Art rocks!

>> Musicians get creative for the Children's Wish Foundation

by JOHNSON CUMMINS

A host of Montreal musicians are banding together and putting brush strokes on canvas, guitars, drum skins and shoe boxes in support of a very worthy cause. The exhibit and auction Dessine-moi un artiste was thought up by original curator Audrey Gauthier, who brainstormed the idea of getting some of Montreal's rockers' artwork shown, while helping to generate funds for those who need it. Current curator Trish Babineau followed through with the idea by setting up the event which will help support the Children's Wish Foundation that helps grant children with life-threatening illnesses any wish they may have.

"I think a big part of having rock 'n' roll people showing their work is that it's going to generate a lot of interest from a younger audience, which is pretty unique in the charity field," explains Babineau. "I also think it's interesting to push creative people to be creative in other areas. Some of the artists who haven't had much experience with art are now pursuing it a bit more. Then there are artists like Mitsou--she's been painting ever since she was a teenager and I think most people don't see that side of her."

Some of the musician/artists who will be putting their work up on the auctioning block are Michel "Away" Langevin from Voivod, Ivan Doroschuk from Men Without Hats, Mitsou, Quebec chanteuse Diane Dufresne, Alain Vadeboncoeur from Grim Skunk, Vince Peake from Groovy Aardvark, Doctor B, Alex Jones from WD-40, Sam Busque from Noir Silence and Xavier Caféine from Caféine. Caféine's entry is entitled "Three Cigarettes After Love With Mademoiselle Lim"; it's a rendering of his girlfriend which he did on a Le Château shoe box with makeup he had laying around the house.

"I have always had an interest in art, but whenever I would try and do it, it would never come out right," explains Caféine. "I agreed to do a piece and, like any typical musician, I kept putting off doing it until the day Trish [Babineau] was coming to pick up the piece. My girlfriend is away right now in London and I was really missing her a lot and I had this box left over from these boots I bought her and it just came together," he says, adding that "it's really cool to be part of something that Diane Dufresne is part of, but I think my real motivation in getting it done was to try and help the Children's Wish Foundation." The show also includes performances by solo artist Elisabeth Anka, standup comic Gary Bray, escape artist/magician Luc Martel and will be hosted by scratch turntablist/human beat-box DJ Pocket.

Free tickets for the event are available at L'Oblique record store (4333 Rivard) and the event takes place at Jingxi (410 Rachel E.), Wednesday Nov. 8: vernissage 5pm, show 7:30pm