Coachella 2013 (more by Dana (distortion) Yavin)

Multi venue UK festival The Great Escape began today (5/15). The big lineup includes Brooklyn's Parquet Courts, Phosphorescent, Unknown Mortal Orchestra, a keynote speech by Billy Bragg, a set by Mikal Cronin who is one of ten acts this year that NME says you have to see, and much more. Head to Brighthelm Center on 5/16 for a show BrooklynVegan is co-presenting with M For Montreal with AA Wallace, Husky Rescue, Blue Hawaii, How to Dress Well, Phantom and Cloud Boat. The flyer for that is below.

In other festival news, Sasquatch is right around the corner, Lollapalooza has announced set times, Bonnaroo announced theirs earlier this month, Austin City Limits recently announced their lineup, Governors Ball recently announced the schedule and is basically sold out, GoogaMooga is this weekend in Prospect Park, and FYF Fest, which recently announced its lineup, goes on sale Thursday.

Our Great Escape flyer is below...

Continue reading "Great Escape happening now, Lollapalooza set times, FYF Fest tickets & other music festival news"

by Bill Pearis

PyPy at Club Lambi, 11/16/2012

Freedom...horrible freedom! One thing M for Montreal, part festival part industry conference, was previously known for was its tightly-controlled schedule. There was one show a night with two stages and attendees saw all the bands, no overlap. And while this was still the case for the first two nights of the 2012 edition, Friday and Saturday saw the launch of the M Fest which had shows at about ten different venues each night. So for the first time in the five years I've attended this fest I had to make up my own mind about what to see.

Cousins at Club Lambi, 11/16/2012

I was going to start the night at Sala Rossa with D'Eon but when I got to the club the schedule had been pushed an hour due to Sun Airway canceling their appearance later in the line-up. So, I headed down Saint Laurent to Club Lambi, a place that felt more like a nightclub than a rock venue, complete with "mandatory coatcheck." First band was Halifax, NS duo Cousins who make garage-y pop with an emphasis on the latter. A little rough around the edges but enthusiastic and they've got some good songs. You can stream their album, The Palm at the End of the Mind, below.

Yardlets at Club Lambi, 11/16/2012

Next up were Yardlets which features vocalists/guitarists Sam Goldberg (who spent time in Broken Social Scene) and Montreal scene vet Jeff Edwards. Backlit with strips of blinding light, Yardlets tore out of the gate and never looked back, playing balls-to-the-wall rock n' roll that could be the soundtrack for a trucker's pill-fueled 72nd hour of being awake. ("Ace of Spades" being played on warped vinyl is a good reference point.) DFA 1979's Sebastian Grangier plays drums on the record (em>Middle Ages is streamable below) but not live, but his replacement seemed just as pummeling. The aural equivalent to a shot of tequila and just what I needed to jump-start the night.

PyPy at Club Lambi, 11/16/2012

Though, honestly, if Yardlets hadn't played, certainly PyPy would've had the same effect. The band formed when Duchess Says and Red Mass shared rehearsal space and some of each decided to jam, the band features both wild-eyed redhead Annie-Claude and Red Mass' Choyce on vocals/guitar, neither of whom shy from the spotlight. No surprise Annie-Claude dominated the proceedings but here she's in relatively restrained mode, meaning she's still going crazy but not totally in-your-face. She even played guitar on one song. Musically, PyPy (yes, pronounced peepee) are almost '60s style acid rock, a lot of soloing and riffs, not so much memorable tunes. But a blast to watch.

USA Out of Vietnam at L'Esco, 11/16/2012

From here we cabbed it over to L'Esco for some heavier sounds via MTL hardcore act Dig it Up and the more mathy USA Out of Vietnam and bearded frontman Jonathan Cummins (formerly of Doughboys and Bionic) greeted the crowd thusly: "Hi we're Grimes. We've changed our sound a little and we hope you like our new direction." Their music is not my thing, but I like their attitude.

Pat Jordache, somewhere in Montreal, 11/16/2012

From here we headed to an afterparty at some DIY space I don't know the name of to catch a very late night (3:30 AM) set from Pat Jordache who played almost exclusively new material. While the PA wasn't doing the band a whole lot of favors, you could still get a feel for Pat's new musical direction, rhythm-heavy post-punk with watery bass and saxaphone that tipped its had toward Eno-era Talking Heads (or The Higsons or Pigbag). I was struggling to keep my eyes open at that point but the new material is very promising (and I liked 2011's Future Songs too). While the album won't be out till next year, Pat just dropped "steps (DAMAGED GOODS)" as an appepitizer and it is very tasty indeed. You can stream it below.

Yan Wagner at Cafe Campus, 11/16/2012

Next up that night... sleep. But earlier I did check out some bands at Cafe Campus during the day, the highlight of which was Parisian electronic artist Yan Wagner (who also played CMJ this year). While his mike-and-samplers setup didn't make for the most exciting live show, his style of electropop falls squarely between Depeche Mode and OMD which pretty much guarantees I'll like. And I did.

After that we were treated to a "headphone concert" by Kid Koala at Le SAT which was a very fun, relaxing way to ease into the evening and you can read about here. You can also read accounts of M for Montreal Day 1 here and Day 2 here. Streams are below.

Continue reading "M for Montreal 2012: day 3 review (Pat Jordache, PyPy, Yardlets, Cousins + more)"

by Bill Pearis

Kid Koala @ Le SAT, 11/16/2012

In addition to all the other shows during M for Montreal 2012, we were treated to a Friday afternoon performance by Kid Koala at Le SAT. We were handed wireless headphones on the way in and were invited stretch out against long, inflatable tube/cushions that were made just for this performance which was mainly to promote his children's book (and accompanying album), Space Cadet (which he toured earlier this year). Kid Koala (aka Eric San) performed in the middle with a camera on the decks which was projected on three screens around him. He played songs (including a new track with Damon Albarn and Dan the Automator), told stories, read from his book and even donned a Koala suit for his contribution to Yo Gabba Gabba. There were also games and other audience participation moments. It felt more like we were hanging with him in his basement than at a show, and he was an affable host.

Kid Koala is gearing up to tour another project, his new record 12 Bit Blues, and that will hit NYC on November 21 at Music Hall of Williamsburg and tickets are still available.. Like the Space Cadet tour, it's a multimedia extravaganza and promises puppets, dancing girls, robots, a giant cardboard turntable and more (but no headphones, for the audience at least).

A list of all tour dates, along with a full album stream of 12 Bit Blues is below.

Continue reading "Kid Koala played M for Montreal, touring his new album '12 Bit Blues' (dates, stream)"

by Bill Pearis

Mac DeMarco @ Sala Rossa, 11/15/2012

"Nobody look up my girlfriend's skirt, okay?" Mac DeMarco asked the audience at Sala Rossa as he began his final song. His girlfriend, Kiki, was riding piggyback. She'd was dragged onstage a song earlier to play a game of "catch" where they held onto each other as Mac tipped them into the audience for a double crowd-surf.

