Hop on Pop

by SCOTT C

I think there’s probably two ways that people tend to approach the Pop Montreal phenomenon, assuming the sixth edition of this Montreal mish-mash of indie-everything has at least one thing to float your boat. Seasoned veterans of the annual onslaught of buzz bands, up-and-coming coolness and music industry know-how have been marking up their festival programs for weeks now, trying to schedule wisely and maximize on the insane opportunity to see so many shows in one week. Others are immediately terrified by band names like GRKZGL or the Unbearables and stick to safe bets that they’re already familiar with.

Antimc is nothing to be afraid of, taking their hip hop to post-punk and electro stops with ease and style. They share the stage with soulful beat-smith Eliot Lipp, armed-to-the-teeth multi-instrumentalists Boy in Static and leftfield hip hop producer extraordinaire Daedelus, for the Mush Records showcase at Academy tonight, Oct. 4.

I don’t know too much about Halifax MC Jesse Dangerously, but the guy was voted Best MC twice in The Coast’s Best of Music poll, and he shares the stage with cinematic soundscape master Maxime Robin, Toronto transplant and real MC More or Les, the mile-a-minute, unstoppable styles of MC Abdominal and local man on the grind Jeune Chilly Chill. They take over Quai des Brumes, starting at 9 p.m., tonight as well.

Now everybody knows that Cody ChesnuTT is coming to town for Pop, but you probably didn’t know that this is the only show that he’ll be playing in North America this year. Isn’t that crazy? Sounds like something you should be a part of. If you never picked up his lo-fi classic, The Headphone Masterpiece, do yourself a favour and explore Cody’s world of soul, blues, hip hop and rock. As if that wasn’t enough, PPP girl and saucy soulstress Tiombe Lockhart returns to Montreal to bring some attention to her solo presence, opening up for Cody, making for a solid night of new black music that sidesteps the industry’s idea of what black music should be.

Moving on to Friday night, Vancouver-based Sipreano brings in artists from his Light in the Attic comp Jamaica to Toronto: Soul Funk and Reggae 1967–1974 for a special night at Club Lambi. Look for the legendary Mighty Pope, Jay Douglas and Everton “Pablo” Paul to take the stage, with DJ support from big Andy Williams. The show starts at 11 p.m. Saturday finds James Brown’s right-hand man Fred Wesley having a house party at 51 Sherbrooke W., along with his good friends Socalled, Sean Kosa and Think About Life, starting at 8 p.m.

That’s really just the tip of the iceberg as far as Pop-hopping goes, but you can get the rest of the lowdown at www.popmontreal.com. Oh, and don’t forget to check out the wide array of music-industry workshops offered in conjunction with sidecar conference Pop and Policy 2007, including “Music Industry 101” and “Publishing Must Knows,” available for $5 per event. The Pop and Policy summit runs parallel to Pop Montreal at the Schulich School of Music at McGill University, with the full list of panel discussions, lectures, events, workshops and schedules available on their website at www.conference.popmontreal.com.

Congrats Kystyna & Nitai! fathead@videotron.ca