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All hands on deck!
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Aye, and it was a dark and stormy sky above that fateful day, only a couple of weeks ago. The Pirates of the Lachine Canal had just weighed anchor on the shore of their namesake waterway, by the Eadie Locks, and begun preparing the midday feast they’d so carefully planned. Acting on rumours gleaned from that digital Judas, Facebook, the federal forces of law and order—meaning the golf-cart Gestapo of Parks Canada—ambushed them! Scattering in a panic, the Pirates reassembled in the safe harbour of the Terrasse St-Ambroise, across the canal. Shaking their fists in defiance, the Pirates declared, “Let no man tear this barbecue asunder!” The feast took place—as did the Mirror’s photo shoot, the fruit of which graces these very pages. But who, precisely, are these Pirates of the Lachine Canal, bookers of “weird punk” gigs (a term of their own apparent coining), promoters of the noisy Time’s Up soirées, conspirators of guerrilla barbecues? “That’s a tough question,” confesses Shaun Anderson, the Blackbeard of the bunch, as he and a handful of his fellow Pirates partake of breakfast specials at St-Henri’s Miracle Pizza. “We try to avoid talking about a core group,” says Chloe Lum of Seripop and AIDS Wolf, also a Pirate. “The point is to be as inclusive as possible, as open as possible for people who live in the area or just sympathize and want to get involved.” The area in question is Montreal’s Southwest sector, roughly encompassing St-Henri, Little Burgundy, Griffintown, Pointe St-Charles, Verdun and Ville Émard, bisected by the scenic Lachine Canal and its handy bike path. One of Montreal’s “emerging” districts (meaning it’s getting a bit nicer but remains affordable), it’s home to Anderson and Lum, and to Lisa Czech and Larissa Hallis, at the table as well. “We’re basically a group of people,” says Anderson, “who wanted to bring friends and like-minded people in the area together to just start, you know, doing things.” Mile-End mutinyThe artists, activists and punk-rock party people who are the PLC’s constituency have long had a presence amid the pawn shops, hot-dog dumps, decaying churches and gritty social housing of the Southwest. Until the recent tide of economic refugees from the Plateau/Mile-End sector, however, a critical mass was never achieved. “I knew people who had a punk house in Pointe St-Charles 10 years ago, and people from Concordia who moved to St-Henri or Verdun,” Lum recalls. “The thing was, no one would stay. They’d live here for a year or two and then they’d feel lonely and alienated, and feel the crunch of the cab fares home.” “A lot of young people moved here because they felt resigned to it,” says Czech. “They needed someplace close to downtown, where stuff is happening, but where the rent was a bit cheaper. But you shouldn’t feel like you’re here because you have to be.” “There’s been stuff going on for years,” Anderson admits. “There have been shows at the Bread Factory for five or six years, in the Fattal building, there was Café Silencio [in St-Henri] and la Petite Gaule in Pointe St-Charles that never really got off the ground.” “The difference now,” says Lum, “is that we have people who know each other. Even if you’re not into weird punk or hardcore bands, you’re gonna go because it’s something cool happening in your neighbourhood. There’s nothing wrong with going to the Plateau and Mile-End—I go to Casa and Sala all the time,” says Lum. “But there’s no reason people can’t make stuff happen right where they live. A big part of it is to get people who’ve always been spectators to take the reins and be organizers.” “I’ve always thought that the idea of what we do isn’t limited to our specific borough,” Anderson adds. “I’d love it if people in Hochelaga-Maisonneuve or Montreal North or whatever started doing the same kind of stuff, expanding the scene in the city further and further out from the conventional areas.” Black flag over le Black Jack“A few years ago, right around when I’d just started living in St-Henri,” Anderson recalls, “I went to Ugly Ass Bikes HQ for New Year’s, and it was really inspiring.” That night at the DIY indoor BMX park/occasional hardcore venue in Côte St-Paul got gears turning, no pun intended. “They had this whole set-up, all these ramps and these kids who were really into doing the BMX thing, and a show going on at the same time. It was the first thing I’d seen of its kind in the Southwest.” Not the last, though, not if Anderson and his friends had a say. The Pirates made their true debut with the initiation of their Time’s Up nights at le Black Jack, doors down from the former Va-et-Vient. A musical menu of