What is the value of an apology? That is one of the questions that JUNO-nominated singer and songwriter Khari Wendell McClelland is exploring in his new concert, We Now Recognize. The show, which consists of all new songs, will tour six Canadian cities for Black History Month. It comes to the Lincoln Alexander Centre in Hamilton on Feb. 19 at 8 p.m.
We Now Recognize is a partnership between McClelland and Project Humanity, a non-profit organization that uses the arts to raise social awareness. The two collaborated in 2017 and 2018 to create the documentary theatre musical of the Vancouver-based artist’s debut solo album, Freedom Singer. Freedom Singer interpreted songs that might have accompanied McClelland’s great-great-great-grandmother Kizzy as she escaped from slavery via the Underground Railroad.
This show is another personal work, although McClelland originally took inspiration from the current sociopolitical landscape. The number of political apologies that have occurred struck him in the past decade or so and especially in Justin Trudeau’s term. He began to question what constitutes a substantive and meaningful apology.
In writing the show, McClelland found himself reflecting on being wrong and the extent of his compassion for those who do wrong. He considered how recognizing wrongdoing feels and how to move forward from it. With this, he also thought about the relationships he has with the generations of men in his family.
“[I was] looking at my grandfather and my father and my brother and even considering what it would be to be… a father and what the implications might mean for a larger society… [I]t's men who are exerting power and have a lot of control in society… What are some of the ideas… I grew up with that I have at different times perpetuated in my own life and trying to figure out like what that might look like through a generational lens,” said McClelland.
The show explores other ideas that McClelland cares about, such as community and the way we wield power over the natural world. In bringing different ideas in proximity with one another, McClelland sees the work as an assemblage like a quilt or collage.
McClelland sees being able to explore a multitude of ideas as a way of celebrating Black life. Unlike his past work with Freedom Singer, which tackled the history of slavery head on, We Now Recognize, is a subtler approach to Black history that it more rooted in the present and in the future.
“I feel like there are ways in which black life can be can be understood as a monolith, that black people in Black communities aren't allowed to have a diversity of experiences and perspectives. I'm very curious… about creating some kind of radical subjectivity around Black life, like being able to be all these different ways that we are just as human beings,” McClelland said.
Not only will the concert allow McClelland a chance to bring forth the multiplicity of Black life, it will allow him to stretch himself and grow as an artist. The personal show will force him to be vulnerable in a way that he hasn’t been before with the communities across Canada that has supported him.
McClelland sees the connection to music as something that erodes for many people over their lifetime. For him, however, it is something that he hasn’t stopped doing ever since it became a part of his life as a kid growing up in Detroit. It moves him in a way that isn’t necessarily positive or negative, but just is. He also sees the medium as essential to building community.
“I feel like healthy communities move together. That they practice together, that they have rituals together… [O]ur connection to artful practices actually has the potential to heal us as communities and individuals coming together… has this real potential for a deep kind of healing… I think it is just a deep medicine in the way that we come together and make music and make art,” explained McClelland.
McClelland is looking forward to this tour to see how audiences connect with the new songs. He is eager to see the way in which people are moved by this meditation on wrongdoing and apology, whether positively or in a way that is a little uncomfortable.
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I wasn't really sure what to expect when I first walked into the theatre for Argo. Reviews were almost unanimously positive, but as far as plot, story and characters go, I was in the dark.
I'm not going to bother expounding on any of that here, either; quite frankly I want to use this space to talk about just how freaking amazing it is, not to dwell upon its details.
Every scene in this film is precisely paced and expertly shot. It's as if more thought when into each pixel of every frame in this film that the amount of thought that goes into entire movies sometimes (I'm looking at you Deuce Bigalo). The acting is stellar. The directing is top notch. The cinematography is stunning. The soundtrack is evocative. It is one of the best of the year. Plus, the ending is pro-Canada in the best possible way, and is based on a true story.
Please, get off your ass and then go sit on it for two hours. You can thank me (and Ben Affleck) later.
By: Alexander Sallas
Green Day - American Idiot
American Idiot is one of the most controversial albums of the last twenty or so years, mostly because of its clearly "political" nature and overblown and bizarre concept. I,however, have no problem with either, and in some cases they make the record more interesting. While Green Day may not be the most well-informed when it comes to politics, I applaud them for attempting something different from the usual derivative pop-punk album.
