It’s not the heat, it’s
the humanity

by JOHNSON CUMMINS

As I pour sweat just from tapping on the keyboard, my oscillating fan keeps nodding its head as if to say, “Nope, no cool air for you.” Being of Irish descent, I have to admit I’ll drop beads of sweat in the dead of winter while merely reading a magazine, but still—it’s fuggin’ hot. If you’re like me and are living in an AC-challenged sweat lodge, there is nothing like a frosty pint to beat the heat, and this week provides the perfect excuse to get out of your hotbox apartment and do your part to help put some sweat on the walls of your favourite local haunt.

Tonight is a good place to start when Montreal’s favourite wooden-toothed, landlocked pirates Death Boat launch their leaky dinghy, The Trilogy of the Mystic Stone, into open waters at Cabaret Juste Pour Rire with the spirit-of-’77 punk rock of the Aversions. Better wear something that doesn’t stain because this is going to get messy. Also happening tonight are the bratty no wave/noise dirges of Many Mental Mistakes with Jesus les Filles and le Globe at the best watering hole-in-the-wall in town, l’Escogriffe. Finally, don’t miss the weird punk of Chicago’s the Daily Void with the fucked-up punk of Denial Tone and the raw and raucous rock ’n’ roll of Tonitix at Griffintown hotbox Friendship Cove.

Friday marks the return of sludge-meisters Nebula at Il Motore, but it’s the openers, Los Angeles’ heavy psych/blues damage act the Entrance Band, that really earns this show my pick of the week. Whatever you do, make sure you show up in time to check out the Entrance Band because if they are anywhere near as good live as their fucking incredible 2006 record, Prayer of Death (think a modern version of Muddy Waters’s psych masterpiece Electric Mud meeting the raga jams of vintage U.K. psych-folk), this should prove to be hotsy-totsy for the current psych head.

This week also proves to be great for some serious, straight-ahead punk rock, starting on Friday with Toronto’s Vicious Cycle, Burning Love and the Castevets at Katacombes’ fine new digs.

Saturday night keeps the punk rock rollin’ with the mid-’80s melodic punk (combined with the best from Florida’s No Idea label) of Prevenge, with Junior Battles at l’Escogriffe. Prevenge’s seven-inch launch at Green Room a couple of weeks back really blew the crowd away, so don’t miss this chance to see them in the one of the best rooms in town.

Monday, you can check out noiseniks Dreamcatcher with birds of a feather Dead Bush, Midwifery and Conquest of the Longbow at the Green Room, and finally, on Wednesday, punkers Dead Mechanical and Whiskey Trench are at Vinyl (hint: show up early for the BBQ), and there’s also the launch of Punk Holograms, the debut album from Edmonton’s the Wicked Awesomes, with the swan-song performance of locals Double Dip, who are hanging it up to further pursue space travel, and locals Dead Wife and Futensil sending ‘em off at Squalor House. Also happening on Wednesday, at l’Escogriffe, is Colin Moore with members of Death Boat and Yesterday’s Ring, with ex-Gunmoll member and In the Red recording artist Mike Hale opening.

CURRENT OBSESSION: NADJA, THE BUNGLED AND
BOTCHED…JONATHAN.CUMMINS@GMAIL.COM