punk, noise and obscure rock was augmented by guest DJs from an array of local underground bands—among them Lum and the Mirror’s Johnson Cummins and Rick Trembles. “When we started the DJ nights,” says Anderson, “I knew there were lots of people living in the area, but we didn’t hang out because there was never a common meeting point. I feel the DJ night has brought them together.” With a crowd in place, the next step was concerts. But where? Luckily, the Pirates stumbled across Bar de Courcelle, a weathered old watering hole in the heart of St-Henri that was ready to accommodate sets from American Devices and Drainolith, a solo project of Alex Moskos of the Unireverse, before their regular cover band took over the night. “Why not put some money back into businesses that have always been there? And they were so grateful,” says Hallis of that first concert. “At the end of the night, when the country & western singer was doing his exit salutation, they were basically asking when we’d be there again. The owners and the people who are there every day of the week were sitting at their tables and bobbing their heads to the music for the entirety of the show. You had regulars mixing into the crowd and pumping their fists to Alex Moskos playing. “We thought they were going to cause problems at first. This big guy got up, all pumped and full of emotion, and we thought he was going to hurt someone—but he’s like, ‘Yeah, heavy metal, man!’” New plots a-hatchingThe Pirates’ devious machinations have only become more varied. There’s a visual-arts component to their roguish activities, in which Czech, Lum and a dude named Walter Scott have a hand. “Chloe’s been our big sister, nagging us to do stuff,” says Czech, “and we’ve been the younger siblings, all lazy about it. We’ll definitely kick up our heels on that soon, though. We have some ideas in mind.” “There plans to organize art shows in the area,” adds Lum, “and also bring curated shows of artists from the Southwest to other parts of town. Maybe we could do a swap with Hochelaga-Maisonneuve!” More PLC gigs are in the offing too, the next pair at home/venues whose addresses must remain undisclosed. This Saturday sees U.S. Girls, Triceratreetops and more at Friendship Cove (an early show, at 6 p.m.), while Aug. 25 has the Frustrations, Lose Your Fucking Shit and the Enjoyer at LBH. Come fall and Pop Montreal, the Pirates are curating a nightly showcase at Divan Orange, with acts like Psychedelic Horseshit, Blues Control, An Albratross, Tyvek and Vivian Girls. “How that connects to the Southwest is, I want to take a bunch of the bands playing our series,” says Anderson, “and do two-day shows in this area.” What’s got the Pirates really worked up is the block party planned for Aug. 30 in St-Henri, an extension of their canal-side barbecues. “We’ll make the location known shortly beforehand. The concept is bring-your-own-boombox. We’re gonna have an FM transmitter on site that has a range of about 100 feet, and DJs plugging into that console. Instead of renting a P.A. and generator and stuff, the idea is, it can be affordable, and if the cops show up or anyone tries to break up our party, we can just move it somewhere else.” The run-in with Parks Canada has only made the Pirates more wary. “Bureaucracy is alienating us from any public space,” says Lum. “We’re torn between wanting to be inclusive and having to be secretive.” “But I think that makes it more fun,” Anderson counters, “because we have to think of more creative ways to get around all that stuff.” For more info, go to
3. Eco-Logic (5024 Angers): One man’s trash, as the saying goes... Furniture, clothes, books, toys, records, appliances, tools, knickknacks—you need it, it’s very likely that Diane Bertrand’s funky bazaar just south of the canal has it, second-hand but generally functional, and at prices that would make the Salvation Army surrender. Tough times have left Eco-Logik’s future cloudy, so consider it for your coin before picking up some pressboard crap at Ikea. 4. Bar de Courcelle (4685 Notre-Dame W.): A St-Henri institution at the corner of De Courcelle and Notre-Dame, this joint has long harboured Casio-country cover bands (hé, les Trois Gars!), but as of late, the Pirates have weaselled their way in to book gigs there. Oddly enough, the cover bands remain. Good times! 5. Glamort (4411 Notre-Dame W.): This tattoo parlour doubles as an art gallery, with an accent on spindly, handmade terror-toy type stuff. Worth a peek! 6. Perfide (4217 Notre-Dame W.): A masterpiece of spatial economy, this tiny storefront doubles as the workspace of Web/video/graphic-design unit Vache Morte and a gallery/boutique, packed with awesome books, clothes, accessories and artworks, largely care of local artists.
