by RUPERT BOTTENBERG

Things kick off admirably tonight, Thursday, Jan. 11, with Faces on Film, the Corduroys and Land of Talk’s Elizabeth Powell at Main Hall. Set Saturday night aside for Montreal’s latest hype magnet, the duo Thunderheist, who join Vancouver mashup-meisters My!Gay!Husband! for some Peer Pressure craziness at Lambi. The same night, a reignited Reset join Jaded and Psychotic 4 at Club Soda. Wednesday, Jan. 17, sees Finnish metallists Moonsorrow shedding—or is that shredding?—a tear or two at les Saints.

On Thursday, Jan. 18, Stomp All-Stars reassemble for their deep-winter ska-classics weeklies, at Petit Campus, while Matt Mays & El Torpedo target Cabaret, and Shane Philips kicks off a three-day local mini-tour, starting at Jello Bar, followed by gigs at Brutopia and Sofa Lounge. Jan. 19 has Trigger Effect and Tora! Tora! Tora! at l’Escogriffe, former Me Mom bassist Matt Lipscombe folking things up at Shaika Café in NDG, and the Rock Out Africa fundraiser with One Away, Public, Myxomatosis, Hot Auction and My Biggest Line at les Saints.

The weekend of Jan.19–20, the Old Port is the place to be for Igloofest, a winter offshoot of Piknic Électronik—day one pits Ninja Tune’s Strictly Kev and more against Bounce le Gros’s Ghislain Poirier, while day two boasts French freaks Nôze, plus Mossa, Mini and Slim Jim. Start scrounging out your one-piece ski suit now!

Set phasers on “shuffle”

The infamous iPod Battle returns for round four on Jan. 20 at Lambi, with les Georges Leningrad, Omnikrom, Plastik Patrik, Le volume était au maximum, Sons of Warsaw, Why Alex Why? and more fiddling with their little devices to outdo each other’s song selections. A fifth such battle, a special Nuit Blanche edition at Metropolis, happens March 3 with folks from Ninja Tune, Saboteur, Band à part, Neon, Mutek and Piknic Électronik competing.

Also on the busy date Jan. 20, the Nymphets are at Casa del Popolo, Joel Plaskett plays solo at la Sala Rossa, Mongrels rock Petit Campus and Megasoid’s new monthly Vs. Everybody, a live PA event with guests (for the debut edition, Subtitle and Deadbeat) at Zoobizarre.

As of Jan. 21, things get heavy for a bit, with hoary old Metal Church, Meliah Rage and Horifixion, playing Petit Campus. Jan. 23 has throwback squad Rockstar Supernova at the Bell Centre, the night after sees Cancer Bats, the End and I Hate Sally at la Sala Rossa.

The ragged warhorse of Canadian indie rock, Sloan, scale it down with a Sala Rossa gig on Jan. 25, same night David Macleod and Katie Moore are across the street at Casa del Popolo. The night after, Royal Air Togo usher in their monthly night of “international pop dancefloor” at Zoobizarre.

The charming and eloquent Snoop Doggy Dogg marks his territory at the Bell Centre Jan. 27, while the Oxford Collapse stay standing at Main Hall the same night. On Jan. 28, Cradle of Filth make a mess at Metropolis, while openers 69 Eyes probably just watch. Alternately that night, JF Robitaille and Lily Frost are at Petit Campus.

On Jan. 29, Camera Obscura and the Essex Green bring some neo-grooviness to la Sala Rossa, which hosts no-wave pioneer Rhys Chatham the night after. Jan. 31 obviously belongs to Justin Timberlake and opener Pink, who are at the Bell Centre—the ticketless can take solace with Augustana and Vega 4 at le National.

Bloody Valentines

February starts right with Rob Lutes and friends at the Oscar Peterson Concert Hall, doing a fundraiser for the Curzon Nursery School and Montreal Children’s Hospital, on the first of the month. That night also has classical revivalists Panacea at 1221 Crescent St. Pub, Creature and Kid Metropolis at Main Hall, and California reggae band Midnite at les Saints, with Inword. Feb. 2 has God Made Me Funky making Jello Bar funky. On Feb. 3, local Brazilian-and beyond beat bumpers Bombolessé are at Tohu, Moshcore Productions celebrate five years of thunder (and raise funds for the Canadian Cancer Society) at Club Soda, the Word Wars MC battle with live band gets hairy at les Saints, and Ghislain Poirier, accompanied by drummer Christian Olsen, joins vitaminsforyou at Main Hall—where, the night after, Grizzly Bear and the Dirty Projectors can be found. Billy Talent drag Rise Against, Moneen and Anti-Flag along for the big show at the Bell Centre on Feb. 5, Po’ Girl enrich Brutopia with a free set of inner-city folk, and between Feb. 6 and 10, the Arcade Fire roost at the Ukrainian Federation—sorry, all five shows sold out!

Speaking of extended engagements, and anniversaries moreover, Café Campus devotes 10 days to its 40th anniversary, Feb. 8–17. News on what they have in store is due shortly, but it promises to be good—for starters, they have Malajube on Feb. 16. Elsewhere, Feb. 8 has Tradition (from the same label as Final Fantasy) and Sarah Mangle at Zoobizarre, Feb. 9 is A Fly Is on the Wall’s Valentine party at Lambi with We Are Ortiz, Why Alex Why?, l’Étiquette and Figure 8, Feb. 10 celebrates the Voyeur night’s first year at SAT with MSTRKRFT, Jordan Dare and Bliss. Also on Feb. 10 is Stars lady Amy Millan at Main Hall, and Planet Smashers, Flatliners and One Night Band at Café Campus.

