by JOHNSON CUMMINS

If you're a smoker who likes to go out and see bands, you can soon kiss that butt goodbye. Quebec health minister Phillippe Couillard announced that a smoking ban in all bars and restaurants will be going down this spring. How is this going to affect the live music scene? Well, looking at Ottawa, Vancouver and New York City after a smoking ban was implemented, not good.

After the smoking ban went into effect over a year ago in Ottawa, 60 out of the 210 downtown bars were forced to close, according to Karen Bodirsky, who represents the Fair Air Association of Canada. At Vancouver's live venue mainstay the Brickyard, smokers are relegated to a plexiglass enclosure where hearing the live music is nearly impossible. Other small live music venues just withered on the vine. Since the longtime smoking ban, New York City bars, which would usually host more live music than anywhere else in the world on any given night, have seen a drop in bookings of over 40 per cent, according to Brian Swirsky of Complete Control NYC Bookings.

With patrons of bars in Montreal being 40 to 50 per cent smokers, this smoking ban could be devastating. Larger shows, where people have already invested over $20 a ticket, won't be hit hard. But with a typical Montreal bar's revenue expected to drop by at least 15 per cent, do you think bar owners are going to be willing to take financial risks with unestablished bands that are not a proven draw? No fucking way. I guess we'll just have to cross our fingers and hope that the Montreal live music scene doesn't go up in smoke because of the anti-smoking lobbyists like it did in Ottawa, Toronto and Vancouver.

Until then, you can smoke 'em if you got 'em when Pink Robes keyboardist extraordinaire Jesse Levine kicks out the improvisational jams with drummer Alex Macsween (ex of Pest 5000, Detention and the Nils) at Casa tonight, Thursday, Jan 20. Friday night marks the return of New Jersey's finest gutter punks Electric Frankenstein - opening is Toronto's finest, Maximum RNR, giving the old bastards a run for their money at Foufounes. Pop Montreal organizer, slow talker and all-around cool-guy-about-town Dan "Sometimes I feel scared inside" Seligman is hosting an "after Bright Eyes party" on Saturday night and promises special surprise guests - word amongst the hipsters is it's going to be "hotsy totsy." Also happening on Saturday night is Tainted Youth, Jerk Appeal and Pelvic Thrust at El Salon, while keyboardist Bob Wiseman will still be making musical amends for having once played in Blue Rodeo, at Zeke's Gallery. Wear a white baseball cap, scream out "Diamond Mine" between every song and watch a grown man cry. Awesome! Monday night will feature the garage punk of the First Times with the Racoons taking up the rear at the Barfly, and Tuesday night will mark the sophomore of Mandatory Moustache's local band nights at le Divan Orange with Hexes and Ohs, the Sally Fields and Telefauna.

If you got a show, I'll plug ya (ouch!) jonathan.cummins@gmail.com

>> Music Listings