7. Le Black Jack (3814 Notre-Dame W.): The watering hole at which the Pirates first publicly planted their Jolly Roger with the Thursday-night Time’s Up soirées. The PLC team and rotating guests dish out the weird punk, noise-rock and generally fucked-up tunes while scene-makers from the ’hood guzzle very affordable beer—and long-time regulars slap away at the video poker machines, oblivious to the cacophony around them. 8. Pages (3255 St-Jacques): A charming, set-a-spell bookstore/coffeehouse facing Lionel-Groulx metro, Pages becomes an intimate, acoustic show venue with a little furniture-shuffling. A folksy Summer Concert series, every Thursday at 7 p.m. ($5 in the hat, if you can), has already hosted Lake of Stew and the Wells—still to come: Dave Carmichael and Matt Stern (tonight, Aug. 14) and on Aug. 28, Chelsea Lynn La Bate. 9. The Emporium Gallery (3035 St-Antoine W., #74): Right across the street from longstanding caffeine pump Café Joe, the Emporium is windowless and thus a bit incognito—but you can accent the “neato.” Opened in 2007 by Dave Arnold, Shawn Butchart and Ben Pobjoy, a trio with solid grounding in design and marketing, the Emporium “exists to exhibit artwork that is as relevant as it is interesting,” as Pobjoy puts it. The Emporium’s next show, opening Thursday, Aug. 28, is Torontonian Doug Brown’s Colours, a selection of stencils, sculptures and mixed-media paintings that Pobjoy describes as “bold, mammoth and visually striking—nothing less than a total deluge of awe-inspiring artworks saturated in extreme colours.” 10. Burgundy Lion (2496 Notre-Dame W.): Right next to the stately Théâtre Corona, this multi-storeyed architectural marvel balances its impressive and original layout with a down-to-earth English-pub theme—cricket bats and Michael Caine snaps adorn the walls, as cucumber sandwiches and bangers ’n’ mash do the menu (on tap: Bierbrier, a St-Henri brew). An artfully placed DJ booth allows for special party nights accenting British rock ’n’ roll—mods, dig the Great Sunday Swindle, while Saturdays belong to monthlies Rubber Souls (rock/reggae) and, on Sept. 20, Transmission (Britpop/post-punk). Get a fuller pitcher—er, picture—at www.burgundylion.com. 11. Griffintown (1378 Notre-Dame W.): When a trio of former staff and regular performers took this longstanding space over last Christmas, they dropped the “Café” from the name—too restrictive! For the moment, the only music is bluesmeisters Bharath & His Rhythm Four, every Friday at 6 p.m., but as things settle and the kitchen hits full steam, more shows will happen—including Gypsy-jazz brunches on Sunday, it’s rumoured. Filles on wheelsGet in gear for Lady-Cycle
PEDAL PUSHERS: A Lady-Cycle gathering Move over, Hells Angels and Rock Machine, and make room for the latest bike gang, one based in but not limited to the southwest, with its myriad bicycle paths. “Lady-Cycle is a social group that draws on the political elements of both critical mass and ‘take back the night,’” says Sarah Kooi, who with Sharon Davies formed the group in the summer of 2007. Amid the activist jargon, though, the “active” part is what counts. “We gather as many girls as we can and just have a grand old time cycling around the city in great numbers while engaging in friendly female camaraderie. We leave every Wednesday night at 8 p.m. from McGill’s Roddick gates, weather permitting, and go on fun bike adventures which may include anything from drag racing on the F1 racetrack, fireworks-gazing in the Old Port and urban exploration in old industrial areas along the Lachine Canal to the odd co-ed bonfire, even.” Next up, Lady-Cycle will be co-hosting the Pirates’ bring-your-own-FM-radio party. Possibly popping a pun, Kooi says, “Stay tuned for more details!” Sure, but how? Easy, go to www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2602905326, or www.myspace.com/ladycycle. |
