by RUPERT BOTTENBERG

The coldest months get a warm gust this week with shows by punky reggae unit Trip the Off, tonight, and hip hop horde Nomadic Massive, Sunday, at the recently renovated Petit Campus. On a similar note, Jah Cutta and Mello G make cameos at the Jan. 25 Dub Out night at Salon Daomé, hosted by Mossman and Deadbeat. This Saturday, meanwhile, sees the debut of Zoobizarre’s Superstar Karaoke night which, given the club’s kooky clientele and the World Provider overseeing the matter, promises to be nutty.

Speaking of nutty, the spread for the following week is just that. You’ve got third-wave ska heroes the Toasters at Petit Campus and Romeo Kardec, Miss Molly and Melon at Saphir’s Mix Thursday on Jan. 26, Brooklyn’s the Walkmen at la Tulipe and T-dot rawkers C’mon at Casa del Popolo the night after, All American Rejects at le Spectrum, Lo & the Magnetics and Synthetic Folk Hero at Petit Campus and the Planète Musique soirée with percussionist Abdoulaye Koné’s band and DJ Kobal at Kola Note on Jan. 28. That’s the same night Ghislain Poirier launches his new CD Bounce le Remix (featuring his versions of grime, crunk and Vanilla Ice hits) at his Bounce le Gros night at Zoobizarre. New York’s Matt Shadetek is his guest.

Tuesday, Jan. 31, sees Mile End Records boasting a double disc launch at Mile End Bar—Shane Phillips opens the night with material off his new one Everybody, then Patrick Dream reps the Chez Nous comp of Montreal house, which he co-programmed with Mike Meurin. Keep in mind that Misstress Barbara will be launching her new CD Come With Me… at the same space on Feb. 7.

Hillary Duff, the lil’ darlin’, has eclipsed the Olsen Twins in the leering pervert’s pantheon, so expect raincoats and stubble galore at the Bell Centre on Feb. 1. You could put your entertainment dollar to more worthy uses that night, though, with the Luther Vandross-themed benefit for the Quebec Heart and Stroke Foundation, with Danny Blanco and Montreal Soulstars at Lion d’Or, and a Greenpeace benefit with Laced, Requiem, Sheldon Rourke and more at Cabaret Cleopatra.

Polar picnicking

Further into February, you’ll find the Kalmunity collective celebrating Black History Month with four consecutive Sunday shows at Main Hall, starting on Feb. 5. But first, on Friday, Feb. 3, DJ Bliss and Jordan Dare move their Voyeur night from Blizzarts down to the SAT, and from weekly to monthly. The special guest is no less than NYC’s notorious trendsetter Tommie Sunshine. That same night, Junkie XL demands a little less conversation at Aria.

Save your energy, though, because the day after, Feb. 4, sees the return of the Piknic Electronik des neiges, with DJs Akufen, Mini and Stéphane Cocke. The hardy souls who made it down for last year’s debut deep-freeze dance party at Parc Jean-Drapeau were rewarded with mulled wine, tobogganing, ice-skating and more day-glo snowsuits than you could shake a ski pole at. Later that same night, you can find M-1 of volatile, radi-pol rap unit Dead Prez at SPAG (no doubt with a rougher take on Black History Month), weird-ass wunderkinds We Are Wolves at la Sala Rossa, or new-school punks the Queers and Riptides at Foufounes Électriques.

The following night sees robot rockers the Juan Maclean, who you might recall kicked ass at the Neon party with LCD Soundsystem a few months back, at la Tulipe. That’s the same place to catch Supergrass and Pilotdrift (the latter new signees to Good Records, the Polyphonic Spree’s label) on Feb. 7, the same night High on Fire and the Bronx dish out the heavy at la Sala Rossa. Feb. 8 sees two grunge icons, Lemonhead Evan Dando and Doughboy John Kastner, sharing the Main Hall stage, while Feb. 9 features the return of Devin the Dude with guests at the new Kop Shop space on Roy. On Feb. 10, you can catch some fire in the disco when Electric Six, joined by noted newcomers She Wants Revenge, play Petit Campus.

Paint the town Red

Now we’re getting into Valentine’s territory. Moondata Productions’ LABprojects night on Feb. 11 at O Patro Vys focuses on significant others, with couples from Besnard Lakes, Patrick Watson Band and Moondata getting all freeform and jammy while singles in the crowd get all jealous. That same night, Pony Up! headline a Valentine’s Decade Danse at Main Hall.

