Pop goes the city

What to do this weekend as the indie
music fest spreads its tentacles

TEACHING YOUR SOUND: The Persuasions

by TRACEY LINDEMAN

Over the past seven years, the Pop Montreal music festival has come to encompass much more than music, now offering stuff for kids, gearheads, music nerds, arts and craft types, community people and collectors. “Pop is a festival for the people,” says Jenny Lee Craig, organizer of the Puces Pop segment of the festival. “I really admire Pop for turning into that.”

Without much ado, here’s how you, the people, can get into Pop, besides attending some of the bazillion concerts happening this weekend. For additional events, consult the Mirror’s film and arts sections. All free unless otherwise noted.

Pop Symposium

This year’s Symposium (née Pop and Policy) takes a drastic departure from last year’s, which was considerably more academic. Instead, expect five days of artist-driven and community-oriented programming. “We didn’t know this was going to be so big,” says creative director Quinn Caruana. “It kind of happened by accident!” All events are at the Main Hall (5390 St-Laurent), with some at the neighbouring Green Room.

The Washington-based Future of Music Coalition is back again with a panel on Internet policy and net neutrality, which looks at the role of Internet service providers in the arena of peer-to-peer file sharing, and the consequences for artists. Oct. 2 at 11 a.m.

Caruana is personally looking forward to hearing what Jamaican reggae MC Sister Nancy has to say on the Herstory of Hip Hop panel, a social, cultural and political discussion about being female MCs in a realm of music that often objectifies women. Oct. 4 at 3:30 p.m.

Once a 1960s Brooklyn street corner fixture, the Persuasions (sans Jerry Lawson) will lead an interactive vocal symphony that will charge participants with the responsibility of their own sound. Kids welcome. Oct. 4 at 1:45 p.m.

The New Orleans Queen of Soul herself, Irma Thomas, will be the subject of a celebrity interview about her career and personal life. Perhaps best known for her version of “Time Is on My Side,” which would later be mined by the Rolling Stones for their hit version, Thomas’s recording career has spanned 48 years to date. Oct. 2 at 2:30 p.m.

Honourable mentions: Indie survival strategies panel, Oct. 2 • Anatomy of a song workshop, Oct. 3 • Keynote presentation by No Wave screamer Lydia Lunch (ticketed event), Oct. 3 • The NFB/Pop collaboration Making Music master class with filmmaker Jem Cohen (also ticketed), Oct. 5.

Kids Pop

This year marks the first edition of Kids Pop, which was created partly in response to the popularity of one of Pop’s only kid-friendly events, Puppets and Pancakes. On Oct. 4 and 5, kids of all ages will congregate at École Lambert-Closse (5840 St-Urbain) to create crafts, toys and music. Parents can drop their spawn off or partake in the activities as well.

Kids Pop director Nicole Crouch is psyched for the Cardboard City; as a parent, she knows kids love fridge boxes more than life itself. Kids will build Popville entirely out of cardboard in the schoolyard (or in the gym, in case of rain). “It’s gonna be huge, so watch out,” she warns.

Some Kids Pop highlights include CKUT’s Soundwalk, a guided stroll through Mile-End during which kids will record the soundscape of the neighbourhood. Expect some local musicians to pop up along the way. Oct. 4 at 2 p.m.

Puppets and Pancakes, meanwhile, is back for its third year; predictably, puppets and pancakes will be on hand for the morning. Toy theatre, mime, video and shadow puppetry are just some of the forms of entertainment used. Get there early, as it’s bound to fill up fast. Oct. 5 at 11 a.m.

Ukulele and kazoo workshops, as well as various craft and music-making sessions are also scheduled during the Kids Pop weekend.

Pop Hockey

Bars, bands, promoters and fans lace up their best sneakers and battle it out on College Brébeuf’s outdoor rinks Saturday and Sunday (5365 Decelles). Eight teams compete for glory! The first round starts at 11:30 p.m. and the final game is Sunday at 12:30 p.m.

Puces Pop

PUCES PRODUCT:
Works by Tyler Rauman

Eighty or so artisans will hawk their wares as Puces Pop takes over St-Michel Church (105 St-Viateur W.) Oct. 4 and 5. From jewellery to furniture to zines to posters to clothing, Puces Pop has got it all, and it’s all hand-made with tender loving care. This year will also see the first record sale and gear swap at Sport Benefica (100 Bernard W.), where “audiophiles and gearheads” can gather to geek out.

Puces Pop, in conjunction with the Symposium and Kids Pop, is also presenting Show & Tell—an exhibition and short series of artist-led workshops, some more risqué than others (hellooo, boobies and dinks crochet workshop!).

Also under the Puces Pop banner is a fashion show in partnership with Le Château that will hand a $2,000 prize to one of the six local clothing designers selected to participate. The fashion show also acts as Puces Pop’s (free) launch party. Thursday, Oct. 2 at 6 p.m. at CODA (4119 St-Laurent).

BEFORE HEADING OUT, DOWNLOAD
THE SCHEDULE AT
WWW.POPMONTREAL.COM FOR
ALL EVENT TIMES AND LOCATIONS.