Keeping things on
the Suoni side up

by JOHNSON CUMMINS

As mentioned in last week’s column, one of Montreal’s best small live venues, Casa del Popolo, continues to grapple with red tape as they seek a proper licence to once again host live shows. You can continue to support Casa during these lean times at their longstanding DJ nights, starting this Monday with DJ Nao Identificado and Tuesday with the psych, post-punk, punk and garage of Red Mass’s DJ Choyce. Despite their recent setbacks, the fine, furry folks behind la Sala Rossa and Casa del Popolo are hardly licking any wounds and have been continuing to forge ahead. This week, they confirmed the performers at this year’s Suoni Per Il Popolo festival, running throughout the month of June, and without a doubt it’s their most impressive line-up yet. Here’s just a smidgen of the names playing at one of the best festivals in the city: TV on the Radio, Deja Voodoo’s Gerard Van Herk (!), Swans’ Michael Gira, Tim Hecker, Corpusse, Sun City Girls’ Sir Richard Bishop, Nomeansno (!), Six Organs of Admittance, Magik Markers, Jay Reatard and many more. Good on ya, Suoni!

TWISTED ROOTS: Lake of Stew

For those of us who aren’t lucky enough to make it down to Austin, Texas this year to check out the biggest music festival in the world, SXSW, there are thankfully some great shows happening this week to make you a little less envious. Starting off tonight will be the punk rock with melodic know-how of Whiskey Trench (think Montreal legends the Nils meets the U.K.’s Leatherface) and the hipster-killing blast of Vile Intent at Green Room. Like all shows at Green Room, this show must be over by midnight, so be there for 10 p.m.

Friday night, Ronnie Hayward continues to hold Montreal under siege with his traditional country/rockabilly when he performs with his full band at l’Escogriffe, with Mississippi Grover warming up the room. Also happening Friday is the punk garage of the Captains at Barfly with super special guests. If you haven’t seen the healing powers of the Captains’ blitz, don’t miss out. In more noisy news, you can also check out Toronto’s Women, who will unleash their Beefheart style of damaged pop with Braids and Special Noise at Green Room—again, midnight curfew. Ex-Regulations Masshysteri were indeed forced to cancel their show on Friday at Katacombes but local openers Preying Hands, the post-punk/punk of Complications and Reject will keep the home fires burning.

Saturday, you can catch the no-wave racket of Many Mental Mistakes with Crabe and Fear Eat Soul at Bistro de Paris, and on Wednesday, you can check out the twisted roots of Lake of Stew with birds of a feather the Slater at Petit Campus. In keeping with recent Montreal trends, this show has an 11 p.m. end time, so better get there early.

I’M A LONG TALL TEXAN…
JONATHAN.CUMMINS@GMAIL.COM