by VINCENT TINGUELY

Ian Ferrier is stoked about the coming months. "The winter season is going to be surprising," organizer and performer Ferrier muses. "I think maybe we've forgotten how good the performers are here, so we're gonna run into events where we just get knocked out." Besides having a CD in the pipe for the spring, Ferrier continues to helm the Words and Music at the Casa series (next up Jan. 18), and he's helping set up the third annual Voices of the Americas festival, running from February 13–19. The fest will feature French, English and bilingual shows, an open mic, a poetry slam and out-of-town guests like major American poet Anne Waldman, spoken word supa sista Ursula Rucker and Anishnaabe writer Kateri Akiwenzie-Damm.

Fortner Anderson is a featured performer in the festival, and he's also been busy in the studio. "I recorded six pieces, and then gave those to six local composers and asked them to make new works," Anderson explains. Three of these collaborations, with Sam Shalabi, Alexander Macsween and Michel F. Coté, are featured on The Deep Wireless double CD radio art project, and will be distributed to radio stations across Canada in May. Another spoken word CD featuring three artists from Montreal, part of the National Campus/Community Radio Association project Dig Your Roots, will be launched in late March. You can check out dozens of spoken word tracks at www.digyourroots.ca. "We have a promotion going on," says coordinator Melissa Kaestner. "The more artists you listen to, the more chance you have of winning something cool!"

Loco for Coco

Coco Café kicks off the winter semester on Jan. 25 with the "change" show, and on Feb. 29 the theme is "culture shock." Says co-organizer and MC Mahalia Verna, "Our commonality is the fact that we're black, but that doesn't necessarily predispose that we're all the same - we're going to hear from people from all different walks of life and different age groups and hear how they see themselves in the community." The shows start at 9 p.m. at Quartier Latin, and interested performers should contact the crew at info@inobeproductions.com.

Meanwhile, the Kalmunity collective continues to kick it at Sablo Kafé every Tuesday night. They've got a special fundraiser show featuring Shine Like Stars at Sablo on Saturday, Jan. 31, they're going to Ottawa on Feb. 1 to rock the house with nth digri and crew, and on Feb. 22 there's a big show at Sala Rossa. According to co-organizer JahSun, "There's definitely an evolution with the audience and the performers who come. People leave our shows filled with an energy that lasts them for days, that's what they say."

Then there's the Drop the Gloves Tuesdays open mic series at Grumpy's, organized by Larissa Andrusyshyn. "It really sucked when she didn't have an open mic," says regular performer Paula Belina. "It's a good place to practice." The shows feature spoken word, with a fair dollop of comedy, the odd singer-songwriter to keep things interesting, and the regular "cultural exchange" feature. "It's so much fun," enthuses Andrusyshyn. "It started when my roommate challenged me to get up and sing a song." Belina continues the story: "She got up and sang music and played guitar, and her roommate, who usually sings, got up and did poetry - all embarassed!" Belina's got various irons in the fire, as usual, including the next Artists' Market (featuring lots of chapbooks and zines) at Zeke's Gallery, on Feb. 1, and Three Dollar Theatre, featuring skits written by Belina, Tommy Fennario and Eric Hanson, which will take place in a secret (residential) location at the end of March. For more information write to streeteaters@hotmail.com.

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