotine and of various other topics, each more intriguing than the last. I’ll have some footage of that performance available shortly, but for now you’ll just have to trust me when I say that you must catch a Santosh show if you see one listed. It’s an experience you won’t regret or soon forget.

Tequila Mockingbird Orchestra

I’ve heard many people describe these guys as gypsy-ska, which is an interesting term, but doesn’t feel quite right to me. Alt-roots feels a bit closer to the mark, but still doesn’t cover it. Regardless, these terms are just labels, and labels have nothing to do with the actual capacity of these guys to create and perform some fantastic music. TMO were absolutely on fire last night, tearing L’Esco a new one well into the night. Pulling songs from both of their records as well as their newly recorded but currently unreleased EP, TMO brought their bilingual brilliance to the stage with fervour and might. Yes, might. You can feel the passion emanating from these gentlemen as they perform, and you can’t help but get on your feet and dance. A TMO show is no place to sit around, and sit around the crowd did not. After playing one hell of a set on stage, the guys got unplugged, formed a small circle within the crowd, and played two more acoustic songs, gaining even more love from an already smitten audience. The show ended eleven hours ago, and already I’m craving more. It’ll have to wait until next year though, these guys are currently wrapping up a tour and getting off-road for a little bit. If you get to catch one of their gigs, please do, and then tell us about it! Here’s a sample of their music, in case you’ve never heard ‘em.

On another note, I’m really happy that this show was put on at L’Esco, because I had yet to step foot in that place in September, and had not seen the beautiful artwork that is on its walls this month September’s featured artist is Frederick Ouellet, whose intricate paintings have definitely won me over. He’s able to put so much detail into his work, I was highly impressed. If you’re into mildly dark paintings that hint of steampunk, then you should check out this man’s work. Here’s my favourite of the paintings that is currently on display at L’Esco, it’ll give you an idea of his style.

-B.U.

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