Canadian invasion @ CMJ 2010 (PS I Love You, Hot Panda, No Joy, Radio Radio, Diamond Rings, High Dials, Braids, more)

by Bill Pearis

DOWNLOAD: PS I Love You – Facelove (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: PS I Love You – 2012 (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Suuns – Arena (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Suuns – Up Past the Nursery (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: The High Dials – Chinese Boxes (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Elephant Stone – I am Blind (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: No Joy – Headless (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Parallels – Find the Fire (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Hot Panda – Mindlessnesslessness (MP3)

Radio Radio

There’s never any shortage of Canadians at CMJ but this year… there seems like more than usual. So lets get to it.

On Thursday (10/21) The M for Montreal folks are back for a second year at Arlene’s Grocery with eight diverse bands (not all from MTL) they deem worthy of seeing. The band with the most buzz coming into CMJ is probably Kingston, Ontario PS I Love You who play at 9PM.  For a duo, these guys have a pretty giant sound, and their debut LP,  Meet Me at Muster Station, recently got a 8.1 on Pitchfork. You can download two tracks from it at the top of this post. PS I Love You are playing five shows this week ( 20th – 23rd) and all dates are at the bottom of this post.

Capping the evening at 1AM are Acadian hip hop group Radio Radio whose album Belmundo Regal was up for this year’s prestigious Polaris Prize. (They lost to Karkwa.) You can listen to the whole record via a widget at the bottom of this post. They are, I’m pretty sure, the only act to rap in the Chiac dialect, which is kind of the French Canadian equivalent of Spanglish. I saw them two years ago in Montreal and they were super fun — even though I had no idea what they were saying. If you have no Last Show tonight, definitely head over to Arlene’s Grocery. It’s their only CMJ show.

Also playing the M for Montreal show: our good friends The Luyas who will also play our free day party on Friday (their only other show); Red Mass who bring a touch of theatrics to their Damned-esque garage punk; the low fi garagey folk of Uncle Bad Touch (who get the JEFF the Brotherhood Seal of Approval); Vancouver duo The Pack A.D.; and laid back folk-soul-hiphop group Random Recipe (check out their LP widget at the bottom of this post).

Random Recipe

If you show up at 6PM you’ll be treated to a little pre show action: dream pop outfit Braids and free poutine, the official drunk food of Montreal (though not vegan). Set times for the whole night are at the bottom of this post. Braids play six times this week and all of their shows are listed at the bottom as well.

The biggest bummer about this show is it happens at the same time as the official BrooklynVegan Showcase at Music Hall of Williamsburg. But you can get a taste of Montreal at our show as Suuns are playing at 8:45 PM. You can download two Suuns tracks at the top of this post. If you dig shoegaze, Krautrock, or Clinic, you don’t wanna miss this band. I caught them at Mercury Lounge over the summer and was impressed. If you can’t make our show but still wanna see Suuns, they also play later Thursday (11:45 PM) at Pianos as part of the Secretly Canadian showcase. Those are their only two shows during CMJ week.

High Dials

There are more Montreal bands here this week too. One of my favorites, The High Dials, play on Saturday (10/23) at the 269 Bar at 11PM. Their new album, Anthems for Doomed Youth, is another great offering of jangly psychedlia, shoegazy guitars and sunny harmonies. You can download “Chinese Boxes” from it at the top of this post.

You may remember that The High Dials used to have a sitar player who left after the band’s first album. That guy, Rishi Dhir, now has his own group, Elephant Stone, whose album The Seven Seas, was up for the 2009 Polaris Prize.  Elephant Stone play the Trash Bar on Thursday (10/21, 10PM). If you can’t see them then, Elephant Stone will be back in NYC in November.

More Montreal action: No Joy, who split their time between L.A. and MTL and will have your eardrums bleeding from their awesome, sludgy shoegaze. They play seven CMJ week shows, including the BV day party on Saturday (10/23) at Public Assembly. (Official announcement soon.) After CMJ,  No Joy head out with Vivian Girls offshoot La Sera (who plays a bunch her own CMJ shows) — all dates are at the bottom of this post.