So goes a Mac DeMarco show these days, where the onstage antics almost threaten to upstage the music. But, despite all the belch talking and other things, it never does. Mac and his band have toured most of 2012 and all that playing has done wonders for them -- they are tight but lythe around the groove. Songs off the new album ("Viceroy," "Cooking Up Someting Good") sound great and ones of his first album have a life to them than you don't hear on the recordings. And, like at CMJ last month, the Salla Rossa crowd loves him.

PS I Love You @ Sala Rossa, 11/15/2012

Mac was the unintentional headliner of night 2 of M for Montreal which, like the first night, took place at Sala Rossa, a club perched above a tapas restaurant (both of which are owned by some of the Godspeed guys). He got stuck in traffic and PS I Love You, nice guys that they are, switched into undercard slot. After spending half the year trying out a trio version of the group, they are back to their original duo arrangement of Paul Saulnier on vocals/guitar/bass pedals and Benjamin Nelson on drums. Playing most of the show with a double-neck guitar, Saulnier yelped and shredded through their 25-minute set of the catchiest material from the band's two albums, plus a couple new ones (I think). Nelson is a machine behind the kit and the way he hammers on the hi-hat gives the band a New Order-ish backbone which offsets Saulnier's more rock instincts. While I enjoyed seeing them as a trio, it's clear the chemistry is between these two.

continued below...

Continue reading "M for Montreal 2012: day 2 review (Mac Demarco, PS I Love You, Young Galaxy, No Joy + more)"

by Bill Pearis

Suuns at Casa Del Popolo, 11/14/2012

The 2012 M for Montreal festival kicked off last night in its namesake city with a pair of conjoined shows at La Sala Rossa and Casa Del Popolo which is just across the street on Saint Laurent Boulevard. The evening began with instrumental quartet Esmerine whose neo-classical sound included cello, an orchestral xylophone (which was sometimes bowed) and elaborate projections that were somewhere between shadow puppet theatre and animation. I have a feeling the short set times M allows (most bands got 25 minutes) was a hindrance for Esmerine whose music hinted at Godspeed builds... but without that type of explosive payoff. Would love to see a proper set.

Blue Hawaii at Casa Del Popolo, 11/14/2012

Next I shuffled across the street to catch duo Blue Hawaii, featuring Raphaelle Standell-Preston from Braids on vocals/loop pedals and Alexander Cowan who manned a bank of samplers. I'd missed them at CMJ (and at our own CMJ show in 2011) and am usually a little wary of electronic acts like this in a live setting but the two managed to be pretty compelling, thanks in no small part to the stage presence of Raph who clearly enjoys being able to move around more, even if her repeated tries at getting the crowd of "international delegates" (journalists, music supervisors, etc) to dance. Certainly the music warranted it, their upcoming album Untogether imagines a world where the Cocteau Twins were produced by The Aphex Twin. There's also a sonic similarity to many of their Abutus Records labelmates (Grimes, D'Eon) but Blue Hawaii have their own sound.

Eight and a Half at Sala Rossa, 11/14/2012

Back over at Sala Rossa, it was Eight and a Half, a project from Dave Hamelin and Liam O'Neil of The Stills along with Justin Peroff of Broken Social Scene. Their debut album came out earlier this year and is pretty good, with the kind of drama the Stills were known but set against throbbing analog synths. Live, it was a little underwhelming though Hamelin gave it his best, still swinging for the bleachers, persona-wise, throwing himself into his guitar in a way maybe the music didn't warrant. Or maybe it was just the crowd.

Mozart's Sister @ Sala Rossa, 11/14/2012

Next up was Mozart's Sister, the solo project from Caila Thompson-Hannant of Think About Life (and Shapes and Sizes before that) which brings and electro twist to R&B style pop. Anyone who has seen her other bands live before knows she has an amazing set of pipes and a magnetic stage presence to match, which is more than enough to carry the minimal live show which included a guy on bass and a second singer (last night was the debut of this configuration). It was also enough to make up for the sound issues that were clearly frustrating the hell out of Thompson-Hannant, who cracked jokes through her annoyance.

continued below...

Continue reading "M for Montreal 2012: day 1 review (Suuns, Half Moon Run, Blue Hawaii, Mozart's Sister, Eight and a Half + more)"

by Bill Pearis

The seventh annual M for Montreal festival happens next week (November 14 - 17) in its namesake Canadian city. Previous years, M4M has featured mainly Montreal (and other parts of Canada) artists, being showcased to a group of "international delgates" (talent buyers, journalists, music supervisors, tour agenents and other industry types) in a tightly controlled set of shows, this year's fest expands its scope with nearly 100 performer at 16 venues, giving it more of an actual festival feel than an industry conference that has music showcases the public could by tickets to.

The line-up is much more global this year as well, with musicians from France, Iceland and, for the first time, the United States playing alongside bands from all over Canada. Artists playing the 2012 edition include Death Grips, Of Monsters and Men, Mac DeMarco, Suuns, Mykki Blanco, Sun Airway, A Place To Bury Strangers, Cadence Weapon, Memoryhouse, Yamantaka // Sonic Titan, Bleeding Rainbow and Blue Hawaii. Full list of performers is below and daily schedule is here and advance tickets to shows and panel discussions are available.

Like in years past (2011, 2010, 2009, 2008), I'll be heading up for the M fest, and will be reporting the goings-on.

If you want a taste of Montreal this week in NYC, beyond the snow we're currently experiencing, Montreal rapper Cadence Weapon plays Glasslands on Friday (11/9) with Fat Tony. Tickets are still available. Cadence Weapon tour dates are listed below.

Continue reading "2012 M for Montreal Festival: full line-up (Death Grips, A Place to Bury Strangers, Of Monsters & Men, Mac DeMarco + more)"

Doldrums at MHOW last week (more by Amanda Hatfield)

As mentioned, Doldrums (the project of Airick Woodhead) and Moon King (the project of Airick's brother/collaborator Daniel), who were both just in NYC will return for CMJ. We already know that Doldrums will be playing the Windish showcase at Mercury Lounge on October 17 with Hundred Waters, Strange Talk, High Highs, Mozart's Sister, and more (tickets).

It's now been announced that Doldrums and Moon King will team up for the M for Montreal CMJ showcase on October 19 at Arlene's Grocery. Mozart's Sister (who also shares a bill with Doldrums at the Windish showcase) is on the bill, as is Braids side project Blue Hawaii. The rest of show includes ex-DD/MM/YYYY krautrockers Absolutely Free, Royal Canoe (who are going on tour with Savoir Adore), impressive live dance rock outfit Plaster, TOPS, and Ariane Moffatt. No advance tickets for this one at the moment. You can also try to get in with your CMJ badge.

M For Montreal set times along with a list of all Doldrums dates and a song stream are below.

