Julianna Riolino w/ Kassi Valazza at L'Escogriffe

February 23, 2026

Last night's show at L’esco was a moment 18 years in the making, 18 years and one week to be exact. On February 15, 2008, as a wicked snowstorm lay siege to the city outside the walls of the old Royal Victoria Hospital, I locked eyes with Gigi Brown for the first time. Only minutes old, she held me in a steely stare that told me she knew who I was, a voice from the beyond who had materialized in the physical world. An unbreakable bond was formed and I knew that one day this most perfect girl and I would stand together in one of the many clubs that I spent so many countless nights in, watching incredible artists create magic that had the power to change your DNA and let you know that these moments were experiences for sharing. Now here we were and it couldn’t have been a more perfect bill for such a moment, two powerful women on stage who would prove that magic is still alive and well in the world even if it seems at times that evil is winning.

We arrived just minutes before the opening act, Kassi Valazza, took the stage. While the room was by no means at capacity, there was an impressive turnout on a Sunday night in February in the city of Montréal. Made even more impressive when you add in the fact that it was a national day of mourning, as most of Canada had woken up that morning to watch the thrilling, yet ultimately heartbreaking, Men’s Hockey gold medal game at the Milano-Cortina Olympic Games. This fact would later be highlighted by Julianna Riolino, but we are getting ahead of ourselves.

Valazza took the stage armed only with an acoustic guitar, surrounded by the gear of the band that would follow her, and perched herself atop a tall bar stool. From this simple set up she commanded the room, telling stories and singing songs like a throwback troubadour who would have fit easily into one of Guy Clark’s infamous Nashville songwriters’ circles or on a stage in the legendary Yorkville scene that spawned Joni Mitchell and Neil Young. With a voice so mesmerizing it held the crowd in silent awe, only broken by the cheers and applause after each song, she transformed the space from its normal punk rooted shenanigans into a cozy folk cafe. For her final two songs she was joined on stage by Julianna Riolino and her band, adding a little more muscle to the music. It was the perfect segue for what was to come next.

When Julianna Riolino took the stage with a four piece band - drums, bass, guitar and a lap steel player who would also man the keyboards - it was obvious that something special was about to take place. Decked out in knee-high black leather boots, sheer pink tights, and what I can only guess to be hot pink wrestling trunks, arms and legs covered in tattoos and a purple collared shirt that would make the coolest librarian jealous, Riolino looked every bit the rockstar she was about to unleash on the excited room. It was the type of outfit that only rockstars can pull off - think David Lee Roth in his assless chaps or pretty much every outfit John Lennon wore in 1967 - and pull it off she did, like a rock ‘n’ roll peacock The outfit was also the perfect complement to the eclectic music on Echo in the Dust, the 2025 album that Riolino was touring behind. With songs that swing so effortlessly between cosmic country groove and 60s Girl Group "La La" songs, Laurel Canyon dusty folk and Nashville sheen, Echo in the Dust gives Riolino and her band the freedom to go wherever they want to and bring us all along for the ride. With a confidence bred in the knowledge of the talent she and her band have, Riolino launched into a set that did not relent. Among the highlights would definitely be The Seed, which starts out as a swinging Grand Ole Opry heartbreak song only to break at the midpoint into a rave up like a cross between the Stooges and the Ronettes. Another would be when Kassi Valazza rejoined them for the rousing cover of Paul McCartney’s “Let Me Roll It.”

Riolino - whether playing her guitar and wailing into the mic or standing on the monitors at the front of the stage, one fist raised in the air, leading the crowd in a raucous sing along - she was always in control of her adoring audience. Bringing a raw power to the songs that only a few performers can. It reminded me a lot of Patti Smith in that regard, the ability to run the full gamut of emotions, bring the crowd with you and never feeling inauthentic for even a second. It was one of those performances when an artist takes what they have already given you in their recorded music and injects it with a ferocity that makes the hairs stand up on the back of your neck and your big toe shoot up in your boot. I really liked this album before, but after seeing the songs presented live, in their full blown glory, it is an album I can’t stop listening to. So many bits and pieces that I missed before are now jumping out through the speakers, attached to vivid memories of this incredible show.

I understand that Ms. Riolino and Ms. Valazza had no concept of the role they were playing in this cosmic reckoning. At the same time it is no coincidence that this was the show that fulfilled the prophecy foretold on a blustery winter evening, in an unspoken moment, nearly two decades ago in the maternity ward of a now defunct hospital. Also, I’m pretty sure there was a group of shepherds somewhere on this blustery winter night who heard about this going down and were not entirely sure what to do with this information. The cosmos can be a cheeky little scamp when revealing prophecies. Anyway, maybe this is all a projection from my delusions of grandeur, but it is a fact that this was absolutely the perfect show for me to share with Gigi for this momentous occasion, and for that I thank Ms. Riolino and Ms. Valazza.