Folk band The Barr Brothers play two shows tonight tonight (10/19): Cameo Gallery at 7:30PM and then The Rock Shop at 11PM. They also play tomorrow (10/20, 7PM) at Rockwood Music Hall.

More MTL: rawkers Priestess play Mercury Lounge on Wednesday (10/20, 8:30PM); and AIDS Wolf play a late show at Knitting Factory Saturday night with Ty Segall (10/23, 1AM).

Time, space and sanity doesn’t permit me to go through every single Canadian act here for CMJ, but here’s a few more of note:

Much-buzzed, glammy, glitzy Diamond Rings plays six CMJ week shows, starting with tomorrow night’s (10/20) killer Stereogum/Popgun party at Santos, that also includes Wild Nothing, Tamaryn, Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr., now-revealed headliner The Drums, and more. (Only $5 with RSVP.) All Diamond Rings CMJ dates, including an Underground Press/Distiller day party at Knitting Factory on Thursday, are at the bottom of this post.

Toronto synth-disco duo Parallels play two shows on Wednesday (10/20): Backstage (formerly the Annex) at 1opm and then 11:45PM at The Bell House (that’s gonna be cutting it close). Check out their track “Find the Fire” at the top of this post.

Hot Panda

Edmonton, Alberta’s cute, frenetic indiepop foursome Hot Panda play two shows on Wednesday (10/20): a day show at Fontanas (2:40PM) and then that night at the Trash Bar (11PM). Check out “Mindlessnesslessness” from the band’s new album, How Come I’m Dead? at the top of this post.

Two Hours Traffic hail from Prince Edward Island and traffik (sorry) in Weezer-ish power pop. They play the R Bar on Saturday (10/23) at 9PM.

And Woodhands, from Toronto, will bring their somewhat nerdy, definitely catchy snyth rock to The Bell House for a midnight set.

Tour dates, some flyers, videos, album widgets and other stuff are below.

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M for Montreal Showcase Set Times
Thursday, October 21st
06:00PM Braids
07:00PM The Luyas
08:00PM Uncle Bad Touch
09:00PM PS I Love You
10:00PM Random Recipe
11:00PM Red Mass
12:00AM The Pack AD
01:00Am Radio Radio

The Pack a.d. – Crazy

PS I Love You – Facelove

PS I Love You – CMJ and 2010 Tour Dates
10-20 New York, NY – Union Hall (8:15pm)
10-20 New York, NY – Webster’s Marlin Room / The Orchard party (10:30pm)
10-21 New York, NY – Arlene’s Grocery / M for Montreal party (9pm)
10-22 New York, NY – TBA (CMJ)
10-23 Brooklyn, NY – Cameo Gallery / twosyllable day party (1pm)
10-23 Brooklyn, NY – Glasslands / Pop Gun party (11pm)
10-26 Toronto, ON – Soundscapes [In-store]
10-26 Toronto, ON – The Garrison *
10-27 London, ON – Alex P Keaton *
10-28 Hamilton, ON – This Ain’t Hollywood *
10-29 Ottawa, ON – Raw Sugar Cafe *
10-30 Kingston, ON – Mansion *
10-31 Montreal, QC – Il Motore *
11-01 Guelph, ON – EBar *
11-18 Montreal, QC – Cabaret/Studio (M For Montreal)
11-30 Washington, DC – Red Place ^
12-01 Philadelphia, PA – M Room ^
12-03 Brooklyn, NY – The Rock Shop ^
12-04 New York City, NY – Pianos ^
12-05 New Haven, CT – Daniel Street ^
12-06 Boston, MA – Great Scott ^
12-16 Guelph, ON – Ebar
* w/ Diamond Rings
^ w/ Holiday Shores

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Random Recipe – Fold It, Mold It

Random Recipe – à Mange ta ville

Radio Radio – Belmundo Regal

Radio Radio – Dekshoo

Radio Radio – Cliche Hot

Braids – CMJ 2010 dates
10/20 – Rock Shop (10:30PM)
10/21 – Arlene’s Grocery (6:00PM)
10/21 – Pianos (10:00PM) {UNOFFICIAL}
10/22 – Cakeshop (10:20PM)
10/23 – Southpaw ( 3:00PM)
10/23 – Bowery Ballroom (6:00PM)
10/23 – Cameo (1 AM)

