Around 6:45 PM the 51-bus heading east took a break on the corner of Laurier and Parc. I’m not sure why but as a joke I had responded to Blaster’s message he was at Belmont with my location timestamping our arrival at this corner. That bus took 5 solid minutes to just sit there.
Carvery was putting on the Carvery Night show. There would be several performances and music spun by DJ Blaster. The event host was none other than Will E. Skandalz.
Will E. let me be his plus one if I agreed to film a short interview with him (I’ll link it here when it’s out and remove this sentence). He advised me to pull up early so we could make great use of our time.
Doors open at 9
It is not Carvery, or anyone involved in the event’s fault that I, a person not performing, ended up inside Belmont at 7:00 PM. Yet there I was.
Will E. and I went downstairs and filmed the interview. It was quick and easy to mic up with the podcast box and lapels. I held the camera and away we went.
By 7:30 lates, we were done. We then found out that doors open at 9:00. The show was only going to start in hours. I thought back to the “Our PRSPCTVS” video I could have finished editing before I left.
Be warned folks, there is a real cost to free. In this case I lost time.
PRSPCTVS are funny though. I got to spend some quality time with DJ Blaster and D-Shade. Apparently showing up stupid early to someone else’s show is a good look in some circles.
I also got to meet APXO who I’ll be sharing a stage with tonight at the Paul Wall show.
Why do people skip sound check?
Given I was there for sound check, I can say not all the artists pulled up for sound check. While I was confused for Frime, of 5 for 5 by one of the artists who was punctual, they were on time. Unfortunately praising those who came would shame those who did not, so no names.
I think it looks bad when you can’t be bothered to come to sound check. An event is a team effort. If only half the people come to sound check, it makes the entire exercise a waste of time.
It comes off like you feel your time is worth more than the success of the event. You can always sound check, dip and come back if you got something to do. Everyone’s got a reason why they skip it. I’m here to share how I see things as I play the roles of both artist and promoter.
When I agree to an event, I know that entire evening is now booked. All the performers are supposed to come before doors open. This way any problems are dealt with before the guests arrive.
People feel sitting around a bar for 3 hours is a waste of time. People also chose to become rappers and are mad at what the job entails. I find it baffling how much people give up opportunities to mingle with new fans during the doors open segment.
To each their own.
The people begin to arrive
By 10:00 the crowd began to pull up. Here’s some real advice to the fine folk out there. A lot of these shows start later than you may be expecting.
Sometimes doors open at 8:00 and the show starts at 11:00. Those are frustrating nights. If you are anything like me, managing a drink budget 3 drinks in, is not as easy a task.
No one likes hitting their drink money limit before the show starts. Maybe this is another me problem.
Carvery’s show started around 10:30 I believe, which is very reasonable for doors open at 9:00.
For the uninitiated to my style, my goal is to try and share some PRSPCTVS to curate better experiences. By better, I acknowledge it’s what I want. What I want is good communication on flyers.
The show had a solid turnout. Especially given the crowd wasn’t all that young.
DJ Blaster makes partying fun
I had just watched the DJ Blaster interview with Youngclips. Blaster waxed poetic on how bless he is. The truth is, the man was not wrong.
Full disclosure, Will E. and I had started our night with the lovely bartender at Belmont spiking the fuck out of our coffee. I was already wavy before the people came. This allowed me to get lost in the musical landscape Blaster was painting with his gear.
I was dancing and turning up. Every single song that got played seemed to compliment the one before perfectly. Literally there were moments it felt like he was spinning for me on some drunk white girl vibes.
I’ve seen a lot of DJs spin before shows. Having a good DJ makes your party more fun. Blaster is an excellent DJ and watching him work outside the context of backing up rappers was a real treat. I’ve seen him do it before but that interview got me to think about what he does.
The artists were good, Montreal sounds great
Will E. Skandalz is a talented host. He will engage with the crowd and make sure the crowd is paying attention before anyone gets on stage.
I’m pretty sure Cha$e started us off. Sobriety had left me at this point and during the first set I had to run outside and sell a sweater. I came back and the energy was nice. I wish I could say more but I missed most of it.
The crowd looked like they enjoyed it.
Jafri and the 47 Love crew came next. Each member sounds different, and they blend their styles into a diverse and engaging set. I found myself energized by what they bring to the table.
KelloggzWorld basically shut the place down. She rolled up with a posse of women who came ready to make sure they turnt during her set. It helps that her music makes you want to get faded and shake something. I remember when Big Steppa dropped and seeing the crowd explode to it made me feel proud for our city.
T-Tymes & DC came next and style swapped through their set. If they wanted to showcase how versatile they are while remaining true to themselves, they succeeded.
With that the openers were done, and I was having a great time.
Carvery knows how to perform perform
The first thing I noticed about Carvery is he gave me love on Instagram before the show. I mean his chain, I noticed his chain. Still, Carvery gave me love unsolicited and didn’t know I was coming to his show.
The Aurum & Crystallini boys keep peer pressuring me to get a pickle chain. It needs to be said that Carvery’s chain kept catching my eye. One day I’ll get a pickle chain, y’all can start a GoFundMe or something.
Carvery was dressed stylish. He knows he looks good and is not afraid to strip in the middle of his live show. That energy carries over into his music and creates a proper pop feel.
Carvery performs like someone who has put well over 10’000 hours into stage work. Every movement felt thought out and deliberate to fit the moment. We’re not talking over the top theatrics, but a good understanding of how to move to each of his songs.
It felt as though Carvery was on a festival stage in his mind. Picturing some Coachella and performing as though they were right there before him.
I know that feels hyperbolic, but Carvery brought it and deserves his flowers.
A well spent Thursday night
I sold three tickets to the Paul Wall show and a hoodie at the Carvery Night event. Blaster promised to buy a medium t-shirt, that I need to remember to bring to Le Belmont tonight.
The more I go to shows like this the more I run into people I know. Special shoutout to 448Films for making a movie out of me staring at my phone. You can see the foundations of a proper community coming together the more we all show support by showing up.
The event did clean out around midnight. It’s worth noting anyone with a job is not staying out that late on a Thursday night. By the time Carvery performed there was a lot less crowd left in the room.
Next time I see Carvery’s people doing their thing, I will be there.
Live Long and Prosper Everyone
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