McSweeney’s List (18 October, 2023)
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It's that time of year again, is on everyone's lips. Whether referring to flannel season, pumpkin spiced anything, or simply said with a tired sigh, we are all marking the changes. From my perspective, besides the style switch (my leggings are back in rotation, and layers adding up), I can't help but notice how dark it is.
Leaving for my muggle job, the sun is only beginning to creep up, and my mind flashes on memories. The sky looked that way before school too, the crisp air invigorating my day, thoughts of crushes and passing notes. The smells of deteriorating leaves and cigarette smoke remind me of my late teens and early twenties. My first forays into the workforce, my first professional commutes, fancy coffees in crappy cups.
The early sunset keeps catching me off guard. I'll get the sudden feeling that it's super late, that time has gotten away from me, only to realize that it's 7:30 PM. It's been adding a nice surprise to my evenings. It also makes even early nights out feel like a full on party. I'm able to squeeze in a sunset, some sparkling lights and maybe a smokey eye while still having time for PJs, popcorn, and a good night's sleep.
We aren't flipping our clocks for a few more weeks, and that will inevitably make things feel stranger. It's a ridiculous practice and we really should give it up. I tried explaining to my cat that shortly dinner would be an hour late because yadda yadda yadda, in 1908 Port Arthur, Ontario implemented Daylight Savings Time. Needless to say, the cat is unimpressed.
In another measure of time, this week CBC radio stopped doing its time stamp. Called "The Long Dash", this was the official time signal that said: "at the sound of the beep, the time will be 1 PM". Wait, I hear you asking, you mean to tell me radio still exists?! Don't be difficult, this isn't about that. The Long Dash ran for 84 years, linking Canadians, keeping trains run on time, and helping us all reset our stove clocks post-power failure, but pre-internet. They ended the tradition due to concerns about accuracy. With every new fangled quantum super sonic (or whatever) tech we invent, we can measure time more precisely. Our phones do it all by themselves, fractionally better than decades of linked up watches waiting to hear the beep. On one hand, I'm grateful I don't have to be that specific with my time. Nothing in my life requires that kind of accuracy, and I assure you that's for the best. On the other hand, I'm not sure that anyone needs that much specificity.
We invented time. Yes, we have sunrise, and seasons, and age, don't try to get tricky with me here, just follow along. Minutes do not inherently exist anymore than dollars and cents do. Both seconds and currency are built on concerns, agreements we've societally made so we can interact more efficiently. And so trains don't hit each other, to be practical. It feels strange that we get obsessively hung up on the accuracy of tiny made up things while ignoring the bigger picture. Maybe instead of worrying about the seconds we should let our schedules follow the sun. Maybe as a society we should check our collective mental health and broken sleep and make some drastic changes that bring us back to the time markers we don't control. We won't, of course. Just like the advent of email promised us shorter work weeks and instead delivered a 24/7 office, focusing on fake time can only bring us further from ourselves.
This is a permission note, Dear Reader, for you to follow your sense of natural, guttural time. In the grand scheme there will be changes that you know need making that aren't yet ripe. Your head will rail and your heart will spin, and you will feel that something should be done. Believe your inner schedule. When it's ready, it will be inevitable. In the day to day, the long nights are setting in. We will all find ourselves tired, quieter, craving different foods. Take that nap. Have that couch day. Roast all the vegetables. And maybe next time you want to check the time, ask yourself what you need instead.
ELEVATING VOICES
Women of Colour (& Friends!) express their comedic voices in new and vibrant ways!
After their success at Ladyfest 2023, They Go Low, We Go Laugh is back with more! It's a variety show where folx of colour and marginalized identities may do stand-up, improv, storytelling, solo sketch, a poem, a monologue, a song, you name it! - all in the name of shining a little bit more light in this world. I was lucky enough to catch them at Ladyfest this year, and they had me laughing till it hurt. The importance of Women's voices, especially the often silenced and ignored voices of Women of Colour can't be overstated. Having this show as a regular part of our local comedy scene makes me proud to be Montrealer. It gives me hope that we are finally creating the spaces necessary to showcase and honour marginalized and important voices.
This edition's lineup will be slaying: Featuring Raajiee Chelliah, Marlyne, Kiara Blanchette, Carmina Berbari Daou, and Zaid.
