Talking 'bout my (parents') generation
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Three local scenesters keep the coolest decade alive
by LORRAINE CARPENTER
It seems Stanley Kubrick had 2001 all wrong. Except, perhaps, for the '60s futurist furniture and hairdos. While a growing number of adults never experienced the '70s, let alone the '60s, baby boomers have flooded our culture with artefacts from the colossal decade to such an extent that we can't help but join in.
Apart from the ever-present Oliver Stone '60s--you know, that crazed Vietnam hippie mythology--that decade's pop culture, or simply '60s pop, has made a strong bid for the mainstream in recent years. Sure, there's some stiff competition from the '70s and '80s, but the staggering sales of the Beatles' One and the popularity of Austin Powers, its soundtrack and all its pseudo-swinging-'60s speak, show the range of this ongoing revival.
If we scratch the surface of the mainstream, particularly mainstream music, it becomes clear that our obsession with that inescapable decade isn't merely nostalgic. Bands all over the Western world--from Belle and Sebastian and Death By Chocolate in the U.K., to the Januaries and David Candy in the U.S., to the Dears and les Séquelles here in Montreal--are heavily referencing '60s pop from England and France. Local Mod-town revivalists the Datsons, whose brilliant, '60s-drenched album See! was released last summer on Tyrant Records, are ready to bring their good times back to Montreal this summer with a new video, a 7" on Ricochet Records, and the second annual Mod All-Nighter. But more on that later.
Chaos rules
For a more immediate fix, DJs Trevor Datson (the Datsons' frontman), Alex Fascination (promoter and owner of rock 'n' roll record store Sonik) and Mimi la Twisteuse (keeping the French revival real on radio) have recently kickstarted a weekly '60s party called Biff! Bang! Pow! on Wednesday nights at Café Chaos. (If you're experiencing déja-vu, this night had a short life-span last summer at the now-defunct Cybertek Club.) Trevor plays all varieties of soul, from rare Northern soul to the classics, while Alex plays rock 'n' roll with a punk edge, and Mimi rounds things out with yéyé, beat pop and a little garage.
"It's pretty much the full spectrum of '60s pop," says Trevor. "I guarantee a hit song every five songs."
Mimi, who is about to move her popular CISM radio show to a new home (top secret!), is paying further tribute to the French retro scene by putting together volume 10 of the Girls in the Garage compilation (to be released this summer on Romulan Records), a volume devoted to the girls of Quebec and France. Along with C'est Extra, the long-running go-go night at Cabaret, Biff! Bang! Pow! continues the tradition of Franco '60s chic (albeit in a more rootsy setting), a trend that resonates strongly in this province.
"I think Montreal has a much richer and older tradition of this kind of music," says Trevor. "The rest of Canada, from what I see, is centered around whatever the trends are right now in England, so it's tied in with the whole Britpop revival. Here, the younger people are actually aware of '60s Quebecois bands, whereas I don't think Winnipeg bands are influenced by the early Guess Who."
Get Cynical
Pop aside, Montreal has always has always loved the rough edges of garage, and one upcoming show pairing Pittsburg's garage-punk legends the Cynics with Montreal's Del-Gators, an R&B band made up of Spaceshits, Sexareenos and Scat Rag Boosters members, will be welcome fodder for fanatics.
The show is brought to you by Sonik, Fascination's promotion outfit/used & new record store, located at 4050 Berri, corner of Duluth. Although he's been bringing bands to town for several years now (notably Electric Frankenstein, who he's been forced to abandon due to "trouble at the border"), he and Trevor are more enthused than ever about organizing shows with bands like the Lyres and the Greenhorns, with the idea that someone has to make these events happen and it might as well be them.
On the topic of making things happen, the Datsons, apart from recording and playing their own knees-up, '60s-inspired music, are providing Montreal with its only real mod event.
"The All-Nighter, I hope, is going to be the single most important event in the '60s scene in Montreal every year," says Trevor Datson. "Originally, we were inspired by the Rolling Stones' Rock 'n' Roll Circus, the idea that we'd have all our friends come and party and it would draw attention to all our bands and it'd be very rock 'n' roll--you know, a lot of excess and flamboyance." Also taking inspiration from the vibrant Britpop/mod/soul scene in Toronto, the Datsons had their first successful All-Nighter last June, importing bands and DJs from Toronto and the U.S. This year's event promises to be more musically dynamic, with guests including Winnipeg's Duotang and DJ Davey Love of Toronto's Blow-Up nights, and in a better setting, namely Lion d'Or.
"The idea is to have a pretty well-rounded night of pop music," says Datson, "and to recreate the original club nights that made the mod scene so exciting in the '60s, when it was all about music and dancing."
Biff! Bang! Pow! is at Café Chaos on Wednesdays, 10pm, free (the Fez-Tones perform May 2). The Cynics with guests the Del-Gators at Le Swimming on Thursday, May 10, 8pm, $8. The Mod All-Nighter is scheduled for Saturday, June 16, at Lion d'Or
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