by SCOTT C

If any of you had been wondering just where the hell our very own DJ Ram had gotten to, I’m happy to report that he’s alive and well and the proud father of a brand new record, under the Ramasutra moniker, called El Pipo Del Taxi, on his own Semprini imprint. I missed the launch last week down at Château St-Ambroise, but was happy to see that our man has a date at the Jazz Fest with powerhouse Misstress Barbara at Club Soda on June 28. Also slated for the les Nuits Bleue Dry series are Fred Everything, Laurent De Wilde, Jazzanova with Joseph Malik, Mr. Scruff, and the sweet return of Ursula Rucker. She’ll be joined by “Mr. International Affairs” and Philly home-towner, Vikter Duplaix. On the “prepare to get blown away” front, make sure you get your tickets for the Cinematic Orchestra/Gotan Project double bill booked for Metropolis on July 5. Cinematic has been long overdue for a Montreal date, and to my knowledge, the Gotan crew have never set foot here before, so it should be nice.

After months of delving deep into the innermost corners of my very being, I have finally finished my very first book entitled RESTAGOG: Cheap Man From a Fun Place. By some strange co-incidence, my imaginary girlfriend and Mirror colleague Sarah Musgrave is having a book launch for her new book Resto à Go-Go: 180 Cheap and Fun Places to Eat and Drink in Montreal at Blizzarts tonight, Thursday, May 22, at 7:30 p.m. I haven’t got a publisher yet, but that won’t stop me from drinking at the launch and rubbing shoulders with the food-writer elite.

Head down to Off the Hook at 1021A Ste-Catherine W. this Friday, May 23, for the Pound Magazine issue 17 release party. I think this is a first for the store, and it sounds like a really good idea to check out DJs Skeptik and Sase One, as well as art from KOPS Crew’s Produkt. Free drinks and free stuff, so don’t miss.

Take your pick this weekend with DJ Kaveh and Medusa presenting the CD launch party for Making Love in Montreal at Dancing Mocha Jo’s (5175A Parc) on Saturday, May 24. They’ll be rocking the kwaito, reggae, hip hop and soul with the aid of some musical guests. Round the corner at la Sala Rossa (4848 St-Laurent), also on May 24, you have the first appearance of a live band at the Goods. I’d never heard of Afrodizz, but these locals are definitely lickin’ at the heels of Antibalas with their tight and authentic Afro-beat sound. I’ll be there with Andy Williams too, playing the usual mixed bag of tricks for the dancefloor.

Next Wednesday, May 28, at la Sala Rossa, you can come down and wish a happy birthday to Urban X-Pressions frontman Sterling Downey as his friends and loved ones present Salt ’n’ Pepper. Although Sterling could do with a Grecian Formula tutorial, we know he’s not really that old. For $3 (with proceeds going to the send-Sterling-away fund) you can rock to the sounds of Devious, DR One, Sase One, P-Love and DJ Storm.

One more for the road… fathead@videotron.ca

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