Some of the songs on here are even pretty good. “Boulevard of Broken Dreams” is one of the best pop-punk songs I've heard in a while, “Give Me Novocaine” is an underrated rocker and “Whatsername” is a solid closer. But unfortunately, there are some annoying tracks; “Holiday” immediately comes to mind as being one of the most irritating songs of the last ten years. Other duds, such as the boring “Are We The Waiting” and the uninteresting “St. Jimmy” add nothing to the album.
The big talking points of American Idiot are the two nine minute songs, “Jesus Of Suburbia” and “Homecoming”. The former is fairly interesting, with its intricate structure and many different parts. “Homecoming” is the stronger of the two, and features Tre Cool singing for one of the few comic relief moments on the album. Regardless of its political wisdom, this is a strong pop-punk album whose pros outweigh its cons and while some may disagree with me, that's fine - all
I ask it that you listen with an open mind.
3 out of 5.
- Alexander Sallas
Megadeth - Peace Sells... But Who's Buying?
Peace Sells... But Who's Buying? was, for a while, my favourite Megadeth album. This has since changed (with Rust In Peace overtaking it in my books), but that doesn't make this CD any less fantastic. It boasts some amazing tracks, from thrash anthem "Peace Sells," to the superb "Good Mourning/Black Friday," to closer "My Last Words." The guitar playing on this album is incredible - every song features at least one wickedly fast guitar solo (most contain two, three or even more), and the rest of the instruments are superb as well. I find that there are three main points of discussion with this album: Mustaine's vocals, the production, and the length.
First, I thoroughly enjoy Mustaine's vocals. He may not have the sleekest voice ever, but his trademark “snarl” fits the music perfectly. He really has established his own style, and it works.
Second: the production. I own the 2006 re-release of this record, so I can't really comment on it since it has been improved. But I will say, however, that the rough production only increases its raw sound.
Finally, the length. Here is where the main problem lies. At only thirty-six minutes, this record flies by. With that said, though, every song on here is quality, and I would take an awesome thirty-six minute album over a terrible 78-minute one any day. However, a song or two more would have been welcome here. The bottom line: should you buy this? Yes. It is a classic thrash album that should be heard by anyone who considers themselves a metalhead (and everyone else for that matter).
4.5 out of 5
- Alexander Sallas
The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan is his second album, the one that established Dylan as a legitimate artist at the age of 22 and led to his rise as an icon during the 1960s protest movement.
It begins with “Blowin’ in the Wind,” the anthem of every freedom movement that has occurred since it was released. Perhaps that’s because we are the same age as Dylan when he produced this album—that right now, we get it; maybe it’s that we can relate to it when we’re in the middle of a midterm, staring into space, because there we are: looking for the answer that’s blowing in the wind.
Dylan sings of long-distance love in “Girl from the North Country” and then laughs about it in “Down the Highway”. He is disgusted by the politics of war in “Masters of War” but again finds a satirical perspective in “Talkin’ World War III Blues.” His contradictions spell out your latest existential crisis, and then he sends your emotions a shock with the poignant accuracy of his words in “Don’t Think Twice, It’s Alright.”
Dylan’s true artistry lies in his lyrics. His rhythm is punctuated with messages that will resound forever. He reminds you of the power of all things blue – the stormy haze of it in your dreams at night, the depths of it as you stare out at the sea, in the endless expanse of the sky, and finally in a haunting melody that wakes you from a prolonged stupor.
4 out of 5
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The Clash – The Clash
It’s sort of funny how the noisiest, grungiest, shoutiest bands are often the ones with the most to say. In 1977, The Clash reinforced this by releasing a self-titled album with more political messages than guitar chords.
Amidst the beautiful noise of the English punk band’s overdriven guitars are statements on everything from the Americanization of Europe (“I’m So Bored With The USA”) to the ailing job market of 1970s England (“Career Opportunities”). The scope of their insight is pretty formidable too.
“Remote Control” is a complaint song about bureaucratic control of local concerts, whereas “White Riot,” with the line “all the power’s in the hands of people rich enough to buy it,” rings true about capitalism on a global scale.
The craziest part of this album is that it was hugely successful, peaking at the 12th spot on the billboard charts and becoming known eventually as one of the greatest punk albums of all time. The Clash’s self-titled album may be over three decades old by now, but it’s still a shining testament to the general rule of politically inspired music: if you are loud enough, you will be heard.
4 out of 5
- Brody Weld
