Dumb and drummer

by JOHNSON CUMMINS

Q: What do you call a person who hangs out with musicians?

A: A drummer

I don’t know how many drummers it takes to screw in a lightbulb, but Martin Tétreault is going to give nine a shot tonight at SAT under the moniker 100% Batterie. Tétrault is well respected in the experimental scene due to his work with treated turntables, records and stylus needles. Collaborating with his doctored decks will be drummers Michel Langevin (Voivod), Lydia Champagne (Terracine), Alex Grousset (Dead Hollywood Stars), Alexander MacSween (Foodsoon), Jean-Sébastian Nicol (Gatineau), Danielle Palardy Roger (les Poules), Pierre Tanguay (Fanfare Pourpour) and one guest to be announced—pray for Coopertramp/Bliss’s Colin Burnett, that guy is sick with the sticks.

Not to be outdone, MacSween and Tétreault return to the scene of the crime on Friday night as part of the second edition of Epoxy, and will play four live sets with D. LaFrance and J.F. Lauda. This is happening at 6:45 p.m., but if you are already there, stick around for the 50/50 night happening immediately after the Epoxy show. This show features the cream of the crop of noise artists and experimental musicians and features Aun, New York’s Chop Shop, Portland’s Daniel Menche and Wyskida joining forces with the one and only James Plotkin. Plotkin has done remixes for extreme drone bands like Sunn 0))) and Earth, but is probably best known as the man behind the teeth-gnashing intensity of Khanate. Don’t miss what will prove to be an amazing night of sonic terror.

If sonic terror isn’t your idea of a good time, you can always head down to the monster jam-out that is Do Make Say Think with Exhaust and Thundrah at le National on Friday night. The last DMST show I saw at la Sala Rossa a couple of years back was utterly spellbinding, so this is guaranteed to really soar within the ambience of le National. Although Plotkin and Do Make Say Think really stack Friday night’s deck, I for one am counting down the minutes for the Mono show at Sala on Friday. These Tokyo post-punks released the stunner You Are There last year, and it still easily holds resonance. If you aren’t hip to them yet, it would be safe to say that if you’re digging Explosions in the Sky, your presence is mandatory. Opening will be World’s End Girlfriend and the Drift, so for heaven’s sake, pack a set of earplugs because this is going to get loud.

If the post-rock jam-out sonic terror thing still isn’t your bag, check out the heavy blues (think Unsane meets the Black Keys) of the grossly underappreciated Ashtray Heart at the Barfly on Friday, with doom deliverers Squalor opening up.

A pretty packed Friday for sure, but Saturday proves to be no slouch either, with ambient doom band Nadja, Kolumkilli and Menace Ruine packing up Casa del Popolo. Definitely get there early for locals Menace Ruine, whose new CD In Vulva Infernum is chock full of dark black-metal riffs, gloomy synths and machine-generated blast beats. Finally, Zoobizarre promises to be a safe bet when ex-pat DJ Mimi la Twisteuse and Toronto’s Soju bring their successful Toronto Zoi Zoi night to town, with promised special guests all spinning the best of French pop, punk and glam.

Bang the head that doesn’t bang… Jonathan.cummins@gmail.com