Continue reading "Doldrums, Moon King, Blue Hawaii and more playing M for Montreal CMJ showcase (dates)"

I forgot to mention, in the post with the new Grimes video today, that BrooklynVegan & M For Montreal are proud to present a show with the Montreal artist THIS FRIDAY NIGHT (5/11) in Brighton, UK as part of the three-day Great Escape Festival that begins today (5/10). Taking place at Digital, our full show lineup is Grimes, YACHT, Brooklyn band My Best Fiend and Montreal trio Half Moon Run who we also hosted on the M For Montreal co-presented day of Hotel Vegan at SXSW this year. If you're over in that part of the world right now, we hope to see you there.

Other acts playing the Great Escape this weekend include Friends, The Twilight Sad, EMA, The Temper Trap, The Black Belles, Gaz Coombes, We Are Augustines, Kwes, St Lucia, Body Language, Devin, The Front Bottoms, Cloud Nothings, Haim, Pond, Wild Belles, S.C.U.M, We Are Scientists, We Were Promised Jetpacks, Kids in Glass Houses. Booka Shade, Mystery Jets, Dry The River, Alabama Shakes, Django Django, Doldroms, and many more.

As you can see in the flyer above, M For Montreal is also throwing an event at the festival's "Canada House" on Saturday as well. M For Montreal's own festival goes down in Montreal in November. Tickets are on sale now. (also: Mikey from M For Montreal is up for an award at the Great Escape. Vote and find more info HERE).

Grimes also has a big NYC show scheduled this summer.

the flyer (with most of the bands playing on it)

BrooklynVegan is proud to team up with M for Montreal again for a FREE Day Party in Austin on Thursday, March 15th from noon-7pm at Hotel Vegan (one of BrooklynVegan's FOUR DAYS in the venue located at 1500 E. 6th St.).

I'll let this full three-stage lineup speak for itself...

Stage 1 (Hotel Vegas Outside)
12:00 Of Monsters & Men
12:45 Glen Hansard (of Swell Season & the Frames)
1:30 We Are Serenades (formerly Serenades, mem. Shout Out Louds)
2:15 Hospitality
3:00 Korallreven (mem. of the Radio Dept)
3:45 Fanfarlo
4:30 The Drums
5:15 The Wedding Present
6:15 This Will Destroy You

Stage 2 (Hotel Vegas Inside)
12:00 Half Moon Run
12:45 Thus:Owls
1:30 Cold Specks
2:15 Cymbals Eat Guitars
3:00 The Velvet Teen
3:45 Yellow Ostrich
4:30 The Jealous Sound
5:15 Parlovr

Stage 3 (Volstead) (BV Austin stage)
12:15 Love Inks
1:00 Feathers
1:45 Gashcat
2:30 Ringo Deathstarr
3:15 Silent Diane
4:00 The Young
5:00 Ume

In addition to the completely free lineup of 24 bands playing on THREE stages, we will also have complimentary drinks courtesy of HobNob Wines, the official wine parter of our entire week of FREE PARTIES at Hotel Vegan (check out HobNob's Facebook page for free music downloads), and a hosted bar courtesy of Sailor Jerry

We will also have FREE VEGAN TREATS courtesy of NadaMoo! and FREE Honest Tea. AND Supercuts will have a team of stylists on-site the entire day providing FREE haircuts and styling!

Special thanks to all of our partners and sponsors for making this party possible - including Vox, Blackstar and Korg, our official backline partners, as well as ASCAP, HobNob Wines, NadaMoo!, Sailor Jerry and M for Montreal! And special thanks to GBH Design for making our awesome flyer!

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This is the first full day at Hotel Vegan announced. 2/3 of the Wednesday lineup is HERE. Friday and Saturday coming shortly.

We also have THREE official showcases (Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday), and a Saturday metal day party at Lovejoys,

By Bill Pearis

Half Moon Run

As an "international delegate" at M for Montreal, by Friday you start to get a little worn out. Your day is booked with meet-ups, panels, something called "speed schmoozing" and loads of bands. Most of it's fun or interesting but I went to sneak a catnap on Friday afternoon and ended up sleeping through one whole showcase. (Sorry, I.No and Bobby Bazini.)

But there was a lot of good in what I did see, including what most agreed was the best new band of the week, Half Moon Run. The Montreal trio match songwriting (and harmonies) of '60s folk rock with the atmospherics of Radiohead. A little too like Radiohead occasionally, but for the most part Half Moon Run had found their own way. I was instantly impressed but it took me a day to get their name right: I tweeted praise for something called Full Moon Circle, which I later realized was partially from one of their songs "Full Circle." (That song and another are streaming at the bottom of this post.) Maybe the name's not so memorable but their music sure was.

Buddy McNeil and the Magic Mirrors

The afternoon show Half Moon Run were part of also featured Buddy McNeil and the Magic Mirrors, punchy twang-n-roll dressed in Nautical outfits; Toronto four-piece The Midway State who make commercial-sounding alt-rock (clearly talented but definitely MOR); and the widescreen roar that was Passwords, who all the Brit journalists in attendance seemed to go gaga for.

Hollerado

After the unplanned three-hour konk-out and some much-needed dinner it was off to La Sala Rossa again for the official evening showcase, which was co-presented by CMJ. Hollerado headlined the show and are a lot of fun. And know their way around a giant hooks, the kind that would've made them hugely popular in the mid-'90s. Songs like "Americanarama" and "Juliette" (from their debut Record in a Bag) would've fit perfectly in between "Seether" and "Sucked Out" on a mixtape. As it is, Hollerado are merely Very Popular in Canada and fans are vocal and rowdy in a good-natured way. The band encourage it with confetti cannons, glowing beach balls and a cover of "Fat Bottom Girls." They also had awesome t-shirts at the merch table co-opting the Wu-Tang Clan logo and the Heisenberg sketch the Cousins pray to in Breaking Bad.

Parlovr

The showcase also had Parlovr on the bill who I've seen a handful of times over the last three years and have become a really solid live band. There's a lot of flying hair and the drummer is crazy tall with long arms flying the whole time. I'm not sure they have yet to write a song as catchy as "Heaven/Hell" which opens their set. If they have, they're not playing it yet.

Uncle Bad Touch

Also on the La Sala Rossa bill: Montreal's Uncle Bad Touch who recently signed to JEFF the Brotherhood's Infinity Cat label and that probably tells you a lot about their sound. (Riffy, sneery, Nuggets-y party rock.) For those in NYC, Uncle Bad Touch play Death By Audio on November 29.

We also got duo TONSSTARTBANDHT who started off Animal Collectively but became progressively more prone to dissonance. I still don't know how to pronounce their name.

Doldrums

Like the previous night, they had us running across the street to Casa Del Popolo to see more bands. Toronto's Doldrums (aka Alrick Woodhead) was wonderfully ADD, twiddling knobs, hammering sample triggers and pacing around the stage. Too many ideas crammed into one 20-minute set? Maybe, but it was exciting seeing talent that is only just now beginning to show its potential.

Thus:Owls

The other band at Casa Del Popolo was Candian/Swedish combo Thus:Owls, the only band of the week to use a colon in their name. The band stay busy in Montreal, backing Patrick Watson and Marie Pierre Arthur (who would play the next night). Here, fronted by harpsichord-wielding Erika Angell, they are delicate and stirring and swoony. Angell's got some pipes.

