Stingray Team @ Mundial Montreal 2018 | Show Reviews

As a music enthusiast with a background as a vocalist for various chamber choirs and musicals, I enjoy everything from classical to a good headbanger.

Now that I’ve begun working at Stingray Music as a technical coordinator, investigating hardware and software discrepancies for our clients, I was thrilled to have the opportunity to attend the Mundial Montreal festival.

It was an evening full of lively, fun festivities with one of the most entertaining and jaw-dropping show openers I’ve ever seen.

One of the things that made the night’s concert lineup unique was the transition between acts, which were presented in different venues. The audience was ushered from Montreal’s oldest cultural center and Roman Catholic church, The Gesù , to the L’Astral concert venue. This flow from one performance to the next encouraged audiences to explore the gorgeous grounds of Place des Arts while taking in the newly crisp and cool Canadian air.

But, it wasn’t too chilly as the performances welcomed us with great warmth, rhythm, and an inspiration to get our groove on.

The first performance, by the Canadian folk band from Prince Edward Island, Gordie Mackeeman and His Rhythm Boys, was the perfect show opener. With their Maritime charm and music that makes the heart sing, the band delivered a never-before-seen performance of folky tunes and tapdancing. Lead singer and tap dancer Gordie Mackeeman wowed the audience with his incredible moves. He leapt from the floor to the top of the Rhythm Boys big bass. As Mackeeman stood atop of the bass, both he and the bassist continued to strum along to the tune— Mackeeman on fiddler and the Rhythm Boys on bass! You couldn’t help but laugh and cry with joy. Their performance was something out of a storybook with their incredible energy and clever coordination of fun and play. It was not until exiting the auditorium into the chilly outdoors that you remembered you were in Montreal and not on a boat destined for some unknown land.

The following performance took place at the L’Astral, only a short walk from The Gesù.

The show by Miroca Paris took audiences far, far away from Montreal’s plummeting temperatures to a tropical oasis of song and rhythm. Crossing the North Atlantic ocean from Lisbon, Portugal, Miroca Paris brought the heat.

With his charm and passionate performance, it was difficult to stay sitting down. Audiences young and old crowded the stage, dancing and jiving to Miroca Paris’ bold musical persuasion. I could barely hold on to my beer. With heartfelt vocals, vibrant guitar, bongo drums, and a splash of jazzy colour from the band’s single trumpeter, Miroca Paris was daring. The band combined a spectrum of music genres from Latin to jazz that I yearn to hear more often. The only way to guarantee I once again experience this bold combination of musical flavor is to see them another show (now you know what is on my Christmas list this year!) 

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About the artists

Gordie Mackeeman and His Rhythm Boys

Gracing stages around the world with flashes of flair and fancy footwork, and a disregard for predictable stage presence, Gordie MacKeeman and His Rhythm Boys are renowned for their high-energy exhilarating live show, jaw-dropping stagecraft, and showmanship. The quartet rocks a signature style that infuses their love of traditional bluegrass with western swing, Celtic dance, and old-time roots music to deliver an eclectic wardrobe of tunes that’s as unique and entertaining as they are.

Miroca Paris

Starting his career as a virtuoso percussionist with Cesaria Evora for 11 years this multi-instrumentalist is finally sharing his music live and on an highly-anticipated album "D'ALMA". Dubbed the “Island Rhythm Innovator” Miroca combines his raspy warm voice with playful and fresh afro-grooves on guitar. The artist is supported by the Instituto Camões & the Consulate General of Portugal in Montreal, and GDA Portuguese artists' recording rights organization.