Yes, he is coming

Prince, er, I mean, the Artist Formerly Known as Prince, er, I mean, that squiggly logo guy, er, I mean, The Artist will be giving a drop-of-the-hat concert at Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier this Friday, June 6. The concert news came as a surprise announcement from EMI this past Tuesday. Tickets are limited to four per person. And incidentally, you haven't lived since you've seen this guy perform. 790-1245. (Mireille Silcott)

Coppertone two-tone

It's shaping up to be a ska summer. When the Warped Tour rolls into Blue Bonnets on July 20, it brings skacore heavyweights The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, Less Than Jake and California's trad ska troopers Hepcat. And true old schoolers will have their hands full when the grandpas of ska, Jamaica's venerable Skattalites, join the Wailers on the Metropolis stage on June 29. Let's hope the Skattalites don't call in sick as they did last year. Should be enough to keep local rudies satisfied until Stomp Records do their part for national unity with a back-to-school launch of the third All Skanadian Club anthology. (Rupert Bottenberg)

M.A.D. reach Rap Essentials

Due to sheer phatness Mount Real's own M.A.D. have beaten out hundreds of crews across the country to represent this city on the Beat Factory's second volume of the very influential Rap Essentials compilation series with their fully mastered single "The Rope." MC Vein Flow and crew will begin shooting their video in the hip hop boroughs of RDP and Northhood in two weeks. This summer Mount Real makes moves! (Manchilde)

Go nooorth!

When I was six, I loved the Village People and I had no clue that they were gay icons. Now that I know the true meaning of a handlebar moustache and the phrase fag hag, I love them even more. They perform a disco flashback at the incongruous locale of Bourbon Street North Saturday, June 21. 2045 Route 117, Mont Roland. $29. 790-1245. (Mireille Silcott)

Indie Peel

Derivative puts the sizzle back in my season (the highlights of which are usually welfare day at La Ronde and peeling the aftermath of a sunburn off on public transport vehicles) with some excellent releases from Montreal's finest bands. Starbean (low rent New Order meets Stereolab) will launch their disc Refuting the Extraterrestrial Hypothesis at the end of July. Pest 5000 are changing their name to P5K and are celebrating their new name with an album of B-sides and remixes by Don Pyle (Phonocomb), Rob Christianson (Eggs), John Hughes III (Bill Ding) and a host of others. (Johnson Cummins)

Something has survived: the music

Scanning this summer's line-up of major concert "events" in Montreal, you can't help but see a thread that was once sewn through another era: James Taylor, Tina Turner, Santana, The Who, Aerosmith, Rush, Styx. God, it looks a lot like those hazy, lazy, crazy days of... last summer (the year promoter pundits say was the height of Dinosaur Sr. reunion tours). But for those into brontosaurus burgers with cheese, the only bad news this season is that Boston has passed on Montreal and a reformed Fleetwood Mac doesn't take to the road until the fall. (Chris Yurkiw)

Jazz Fest comes correct

We often hear that the Jazz Festival is regarded as the best jazz summit in the world, but this is the first year in memory that non-swing types have gotten pig-bitin' excited about The Festival That Ate Downtown. In this 18th edition, N.Y. avant guy John Zorn will bring us his new rad "Masada," the Oranj Symphonette will play Henry Mancini, local hip pop ensemble Bran Van 3000 will make their live debut and Peruvian exotica goddess Yma Sumac will return to claim her crown in the revitalized lounge scene--not to mention the cool contrast that Tony Bennett, Marianne Faithfull, Isaac Hayes, R.L. Burnside and Ben Neill with DJ Spooky will play against the always solid, full-on jazz foundation. (Chris Yurkiw)

Party on, and on, and on...

The very large Budweiser rock guitars planted at every intersection might have some unsure of the accepted wisdom that Montreal is a "dance music city." But as rock gigs deflate into '70s beardies and the odd beer-sponsored fest this summer, the hi-tech club bag is busting at the seams: Psychick Warriors of Gaia are at Storm this Friday, June 6 (info: 94-STORM), Soma's Funk D'Void and Percy X visit Sona for DNA's official opening party on June 12 (info: 723-CREW), Kurtis Mantronik, Hardfloor, David Holmes and a host of others visit Channel's next megabash, June 14 (info: 981-8488), Richie Hawtin comes to Isart's Concept night on June 26 (info: 393-1758) and Freddy Fresh on July 17 and, finally, LTJ Bukem, Sasha and John Digweed will try to get their huge egos through the doors of Shock's Element party on July 5 (Info: 989-7761). (Mireille Silcott)