Message the organizers directly for PWYC tickets.
WHAT: They Go Low, We Go Laugh: Pumpkin Spice Spooky Season Edition
WHERE: Diving Bell Social Club, 3956 St Laurent Blvd., 3rd Floor, Montreal, H2W 1Y3
WHEN: Thursday, October 19, Doors @ 730 PM, Show @ 8 PM
METRO: St. Laurent (Green)
TICKETS: PlainStage
SO YOU WANT TO MAKE A PODCAST?
If you've never heard of Community Digital Arts Hub (CDAH), I'm glad to be the one to tell you about them. They're a group of fab folks selflessly dedicated to Montreal's artistic community. From photoshoots to podcast studios, they offer the spaces, equipment, and know-how to help you bring your project to the next level. They're eager, kind, and affordable, offering a sliding scale for marginalized people. Their upcoming workshop is Podcasting with podcaster and producer Tom Zalatnai, and they've got it all covered.
How do you start a podcast, from scratch, at home, with your own equipment? How can you build a home studio on a tight budget? How can you make yourself sound good without being a professional sound engineer? How do you keep your show exciting and fresh for yourself and your listeners long-term? In this workshop, we'll take you through the steps to create and launch your own podcast, the basics of DAWs and editing, and some tips and tricks to keep burnout and creative blocks as far away as humanly possible! This workshop is the perfect place for podcasters of all levels- whether you're just starting out and have no idea what you're doing, or you've been at it for awhile and want to find new ways to streamline the content creation process!
NOT FOR THE FAINT OF HEART
If your weekend needs loud, hard music, Turbo Haüs has got you covered.
Local legends The Great Sabatini have been serving up noise rock and sludge for 14 years, and they're still going strong.
Cell Press Montreal-based supergroup comprised of members who have done / are currently doing time in The Great Sabatini, Architect, Bleak, Swarm Of Spheres, Animal Ethics, The Chariot, I Hate Sally, Angles, Cruickshank, Biipiigwan, etc.
Obelisk released their album The Architecture of Suffering this summer, so expect to hear some of that!
Greber, from Cambridge, Ontario, play Kyfe grind / doom music, and I don't know what that is, but if you do, these are the guys for you. It's hard af, so bring your headbanging hair.
*Government ID Mandatory
WHAT: The Great Sabatini + Greber + Cell Press + Obelisk
WHERE: Turbo Haüs, 2040 Saint Denis St, Montreal, H2X 1E7
WHEN: Friday, October 20, 8 PM
METRO: Sherbrooke (Orange)
DETAILS: Facebook
HEY YOU
The wait is over, and Avery Jane's EP Hey You drops this Friday! It's pretty obvious that I'm a fan. I interviewed her here, her single Butter was on McSweeny's (Play)List last week, and frankly, I'm telling everyone everywhere that they should check her out. She'll be performing 5 songs from the EP live, so come catch her sing and toast to her success! The event is BYOB. Sponsored by Les Grands Bois and Le Seltzer, with every 10$+ donation at the door you receive a free drink!
WHAT: Hey You Launch Party
WHERE: Mike's Loft, 10 des Pins W., Unit 428, Montreal, H2W 1P9
WHEN: Friday, October 20, 9 PM - 11 PM
AFTERPARTY: Vol de Nuit, 14 Rue Prince Arthur E., Montreal, H2X 1B1, 1130 PM - Late!
GET IN YOUR FEELS
Get out your smudged eyeliner and fishnets, 'cuz The Black Parade is here! Guest DJ Wade MacNeil from Alexisonfire is celebrating the spooky season by spinning classic emo anthems all night long. Early bird tickets are just $5, so get yours before they're gone!
WHAT: The Black Parade Halloween Emo Night Montreal at Bar le Ritz PDB w/ Guest DJ Wade MacNeil of Alexisonfire
WHERE: Bar Le Ritz PDB, 179 Rue Jean-Talon W., Montreal, H2R 2X2
WHEN: Saturday, October 21, 10 PM
METRO: Jean Talon (Orange)
TICKETS: Universe
McSweeney’s List drops every Wednesday with the best events, workshops, and more, each week in Montreal!
