by RUPERT BOTTENBERG

Our fall music rundown starts with a bang as the MIMI 2006 Montreal Rock showdown goes down tonight, Sept. 14, at les Saints, with Dirty Tricks, le Nombre, Psychotic 4 and the Besnard Lakes on board. Tomorrow night, Friday, Sept. 15, Nouvelle Vague join the Submarines at Club Soda. Alternately, there’s the exuberant husband-and-wife unit Mates of State, with Starlight Mints and Hexes & Ohs, at Main Hall the same night. Moondata’s LABprojects series at O Patro Vys starts again on Sept. 16, with special guest curators lined up (this month it’s the Objects, which is Matt Lederman and Vid Cousins, while next month it’s Moment Factory), while Sept. 17 sees Cromags singer/Bad Brains roadie John Joseph reading from his new memoir at Green Room.

On Tuesday, Sept. 19, those clad in Doc Martens will have to choose either the classic second-wave ska bill Dance Craze Too at le National, with the English Beat and the Selecter, or Bad Religion and Dropkick Murphys at Metropolis. Sept. 21 sees not only Floyd-meister Roger Waters at the Bell Centre and a double dose of Canadian dance-punk with Shout Out Out Out Out and Holy Fuck at la Tulipe, but two noteworthy local launches—the rootsy gold of Angela Desveaux’s Wandering Eyes at la Sala Rossa, the lunacy of les Georges Leningrad’s Sangue Puro at le National. And Patrick Watson drops his magnificent Close to Paradise on Sept. 26 at Lion d’Or.

Put some Bounce in your step

Sept. 22 has Kinnie Starr and Björk collaborator Tanya Tagaq at Main Hall and socialist folk-punker Billy Bragg at Club Soda. Also, les Saints coughs up a raunchy rock block with Nashville Pussy and Priestess on Sept. 22, followed by Danko Jones on Sept. 23—same night as Lambchop and Apostle of Hustle at le National, Natacha Atlas at Théâtre Outremont, local rap consortium l’Assemblée at Club Soda and the first anniversary of Ghislain Poirier’s kickass Bounce le Gros nights at Zoobizarre, with special guest DJ/Rupture.

Islands run ashore at Club Soda on Sept. 25, the same night Rakim and guest Kid Capri (but no Eric B) are at Aria, while the night after has Be Your Own Pet, CPC Gangbangs and Black Lips at Main Hall, B.C.’s elder gents of jazz-punk Nomeansno at Club Soda, Kasabian at la Tulipe and metal marauders Dragonforce at le Medley. Sept. 27, Underoath are at Metropolis while Megadeth, Lamb of God, Opeth, Arch Enemy and more shake the foundations at the Bell Centre, which also has Red Hot Chili Peppers heating things up on Sept. 28, same night the legendary Carl Cox hits the decks at Stereo.

imgHardcore heroes Sick of It All celebrate two decades of damage at Foufounes Électriques on Sept. 30, the same night that Yo La Tengo hit le National, Nomadic Massive settle for a spell at Divan Orange and King Khan & BBQ shake up les Saints (the dapper duo are back there with the awesome Detroit Cobras on Nov. 19).

James Blunt is at the Bell Centre Oct. 1, the same night that Ladytron and bratty Brazilians CSS are at Metropolis, and LCD Soundsystem’s main man James Murphy joins Tim Sweeney and Marcus Lambkin (aka Shit Robot) for a special DFA Records party at SAT.

Can’t top Pop

And with that—boom!—Pop Montreal is upon us. Four days, Oct. 4–8, the lil’ festival that could, and can and will, brings on far too many great shows to catch ’em all. Take note of Cat Empire, Harvey Danger, Sloan (didn’t they break up?), Gonzales again (on the organ this time), Portastatic, Regina Spektor, Memphis and Kool Keith’s Dr. Octagon revived. The bill of TTC, Spank Rock and Omnikrom (Oct. 5) is a likely highlight at Club Soda, as is the bill with Trinidad’s Mighty Sparrow and locally-based Socalled Orchestra (Oct. 7). On a heavier note, B.C.’s brilliant 3 Inches of Blood and Toronto’s the Illuminati crank it up at Café Campus (Oct. 5). Think About Life join Lesbians on Ecstasy at la Sala Rossa on Oct. 7 (where LOE also open for the Slits on Oct. 29). And the days are busy too, with Pop Montreal presenting the Future of Music Policy Summit—no less than David Byrne is the guest of honour.

