Too many DJs?

by JOHNSON CUMMINS

In these frigid months, a lot of major tours tend to shy away from our frozen tundra, but there are plenty of regular, weekly nights that have managed to pick up the slack and fill up the calendar space. The Time’s Up nights at Black Jack in St-Henri are doing better than ever, and tonight they more or less turn over the turntables to the regulars. For tonight only, there will be 11 DJs, each doing a 10- to 20-minute set. In no particular order, you can expect some short and sweet sets of tag-team weird punk from Nitelife, White

Chocolate, Chloe Scum, Blamerson, the Kozz, Flexidisc, Magic, Daisy, Sixtoo, Damage, the Sons of Warsaw, Hormoan Wave, Deborah Harry and Lynne T. This should get sloppy.

Some other locals that are still holding it down are the crew behind the long-running bluegrass night on Sundays at the Barfly, with hosts Matt Large & the Bastard Mountain Boys. Large should be commended for letting newcomers rub shoulders with high-calibre pros with no pretension. Other regular weekly nights at the Barfly that are not to be missed are the Monday-night blues jams featuring the harp of Bharath & His Rhythm Four, and Tuesday night’s longstanding Honky Tonk night.

Of course, Casa del Popolo’s rock ’n’ roll Tuesday nights are the longest running rock weekly in the city, and for good reason. This Tuesday, you can shake it like a bowl of soup with everything from classic punk, early rock ’n’ roll, garage and more garage when Starvin’ Hungry member and Montreal’s only topless DJ, Juan, DJ of Rock ’n’ Roll, mans the decks.

Bringing some spirited competition for Tuesday nights is the weekly Boys Night Out party at Katacombes, with DJ Flo the Action and DJ David Don’t. Expect a lot of Scandinavian rock, CBGB’s punk and classic sleaze and glam. Down at l’Escogriffe on Tuesday night is the recently launched Nervous Wreck soirée, with DJ Hearse spinning punk rock and thrash with some country squeezed in for good measure.

If you love your bullet belts, denim vests, feathered hair and white trainers, the only place to be is Katacombes for Wednesday night’s regular Metal Invasion with DJ Satannick playing the best of doom, speed, thrash, death and black metal. If ’60s garage is more your style, head over to l’Escogriffe on Wednesdays for Terreur et Mini-jupes with CISM’s DJ Rock ’n’ Roll Pimp.

Some big shows this week, one being the return of one of Montreal’s greatest punk rock bands, Vulgar Deli, featuring the tender stylings of singer and curmudgeon Uncle Costa. After hanging it up a couple years ago, these thrashers are reuniting and headlining the seventh installment of the Buckfest festival at Café Campus on Friday night. Also on the bill are pottymouths Urban Aliens, Gerbia and les Vieilles Salopes.

The Buckfest continues its two-night stand on Saturday night with Toronto’s the Creepshow, a return from Montreal surf legends the Treblemakers, the Alley Dukes, Oscar B. and the Hypnophonics. Best of all, a portion of the proceeds from both nights will go to organizing musical programs for teens between 13 and 19.