Misteur Valaire

After the Salla Rosa show, we headed over to the late-night after party at Club Soda, one of Montreal's many amazing venues. (Seriously, no city I've visited has more clubs with great sound, great lighting and intelligent layout as Montreal.) I walked in about three songs into Plaster's set which was pretty great. Squelchy and banging, they do live dance music right. If there was a little more flow in their set, they'd give Soulwax a run for their money.

Next was Misteur Valaire who some of you may have seen at one of our day parties during SXSW this year. Seeing them on their home turf, however, is something else. Montreal loves Misteur Valaire who, like a lot of groups genuinely popular with the locals, come with a thick slice of fromage coating everything they do. They definitely put on a show, complete with costume changes. Hipster nerd Franco-Canadian boy band who have serious musical chops applied totally in the pursuit of a good time. The crowd was going mental for the entire set, which didn't finish till 2AM.

At that point I was finished and left before Bran Van 3000 started, choosing instead sweet sleep.

Click through for a few more pictures from Friday's showcases, plus the Half Moon Run streaming player and some video of Hollerado and TONSTARTSSBANDHT in action.

Continue reading "M for Montreal 2011 -- Night 3 in pics & review (Half Moon Run, Hollerado, Parlovr, Doldrums, Uncle Bad Touch, Misteur Valaire & more)"

photos, audio & video by Josh Winkler InTheMO

M83 @ M For Montreal

M83 arrived in NYC yesterday to perform on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon and continue their NYC adventure TONIGHT (11/22) at Webster Hall and Wednesday at Music Hall of Williamsburg. Both shows are way sold-out. If you don't have a ticket and aren't up for scouring the secondary market for a pair (if you can even find/afford them there), you can at least watch their performance from Fallon last night. Check that out below.

The NYC dates represent the tail-end of M83's North American tour with Active Child, though the M83 will play a solitary show in Los Angeles in middle January (1/13). Maybe Zola Jesus will show up at that one like she did at a recent show.

M83 recently played Fun Fun Fun Fest and since then Chicago, and even more recently, M for Montreal. Pictures and a video from their Montreal appearance, as well as two live tracks recorded at that show, "Intro" and "Teen Angst" (both of which appear here for the first time), are below.

Speaking of M For Montreal, the rest of Bill's coverage is coming soon (M83 included). Meanwhile you can still check out what he saw on night 1 and night 2.

More M83 tour dates, those song streams and videos, and the video of their Los Angeles performance of "Intro" with Zola Jesus. below....

Continue reading "M83 is here, played M For Montreal & Fallon (pics, video & an audio recording)"

By Bill Pearis

Absolutely Free

After two songs of sweating onstage, the drummer for Absolutely Free -- who made their live debut last night at Mile End venue La Salla Rossa -- peeled off his flannel shirt to reveal a Neu! t-shirt underneath. But by that point we already got it, though a Can shirt might have been more to the point.

Featuring four fifths of DD/MM/YYYY, as Absolutely Free they still make complex, time signature-shifting music, but this was less manic, less skronky with decidedly groovier rhythms. (For me, that's a definitely an "Oh Yeah.") With no recorded music to hear yet and a short 20-minute set, I don't think we've got a full picture of what these guys are capable of, but it was a very promising first show.

Cadence Weapon

La Salla Rossa, which nests on top of a Spanish restaurant with the same name, was host to the night's showcase co-presented by SXSW. We also got the first taste of Cadence Weapon's new album which is due out in January or February -- his first in about three years. With screwed-ish beats (and a little dub reggae), his set was pretty terrific. Dude is confident and funny and drops lines about Lite Brites and had a song that seemed to be entirely about SXSW day parties, not sure if it was made up for the occasion. Best set of the night.

Young Empires

Headliners of the night were Toronto's Young Empires who some cynical types might dub Friendly Foals* and it wouldn't be too off the mark. Big Hooks, anthemic choruses, extra percussion, all very digestible. Young Empires are also pretty slick (and a little bro-y) but they seem destined to become big, at least in a Naked and The Famous kind of way (whose career path they seem to be modeling). Especially once they get around to putting out their debut, due out in January. (I like them better on record than live.)

Daniel Isiah

Night Two opened with Daniel Isiah who is signed to Secret City (the home of Patrick Watson and Plants & Animals) and has an appealing desert twang to his sound (think Chris Isaak or Springsteen's "I'm on Fire") which you can check out on his most recent album, High Twilight. It was a nice start to the evening.

M for Montreal never lets attendees stand still for too long. In between bands at La Salla Rossa, we hopped across the street to affiliated restaurant/venue Case Del Popolo for two Icelandic bands (Iceland Airways co-presented). First were instrumental quartet For a Minor Reflection whose stirring music would be perfect for an Icelandic remake of Friday Night Lights. You've heard this kind of stuff before but they do it well and clearly love playing it.

Of Monsters and Men

The other Icelandic group, Of Monsters and Men, made more of an impression with their stirring folk rock that was augmented by horns and an especially fancy accordion. (It had LED switches on it.) While also similar to a lot of other sweeping ensembles (fill in your favorite here), the songs were memorable and I did wish their set had been a couple songs longer. So it goes with festivals.

Today I'll be seeing Colin Stetson, The Midway State, Hollerado, Parlovr, Thus: Owls (points for colon use), Doldrums, Bran Van 3000, Misteur Valaire and something called Tonstartsbandht, plus about 10 other groups. Hopefully organizers have budgeted time to eat. Look for reports on tonight and tomorrow's M festivities on Monday. Until then, click through for a few more picks from last night's action...

Continue reading "M for Montreal 2011 -- Night 2 in pics & review (Absolutely Free, Cadence Weapon, Young Empires, Daniel Isiah & more)"

by Bill Pearis

Concrete Knives

The first night of M for Montreal was a light one. Especially after Duchess Says had to cancel, due to singer Annie-Claude cracking a rib last week after a particularly spirited performance at the record release party for the band's new album In a Fung Day T. (And anyone who's seen Duchess Says knows she's already pretty damn spirited.) Get well soon Annie-Claude!

So we got four bands at club Cafe Campus. Two of them were from France, brought to us by magazine Les Inrockuptibles. Concrete Knives are from Caen, France and make a kind of energetic dance music that is maybe the indie equivilant of the mullet: party in the back (disco rhythm section) business in the front (fuzzed out rock guitars). Ok that doesn't really work either, Concrete Knives are basically a party everywhere and singer Adriene Lepretre is skilled at an early age in the art of working a crowd. (And jumping into one.) Some of the songs are a little samey, but they're young and have a lot of promise.

Anoraak

The other French band was Anoraak who have toured the states a few times. As they've become more of a real band and less of a studio project, their sound has changed too with the more overt Italo disco influences being drowned out by the guitars and drums. It's still very '80s but live Anoraak are closer to Friendly Fires these days, by way of the Drive soundtrack. Pretty good.

