Also Cool Mag celebrated our fourth birthday on October 29th, marking another amazing chapter for this project. Every passing year we reflect on how this passion project has expanded into all of our different communities, and how it connects us, and holds space for all kinds of different self expression. 

This year, we welcomed Minou to our core team. Minou radiates with creative ambition: she has sparked a continuing residency at Montreal’s Système, offering free beading workshops with her at the helm. We firmly believe in creating accessible creative spaces wherever we can, which is why we teamed up with long-time Also Cool champion Mags to host free monthly Drink & Draw nights. Both of these events offer free art supplies, as well as a space for unwinding and making new friends. 

Speaking of forging new relationships, this past year has been marked by a handful of special collaborations. We rang in the New Year with Palingenesis thanks to our friends at Congrego and Debaser, which saw an eclectic lineup of live acts paired with installations at All Saints Church in Ottawa. This ignited momentum for February, where we covered an inaugural Taverne Tour and co-presented Frankie Rose and Chiara Savasta at Montreal’s Casa del Popolo (thank you Mothland for always supporting us!). Later in the season, we linked up with pals at Side By Side Weekend to thaw the lulls of Ottawa Winter™ with Alpen Glow, Crisis Party, and Preloved at LIVE! On Elgin. 

The Also Cool team has been thrilled to not only program, but attend and profile high-level festivals and events. We co-presented with two of our favourite partners in our respective cities, KickDrum and Side By Side Weekend, attended our first Osheaga, and covered existing favourites Taverne Tour, POP Montreal, PIQUE, Festival de musique émergente (FME), and Psyched Fest in San Francisco. 

We also had the pleasure of collaborating with local clothing brand, Garden Party, on a limited run of tshirts. We’re big fans of the GP and Beamskii, the DJ behind the bunny-themed brand, and couldn’t be more stoked to have an official collab. There are still a few shirts left on the site, so make sure to get ‘em before they’re gone.

Moving into the realm of sound, our podcast Also Cool Sounds Like was well into season three. This latest chapter of the project has been incredibly redefining. Many wave-making musicians have sat behind the mic (and camera!) with our hosts Aviva and Gwen, and videographer George. The podcast has earned recognition from Apple Podcasts, Canadaland, Pod the North, and Edit Audio for its approachable yet insightful examination of the creative process amongst artists. This year’s interviewees include Gloin, Frankie Rose, NO WAVES, Magi Merlin, PACKS, OMBIIGIZI, Sasha Cay, Mags, and others to-be-revealed in the upcoming season finale. 

Our podcasts are premiered on our N10.AS radio show every second Sunday of the month at 5PM EST. Listen here, and to our second radio show on Frozen Section Radio (every second Thursday of the month at 7PM EST), to keep up with the artists and cool happenings on our radar in both AC capital cities.  

The publication end of Also Cool equally traversed new frontiers in 2023. The writings and musings from contributors Aishwarya Singh, Valerie Boucher, Laura Mota, Uma Nardone, Marie Marchandise and Vero Denis were introduced to the Also Cool universe, and we look forward to spotlighting them (and hopefully others!) going forward. 

We’re already starting to make major moves heading into year five of Also Cool. This past week, we entered the eve of our birthday in true AC fashion with a Halloween dance & costume party at Lounge 164 with DJs Jas Nasty, digital polyglot and Destiny. Next on the docket: M For Montreal. Between zipping around Montreal covering shows left, right and centre, we’re partnering with the festival again this year as an official media sponsor. We can’t say much right now, but we can confirm that you’ll be hearing from some major artists on N10.AS and our podcast…  

We also had the honour of making Cult MTL’s Top Magazines list for the fourth year in a row, this time coming in second place. Our team is constantly amazed that we’ve made the list (our group chat screams every time we get the notification). 

Overall we’ve had an absolutely killer year, and are so grateful that we have a community who cares about supporting indie creatives locally and around the world. It’s hard for us to grasp that our volunteer-run project has been running this long, but here we are, just as thrilled about indie arts projects as we’ve ever been.

If you’re looking to get involved with Also Cool, don’t be shy to shoot us a DM or an email (alsocoolmagazine@gmail.com). This project serves as a platform to allow creatives to get their work out there, and we’re always happy to help you grow.

Until we see you next time on the Internet, catch us at one of our IRL events in Montreal (see the schedule below).

Beading Night at Système - Nov 22nd

Drink & Draw at Système (with Mags, & DJs Robocat & Flleur) - Nov 8th

P.S. Also Cool rebrand is coming soon… keep an eye out on socials for our new look created by local design wiz Heather Lynn.

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