As it’s not a Friday, Feb. 13 turns out lucky, with Edie Sedgwick (no, not the dead celebutante, but rather the star-obsessed, electro-trannie side project of Supersystem’s Justin Moyer) at Zoobizarre, and Scotland’s Mylo, the dance-rock phenomenon of “Drop the Pressure” fame, at Cabaret.

Valentine’s day proper is Feb. 14, the date Murray Head’s one night in Montreal, at Club Soda, makes hard men humble. Gypsy-punk extravaganza Gogol Bordello make their Montreal debut at Main Hall on Feb. 16, the same night that Inuit rockeuse Lucie Idlout is at le Syndrome and the 2006 Red Weekend kicks off. BBCM’s annual Valentine’s event includes a main event split between le Parking and Circus, with Alain Jackinsky, David Knapp, Manny Lehman and Stefane Lippé sealing the deal with a kiss.

On a classic Montreal techno tangent, Nuclear Ramjet is at Main Hall on Feb. 17, while Pheek launches the new CD Galapagos Excursion Joint 1, a face-off with Jesse Somfay, at the same space the night after. Also on Feb. 18, Cape Verdean singer Lura is at Kola Note, while the night after sees In Flames fire up le Medley.

For whom the Belle tolls

Sustaining the home-taping tradition, a staple of the early-’90s zine scene, is Ariel Pink, who’s at Zoobizarre on Tuesday, Feb. 21. The night after has a lot going on—wonky indie darlings Animal Collective are at la Sala Rossa, Kreator and Napalm Death hammer home the heaviosity at le Medley and Dub Out at Salon Daomé offers a special Rude Boy nite, featuring rock-steady classics and cheaper tickets for those clad in Fred Perrys and porkpies.

Good news for the delicate souls of the argyle set—Belle & Sebastian return to Metropolis on Feb. 26, same venue at which you can take the measure of Metric on March 1. The Electro-Chic party sees its latest installment at the SAT on March 3, with Omni, Axel Klein and G O’Brien on the decks. March 4, meanwhile, offers a fundraiser for cause célèbre street artist Roadsworth, currently facing criminal charges. It’s at Main Hall and boasts Ark of Infinity, Donkey Heart and live painting by HVW8. Torngat are at la Sala Rossa, and our men in Havana Cubanismo is at le Spectrum, the same night.

Skate-punkers No Use for a Name join Suicide Machine, I Am the Avalanche and Versus the World at le Spectrum on March 3, while the morbidly-monikered Bleeding Through, Every Time I Die and Between the Buried and Me are at Club Soda on March 6. Of Montreal, who aren’t, are at la Tulipe on March 7, same night noise terrorists Wolf Eyes, who despite their lupine tag aren’t from hereabouts either, are at la Sala Rossa.

From soundclash to sunburn

Nada Surf and Rogue Wave are at Cabaret on March 10, same night disco sensations Brazilian Girls are at Main Hall. Books on Tape and DJ Lynne T are at Casa del Popolo March 11, while across the street at la Sala Rossa that night, production house Blue Skies Turn Black celebrates another birthday with a set by Final Fantasy and more. Alternately, you can catch the major goth-out as Sisters of Mercy and guests the Warlocks bring the gloom to Metropolis that night. March 15 witnesses the return of Stereolab, at la Tulipe this time, while Australia’s Björn Again, the next best thing to an Abba reunion, are at the Bell Centre on March 17. Also that night, the SAT hosts the Neon Loves Kompakt party, with the super-hip techno label’s Justus Kohncke, Tobias Thomas and Thomas Meinecke on tap, while Robosapien Records launch the second Nuvo comp of cool Montreal pop at Main Hall, with the Spins, GOA! and more on hand.

Brit-rock plat du jour Arctic Monkeys, who are prepared to bet that you look good on the dancefloor, give you a reason to on March 22 at la Sala Rossa. Locals done good Kiss Me Deadly are at Main Hall on March 24, followed by a two-night stand there by folky-punky-reggae unit Bedouin Soundclash. Indie-rock notables Magnolia Electric Co. and Destroyer share the stage at la Sala Rossa on March 26, while messy blues-punkers the Gossip dish the dirt there on March 28. March 31, finally, sees the first of two nights at Casa del Popolo with psychedelicists Sunburned Hand of the Man—an omen of the sunburns and sweaty days just around the corner.

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