Boob tube ties

Montreal’s wildly popular international export Empire Isis has been globetrotting for several years now, taking her pop dancehall stylings to all corners of the planet, but just this past Monday, Sept. 8, her latest single “Don’t Go Home” turned up on MTV’s The Hills. Not that I was watching, but it seems that this isn’t the first time that Isis has conquered the small screen with her music, having been played on a CBS show called Welcome to the Captain, an ABC show called Notes From the Underbelly, CTV’s Robson Arms, USA Network’s Burn Notice and some kind of Coors Light action to boot. If you’re like me, you always kind of smile when you see a Montreal artist showing up in these typically commercial placements, but you’d be surprised how much these little spots can do for an artist. Luckily for Empire Isis, her career as a performer and recording artist isn’t riding on primetime spots, so it’s icing on the cake.

SubV Gallery in NDG is getting set to launch a new exhibit from graffiti writer Zek this Friday. The opening will run from 6–9 p.m. and is free as always. Look for works from Zek to be up for the entire month of September. SubV Gallery is located at 5666 Sherbrooke W., and more info can be found at www.subv.net.

INDELIBLE INK: A Lango Nator piece at Blood Royale

Galerie d’art Yves Laroche teams up with local tattoo parlour Tattoomania for an ambitious show called Blood Royale, running until Sept. 21, taking tattoo art off the skin and onto to the walls of the gallery. The exhibit features multidisciplinary works by over 30 notable international tattoo artists, including Jason D’Aquino, Regino Gonzales, Filip Leu, Norm and many more. You might have seen the flyer designed by Turf One, which is being offered as a limited-edition giclé print. If you’d like to reserve one or have any questions, contact info@yveslaroche.

Tonight, Thursday, Sept.11, aRTIST oF tHE yEAR drops a bomb on Café Campus when they team up with Stern to launch their new single, “Velour Brigade.” Stern is also dropping a new LP called Difunkstruction, which has already made my list for one of the most annoying album titles of 2008. Show starts at 8 p.m., so don’t be late.

Oh, and for all you late-sleeping divas who didn’t show up to the Jonesz video shoot up on Beaubien last Sunday afternoon, we worked that shit without you! Peep the Jonesz new LP, Season One, out now on P-Vine Japan.

Seven reasons a two-headed girl isn’t necessarily better than two one-headed girls:
1. Afta-1 “Love Suite” (myspace.com/afta1)
2. Bullion “Get Familiar” (Brownswood)
3. Suff Daddy feat. Miles Bonny “Late Night Suff” (myspace.com/suffdaddy)
4. Skillz “My Phone” (Koch)
5. Diamond D “Freestyle (Yo That’s That Shit)” (PolyGram)
6. Daz-I-Kue feat. Andrea Clarke “Solid as Concrete” (Digital Soundboy)
7. Big Pooh feat. Chaundon & Joe Scudda “Plastic Cups” (hallofjustus.com)

YOU EITHER LIKE IT OR YOU DON’T...fathead@videotron.ca