Outside looking in

by JOHNSON CUMMINS

I just flew in from Oslo and boy, are my arms ever tired! But seriously, folks, visiting a place that was even snowier and colder than Montreal at the end of February could be looked upon as downright nutty, but having spent three days pounding back pints of the Scandinavian ale Ringnes with the best drinking partners Norway had to offer, Oslo proved to be nothing short of incredible. Of course the barstool conversations mainly centred on music. Canadian rockers Danko Jones, Fucked Up, Black Mountain and Broken Social Scene were particularly hot topics, but Norwegians also spoke of Montreal exports like AIDS Wolf, A Silver Mt. Zion, the Besnard Lakes and Voivod with equal reverence. Whether I was at rockabilly bomb shelter-turned-boozecan Caven, Scandinavian rock birthplace Last Train, hipster hangout Revolver or heavy metal watering hole Elm Street, I was constantly rewarded with a few free pints just for the mere fact I was from Montreal.

Tonight, Feb. 26, would be a good night to get your Montrealer ticker pumpin’ with pride when the Headcoatees-fuelled garage of the Captains joins forces with the disjointed disturbia of Many Mental Mistakes and the garage barrage of trio Tonitix at the Green Room. Keep in mind that all shows must be over by midnight at the newly reopened Green Room, so best show up early to get the most bang for your buck. Also happening tonight is the amazing roots-punk of the Schomberg Fair with Parlovr at Divan Orange. The Schomberg Fair’s CD knocked me on my ass with their Gun Club take on traditional form, so for those of you who like their twang a bit on the dark and gloomy side…

On Friday at the Barfly, bratty miscreants Trigger Effect will wave goodbye to Montreal for awhile before packing their bags for a month-long European tour. Helping send them off are Nerve Control and hard psych jam band the Enjoyer. Dress for chaos. Down at l’Escogriffe, country/rockabilly crooner and catgut thumper Ronnie Hayward performs with his full band, but if you miss him here, you can also check out his solo shows every Sunday between 6–9 p.m. at the same club.

If you’re just looking to get completely liquefied on Friday, you can check out Une Soirée De Kvlte Kosmique show at Il Motore with the heavy, fucked-up psych of Panopticon Eyelids, the slow and torturous instrumental grind of Squalor, Wapstan, Low End Ensemble and les Gustavo Kuerten.

On Saturday, you can check out Hollerado with guests when they finally wrap their month-long residency at the Barfly, or check out Jersey Boy rockers the Parlor Mob with amped-up power popsters Dead Messenger at Il Motore. On Sunday, Cagibi follows up the success of their tribute to Townes Van Zant and hosts Every Dingy Basement: A Tribute to Joe Strummer with members of Lake of Stew, the dearly departed Jerk Appeal and more. All profits from the night will go to the Mile End Mission, and again, remember to show up early for this one.

If you aren’t one of the lucky ones who actually snagged tickets for l’Escogriffe’s anniversary show featuring Malajube on Tuesday (happy anniversary, by the way), you are simply shit out of luck, so why not check out the black metal of 1349 with the death metal of Slaotvean and Hellacaust at Petit Campus. If corpse paint doesn’t float your boat, you can also check out the epic panorama of the always-incredible live show of …And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead with Funeral Party and Midnight Masses at la Sala Rossa.

DEATH TO FALSE METAL…
JONATHAN.CUMMINS@GMAIL.COM