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Also this interview addresses Emrical's reflections on the relationships between artists and social activism, as well as some hopes for this most recent record.
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Montreal, May 20th, 2014 âEmrical is proud to announce the launch of Cheval de Trois, a minimalist album of 12 songs. The release will take place on May 27, 2014 at Bobards from 6 to 8 p.m.
âItâs time to stop pretending. Why pretend like youâve got tons of money, get in debt, then not be able to get do smaller gigs because thereâs a gap between the show and the album? Iâve been trying out a more organic approach at my shows for a few years now and I want more people to be able to get a hold of my songs the way I sing them now.â
Emricalâs 2010 release Mon rĂȘve (My Dream) examined the anxiety of psychological distress, while his 2012 video Combien de morts (How Many Dead) was dedicated to victims of police brutality. Nowâs heâs back with a different kind of album. Guitarist Ăric Simard provides the albumâs main and often only accompaniment, with Vincent Stephen-Ong, a fellow Kalmunity member, contributing piano stylings on three of the albumâs songs.
âThey want us to believe that it takes external backing to make art. Maybe? Despite the democratization of music distribution, thereâs still a local and international elite that dictates to the people what is worth listening to. My music tries to change this tendency.â
The songwriter/composer/performer puts forth a unique album dealing with homelessness, transnational solidarity, the search for roots, and altruism in an artistic record steeped in the three values of faith, hope, and charity, which are also the source of its title, Cheval de Trois.
Howl! : Wondering what you feel is a pressing issue today in Montreal that people should be paying attention to, something not getting enough popular attention?
Emrical: I feel like we need to question the mainstream media with urgency. What role are they playing in keeping us docile, predictable and ignorant? Weâre exposed to so much while knowing so little.
We have a hard time connecting the dots between the Villanueva case and mining companies in Honduras. Mainstream medias don't teach us how to do mental gymnastics. We copy paste news, opinions and trends. For example, mainstream media is responsible for the fact that too many Canadians have a hard time imagining the hand that Canada plays in displacing populations in Africa and Latin America for an economic agenda to which our Canadian privileges are tied.
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What is stopping us from creating an alternate broadcasting entity that will unite our local and international struggles, instead of dividing us in another century-of-self ghettos?
Emrical : Gabriel Teodros said: âif you decolonized music ... took the industry out of it, took away the ego, and even the idea of a celebrity ... every city would have something like Kalmunityâ
Kalmunity is a jewel. It is, however, being attacked daily by people that come with good intentions thinking that they can come fix things within it, while forgetting its ultimate purpose, and focus on the amazing context which Kalmunity has been able to swim into.
Are there a lot of venues where I can talk about Canadian mining companies, Trayvon Martin, the prison industrial complex with a full band supporting and fueling my inspiration?
Kalmunity allows artists and the public to have access to unscripted emotions. It strives to leave no room for minstrelsy. A black man has the space to be mad while performing a piece about a a lost love. He also has the right to smile, and is not trapped into a single emotion.
A Sikh rapper can come onstage and blend knowledge into the sound of a horn section, featuring the solo of a Cuban musician. A spoken word artist can tackle white male patriarchy, addressing gender and race without fear of being censored.
Itâs a safe space for musicians who want their instrumentâs voices to be heard. At its best, Kalmunity is ubuntu.
Howl! : Also recently you have been collaborating with Dakar-based artist Awadi, can you share with us your collaboration?
Emrical : We are working on a track that puts friendship and loyalty at the center of the human experience.
Howl! : Can you share a couple points as to how your experiences growing up in Saint-Michel in Montreal is reflected in your work as an artist?
Emrical : I spent a short amount of time in St-Michel, when I was a kid. I then moved to Laval with St-Michel on my mind. I canât think of how it has impacted my music.
Iâd say, my experience as a guy that grew up in the church, black churches, has been a gift and a curse at the same time. Besides the beautiful contradictions of faith, church has maybe awaken a yearning to speak for the oppressed masses while keeping me ignorant of unheard existential narratives.
Howl! : Over recent years you have been very vocal in denouncing police violence and impunity in Montreal, particularly speaking out on the case of Fredy Villanueva. Why do you feel that taking this public stand as an artist is important today in Montreal ?
Emrical : I feel like this is part of the artistâs duty. The moment you internalize the ritual of remaining silent about blatant injustices, without nurturing an obsession to give birth to an artistic display of indignation, is a sad one.
It took me 3 years to give birth to the video âCombien de mortsâ. It might not mean much to youtube views addicted folks now, but it will all make sense when the paradigms of artist relevancy mutate.
Thank you.
This interview conducted by Stefan Christoff for Howl!.