CLAASS

Wearing actual anoraks were Montreal's CLAASS (featuring a couple members of We Are Wolves) who played the first M for Montreal I attended in 2008. Fog machines and amplifiers were set to 11 as the band cranked out pulsing, gothy dance music poised somewhere in between gothy minimal wave and house music. Standout song "Run" was kind of soulful too in a TV on the Radio kind of way. My favorite band (and the crowd's too) of the night.

Creature

The night ended with Creature who were also on the dancey side of things and had style, skill and energy to spare but it was a little slick for my tastes and definitely lacked in the song department. Maybe in a couple years.

Three more days of M to go. A few more pictures are below

Continue reading "M for Montreal 2011 -- night 1 in pics & review (Concrete Knives, Anoraak, CLAASS, Creature)"

by Bill Pearis

As I mentioned briefly yesterday, I'm heading out to the M for Montreal festival which happens tonight through Saturday (11/16 - 19). This is the 6th Edition of the fest, and the fourth that I've attended. Once a showcase for up-and-coming Montreal bands that the festival organizers deemed "export-ready" and that took place primarily at one club (the two-stage Juste Pour Rire), M4M has expanded to include other parts of Canada in the last few years.

Juste Pour Rire closed shortly after last year's festival, so this year has expanded to other venues while also widening in scope. They've partnered with other international festivals (Osheaga, CMJ, SXSW) and have more bands than ever (including a few not from Canada). Bands this year include M83, Karkwa, The Barr Brothers, Active Child, Bran Van 3000 (remember "Drinking in L.A."?), CLAASS, Misteur Valaire, Anoraak, Random Recipe and the debut of Absolutely Free, the new band from 4/5s of  DD/MM/YYYY. Full line-up is here.

In total there's nearly 60 bands playing, which might not seem like a crazy amount for a festival. But M for Montreal is designed with little to no overlap, so if you attend the whole thing you see all the bands. It's going to be a busy week.  Look for more coverage (including my lovely point-and-shoot photography) coming later this week.

by Bill Pearis

DOWNLOAD: Pat Jordache - Phantom Limb (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Masters of the Hemisphere - Eggshell (MP3)

Weekend

Apologies for no day post today, I had a full CMJ day yesterday and stretched myself a little thin. (And I'm thin already.) As I came to realize recently, with CMJ every night is Saturday night and every morning is Monday morning. Anyway, I hope you all went/go to a day show and saw a bunch of free music and maybe had some free booze and snacks somewhere. Maybe our day party?

Speaking of this website, I hope all of you are going to come to the BrooklynVegan Official CMJ showcase tonight at Music Hall of Williamsburg which features a couple repeat players from one of our SXSW shows: Weekend and Braids, both of whom are just fantastic. The band I'm most excited/curious about is Blue Hawaii, a duo that features Braids' Raphaelle Standell-Preston. In between those three bands, we also have Pepper Rabbit (who were great when I saw them at Northside) and Active Child. It's a really solid night of music, tickets are still available, come on down.

Jesuslesfilles

But this being NYC and CMJ, there is other stuff going on (which is maybe why you're reading this). At some point in the evening, I'm going to head to Arlene's Grocery for the M for Montreal showcase, which has ten, count 'em, ten Canadian acts performing. Of them, I'm most excited about getting to see Jesuslesfilles again, who were great at the M4M fest last year. Their 2011 album Une Belle Table (streamable below) is still a "name your price" download from Bandcamp and I highly recommend you do. It's somewhere between the Pixies and that first Dandy Warhols albums...but in French. They're great live.

Pat Jordache

I also really like Pat Jordache who I saw for the first time yesterday. Wearing overalls and wifebeaters, I was expecting maybe something countrified, but with a two-drummer assault it was closer to '80s goth than anything else, maybe a little Wild Beast-y too. (That dark side isn't quite as apparent on PJ's album.) They're pals/colaborators with tUnE-yArDs and, like Merril, have a good sense of showmanship. Check out "Phantom Limb" at the top of this post and stream the entirety of their Future Songs album at the bottom.

There's also Parlovr, The Barr Brothers, Miracle Fortress, TOPS, Philemon, TONSTARTSSBANDHT, Passwords and Peter Peter.

The Stepkids

For those who are on a budget and want to keep the day party spirit alive into the night, YoursTruly are presenting a show at Glasslands that is free to you and me. And it's a great line-up of talent: Active Child, Born Gold (formerly GOBBLE GOBBLE), The Stepkids, Araabmuzik, Memoryhouse, Caveman, INC, and Ava Luna. No badges needed.  No RSVPing. Just show up. Mind you when it hits capacity -- and it will -- there will be a one-in-one-out policy even if you're just going out for a smoke or some fresh air. You do have to be 21, though. Sorry King Krule.

And for those into dancing and/or "alt-culture," Forcefield PR and Hipster Runoff are presenting the BleepyBloopFest at Cameo with latenight DJ sets from Neon Indian, Teengirl Fantasy, Beach Fossils, Dent May, DJ Taolin, and maybe even HR's enigmatic Carles himself. Will it be relevant/authentic? Possibly. But it will no doubt be a scene. This one is also absolutely free. But also 21+.

Gotye

Meanwhile at Santos, Neon Gold is putting on two floors of New Sounds, including Australian artist Gotye whose Sting-y sounding single "Somebody That I Used to Know" is a massive, massive hit over there down under, spending eight weeks straight in the top slot. (The longest run in AU chart history since Savage Garden in the '90s.) The video has racked up over 11 million hits.

There whole line-up is impressive. Totally Enormous Extinct Dinoaurs. The Knocks. Savoir Adore. Is Tropical. And many more! $10, less than a buck a band! There's a lot of bang for your buck here, it's all fun, party music. Sad bastards stay home.

Masters of the Hemisphere

And a couple one-off bands I'd like to point out. Georgia indiepop legends Masters of the Hemisphere return after a 10-year hiatus for a show tonight at The Rock Shop. (11:30PM) Check out an MP3 at the top of this post. They'll play again Saturday (10/22) at Bruar Falls if you can't go tonight.

Dark, sultry locals Zaza play their only show of CMJ tonight at Knitting Factory. (Midnight) Overlooked I think, but Zaza do the dark romance thing better than just about anyone in this town and their record is very, very good -- you can stream it at the bottom of this post.

There's a ton of stuff happening tonight and I'm sure I'm missing something huge and awesome, but these are the things I'm considering. What are you going to see?

Continue reading "CMJ 2011 - Bill's Friday picks (BV parties, M For Montreal, Jesuslesfilles, Gotye, Masters of the Hemisphere, Zaza & more)"

photos by Natasha Ryan

Ty Segall on a boat

1.You can actually get kicked off the boat
Things got pretty rocking on the M for Montreal and Brooklyn Vegan Bruise Cruise Saturday afternoon [June 18th]. But we did find out a useful tidbit yesterday: you can actually get kicked off the boat. You'd think once you were in international waters, there wouldn't be a lot of law enforcement going on. But one dude came within an inch of getting booted off the boat for burning down one too many j's. Turns out security can actually call you a water taxi if you're being too naughty to escort you back to the dock. Or at least they can threaten do that. The guy threw his spliff over board before we got to see it actually happen.