No Joy – 2010 CMJ and other tour dates
Oct 20 12:00A CMJ (unofficial party) @ Shea Stadium. set: 11:45pm Brooklyn, NY
Oct 21 3:30P CO-OP 87 instore performance, 3:00pm Brooklyn, NY
Oct 21 7:30P CMJ x Mexican Summer showcase @ Knitting Factory Brooklyn, NY
Oct 22 4:30P CMJ x KXSC, KVRX, CHUO + LA RECORD showcase @ Bruar Falls. Brooklyn, NY
Oct 23 2:30P Brooklyn Vegan Daytime show @ Public Assembly Brooklyn, NY
Oct 23 7:30P CMJ x Gorilla vs. Bear @ 7 Extra Place FREE w/ RSVP New York, NY
Oct 23 11:00P CMJ x Impose Magazine afterparty (open bar!) @ Don Pedro’s. set: 2:00am Brooklyn, NY
Oct 24 Bart & Urby’s Wilkes-Barre, PA
Oct 25 The Dash In Fort Wayne, IN Find Tickets
Oct 26 The Mill Iowa City, IA Find Tickets
Oct 27 Record Bar Kansas City, MO Find Tickets
Oct 28 Slowdown Jr Omaha, NE Find Tickets
Oct 29 Hi Dive w/ Woodsman Denver, CO Find Tickets
Oct 31 Stage 54 w/ Best Coast Spokane, WA Find Tickets
Nov 1 Sunset Tavern w/ La Sera Seattle, WA Find Tickets
Nov 2 Holoscene w/ La Sera Portland, OR Find Tickets
Nov 3 Hemlock Tavern w/ La Sera San Francisco, CA
Nov 5 The Smell w/ La Sera Los Angeles, CA
Nov 6 Instore at Origami Vinyl Los Angeles, CA
Nov 7 The Tin Can w/La Sera San Diego, CA
Nov 12 Cowboy Monkey Champaign, IL
Nov 14 The Frequency Madison, WI
Nov 15 Beat Kitchen Chicago, IL
Nov 17 Parts and Labor w/ METZ Toronto, ON, CANADA

Diamond Rings – 2010 CMJ and other dates
10/20 CMJ (Stereo Gun Party) Santos Party House, New York, NY
10/21 CMJ (Knitting Factory Party), Knitting Factory, Brooklyn, NY
10/21 CMJ (NYC Taper Day Party) Cake Shop, New York, NY
10/22 CMJ (Distiller Day Party), Knitting Factory, Brooklyn, NY
10/23 CMJ (Bowery Presents Party), Pianos, New York, NY
10/23 CMJ (Pitchfork #Offline) Brooklyn Bowl, Brooklyn, NY
10/26 The Garrison, Toronto, ON*
10/27 Alex P. Keaton, London, ON*
10/28 This Ain’t Hollywood, Hamilton, ON*
10/29 Raw Sugar Café, Ottawa, ON*
10/30 The Mansion, Kingston, ON*
10/31 Il Motore, Montreal, QC*
11/01 Ebar Guelph, ON*
11/04 Mojo, Liverpool, UK
11/05 Inside Out, Darlington, UK
11/06 Barfly, Cardiff, UK
11/08 The Forum, Sheffield, UK
11/09 Roadmender, Northampton, UK
11/10 The Lexington, London, UK
11/11 The Ruby Lounge, Manchester, UK
11/12 The Adelphi Club, Hull, UK
11/13 Cockpit, Leeds, UK
11/18 The Pawn Shop, Edmonton, AB
11/19 Broken City, Calgary, AB
11/20 Biltmore Cabaret, Vancouver, BC
11/23 Echo, Los Angeles, CA
11/25 330 Ritch, San Francisco, CA
11/28 Lucky Bar, Victoria BC
12/01 Empty Bottle, Chicago, IL
12/03 DC9, Washington DC
12/04 Glasslands, Brooklyn, NY
* w/ PS I Love You