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Grenadine Records fêtes the big three
by LORRAINE
CARPENTER
 Celebrating
three years since its inaugural release, Montreal’s Grenadine Records
will host three gigs, proudly featuring its roster (les Séquelles,
Music for Mapmakers and the Frenetics) along with other bands exemplifying
Grenadine’s “timeless pop attitude.”
The label that launched the Dears is rooted in CJMQ, the campus radio
station at Lennoxville’s Bishop’s University. Eric Lapointe
(no, not that one) hosted Canadian Honey, while Alex Megelas spun the
Residents and Negativland on his Morbid and Antisocial Show. The pair
hooked up to organize benefit gigs for the station, gaining useful contacts
with bands touring the region.
“Sherbrooke and the townships didn’t have much of that early
’90s indie rock presence, so Eric got into doing distribution for
Sonic Unyon, Teenage USA, Poster Girl and other small, southern Ontario
labels,” says Megelas.
With the idea of using their distribution cut to fund record releases,
Lapointe and Megelas initiated Grenadine. After their first grant allowed
for the Syrup & Gasoline comp in ’99, Lapointe and Megelas
zig-zagged between Montreal and the townships, running the label part-time
while finishing a business degree and working at CJMQ, respectively.
Recent arrivals on the label include longtime local show-woman Alexis
O’Hara as well as NYC’s Shy Child, who Megelas describes as
“all over the map, from drum & bass to psychedelic rock.”
Apart from having a clear plan of action for 2002, Megelas is psyched
about a new band coming soon to Grenadine, a Toronto act he couldn’t
name before all the T’s are crossed this week. “I finally
saw this band in Montreal a little while ago and I was really, really
blown away. I couldn’t believe they didn’t have anybody putting
out the CD, so I’m glad we’re gonna be the ones.” :
Music for
Mapmakers, Mean Red Spiders and One Candle Power at Casa del Popolo
on Friday, March 29, 9pm, $6. Les Séquelles, the Frenetics, Alexis
O’Hara and Kiss Me Deadly at Sala Rossa and White Star Line, A
Slow Messe, Tiger Saw and Riot Nrrd at Casa del Popolo on Saturday,
March 30, 9pm, all for $8
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