2. Steve McDonald from Redd Kross/OFF is THE Steve
Midway through Ty Segall's set he started to call around for his friend "Steve" to come up and join him for a tune. Steve wasn't in the belly of boat though at the time, so every one started yelling "Steve" not really knowing who they were calling. Turns out it was Steve McDonald from the Redd Kross, who was in town with his band OFF! It was bit of a coincidence too because the last time I had seen him perform was with Redd Kross opening for the Lemonheads at the Opera House in 1993. I also got to see Evan Dando and Juliana Hatfield this weekend. So it was like a double-blast from the past.

Continue reading "pics from the M For Montreal/BV NXNE 'Bruise Cruise'"

Ty Segall (fans) on Bruise Cruise 2011 (more by Gabi Porter)

Going to be in Toronto for NXNE this coming week? If so, make sure to RSVP for the free BrooklynVegan/M For Montreal 'Bruise Cruise' which is happening this Saturday, June 18th. The boat show will feature sets by Ty Segall, Young Governor (featuring Ben of Fucked Up), Uncle Bad Touch (featuring Mikey of Priestess), and Jesuslesfilles (who Bill liked at M For Montreal 2010). Not only is it free, NXNE badgeholders get free drinks too (other people can buy them). See the flyer below.

Ty Segall, who also plays three other NXNE shows before kicking off a tour as a member of Sic Alps, played the real Bruise Cruise earlier this year. Ty is not however on the lineup of Bruise Cruise 2012, but Thee Oh Sees, King Khan, The Soft Pack and many others are.

Our NXNE flyer is below....

Continue reading "BrooklynVegan, M For Montreal & Bruise Cruise present a free NXNE show on a boat"

photos by Tim Griffin

Handsome Furs @ The Great Escape

Speaking of Wolf Parade, Handsome Furs revealed the NSFW album art for their third album Sound Kapital (below) which comes out June 28 via Sub Pop. They've also made another song from the album available in exchange for your email address. Check out "Repatriated" below, and "What About Us" here.

Dan Boeckner and Alexei Perry recently got back from a trip to Brighton, England where they played the M For Montrea/BrooklynVegan Great Escape showcase at The B'ton Coalition on Friday, May 13th. Pictures from the UK show are in this post.

Their next show will take place in Toronto as part of the NXNE Festival to which they were recently added....

NORTH BY NORTHEAST announces the third wave of bands for the 17th edition of the festival, taking over Toronto June 13-19, 2011. Tickets are now available online at www.nxne.com.

NXNE has just confirmed that hardcore heroes FUCKED UP and glam gallant DIAMOND RINGS will join the Yonge-Dundas Square (YDS) line-up that includes previously announced acts such as Devo, Stars, The Pharcyde, Land of Talk, Digable Planets, Descendents, OFF! and Men Without Hats.

Men Without Hats will also play an intimate club show on Thursday, June 16 at The Great Hall in addition to their YDS performance - and Fucked Up headlines the NOW Magazine showcase on the same night, at Wrongbar.

Newly announced as part of the NXNE Music Festival are HANDSOME FURS, previewing tracks from the new album Sound Kapital, GRIMES with her genre-bending pop, retro Manhattan garage-pop stars THE POSTELLES, Los Angeles four-piece SUPERHUMANOIDS, Portland folk outfit HORSE FEATHERS, Pixies tour mates IMAGINARY CITIES, action comic-punk band PEELANDER Z, Nashville garage punks HEAVY CREAM and critically acclaimed one-man band GUARDS.

Continue reading "Handsome Furs played the Great Escape, added to NXNE, made NSFW cover art, etc (pics, dates & a new MP3)"

DOWNLOAD: Grimes - "Vanessa" (MP3)

After a failed stint with Handsome Furs (damn you visa issues!) Grimes is ready to head back to the US with an even more coveted slot, opening all Lykke Li dates in May.

Tickets are all sold out for both nights at Webster Hall (5/17, 5/18) during that tour, but if you want to see Lykke, tickets are still available for her show at Central Park SummerStage on August 1 (without Grimes).

Right before that tour, on May 12th, Grimes plays an M for Montreal daytime Great Escape showcase at Life in Brighton (in the UK) along with fellow Canadians PS I Love You and Radio Radio. That's one day before the previously-mentioned M for Montreal/BrooklynVegan nighttime showcase happening at Coalition with Said the Whale, Thus:Owls, Handsome Furs and The Radio Dept.

In July, Grimes is playing Guelph, Ontario's Hillside Festival (7/22-24) which recently announced their full lineup which is listed below.

Tour dates, the new "Vanessa" video, and a video of Grimes at SXSW is below.

Continue reading "Grimes touring w/ Lykke Li, playing Great Escape in the UK & Canada's Hillside Festival (lineups & dates)"

photos by Amanda Hatfield and Timothy Griffin

Adventure (by Tim)

Braids (by Tim)

Braids and Adventure are on tour with Toro y Moi now. The three bands play sold out shows at Music Hall of Williamsburg and Bowery Ballroom on Sunday (4/10) and Monday (4/11).

As discussed and/or pictured HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE, and HERE, we threw a free, three stage party with M For Montreal at Swan Dive and Barbarella in Austin on Saturday, March 19, 2011.

Thanks to everyone who stopped by, to all the bands who played and to Ramesh for DJing. Sorry to Bass Drum of Death for not getting to play due to some confusion. Thanks to the cast of Workaholics for stopping by and for doing some hosting (catch their show on Comedy Central now!). Thanks also to Izzoz, Sensible Portions, Honest Tea, VegAustin, Raw Revolution, NadaMoo, Firefly Vodka, Line 6, Korg, Vox, Blackstar, Nudie Jeans, and ASCAP. Thanks to everyone else that helped and to anyone I forgot.

A whole bunch more pictures from the whole day are below...

Continue reading "BV/M For Montreal Austin Day Party in pics (Braids, Adventure, Owen Pallett, Little Scream & many more)"

by Bill Pearis

DOWNLOAD: Grimes - Devon (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Doldrums - Parrot Talk (MP3)

Grimes

Montreal's Grimes are swinging through town in the next week on their way down to SXSW, playing Silent Barn on Monday (3/7). Did anyone go see Grimes when they were here last October? The pseudonymn of artist Claire Boucher, Grimes latest, Halafaxa, is still a "pay what you want" download from their label's website. Ethereal, occasionally dub-infected and danceable, Halafaxa should appeal to fans of Delorean and Sally Shapiro (or even old 4AD bands like This Mortal Coil or Dif Juz). Definitely worth a click. You can download "Devon" from it at the top of the this post to give you a taste.

