by RUPERT BOTTENBERG

As far as live music goes, 2005 has come roaring out of the gate. With Bright Eyes at le Spectrum, the slimmed-down Fat Joe and his Terror Squad at Club Dome and chill cellist Jorane at Cabaret la Tulipe on Jan. 26 and 27, this week alone is a hot one. There's also General Rudie at Café Campus tonight, and Chris Murray backed by the Planet Smashers next week, as Stomp Records (who celebrate a decade in action this February) sustain their grand annual tradition, the January ska series.

Next week is all about hip hop. Check le rap marseillais of le 3ème Oeil with guests Atach Tatuq and Kodiak at Club Soda, Jan. 27 and 29, get down and dirty with rude, rambunctious rapper Ghetto Nuns at Café Campus or check out where hip hop is going internationally, when South Africa's Zaki and Tumi & the Volume, Somali MC K'naan and Ghana's DJ Nana hit le Swimming. On that African note, Malian troubadour Habib Koité is at Kola Note on Jan. 30. The women's vocal ensemble Kitka, meanwhile, showcase their repertoire of Slavic faves on Feb. 5.

A picnic in parkas and loads of launches

On Saturday, Jan. 29, the fine folks behind the summertime Piknic Electronik events at Parc Jean-Drapeau present a special winter edition - dance to stay warm! - with DJs Eloi Brunelle, Vega, Vincent Lemieux, Sean Kosa and Jordan Dare, plus skating, warm wine and a sexxxy snowsuit contest! Soon after, Feb. 2 sees Israel's Idan Raichel Project fuse ancient Ethiopian song and ultramodern beats at Club Soda.

DJ Mini of the Overdose nights at le Parking follows up the Jan. 13 set with David Kristian with a visit from French electro-freaks Kap Bambino on Jan. 27. Kristian meanwhile launches his new CD Sweet Bits at Casa del Popolo that same night. Check the beat-driven guit-army of Champion and his G-Strings at the launch for the excellent Chill 'Em All, Feb. 4 at Club Soda. Still another CD launch to note is that of jazz-funk keyboardist Vanessa Rodrigues, with her special guest DJ Killah Jewel, at Grumpy's on Feb. 5.

If you dug the messy rock 'n' roll nailbomb that was the King Khan & BBQ gig at Casa last December, wait till the twosome takes the stage at El Salon, with openers the Leather Uppers, on Feb. 5. Hungry for the heavy? Bionic drag Besnard Lakes to la Sala Rossa on Feb. 4, while Dillinger Escape Plan, Read Yellow and the End deliver the rough stuff at Club Soda two days later.

The Fat Tuesday Brass Band begin in earnest their crusade to import New Orleans's Mardi Gras to Montreal on Feb. 8 at El Salon, with guests Kumpania. Holland's long-absent Bettie Serveert follow the release of their new album Attagirl with a gig at the Main Hall on Feb. 9, the same night as the tribute to Bob Marley at Club Soda, with La Chango Family, Kaliroots and Washington, D.C.'s Soldiers of Jah Army. Neko Case and the Sadies are at Club Soda on Feb. 11, brittle Brits Keane at Metropolis on Feb. 12, and on Feb. 14, Valentine's Day, Malajube launch a CD at Café Campus and the surly Vulgar Deli do likewise at Foufounes Électriques.

Spreading the love and shedding some light

Valentine's Day will in fact be the day of rest for partygoers indulging in the BBCM's Red Weekend, Feb. 10 to 13. The weekend's main event is the Red Party with DJ Alex Lauterstein at le Spectrum. There's also the Fever! party at Stereo, Feb. 13, with Tracy Young spinning.

G-Unit's Young Buck and guests Bad News Brown and FP Crew are at Dome on Feb. 15, the same night as the transcendental trannie show of Antony & the Johnsons at the Green Room. Spectacular Montreal rockers Paradise present their new disc at Café Campus on Feb. 18.

Chris Tarry of the Canadian avant-jazz-funk unit Metalwood settles into Upstairs for a two-fer, Feb. 18 and 19. Those same dates apply to the Yellow Door concerts by world-class cellist Matt Haimowitz, part of his ongoing mission to bring Bach and the like to folks outside the world of classical music. On a similar classical-crossover note, precocious pop violinist Kalan Porter is at Club Soda on Feb. 19, the same night that Definitive Jux act Hangar 18 are at Casa del Popolo and song-singin' sisters Tegan & Sara, with guest Lindy, are at Cabaret la Tulipe.

The Festival Montréal en Lumière lights up the town again, Feb. 17 to 27. Standout musical events include Ben Charest doing his Triplettes de Belleville thing twice, M's three nights at Metropolis and a special food-related session from electronic troublemaker Matthew Herbert.

The Strictly Mundial event, Feb. 24-27, is a global folk-music market, conference, workshop series and most importantly, concert fest, at a variety of local venues. Highlights include the incomparable Lhasa, Syrian qanun virtuoso Abdullah Chhadeh, Zuco 103, Shtreiml and a late-nite Club Soda set from world-groove DJ Globesonic, conveniently coinciding with Montréal en Lumière's Nuit Blanche all-nighter.

Punks in packs

Around the same time, the Mandatory Moustache series of local-band Tuesdays has Rivers and Mountains launching a DVD at le Divan Orange on Feb. 22. On Feb. 25, Venezuelan disco kids Los Amigos Invisibles are at Cabaret la Tulipe, followed the next night by northern Brit mod-punks Futureheads at El Salon.

Geriatric punk diehards Social Distortion drag themselves into Metropolis on Feb. 21, setting the stage for a batch of big nu-punk blowouts to follow. The Taste of Chaos tour, bringing the Used, My Chemical Romance, Senses Fail and more to la Stade Uniprix, is on March 3. March 5 sees Rise Against, Belvedere and more on the 123 Punk tour at le Spectrum, while the Epitaph showcase with Matchbook Romance, Motion City Soundtrack and more is at Club Soda on March 11.

Mix the punk and the world beat together and you get three shows at three different venues, March 3 to 5, from the enfant terrible of raï Rachid Taha. Local cause célèbre in the garage department les Breastfeeders make it down to St-Henri's Va-et-Vient on March 4 (same place DobaCaracol deliver an April Fool's show, April 1). On March 7, the heaviosity raises its head again with a Spectrum show for Atreyu, Unearth and more. NYC's French Kicks bring their delicate post-punk synth-soul to la Sala Rossa the night after.

The Crüe and you

Soul goddess Jill Scott is booked to play Metropolis on March 15 - hurry up for tickets, they're bound to go fast. Daring duo Canned Hamm are expected around the same time, sharing the musky magic of their new homoerotic sci-funk cocaine karaoke makeover. Late March sees a two-nighter at Metropolis for Quebec's outta-nowhere success story les Trois Accords, a special surround-sound set from Amon Tobin at Théâtre Corona and also the Eagles at the Bell Centre (bring your own steely knives).

April promises Bell Centre visits from heavy hitters like Offenbach with, um, April Wine (April 1, same night as the Box at le Spectrum), not-quite-so-pretty-anymore Duran Duran (April 6), pretty-in-a-terrifying-fake-way Cher (April 7) and those party-hearty perennials Mötley Crüe, umlauts intact (April 24). Long-distance forecasts for May include the return of the Elektra fest, shifted from November to springtime, as well as rumoured visits from French heirs to Air M83 and Ulrich Schnauss, Miss Kittin and Roots Manuva.

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