If you’re hoping for a breather after Pop, forget it. Massive Attack make up for their cancelled Sept. 11 show with two nights at Metropolis, Oct. 8-9. The night after, Oct. 10, is totally overloaded—metal masters Iron Maiden at the Bell Centre, Pet Shop Boys at Place des Arts, Matmos at le National, New Found Glory at la Tulipe and a Mint showcase with the New Pornographers and Novillero at Club Soda. It’s also the night that the four-day Nujaz Festival kicks off, with shows from the Herbaliser, Plaster, Afrodizz, Gloomy and more, at Main Hall and Théâtre Olympia.

Supa-sonic

The weekend after that is packed with tough decisions. Do you go with DJ Shadow and Lateef the Truth Speaker at Metropolis, or TV on the Radio and Grizzly Bear at le National, on Oct. 13? On Oct. 14, it’s Exclaim!’s Aggressive Tendencies tour, with Pelican and Daughters, at Club Soda, or Pennywise and SoCal punk pioneers Circle Jerks at Metropolis, or maybe Testament, Brutal Truth and more at le Medley, the return of Headman at SAT, or the wicked double bill of Supersystem and Zombi at Main Hall.

Oct. 15 top pop tarts Art Brut with We Are Scientists at la Tulipe, while Oct. 17 sees Southern-fried raunch rock’s latest great white hope, Supagroup, at la Sala Rossa. Matisyahu’s Hasidic reggae hits Metropolis on Oct. 19, same night Xiu Xiu’s at la Sala Rossa. The monstrous GWAR get their fluids a-gushin’ at Club Soda Oct. 22, while Oct. 25 has prodigal Pixie Frank Black at le National and pint-sized powerhouse Lady Sovereign at Club Soda.

Hatebreed spread a little love around le Spectrum, Oct. 28, while Atreyu pummel Metropolis Oct. 30. In between, there’s the Afro-Cuban All Stars at Club Soda, Oct. 29. The Chrome Children tour, with Madlib and Peanut Butter Wolf, touches down at le National on Oct. 31, and Nov. 1 is a toss-up between Death Cab for Cutie and Ted Leo + Pharmacists at Metropolis, and Gang Gang Dance and White Whale at la Sala Rossa.

Rancid’s return

Dance-rock deities the Rapture join Australians the Presets at Club Soda on Nov. 2 (followed by an after-party at SAT), Michael Franti & Spearhead get conscious at le Spectrum Nov. 3, and Black Strobe shake up the Voyeur night at SAT, Nov. 4. On Nov. 5, there’s the Decemberists at Metropolis, Hot Chip and Shy Child at la Sala Rossa and Pretty Girls Make Graves at Lambi. Califone hit la Sala Rossa on Nov. 6, same night …And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead, Blood Brothers and Celebration (the latter with Katrina Ford, frequent TV on the Radio collaborator) at la Tulipe. Bob Dylan shows us he’s still got it when he and opening act Foo Fighters (!) fill the Bell Centre on Nov. 8, which also sees the Hidden Cameras at la Sala Rossa.

Nov. 10 sees a brilliant triple bill of Mouse on Mars, turntable wizards Birdy Nam Nam and Ninja Tune’s Sixtoo at la Sala Rossa. Upbeat hip hop heads will jot down Nov. 11 for Jurassic 5 at le Spectrum, and garage rockers won’t miss locals the Milky Ways at Casa del Popolo, but for metalheads, the night kicks off a bunch of back-to back shows with Martyr’s CD launch at le Medley. It’s followed by greasepaint gargoyles Queensrÿche at Metropolis Nov. 12, Fear Factory with Suffocation, Decapitated and the delightfully-named Goatwhore at le Medley Nov. 13, and of course Cannibal Corpse and Dying Fetus in the same room the night after.

It’s a swell soirée of funky instrumentalism when B.C.’s No Luck Club join locals Kobayashi and Microtone Kitchen at Main Hall on Nov. 16. The Alley Dukes and the Matadors sculpt their pompadours for some rough ’n’ tumble rockabilly at l’Hemisphère Gauche Nov. 17, Goo Goo Dolls resurface for a show at Théâtre Olympia Nov. 18, and French e-rockers Tahiti 80 roll into Main Hall Nov. 19.

Which takes us to the inevitable onset of winter, but let this lil’ nugget warm your cockles: Rancid, whose guitarist Lars Frederiksen collapsed on stage at the last of their three-show stand at le Spectrum a few weeks ago, have rescheduled for a night at Metropolis, Dec. 9.

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