If you're heading to Austin this year, Grimes is playing a bunch of times during the week, including Tuesday, March 15's M for Mikey Montreal showcase that also features Esben & the Witch, Delicate Steve, Diamond Rings and Dominique Young Unique... as well as a second official showcase on Saturday (3/19) where she plays with Montreal neighbors Braids who are playing the BrooklynVegan/M For Montreal party at Swan Dive/Barbarella that same day (more details TBA soon!). All tour dates are below.

Doldrums

Also playing the Silent Barn show and touring with Grimes down to Austin is Toronto artist Doldrums, aka Eric Asher who some of you may remember from the band Spiral Beach (they opened for Sloan at Bowery Ballroom back in 2007). Doldrums shows are a mix of live performance, samples and distorted video projections and his new single "Euphoria" is out now on Toronto label We Are Busy Bodies and you can watch the video for it below. You can also check out Doldrums track "Parrot Talk" at the top of this post.

Doldrums play SXSW as well, including the official We Are Busy Bodies showcase on Thursday, March 17 with Japanther, Zoobombs and Neon Windbreaker. All Grimes/Doldrums tourdates are below.

Continue reading "Grimes & Doldrums --- 2011 tour dates, SXSW shows, MP3s"

The Dears at M For Montreal Montreal (more by Alexandre Bédard)

The Dears released their new LP Degeneration Street on 2/15, and are preparing to play multiple shows at SXSW in March and then heading to Europe in April. In between those dates, the Montreal band will swing by Brooklyn to play Music Hall of Williamsburg on 3/29. Tickets go on AmEx presale Wednesday, 2/23, at noon, and go on regular sale on Friday.

All tour dates and some recent video, including The Dears on Letterman on 2/11, below...

Continue reading "The Dears playing SXSW, MHOW & other dates"

by Bill Pearis w/ photos by Alexandre Bédard

DOWNLOAD: Jesuslesfilles - Fous Le Camp (MP3)

Les Surveillantes

The final day of M for Montreal had two showcases, both of which seemed programmed more to locals more than the "international delegates" like myself. Mainly because much of it was en Français.

First up was an all-Francophone afternoon. This might sound like drag to some, but I see it as a window to a world most Americans don't really know exists. And while a lot of it is heavy on the fromage, there's always a discovery to be made here. The only band that seems likely to make a dent below the border was Jesuslesfilles, who make a racket somewhere between the Pixies and early Dandy Warhols. Garagey, but not the blown-out levels kind, and the songs are very catchy even with the language barrier. Check out "Fous Le Camp" at the top of this post. It's from their excellent self-released album, Une Belle Table, which you can download in its entirety for free at their Bandcamp page. There's also video of them performing at the bottom of this post.

I also really, really liked Les Surveillantes, an incredibly charming, nerdy folk quartet from Saint-Boniface, Manitoba. Huddled around two microphones, and looking like French-Canadian Quakers, they sang about girls, apathy and science. "La Racine Carree du Couer" ("The Square Root of the Heart") was kind of about all three. Though all their songs were in French, their very funny between-song banter filled in the blanks for Anglo-monolingual folk in the audience. One of my favorite performances all week.

The rest of the Francophile showcase was a little more glitzy. Damien Robataille worked his inner Tom Jones for a crowd of excited ladies, one of whom threw a bra onstage. Tongue-in-cheek, yes, but sorta not at the same time. Montreal seems to like a little panache in their rock. We also got Yann Perreau, whose 2009 album was nominated for a Juno and epitomizes Francophile rock: indebted to Leonard Cohen, with a little Vegas and a little analogue electronic edge. And in his case, a little dub too. He was good.

Alex Nevsky seemed like a younger, blander version of Perreau, which I guess makes sense as Yann produced his new album. Nevsky and his band's flowered shirts were the most memorable thing about them. Monogrenade made anthemic, somewhat pompous rock that reminded me a bit of Parisian talent Benjamin Biolay but not as good. They had a cellist. And Geneviève Toupin crafted airy, ethereal pop not unlike Beth Orton.

Later that night was the big M for Metropolis show at the Metropolis theater, one of the nicest bigger (around 2500 capacity) venues I've ever been to. Great sightlines, sound, and lots of bars. It puts Hammerstein, Roseland and Terminal 5 to shame. The line-up here is of bands who are genuinely popular in Montreal, but it's equally schizophrenic as the other bills this week, a little something for everyone.

La Patere Rose, who also played last year's M, opens the show. She's very French, from the striped shirt to the accordion. There's also a little dance music vibe thrown into the chanson mix, as well as choreography. Very cute.

Up next was Pascale Picard Band who was so bland and forgettable I have to look up their name every time I try and reference them. If they ever made a French-Canadian remake of Dawson's Creek, Pascale Picard Band would likely be on the soundtrack.

Waking us up after that was Priestess, who -- unlike Dance Laury Dance earlier in the week -- brought some serious hard rock to M for Montreal. Though I was hoping for more mayhem. No pit, just some mild thrashing from the crowd. The band were tight and giving it their all though.

Next were The Dears whose sound is clearly designed for a big venue like Metropolis. They sounded properly epic, but played a set that was heavy on the new album, Degeneration Street, which no one has actually heard yet. (Not out till February). Maybe I don't understand how these things work, but I think if you're playing a big show like this, a festival crowd, cram your set with hits and play the best song from the new album. (That would be "Omega Dog" in this case.) Instead we only got the great "Lost in the Plot." Lost opportunity if you ask me.

Then we got the real entertainment of the night: Misteur Valaire, who I saw two years previously at M, and have become Montreal megastars. They're kind of the city's Hot Chip, in that they look like members of a high school AV club but make serious club music. Jazz trained, these guys are great musicians and have the crowd going mental the whole time. There's also costume changes and boy band style choreography.

What they don't have, however, are very many catchy songs which is where the Hot Chip comparison kind of falls apart. But in the moment, they are a one-stop dance party. But they'll need more hooks if they want to really translate to American audiences. That said, if you want to get a head start -- I think they'll be at SXSW 2011 -- you can download their album for free at their website.

The crowd kept dancing for Poirer, one of the hottest DJ/Producers in Montreal but at that point I was entirely wiped from four days of French-Canadian hospitality, music and general excess.

Videos of Jesuslesfilles and Les Surveillantes, plus some more pics, après le saut:

Continue reading "M For Montreal 2010 - night 4 in pics & review (The Dears, Les Surveillantes, Jesuslesfilles, Misteur Valaire & more)"

by Bill Pearis

DOWNLOAD: Metz - Negative Space (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Valleys - Ordinary Dream (MP3)

Suuns

There was a smattering of band performances throughout the day Friday -- anywhere they could cram them it felt like at times -- before the night's "official selection." Honestly, I wasn't really psyched at seeing a band at 2 in the afternoon when I'd rather go record shopping or, say, getting lunch but Newfoundland's Hey Rosetta! turned out to be worth the detour. "We're usually a lot louder than this," singer Tim Baker admitted, but the less-electric approach to this performance made it kind of special. Hushed vocals, strings and soaring choruses... the band's sweeping orchestrated sound definitely held our attention. The band's last album made the Polaris 2008 shortlist and their third album, Seeds, will be out in February 2011.

