Something’s brewing

>> The Centre St-Ambroise opens
up options for the city’s southwest

PERFECT DYNAMIC:
Dave Cool (seated) andG. Scott MacLeod

by RUPERT BOTTENBERG

A couple of weeks ago, Montrealer Dave Cool, who’d established himself as a champion of DIY artists with his documentary What Is Indie?, came on CKUT 90.3FM to make a top-secret “special announcement.” No, he hasn’t joined the Hare Krishnas and remains biologically male. His news was not only music-related, it was music to the ears of anyone living in the culturally blank Sud-Ouest district, encompassing St-Henri, Verdun, the Point, Little Burgundy, NDG and Mo’ West.

Cool is now the manager and programmer of McAuslan Brewing’s Centre St-Ambroise at 5080 St-Ambroise, corner of St-Rémi—buses 37 and 78 are your best bet to reach it this winter, but come summer, the Lachine Canal bike path takes you to its door.

“This is a building that was on the [McAuslan] property, it used to be the headquarters of Maxwell Lumber back in the day,” says Cool as he conducts an informal tour. “They did renovations down on the first floor—it won some kind of award, they maintained the integrity of the building.”

Downstairs is the Griffon room, with a capacity in the upper double digits, a high-end video projector and screen, a small stage and decent sound system (and of course, McAuslan beers fresh from the vats).

“It’s a small room, so the direction will probably be a lot of acoustic acts, solo songwriters, but we’re open to anything. We’re planning on doing regular music and film events, spoken word, book launches, poetry nights, whatever.”

The second floor is Maxwell Haus Studios, a workspace and gallery for artist in residence G. Scott MacLeod and his colleagues Joséane Brunelle and Tristan Tondino, which will often be open for larger, two-floor events.

“It’s the perfect dynamic,” says MacLeod, a three-year resident of the building, about the immediate neighbourhood. “You’ve got a good company here that’s supporting the arts, you’ve got low-income housing, housing for the elderly and condos.”

MacLeod can add art-starved students and hipsters to the list of local fauna. “I’ve always had a foot here or over in NDG. But to see this happen now, you feel the arrow has been pulled back in the bow and now it’s finally released. There’s a drive for people to come here and explore.”

Launch weekend shows on Friday, Dec. 14 (Mark
Berube and Dave Martel) and Saturday, Dec. 15
(Paul Cargnello and Shane Murphy), 8:30 p.m., $8