by VINCENT TINGUELY

By curating the multidisciplinary Catcall series, Abigail Lapell and Luna Allison have been giving their feminist theory a workout, and making it easier for young women to break into the various Montreal performance scenes. The show unfolds monthly in the warm, coffee house ambience of the Pharmacie Esperanza, with three feature performers, resident DJ Lo’s mix of women’s punk, lounge, electro and beyond, and the popular open mic segment.

“It’s almost surprising there isn’t something else like that, because a lot of performers get their start at open mics, and they’re axiomatically very boy-dominated places,” says series founder Lapell. “So just at the level of really simple gender politics, there’s your need, there’s your solution.” The series is a space where Lapell feels free to woodshed new songs, while MC Allison is able to preview new spoken word pieces. “Even the more established performers get up and do things that aren’t quite finished because it’s a safe environment,” Allison notes. “It’s a really supportive audience, they cheer a lot.” Catcall has also helped create a supportive network of women performers by cutting across musical and lyrical categories. “It’s not focused on one scene or one style, so there’s a lot of cross-pollinating that happens,” Lapell notes.

Both Allison and Lapell are currently preparing to enter the recording studio. “I’m recording for the mini-CD series Ian Ferrier’s doing,” Allison explains. “The CD is coming out in January, and it’s gonna be called Urban Lullabies.” Meanwhile, Lapell is heading for Hotel 2 Tango with a passel of musical friends to lay down tracks for her first full-length CD. “We’re both recording lullaby-themed material,” Lapell notes. “Mine is more literally lullabies, although they’re pretty pissy. Bitchy lullabies!”

The next Catcall is on Thursday, Feb. 2, 9 p.m., at Pharmacie Esperanza, $3.