A couple hours later we were taken to the the Chapel historique du Bon-Pasteur for an event called M for Martini where we were plied with said drinks while watching four more intimate-style performances, including the Dylan-esque Courtney Wing, all-girl country band Ladies of the Canyon, and the art folk of Lief Vollebekk.

The only band to really leave an impression on me was Ensemble, the brainchild of Oliveir Alary whose baroque sound is akin to early Broadcast or '60s cult band The United States of America. We only get three songs -- including a brilliant reworking of UB40's 1980 single "Food for Thought" -- and they're maybe the only band of the week whose set I wanted to be longer. Ensemble's new album, Excerpts, is out early next year but you can download its first single, "D'Avalanches," for free if you give them your email address.

After a very heavy, very French meal we headed back to Just Pour Rire (which apparently is closing soon) for what was probably the single-best night of music at M for Montreal. The evening began with Molly Rankin who is descended from Canadian Rock Royalty. (The Rankin Family were folk megastars in the '90s. No those words aren't mutually exclusive. It's Canada.) Backed by members of The Stills, her music is charming, clever, heart-on-the-sleeve pop. A nice way to start the night.

Next up were The Barr Brothers. Andrew and Brad are both also in The Slip but under the family name they are much folkier, but still experimental. Usually when I see an acoustic guitar and a harmonica stand, I'm looking for the exit but they really knocked me back. Brad Barr entered the stage tugging on a string on his acoustic guitar as if he'd broken one on the way out. It was actually a loop of wire, filament, something that worked like a bow, giving the guitar a woozy, somnambulant quality. The band also has a full-time harpist. Most of their set is on the quiet side, but they go full-on Who for one song. One of the best surprises of the fest.

Shuffling over to Just Pour Rire's other stage, we then saw Metz, who kept getting compared to Fucked Up but that seemed more because they're also from Toronto and are making in-your-face noise punk. To my ears it's more the kind of noise you got from Amphetamine Reptile in the '90s. They are loud and spazzy and sludgy and pretty awesome. Check out an MP3 at the top of this post and there's video from their M set at the bottom.

Continuing on, Valleys were next who've played Brooklyn enough times (and I've written about them plenty already) that I should've already seen them but this was my first time. Their debut album was kind of Saddle Creek-y methadone folk kind of stuff, really good, but they have evolved into something louder, more sinister since then. Intense, even without percussion, but when they do break out the drums it's like scream therapy. Check out "Ordinary Dream" from their new Stoner EP which is out now on Semprini.

This flowed nicely into Suuns' set (pronounced "Soons"), definitely the most well-recieved of the night. This was my third time seeing them -- they played the official BV showcase at CMJ you may remember -- and they just get better every time. Singer Ben Shemie is a pretty intesnse frontman, especially when the band locks into a Kraut-y groovy. He bends over, laying into his guitar and leaves the planet.

Final act of the night was Random Recipe who are kind of folk, kind of hip hop, and definitely popular with Montreal locals. Their single "Shipwreck" is okay but overall I don't really get why the crowd is going so wild. I ask a local who shares my indifference. His answer: "Montreal is a really weird place."

More pictures from the whole day and the Metz video below...

Continue reading "M For Montreal 2010 - night 3 in pics & review (Hey Rosetta!, Ensemble, Barr Brothers, Metz, Suuns, Valleys & more) "

by Bill Pearis

AIDS Wolf

Thursday night was the first "official" day of M for Montreal (Wednesday was the unofficial start), which had us back at club Just Pour Rire, shuttling between its two stages for a diverse evening of music. From a programming standpoint, maybe a little too diverse. But it is one of the unique aspects of this fest, forced exposure.

The night began with the britpoppy psychedelia of Elephant Stone. Front man Rishi Dhir, who played in High Dials for a while, traded between bass, guitar and sitar, the latter of which is the band's most immediately distinguishing feature. Their songs are good too -- jangly psychedelic pop -- but it's certainly a trip to see Dhir sitting crosslegged on a platform playing this massive, cool intstrument. It's a nice, mellow start to the evening.

Next up was Marco Calliari, an Itallian Tom Colicchio (a musician too) lookalike who spent part of the '90s in thrash metal band Anonymous but now plays Italian folk music not too far off in style from, say, The Gypsy Kings. Calliari is an exuberant performer and his band is tight, but he's out of place of this otherwise electrified line-up. Also out of place: singer-songwriter Jason Bajada who was pleasant enough but didn't leave much of an impression.

Most everyone seemed in agreement that PS I Love You were the best band of the night. The duo from Kingston, Ontario are an indie Mutt and Jeff, kind of like the Pixies with a new wave back-end. Yelper-guitarist Paul Salnier actually pulls triple duty live, playing bass parts too via a Moog bass pedal setup which is pretty cool. Drummer Ben Nelson plays heavy on the high hat a la New Order's Stephen Morris which gives their songs danceability.  Their record, Meet Me at the Muster Station, is good but live PS I Love You are a force. As previously mentioned, they're touring and playing NYC next week with Holiday Shores (12/03 at The Rock Shop, then Pianos the next night). Go see 'em.

Bad sound marred the set from Black Feelings who I could tell I'd really like given proper circumstances. Like their name implies, the trio grind out dense, foreboding post punk (PiL, Big Black). They are intense live, but it was like the sound guy forgot to turn the fader up on the guitars and the mix was muddy in general. Not so on last year's self-titled debut (out on  Alien8 Recordings, also home to Think About Life, Duchess Says and others). They're also the kind of band better suited to grungy DIY spaces than fancier venues like this one.

Ditto that to Aids Wolf who are a defiantly acquired taste, even for those with adventurous palates. Entirely out of their element, the confrontational art-noise group settle into freakout mode that sound, to casual ears, entirely improvised a la Throbbing Gristle. (Anyone who's heard their records and then seen them live knows these three are insanely tight, serious musicians.) Chloe Lum spends most of the show with the microphone in her mouth. They are not boring but a little goes a long way and most of the room cleared out well before their set finishes. I'm told Gene Simmons, one of my fellow "international delegates" for the weekend, really dug them.

With the "official selection" finished for the night came the afterparty entertainment: Quebec City's Dance Laury Dance. who seemed super-psyched to have Simmons in the house. (He watched sitting from the balcony, like a mafia don, nodding approvingly.) Clad in denim and leather and testosterone, DLD are like Wolverine: The Band, with a sound and schtick somewhere between Motorhead and The Darkness. Ridiculous, but entertaining. Not that much irony here, either. The songs are a little more than riffs and slogans, which is fine, but when the band covered AC/DC their lack of potent hooks became apparent. Still, for pure rawk spectacle overload, they're something all right.

Still to come: Reports from Friday and Saturday. More blurry photos taken by me are below, along with PS I Love You tour dates and a Dance Laury Dance music video.

Continue reading "M For Montreal 2010 - night 2 in pics & review (PS I Love You, AIDS Wolf, Dance Laury Dance, Gene Simmons & more)"