Solar derby

>> A ton of great sounds for the
summer in Montreal

MONSTERS OF METAL: Lordi

by RUPERT BOTTENBERG

The summer music season starts with a bang tonight, June 7, when Tampa, Florida’s Yo Majesty join Thunderheist and Lezzies on X side project Bush Party at Main Hall. Meanwhile, the Fringe Pop stage, on the Fringe Festival site (and programmed by the Pop Montreal people), offers free outdoor shows during the run of the Fringe—on tap are Golden Dogs, Montag, Miracle Fortress, Plants and Animals and more (check the Fringe Web site for specifics). If big’s your bag, catch Champion and His G-Strings at no smaller a venue than the mighty Bell Centre on June 9. West Coast dance-punk darlings You Say Party! We Say Die! do or die at Divan Orange the night after, same place to catch Deweare on June 14 (if you’re not checking out CPC Gangbangs with prototypical Canuck psych-punks Simply Saucer at la Sala Rossa) and Creature on June 16.

Also on June 16, you’ve got your pick of L.A.’s “kid millionaire” DJ Steve Aoki at House with Hatchmatik, Ninja Tune’s DJ Food and DK at le National hustling their new Solid Steel mix, the legendary Nihilist Spasm Band raising a racket at la Sala Rossa, and C’mon and Mongrels cranking out the heaviness at Petit Campus—where you can catch rootsy road veteran Fred Eaglesmith the night after, or the Rock for the Environment benefit show with Dears offshoot Krief, JP Houston, ICM and more on June 20.

ROARING GOOD TIME: Le Tigre

June 23 has Portugal’s DJ Vibe and our own Stephan Grondin launching their double mix CD Stereo Sound:001—at Stereo, of course—while down at Piknic Électronik, you’ve got a DJ set from le Tigre, plus DJ Frigid and an iPod Battle. The day after, la fête St-Jean, sees Josh Wink and Fred Everything at Piknic. And take note of sleek, chic electro freaks Black Strobe at Club Lambi on June 30.

Fodder for the slaughter

The Jazz Festival busts open on June 28, and here’s just a fraction of the line-up: Wayne Shorter, Vic Vogel, Rickie Lee Jones, Randy Bachman, Cowboy Junkies celebrating 20 years, Antibalas, Amon Tobin, Holly Cole, Harry Connick Jr., Bill Frisell—and Buddy Guy and George Thorogood sharing a bill!

July 1 is a big one, and the biggest bit is the Jazz Fest’s main dish, Manu Chao, at Parc Jean-Drapeau, with openers the Planet Smashers. Alternately that night, you can check out a mellower scene with K Records kingpin Calvin Johnson and Julie Doiron at la Sala Rossa, and Damo Suzuki’s Network (yup, the dude from Can) at Divan Orange. July 4 witnesses the Summer Slaughter Tour touching down at Foufounes Électriques, a spread of primo extreme metal including Cephalic Carnage, Decapitated and Necrophagist—who’ll mess your head up, cut it off and eat it, respectively.

On July 6, you’ve got the White Stripes shaking the Bell Centre, or if you wish, Rise Against at l’Olympia. Tool get the job done at the Bell Centre July 10, same night the supercool Fujiya & Miyagi are at Club Lambi. The Nuits d’Afrique festival kicks off on July 10 with an avant-premiere featuring the Alex Cuba Band. Opening officially on July 12, the fest boasts guests like Afro-reggae don Tiken Jah Fakoly, Vieux Farka Touré (son of the late, great Ali Farka Touré) and South Africa’s original Afro-jazz legend Hugh Masekela.

For a blast of electronic tomfoolery, check out Dan Deacon and Videohippos at la Sala Rossa on July 11. July 12, there’s Built to Spill at le National, or Flosstradamus and Chromeo at Club 1234.

Maximo Park are at la Tulipe on July 13, the Cat Empire and Jeremy Fisher at Metropolis on July 15, and Relapse’s Coliseum, with locals Trigger Effect, at la Sala Rossa on July 16. July 17, break out the sleeveless Union Jack t-shirts for Def Leppard at the Bell Centre, see CCR’s John Fogerty at Place des Arts, or dig the dance-punk geometry of Battles at la Sala Rossa (where Gravy Train and VIP go nuts the night after).

The real cop rock

July 19 sees Hilary Duff at the Bell Centre, but we advise holding out for July 25 and 26, two arresting nights with legendary trio the Police. Amid the solid spread of sounds at this summer’s Francofolies (July 26–Aug. 5) is a three-night stand from Malajube at Club Soda, July 27–29. Classic rock overlords Deep Purple are at the Bell Centre on July 28, but those inclined to shaving off their hair rather than cultivating it might prefer hardcore vets Agnostic Front, at Foufounes Électriques the same night. Dweezil Zappa’s rooting through his late father Frank’s catalogue was a smash hit last time through, so keep his July 31 Metropolis gig in mind.

CUT AND DROID: Daft Punk

Rumour has it that Peer Pressure’s second-anniversary bash is slated for Aug. 3, with a line-up that might include Bonjay, Pase Rock, Ghislain Poirier and the Canadian debut of Blaqstarr. Aug. 7 sees the French emperors of filtered house and robot rock, Daft Punk, plugging into the Bell Centre (same night locals Dirty Tricks launch their new one Sauve Qui Peut, with pals the Nymphets, at Quai des Brumes), while the night after, Aug. 8, is the supremely crepuscular bill of Marilyn Manson and Slayer at the Bell Centre.

The Warped Tour hits Parc Jean-Drapeau again on Aug. 12, with Bad Religion, Tiger Army, Coheed & Cambria, k-os, Toasters, New Found Glory, the Matches, Killswitch Engage, Hawthorne Heights and plenty more. A reformed Crowded House hope for a crowded house at Théâte St-Denis that same night.

Aug. 17 has prog-metallists Dream Theater at the Bell Centre, warming it up for a speedy return visit from panty-soaker Justin Timberlake on Aug. 18—the same night CPC Gangbangs launch their new CD at Club Lambi with guests AIDS Wolf and Brutal Knights. And if you’re impatient for a visit from GWAR, you could do worse than checking out heavy metal hobgoblins Lordi.

NYC dub-punks Professor Murder school the youth on Aug. 23 (location TBA), while Aug. 25 sees Camera Obscura at le National, Discharge, Conflict and Broken Bones at Club Soda and, for some reason, Frank Sinatra Jr. at the Bell Centre. Wolf Parade have an extended engagement of their own, holding down la Sala Rossa Aug. 24–27, and an awesome double bill of Stereo Total and trippy Texans the Octopus Project happens at la Tulipe Aug. 27. Closing out the summer is a three-day fest celebrating a quarter century of made-in-Quebec metal, Aug. 31–Sept. 2, with the likes of Obliveon and Dead Brain Cells. Fuck, yeah!