Gimme indie rock

by JOHNSON CUMMINS

As promised last week, I’m going to continue to hip you to the seventh-anniversary celebrations at the best little rock ’n’ roll bar in the city, l’Escogriffe. Most of the shows this month have been kept on the Q.T. to avoid overpacking the small space, but there are three shows this week that simply demand your presence. To all of you L7s out there that have somehow stumbled onto this column, let me just say that l’Esco is tiny, so you’d better show up to these shows early if you want to squeeze in.

On Friday night, you can check out the gas-guzzling rock of les Psychoriders with Fat Maggots. Saturday has the rockin’ garage punk of the Confusers with the B-Sides, and finally, you have CPC Gangbangs, the Riff Randells and Sonic Avenues on Tuesday. Keep your eyes peeled here next week for a mind-blowing announcement for Thursday, March 29, at the little bar that could.

Tonight, March 22, belongs solely to Dare to Care’s “other” band, Pawa Up First, who play with the Winks at la Sala Rossa. Friday night is naturally when things start heating up, so try not to break your neck while skimming the bold print. If you don’t have tickets for Explosions in the Sky on Friday night, you’re shit out of luck because this has long been sold out. May I suggest that you at least seek a smidgen of solace in their new record All of a Sudden I Miss Everyone, which can be best described in two words: hotsy totsy! Thankfully, there are a couple of great shows happening that should ease the pain of the ticketless. Local boogie meisters Bullmoose launch their new record Speaker to Speaker on Friday night at Divan Orange, with those loveable drunks the Royal Mountain Band opening. The Bullmoose record actually features an appearance by Patrick Watson, but inside dirt reveals that the young ivory-tinkler can’t even remember what they sound like as he was too drunk during tracking. Did I just write “tinkler” when describing Watson? Fuck, I’m funny!

Saturday night, the newly reunited Sebadoh play a rare show in Montreal, but you better pick up tickets soon as this is easily cruising to be a sell-out. Also playing with these indie-rock forefathers are Brian Seeger and Bent Moustache. Local label-bait band Acrobat launches their new EP The Unbelievable Truth tonight, with Toronto’s Infighter, at Club Lambi. Acrobat’s pop-laced rock seems to be destined for big things, so show up tonight and see them before the rest of the world claims them.

Monday night, you should definitely be checking out the Americana/post-rock sounds of Castanets when they play with Shapes and Sizes and There Were Valleys at Friendship Cove. If you dig the more adventurous side of Calexico, get yourself primed for the show and pick up Castanets’ new record First Lights Freeze.

If you don’t have tickets for Explosions in the Sky and couldn’t squeeze into the CPC Gangbangs show, then the one show to see this week would be the triple-threat bill of the Ponys, the Black Lips and the Sunday Sinners on Wednesday night at la Sala Rossa. See ya at the bar, ya tinklers.

Putting the bustle in your hedgerow since ’05… Jonathan.cummins@gmail.com