Wooly wig-out

by JOHNSON CUMMINS

Now that Osheaga has finally wrapped up, let’s get around to the real festival of the summer, Wooly Weekend, starting tonight, Aug. 6, at Théâtre Plaza. Any regular reader of this column, or anybody who has a slight inkling about real-deal rock ’n’ roll and raw garage stomp, is not going to want to miss a single second of this out-of-control shindig. The line-up is nothing short of in-fucking-credible for any fuzzed-out fiend, starting tonight with the Gruesomes, Minneapolis’s the Hypstrz, the Morlocks and les Breastfeeders. Before you strap on your drainpipe pants and Cuban-heeled boots and prop up that mop-top tonight, get lubed with the best local podcast, Vente de garage, hosted by the always awesome DJ Sweet Mélo and DJ Pâté . Their 16th episode gives you an amazing preview of all of the bands playing at Wooly Weekend. Check it at ventedegaragepodcast.blogspot.com.

Kicking off the entire fest tonight at 7 p.m. is the Canadian premiere screening of America’s Lost Band, the Remains documentary directed by Michael Stich and narrated by the J. Geils Band’s Peter Wolf. After working the film festival circuit last year, Montreal finally gets a peek at this hour-long rock doc that digs deep on one of the most unsung bands of all time. The Remains started off in Boston in 1964, signed to Epic in ’65, played on Ed Sullivan and were the sweat act for the Beatles’ 1966 tour, but by the time their debut record was released in late ’66, they were already finished. For numerous reasons, these Bostonians never really got their fair shake, but the film digs up gold and is chock full of great file footage and amazing interviews with key players before leading up to the band’s recent triumphant reformation.

If you can only afford to make it for one night at Wooly Weekend, Friday is not to be missed with the all-original line-up of Question Mark & the Mysterians, the Flakes (featuring Russell Quan of the fucking Mummies!), the Alarm Clocks, Muck and the Mires, the A-Bones and Nagg (representing Quan’s more glammy side). Saturday afternoon, things start off at 1 p.m. with the Budget Rock Showcase featuring the amazing power pop of the Nashville Ramblers, the Anabolics, the Teutonics, the Jinxes, Hazard Lights, the Beach Blankets, Sonic Avenues and some of North America’s greatest garage DJs spinnin’ a stack of wax, plus b-movies, vintage vinyl and thrift kiosks, gogo dancers, the launch of the sixth issue of Mongrel Zine (more on that in next week’s Punkusraucousrex) and more. The evening show slams the fest shut with a bang with the Higher State, the Electric Prunes, Love, Fortune & Maltese & the Phabulous Pallbearers, the Sunday Sinners and the Saffron Sect. If that doesn’t flip yer wig, ya better check yer pulse.

In other fuggin’ crazy news, the Aussie rock ’n’ roll combo AC/DC is also playing on Saturday night in the comfy confines of the Big O. Singer Brian Johnson (no relation) publicly announced this past week that he is officially hanging up his low-slung pub-bud hat after this tour, so don’t miss what is probably your last chance to see one of the greatest rock ’n’ roll bands of all time.

NUGGETS AND PEBBLES FOR THOSE ABOUT TO ROCK…JONATHAN.CUMMINS@GMAIL.COM