Feb. 15 sees Teitur at Main Hall, and at Mini’s Overdose night at Parking, Berlin’s hot property Kiki. A “brokenhearted” Valentine’s show at Main Hall, with a date of Feb. 17 to be confirmed, boasts Fucked Up, Awesome Color and incurable romantics Bionic. What’s for sure on Feb. 17 is Apostle of Hustle at Casa del Popolo, while Kiss Me Deadly, Crystal Clyffs and Tusk play la Sala Rossa the night after, at the same time that gleeful style colliders Hey Ocean! play Petit Campus. Feb. 19 sees All That Remains, Misery Signals, the Human Abstract and Cellador at Club Soda, while God Forbid, Goatwhore, Mnemic, Byzantine and Arsis are at Foufounes Électriques on Feb. 21, in direct competition with their hated rivals Gipsy Kings, at the Bell Centre.

Cowboys and crunkment

Klez-punk Geoff Berner joins Blue Rodeo wiseguy Bob Wiseman at Casa del Popolo on Feb. 22, same night Papa Roach, It Dies Today and Kill Hannah are at Metropolis. Feb. 23 is packed, with cougar-bait Jonas at the Bell Centre, White Cowbell Oklahoma at Petit Campus, le Nombre and Nitrosonique at Maison de la Culture Maisonneuve (now that’s culture!) and the Winter Wars 2 b-boy battle at les Saints.

Feb. 24 is even more packed, with I Love Neon’s eighth anniversary, featuring Tiga and more, at a venue TBA, plus Sparklehorse at Club Soda, the Epitaph tour with the Matches, I Am Ghost, the Higher and Vanna at Lambi, Rod Stewart at the Bell Centre (do you still think he’s sexy?), and Boston’s DJ C bringing his “gospel of crunkment, mashstep, ragga-bounce and grime-hall” to Gizzy P’s Bounce le Gros night at Main Hall. Feb. 25 delivers the Postage Stamps and Heroes & Villains at Casa del Popolo, while Feb. 28 is the night for Killswitch Engage, the mighty Dragonforce, Chimara and He Is Legend at Metropolis.

March 1 has Geneva, Switzerland’s Water Lilly doing a live set at le Parking, and also marks the first of the four days of the Under the Snow festival at la Sala Rossa and Casa del Popolo—line-up news soon! March 3 has the truly sublime TV on the Radio at Théâtre Olympia, same night Switchfoot are at le National and El Perro del Mar and Psapp are at Cabaret. Ecstatic Peace signees MV/EE & the Bummer are at Casa del Popolo on March 4, and March 6 has the celebrated Scissor Sisters, with DJ Sammy Jo, at Metropolis. On March 7, Danish oddballs Under Byen are at la Sala Rossa and Despised Icon, Job for a Cowboy and Orphans in Coma raise a ruckus at Club Lambi.

March 10 is outta control, with Gym Class Heroes, RX Bandits and P.O.S. at le National, former fill-in Iron Maiden singer Paul DiAnno at les Saints, Jason Kent’s cosmic country at Casa del Popolo, Natacha’s Recordings fifth-anniversary shindig at Zoobizarre, Pop Levi’s CD launch (venue TBA) and the second Röck Fight, doubling as a Trigger Effect CD launch, at Ugly Ass Bikes HQ.

Clinic strap on their surgical masks for a set at la Sala Rossa on March 11, followed by Of Montreal, with Pittsburgh’s brilliant Grand Buffet, at la Tulipe on March 12. March 13 sees Secret Chiefs 3 and Sleepytime Gorilla Museum at la Tulipe, and Relient K at Club Soda, where Stefie Shock settles in for four dates, March 14–17.

Mmmm… chaos

On March 15, techno macher Steve Bug is at the Overdose night at le Parking, while March 18 witnesses Isis, Jesu and Zozobra at le National, and further heaviosity arrives March 20 in the form of Lamb of God, Trivium, Machine Head and Gojira at le Medley.

Local post-rock-glitch-hop-freak-jazz-avant-pop-plus outfit Pawa Up First power up la Sala Rossa March 22. The next night, March 23, has Call Me Poupée at Maison de la Culture Maisonneuve, Corrigan Fest’s Celtic kicking of asses at Petit Campus, Explosions in the Sky, the Paper Chase and Eluvium at the Ukrainian Federation, and the Autumn Defense (with members of Wilco) at Main Hall.

March 24 has Subtle at Club Lambi and a reunited Sebadoh at Main Hall, while the following night sees the Roots at Metropolis. On March 27, the Taste of Chaos tour rolls through Stade Uniprix, with the Used, 30 Seconds to Mars, Senses Fail and more.

Lil’ Miss Naughty-pants, there, Christina Aguilera, she’s at the Bell Centre on March 28, while the Constantines and Jon-Rae & the River are at Club Lambi on March 29. March 30 has Snow Patrol at Metropolis and Taking Back Sunday, Underoath and Armor for Sleep at Théâtre Olympia, while March 31 boasts the return of the Ed Bangers crew, with DJ Mehdi, Sebastian, Justice and Busy P, at Club Soda.

At the end of March, keep an eye out for the second Toronto Bites! Music Festival at Main Hall and Green Room. Yes, Hogtown does indeed bite, but bands like Tokyo Police Club, the Coast, Born Ruffians, Ninja High School, the Bicycles and Henri Fabergé & the Adorables almost make up for it.

>> Music Listings